Cornelius Lowe was the first settler in Clinton Township. In 1771 he leased land from Francis Alison in Black Hole Valley. Shortly after he moved in he heard rumors of trouble with nearby Indians. An Indian brave, Shawnee John, who had befriended the Lowe family, warned Cornelius to get out at once. He acted upon the advice and drove his stock across the river then loaded his family into canoes and started them down the river. He remained behind until he could actually see the war painted Indians. Lowe barely escaped with his life. As he went down river in his boat he passed the Indian encampment. When he came close to Lewisburg he could see Indians attacking and burning the village. He didn’t stop until he reached New Jersey and he never returned to this area.
In 1783 William Mackay from Northumberland bought the land originally improved by Lowe. He did not settle here until 1803. He became one of the most prosperous men in the county. He died in 1821. His home is now the site of the American Legion Bower- Decker Post 251. Other early settlers were the Shaffers, Porters, Butlers, Micheltrees, Hoods and Thomases.
Montgomery was incorporated on March 21, 1887 on land taken from Clinton Township which was once a part of Northumberland County. Robert Montgomery was born on 6 January 1798. He was a very prosperous farmer who lived along the Susquehanna River. He donated land for a railroad station when the village was named Black Hole. It was later named Clinton Mills then Montgomery Station and finally a few years after the incorporation of the borough David Montgomery, son of Robert, named it Montgomery.