USA > Pennsylvania > Erie County > A twentieth century history of Erie County, Pennsylvania : a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, and its principal interests, Volume I > Part 60
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The earliest of the mills of the township was that of Adam Reed, built in the very beginning of last century in the vicinity of Wattsburg. The grist-mill at Lowville was built in 1822, has been remodeled, and frequently changed owners. At the same place saw and shingle mills long did a prosperous business. In later years the mills have been operated chiefly by steam, and include a saw-mill near Robison's Cor- ners ; one on the farm of William Henderson, one on John H. Bennett farm on the east branch, one owned by Henry Jenkins and the Jones shingle mill. Phillipsville maintained a creamery and cheese factory, and just below Wattsburg, over the line of Amity township, there is another creamery that depends chiefly upon Venango for its supply of milk.
The first church built in the county of Erie was the Middlebrook church, located in Venango about a mile and a half north of Lowville. It was erected in 1801 in a single day by all the young men of the town- ship, who had formed a "bee" for the purpose. It was a cabin of logs, but served until 1802, when there was built a larger and better house, but of the same construction, except that the logs were hewed, and this served until the church was abandoned, and in 1829, what remained of the congregation was attached to the Presbyterian church at Wattsburg. The Lowville M. E. church was organized in 1875 and built its meeting house in 1876 at a cost of $2,500. Rev. J. A. Kummer was the first pastor. The M. E. church at Phillipsville was organized prior to 1848 and the church building was erected in 1862 on land deeded to it by Norman Chapin. Besides these a church organization of the M. E. denomination built a church at Macedonia in 1890. The United Brethren have two churches, one on the Lake Pleasant road near the head of the lake, built in 1872,
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and the second, near Wick's Corners, erected in 1890. There is an Ad- vent church at Lowville, built in 1893.
Two villages have taken root in Venango, of which the larger is Lowville, which owes its existence to Samuel Low, who moved in from New York State in 1822, and built a saw and grist mill. It is on the west branch of French creek, eighteen miles from Erie, and the Watts- burg plank road forms its main street. The town house of Venango is located at Lowville and was built in 1822. Although the enterprises of Mr Low proved unprofitable and he was compelled for that reason to pull up his stakes and abandon the field, the village continued, in time attaining to the importance of sustaining the church, a school, several stores, blacksmith and wagon shops, a creditable cemetery and at one time thirty houses or more. Col. Wareham Warner carried on a tan- nery for a number of years, but the business was discontinued about 1861. Phillipsville was founded by Gen. John Phillips of political fame, who, with his father and brothers, took up a tract of land in 1297. In 1810 he opened a tavern on the Waterford and North East road and con- ducted it for some years, and in the course of time considerable of a village grew up, containing a church and school, stores, a smithy and a creamery, besides a collection of dwellings.
John Phillips, above referred to, was paymaster general in the war of 1812, under Gen. Harrison. He received the money, to pay off the army, in silver at Pittsburg, and carried it through the wilderness to Fort Meigs on pack-horses. He served for years as the first representa- tive of Erie county in the State Legislature, and was afterwards ap- pointed Canal Commissioner of the State and served for a number of years as justice of the peace. The first postoffice at Phillipsville was established in 1829 with James Phillips as postmaster. At that time a post route was established between Jamestown and Erie, and the mail was carried on foot, the route from Phillipsville to Erie being through the forest, with nothing to mark the way but blazed trees. At the begin- ning, with no roads for wagons, oxen and sleds were used summer and winter to transport the produce of the farms and the household supplies. The chief products of the time were maple sugar and black salts or potash. The salts were sold at Colt's Station for $2.50 per hundred- weight, half cash and half store pay, the cash part to pay taxes and buy leather for shoes. The school teacher was paid $12 dollars per month in maple sugar at six cents per pound. Then the forest abounded in bear, wolves and deer.
Besides Gen. John Phillips the citizens of Venango who have filled public office were: Wareham Warner, member of Assembly; Giles D. Price, prothonotary, clerk of county commissioners and deputy col- lector of customs at Erie ; Charles L. Pierce, clerk of the courts; John Warren, county treasurer; John Phillips, Samuel Low, Jacob Fritts, Daniel W. Titus, and C. R. Gray, county commissioners. Col. J. S.,
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M. Rush and Joseph Warner, well known Erie business men were born at Lowville. Venango men who served as officers in the Union army in the sixties were: J. S. Warner, a colonel; D. B. Foote, a captain, and Dr. S. F. Chapin, a surgeon.
Wattsburg was foreordained by William Miles, who, as early as 1785, had become enamored of the location, and in 1796, upon his return from the east, made the first clearing and built a store house as a depot of supplies for the surrounding country, and for the purchase of furs. It was the terminus of the first road built from the lake in North East, through Colt's Station to French creek, the Wattsburg end being opened in 1800. In 1809, through the joint persuasion of Mr. Miles and the Russells of Millcreek a road was opened from Erie to the Forks of French creek, the site of the embryo village, and in 1822 the County Commission- ers were induced to build a bridge over the West Branch, that being the first permanent bridge in the county. During that year, 1822, he erected a grist and saw-mill and induced Lyman Robinson of North East, a surveyor, to move over and build a tavern. In 1828 Mr. Miles laid out Wattsburg, naming it after his father-in-law, David Watts of Carlisle. In February of the same year he had a postoffice established, a post route from Jamestown to Erie having been opened at that time.
Wattsburg was incorporated as a borough in 1833, and stands on the wide and fertile plain included in the angle formed by the east and west branches of French creek, in the southern edge of Venango town- ship and is about eighteen miles from Erie by the most direct of three roads. It contains three churches. The M. E. congregation was or- ganized in 1827 by Elder Knapp; the first church was built in 1831, and the present one in 1861 at a cost of $3,400. The Presbyterian congre- gation, organized in 1826, is the legitimate successor of the pioneer Mid- dlebrook church; the first church was built about 1828; the second in 1855. For a time it was served jointly with the Middlebrook church by Rev. Absalom McCready, but in 1833 was recognized by the Presby- tery as a separate congregation. The Baptist church at Wattsburg was organized in 1850 with twenty-two members, and erected a place of worship in 1851.
Wattsburg Lodge No. 533 of the Masonic order was instituted in March, 1875. The Knights of Honor lodge was organized in 1877; the Odd Fellows in 1889; the Grange in 1874; the post of the G. A. R. in 1882 ; the W. R. C. in 1882, and the branch of the State Police in 1877.
The Agricultural Society of Wattsburg has for many years been one of the most successful organizations of its kind in this part of the state, and its annual fairs have been deservedly popular. As a butter market Wattsburg has for forty years or more maintained an exalted place, Wattsburg butter taking rank with Chautauqua butter in the New York market, and commanding as good a price. Wattsburg has had its news- papers, the first venture in that field being the Chronicle begun in 1878
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by W. A. Moore, but discontinued after a year. In 1881 the Wattsburg Occasional was started by R. P. Holliday, and published, as its name implies, with some irregularity until it was succeeded by the Wattsburg Chronicle, undertaken by Dr. S. F. Chapin in 1884 and continued by him until he took up his residence in Erie as surgeon of the Soldiers and Sailors Home.
The schools of Wattsburg date back to 1821. when a house was erected on the site that has ever since been occupied by the village temple of learning. The present school was erected in 1852, and graded schools began in 1828. The first county superintendent of public schools, Wil- liam H. Armstrong, was from Wattsburg, his term beginning in 1854.
Of the public men of the county, Wattsburg furnished these: Ly- man Robinson. Byron S. Hill, Samuel F. Chapin and A. W. Hayes, mem- bers of the Assembly; Lyman Robinson, county commissioner ; Newton T. Hume, county treasurer ; O. J. McAllister, director of the poor ; D. N. Patterson, Robert Leslie and C. N. Smith, jury commissioners : James T. Ensworth and O. J. McAllister. mercantile appraisers: W. Barry Smith, poor directors' clerk.
Of prominent Erie citizens these were from Wattsburg: Joseph Wil- liams, banker: P. G. Finn, Heman Janes, Amos C. Williams. Watts- burg citizens who became conspicuous elsewhere, were: Richard Blore of Colorado; H. T., William, Augustus and Artemas Clarke, and L. S. and H. F. Chapin of Nebraska ; Hon. Mr. Walling of Ohio; L. C. Chapin, professor in Yale University for twelve years; Buchanan and Samuel Nelson of Chicago. David Preston of Detroit, the well known Town family, W. T. Everson of Union City, and Hector McLean of Rochester, N. Y.
CHAPTER XIX .- WASHINGTON.
THE SETTLEMENT AROUND THE LAKE .- THE BOROUGH OF EDINBORO. -THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL .- THE EARLY MILLS AND LATER INDUSTRIES.
Washington township was one of the earliest settled sections of the county, and has the distinction of having been more than any other a subject of organized settlement, In 196 Alexander Hamilton and Wil- liam Culbertson came from Lycoming county, prospecting in the new territory that had been opened up for new settlers. They stopped by the shores of a beautiful lake, and, impressed by the promising aspect of the country round about. selected lands with the purpose in view of establishing a colony. They then returned to Lycoming to carry out their plan. Mr. Culbertson was one of the leading citizens of Lycoming, known throughout its entire bounds. The city of Williamsport obtained its name from him. When, therefore it became known that he had found a section of country that in his judgment was far better fitted for homes such as the pioneer people of the time were in search of than that con- sisting of narrow valleys and steep high hills it was not a very difficult matter to interest a considerable number of people. For the new loca- tion, it was pointed out, consisted of comparatively level country, the val- leys wide, the hills low and the soil deep and rich. Such a country ap- pealed to those who were desirous of securing farms.
In 1792 Messrs. Hamilton and Culbertson returned to Erie county, and were followed during the same year by Job Reeder. Samuel Gallo- way, Simeon Dunn, John and James Campbell, Matthias Sipps, John Mc- Williams, Phineas McLenathan, Matthew Hamilton, James. John, Andrew and Samuel Culbertson, Mrs. Jane Campbell (a widow) and two sons and a daughter named Hannah, and the wives of Alexander Hamilton and William Culbertson. These all came early in the spring ; later others arrived so that during that year 1792, about fifty colonists had decided to make their homes in the vicinity of the little lake in the midst of the forest. The same fall Mrs. Campbell, well pleased with the prospect opened up in the new country, returned to the banks of the Susquehanna and in the spring brought her three other children to Erie county, and this family of seven-mother and six children-took up 1,000 acres of land, building a number of cabins, and occupying them (which was easily
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possible) to comply with the conditions necessary to hold the land. James Culbertson located upon what in later days came to be known as the Hardman farm; John Culbertson took up a tract that in time was sub- divided and became the Lick, Webster and Giles farms, and William Culbertson's original location was on what is now called the old Kinter farm.
William Culbertson, perhaps the most energetic and enterprising of the pioneers of Washington, changed his location and, settling on the stream at the outlet of the lake, took up a tract that embraced practically all of the present borough of Edinboro. When the region was first set- tled the lake was about a mile long and three-quarters of a mile wide. When William Culbertson changed his base he set about erecting a mill. It was built in 1801, and was the third mill to be erected in the county of Erie. It was located on the creek a short distance below the outlet of the lake, and a dam was constructed to obtain sufficient power. This dam greatly enlarged the area of the lake, and that mill-site being continuously occupied up to almost the present time, for a century Con- neauttee Lake continued of its enlarged proportions. The enlargement of the lake had the unfortunate result that its eastern margin was during all that long period disfigured by the stumps of the trees that had been drowned out, and these stumps, most of them, remain to the present, although the recent carrying away of the dam has reduced the lake to its original proportions and left the stumps high and dry.
Mr. Culbertson built the first house in Edinboro-of course long before the village was incorporated-and the year after he built the grist-mill he added a sawmill, the latter a very desirable acquisition in the young colony. Most of the names in the list of first settlers, given above, will be recognized as among the leading names of the present time in Washington and Edinboro. The locality did not cease to attract when the initial colony had been settled. New families continued to move in. Other settlers who became prominent, and whose descendants took active part in the development of Washington township were Peter Kline, who came in 1998. James Graham in 1800, Daniel Sherod in 1802, John Tanner and Davis Pifer in 1805, Simeon Meacham in 1814, Judah Wells in 1816, John C. Reeder in 1817. Robert McLallen, James Port and Nathaniel Eldridge in 1818, Isaac Taylor and Nathaniel Gardner in 1819. Samuel Reeder in 1822, Moses Reeder in 1825, Jesse Lewis in 1826. Davis McLallen and Henry R. Terry in 1827, Jacob Lefevre in 1828, Charles McLallen in 1830, Sherman Greenfield and L. B. Goodell in 1832, George Sweet, Levi Twichell and Willard Wellman in 1833, J. J. Compton. Benjamin White, Jesse Tarbell, Wanton Slocum, the Haw- kinses and M. M. McLaughrey in 1834, John White, the Proudfits and the Potters in 1835, the Shieldses in 1836. Generally the pioneers came from the eastern part of the state, but Mr. Sweet was from Cayuaga county, N. Y., and Mr. Compton from Delaware county, N. Y. Dr.
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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY
J. C. Wilson moved in in 1856. In the valley of Little Conneauttee creek the early settlers included these : Zopher Davis and John Sherwood, who came in 1819, William Palmer, Henry Drake, Russell Stancliff, Ralph D. Phelps and Theodore Phelps.
The first marriage in the Conneauttee settlement was that of Job Reeder to Nancy Campbell, on March 1, 1800, and the first death that of Mrs. William Culbertson in 1804. Jane Culbertson was the first female child born, in 1799, and John Augustus Culbertson the first male child, born in 1800.
/ Originally the township was named Conneauttee, but confusion re- sulted from the fact that another township, Conneaut, was so nearly similar in naine. Accordingly the new designation of Washington was bestowed in 1834. When the county was first laid out this township was much larger than at present, but in 1844 a large tract from the western part was cut off to form a portion of Franklin township, and later a section from the east was added to Waterford. The first justice of the peace was William Culbertson, and he continued in office for forty years. His successor was Jacob Lefevre.
The first road laid out was the old Waterford road. established in 1802. Soon afterwards a road was cut through the forest from Cranes- ville to Waterford. There was also a road toward the south, but no direct communication with Erie was established until long afterwards. The route by way of Waterford and the French road to Erie was deemed quite sufficient, and besides, Waterford was considerable of a commer- cial centre in the. early times. Another early road was the state high- way from Lockport through McLane (originally it was Compton's Corn- ers) to Waterford, and still another was the Sherrod Hill road from Edinboro to Cussewago, Crawford county. The plank roads began in 1850, and these opened up new routes. It was in that year that the Erie & Edinboro road, chartered by the state, was built, and in the same year the Edinboro & Meadville plank road company was organized. A third plank road that passed through Washington township was the Waterford & Drakes Mills into Crawford county. None of these plank roads proved profitable to the corporations that built them, and after a few years of losing business they were abandoned and became public roads. They all had the merit of being superior to the ordinary roads, being much better graded. The Erie & Edinboro road is now the route of the electric car line that gives Edinboro modern means of communication with the outside world. Not only is there means for convenient and rapid passenger travel afforded by the trolley cars, but an express service has been established, and freight cars from the railroad at Cambridge Springs are brought. laden withi coal or other merchandise, to Edinboro, and the village is thus directly connected up with the rest of the country and enjoys fully the modern facilities the development of electrical science has made possible. From the road blazed through the forest to the road
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upon which the vehicle was operated by the powerful but occult force that is a discovery of recent years, was in Washington township a span the measure of which was a full century, but in time Edinboro and Washing- ton were with the rest, in the front rank.
In the northern part of the township where the State road running from Lockport to Waterford crosses the Erie & Edinboro road, a little hamlet sprang up in the early days, and was known as Compton's Cor- ners. It attained to something of repute and in time became a postoffice. served from the star route between Erie and Edinboro. Just after the close of the war the name of the place was changed to McLane, in honor of the first colonel of the 83d Pennsylvania Regiment. McLane became something of a centre for local business and boasted of a good general store, for many years kept by Mr. Crandall, and now by the Crandall Co. McLane also became a religious center. In the winter of 1838-39 a Baptist church was organized, but until 1866, the services were held at South Hill and at Branchville. In the latter year a comfortable church was built and has ever since been occupied. In 1863 a Methodist church was organized and in 1867 a meeting house was built. At McLane there is one of the most beautiful rural cemeteries in the county, located upon a charming elevated spot, and well cared for. It has been the burial place for a wide area of country for many years. Close by McLane the Erie Transit Company located its power station, which was built in 1899. The fuel for this power plant is hauled over the trolley line in freight cars from the steam railroad at Cambridge Springs.
McLallen's Corners, situated in the southeast corner of the township, in the valley of Little Conneauttee Creek, at the crossing of the Drakes Mills & Waterford plank road and the road leading to Pollock's bridge in Le Bœuf township, was named after William McLallen, one of the ear- liest settlers in this neighborhood, but the date of the beginnings of the hamlet is not known. It is a place of no small importance in its way. Here a church of the Christian denomination was organized in the spring of 1828, and its services were held for years in the school house until a church was built, now more than fifty years ago. In 1893 the church was enlarged and practically rebuilt.
Draketown, on the Little Conneauttee Creek, a short distance south of the State road, has a church of the Christian denomination that was or- ganized in 1812, and that built a meeting house the same year. There is also a Methodist church at Ash's corners, near by, that was erected in 1861. There is another Methodist church at Sherrod Hill, which is the southwestern part of the township. Not far from McLallen's Corn- ers a religious body called "The Saints," erected a place of meeting in 1894, and began to hold services with regularity. The cemetery or burial ground at Draketown is one of the oldest and most notable in the town- ship.
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The first building for school purposes was erected on the knoll west of the outlet dam in 1815. It was not of the pattern of the original rural school, being made of planks on an old-fashioned solid frame and it was used for all sorts of gatherings as well as for a school. A little later a log school house was built near the residence of George Taylor, a mile and a half south-east of Edinboro. After a time schools began to multiply, and the term of instruction to be extended. School terms for a long time included three months in the winter and two months in the summer. In the sixties there were fourteen schools in the township and at present there are seventeen, but some schools have less than ten pupils.
Many of the small industries of Washington township have gone out of existence owing to the exhaustion of the supply of raw material. This is especially true of the saw-mills and the manufactories of shingles and lath.A few still remain, two a short distance south of Edinboro, and one at McLallen's Corners still finding occupation. There are a few cream- eries and cheese factories and mills for the production of cider and apple jelly.
The principal town of Washington township is the borough of Edinboro, which was incorporated in 1840, when William Kellison was elected the first burgess. At the time it was incorporated the population was 232. At present it has about 700 inhabitants. The area of the borough is about 500 acres, which includes a portion of the lake. Situated near the southern boundary of the township and of the county it is the centre of one of the finest agricultural sections of Erie county, a section that in the early days was settled by farming people. Many took up large tracts, the result being that the population at the start was widely scattered, although the community was in quite close touch with one an- other. In 1801 William Culbertson erected the first mill in that part of the county, and, having taken up the land upon which Edinboro now stands, built a residence near the mill. Gradually a village grew up around the mill, and Mr. Culbertson platted a large section of his farm into village lots. Having in 1802 added a saw-mill this proved an addi- tional stimulus to the growth of the little town which grew, though not with rapidity, yet steadily. About fifty years ago the mill property fell into the hands of Isaac R. Taylor and James Reeder, who built new mills, but in the course of time timber became scarce and the saw-mill was discontinued, the business of the grist-mill, however, being maintained. It was the opening of these mills that created the village that in the course of time came to be known as Edinboro. Soon after the mills were started people began at intervals to build houses near them. With the mills and homes clustered at the foot of the lake there came the school, the church and the store, and when Mr. Culbertson had laid his property out in town lots there was already promise of great things.
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It was an intelligent community that had settled in Washington and about the lake. They were of the Scotch-Irish; faithful in religion and devoted to learning. Early there were established two schools, one in the northern part of the borough, the other at the opposite end. They were small and provided education only in what is equivalent to the lower grades of today. The people were ambitious for something better, so in 1856 an organization was effected and an academy was built from funds subscribed, amounting to $3,200. The success of the school was immediate. Because of the large attendance, in 1858, two additional buildings were erected, known as the Assembly Hall and the Ladies Boarding Hall, the cost being $11,000, and during the winter of 1859- 60 a fourth building, the Gentlemen's Boarding Hall, was erected at an expense of $10,000, the total of all being raised by subscriptions. When the Normal School act was passed in 1857 the Twelfth District was specified to include the counties of Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, Craw- ford and Erie, but the location of the school was not immediately effected because no place was ready to comply with the full requirements of the law. Edinboro was a candidate, offering the academy property to the state, but because an attendance of 100 in the model school could not be guaranteed there was delay. However, the defect was remedied by secur- ing the passage of an act extending the limits of the Edinboro school district to include a section of the township adjacent to the borough. Then, by abandoning the public schools for the model school, and ap- propriating the school taxes to the support of the model school all the conditions were met.
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