USA > Indiana > Biographical and historical cyclopedia of Indiana and Armstrong counties, Pennsylvania > Part 7
USA > Pennsylvania > Armstrong County > Biographical and historical cyclopedia of Indiana and Armstrong counties, Pennsylvania > Part 7
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The sheriff was Thomas McCartney, and the coroner was Samuel Young. The acting con- stables were Andrew Speedy for Armstrong, Daniel Falloo for Wheatfield and Samuel Kelly for Conemaugh township. Seventeen grand jurors were summoned as follows: Joseph Mc- Cartney, Jacob Hess, William Bond, Matthew Winesap, Robert Ligget, John McKee, Robert Robertson, James McKnight, Joseph Harbison, Henry Hire, Alexander Lytle, John Matthews, Thomas Boals, Thomas M. Sloan and William Hamilton. The traverse jurors numbered twenty-nine, and were Alex. Ray, Richard Wilson, Samuel Smith, Francis Boals, John Loughry, James McDonald, John Bowers, Pe- ter Hoover, Jeremiah Brown, Andrew Simp- son, Robert Nixon, Samuel Wallace, William Parker, Thomas Reed, James Mahon, Peter Fair, Israel Thomas, William Deveny, John Lowry, John White, Moses Curry, Meek Kelly, John Laughlin, Francis Louther, Thomas Wakefield, James Longstreth, Joseph Hutch- inson, James Findley and Robert Ewing. At this session Andrew Speedy deputized Philip Rice to act as constable of the township of Centre, and John Bell for the township of Washington. During its sessions Henry Shry- ock, William Bond and James Moorhead were recommended by the court as fit persons to keep public houses of entertainments, and the
following persons were naturalized : Joseph Wilson, Hugh Junkins, James Lesley, George Turner, William Johnston, Arch. Matthews, Robert Craig, James Anderson, James Graham, Andrew Fee and David Campbell.
The constables appointed at June sessions were Benjamin Clawson, for Black Lick town- ship; Arch. Marshall, Conemiaugh ; Jac. An- thony, Armstrong; Robert Allison, Centre ; John Bell, Wheatfield, and David Tomb, Ma- honing.
Wheatfield township, which was created in 1779 as one of the townships of Westmoreland county, included all of what is now Indiana county, south of the purchase line. The re- maining townships have been erected in the following years : Armstrong, 1785; Conemaugh and Mahoning, 1803; Centre, Black Lick and Washington, 1807; Green, 1816; Young, 1830; Cherry Hill and Montgomery, 1834; Brush Valley, 1835; White, 1843; Rayne, 1845; North, East, South and West Mahoning town- ships, 1846 ; Canoe, 1847 ; Pine, 1850; Bur- rell, 1853; East and West Wheatfield, 1859 ; Buffington, 1867, and Banks, 1868.
Salt Wells .- In 1812 an old lady by the name of Deemer discovered salt water at low- water mark on the Conemaugh river, two miles above Saltsburg, and William Johnston (from Franklin County) sank a well in which, at two hundred and eighty-seven feet, he found an abundance of salt water. The Conemaugh Valley soon became noted for. its great number of salt wells and the value of its salt trade. Crude machinery was first used for boring and pumping, which was afterwards supplanted by the steam engine. As the wells increased, competition brought down the price of salt, and many salt-works were abandoned. Several works are still running which manufacture an excellent quality of salt. (See Conemaugh township.)
Pennsylvania Canal .- In 1826 the Legisla- ture provided for the construction of the Penn-
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INDIANA COUNTY.
sylvania Canal, and in 1831 the main line of the canal from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh was completed at an expense of over 35 millions of dollars. The Kiskiminetas was slacked, and boats ran from the Quaker to the Iron city. Blairsville and Saltsburg increased rapidly in population and wealth; but the completion of the Pennsylvania in 1852 rendered the canal useless, and for a time checked the growth of the above-named boroughs.
.Underground Railroad .- About '1840 the slavery question was agitated in Indiana county, and after the passage of the fugitive slave law a branch of the "Underground Railroad " ran through the county. Indiana was a depot on this road, and many citizens of the county were actively engaged in piloting runaway slaves to other parties further northward, who assisted the fleeing slaves on their way to Canada.
Railroads .- The Pennsylvania railroad was completed in 1852, and on June 5, 1856, the Indiana Branch railroad was opened from Blairsville intersection in Westmoreland County,-a distance of nineteen miles ; but railroad building was arrested by the opening of the late war.
The western Pennsylvania railroad was char- tered in 1853 to run from Blairsville to Free- port, in Armstrong county ; but the company (the Northwestern Pennsylvania) failed after a portion of the grading had been done, and the road was sold at Philadelphia in 1859 to the Western Pennsylvania company, which com- menced work on the road in 1863. In 1864 trains ran to Freeport, and one year later ran into Allegheny City.
The Butler Branch was completed in 1871, and for a period of twenty years the people of the county were adapting themselves to a new life of prosperity inaugurated by these railways. The public-spirited citizens of the county com- menced to develop the coal and invest in man- ufacturing establishments, and the county is
now destined to rank high in the State for wealth and manufactures.
Within the last year the railway outlook for the county is bright. The Rochester & Pitts- burg R. R. company have surveyed a line from Punxsutawney, via Plumville, Shelocta, Sonth Bend and Apollo, to Pittsburgh. An effort is being made to establish a competing line to the Pennsylvania R. R., and a road has been pro- jected from Clearfield to connect with the Pitts- burgh & Western at Butler, while the American Midland Line (an air-line road from New York to Chicago) road, which, if built, will cross the county as far north as Marion. Tlie Homer City & Cherry Tree railroad has been surveyed, and present indications warrant its construction at an early date.
Great Civil War .- Soldiers from Indiana county served in the war of 1812 along the northern lakes, and Indianians were in three companies of the second Pennsylvania Volun- teers, which fought under Scott in the Mexican war. Daniel Kuhns was killed and James Kelly, William Matthews and Matthias Palmer died in Mexico. William Campbell and Pliny Kelly also served in the Mexican war.
When the late war commenced the sons of Indiana were among the first to take up arms in defence of the government, and served with distinction in nearly all of the battles of the Army of the Potomac and under Sherman. Soldiers from Indiana county served in the Ninth Reserves and companies B and E and most of companies A and D of the Eleventh Reserves were from this county. One company of the Twelfth Reserves was recruited near Armagh and thirty men of the Fourteenth Reserve were Indianians. Citizens of the county served in the forty-sixth, fifty-fifth, fifty-sixth, sixty-first, sixty-seventh, seventy- fourth, seventy-eighth, one hundred and third, one hundred and fifth, one hundred and thirty- fifth, one hundred and forty-cighth, one hun- dred and fifty-ninth, one hundred and seventy-
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GEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SKETCH OF
seventh, and two hundred and sixth regiments . of Pennsylvania Volunteers. Co. B of the fifty-sixtlı, Co. A of the sixty-first, Co. E of the one hundred and forty-eighth and companies A, C, D, F, G, H and I of the two hundred and sixth regiment were recruited in Indiana county.
In 1862, when Governor Curtin called for militia to defend Pennsylvania against Gen. Lee, Indiana county in eight days sent Co. H, of the tenth regiment, four companies of the twenty-third regiment and one independent company to the aid of the threatened border of the State. In 1863, when Lee was marching on Gettysburg, the county between July 3d and 8th sent eight companies into the field, and by the 23d had forwarded six more companies or fourteen companies in all. These companies served principally in the fifty-fourth and fifty- seventh regiments, Pennsylvania Militia, and aided largely in the capture of Morgan in Ohio. Two companies of Indiana county men were mustered into the Union service in 1864 and served nearly one year, doing general guard duty wherever needed. During 1864 fifty men were recruited in the county for the United States Signal Corps. Indiana county's war record of the great Rebellion is one of which she may well be proud, for her sons served faithfully and with honor on a hundred bloody battle-fields where many of them fell to rise no more. Our limits forbid extended notice of their deeds.
" On fame's eternal camping grounds Their silent tents are spread, And glory guards with solemn round, The bivouac of the dead."
Material Development .- One-third of the 772 miles of territory included in the county, it is said by competent judges, contains coal above water levels. Within the next few years the southern part of the county will be changed from an agricultural section to a great mining region. The coke industry was inaugurated in
the county in 1886, by George A. Mikesell, who built ten ovens and then sold them to Jacob Graff and J. M. Guthrie, who increased the ovens to twenty-four in number. They in turn sold the plant to J. W. Moore, of Greensburg, Pa., who organized the McCreary Coke com- pany, whose members are Harry and John McCreary and J. W. Moore. Their works are at Mikesell siding, in Centre township, where they already employ nearly nearly two hundred men. They have fifty ovens burning and one hundred and forty-two more in process of con- struction. They have six hundred and forty acres of coal besides several large leased tracts, and manufacture a coke which ranks high and sells readily in the market.
The next coke plant is that of the Indiana Coal and Coke company, whose members are Jacob and Paul Graff, J. M. Guthrie, G. W. Hoover, John P. Elkins and John R. Cald- well ; their coke-works are just below the Mc- Creary plant and consist of twenty four ovens now burning and quite a number in process of construction. They own two hundred and forty acres of coal land and have leased one hundred and sixty-five acres of additional coal territory. They also have mines opened for shipping raw coal. Their coal, like the Mc- Creary vein, is six feet four inches in thickness. A town is rapidly being built at each of these coke plants.
The shipping of raw coal has rapidly de- veloped. In 1879 the present Foster Coal company, of Saltsburg, commenced shipping raw coal to Pittsburgh, while in the north- eastern part of the county are the Glen Campbell mines, located on a thirteen-mile branch of the Bell Gap Railroad, and the Passmore Burns and Bryson mines on a sub- branch of the railroad, some three miles from Glen Campbell. They mine the Lower Free- port coal, which is five feet thick in that part of the county.
The lumbering interest, which was once the
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INDIANA COUNTY.
leading industry of the county, is still of large proportions and is principally centred at Homer City and on Two Lick creek. At Homer City are large mills operated by J. M. Guthrie, and on Two Lick creek are the mills of the Guthrie Lumber company. These mills cut hundreds of thousands of feet of lumber every year. The finest timber in the county has been worked up, although considerable quantities yet remain in the eastern and north- eastern part of the county. In Wheatfield township and . in Cambria county, Joseph Cramer, who formerly operated several portable saw-mills in Indiana county, is engaged in the charcoal business and makes about 10,000 bushels of that article yearly. At Jeannette, in Westmoreland county, works have been erected to extract the juice of chestnut and chestnut oak woods to be used for tanning purposes, and most of the wood for these works is furnished by Indiana county.
Mineral paint beds of exceeding richness are found on Chestnut ridge. Large and prosper- ous glass-works are located at Blairsville and Saltsburg, and the pressed brick-works of the the Black Lick Manufacturing company turn out a brick noted for durability and ex- cellence of manufacture. Standard flouring- mills are located throughout the county, which docs not now possess a single brewery or dis- tillery.
A large number of wells for oil and natural gas are being drilled in the county. The few furnaces, among which were the Indiana iron- works and Black Lick furnace, have all gone down, but of late some little move has been made to build two or three furnaces near the railroads.
The Indiana Chemical company has ex- tensive works at Two Lick, and the straw- board mill of J. W. Sutton & Bro., at Indiana, has a capacity of 5000 pounds per day, while the machine-shops and manufacturing establishment of Sutton Bros. & Bell, of
Indiana, supply a large county and State trade, besides making shipments to different parts of the United States, Mexico and South America.
Telegraph lines extend along the railways and the principal towns will soon be lighted by electricity, while they seem to have favorable chances to be heated yet by natural gas.
The Indiana Telephone company was organ- ized, in 1887, when the parent line was run from Indiana to Marion. It was chartered in 1889 with a capital of $10,000, and has six lines in active operation, running in all over 200 miles, and reaching every town of any size or importance in the county.
For much valuable information in regard to early settlers and material resources, we are in- debted to County Surveyer John R. Caldwell.
The Press. - In the beautiful Holland city of Haerlem, Laurentius conceived the idea which afterward ripened into the grand art of print- ing. The printing press was introduced into Indiana county about 1814, when James Mc- Cahan established the American, a federal sheet, at Indiana. In 1821 came the Indiana and Jefferson Whig, the first democratic paper in the county. In 1826 the American, under James Moorhead, became Anti-Masonic and in 1827 was merged into the Whig. The first paper at Blairsville was The Blairsville Record, which was established in 1827. The following eleven weekly papers are now published in the county : Enterprise, Record, Port Monitor, Democrat, Messenger, News, Progress, Times, Gazette, In- dependent and Press.
Churches .- The Bethel Presbyterian church of Centre township, and Ebenezer Presbyterian church of Conemaugh township were organized in 1790. The following churches of this de- nomination were organized in the years given : Armagh, 1792 ; Saltsburg, 1796 ; Indiana, 1807; Gilgal and Glade Run, 1808; Blairsville, 1822 ; Washington, 1828 ; Elder's Ridge, 1830; Cherry Tree, 1837 ; Currie's Run, 1838 ; Cen- tre, 1851 ; West Lebanon, 1853 ; Smicksburg
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GEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SKETCHI OF
and Mt. Pleasant, 1854 ; Clarksburg and Jack- sonville, 1857; Marion, 1860; Plumville, 1863; Black Lick, 1867 ; and Homer City, 1870.
The United Presbyterian congregations of Crete and Conemaugh were organized in 1794; The Indiana and Bethel congregations were or- ganized in 1808; West Union was organized in 1814 ; Beracha, 1824; Mahoning, 1828 ; Me- chanicsburg, 1833 ; Jacksonville, 1841 ; Sus- quehanna, 1842 ; Shelocta, 1854 ; Greenville, 1858 ; Decker's Point, 1859; Homer City, 1873, and Richmond, 1874.
The first Evangelical Lutheran church in the county was formed at Indiana about 1798 ; Brush Valley congregation was next organized and about 1830 the Blairsville church was formed; Plum Creek congregation was organ- ized in 1830; Smicksburg, 1842. In 1822 the Indiana church organized probably the first Sunday-school in the county.
The Reformed Presbyterian church was es- tablished in the northern part of the county about 1842.
The Methodist Episcopal church of Indiana, was founded about 1822; Blairsville church organized in 1824; Nineveh, 1836 ; Marion, 1837 ; and Jacksonville, 1839.
Baptist churches were organized in the county in the following years : Two Lick, 1824; Loyal- hanna, 1828; Mahoning, 1830; Brush Valley and Shiloh, 1839 ; Richmond and Pine Flat, 1845; West Lebanon, 1847; Plumville, 1849; East Mahoning, 1850; Indiana, 1858; Black Lick, 1861, and Fairview, 1877.
The first Methodist Protestant church in Indiana county was organized as Hazlett church in 1832; Salem church was organized in 1839; Cookport, 1843; Gettysburg, 1857, and Cherry Tree, 1873.
In 1865, the Protestant Episcopal denomina- tion organized Christ church of Indiana.
Catholic families had settled in the vicinity as early as 1814, but not in sufficient numbers to establish a church. About 1844, or earlier,
congregations were organized at Indiana and Cameron's Bottom. S. S. Simon and Jude's church, of Blairsville, was organized in 1829.
In 1843 the Evangelical Association organ- ized a church in North Mahoning township and now have several congregations in the county.
The German Baptists organized Manor and Montgomery churches in 1843.
The Wesleyan Methodists organized Pine Grove church in 1848. Their church at Dixon- ville was organized in 1855. Manor and Spruce churches of this denomination were organized in 1856 and 1862.
Nero congregation of the Calvinistic Method- ist was organized in 1842, and Pine Flat con- gregation of the Church of Christ was formed in 1856.
In 1850 the census report gave the number of churches as 61, of which 29 were Presby- terian; 10 Lutheran; 10 Methodist; 7 Catholic ; 4 Baptist and 1 Protestant Episcopal.
Educational .- Of the pioneer schools, Ex- County Superintendent Samuel Wolf says, in. his excellent centennial historical sketch, that the first settlers of Indiana county were Scotch - Irish presbyterians and brought with them their rifles, their Bibles and their spelling- books. He states that Revs. Power, Jamison, and Henderson were instrumental in establish- ing the first elementary schools in which spelling, reading, writing and arithmetic were taught six days of each week that they were in session and that the teacher received a yearly salary of from four to six dollars per pupil, never had less than twenty-five pupils and " boarded round." One of the class of school-houses that were in use from 1777 to 1815 is described by John M. Robinson in the following language : "The building was 18x22 feet, of round logs (7 feet high), the cracks daubed with mortar called ‘ kat and klay ;' a large log (mantel) was placed across the building, four feet from the end wall, and five feet high, upon which the chimney was built of split sticks, the cracks and inside of
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INDIANA COUNTY.
which was daubed with tough mortar ; the floor was made of split logs, hewed, called puncheons ; the hearth was of stone and at its end a space was left unfloored in which the goose-quills for writing were stuck to make them of uniform pliability. The ceiling was made of puncheons and the roof of clap-boards, eaves-poles and weight-poles. There was a ledge door in the side, with wooden hinges and latch. The win- dows were the whole length of the building; they were from eight to ten inches high, with little posts set in about every foot, on which oiled paper was pasted in lieu of glass. Writ- ing-boards on slanting wooden pegs, even with the under edge of windows, hewed slab benclies without backs and a short slanting board in one corner near the hearth, for the teacher's desk, comprised the furniture." Mr. Smith makes record of a school taught by James McDowell, some time between 1777 and 1785, in a cabin owned by Robert Robinson in the Conemaugh settlement. He also states that in 1790 a man named Atwell taught near Campbell's mill in the Black Lick settlement and from that time on schools were opened in every settlenient un- til 1815, when there were at least twenty-five schools in the county. .
From 1815 to the passage of the common school law, in 1834, there was a gradual in- crease in the number of elementary schools and a steady improvement in buildings.
At an early day in the history of the county a movement was made for the establishment of higher education and Indiana academy was founded in 1816, on the site of Judge Clark's residence at Indiana. This institution of learn- ing received $2000 of State aid and continued in existence until 1862. A female seminary was opened shortly afterwards, but soon went down. In 1832 a class commenced to recite to Rev. Alex. Donaldson, in the second story of a log spring-house, and led to the establishment of Elder's Ridge academy, which has become an educational power in the United States,
through the three thousand students who have gone forth from its walls. Blairsville academy was established in 1842 and eleven years later was founded Blairsville Female seminary, whose graduates are an honor to it and to society. Close to Saltsburg is the flourishing " Kiski- minetas school for boys," under charge of Profs. A. W. Wilson and R. W. Fair.
At the county institute held at Indiana in December, 1869, an effort was made to obtain funds sufficient to secure the establishment, at that place, of the State Normal school for the Ninth Normal school district of Pennsylvania. Twenty thousand dollars were raised and the niatter rested until two years later, when Pro- fessor A. N. Raub spoke so forcibly upon the subject that Judge Clark, Peter Sutton, A. W. Wilson and other public-spirited citizens gave freely of their time and money until their labors were crowned with success in the erection of the present magnificent State Normal school building at Indiana. It was built in 1875, at a cost of $200,000, has received extensive improvements since and as a building is second to none in the State.
The first teachers' association was formed in June, 1852, by the students of Elder's Ridge academy, who intended to teach, and was followed by a teachers' institute at Blairsville in November, 1852, held for one week by the teachers of Indiana and Westmoreland coun- ties. The teachers of Washington district organized an institute in 1853, which has been continued ever since. White and Centre organ- ized institutes in 1854. The first county institute was called by Superintendent Bollman, on August 22, 1854, and led to the formation of the present Teachers' Association of Indiana county.
Banks .- The prosperity of the banks of any city or county is indicative of an era of com- mercial progress. Indiana county is especially favored in the management of her banks which is done upon conservative and intelligent meth-
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GEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SKETCH OF
ods. As far as we have had opportunity to examine records, we find no trace of any bank in the county until 1855, after which the bank- ing-house of Hogue & Co. was established at Indiana, as the predecessor of the First National bank of that place.
The Bar .- The position which the legal pro- fession has always occupied in the history of Pennsylvania has been a very high and honor- able one. The bar of Indiana county, from its very organization, has ranked as among the best of the western counties. It comprises many able lawyers and eloquent orators, and is a credit to the State. The legal history of the county, to be intelligently and interestingly written, can only be written by one well versed in the law and well acquainted with the lives of nost of the leading lawyers of the Indiana bar since its organization.
The president judges who have presided over the courts of Indiana county have been : John Young, 1806 to 1836 ; Thomas White, 1836 to 1847; J. M. Burrell, 1847 to 1848; J. C. Knox, 1848 to 1850; J. M. Burrell, 1851 to 1855 ; Joseph Buffington, from 1855 to 1871 ; John P. Blair, 1871 to 1885, and Harry White, 1885 to -
The Medical Profession .- The first physician to practice in the county was Dr. Samuel Tal- mage, who resided at Newport for many years, but finally removed to Westmoreland county. Dr. Reed, of the above-named county, practiced in the Conemaugh section, and Dr. George Hays, of New England, came, about 1805, to the Black Lick creek settlement, where he re- mained for several years. Dr. Jonathan French located at Indiana in 1807, and Dr. E. P. Em- erson, at Blairsville, in 1819. The Indiana County Medical society was organized June 23, 1858, and one of its members, Dr. William Anderson, in 1880, wrote a very comprehensive as well as exceedingly interesting history of the medical profession of Indiana county, which was published in Cald well's history of the county.
Political History .- No county in the State has a more complete record of township elections than Indiana. These election records extend back to the formation of the county. Instead of discussing the history of political parties, or giving township, county, congressional or State votes, which are sometimes cast in revolt against party leaders, we have carefully compiled the popular vote of the county for president since 1824, when the citizens of this State were given the first opportunity to vote for president, and think that this vote will be the best exponent of the political history that can be given.
Popular vote of Indiana county at presidential elections from 1824 to 1888.
1824. Republican . . Andrew Jackson 258
Coalition . . . John Q. Adams 27
Republican . . William H. Crawford 2
1828. Democratic . . Andrew Jackson 926
Nat. Rep. . . . John Q. Adams . 245
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