USA > Pennsylvania > Blair County > Biographical and portrait cyclopedia of Blair County, Pennsylvania > Part 15
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"The Pennsylvania railroad once fin- ished, although it failed to create the sur- prise and enthusiasm excited by the canal, did not fail to open up the valley and its vast resources. Independent of the great advantage of the road itself, let us see what followed in the wake of this laudable en- terprise. The railroad created the towns of Altoona, Fostoria, Tipton, and Tyrone; its presence caused the building of three
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BIOGRAPHY AND HISTORY
plank roads, and the opening of extensive coal and lumber operations in the valley, and kindred enterprises that might never have been thought of. Nor is this all. A rage for travel by railroad has been pro- duced by the Pennsylvania Company ; and there is good reason to believe that it will increase until at least three more roads tap the main artery in the Juniata valley -the railroad from Tyrone to Clearfield, from the same place to Lock Haven, and from Spruce Creek to Lewisburg. These roads will un- questionably be built, and at no remote period. The Pennsylvania road has now facilities for doing business equal to those of any road of the same length in the world; and, when a second track is completed, it is destined, for some years at least, to enjoy a monopoly of the carrying trade between Pittsburg and Philadelphia. Much as we regret it, for the sake of the Commonwealth which expended her millions without any- thing like an adequate return, the canal is rapidly falling into disuse, and we see, with deep regret, that it has become entirely too slow for the age in which we live. With all the vitality forced into it that can be, we confess we can see no opposition in it to the road but such as is of the most feeble kind; yet all will agree that this opposition, trifling as it is, should continue to exist until such a time as other routes shall be opened between these points, and healthy competition established. But let us not dwell too much upon our modes of transit through the valley, lest the historian of a hundred years hence will find our re- marks a fitting theme for ridicule, and laugh at us because we speak in glowing terms of a single railroad, and that road with but a single track for more than half ita distance !
" In order to give the reader a little insight into the progress which has been made in the valley, let us turn statistician for a time, with the understanding, however, that we shall not be held responsible for the accu- racy of dates.
"Less than twenty-six years ago George Law sat upon the left bank of the Juniata, two miles west of Williamsburg, cutting stones for building two locks at that place. Now the aforesaid Law is supposed to be worth the snug little sum of six millions of dollars, and not long since was an aspirant for the presidential chair !
"Thirty years ago, when Frankstown was a place of some note, Hollidaysburg con- tained but a few scattered cabins. In fact, twenty years ago it was 'to fortune and to fame unknown ;' yet it now contains a pop- ulation (including that of Gaysport ) that will not fall much short of four thousand.
" Less than twenty-five years ago Dr. P. Shoenberger, while returning from Balti- more with $15,000 in cash, fell in with the celebrated robber, Lewis, on the Broad Top mountain. The intention of Lewis, as he afterward acknowledged, was to rob him; but the doctor, although he was unac- quainted with his fellow traveler, had his suspicions awakened, and, by shrewd ma- nouvering, succeeded in giving him the slip. Hlad the $15,000 in question fallen into the hands of the robber, Dr. Shoenber- ger would have been bankrupt, and the probability is that he would have lived and died an obscure individual. Instead of that, however, the money freed him from his em- barrassments, and he died, but a few years ago, worth between four and five millions of dollars, more than one-half of which he accumulated by manufacturing iron in the valley of the Juniata.
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OF BLAIR COUNTY.
"Less than sixteen years ago a gentle- man named Zimmerman was a bar-keeper at the hotel of Walter Graham, esq., at Yellow Springs, in Blair county, afterward a "mud boss' on the Pennsylvania canal, and subsequently a teamster at Allegheny Furnace. At the present day the said Samuel Zimmerman owns hotels, palaces, a bank of issue, farms, stocks, and other property at Niagara Falls, in Canada, which swell his income to $150,000 per annum. Ile is but thirty-eight years of age. Should he live the length of time allotted to man, and his wealth steadily increase, at the end of three-score-and-ten years he can look upon ordinary capitalists, who have only a few millions at command, as men of limited means.
"Let it not be presumed, however, that we notice these capitalists from any adora- tion of their wealth or homage to the men, but merely because their history is partially identified with the valley, and to show in what a singular manner the blind goddess will sometimes lavish her favors; for hun- dreds of men without money, but with brighter intellects and nobler impulses than ever were possessed by Zimmerman, Law, or Shoenberger, have gone down to the grave 'unwept, unhonored, and unsung,' in the Juniata valley. Neither will the sough- ing of the west wind, as it sweeps through the valley, disturb their repose any more than it will that of the millionaires, when resting from life's fitful fever' in their splendid mausoleums.
" Less than ten years ago a railroad from Huntingdon to Broad Top was deemed impracticable. Since then, or, we may say, within the last four years, a substantial railroad has been built, reaching from the borough of Huntingdon to Hopewell, in
Bedford county, a distance of thirty-one miles; and the cars are now engaged in bringing coal from a region which, but a few years ago, was unexplored. In addi- tion to the main track, there is a branch, six miles in length, extending to Shoup's run. The coal field contains eighty square miles of territory ; and from the openings made at Shoup's run and Six mile run, semi-bituminous coal has been taken, the quality of which cannot be surpassed by any coal fields in the world. Along the line of the road quite a number of villages have sprung up. The first is Worthington, some thirteen miles from Huntingdon. The next is Saxton, twenty-six miles from Hunt- ingdon. Coalmont is the name of a flour- ishing village growing up on Shoup's run, about a mile below the lowest coal veins yet opened. Barret is located about two miles farther up; and Broad Top City is located upon the summit of the mountain, at the terminus of the Shoup's Run branch, at which place a large three-story stone hotel has been built, and a number of lots disposed of, on which purchasers are bound to build during the summer of 1856.
"Less than eight years ago the author of these pages, while on a gunning expedition, traveled over the ground where Altoona now stands. It was then almost a barren waste. A few fields, a solitary log farm house and its out buildings, and a school house, alone relieved the monotony of the scene; yet now upon this ground stands a town with between three and four thousand inhabitants, where the scream of the engine is heard at all hours of the day and night- where the roar of fires, the clang of ma- chinery, and the busy hum of industry never cease from the rising to the setting of the sun, and where real estate commands a
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price that would almost seem fabulous to those not acquainted with the facts. But of this enough.
"Let us now proceed to examine the products of the valley. The lower end of it is a grain-growing region, the upper an iron-producing country ; and it is owing to the mineral resources alone that the valley maintains the position it does, and boasts of the wealth and population it now pos- sesses. The Juniata iron has almost a world-wide reputation ; yet we venture to say that many of our own neighbors know little about the immense amount of capital and labor employed in its manufacture."
History and Literature .- Sherman Day's " Historical Collections of Pennsylvania," published in 1842 or '44, gave a brief his- tory of Huntingdon county, which then in- cluded the territory of Blair. It was soon followed by a history of Northumberland, Huntingdon, Mifflin, Centre, Union, Clin- ton, Juniata, and Columbia counties, pre- pared by I. D. Rupp.
These two works failed to deal much with local history, and in 1856 U. J. Jones published his "History of the Early Set- tlement of the Juniata Valley," which is a very valuable work, and now a recog- mized standard of reference on the early history of Blair and the other counties of the Juniata valley. Mr. Jones was indebted (as he states) to Major B. F. Bell, Judge MeCune, Edward Bell, Judge Adams, and Michael Maguire for much valuable mate- rial, and wrote an interesting and reliable work that will preserve his name from ob- livion for all time to come.
"For the year 1875 George J. Akers compiled ' The Mirror Hand-book and Com- pendium of Facts,' a pamphlet of forty- Seven pages. It contained a synopsis of the
local occurrences of that year, such as mar- riages and deaths, interments in Fairview cemetery, State, county, and city elections, a brief history of Altoona, a list of city and county officers, a sketch of the public schools, etc., making it a valuable book of reference. Harry Slep was the publisher. "In the early part of 1879, 'The First Venture,' a book consisting of one hundred and eighty-seven pieces of poetry and a story in prose, entitled ' After Many Days,' was issued from the press of Harry Slep. The book contained sixty pages. Five hundred copies were issued, which com- manded a ready sale. It was prepared by Harry L. Woods, the author of a book of Irish tales, entitled . Pat Muldoon's Anec- dotes.'
"During the year 1880 an illustrated vol- ume of two hundred and sixty-five pages, edited by James HI. Ewing and Harry Slep, of Altoona, and issued from the press of Harry Slep's printing house, was delivered to its patrons. It is entitled the ' History of the City of Altoona and Blair County,' and contains brief historical sketches of Hollidaysburg, Tyrone, Bell's Mills, Roar- ing Springs, Martinsburg, Williamsburg, Gaysport, Bennington Furnace, Kittanning Point, Arch Spring, Tipton, Newry, and Duncansville, besides a considerable amount of classified information not practicable to enumerate here. The work is meritorious."
In 1883 Louis HI. Everets, of Philadel- phia, issued the "History of Huntingdon and Blair Counties, Pennsylvania, by J. Simpson Africa," an illustrated work of seven hundred and sixty-one pages.
The work gives two hundred and sixty- one pages to the history of Blair county, whose general history is treated of in nine chapters, while eighteen chapters are
BLAIR COUNTY ALMS HOUSE.
السمع
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OF BLAIR COUNTY.
devoted to the description and history of her townships and boroughs. J. P. Snell and Dr. Thomas Cushing wrote the principal part of the history of Altoona ; J. II. Schenck wrote all of the township histories except those of Snyder and Tyrone; and Maj. Franklin Ellis, one of the best county his- torians in the United States, prepared the military history of both Huntingdon and Blair counties.
Blair County Home. - The present hand- some and commodious county home build- ding was erected in 1892. Smith & Robin- son, of Altoona and Johnstown, were the architects. The structure is of brick, two stories in height, and between one hundred and fifty and two hundred feet in length, and is amply furnished, completely heated, and well lighted throughout. It is favor- ably located, ranks as one of the finest county homes of the State, and is a credit to the county.
Early Courts and Lawyers. - Section 8 of the act under which Blair county was or- ganized provided that "the county of Blair shall be annexed and compose part of the Sixteenth judicial district of this Common- wealth, and the courts shall be held and commence as follows, to wit: On the fourth Monday of March, July, October, and De- cember in each year, and the first court shall be held in the said county of Blair on the fourth Monday of October next." A supplemental act, however, amended section 8 of the original act to the effect "that the first court shall be held on the fourth Mon -. day of July, 1846." This court convened in the old Methodist Episcopal church at Hollidaysburg, on Monday, July 27, 1846, and was presided over by Judge Jeremiah S. Black, and George R. McFarlane and Daniel McConnell associate judges.
On the same day the following forty-nine attorneys were sworn in and admitted to practice in the several courts of the county :
Anderson, J. P.
Johnston, Robert L. Jacobs, William J.
Banks, Thaddeus.
Banks, Ephraim. King, Alexander.
Blair, Samuel S. Kimmell, F. M.
Blair, David.
Kemp, Joseph.
Benedict, A. W.
Lowrie, J. R.
Barkley, Samuel M. Lyon, William. Mann, Job.
Brotherline, John.
Bell, J. M.
Miles, John G.
Canan, Moses.
Magehan, M. D.
Calvin, Samuel.
MeMurtrie, R. A.
Curtin, A. G.
Mower, John.
Cresswell, John.
McAllister, II. N.
Coffey, T. J.
Cox, Joshua F.
Ogle, A. J. Orbison, Wm. P.
Cline, A. J.
Russell, James M.
Cremer, Theo. H.
Russell, Samuel L.
Dorris, William, jr.
Stewart, Wm. M. Stewart J. S.
Duff, David.
Fenlon, John.
Scott, John, jr.
Hall, James T.
Tate, Samuel H.
Hoffius, David M.
Williamson, John.
Heyer, Charles II.
Wilson, A. P.
Hasson, Michael.
Wharton, S. S.
Hughes, Isaac.
Judge Black held twelve terms of court at Hollidaysburg, and then, in 1849, Blair county was taken from the Sixteenth judi- cial district and placed in the Twenty- fourth with Huntingdon and Cambria counties.
Judge Black presided over the courts of Blair county with satisfaction to the people, and of him Judge John Dean spoke at the dedication of the new court house, in 1877, as follows :
"Of Judge Black, in the presence of this audience, as a lawyer and a judge, I need
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not speak at length. Whether as advocate at the bar, presiding in the common pleas, judge and chief justice of the supreme court, attorney-general of the United States, dele- gate at large to the constitutional conven- tion of 1873, everywhere he has honored Himself and has reflected honor on the peo- ple who honored him. Ilis legal opinions and arguments are the delight of the law- yer, for it may be said of him, as Coke said of Littleton, ' He cites not many authorities, yet he holdeth no opinion but is proved and approved by these two faithful witnesses in matters of law, authority and reason.' While his name and fame are national, we daim the distinction of saying he held our first court, he was our first judge."
Judge Black was succeeded as president judge of the courts of Blair county by Hon. George Taylor, who was born in Chester county in 1812. He read law, was admit- ted to the bar, and acquired a fine reputa- tion as a lawyer and advocate in Hunting- don county, where he practiced until 1849, when he was appointed by Governor John- ston as judge of the Twenty-fourth district. ITe served until 1851, then was elected for a term of ten years by the whigs, and in 1861 was reelected for another term. He died November 14, 1871. He had an in- tense love of justice, and the nerve fear- lessly to administer it in the face of all op- position, yet he always tempered justice with mercy.
Judge Taylor was succeeded by Hon. John Dean, the present president judge, and "that he has given universal satisfac- tion to the people of the Twenty-fourth judicial district since his elevation to the bench, is attested by the fact that he was nominated and elected in the fall of 1881, while his political opponents, conceding to
his ability, fitness, and impartial rulings, in convention assembled, adopted compliment- ary resolutions, and refrained from nomi- nating an opposing candidate." Judge Dean, who is now the candidate of the Re- publican party for an associate justice of the supreme court of Pennsylvania, resides at Hollidaysburg, where he is an active, enter- prising citizen, and a valued member of society.
Early Physicians .- But little can be se- cured of the early physicians of the county. Dr. John McCloskey was a practicing phy- sician in Frankstown township in 1787, and was succeeded in 1810 by Dr. John Bu- chanan, whose successor was Dr. Alexander Johnston. Drs. James Coffey, John Metz- ger, and Thomas Stark were practicing in Frankstown township before 1830. Dr. George Kneopler seems to have been the second resident physician in the county, and practiced at the beginning of the present century at Williamsburg, where Dr. John D. Ross commenced to practice in 1838. He is now the oldest physician in the county in years of active practice.
Summer Resorts .- There are many places in the county where fine summer resorts are to be established. There are already two noted resorts in the county : Cresson Springs and Wopsononoek, both of which are noted for grandeur of scenery. Wop- sononock is named for an Indian chief of that name. This beautiful "look out" is the equal of any in the State. The Altoona & Wopsononock railroad furnishes rapid and comfortable transit to and from Al- toona. From the top of Wopsononock mountain, looking south and east, can be seen Altoona very distinctly, Bellwood more distant, and an extensive panorama of hill and valley, cleared field, and woodland dell.
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OF BLAIR COUNTY.
With a field glass prominent landmarks are discernible in six counties : Blair, Cambria, Bedford, Huntingdon, Clearfield, and Centre.
Healthfulness .- The following facts, taken from the report of the board of health for 1890, are valuable as showing the health- fulness of Altoona :
Mean temperature for January, 423° Fah- renheit ; February, 413 ; March, 373 ; April, 521; May, 613; June, 70; July, 74; Aug- ust, 72; September, 64; October, 533; No- vember, 472 ; December, 34}.
Death rate per 1,000 for the year, 16.06. Births, 1,054; marriages, 233.
FREE MASONRY.
We give the numbers, names, locations and dates of organization of the following lodges, chapters, councils, and commander- ies in Blair county :
No. Name. Lodge.
Place. Year.
220 Portage. Hollidaysburg ... 1846 281 Mountain Altoona.
282 Juniata Hollidaysburg .... 1853
450 Logan Altoona. 1871
494 Tyrone. .Tyrone 1871 189
Chapter. Mountain ...... Altoona. 1858
Council.
9 Mountain ...... Altoona. 1857
Commandery.
10. .Mountain ...... Altoona. 1855
KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS.
No.
Name. Lodge.
Place. Year.
79 Logan . Altoona. 1868
103 Silver Spring . Tyrone 1868
281 Blair Altoona.
295 Alto Altoona
354. . White Cross Altoona. 1872
Division.
26 Altoona Altoona. ...
B. U. ( H. F.)
No.
Circle.
Place.
Year.
20
Bethany.
..... Altoona.
1879
50
Rising Sun .... Altoona.
1870
ODD FELLOWSHIP.
No.
Encampment.
Place.
Year.
69 Appalachian .. Hollidaysburg ... 1847
129
Altoona ..
Altoona.
1859
GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC.
No. Post. Place.
39
William G. Murray ... Hollidaysburg.
62
Stephen C. Potts.
Altoona.
468
Fred C. Ward.
Altoona.
SONS OF VETERANS.
No.
Camp.
Place.
12
Lieut. S. C. Potts
Altoona
18
Fred C. Ward
Altoona
PATRIOTIC ORDER SONS OF AMERICA.
Washington Camp, No. 31.
Altoona
Caldwell Council, No. 31.
Altoona
The following organizations meet at Altoona :
Lodges. Altoona, No. 102, B. P. O. E.
Altoona, No. 277, O. of T.
Unity, No. 2, I. O. G. T.
Purity, No. 75, I. O. G. T.
Altoona, No. 107, I. O. G. T.
Altoona, No. - , K. of II.
Councils. Cresson, No. 108, JR. O. U. A. M.
Altoona, No. 152, JR. O. U. A. M.
Juniata, No. 372, JR. O. U. A. M. Mountain City, No. 472, JR. O. U. A. M.
Altoona, No. 580, R. A. Altoona, No. 15, O. of C. H. Mechanics, No. 21, B. O. of E.
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BIOGRAPHY AND HISTORY
Castles.
Altoona, No. 145, K. G. E. Elmo, No. 154, K. G. E. Centennial, No. 204, K. G. E.
Prince Arthur, No. 138, A. O. K. M. C. Conclave.
Altoona, No. 132, I. O. II.
Tribe. Winnebago, No. 35, I. O. R. M.
Legion.
Washington, No. 7, K. of R.
In 1891 the following fraternal organiza- tions in the United States and their mem- bership were: Free Masons, 673,643; Odd Fellows, 647,641; Grand Army of the Re- publie, 398,270; Ancient Order of United Workmen, 267,611; Knights of Pythias, 263,847; Knights of Honor, 138,256; In- proved Order of Red Men, 111,644; Royal Arcanum, 118,454; Sons of Veterans, 100,- 000; Patriotic Order Sons of America, 100,000; Order of Chosen Friends, 38,821; and Catholic Mutual Benefit Association, 35,000.
War of 1812 .- The Huntingdon Light In- fantry, the Juniata Volunteers, and two drafted companies from Huntingdon county served on the northern frontier, but it has been impossible to secure a correct list of the names of those who enlisted from what is now Blair county.
Mexican War .- The Williamsburg Blues, commanded by Capt. Thomas K. Fluke, were among the first volunteer companies of Pennsylvania to offer their services, and W. T. Wilson, James Ellis, William Sulli- van, R. M. Jones, John Condo, Robert Woods, G. W. Yeager, and Samuel Holli- day enlisted in the 2d Pennsylvania regi- ment. Twenty-three men from Hollidays- burg enlisted in Co B, 2d Pennsylvania,
and served under Scott in Mexico. Of this number were: Lient. William Williams, Thomas IIurd, Frederick IIesser, James Mealy, Washington Stone, Andrew Dripps, Don Revalon, Robert MeNamara, and John Campbell.
State History .- In closing this historical sketch of Blair county it might not be inappropriate to refer briefly to the State, of which it is a political division.
Pennsylvania is situated between 39 de- grees, 43 minutes and 42 seconds north latitude, and 2 degrees, 17 minutes east, and 3 degrees, 31 minutes west longitude, from Washington. Its mean length is 280.39 miles; mean breadth, 158.05 miles; its greatest length, 302 13-40 miles; and greatest breadth, 175 miles and 192 perches.
The latitude of Greenwich is 51 degrees, 27 minutes, 39 seconds north, and the lati- tude of Washington 38 degrees, 53.3 min- utes. The longitude of Philadelphia from Greenwich is 75 degrees, 18 minutes west, and the longitude of Greenwich from Wash- ington is 77 degrees, 00.6 minutes east.
Topographically Pennsylvania is divided into three parts-a southeastern or sea- board of scattered hills, a middle belt of mountains, and a great western table land or bituminous coal district, which is every- where deeply seamed by numerous tributa- ries of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Susquehanna rivers. In the first district is the garden portion of the State. In the Appalachian belt is the great anthracite coal field of the United States, while the western district is rich with treasures of oil, iron ore and bituminous coal, and the Con- nellsville coking region, which produces the typical coke of the world. The third district embraces one-half of the area of Pennsylva- nia, being bounded on three sides by State
STATE CAPITOL, HARRISBURG, PA.
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OF BLAIR COUNTY.
153
lines, and on the east by the last westward ridge of the Alleghenies.
The Allegheny mountains also divide the State into two nearly equal parts, which are entirely different in geological formation and surface relief. The western one of these parts, or western Pennsylvania, lies in the Mississippi valley ; while the eastern part, or eastern Pennsylvania, is embraced within the area of the Atlantic seaboard.
The geological structure of Pennsylvania is complicated of form, and various of quality and age. The Laurentian or oldest system of geology is slightly represented in some of the eastern counties, while its successor in age, the IIuronian system, has never been recognized in the State. But the Paleozoic, or older secondary system -beginning with No. I, the Potsdam system, and terminating with No. XIII, the coal measures of car- boniferous formation, is grandly developed in every part of the State.
The subterranean floor of Pennsylvania is formed of granite, gneiss, mica, slate, and marble, lies beneath the present surface at from a thousand to twenty thousand feet, and rests upon the same rocks which form the hill country of Lake Superior, and con- tain vast deposits of iron ore, but at inac- cessible depths, beneath every county of the State. The rocks composing this great floor were originally sandstone and lime- stone, but were converted into granite, slate, gneiss, mica, and marble, by pressure, heat and chemical action.
On this floor was deposited formation after formation of the Paleozoic system until its terminal coal measures were formed just at sea level, when the second great change in the relative level of sea and land occurred in the surface of Pennsylvania. The land rose into the air in the central and western
part, erosion commenced, and drainage was established. A third principal change in land and sea level followed when the east- ern borders of the continent arose and car- ried up in its swell the surface of the eastern part of the State, which had been mostly in the bed of a long salt water bay. Frost and rain then commenced their work of destruction on these elevated surfaces, and drainage carried the soil and rock thus loosened on the east, to build up New Jer- sey, Delaware, and the tide water region of Maryland and Virginia, while on the west it bore the eroded earth to form Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
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