Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th, Part 66

Author: McKee, James A., 1865- ed. and comp
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1526

USA > Pennsylvania > Butler County > Butler > Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th > Part 66

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Butler Tent No. 234, Knights of the Maccabees, was first organized in 1887, and disbanded in 1889. It was reorganized in December, 1889, with a large membership, and is now one of the strongest insurance orders in the county, having a membership of over 400. The officers in 1909 were G. L. Schroth, P. C .; D. D. Quigley, C .; T. C. Kearns, L. C .; Howard I. Painter, record keeper; and D. A. Kamerer, finance keeper. The meetings are held in K. of P. Hall in the Reiber building on South Main Street.

The Ladies of the Maccabees is an auxil- iary society that has a strong membership, and meets in the same hall with the Sir Knights.

Butler Lodge No. 211, Knights of Pythias, was instituted in April, 1889, and the present membership is 175. The meet- ings are held in the Reiber Building, and the present officers are A. L. Oesterling, chancellor commander ; W. R. Gilmore, vice chancellor; D. L. Aiken, master of the ex- chequer; J. W. Hutchinson, keeper of rec- ords and seals. The lodge is in a flourish- ing condition, and has a well organized uniform rank.

Butler Circle No. 22, Protected Home Circle, was organized in the fall of 1887, and at the present time has a membership of 314. The meetings are held on the sec- ond and fourth Tuesdays of the month in a hall in the Reiber Building on South Main Street. The officers are Ella McDer- mitt, president; Joseph Benigh, vice-presi- dent; William Sanders, secretary ; John M. Reed, accountant; J. M. McCormick, treas- urer. J. M. Reed has served as accountant since the organization of the lodge, and is a life member of the Supreme Lodge.

Butler Camp No. 9616, Modern Wood- men of America, was instituted in May,

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1901, with about twenty-three charter mem- bers. The present membership is sixty- two and the officers are Joseph Stand- acher, V. C .; W. D. Weitzel, worthy ad- visor; J. E. Shaw, clerk; A. R. Graham, banker; and W. W. Ross, W. B. Turner, B. R. Mattison, managers. The lodge meets the second and fourth Fridays of each month in the Reiber Building.

Butler Lodge No. 470, Fraternal Order of Eagles, was instituted in 1904, with a membership of over one hundred. It is a fraternal and beneficiary order, and has had a prosperous career since its organiza- tion. The order has lodge and club rooms in the Berg Bank Building at the corner of Main and Jefferson Streets. Al. Field is the president; D. C. Henshaw, secretary ; and John D. Clark, treasurer.

Loyal Order of Moose. The youngest order and also the largest in point of mem- bership is Butler Lodge No. 64, Loyal Or- der of Moose. The lodge was organized November 8, 1908, with seven hundred members and the following officers: Past dictator, George Cummings; worthy dic- tator, B. R. Williams; vice dictator, Peter Peterson; secretary, C. R. Watson. The Lodge purchased the R. B. Taylor prop- erty on West Jefferson Street in January, 1909, and contemplates the erection of a splendid lodge-room, gymnasium, and bath rooms.

Butler Tent, No. 128, L. O. T. M., was organized in the fall of 1896, and the pres- ent membership is one hundred. The offi- cers are Mrs. C. E. McIntire, P. C .; Mrs. E. Howarth, C .; Mrs. George Spang, Lieut. Com .; Miss Florence Whitmire, record keeper; Miss Flora Smith, finance keeper; Mrs. D. F. McCrea, chaplain.

MILITARY.

Encampment 45, Union Veteran Legion of Butler, was chartered June 20, 1889, with nearly seventy members, who were mustered in on June 27 and 29 following. In July of the same year another muster

took place at which eighty members were enrolled, and subsequently the member- ship was increased to over two hundred. The first officers were Robert J. Phipps, colonel commander; O. C. Redic, lieutenant colonel; W. A. Clark, major; Jefferson Burtner, chaplain; D. M. Ward, adjutant; H. Z. Wing, quarter-master; R. S. Nichols, officer of the day; and Casper Sherman, officer of the guard. To be admitted to the . Veteran Legion every member must have seen active service in the field for at least two years, and veteranized. The open meetings held by the local legion were looked forward to with pleasure and at- tended by large audiences who were roy- ally entertained by the members. In re- cent years the membership has declined, and at the present time there are not over fifty on the roll. . The officers in 1908 were John T. Kelly, Colonel; O. C. Redic, lieu- tenant colonel; Thos. J. Hazlett, major; E. A. McPherson, adjutant ; and J. H. Gib- son, quartermaster. The meetings are held in the hall in the Reiber Building, South Main Street.

A. G. Reed Post No. 105, G. A. R., was organized May 12, 1881, and named in honor of Alfred G. Reed, one of Butler's patriotic sons, who fell on the bloody field of Fredericksburg. The charter members were as follows: George W. Fleeger, Wil- son E. Reed, James R. Storey, Joseph Kelley, William A. Wright, C. E. Ander- son, A. B. Ritchey, Henry Korn, Geo. W. Johnson, H. A. Ayres, Daniel Beighley, Casper Sherman, Samuel G. Hughes, Alex- ander Russell, Ferdinand Weigand, A. G. Williams, D. S. McCollough, John L. Jones, John K. Fleming, James Graham, Samuel P. Shryock, and John Kennedy. The successive commanders of the Post since its organization have been as fol- lows: George W. Fleeger, W. A. Wright, Newton Black, A. G. Williams, John T. Kelley, John M. Greer, Cyrus E. Ander- son, Alexander Russell, R. P. Scott, W. A. Lowrey, Joseph Criswell, I. J. McCandless,

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY

A. B. Ritchey. The officers of the post in 1909 were Thomas Hayes, commander; R. P. Scott, quartermaster; Rev. Long, chaplain; W. A. Lowrey, adjutant; and A. G. Morrison, officer of the day.

The Post held its meetings in the Odd Fellows' Hall on Jefferson Street until 1905, when the quarters were moved to the hall on Center Avenue in Springdale. The Post at one time had a membership of over 200, but at the present time it is only 150, indicating that the ranks of the great army of 1861 and 1865 is rapidly thinning, and in a few years will live only in the memo- ries of the sons and grandsons of its members.

Connected with the Post is the Relief Corps Number 97, which contains about twenty-five members.

Butler Camp No. 33, United Spanish War Veterans, was mustered April 19, 1907, by Major Davis of Pittsburg. The officers of the camp are Lieutenant A. T. Scott, Commander; Howard C. Hazlett, Senior Vice-Commander; Samuel S. Scott, Junior Vice-Commander; Jno. H. Jackson, Quarter-master; Charles A. McElvaine, Adjutant; Robert M. Little, Chaplain; Ear- nest C. Faber, Sergeant; Col. W. T. Mech- ling, Lieutenant; Geo. S. Mechling and William Double, trustees. The following are the charter members: Isaac Andrews, Robert J. Adams, Roy I. Burtner, Cam- eron G. Brandon, Chas. B. Burkhalter, Harry A. Cook, Wm. J. P. Collins, Peter A. Cummings, Wm. J. Curley, Wm. A. Caldwell, Carl M. Eisler, David H. Ens- minger, Harvey A. Evans, Clarence F. Graham, Hardee H. Hapler, Jos. A. Heine- man, John H. Jackson, Wm. J. Jackson, Ira McJunkin, Lawrence H. McDowell, Josiah M. McCandless, Roy R. McIntire, Marcus B. Mechling, Harley McClelland, Jas. T. Morgan, Louis A. McDonald, Harry H. Morrison, Charles E. Miller, E. H. Neg- ley, Fred T. Roessing, Wm. H. Ritter, Jr., Harry E. Sumney, Chas. E. Smith, Samuel S. Scott, Oscar A. Schaffer, A. J. Thomp-

son, Geo. Thompson, Jas. C. Voegley, Horatio S. Vanderlin, B. J. Williams, A. Rex Williams, John G. Williams, Bert L. Wiseman, Thos. W. Watson, Fred E. Wig- ton, William A. Wade, B. H. Smulovitz, Ira A. Murphy, S. V. Eckelberger, Jno. J. Martin, W. H. Rebuhn, Jno. W. Alexander, R. W. Laughlin, and Jas. L. Barton.

Other lodges or societies having organ- izations in the town in 1908 are the Home Guards, Sons of St. George, and Human Rights.

The United States Board of Examining Surgeons connected with the Pension De- partment, is composed of Dr. A. V. Cun- ningham, of Velienople, president; Dr. R. B. Greer of Butler, secretary; and Dr. L. B. Grove, of Anandale, treasurer.

The Butler County Medical Society meets once a month in rooms in the Reiber Building on South Main Street. Dr. T. M. Maxwell is secretary of the society. A history of the society is noted in the med- ical chapter of this work.

THE POSTOFFICE.

Previous to the founding of Butler Bor- ough a mail route was established in 1801 from Erie to Pittsburg. The mail carrier traveled on horseback, sometimes on foot, and visited the community about once a month. In 1805 the mail carrier visited Butler every two weeks. Subsequently the trips were made once a week. For many years it was said the amount of mail was often so small as to be easily stowed away in the pockets of the carrier. Later the mail pouch was thrown across the back of the horse of the carrier, and then two horses were used to transport the increas- ing correspondence. When the public roads had been completed from Pittsburg to Butler, and thence to Mercer, a wagon was used to carry the mail, and any trav- elers between the points on the route. A semi-weekly mail was established through Butler from Pittsburg to Erie in 1818; a tri-weekly in 1824; and a daily mail in

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY

1827. The stage coach came in 1821, and the mail was carried by the stage line until the advent of the railroad in 1871. The next advance was two daily mails between Butler and Pittsburg, and in 1909 the num- ber of mails between Butler and Pittsburg and all eastern and western points is six, and a two-horse wagon is required to transport the large number of mail sacks from the postoffice to the various depots.

Little is known about the location of the early post-offices. Patrick Kelley had the post-office at one time at his tavern on the Diamond. Joshua J. Sedwick conducted the office for a number of years in the fif- ties at the corner of North and Main Streets, now occupied by the Duffy Block. Later the office was kept in the tavern building of Patrick Kelley, Jr., at the cor- ner of Main and Cunningham Streets. In the early part of the seventies a frame building was erected at the rear of the Troutman Building on West Cunningham Street, which served its purpose until about 1888, when new quarters were rented in the Byers Building on South Main Street, now occupied by Covert's Cafe. The pres- ent quarters were leased from the Butler County National Bank Building in 1903. In 1902 the first steps were taken towards obtaining a federal building for the town, and Congress appropriated $20,000 for the purchase of the lot at the corner of West Jefferson and Washington Streets, from the heirs of the late Col. James C. McKee and Isaiah J. McBride.

The following is a list of post-masters of Butler with dates of appointment :

William B. Young, October 1, 1805; John Potts, July 1, 1807; William Gibson, December 8, 1813; Jacob Mechling, Jr., April 1, 1816; James P. Howard, February 10, 1817; John Gilchrist, January 24, 1824; Peter Duffy, December 10, 1830; James Potts, December 31, 1832; William B. Lemmon, July 10, 1841; David A. Agnew, May 16, 1845; Joshua J. Sedwick, March 26, 1849; Daniel Coll, April 28, 1853;

Joshua J. Sedwick, June 8, 1861, reap- pointed March 2, 1867 ; Frank M. Eastman, April 21, 1869; Thomas B. White, April 3, 1871, reappointed March 15, 1875; Sallie A. Robinson, March 27, 1879, reappointed June 26, 1883; Frank M. Eastman, May 10, 1888; John T. Kelley, May 20, 1892; John W. Brown, July 21, 1896; J. B. Black, July, 1900; Eli D. Robinson, August, 1904; James B. Mates, January 26, 1909.

BOROUGH OFFICIALS IN JANUARY, 1909.

Burgess, Elmer E. Bell; president of council, Ellsworth Miller; treasurer, Wm. F. Rumberger; secretary, H. E. Coulter; city solicitor, John H. Wilson; tax col- lector, Archie Davidson; high constable, Ed. Kramer; auditors, V. W. Parker, Harry Forcht, T. James Dodds; street commissioner, Jasper Richard; borough engineer, H. B. Graves; sewer inspector, John W. Vogel. Members of Council- First Ward, John C. Clark, Thos. H. Brown, Joseph E. Schnitzer; Second Ward, George Mellinger, Samuel L. Irvine, Geo. E. Sherman; Third Ward, John G. Dunn, Lewis E. Ruby, A. C. Moxie; Fourth Ward, Ellsworth Miller, Joseph Ball, Geo. H. Limberg; Fifth Ward, A. M. Aiken, Geo. Ambruster and E. R. Maxwell.

POLICE FORCE.

The Police Force of the city in January, 1909, was composed of Joseph Angert, chief; Lewis Hays, lieutenant; and patrol- men R. H. Graham, E. L. Shultz, Wesley Hoover and George Rodgers.

MODERN BUTLER.

We have attempted to trace the history of Butler through its various stages down to the present time. It has grown from an obscure hamlet of less than fifty inhabit- ants more than a hundred years ago to a thriving city of 25,000 population. Since the incorporation of the borough in 1817 there has been no backward steps taken, although it is true that for many years the borough languished and gave but feeble

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY

signs of life. When John Galbraith estab- lished the Palladium in 1818, his was the only printing office between Pittsburg and Mercer. Today there are five weekly and two daily papers published in the town, which is now recognized as the social and commercial center of a rich and populous county. For three-quarters of a century the streets were unpaved, the sidewalks poor and the buildings typical of a back- woods period. A better day dawned, how- ever, upon the town, when nature devel- oped her vast stores of wealth, and the discovery of oil and gas made the county an inviting field for speculation and invest- ment. The advent of the steam railroads opened a new field of industrial endeavor, and in the last two decades the shire town has become the center of a vast manufac- turing district.

Modern Butler may be said to date from 1871, when the first steam railroad was completed to the town. A new era of im- provement and building set in which began with the erection of the Jefferson Street School building, the bank building on the corner of Main and Jefferson Streets, and the Berg Hardware Building on South Main Street. The boundaries of the bor- ough were enlarged, new streets were opened, stone and brick side-walks were laid, and comfortable dwelling houses con- structed in the modern style of architect- ure were erected on the new streets and avenues. A period of depression followed the Greece City oil excitement, but was followed by renewed activity in the eight- ies. During this decade noted improve -~ ments were made in the erection of busi- ness blocks on Main Street, and the re- moval of Dougal's Row, which consisted of a pile of dilapidated old shacks, north of the Court House, and the erection of the present substantial business blocks. The present court house was erected in 1884, and about the same time the Reiber Block on the corner of Main and Cunning- ham Streets took the place of the old frame

buildings that were formerly occupied by Kelley's Hotel.

The last decade of the century was marked by rapid advancements. The streets were lighted with electricity in 1890, the Waring sewage system was in- stalled the same year, and Main Street was paved with brick. Other streets followed until at the present time all of the principal streets and avenues of the town are paved with brick or asphalt block. Three-story business blocks began to appear on Main Street, the Troutman Block being erected in 1890, the Campbell Block in 1891, the Farmers National Bank Building, the Younkins Building, the Stein Block, south of the Court House, Campbell's furniture store, and the Thompson and Younkins Block now occupied by the Butler Business College, were all erected during the latter part of the nineties. The first decade of the new century was marked by the evolu- tion from the three-story business block to the modern sky scraper, and in 1903 the Butler County National Bank Building, six stories high, was erected, and the fol- lowing year the new Nixon Hotel Building. which is four stories above the sub-story. was completed on the south side of Dia- mond Street. The Odd Fellows' Temple on South Main Street, the Duffy flats on North Main Street, the Kirkpatrick Build- ing, and Koch's grocery building, were all erected since 1902. Modern hotel build- ings have taken the place of the old tav- erns, among the more recent being the new Nixon, the Clinton, the Commercial, the Monroe, the Atlas, and the Keystone, all of which have been completed in the past few years.

The Butler oil and gas fields are still a source of unmeasured wealth, the lime and coal industries are in their infancy, new manufacturing plants are being erected and new electric railways are being pro- moted. The outlook is hopeful and the succeeding years will see greater advance- ment than the past.

CHAPTER XVII

THE TOWNSHIPS

ADAMS TOWNSHIP.

This township, named in honor of an early president, John Quincy Adams, was erected in 1854 from territory set apart from Cranberry and Middlesex townships, and is located along the base line of the county, in the second tier of townships from the western boundary. It is of fer- tile soil, well drained by Breakneck and Little Breakneck Creeks and Glade Run, and is well adapted for agricultural pur- suits. Cannel, Upper Freeport and Brush Creek coal have been mined in different parts of the township with good results, and the development of the oil fields has shown this territory rich in oil and gas.

The first settler of the township was James Glover, a native of New Jersey, who had come west to Pittsburg, Pennsyl- vania, where he was one of the pioneers. He was a great huntsman and on his expe- ditions found a deer lick in what is now Adams Township. Close by this lick he in 1792 put up a rude log cabin; in 1795 he made a clearing here, and the following year laid claim to 400 acres of land. In 1796 he erected a log-house, the second in the township, and there resided until his death in 1844, at the age of ninety-one years. The first house was that built by James Irvine, who had the added distinc- tion of being one of the pioneer school teachers. In the center of his claim of 100 acres, he built a large house of round logs,

in which he lived until his death in 1830. He was an Irishman by birth, and upon coming to America in 1770, first took up his residence in Westmoreland County. William McCandless, a tailor; William Mc- Candless, a distiller, and Robert McCand- less settled at the same period, and in 1796 came Adam Johnson, Sr., Adam Johnson, Jr., Joshua and George Stoolfire, Moses Meeker, Timothy Ward and David Spear. Timothy Ward, who was a school teacher, and Moses Meeker, did not remain long. Adam Johnson, Sr., was well advanced in years at the time of his arrival, and died here in 1827, at the remarkable age of 103. The year 1798 witnessed the arrival of the following men with their families : William Criswell, William Roseboro, James Park, Matthew Park, Silas Miller, Isaac Covert, Joseph Means, Thomas Means, and some of the Gillilands. John Richardson, Will- iam Forsythe, James Davidson, Sr., and his son James, came into the country about the close of the eighteenth century. Thomas Kennedy and Andrew Bar arrived about the year 1813; Robert Mckinney in 1816; and Job Staples, school teacher, minister and farmer, came in about that time. Other names prominently connected with the township history at an early period are: McMarlin, Kennedy, Marshall, Plum- mer, Orr, Cashdollar, Kidd, Walter, Cooper and Hall. The first birth record in the township is that of John Gilliland,

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY

born November 25, 1798. Very little man- ufacturing has been done here. Matthew Park established a grist mill in the early. days near the site of Mars, and Samuel Roseboro erected one in the same locality in 1883. The distillery of Robert McKin- ney was established in 1819.

School classes were organized and in- struction in the common branches given in various homes for several years prior to the building of the first school, a log struc- ture, in 1805. These classes were taught by wandering teachers or by some of the pioneers, of whom quite a number were teachers. Robert Hill taught in the first building erected for school purposes, it being located on or near the old Davis farm. Near the present village of Callery, a log school was built in 1837, and about the year 1848 Samuel Hood taught the first school in the neighborhood of Robbins Mill, it being held in the house vacated by Reu- ben Conaby. There are now eight schools in the township, and education matters are in a flourishing condition. The school board is composed of the following direct- ors: W. L. Marburger, W. J. Rennison, Chris. Thileman, J. A. Humes, D. B. Stoup, and Thomas W. Hayes.

The United Presbyterian Church of Adams Township, known as the Union Church, was organized near Brownsdale in 1806, where it continued until 1820, in which year the tent, in which services were held, was conveyed to a point near the present church of the congregation. In 1824 two acres of land was purchased from Robert Mckinney, and the following year a log building was erected. In 1833 a divi- sion of the congregation took place, one branch being known as the "Old School," and the other as the "New School." The latter held the church property. The his- tory of the former division is given under the head of the North Union Reformed Presbyterian Church of Forward Town- ship. The "New School" occupied the old log building until 1839, when it was aban-

doned. The "Old School" in that year erected a brick building, adjoining the old, and following the example set, the "New School," also in 1839, purchased a lot about one mile northwest and constructed a large brick edifice. The members from the vicinity of Brownsdale withdrew in 1859 to unite with a new organization there, and in June, 1859, the Union Con- gregation joined with the United Presby- terians. About this time, the charge was transferred from the Allegheny to the Butler Presbytery. Union and Browns- dale churches united in one charge. In 1864 the town churches dissolved connec- tion and the pastor devoted his whole time to the old Union church. The church so- ciety was incorporated June 14, 1866, with Jacob Hutchman, Francis H. Davidson and Samuel Orr as trustees. The old church was destroyed by fire in 1905 and has since been replaced by a neat and attractive building representing a cost of about six thousand dollars, which was dedicated in 1906.

Crest View Presbyterian Church of Adams Township was organized in 1890, letters being granted on August 10, of that year to twenty-seven members by the ses- sion of Plains Church. The petition was presented by Rev. R. C. Yates. The society was incorporated February 15, 1892, with Nicoll Allen, F. C. McNeal and Alfred Richardson as trustees.

The United Presbyterian Church of Mars, the early history of which coincides with that of Union Church, was moved to Mars in 1877. It was incorporated May 16, 1893, on petition of Dr. John C. Barr, T. M. Marshall, John Davidson, John A. Cris- well and Presley Duncan. In 1894, a new church building was completed at a cost of $4,000.

The Methodist Episcopal Church of Mars was organized with a membership of eight, and a church building soon after erected.

The Evangelical Association is the most

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recent of the churches established in Adams Township, and has a fair sized con- gregation.

Mars Borough, the principal center of population in Adams Township, is a thrifty and well built little town, which has had a steady growth. It has fine stores, residences and churches, and a progressive class of citizens. The United States Cen- sus Report of 1900 shows its population more than double that of the preceding report. The place was known as Over- brook Post-office from the time of estab- lishing an office at this point until 1882, when the name of Mars was adopted. The post-office was started in 1875, and Samuel Park, the miller, made the first post-mas- ter. The completion of the Pittsburg and Narrow Gauge Railroad to this point caused a raise in property values and con- siderable building activity. Frank Johns- ton immediately erected a building and conducted a store until 1877 or 1878, when he sold out to W. H. Walters and W. J. Gilliland. They carried on the business for two years, and then sold out to J. B. Dickey. Mr. Gilliland erected a larger building west of the depot for store pur- poses, and this too he sold to Mr. Dickey. A new store building was in the course of construction by Oliver Pinkerton, when the report was circulated that the depot would be removed to Little Breakneck, and the building plans were checked. This report also caused Mr. Dickey to sell his building, the purchaser being W. H. Walters, who carried on the business for a year, and then sold out to Samuel and Andrew Thompson. W. J. Gilliland erected the building later occupied by Marshall's store, on a five-acre tract purchased from the S. A. Kennedy property. In the fall of 1883, Mr. Gilliland and D. G. Marshall erected a store and depot, where they car- ried on business until the following year, the railroad office being moved to that building. D. B. Wilson, a new arrival, built a house which he later traded for the

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Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th, Part 66

Author: McKee, James A., 1865- ed. and comp Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1526

Author: McKee, James A., 1865- ed. and comp
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1526