USA > Pennsylvania > A history of the Juniata Valley and its people, Volume I > Part 10
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Rock Hill (postoffice name Rockhill Furnace) was laid out in 1874 across the Black Log creek from Orbisonia. A large number of the early houses were built and owned by the Rockhill Iron and Coal Company. An iron furnace was opened at this place in 1831 by Diven & Morrison. The Winchester furnace was built two or three years later. Rock Hill was incorporated on June 16, 1887, with A. W. Sims as the first chief burgess. It is a station on the East Broad Top railroad and in 1910 reported a population of 504.
Saltillo, a station on the East Broad Top railroad in the southern part of the county, was settled in 1796 by Henry Hubbell. On August 20, 1796, Thomas Greer filed for record the plat of "Springville," which occupied the site of Saltillo. A grist mill was built by Henry Hubbell in 1797 and J. & J. C. Brewster were the first merchants. A number of lots were sold to people in Philadelphia and other places, but the lack of transportation facilities caused many of the purchasers to surrender their claims and Springville died a natural death. Some years later Henry Hudson laid out Saltillo, which was incorporated as a borough on December 1, 1875, with Samuel McVitty as the first chief burgess. There are two rich veins of iron ore in the immediate vicinity. A large steam tannery was established by Leas & McVitty a little while before
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the borough was incorporated. The population in 1910 was 410.
Shade Gap, in the Black Log valley, was settled by George Hudson in 1782. It is located on the old Indian path from the Tuscarora valley to Kittaning Point and was one of the few places easy of access in early times. James Stark was the first merchant and a man named Forman kept the first public house of entertainment. George Hudson built a woolen mill and a grist mill near the gap a few years after he first settled there and in 1803 Michael Mills opened a blacksmith shop. The Milnwood Academy was founded in 1849. Shade Gap was incorporated as a borough on April 20, 1871, but the early records have been lost. In 1910 the population was 143.
Shirleysburg, formerly known as Aughwick, Old Town and Fort Shirley, was settled by George Croghan prior to the French and Indian war. The town was laid out by Henry Warner and in its early days was the most important place in the county southeast of Huntingdon. Saw and grist mills were built at an early date. Every spring for many years the militia from the southeastern townships met at Shirleys- burg for review and inspection. A factory for the manufacture of earthenware was established in 1866 by George W. Hawker, who also made drain tile and terra cotta. Dr. Loughran was the first physician. Shirleysburg was incorporated as a borough on April 3, 1837, with John Lutz as the first chief burgess. The completion of the East Broad Top railroad through the place in 1873 gave a new impetus to business and for a time the population showed considerable increase. Rival towns then offered better inducements for the investment of capital and for the last half a century Shirleysburg has barely held its own. In 1910 the population was 256, a slight decrease under that of 1900.
Three Springs, a station on the East Broad Top railroad in the southern part of the county, was laid out in the spring of 1843 and was first called Scottsville, for General Winfield Scott. A postoffice was soon after established there under that name. Richard Ashman and William White were the first merchants. George D. Hudson built the first hotel, in the kitchen of which was taught the first school. Dr. Robert Baird was the first physician. Three Springs was incorporated as a borough on November 10, 1869, with William J. Hampson as the first chief burgess. Soon after the incorporation P. F. Bence started a local newspaper. In 1870 the population was 189 and each census
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year since that time has shown a slight increase, the population in 1910. being 248.
In addition to the eighteen boroughs above mentioned, Huntingdon county is supplied with the following postoffices: Airydale, Augh- wick Mills, Barree, Blairs Mills, Calvin, Charter Oak, Clair, Coles Sum- mit, Colfax, Cora, Cottage, Decorum, Eagle Foundry, East Broad Top, Entriken, Franklinville, Grafton, Graysville, Jacob, James Creek, McAlevy's Fort, McConnellstown, McNeal, Maddensville, Manor Hill, Meadow Gap, Mentzer, Neelyton, Neffs Mills, Norrace, Nossville, Penn- sylvania Furnace, Robertsdale, Ronald, Salter, Saulsburg, Selea, Shade Valley, Shy Beaver, Spruce Creek, Todd, Trough Creek, Union Fur- nace, Valley Point, Warriors Mark, Water Street and Wood. There are fourteen rural free delivery routes in the county, to wit: One from Alexandria, one from Grafton, three from Huntingdon, one from McAlevy's Fort, one from Mapleton Depot, one from Pennsylvania. Furnace, one from Petersburg, one from Shirleysburg, two from Three Springs and two from Warriors Mark.
CHAPTER VI
MIFFLIN COUNTY, ORGANIZATION, ETC.
Cumberland County Erected-Included Mifflin-Purchase of 1754-Organization of Townships-Petition for a New County-Organic Act-Trouble over the Location of the County Seat-Trustees Refuse to Serve-Vacancies Filled-Purchase of Site -First Jail-Court Houses-Lewistown Riot-Clarke's Account-Dispute over Boundaries-County Line Commission of 1895-Litigation-Reductions in Area- The Poor-house-The Civil List.
B EFORE entering upon any historical account of Mifflin county it is pertinent to notice some of the events which preceded and led up to its organization. Cumberland county, erected in 1750, embraced all the territory west of the Susquehanna river, except the present counties of York and Adams. At that time the Indians still claimed most of the lands lying west of the Susquehanna. Their title was extinguished by the Albany purchase of July 6, 1754, and what is now Mifflin county was a part of the lands ceded at that time to the white men. Part of Cumberland county was taken to form the county of Bedford on March 9, 1771 ; part of Northumberland was cut off on March 27, 1772; and Cumberland was still further reduced in size by the formation of Franklin county on September 8, 1784.
In the meantime other changes were found to be necessary. Im- mediately following the cession of 1754 there was a rush of settlers to the "New Purchase." In August, only a little more than a month after the treaty was concluded at Albany, petitions were made to the Cumberland county court by the settlers in Sherman's, Tuscarora and Path valleys and along the Buffalo creek, asking for the establishments of new townships "to facilitate the improvement and good government of the new settlements." In accordance with the request of the peti- tioners, four new townships were erected, one of which was described as follows :
"And we do further errect the settlement called the Tuskerora Valey
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into a sepparate Township and nominate the same the Township of LAC, and we appoint John Johnston to act therein as Constable for the remaining part of the current year."
This township included all of the present county of Juniata lying west of the Juniata river. Some time after it was erected the letter "k" was added to the name, and what remains of the original township now forms the western township of Juniata county. In 1762 the town- ship of Fermanagh was erected. It embraced the territory lying north and east of the Juniata and included all the unorganized portion of the lands purchased from the Indians in 1854.
During the next four years, owing to the unsettled conditions due to the French and Indian war, few additional settlers came to the Juni- ata valley, but in the years 1766-67 there was another heavy tide of immigration to the "New Purchase." In July, 1767, Derry, Penn and Greenwood townships were taken from Fermanagh, the first named including nearly all the present county of Mifflin. Milford township was cut off from Lack on November 7, 1768; Armagh was formed from Derry in 1771, Jack's mountain being designated as the dividing line; Bald Eagle township, Northumberland county, was erected in 1772; two years later part of Bald Eagle was taken to form the town- ship of Potter, and Wayne township was formed from part of Derry in 1782. It was from the townships of Lack, Milford, Fermanagh, Derry, Armagh, Bald Eagle, Potter and Wayne that the territory was taken to form the county of Mifflin in 1789.
During the latter part of the year 1788, petitions were circulated among the people of these townships asking for the erection of a new county, to include within its boundaries practically all the territory now forming Mifflin and Juniata counties. The next step on the part of the inhabitants of this region was to elect delegates from the several townships to decide upon some plan of organization and the manner of selecting a seat of justice for the new county. The delegates from Armagh, Derry and Wayne townships were: William Brown, John Culbertson, James McFarlane, John Bratton, John Oliver, William Smith, Arthur Buchanan and James Burns. Those from Lack, Mil- ford, Fermanagh and Greenwood townships were: John Stewart, James Murray, Thomas Turbett, Samuel Sharron, John Lyon, Samuel Cowan, John Harris and Robert Little. About the time, or perhaps
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a little while before, the legislature met in the winter of 1788-89, these delegates met at the house of David Sharron, in Fermanagh town- ship, and agreed "that Col. James Dunlap, of Cumberland county, Col. James Johnston and Matthew Wilson, Esquire, of Franklin county, should be the three persons recommended to the legislature as disinter- ested and suitable characters to explore said prescribed boundary and make report to the succeeding legislature of the most convenient and central place for a seat of justice within said boundary."
When the legislature assembled the petitions and action of the dele- gates were brought before that body and a bill in accordance therewith passed the house on March 21, 1789, but failed to pass the senate. The bill named Messrs. Dunlap, Johnston and Wilson to locate the county seat, "their judgment to be final and conclusive." After the bill passed the house, these three men began the work assigned them and after examining several locations decided in favor of John Harris' farm, where Mifflintown now stands. This action of the commissioners was not satisfactory to the people above the "Narrows" and was largely responsible for the defeat of the bill in the senate. After the defeat of the measure, the citizens above the Narrows took steps to annex additional territory on the north, with a view to having the seat of justice established in that part of the county in the event of its erec- tion. That their efforts in this direction were successful may be seen in the act which passed the legislature on September 19, 1789, creating and defining the boundaries of Mifflin county. The preamble of the bill is as follows :
"Whereas, It hath been represented to the General Assembly of this State by the inhabitants of those parts of Cumberland and North- umberland which are included within the lines hereinafter mentioned, that they labour under great hardships by reason of their great distance from the present seat of justice and the public offices for the said counties, for the remedy thereof."
Then follows Section 1, which provided "That all and singular the lands lying within the bounds and limits hereinafter described and following, shall be and are hereby erected into a separate county by the name of Mifflin county, namely: Beginning at Susquehanna river where the Turkey Hill extends to said river; then along the said hill to
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the Juniata where it cuts the Tuscarora mountain; thence along the summit of the said mountain to the line of Franklin county; thence along the said line to Huntingdon county line; thence along the said line to the Juniata river ; thence up said river to Jack's Narrows; thence along the line of Huntingdon county to the summit of Tussey's moun- tain; thence along the line of Huntingdon and Northumberland coun- ties, so as to include the whole of Upper Bald Eagle township, in the county of Northumberland, to the mouth of Buck creek, where it empties into the Bald Eagle creek; thence to Logan's Gap in Nittany mountain; then to the head of Penn's creek; thence down the said creek to Sinking creek, leaving George McCormick's in Northumber- land county ; thence to the top of Jack's mountain, at the line between Northumberland county and Cumberland; thence along the said line to Montour's Spring, at the head of Mahantango creek; thence down the said creek to Susquehanna river, and thence down the said river to the place of beginning."
The boundaries as established by this bill differed from those given in the bill of the preceding March by including Potter and Upper Bald Eagle townships on the north and leaving out Greenwood township (now in Perry county) on the south. By this change the center of the county was thrown much farther northward, which had great influence on the question of the location of the county seat. In fact, so great was this influence that Section 9 of the bill provided :
"That John Oliver, William Brown, David Beale, John Stewart, David Bole (also spelled Bowel in some of the public documents) and Andrew Gregg of said county, be, and they are hereby appointed trustees for the county aforesaid, with full authority for them or a majority of them, to purchase, or take and receive by grant, bargain or otherwise, any quantity or quantities of land, not exceeding one hundred and fifty acres, on the north side of Juniata river, and within one mile from the mouth of Kishicoquilis creek, for the use, trust and benefit of said county, and to lay out the same into regular town lots and to dispose of so many of them as they or any four of them, may think best for the advantage of said county; and they, or any four of them, are hereby authorized to sell and convey so many of them as they may think proper, and with the monies so arising from the sale of said lots, and with other monies to be duly assessed, levied and collected within the said county of Mifflin, for that purpose, which it is hereby declared it shall and may be lawful for the commissioners
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thereof to do, or cause to be done, to build and erect a court-house and prison, suitable and convenient for the public, on the public, and such other square as shall be reserved for that purpose; and the said trustees shall, from time to time, render true and faithful accounts of the ex- penditures of the same, not only to the commissioners, but to the Grand Jury, for inspection, adjustment and settlement of the accounts of said county."
Of the six trustees named in this section, William Brown, John Oliver and Andrew Gregg resided in the townships of Armagh, Wayne and Potter, in the northern part of the new county, while John Stewart, David Beale and David Bole lived below the Narrows in the town- ships of Lack and Greenwood. As the last named township, in which David Bole resided, was left out of the county by the act of September 19, 1789, he was therefore disqualified as a trustee, leaving only David Beale and John Stewart to represent that part of the county on the board of trustees. These gentlemen, realizing that they constituted a minority of the board, refused to serve, claiming the act creating the county did not comply with the provisions of the state constitution. The disqualification of Bole and the refusal of Beale and Stewart to act left but three trustees to organize the county, whereas, Section 9, above quoted, provided that a majority, "or any four of them," should be necessary to perform legally the acts authorized by the organic law. To relieve this situation and render the organic act effective, the leg- islature, on April 5, 1790, passed the following :
"Whereas, David Bowel (Bole), one of the said trustees, does not reside within the limits of the said county of Mifflin, and as the act erecting Mifflin county requires its trustees to concur in every trans- action done under and in virtue of their appointment, etc., Be it there- fore enacted :
"That Dr. James Armstrong is hereby appointed a trustee in and for the county of Mifflin, and is hereby invested with like powers and authorities in every matter and thing whatsoever that of right belongs to any trustee appointed for the county of Mifflin."
Dr. Armstrong was in harmony with the provisions of the law regarding the location of the county seat at the mouth of the Kishaco- quillas creek, but his appointment evidently was not satisfactory to the citizens of the southern part of the county. Several petitions were
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sent to the legislature during the next decade, asking for a change in the location of the county seat. In the petition to the legislature of 1801-02 the appointment of Dr. Armstrong is referred to as follows:
"That John Stewart and David Beale, being all the trustees who lived below the Narrows, uniformly refused to act as Trustees, con- sidering the Laws as unconstitutional, together with the undue ad- vantage obtained thereby, until, by other device of those who lived in the vicinity of Lewistown, got a fourth trustee added to their side of the county, viz., James Armstrong. On the 23d of June, 1791, the four Trustees who lived above the Narrows., viz., William Brown, John Oliver, Andrew Gregg and James Armstrong, published in the Carlisle Gazette,-'The Trustees hereby give notice that, agreeable to said Act, they have received by bargain a quantity of land at the con- fluence of the river Juniata and the Kishaqcoquillas Creek and con- firmed thereon a town for the Seat of Justice called Lewistown.' "
The publication of this notice was hardly in conformity with the existing facts, as the trustees did not receive title to the tract of land mentioned, nor even to the lots upon which the county buildings were erected, until January 14, 1802. Soon after the appointment of Dr. Armstrong, the trustees employed two surveyors named Samuel Ed- miston and James Potter to locate the site for the county seat and "to lay out the same into regular town lots," pursuant to the pro- visions of the act erecting the county. At that time the title to the land was the subject of litigation and no one could make a valid deed to the trustees. In July, 1787, more than two years before the passage of the act creating Mifflin county, the Cumberland county court awarded Mary Norris judgment in the sum of £1,000 against Arthur Buchanan, who owned 300 acres of land on the north side of the Juniata at the mouth of the Kishacoquillas creek. To satisfy the judgment, the court ordered Thomas Buchanan, high sheriff of Cumberland county, to levy upon this tract of land and offer the same for sale, etc. It was first offered for sale by the sheriff on December 30, 1788, but there were no purchasers. On November 27, 1790, the land was sold to Samuel Edmiston, and on January 22, 1791, he received his deed from the sheriff. On January 14, 1802, as above stated, Mr. Edmiston ex- ecuted a deed which set forth that the trustees "laid out the seat of justice for the said county of Mifflin on the land of Samuel Edmiston, lying on the north side of the river Juniata, and situated on the high
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ground at the junction of said river with the Kishacoquillas creek." By this deed he conveyed to John Oliver, William Brown, David Beale, John Stewart, Andrew Gregg and James Armstrong, trustees of Mifflin county, lots No. 15 and 16 for a cemetery and meeting-house ; lot No. 86 for a jail; lot No. 120 for a public school house; the ground on the Juniata from the first alley to the junction of the river with Kishacoquillas creek, together with the streets, lanes, alleys and the center of said borough, agreeable to the plan of the town of Lewis- town, as laid out by the trustees, etc.
The county jail was the first public building erected under the pro- visions of Section 9 of the act of erection. In 1790 the county com- missioners ordered that a log building, two stories in height, with an outside stairway, be built upon lot No. 86, at the northwest corner of Market and Wayne streets, the lower story of which should be fitted up for a jail and the upper one for a court-room. Sessions of the court were held in this upper room until 1795, when the commissioners ordered an addition of fifteen by twenty feet to be made to the jail. This addition was completed in the fall of that year, the records of November 5, 1795, showing that on that day William Harper was paid £74 for its construction. The old log jail was demolished in 1802 and in its place was built a stone jail, which in turn was torn down in 1856, when the present structure was erected.
Although the act establishing Mifflin county authorized the com- missioners of the county to "build and erect a court-house," six years passed before any definite action was taken to that end. Late in the year 1794, when it was known that an addition to the jail was con- templated, a room was rented from Robert Kinney for a court-room. During the next three years the court sessions were held in James Ruglers' house and in Michael Foncannon's and William Elliott's tav- erns. In 1795 the public square in the center of the town, where the soldiers' monument now stands, was selected as a site for the court- house and the commissioners advertised for bids for the erection of "a court-house of brick, two stories in height, in accordance with plans," etc. The contract was awarded to John Norris and James Alexander and the last payment was made on April II, 1799. The total cost of the building was something over $5,000. It was evidently not large enough to accommodate all the county offices, for at the
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same session when final payment was made to the contractors it was ordered that Samuel Edmiston, the prothonotary, "should receive com- pensation out of the county treasury for his expense in furnishing an apartment for holding the public offices of the county, and also the adjourned Courts of Common Pleas and Orphans' Courts." Just how long this arrangement continued is not certain, but the quarters fitted up by Mr. Edmiston were probably used until the county erected a building for the public offices.
On November 24, 1815, the county commissioners advertised for proposals for building public offices according to the plans and specifi- cations in the hands of David Reynolds. Early the following year work was commenced on the building, which stood where the present court-house stands, and which was completed before the end of the year. No further changes were made in the provisions for conducting the county business for more than twenty years. In November, 1837, the grand jury, after investigating the needs of the county, made the following report :
"To the Honorable, the Judges of the Court of General Quarter Session of the Peace, now holding for the County of Mifflin.
"The Grand Inquest of the body of the County of Mifflin, inquiring for the interest of the same, would respectfully present that, after having gone through our other duties, think it very proper, under all the circumstances of the case, to recommend the removal and rebuild- ing in a permanent manner. in some suitable place the Court-House and Public offices of the said County (believing as we do that within a very few years past the present Court-House has cost in repairs a sum very near equal to what would be required to rebuild the same in a more suitable place). We do therefore recommend the taking down of both the Court-House and offices and rebuilding the whole together in a systematic manner out of the materials that may be used from the old buildings in addition to such new materials as may be necessary. And think it would be proper for the County Commissioners to make provision in due time for such little expense as may be necessary to carry out the aforesaid project under the order and instruction of the Court aforesaid (believing as we do that money expended with due economy towards building and keeping in a proper state of repair such buildings as the public business of the County indispensably re- quires for public convenience, as also for the safe keeping of Public Records, etc., can never be a public loss).
"D. R. REYNOLDS, Foreman."
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The report was not approved until November 8, 1839, and then nearly three years elapsed before any active steps were taken to carry out its recommendations. In 1842 the commissioners purchased of R. C. Hale the lot at the northwest corner of Main street and the public square and entered into a contract with Holman & Simon for the erection of a new court-house thereon. The building was com- pleted in December, 1843, when it was accepted by the commissioners, its total cost having been about $15,000. The old court-house was torn down the following year. The dimensions of the new court-house were thirty-two by forty-eight feet, the several county offices being located upon the first floor, the second story being fitted up for use of the court and the jury rooms. Across the front ran a portico ten feet wide.
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