Armstrong County, Pennsylvania her people past and present, embracing a history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families, Volume I, Part 23

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 618

USA > Pennsylvania > Armstrong County > Armstrong County, Pennsylvania her people past and present, embracing a history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families, Volume I > Part 23

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In addition to the loss of the lieutenant, Armstrong suffered the curtailing of his horses, which were frightened away, thus greatly delaying him in the retreat.

Colonel Armstrong reported to Governor Denny the results of his expedition in a docu- ment that is interesting and graphic, but as it. has been printed in several histories in the past and is quite lengthy, we will only mention it and depend on the facts here stated to en- lighten our readers.

Colonel Armstrong, in his report, said that he had reason to believe that Captain Mercer, being wounded, was induced by Ensign John Scott and others to leave the main body and try a nearer way, and thereby became sepa- rated from them and lost. Thinking thus, he had sent a detachment back to seek him, but they returning reported that he was seen with a small party to take a different road. In this they were wrong, for Mercer had fallen in with the Indians who had attacked Lieutenant Hogg. Seeing them approaching he seized a horse and, notwithstanding a broken arm, es-

The list furnished by Armstrong of the killed, wounded and missing is as follows : In Lieut. Col. John Armstrong's company- Thomas Power and John McCormick, killed; Lieut. Col. Armstrong, James Carruthers, James Strickland and Thomas Foster, wound- ed. Capt. Hamilton's company-John Kelly, killed. Captain Mercer's company -- John Baker, John McCartney, Patrick Mullen, Cor- nelius McGinnes, Theophilus Thompson, Den- nis Kilpatrick and Bryan Carrigan, killed; Capt. Hugh Mercer and Richard Fitzgibbons, wounded; Ensign John Scott, Emanuel Min- shey, John Taylor, John - , Francis Phil- lips, Robert Morrow, Thomas Burk and Philip Pendergrass, missing. Captain Armstrong's company-Lieut. James Hogg, James Ander- son, Holdcraft Stinger. Edward O'Brians, James Higgins, John Lasson, killed; William Lindley, Robert Robinson, John Ferrall, Thomas Camplin, Charles O'Neal, wounded ; John Lewis, William Hunter, William Baker, George Appleby, Anthony Grissy, Thomas Swan, missing. Capt. Ward's company-Wil- liam Welsh, killed; Ephraim Bratton, wound- ed; Patrick Myers, Lawrence Donnahow, Samuel Chambers, missing. Captain Potter's company-Ensign James Potter and Andrew Douglass, wounded. Rev. Capt. Steele's com- pany-Terrence Cannaberry, missing.

The English prisoners recaptured from the Indians at Kittanning were Ann McCord, wife of John McCord, and Martha Thorn, about seven years old, captured at Fort McCord; Barbara Hicks, captured at Conolloway's ; Catherine Smith, a German child, captured near Shamokin; Margaret Hood, captured near the mouth of Conogocheague, Md .; Thomas Girty, captured at Fort Granville ; Sarah Kelly, captured near Winchester, Va .; and one woman, a boy, and two little girls, who were with Capt. Mercer and Ensign Scott when they separated from the main body, and who had not reached Fort Littleton when Colonel Armstrong made his report.

The original of the following voucher and signatures is in the family of the late Judge Buffington, who obtained it from a kinsman of Captain Potter :

"We. the Subscribers, Acknowledge that we have Received our full pay from the time Capt. James Potter came into Colonel John . Arm- strong's Company to the first day of August, 1759.

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

"John Brady, Serg't; Hugh Hunter, Serg't;

His

Wm. Brady, Corp .; Andrew X Halleday, Joshh

mark X Leany, John X Neal, George X Clark, John X Cunningham, Jolin X Cahaner, Jaremia X Daytny, Wm. X Craylor, Robert X Huston, George Gould, John Mason, John X Dougherty, Wm. Kyle, Wm. Bennet, Jos. McFerren, William Layser, Alexander X Booth, Thos X Christy, John X Devine, William X Mullan, Dennis X Miller, James X Lamon, James Semple, Thos X Canlay, Michael X Colman, Robert X Colman, Rob. X Huston, John Burd, George Ross, Thos. D. X Henlay, Potter X Lappan, Robert Mccullough, James X McElroy, James Marces, William Waugh, Wm Little, Archibald Marshall, Andrew Pollock."

For the successful results of his raid the corporation of the city of Philadelphia voted Colonel Armstrong the thanks of the city and a medal, besides donating gifts to the amount of £150 to the surviving members of the expe- dition.

OLD KITTANNING

Kittanning, the Indian town that was thus so tragically destroyed, was for many years a great center among the Indians west of the Alleghenies.

It is known that the Delawares had a vil- lage there before 1730, and it is not unlikely that there was a town there long before that. A mysterious earthwork located not far from the present site of Kittanning, and attributed to the so-called "mound-builders," would seem to indicate that Kittanning was an important point perhaps many centuries ago.

Fort Armstrong was built near the site of the old Indian town about the close of the Revolutionary war. Some time early in 1779 Washington wrote to Colonel Brodhead :

"I have directed Colonel Rawlings' corps, consisting of three companies, to march from Fort Frederick, Md., to Fort Pitt as soon as he is relieved by militia. Upon his arrival you are to detach him with his own corps and as many more as will make up 100, should his company be short of that number, to take post at Kittanning and immediately throw up a stockade fort for the security of the convoys."

On July 3d of that same year Colonel Brod- head wrote to Washington :

"A complete stockade fort is erected at Kit- tanning and is now called Fort Armstrong."

This fort, which stood about two miles below Kittanning, was not built by Colonel Rawlings after all, but by Lieutenant Colonel Bayard. It played little or no part in pioneer history. The garrison was withdrawn in No-

vember, 1779, and it was never occupied there- after.

EARLY SETTLERS

Settlement within the limits of what is now Armstrong county began soon after the estab- lishment of this futile fort. James Claypoole was perhaps the first settler within the pres- ent limits of Kittanning. He settled at the mouth of Truby's run in the spring of 1791, building his cabin near what is now the north- west corner of Arch and Water streets.

Claypoole stayed there just a year. His horses came running past the cabin in terror one day in the spring following his settlement, and upon asking a friendly Indian what their action meant, he was advised to get away. He took the advice at once. He made a raft, put his wife and younger children thereon, and started down the river for Pittsburgh. His two boys started down the river by land at the same time, driving their horses and cat- tle. The Claypooles reached Pittsburgh in safety.

Another Armstrong county pioneer, who started for Pittsburgh in the same fashion and met a less happy fate, was Capt. Andrew Sharp, who settled in the Plum creek dis- trict about 1784. His story has been related in a previous chapter.

Robert Brown, who came into Armstrong county with some hunters in 1798, was one of the first permanent settlers. Patrick Daugherty and Andrew Hunter came in about the same time.

The western and southwestern portions of what is now Westmoreland, and the south- eastern part of what is now Armstrong, were settled about the year 1769, the next year after the proprietary of Pennsylvania had purchased the country from the Indians as far west as the Allegheny and Ohio rivers. In 1769 the land office, for the sale or loca- tion of the lately purchased land, was opened. Several thousands of locations were applied for on the first day. The settlement on the east side of the Monongahela and Allegheny was very rapidly extended from the Monon- gahela forty miles northward, as far as Crooked creek, and the first settlers were gen- erally a more sober, orderly people than com- monly happens in the first settlement of new countries.

At that time all Pennsylvania west of the western boundary of Lancaster was in Cum- berland county. Whatever people had then settled in what is now Armstrong county

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

ASTOR, LENOX ILDEX FOUNDATIONS

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRAR

ASTOR, LEMON TILDLI HEINE

JONAS BOWSER HOMESTEAD. WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (See page 277)

A ONCE FAMOUS INN OR TAVERN SITUATED ON THE ALLEGHENY RIVER OPPOSITE KITTANNING

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

must have been few. Among the petitions sent to the governor, in 1774, from inhabi- tants near Hanna's Town, imploring pro- tection and relief in one, it was, among other things, set forth that the petitioners were rendered very uneasy by the order of removal of the troops, that had been raised for their general assistance and protection, "to Kittan- ning, a place at least twenty-five or thirty miles distant from any of the settlements."

THE ARMSTRONG PURCIIASE

General Armstrong purchased from the proprietors of the then Province of Pennsyl- vania 55612 acres with the usual allowances. The tract was surveyed to him by virtue of a proprietary letter to the secretary, dated May 29, 1771, on Nov. 5, 1794. The patent for that tract bears date March 22, 1775. This tract of land was fittingly called by him "Vic- tory," and included all of the present limits of Kittanning north of the rolling mill and south of Cowanshannock creek.

NEW KITTANNING

The present town of Kittanning dates from 1800. In that year the Legislature passed an act establishing the seat of the county on the river "at a distance not greater than five miles from Old Kittanning Town."

Armstrong's heirs deeded 150 acres for the site of the town, stipulating that they should receive one-half of the money realized by the sale of lots. The town was laid out in 1803. There were 248 in-lots and 27 out-lots. The former sold at an average of $11.45 per lot.

Armstrong county was organized judicially in 1805 and the first court was held in a log house located on lot 121. The "bench" was a bench in every sense of the word-a carpen- ter's bench-and the judge's chair was a slit- bottom hickory. The opening of court was heralded by the blowing of a dinner horn in the hands of the town crier, James Hannegan.

The first courthouse, a high-roofed building with a cupola for a bell, was begun in 1809, and not completed till 1819. This building served till 1850, when the second courthouse was built. This was a two-story brick build- ing that seems to have fallen short of the ex- pectations of the people of the county, for we read that when it burned in 1858 nobody was sorry. The third courthouse, the present building, was built in 1858-60 at a cost of $32,000. It is a handsome and dignified build- ing with a fine Corinthian portico and a

graceful dome. It is, however, entirely too small for the transaction of the business of the county in these days, is cold and cheerless in winter and constricted and hot in summer. Although it was a fine building in its day, that day is done, and the present generation should erect a modern and artistic structure, similar to those of other less favored localities, which their children could view with the admiration due the monuments of their ancestors' archi- tectural skill and foresight.

'THIE WHITE ELEPHANT"

The first jail was built in 1805 and the sec- ond in 1850 when the second courthouse was built. The third, built in 1870-73, was one of the best prison buildings in the United States in its early days. It is still a building worthy of note among county jails. And, indeed, it ought to be a good jail, so the folks of Arm- strong county think, for it cost them $252,- 000. They used to call it "The White Ele- phant." It could be duplicated now for one-third the original cost.

Kittanning was incorporated as a borough in 1821. Its population was then 325. A lit- tle later the era of steamboat navigation on the Allegheny began and thenceforth the town gained in importance rapidly.

STEAMBOATS

The first steamboat came to Kittanning in April, 1827. Then the "Albion" came up from Pittsburgh, with the river five feet above low water. Her arrival was the occasion of a great rejoicing, and forthwith an excursion was arranged. The captain of the "Albion" started up the river with a party of 120, in- cluding forty ladies, but he was presently forced to return to port because of the ex- uberance of certain gentlemen who let their enthusiasm get the better of their discretion.

In 1830 the "Allegheny" was built espe- cially for the Allegheny river trade. This boat, designed for running in anything deeper than a heavy dew, once ran up the river as far as Olean, N. Y. Thenceforward till the Alle- gheny Valley railroad came through to Kit- tanning in 1856 river traffic flourished.

Notable among the relics of the early days of Kittanning that lingered on into the days of the generation now passing was the old Bowser Tavern, which stood on the west side of the river, near where the steel bridge now comes to the west bank. A picture of this old hostelry, taken from an old photographic plate, is printed herewith.

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

SETTLERS

To give a list of all those who settled in Kittanning in the days of its beginning would occupy needless space. From the assessment list of 1804 are gleaned the following facts : William Hannegan, tailor ; James Hannegan, hatter (also first court crier) ; Joseph Miller, storekeeper; Bernard Mahan, shoemaker; James Mcllhenny, wheelwright; Abraham Parkinson, mason; William Reynolds, tan- ner; John Shaeffer, joiner.

David Crawford was the first blacksmith, coming here in 1805. The first hotelkeeper was Michael Mechling. David Reynolds also came at the same time as Mechling and estab- lished his tavern, the "Kittanning Inn," on the corner of Market and Jefferson, from which corner his descendants are still dis- pensing hospitality to the traveler. The "Reynolds House" is now kept by the popular landlord. Harry Reynolds, who succeeded his father, the late Absalom Reynolds.

The first resident lawyer was Samuel Massey. For a list of those subsequent to him the reader is referred to the chapter on the bench and bar of the county.

The early settlers were dependent on Dr. George Hays, who came here in 1810, for medical attention. In the chapter on the med- ical profession of the county will be found a complete list of the later arrivals in Kittan- ning.

KITTANNING IN 1820

To afford a contrast to the present vigorous city and list in a few words the industries of Old Kittanning, we will review the appear- ance of the town to the eyes of James McCul- lough, Sr., who lived here at that date and was alive in 1880.

There were then on Water street nineteen dwellings and business houses, two of which were brick. Jacob Truby's gun shop, Henry Rouse's cooper shop, the leather store of Wil- liam Reynolds, Samuel McKee's saddlery, Joseph Irwin's inn kept in the stone house built by David Lawson, Robert Robinson's store and post office, and an inn kept by Walter Sloan.

There were twenty-three houses on Jeffer- son street, two of which, including the court- house, were of brick. John Gillespie's shoe shop was on the corner of Arch, the Colum- bian printing office on the old courthouse square, William Small's tailor shop and Hugh Rogers' hat shop on the corner of Jacob, James Reichert's chair and wheel shop on the

site of the Presbyterian church, and David Crawford's blacksmith shop on the corner of the alley.

There were seven dwellings and business houses, besides the jail, on Mckean street ; Robert Speer's nail factory at the corner of the alley, Isaac Scott's pottery at the opposite corner.

There were no dwellings or business houses on Grant avenue, High, Vine, Arch or Mul- berry streets.

There were eight dwelling and business houses on Market street, including the "Eagle House" block, then almost completed. Sam- uel Houston's store. Michael Mechling's inn, David Reynolds' inn, Hamilton & McCon- nell's store, Joseph Shields' hat shop, James Monteith's store in the "Eagle House" block, William Hannegan's tailor shop, Henry Jack's store, and his saddlery further down in the same block.

There were on Jacob and Walnut streets a tannery and a dwelling. In 1830 the num- ber of dwellings was ninety and of stores ten.

EARLY INDUSTRIES

Gristmills, operated by hand and power, were established in the town by several of the pioneers, but the first practical one was that of Andrew Arnold, who built a steam grist mill on Jacob and Water streets in 1834. Charles Cumpsley, a manufacturer of wag- ons, mowing machines and wheelbarrows, was the next miller, in 1860.

Henry Worts was the first tanner. Many other tanneries were operated in the interval between 1804 and 1874, when the last one, that of John S. Alexander, was closed. The business is abandoned now, the large Eastern tanneries taking care of the trade.

Hugh Fullerton was the first to manufac- ture yarn and cloth in this borough in 1822. The next and only industry of this kind to attain importance here was the fulling mill of J. Kennerdell & Co., in 1860. This plant de- veloped from a small foundation to a fac- tory of $70,000 capital. About five hundred yards of jeans, flannels, cassimeres and blank- ets were produced daily and about fifty mien employed. It was owned by Goodell & Com- pany, in 1874, when destroyed by fire.

The first planing mill was started in 1866 by Heiner Bros., who developed an extensive trade by 1874.

One of the most interesting of the old- time workers was John Clugston, who, in 1828, made eight-day and thirty-hour clocks,

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

several of which are now in use, and greatly completion, April 12, 1856, it was struck by a violent tornado and blown into the river.

treasured by their owners.

FERRIES AND BRIDGES

established at a later period, higher up the and repairs was $60,000.

In the earlier years after the first settle- ment of Kittanning by the whites, the facil- ities for crossing the river were by skiffs and flatboats, when the water was too high for fording, which were either rowed or poled from one side to the other. The first ferry was some distance below the rolling mill, known as Sloan's ferry. Brown's ferry was river, at the mouth of Jacob street. Cun- ningham's ferry was established by William Cunningham, at the mouth of Market street. which was, in 1834, a chain ferry, much like the pont volant, or flying bridge, long known to French military engineers. The ferry- boat was borne across the river in about five minutes by the force of the current, by means of a strong wire, fastened to a tree about four hundred yards above the landing on the west side, the other end of the wire being fastened to the boat by stay-ropes, by which it could be brought to any desired angle with the cur- rent, the wire being kept out of the water by several buoys resembling small boats which crossed the river simultaneously with the large boat. The foremost end of the latter, being slightly turned up stream, was impelled across the river by the oblique action of the water against its side. Those buoys looked like so many goslings swimming with their mother.

That ferry was subsequently owned by Philip Mechling, who kept it up until the bridge was erected. The above-mentioned mode was changed to that of the chain ferry by fastening the wire to trees or posts on both sides of the stream, dispensing with the buoys, connecting the boat to a pulley running along the wire by means of chains or smaller wires, turning the foremost end of the boat upstream, and thus causing it to be impelled across by the oblique action of the current of water on its side.

By the act of April 2, 1838, the Kittanning Bridge Company was incorporated. The charter thus granted lay dormant until about 1855. when, the requisite number of shares of stock having been taken, the work of build- ing the bridge was begun, and was completed in March, 1856. The foundation consisted of two stone abutments and four stone piers, substantially built. The first superstructure was chiefly wooden. In a few weeks after its

The bridge company having been author- ized by the act of April 19, 1856, to issue pre- ferred stock, replaced the lost superstructure by a wooden one on a different plan, that was firmly bound to the abutments and piers. It was covered. It lasted until 1874, when it was removed and the present graceful, dur- able, iron structure, with five channel arches, was substituted. The length of this bridge is nine hundred and sixteen feet. The total cost of the abutments, piers, superstructure

FLOODS AND OTHER CASUALTIES

Several times in the history of Kittanning and the county has the Allegheny menaced their lives and property. Floods occurred in 1832, 1835, 1837, 1865, 1875 and 1913. The latter was the highest on record, most of the cellars and the store basements on the lower end of the town being flooded.

Ice gorges occurred in 1837 and 1875. In the former year some of the streets were rendered impassable by the cakes of ice, which did not melt for three months. In the first ice gorge the people were compelled to aban- don the main part of the town and the ice floes covered Water street for a depth of fif- teen feet. No lives were lost in either in- stance.

Another terrific ice gorge occurred in the second week of March, 1875. For several days the ice accumulated above and below Kit- tanning for miles each day. It was called the "ten-mile gorge." The severely cold weather which had prevailed through the winter made the ice very thick and hard. Though it was not piled up as high as it was in 1837, the gorge was considerably longer, and, for a few days, there was apprehension that immense damage would be done by sweeping away the bridge and parts of the town, which would probably have been the case if the water had risen suddenly and rapidly.

On March 17, 1865, the water reached five and a quarter feet above the pavement at the corner of Arch and Water streets; two feet, nine and one-half inches, corner of Water and Jacob streets ; and six and one-half feet, cor- ner of Water and Mulberry streets. The wa- ter reached to within three inches of the door- sill on Market, a few feet above Mckean street, and filled every cellar between the lat- ter street and the river, except General Orr's.

The flood Dec. 13, 1873, raised the water at

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

the corner of Arch and Water streets three feet above the pavement; corner of Water and Jacob streets, one foot, nine and one-half inches ; and at the corner of Water and Mul- berry streets, four feet.

During the flood of 1913 most of the busi- ness houses were inundated and several com- pelled to close. Only one restaurant, George's Cafe, was able to open, but not only did Mr. George continue to serve the public, but with commendable public spirit he refused to raise his prices and kept his bakery in operation day and night to supply bread to both Kit- tanning and Ford City.

At the residence of Dr. S. A. S. Jessop, corner of Walnut and South Jefferson streets, are the marks of the two great floods, lined off on the walls of his house, with the dates inscribed below. The mark of the flood of March 17, 1865, is two feet above the level of the pavement, while that of 1913 is eighteen inches higher. Both of the great floods oc- curred in the month of March, the one of 1913 being on the 26th.

An earthquake of moderate effect and short duration was felt on March 9, 1828.

About ISII a tornado crossed the Alle- gheny near Kittanning, prostrating trees, un- roofing houses and doing other damage. An- other tornado in 1860 started near Middlesex, passed northeasterly through Armstrong, left the county about a mile north of South Beth- lehem and created much damage in Clarion county. It destroyed many houses, leveled forests and killed two women and one man. Many had narrow escapes from death.

TOWN OFFICIALS

No records whatever were kept in the early days of the town's history, so nothing can be said regarding the officials of those days. The only data at hand are the minutes of the town council of 1823, by which it is seen that David Reynolds was burgess, David Craw- ford, Frederick Rohrer, Joseph Shields, Isaac Scott and Michael Truby were councilmen. James E. Brown was clerk.

Too much space would be occupied to re- cite the names of the later officials, so those of the year 1913 are given. They are:

Burgess, Harry P. Boarts ; town council, P. J. Hoey, R. E. Kennerdell, H. N. Sankey, E. F. McGivern, Frank Neubert, W. C. Heiders- dorf ; borough treasurer, Harry E. Eller- meyer ; borough solicitor, R. A. Mccullough ; borough clerk, J. D. Curren : chief of police, WV. E. Gallagher ; policemen, Matt Dosch,

Joseph Glenn; street commissioner, John Tarr; overseers of the poor, James Baker, William Geidel; clerk to the overseers, Roy WV. Pollock; assessors, L. B. Croll, H. J. Hays; tax collector, James King; auditors, W. E. Miller, Fred Lindeman, A. W. Dosch.

PUBLIC BUILDINGS OF KITTANNING

The first town hall was built in 1859 by Charles Schotte for $1,000, and was located on Market street, on the old public square. The lower story was used as a council cham- ber and for a post office, the rear housing the hose cart and ladders. The upper story was first used as a schoolhouse and for public meetings and later as the office of the Arm- strong Republican. It was destroyed by fire in 1895, but soon after rebuilt. The present building is larger and more commodious than the old one, and is occupied by the Armstrong Trust Company, and the city lockup on the first floor, Fire Company No. 2 and the bor- ough offices being on the second and third. floors. A large tower at the corner houses the fire bell.

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Armstrong County, Pennsylvania her people past and present, embracing a history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families, Volume I, Part 23

Author: J.H. Beers & Co Publication date: 1914 Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers Number of Pages: 618

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 618