Armstrong Township is a township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. The population of Armstrong Township was 7,385 at the 1890 census. That number has dropped drastically to just 717 as of the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Armstrong Township is bordered by Duboistown, South Williamsport, and the West Branch Susquehanna River to the north (with Williamsport, Loyalsock Township, and Montoursville north of the river), Brady and Clinton Townships to the south and east, Washington Township to the south, and Limestone, Bastress and Susquehanna Townships to the west.
Armstrong Township was formed from part of Clinton Township in 1842. It is named in honor of James Armstrong a prominent lawyer.
The first European settlers arrived in Armstrong Township in 1773. Thomas Hartley, Michael Graybill, George Leffler, and John Kern all received warrants for land on 11 February 1773. Hartley then purchased the properties of Graybill, Leffler and Kern on 31 March 1773. This was to avoid a Province of Pennsylvania law that stated that no one man could purchase more than one tract of land. Marcus Huling appears to have been the first permanent settler in Mosquito Valley, which makes up the greatest portion of Armstrong Township. Huling settled in the eastern portion of Mosquito Valley, near where Culbertson's Path crossed. Huling and family cleared land, built a cabin, a sawmill, and distillery in 1795. Huling's son, Thomas, carried on the family businesses until his death. Interestingly, although the Huling's were apparently successful businessmen they never saw fit to settle their debt on the land that they had developed. Upon Thomas Huling's death the land was foreclosed and was left to be reclaimed by nature until the arrival of German farmers in 1832.
Mosquito Valley was cleared by the lumber companies that made nearby Williamsport the "Lumber Capital of the World." Lumberjacks harvested the virgin forests of white pine and hemlock. They then floated the logs down Mosquito Run to the sawmills close to the mouth of the creek. As the valley was cleared of trees, farmers moved into the area and began several successful orchard and dairy operations.
Armstrong Township is not limited to Mosquito Valley alone. Bald Eagle Mountain runs through the northern most portions of it. From this ridge several mountains streams find their source. The lumber barons from Williamsport flocked to Mosquito Run in the south and western sections of the township and to Hagerman's Run in the eastern portion of the township. The barons built summer cottages on both streams, fished for trout in the waters, and built small dams for recreational swimming and ice skating. They also built several trout hatcheries in Mosquito Valley.
