USA > Pennsylvania > Fayette County > Uniontown > A history of Uniontown : the county seat of Fayette County, Pennsylvania > Part 64
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Efforts were made in 1887 to effect the organization of a Young Men's Christian Association. Several men applied them- selves earnestly to the task, and meetings were held at various places for the purpose of arousing a general interest in the cause, with varied success.
A considerable amount was subscribed toward the purchase of a suitable property for a home for the association. The old Beeson store room property on West Main street was pur- chased and part of it devoted to the purpose and occupied as such for some time, but the general interest in the meetings soon abated.
A meeting was held at the residence of Frank M. Semans, Jr. on April 5, 1906, for the purpose of instilling new life into the organization, at which the statement was made that property vested in the association was valued at $50,000.
On March 19, 1907, at a meeting of the board of directors, J. V. Thompson and J. D. Ruby proposed to exchange the old Thorndell property on the corner of East Main street and North Gallatin avenue, and other valuable considerations, for the old Beeson store room property, which proposition was accepted. At the same meeting plans were consummated for the purchase of the old Dr. J. B. Ewing property adjoining on the east, then belonging to J. Q. Van Swearingen, A. F. Cooper and T. S. Lackey, at the consideration of $45,000, minus a donation of $5,000. Since which there has been some discussion as to tear- ing away the old buildings and the erection of a modern Y. M. C. A. building, with business rooms and offices from which a revenue can be derived sufficient for the maintenance of the Y. M. C. A.
A large building was constructed south of East Fayette street by a stock company for the purpose of a nut and bolt works which was started in operation about 1886, but after running but two years it passed into the hands of the sheriff, and C. H. Smith, A. L. Moser and Dr. A. P. Bowie became the owners in 1888. The Uniontown Machine company, consisting of A. L. Moser, C. L. Smith, Dr. A. P. Bowie, Samuel, Alfred and John L. Johnson conducted a business here until June 3,
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1889, when the property was entirely destroyed by fire, the loss sustained was estimated at near $20,000.
The Old Steam Mill .- One Joseph Huston, a native of Maryland, erected a building near the east end of Penn street in 1838, for the purpose of a distillery and used it as such for some time, and he was also engaged in other business in the town. It is alleged that the whisky he manufactured would freeze in cold weather even when in barrels in the house. He became involved and his property was sold by the sheriff to James Huston of Franklin township.
This property subsequently came into the possession of Israel Painter who converted it into a flouring mill and con- structed a mill race from the Henry Beeson saw mill on the banks of Redstone creek, crossing the pike above the eastern bridge, thence to the mill where it supplied the motor power for the operation of the mill, and while in the ownership of Col. Painter the building was destroyed by fire and a new one was erected.
Samuel S. Austin and Andrew Byers advertise that they had purchased the new grist mill and distillery and offered it for rent in 1841.
This mill was again burned in March, 1851, while in the occupancy of William Kerr and the fire was supposed to have been the work of an incendiary, but it could never be proven. Mr. Kerr, it was said, could walk holding a barrel of flour on each hip. The weather was so severe at the time of this fire that the water froze in the fire engines, and while the outside of the building was a sheet of ice, the interior was a seething mass of flame. This was the first mill in the community to use steam power and was always alluded to as " the steam mill."
Jacob Murphy, with William S. Barnes as miller, purchased the site and erected a new mill which they operated for several years. William K. Cooper became connected with Mr. Barnes in the operation of the mill, and later, Clinton Cooper, a brother to W. K., became connected. Jesse B. Ramsey and Jesse B. Gardner operated this mill for some time, then it lay idle for several years, when Messrs. Baldwin and Cheney, who had graded the Fayette County railroad, traded $5,000 of railroad stock and $1,000 in cash for the mill property, and Mr. Murphy lost much of this stock in the sale of the road.
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Baldwin and Cheney soon offered this property for sale and Fred Wilmarth became the purchaser and Mr. L. O. Reynolds became his agent and operated the mill for several years, and he was succeeded in the business by his two sons, Burke and Lyman Reynolds and W. C. McCormick, for several years. These were followed by Ellis Baily who purchased the mill and his son, George M. Baily, took the management.
William H. Playford purchased the property, and after. laying idle for several years, he sold it to Daniel J. Johnson who converted it into a distillery and conducted it as such until it was again destroyed by fire, on Wednesday afternoon, January 29, 1902. This immense fire occurring amidst a heavy fall of - snow, was spectacular in the extreme. Johnson then erected a large brick distillery and warehouse on the site of the old mill which he transferred to George W. Gans.
The Laughead, Modisette & Co. planing mill on North Beeson avenue, was erected by James A. Laughead, William H. Baily and Dr. Smith Fuller and put into operation in February, 1868, and during the almost thirty years of its existence it built nearly all the expensive buildings erected in the town during that time. Although some changes were made in the member- ship of the firm, it always sustained its high reputation as to, responsibility and capable workmanship. This plant was located just north of Redstone creek and occupied several acres of ground with its mills, offices, sheds and lumber yards. This mill was destroyed by an incendiary fire May 12, 1897, the loss was estimated at $50,000, being owned at the time by E. P. Laughead, A. H. Laughead, Hugh A. Burchinal, I. W. Miller, Charles E. Kremer, D. H. Thompson, S. M. Dannells, Levi' Crawford, Springer Crawford, H. C. Huhn, J. G. Fields, C. T. Hall, T. O. Williams, B. F. Humbert and J. P. Conn ; many of these were workmen in the mill. The burning of this mill was the worst blow of the kind that ever befell the town; not only was it a severe loss to the stockholders but to the many em- ployes who here found steady employment and the town lost one of its best business enterprises.
The Laughead, Modisette & Co. built a double brick tene- ment north of the mill in 1879, which was occupied by various tenants. Mr. McIlvane built a frame dwelling next south of the brick and occupied it. It became the property of George W. Litman.
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The Columbia Rolling mill or Iron and Steel Works pro- cured grounds at the north end of North Beeson avenue and began operations in September, 1887. These works did an im- mense business and furnished employment to many skilled me- chanics and common laborers while in operation, but on May 16, 1891, Col. J. M. Schoonmaker arrived in town and took charge of the property of the company as receiver. The buildings were torn away in April, 1900, and the machinery and all that was left of the stock was shipped to the Carnegie Steel company at Homestead. The last pieces of the old mill were shipped away in 1901, by Jody Mclaughlin, who had been in the employ of the company for fourteen years and seven months, and by Harvey Herrington who had been in their employ twelve years. The land was sold to the Carnegie Steel company June 9, 1911.
Pennsylvania Construction Company .- In 1886, the Penn- sylvania Construction Company, under the supervision of Harry P. Butz, erected shops at the north end of North Beeson avenue on land owned by the Columbia Iron and Steel Company, the right of way of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad company divid- ing the two. This construction company did much of the structural work from the product of the Columbia rolling mill, with which it was connected, and was well equipped for turn- ing out much and excellent work, and furnished employment for many skilled workmen and common laborers while in operation.
Uniontown Radiator Works and Enameling Plant .- In 1897, a Board of Trade was organized in Uniontown with John D. Carr as president. As the outgrowth of this Board of Trade the Uniontown Radiator company was organized with Max Baum as president; Evans Linn, vice-president; Jacob Linn, secretary ; O. P. Markle, treasurer and John D. Carr, man- ager. The old buildings of the Uniontown Steel and Construc- tion company were secured, and business started auspiciously, but from the lack of sufficient capital the company was com- pelled to make an assignment, and the assignee sold the prop- erty to Evans Linn.
In 1899, Lloyd G. McCrum and others organized a com- pany which brought the plant from Evans Linn and formed what was known as the Acme Radiator company and com- menced business May 20, 1899. This company was chartered July 17, 1899, with a capital of $28,000, with the following di-
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rectors: Fuller Hogsett, A. L. Moser, J. M. Hustead, L. G. McCrum and I. W. Semans, with L. G. McCrum as business manager. The officers were: Fuller Hogsett, president; I. W. Semans, treasurer; L. G. McCrum, secretary. This plant, under judicious management, soon became a profitable industry. The patterns and equipments were overhauled and the buildings en- larged and the output greatly increased.
In 1902, the plant was sold, and in 1903, the firm became McCrum, Howell, Kellogg and Pierce, who bought the enamel- ing plant of the Champion Manufacturing company at Blairs- ville. This new company erected a large brick foundry and machine shop, and greatly increased the capacity of the plant.
In May, 1904, McCrum, Howell and Kellogg bought the Uniontown plant from the Kellogg-Mackay-Cameron company, and in June of the same year organized the Kellogg-McCrum- Howell company, having three plants, viz .: the Radiator plant at Uniontown, an enamel ware plant at Blairsville and a boiler and furnace plant at Norwich, Connecticut ; the Blairsville plant having been purchased by McCrum, Howell and Kellogg in 1903, and the Norwich plant in March, 1904. This firm did a prosper- ous business, and in April, 1906, Mr. Kellogg retired, and the firm became McCrum, Howell and Company. In September, 1905, the Blairsville plant was destroyed by fire and it was de- cided to rebuild at Uniontown, which work was begun that same year and the new plant was put in operation in September, 1906. The radiator plant had a capacity of 12,000 square feet a day, or more than 3,500,000 square feet a year. The enameling plant had a capacity of 200 bath tubs and 200 sinks and lava- tories a day. Both plants were modern in every respect, thor- oughly equipped, and turned out products of the highest quality. Each plant was complete within itself; taking the raw material and turning out the finished product. The radiator plant fur- nished employment to 300 hands and the enameling plant furnished employment to 350 hands.
This McCrum-Howell Company went into involuntary bankruptcy March 14, 1912, and receivers were appointed by the federal court, and near the close of that year a reorganization was affected and the plants were continued in operation under the name of the Richmond Radiator Company.
The Coke Industry .- From the fact that Uniontown owes her phenominal prosperity principally to the coke industry of
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the county of which she is the shire-town, and being a great nerve center from which radiates much of the vital energy that inspires and controls much of this great industry, it is emi- nently proper that due mention thereof should be made in this work.
It is conceded that James Cochran of Dawson, Pa., was the pioneer coke manufacturer for commercial purposes in the Connellsville coke region; as in 1843, from the product of two ovens, he manufactured two boat loads of coke, of 6,000 bushels each, which he floated to the Cincinnati market.
The early foundrymen of this region manufactured their own coke as needed, by what was known as the open hearth method. It is scarcely believable that within the span of one lifetime the coke industry could have developed from compara- tive insignificance to its present gigantic proportions.
In 1849 there was not a coke furnace in blast in Pennsyl- vania. In 1855 there were but twenty-six coke ovens above Pitts- burgh, and the United States census report for 1850 shows that there were but four establishments making coke in the United States up to that time.
The coke industry now ranks among the first in point of magnitude and importance in the country, and its wonderful growth is unequaled by any other industry. The coke region surrounding Uniontown, on account of the superiority of its product for blast furnaces and foundry use, is now supplying seventy-five per cent. of the coke manufactured in the United States.
Late statistics show that there are now upwards of 40,000 ovens in blast in this region, with a weekly output of 410,000 tons per week; and that the weekly payroll amounts to $800,000, of which $500,000 is paid to the laboring man.
The Fayette Fuel Gas and Oil company was formed by L. L. Minor, president; William Hunt, vice-president; John K. Ewing, Jr., secretary ; J. J. Allebaugh, treasurer ; A. M. Jolliffe, superintendent. Other members of the company were: William A. Keener, Clark Breckenridge, Eli C. Gaddis, Noble McCor- mick, J. K. Ritenour, all of Uniontown, and L. N. Singley and Greer & Smith of Washington county.
The company struck gas on the farm of John G. Rider, in German township September 28, 1887.
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The 10th of July 1888, found the lines of the company within the borough of Uniontown, and in August of that year the company was supplying gas to the consumers. The rates at that time were fixed at $10 per year for cooking stoves, and $4 per year each grate.
The Uniontown Water Company was incorporated in 1883, with a capital of $300,000. The first reservoir was built on Shute's run in Cool Spring hollow and had a capacity of 3,000,000 gallons, and the water was piped to the town. Since which time several and much larger reservoirs have been constructed to meet the rapidly increasing demands for water. No town can boast of a purer supply of water than that furnished the in- habitants of Uniontown, as it is furnished direct from the labora- tory of nature.
Lighting the town .- It is difficult at the present day to realize that within the lifetime of some of our older residents our forefathers were content to use nothing but the glow of the backlog, the blaze of the pine knot or the dim flicker of the grease cup with its protruding rag wick for lighting their homes, and as for lighting the streets of the town, they never harbored the thought.
The candle dip, which came later, was quite an innovation over the grease cup, and was more suitable and elegant for lighting the dwellings and stores, when inserted in respectable candlesticks or chandeliers, and convenient for carrying when enclosed in lanterns having glass panels.
When it is remembered that the common carbon oil of today was sold in the stores at one dollar and ten cents per gallon as late as 1860, it will not be wondered at that the tallow candle was not discarded sooner, but lingered so long as an illuminant.
It appears that the first movement towards lighting the streets of the town was made September 24, 1849, as on that date the town council appointed a committee to erect six lamps on Main street, and Robinson and Wylie were paid $35.621/2 for the lamps, and John Pumroy was allowed two dollars per month for attending, lighting and extinguishing the same. What illuminant was used in these lamps is not mentioned ; and on November 27, 1855, a committee was appointed by the town council to inquire into the cost of introducing manufactured
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gas into the town, or the feasibility of organizing a gas company for that purpose.
In 1869, John H. Miller of Grafton, West Virginia, con- structed a gas plant near Redstone creek on North Beeson avenue. The streets were piped and the business houses and residences lighted by gas for the first time in the history of the town; and on the 30th of July of that year he was author- ized to erect twenty-five gas posts at suitable places in the town for the purpose of lighting the streets. One of these lights was to be placed in front of the court house and to be paid for by the commissioners, one to be placed at Mrs. Wyatt's hotel and one at Mrs. McClelland's hotel to be paid for by these two parties, and the others to be paid for by the borough at large.
Mr. Miller operated this plant until May 8, 1872, when it passed into other hands.
Considerable dissatisfaction arose as to the cost of lighting the streets. A compromise was affected by which the lights were to burn only eighteen nights of each month-in the dark of the moon only-and then but two hours each night-from 8 to 10 o'clock, thus allowing business men and church goers to get home by the lights on the streets. This arrangement reduced the cost of lighting the streets to about twenty-five dollars per month.
The practicability of lighting the streets with carbon oil lamps was discussed at council August 26, 1873, but the change was not adopted; but on July 29, 1879, an order was drawn in favor of the Globe Light company of Philadelphia for fifteen street lamps which were erected on the streets, and the number of these lamps was increased to thirty-two. Gasoline was the illuminant used in these lamps, and it was included in the duties of the police to attend to the lighting and extinguishing of these lamps.
Natural gas was struck at the Rider weil in German town- ship September 28, 1887, and was piped into Uniontown in July of the following year. The residences and business houses were heated, and one hundred and one lamps were erected and the streets lighted from open burners, and millions of cubic feet of gas were wantonly wasted, until the needle valve was intro- duced. This mode of lighting the streets was used until the adoption of electric lights, when the Borough entered into an agreement whereby the United Light company agreed to furnish
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one hundred and seven arc street lights, of 2,000 candle power each for lighting the streets from January 1, 1902, at the rate of $70 per light each per year ; the number of lights to be increased, at the same rate, as the demands of the town required.
Electric lights introduced .- A movement was inaugurated by some of the enterprising men of the town for the installation of an electric light and power plant, but the action was deferred until June 1, 1889, when the town council granted to W. G. Hay and his associates a franchise for the construction and operation of such a system. The plant was constructed but soon passed into other hands, and another franchise was granted to Samuel E. Ewing and his associates for the introduction of electricity for light and power, August 14, 1890. This company was known as the United Light company, and the Borough entered into an agreement whereby this company agreed to furnish one hun- dred and seven arc street lights, of 2,000 candle power each, for the purpose of lighting the streets, from January 1, 1902 at the rate of $70 per light per year, the number of lights to be in- creased, at the same rate, as the demands of the town required. The West Penn Railways company took over the franchise of the United Light company in March, 1902, since which time the borough and citizens have been supplied with electric light from that company.
The Fayette County Mutual Fire Insurance Company .- By an act of the Legislature of Pennsylvania approved the twenty- fifth day of March, 1844, the Fayette County Mutual Fire In- surance Company was incorporated. The members of the com- pany at the time of incorporation were: Isaac Beeson, John Dawson, Alfred McClelland, Andrew Byers, William B. Roberts, James F. Cannon, Ewing Brownfield, John Huston, Robert P. Flenniken, Daniel Kaine, James Piper, Samuel Y. Campbell and Everhart Bierer, who were named as managers of the company. Isaac Beeson was chosen as president of the board of managers, and James Veech as secretary, and Alfred McClelland as treas- urer; Mr. Veech declining the office, James Piper was elected to fill the vacancy.
William B. Roberts, Alfred McClelland, James F. Canon, Isaac Beeson and James Piper constituted the first committee to solicit insurance in the company. The first insurance began to take effect from the 5th day of May, 1845, at 12 o'clock, noon.
W. D. Barclay was elected solicitor for the company May
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21, 1849, and upon the resignation of Mr. Piper as secretary, Mr. Barclay succeeded to that office, the duties of which he per- formed with signal ability and satisfaction to the company until his death, May 16, 1865. The company enjoyed the most en- couraging support for many years, and at one time the com- pany held insurance on property valued at $1,392,373, and one report states that during four successive years in the history of the company the loss by fire was but fifteen dollars during that time. So cautious were the directors against dangerous risks, that it became a common saying that the company would not insure anything but a mill-dam or a stone ice-house.
James H. Springer soon succeeded Mr. Barclay as agent and secretary, and during his incumbency a most disastrous fire oc- curred at Somerset on May 4, 1872, which was followed by an- other at the same place on May 9, 1876. The assessments, which had fallen so lightly since the organization of the com- pany up to this time, falling so heavily following these two losses, almost disorganized the company, but many who had kept their policies in the company for many years found the mutual system far the cheapest in the long-run and the business was continued with varied success against the strenuous op- position of the stock companies, until the disastrous fire which destroyed the Wilson Block, July 2, 1898, and damaging the ad- joining buildings, entailing a loss estimated at $126,000, and which was followed by the fire on Peter street, November 1, 1901, which destroyed an entire block, causing a loss estimated at $50,000. These losses had such a depressing effect as to cause the directors to determine to suspend operations on June 27,1902.
When an estimate is made of the amount of money paid out of the town for insurance and how little is returned, per- haps, not over five per cent., it will be seen that by the suspen- sion of the Fayette County Mutual the avenue of the most in- expensive mode of insurance ever devised was closed to the citizens of the town and vicinity.
CHAPTER XXX.
CHURCHES-GREAT BETHEL BAPTIST-METHODIST EPISCOPAL- FIRST PRESBYTERIAN-CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN, NOW SECOND PRES- BYTERIAN-CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN, NOW THIRD PRESBYTERIAN -METHODIST PROTESTANT-SAINT PETER'S PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL -SAINT PAUL'S A. M. E .- SAINT JOHN'S ROMAN CATHOLIC-JOHN WESLEY A. M. E. ZION-FIRST GERMAN BAPTIST BRETHREN-FIRST
BRETHREN-CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN-SALVATION ARMY- MOUNT OLIVE-MINERD CHAPEL OR SECOND METHODIST PROTESTANT -SAINT PAUL'S LUTHERAN-CENTRAL CHRISTIAN-SAINT MARY'S SLAVONIC ROMAN CATHOLIC-TEMPLE ISRAEL-MOUNT VERNON METHODIST EPISCOPAL-MOUNT ROSE BAPTIST-TREE OF LIFE- SAINT JOSEPH'S POLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC-SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST GREEK-UNION-HUNGARIAN PRESBYTERIAN-PRESBY- TERIAN SLAVISH MISSION.
GREAT BETHEL BAPTIST.
Great Bethel Baptist church was constituted November 7, 1770, by Rev. Henry Crosby, and on the following day an organization was formed by the installation of Isaac Sutton as the first pastor and Jacob Vanmetre, Richard Hall, Zepheniah Blackford, Rachel Sutton, Lettice Vanmetre, Sarah Hall, Thomas Gaddis, James McCoy, Owen Davis, Moses Carr, Philip Pierce, Joseph Thomas, Joseph Boutenhouse, Philip Jenkins, Richard Reed, Thomas Bowell and James Littell as original members, to which were added soon after by baptism John Carr, Elizabeth Carr, Sarah Baccus, David Morgan, Wil- liam Murphy, Vanmetre, James McCloy and Mary Anderson.
At a meeting held March 18, 1780, it was resolved that a meeting house for public worship be built, and in July following it was resolved that two meeting houses be built. It would ap- pear that the first meeting house was built on the Rogers farm some six miles south of Uniontown, near Ashcraft's fort. And at a meeting held September 15, 1787, it was resolved that a meeting house be built on the great road about one-fourth of a mile from Uniontown. This was the second meeting house
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