Rush Township will mark its bicentennial in 2011 and the township is making sure the anniversary doesn't pass without fanfare.

"We are very excited about the fact that Rush Township will be celebrating its bicentennial in 2011," said Stephen W. Simchak, chairman of the board of supervisors. "To kick off this important milestone, a luncheon is tentatively planned for Saturday, Jan. 8, at 12 p.m. at the municipal building."Simchak announced the event Wednesday morning at the conclusion of the township's budget meeting.The township will kick off the celebration by honoring one of its most valuable assets volunteers."Our volunteers will be recognized at this luncheon. The men and women of the Rush Township fire police, Hometown Fire Company and Quakake Volunteer Fire Company devote many hours of their own time to our township responding to accidents, search and rescue, fires, crowd control and other special assignments," Simchak explained.The same holds true with police, who will be saluted along with employees."The Rush Township Police Department is here 24 hours a day keeping our community safe and free from crime. All our employees will be honored for their dedication and hard work."Simchak emphasized that residents and business leaders also have volunteered their services toward the betterment of the township."All residents of our township are welcome to attend this luncheon. You must RSVP by calling the administration office at (570) 668-2938 by Jan. 3."Simchak said the supervisors are looking to plan other special events throughout next year to commemorate the occasion."If you have any suggestions or would like to volunteer in setting up these events, please let us know. We encourage everyone to become part of our bicentennial," said Simchak.According to the municipal website, Rush Township is one of the original nine townships of Schuylkill County. It was established in 1811 from land that was originally part of Northampton County. The name of the township is in honor of Judge Jacob Rush, who served as the first president judge of the Third Judicial District when Schuylkill County was still part of Northampton County. Jacob Rush was the younger brother of Dr. Benjamin Rush, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.The pioneer settlers of Rush Township were all of German nationality, and for many years only German was spoken in the township. Thomas Lindner came in 1800; John Faust settled in the township in 1800, and Abram L. Boughner became his neighbor near Barnesville in 1815; Jacob Neifert and Andrew Gottschall were early settlers who made the first improvements near Tamanend. John Feller was also one of the early pioneers.In its early days, Rush Township was larger than it is today. In 1849, Mahanoy Township was separated from Rush. Parts of Ryan Township were peeled away from Rush in 1866, and parts became East Union Township the following year. Kline (originally Klein) and Delano townships were carved out of Rush Township in 1873 and 1882, respectively.Railroads played a key part in the growth of Rush Township .The Catawissa and Little Schuylkill railroads were both completed in the township in about 1854. Ten years later, the Mahanoy division of the Lehigh Valley Railroad was completed.The Nesquehoning Valley Railroad Company, part of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, built a 17-mile rail spur from Mauch Chunk (modern-day Jim Thorpe) to Tamanend that was finished in 1870. It connected with rail lines that were leased and operated by the Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron Company near Tamanend. This major freight and passenger rail interchange was at the small village of Haucks, which no longer exists today but was near the current Air Products facility near Quakake. Throughout the late 1800s, there were railroad interchanges in Haucks, Tamanend, and Quakake.On March 23, 1871, the Nesquehoning-Tamanend line became part of the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ), which leased many LC&N assets on that date.The Nesquehoning-Tamanend line features the railroad "High Bridge," which spans the Little Schuylkill River at a height of 157 feet, some accounts claim 180 feet. The bridge is cited in historical documents dating back to at least the early 1880s. The bridge, formally called the Hometown Trestle, is 981 feet long. The original bridge was a massive wooden structure, but it was rebuilt out of steel in 1931.