Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th, Part 67

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 67


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Thompson store, carrying on the business for a time. F. P. Confer erected a shop and residence and was the first blacksmith in the place, being succeeded in turn by John Conley and Samuel Zeigler. Stores which were established and prospered at a later period were those of Dr. J. C. Bar and Charles Willetts, drugs; H. W. Walt- ers, harness; Al Ziegler, hardware; J. D. Marshall, Jordan & Company, and Ziegler and Schwab, general stores; Simon and Cohen, clothing; Mars Milling & Feed Co .; Irvine Brothers, furniture dealers; W. J. Link, coal dealer; W. D. Boyd, lumber dealer; Edward Wise, M. J. Roberts, and M. Hinchey, stores.


The borough officers for 1908 are as fol- lows : Justice of the peace, Alexander Lurting; auditor, O. C. Pinkerton; high constable, Clinton McCandless; school di- rectors, A. C. Irvine, G. H. Kandaell; coun- cil, John Toy, B. M. Phipps, William Dan; constable, D. L. Fair; judge of election, J. C. Hespenheid; inspectors, W. A. David- son and Presley Duncan; town clerk, W. W. Donaldson; street commissioner, W. A. Davidson; tax collector, L. E. Irvine; assessor, Mercer Marshall. The present postmaster is W. D. Boyd.


Callery Borough, formerly known as Callery Junction, is a prosperous little railroad town in Adams Township, which was named in honor of the president of the Pittsburg & Western Railroad, now a part of the Baltimore & Ohio System. It is the junction point of that road with the Butler branch. A post office was established here in 1880, but it was not until 1883 that there was much building activity. In that year, William Gilliland sold lots to P. H. Mur- ray, Alexander Blair, A. M. Beers, T. M. Marshall, and F. C. Meeder, among others, all of whom had buildings erected by April, 1883, prior to the completion of the depot. The Meeder House was opened for busi- ness in July of that year. Essentially a railroad town, as well as a good shipping point, numerous hotels and poolrooms, as


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well as stores, came into being, and made a thriving and active appearance. The conflagration of October 29, 1892, de- stroyed the stores of James Little and W. Shannon; Murray's restaurant; the hotels of W. II. White, H. Maters and VanBoise; the railroad depot and freight house, and six dwellings, entailing a loss of $25,000, about three-fifths of it covered by insur- ance. What promised to be a serious set back to the village proved the reverse, as the new buildings erected were larger, more substantial and modern in type. Within a year business was fully resumed and the following merchants and firms active in the field: John F. Shannon, gen- eral merchant; J. H. Thomas, general mer- chant; H. B. Hunt, proprietor of a restau- rant; M. J. Goddard, coal dealer; and Car- ruthers, Peters & Company, machinists and blacksmiths, which subsequently merged into the Bessemer Gas Engine Co. at Grove City. Mrs. Bessie A. Shannon is the present postmistress.


The town was incorporated as a bor- ough July 3, 1905, when the court ap- pointed Perry Dunlap, J. M. Little and A. McCollough, election officers to hold the first borough election.


The elections of 1908 resulted in the choice of S. E. Miller and W. E. Dunbar for auditors; J. H. Stone for high con- stable; D. Lambert for constable; J. F. Shannon and George Kaufmann for school directors; B. Guthrie and George A. Kauf- mann for council.


John F. Shannon is the present justice of the peace in the borough, having been elected in 1905.


In 1908 the mercantile interests of the town were represented by the general stores of John F. Shannon and R. A. Marks, and the Callery Pharmacy of which W. B. Staples is the manager.


The industrial interests are represented by the Pittsburg-Callery Brick & Tile Com- pany, which is the successor of the old Cal- lery Brick Company. This company has


a plant representing an investment of about $30,000, and gives employment to thirty men. The company owns thirty acres of land at the site of its plant, and is doing an extensive business.


The Pittsburg Fuse Manufacturing Company has a capital of $50,000, and is operating a plant on the old James Walt- ers farm in the limits of the borough. This concern manufactures fuse for blasting, and employs fifty-three people. It is owned and managed by Pittsburg people.


The Vanvoy Hotel conducted by Thomas Louther, and P. H. Murray's restaurant furnish entertainment for the travelers who may stop at this point.


Four companies supply the town with natural gas. They are the Evans City Natural Gas Company, which is controlled by Butler parties, the Forrest Oil Com- pany and the United Natural Gas Com- pany. The Callery Natural Gas Company was recently organized by Samuel Kauf- mann and W. B. Staples, and is supplying a number of consumers from wells on the Mandana Staples farm about two miles west of Myoma.


The borough council in January, 1909, was composed of B. H. Guthrie, president ; Perry Dunlap; W. H. Lobaugh; A. J. Web- ber; W. B. Staples; Dr. H. R. Wilson, and A. McCollough; John Shannon is clerk; Samuel Kaufmann was street commis- sioner in 1908.


The borough has two public schools, a commodious school building . which was erected in 1907, and an enrollment of about ninety scholars and a population of about 450.


The Free Methodist Society was organ- ized at Callery Junction about 1899, and has had practically the same pastors as the congregation at Mars. In the fall of 1908 the society purchased the building that had been erected by the Gospel Prohi- bition Church, the latter society having been disorganized. The pastor in charge of the Free Methodist Society in 1908 was


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Miss Elizabeth Bergman, who also has charge of the congregation at Mars. The membership of the Free Methodist Society is small, having at no time exceeded twenty-five since its organization.


The Gospel Prohibition Church above mentioned is one of the three societies or- ganized in Butler County by Rev. I. G. Pollard, of which mention is made in the chapter on Butler Borough.


Crest View Presbyterian Church. The early history of Crest View Presbyterian Church at Callery Junction is identified with that of Plains Church in Cranberry township. On August 10, 1890, the Ses- sion of Plains Church granted letters of dismissal to twenty-six of its members, who, with Rev. R. C. Yates, composed the nucleus of the new congregation, which was organized at that time. The society was incorporated February 15, 1892, the trustees named in the charter being Nicoll Allen, F. C. McNeal and Alfred Richard- son. The pastor of the congregation in 1908 was Rev. P. R. Harvey, and the eld- ers Cyrus W. Hall, John Staples, James Little, Charles Kiser and Flemming West.


Downeyville is the name of a small set- tlement in the southern part of Adams Township, near the Allegheny County line. The plant of the Downey Pump Works, established here in the early nineties, was recently purchased by the Pittsburg Horse-shoe Manufacturing Company, who have begun the erection of additional buildings. The concern will employ about 100 men, and in consequence the future prospects of the village are very promis- ing. F. C. Windhorst conducts a general store here.


Myoma is a small place in one of the richest agricultural sections of Adams Township, and with a good substantial class from which to draw trade, has main- tained some good stores, a blacksmith shop and postoffice. Among the merchants who have been located at this point may be mentioned J. C. Davidson, C. B. Irvine


and H. H. Berringer. A church and school are located here.


Valencia Borough, surveyed and named by Dr. S. O. Sterrett, is located in the southern part of Adams Township. Dr. Sterrett established a general store at this point, as did J. A. & W. F. Anderson and A. L. Cooper; and J. C. Barr an agri- cultural implement store and coal yard. In 1908 Geo. Dickson and J. R. Stoup were conducting a general store, Morrow and Buxton a hardware establishment, Willetts Brothers a drug store, and Jacob Kanaell a market. The town has one public school. Valencia was changed from a village to a bourough in 1897.


Township officials (1908): Tax col- lector, William L. Kauffman; constable, E. F. Holzer; assessor, John Cashdollar; auditors, W. W. Hill, Joseph Gilkey and J. A. Kennedy; road supervisors, John Kline, W. J. Blakeley, S. D. Swaney, R. J. Orr and W. L. Marburger.


CONCORD TOWNSHIP.


Concord Township, at one time the most important center of the Butler oil fields, is a well watered section of the county, and has fertile farming land, besides coal deposits, of which some small banks are now operated for local consumers. The names of its streams, Bear, Buffalo, Mud- dy and Slippery Rock Creeks, were once well known on the Oil Exchange, for along these streams or not far removed, were drilled the wells that in 1872 and a few years later attracted the interest of finan- ciers in every section. There are several hundred wells still producing, though the production of each is small. Drilling is still carried on to some extent, the oil be- ing found in the third sand and the Speechly sand. There are also several small gas wells operated for local con- sumption. The Western Allegheny Rail- way runs through the central part of the township.


The first permanent settlers were prob-


1


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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY


ably Widow Thankful Aggas and her two sons, who established their home in the wilderness in 1796. Their first neighbors were Edward Graham and family, William Dickey and JJohn Campbell, Sr., and sons, the latter settling in 1797. There are also found the names of William and Andrew Christy and Samuel Campbell, while other prominent pioneers up to 1826 were the Conways, Samuel Campbell, James Rus- sell, John, Joseph and George Timblin, Jeremiah and Platt Sutton, John Shryock, and William and John Thompson. Joseph Sutton came in 1819, John Starr in 1821, Rev. John Coulter in 1823, and William T. Jamison in 1826. The grist mill built by Andrew Christy, in 1801, in Concord Township, was the third in the county, Neyman's mill, situated at the mouth of Bonny Brook, being the second.


The first schoolhouse, a mere shelter of logs, with a huge fireplace, was erected near Concord Church, and one of the early teachers was Dr. Steadman. A number of similar log structures were put up in va- rious parts of the township, and subscrip- tion schools held during a few months of the year, but after the establishment of the public school system, in 1835, Concord Township showed an equal interest with her sister townships and made quite as much educational progress. There are now eight schools, with as many teachers and 262 pupils. The township high school is located at Middletown. H. A. Brown, Joseph Campbell, F. F. Bauer, A. R. Mc- Kinney and I. P. Murtland were school directors in 1908.


In 1799 came Rev. John McPherrin, a devout Presbyterian from Westmoreland County, and after gathering a congrega- tion that came from the different isolated sections, irrespective of former creeds, and gladly listened to his preaching of the Word, under a spreading tree, he was so impressed that he offered the name of Concord to the assemblage, and that name continues to the present day. In 1803 he


returned, and in the autumn of 1804 he completed the organization of the Concord Presbyterian Church and was installed as pastor. The Covenanter was the name of one of the early church bodies, now passed out of existence.


Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized in 1858, when a church building was completed. It has now twenty-four members. Rev. Ibauch is pastor.


The Methodist Episcopal Church of Greece City was organized into a definite body in 1870, although prior to this meet- ings had been conducted at the Hazel Dell Schoolhouse, which were often largely at- tended by the transient oil men. The pres- ent edifice was built in 1883. The congre- gation is now very small.


The Springdale Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized in 1875, and in the year following the church building was dedicated. The congregation now numbers seventy members.


The Troutman M. E. Church, Rev. Low- thian, pastor, has a membership of sev- enty.


The villages which have been the centers of much of the business of the township, some of them entirely products of the oil industry, were: Middletown, Greece City, Modoc City and Troutman or Magic, the latter being the postal name of the old set- tlement.


Middletown was founded in 1846 and the early business men were Porter McCon- nell, Andrew Bullman, John McGlaughlin, John G. Christy and Conway & Kuhn. There are now two general stores, one owned by H. Coon and the other' by T. Z. Levy.


Greece City. From 1801, when Andrew Christy put up his mill, the present site of Greece City, for some seventy years was known as Christy's Mill, Harper's Mill and Jamison's Mill. When the place was opened for oil operations, the name of Greece City was adopted, and the pop- ulation increased so rapidly that a peti-


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tion to have the place made a borough was readily granted, in November, 1873. In the same year a postoffice was established and houses of all kinds went up with amaz- ing rapidity. In December, 1872, the first bank was established, later Woods Bank and the Concord Savings Bank became factors, the National Transit Company did a large business, and during the period before the destructive fire of December, 1873, there was every evidence that the place would rival all others in Butler County. The days of '73 were also ren- dered lively by the faction fights between the rival tribes of oil men, on June 7th that year no less than 500 men participating in a great riot, which resulted in fourteen cas- ualties. The place has lost most of its former importance. The pumping station of the Producers' Refining Company is lo- cated here, and there is one general store, conducted by N. B. Kregar. The place has the Speechly Telephone.


Modoc City has not entirely lost all its traces of its one-time position as an oil city, but here, too, fire, in 1874, destroyed $100,000 worth of property and brought many enterprises to an end.


Troutman at one time was filled with the paraphernalia of the oil industry, ac- companied by the conditions that else- where prevailed. In April, 1877, it was practically destroyed during an electric storm, by the lightning striking a large oil tank. The place is now a station on the W. Allegheny Railway. There is one store, run by F. Stewart.


Old residents of Concord Township readily tell of the early events of the dis- covery of oil here and tell of the wonderful strike in the Fourth sand in August, 1872. Many notable wells were soon after de- veloped, wealth came to many families from this unexpected source, and Concord Township numbers many men of large substance.


Township Officials .- M. Cocheran, jus- tice of the peace; tax collector, P. Sutton;


constable, R. Kinzer; tax assessor, M. Campbell; road commissioners, J. Camp- bell, T. Starr and L. Sutton; auditors, P. R. Wick, W. H. Coon and J. H. Christy ; clerk, R. Adams.


MUDDY CREEK TOWNSHIP.


Muddy Creek Township, deriving its name from the body of water known as Muddy Creek, which forms its northern boundary and separates it from Worth Township, was reduced to its present area in 1854, although, when originally consti- tuted as one of the thirteen townships in which Butler County was divided in 1804, it included the land now forming parts of three other townships-Franklin, Worth and Connoquenessing. This township shows a variety of soil and is the field of agricul- tural and mining activity. It has been found rich in coal, iron ore and limestone, and the development of these natural gifts of Nature have brought wealth to many families and have attracted a solid, indus- trious laboring class from other sections. The surface of the land is somewhat broken, the coal and limestone being in evi- dence, but the township can also show some of the best farming land in Butler County. The highest measured point is near Por- tersville, the height there being 1,375 feet above sea level.


Oil has been produced in Muddy Creek Township for a number of years; a new field was opened up during the past year and about eighteen or twenty wells put down. Almost the entire township is un- derlaid with coal, there being a vein from three and a half to five feet in thickness. Its production at the present time, however, is not large enough to be of commercial im- portance. Farming is the principal occu- pation of the people. The township has good telephone service. There is one grist- mill, owned and operated by H. Bauder & Son, which was erected about forty years ago.


No records of this section prior to 1794


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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY


have been discovered, and the first known resident was a negro named Cæsar, who was found occupying a log cabin when Robert Stewart, the first white settler, ap- peared here in 1796. Mr. Stewart recog- nized the negro's priority and came to an amicable settlement with him, purchasing his land and later founding the village of Stewartsville, which is now known as Por- tersville. It was a wild region in those days, and as Mr. Stewart desired com- panionship for his family, he deeded 100 acres of his land to Thomas Brandon as an inducement to him to bring his family and locate. Other very early settlers were Thomas Clark, James, Robert, Thomas and Rachel Cratty and Henry Shanor. The be- ginning of the new century brought David Kennedy, Arthur Cleeland, James White and Marvin Christie, and soon after came John Myers, John Boston, Edward and James White, Thomas Christie, James English, John Wimer, Dr. John Cowden, Joseph Tebay, Johnson McKnight, Thomas Oliver, Thomas Garvey, Richard McKee, with others, and in 1831 came the MeCly- monds. Many of these pioneer families are still largely represented in the best citizenship of the township.


Muddy Creek Township, like other early sections, had to solve its public problems, and one of the earliest was the providing of adequate school facilities for the rapidly increasing population. Johnson McKnight probably taught the first school in 1821, on his own farm. In 1823 the Concord schoolhouse was built, about the same time one also was erected on the Christie farm, and other structures were put up by pri- vate parties prior to 1835, when the com- mon school law went into effect and pub- lic schools were soon dotting the whole township. They were well attended, for the early settlers of this section were not- ably people of intelligence as well as thrift.


There are now seven schools in the town- ship, including the high school in Porters- ville, which is a joint borough and town-


ship school. The total enrollment is 198 pupils. The present township school board consists of Addison MeClymonds, president; Robert Kennedy, treasurer; Joseph Stickle, J. H. Pyle, Joshua Galla- gher and Hosea Gallagher. The enroll- ment of pupils in Portersville borough is: Common school, 43; high school, 22. The high school serves both for the borough of Portersville and for Muddy Creek Township.


As indicated, the main industries of the township have been farming and mining, manufacturing being generally confined to the operating of grist- and saw-mills. The earliest record of a public grist-mill is in 1831, when David Kennedy built a grist- mill and a fulling-mill on Muddy Creek, this later being followed by a second mill, and in 1867 the third grist-mill in the township was erected by John and Henry Bauder. This lack of manufacturing in- terest does not reflect on the enterprise of the good people of Muddy Creek Town- ship, but rather emphasizes their judg- ment, for just across the line the Slippery Rock mills supplied the entire needs of this section.


Portersville. The most important set- tlement in Muddy Creek Township is Por- tersville, which was made a postoffice in March, 1826, and was then renamed in honor of Governor Porter. The first post- master, John Stewart, son of the founder of the town, held office until 1836. Al- though the whole neighborhood was a wild bit of forest when Robert Stewart settled here in 1796, by 1814 enterprising men be- gan to look for sites, and in that year Thompson McCosh opened his cabinetmak- ing shop. Robert Craig was the first mer- chant who opened a stock of goods-in 1829; in 1831 John W. Riddle started a wagon and furniture factory, utilizing steam as power, this being a remarkable example of enterprise. In 1836 William Williams opened up his cabinet shop, and in 1845 James Newton and John Hall en-


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gaged in merchandising. The Oliver House was the first hotel, and after it was burned down in 1874, a more substantial structure was built in its place. In 1868 William Humphrey opened his general store, and for a long time was at the head of a large business. As time went on and population increased, almost every line of business was represented, and today it would be hard to find a busier or more prosperous town of its size in Butler County. The Portersville Creamery Com- pany, proprietor, R. V. Thompson, is a large industry, and its products have a heavy sale.


Among other Portersville enterprises are numbered William Humphrey & Son and D. J. Brennerman, general stores; G. B. McDonald, hardware; M. C. Glenn, un- dertaker; S. Hay, druggist; W. H. Dann, harness; H. Heberling, tin shop; J. S. Brennerman, feed store; E. R. Lubin, wa- gon maker; Beighley Hotel, proprietor, E. L. Beighley; Dr. E. U. Snyder, physician ; Dr. J. L. Buchanan, dentist; besides which there are blacksmith shops, millinery stores, and barber shops. The present postmaster is Joseph Lehman.


Lodge No. 909, I. O. O. F., is located here and has fifty-three members-insti- tuted in 1875. The lodge owns its own hall, which is a fine building.


Portersville was incorporated as a borough December 16, 1844. The first elec- tion took place January 6, 1845, when Dr. John Cowden was chosen first burgess, with Joseph P. Work, John Cleeland, Will- iam McClelland, John A. White and Jesse Johnston as first board of councilmen. The borough officers at present at as follows : Council, John R. Humphrey, president and acting burgess; G. W. Kinsey, I. L. Moore, John Weitzel, Jos. L. Buchanan and M. C. Glenn; school board, W. L. Eng- lish, W. H. Heberling, M. C. Glenn, E. H. Laderer, William Humphrey, Harvey Marks; auditors, J. H. Marks and Robert Glenn; tax collector, H. W. Dunn; asses-


sors, E. L. Beigley and J. R. Humphrey. The population of Portersville is now about three hundred.


Telephone service is furnished by the Portersville Telephone Company in con- nection with the Bell Long Distance 'phone. The local company was incor- porated as a mutual company in 1904, with a capital of $12,000, and now has 322 sub- scribers. James McConnell is president and E. W. Humphrey treasurer and man- ager.


The founding of the early churches in a new section always contributes an inter- esting chapter to any history. The first Muddy Creek Township religious organi- zation was the Presbyterian. As early as. . 1814 Rev. Reid Bracken, a pioneer evan- gelist, visited this neighborhood and held services in the cabinet shop of Thompson . McCosh. The church organization was ef- fected in October, 1820, and it was incor- porated in April, 1844. The present edi- fice of the society is the third erected, and dates from 1840. The first was a log struc- ture, which was followed by a frame build- ing. The church now has about three hun- dred members. The present pastor, Rev. J. G. Timblin, has been pastor for eight years. The Sabbath school, of which E. H. Laderer is superintendent, numbers 150 members.


The United Presbyterian Church was organized in December, 1841, as an Asso- ciate Reformed Society, with Rev. William Douthett as first pastor. The society now numbers about sixty members but has no church building.


The Old Covenanter Church had its be- ginning away back in 1833, and through various vicissitudes continued until 1890, when it disbanded as a separate body, its members transferring to the church of the same faith, at Rose Point, in Lawrence County.


The Civil War had many brave soldiers in the ranks from Muddy Creek Township, Many of these never returned to their old


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homes, their remains lying in far distant graves, but Watson Brothers Post, No. 478, at Portersville, has a goodly showing of veterans whose records reflect honor on their township. Roundhead Camp, Sons of Veterans, No. 84, which was insti- tuted at Portersville in September, 1887, with James McConnell as captain, is an- other patriotic organization well sup- ported. The leading secret societies have found a footing in the township, and the Odd Fellows, in particular, are very strong. The first lodge of this order was organized June 30, 1875, with James Por- ter as Noble Grand.


Township Officials .- Justice of the peace, William C. Tebay ; constable, Grant Jones; collector, William F. English; as- sessor, Austin McClymonds.




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