Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th, Part 69

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 69

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oil, in such abundance that this hamlet be- gan to assume the features of an oil town, but a failing in the supply led to the aban- donment of many enterprises and the place no longer is of much importance. It has a general store, operated by S. B. Badger.

The secret societies have never made great headway in Oakland Township. The K. O. T. M. was chartered March 16, 1888, and other bodies, mainly beneficiary in their nature, exist.

Township Officials .- Justices of the peace, P. Higgins; tax collector, J. F. P. McGinley ; constable, P. Weiland; tax as- sessor, E. Davis; road commissioners, T. I. Whitmire, C. Hoon and C. Conway; au- ditors, C. Conway, W. J. Beatty and E. Davis; clerk, R. E. Robb.

LANCASTER TOWNSHIP.

Lancaster Township, which is situated directly west of Conoquenessing Township, was formed from the latter when it was organized in 1854. Although, on account of its somewhat rugged surface, it did not offer so many apparent advantages to early settlers as did some of the sister townships, there were many pioneers who found in its hills, valleys and streams full of fish, just the surroundings which they desired. Prior to 1796, when the Beigh- leys came, a lone hunter and trapper had lived in this section, but so little impress did he leave that only the bare knowledge of his name, Eli Scholar, remains, there being no record of whence he came nor whither he went.

In 1796 Henry, John, George and Peter Beighley came to what is now Lancaster Township, penetrating into what was then a dense wilderness. The first cabin erected by Henry Beighley was torn down by ma- rauding Indians in his absence. In 1801 come William Martin and family, from Ire- land, and in the same year came the noted hunter, Samuel Stewart, shortly followed by Mrs. Anne and William Freeman. John and William Morrison came as early as

1801, and between 1803 and 1814 the town- ship gained such settlers as Henry Baum- gartner, Joseph and John Neely, John Ruby, Abraham Moyer, Thomas Ruby, Ja- cob Neely, Peter Neely, John Boyer and William Bellis. Different localities were selected and for a number of years pioneer conditions existed, on account of the peo- ple being widely separated. In 1815 the Harmonists, or Economists, who had es- tablished the village of Oilbronn, two miles north of Harmony, in 1808, sold their prop- 'erty to Abraham Ziegler, and this had much effect on the final settlement of the township. Prior to the thirties, the im- portant families who became established here were those of Henry Rice and George Kneiss, of Harmony; Samuel Moyer, of Northumberland County; David Stauffer, in 1819, from Westmoreland County ; Dan- iel Ramsey, from Cranberry Township; John Scott, of Lawrence County; Lewis Teats, John Lutz, John Myers, Hosea King and John Shaffer, followed in 1823 by the Matthews and Schoener families, and in the following decade came the Flin- ners and the Schiedemantles.

The character of the early settlers in Lancaster Township is shown in the fact that all early records tell of the faithful ministrations of the pioneer preachers and the hearty welcome accorded them by the people. Scarcely had the earliest settlers provided a roof for their families when they joined together as a religious body and St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in its inception dates that far back in the past. As may be supposed, the earli- est preaching was heard in the home of a Beighley, and interest was so aroused that in 1818 a log house was erected for church and school purposes, and a first communion service was celebrated in it in December, 1822, when thirty-two confirmations took place and the membership of the church be- came seventy-four. The history of Lu- theranism in Butler County, its spread and preservation, is one of much interest, and

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the Lutherans of Lancaster Township were among the leading members of the faith.

About 1840 the Zion German Lutheran Church was organized as a German society and since 1892 this organization has been entirely German. The congregation now numbers 100 communicants. Rev. F. H. Myer is the present pastor.

The English Lutheran Church was or- ganized in the early days and was carried on in connection with the German branch until 1892, since when it has been separate. It has a membership of 130. Pastor, C. L. V. Dozer.

The Methodist Episcopal Church was or- ganized in 1841, by John Seachrist, but later it was discontinued.

St. Peter's Reformed Church, situated in Middle Lancaster, was organized in 1856. In 1863 the society took possession of a fine brick church building and in 1878 the so- ciety was incorporated. The first pastor was Rev. H. F. Hartman.

The Stone Church of Lancaster Town- ship has for present pastor the Rev. C. L. V. Dozer.

Prior to 1820 a school was established near the western line of the township and the first teacher was Samuel Pollock. In 1818 a log cabin was erected west of Whitestown and was utilized for church and school purposes, and other school buildings soon followed. The township now has seven good schools, with a total enrollment of 151 scholars. The school board is composed of the following mem- bers : Phillip Kock, president, J. C. Bellas, secretary ; J. F. Warner, Geo. A. Beiber, Jesse Rice and Frank Bremer.

Middle Lancaster, the leading town of Lancaster Township, has been a post-office since 1847, and when it was established, William Beighley, Sr., was made post- master. The pioneer settlers at Middle Lancaster were John and Elizabeth (Baumgartner) Ruby, and together they first cleared a site from the forest and

erected a log cabin, this being probably about 1820. This property passed into the hands of Lewis Teats, who subsequently sold to Thomas B. Baldwin, a negro, and possibly for some time this fact prevented the investing of capital by the white resi- dents. William Beighley, however, appears to have been a man of broadened views and after he built a house others followed, Jacob Christophel opening first a tavern and later a grocery store. Two years later, in 1846, Andrew Met opened up a store south of the hamlet, but in 1847 moved into Middle Lancaster. Even at that time the village had made but slow prog- ress, but, as time went on, people with cap- ital found this a remunerative field for mercantile effort and at the present date of writing almost every trade and industry is represented and well supported. The peo- ple are quiet and law abiding, and while there may not be as much enterprise dis- played here as at neighboring and larger towns, there is little poverty and the town lockup is seldom in requisition.

The first township justice of the peace was Abraham Moyer, who served from 1854 to 1866. J. P. Gettman is the present justice. The other township officers are : Constable-Irvine Eppinger; tax collector -John H. Bremer; assessor-William Druschel; auditors-Julius Miller, Jacob Kradle, and C. W. Scheel; supervisors- Philip Koch, S. R. Moyer, and J. P. Gett- man.

Lancaster Township has one general store, which has been conducted for the last thirty-two years by A. E. Metz & Son, and which has been located where it now stands for about sixty-three years. Previ- ous to that time the father of the present proprietor conducted a mercantile business in a building which is still standing near Middle Lancaster. Mrs. A. E. Metz is still living, being now ninety-one years of age.

Oil and gas are produced to some extent in the township, several new wells having

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been put down recently. The inhabitants are, however, chiefly engaged in agricul- tural pursuits.

There are said to be good coal veins located about eighty feet beneath the sur- face and a few surface banks are worked for local consumption, but at present coal is not mined in commercial quantities.

DONEGAL TOWNSHIP.

Donegal Township, in the county organ- ization of 1804, was formed from Butler Township, but changes in its territory were made in the general re-subdivision of 1854, when its present limits were defined. In its early days of settlement and all through the pioneer period, Donegal was cited as the finest agricultural region of Butler County. The great discoveries that later made her a famous oil and gas field, were not made for many years afterward. With the exception of the valley of the Big Buf- falo and its feeders, its conformation be- longs to that known as the Lower Barren Measures. Coal, also kaolin and other commercial clays, were early known to exist, but it was in farming and stockrais- ing that the pioneer settlers prospered and flourished.

Oil has been produced in Donegal Town- ship in the past in large quantities, chiefly from the third sand and the 100-foot, with some from the fourth sand. Drilling is still going on and results in small pro- ducers. A number of good gas wells are in operation, which suffice to meet the local demand; also the Philadelphia Gas Com- pany and other smaller companies have pipe lines to various cities in the State.

The whole township is practically under- layed with two good veins of coal and small banks are in operation to supply local con- sumption. There is also a large amount of limestone in the township, which, however, is undeveloped on account of the lack of transportation facilities. The B. & O. is the only railroad and runs through the northwestern part of the township.

The first settler credited to Donegal Township, was James Hemphill, who came in 1794 and selected the present site of Chi- cora, or Millerstown. In 1795 the elder Jacob Barnhart settled three miles east- ward and in 1797 his two sons also located. Among those who soon followed were Adam Hemphill, John Forquer, Patrick McElroy, Charles Duffy, John Gillespie, Moses Hanlen and John Slater. Others who deserve pioneer honors were the Du- gans, McCues, O'Donnells, Boyles, McFad- dens, Blacks, Haggertys, Stewarts, Malo- neys, McClungs, Breadens and Hunters, the majority being from County Donegal, Ireland; and the Barnharts, Wolfords, Pontiuses, Slators, Sandersons and Hart mans. Not only were these early settlers, but in everything pertaining to the civil- ization and improvement of the section, they seem to have accepted all the responsi- bilities. They subdued the wilderness, built comfortable cabins, established mills and made roads and there is every evi- dence to show that they early concerned themselves about the educating of their children and supplying them with religious influences.

Among the earliest industries started in the township was a distillery built by James Hemphill prior to 1803, the Lasher grist-mill, in 1805, and the pottery of Gabriel Pontius, where manufacturing was carried on for some time. Owners of land were usually also the builders of the mills.

Chicora. Prior to the discovery of oil in Donegal Township, life, as indicated above, was followed along agricultural lines, many of the farms carrying on mill- ing, blacksmithing and other industries for themselves. Here and there little hamlets grew, generally around a mill or general store, but the only one of real importance was Millerstown, now known as Chicora. The former name was given it on account of the building of the Abraham Lasher mill at this point, and this place became the chosen home of the Hemphills and the

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Barnharts-its real founders. The situa- tion is on the Pittsburg and Narrow Gauge Railroad, near the northern boundary line of Donegal Township. On the heights above the town there are fine water sup- plies, coal in the vicinity is plentiful and the natural advantages of the place were early seized upon by those who had capital to engage in business.

. The milling and lumbering industries were the first important ones. In 1849 Martin Hoch and Martin Reiber estab- lished a distillery. The purchaser of the first town lot was John F. Wiles and he inaugurated its mercantile life. In 1843 Andrew Barnhart opened a bakery and afterwards came men representative of other lines, but prior to 1873 no exceptional growth had been made in population. Then came the discovery of oil, in the Shreve well, on the Stewart farm and the Lambing well on the Barnhart farm. The story of this interesting period may be found in the chapter on gas and oil. In 1874 the first newspaper was launched, the Sand Pump, and in the following year followed the Re- view and in 1876, the Herald. In 1877 the latter journal was purchased by Peter A. Rattigan and a number of Chicora's citi- zens were later connected with that journal.

The first physician was Dr. Marks, who was immediately succeeded by Drs. Mc- Laughlin and Geddes. The first druggists were Samuel McBride, Harry Sanderson, Aldinger & Bole and Dr. Beatty. An opera house was built, city ways were in- troduced and, as in all oil towns, through the period of the excitement, money was lavishly squandered.

Following the discovery of oil a large number of hotels were built; some of these are still standing, while others were de- stroyed by the fires which have several times visited the place.

In 1882 the Millerstown Oil Exchange was organized, which occasionally influ- enced the oil market of the world. The United Pipe Lines' Station was established

in 1873. The Millerstown Savings Bank Association was organized in 1873, and in 1875 was reorganized as the German Na- tional Bank. The institution went into vol- untary bankruptcy and was succeeded by the Millerstown Deposit Bank, organized through the efforts of John D. and II. J. Myers. This Bank is still doing business and is in a prosperous condition. The Butler County Bank, organized in 1883, continued in business until 1892. The Na- tional Building, Loan and Protective Asso- ciation was organized in 1890, and the Life Protective Savings and Loan Association was organized in 1894. The Citizens Light and Fuel Company, which operates many miles both in and outside the borough, was organized in October, 1887. The Chestnut Hill Stock Farm, one of the township's interesting show places, now occupies what was formerly the fair grounds. The farm was established in 1890 by the Titley Brothers, and here may be seen some famous stallions, mares and colts and herds of registered Jersey cattle.

Millerstown was incorporated as a bor- ough in 1855, the post-office being Barn- hart's Mills. Prior to this a log cabin had been built-sometime in the forties-to accommodate the children, but afterward constant agitation on the subject resulted in the erection of the present fine school building.

The church organizations of the borough are: The First Evangelical Lutheran, or- ganized in 1849; St. Paul's German Evan . gelical Lutheran, in 1849; St. John's Ger- man Reformed, in 1870; the Methodist Episcopal, 1874; and Mater Dolorosa Cath- olic Church, in 1873. The churches outside the borough enumeration include Dennison M. E. Chapel, and old St. Patrick's, (Cath- olic) founded in 1806, by Rev. Father Whe- lan, to which so many of the old families of Donegal Township gave allegiance. Much local church history has been written of this oldest of all church organizations in Butler County. Almost all these church

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buildings have cemeteries attached and there are, also, some private burying lots, and in all these sacred spots lie the re- mains of those to whom the present gener- ation owes more or less of a debt.

Since 1895 Chicora, or Millerstown, has been the only borough in the township, and has about held its own in population, which now numbers 1050. In its palmy days as an oil centre, however, it had a population of 7500. The principal business firms at the present time are Hoch Bros., E. F. Hays & Sons and C. H. Johnson, hardware and oil well supplies; Westerman Bros., general store; F. Scharbach, jewelry; H. Stahl, tailor and glove manufacturer; Pur- kerick & Frederick and Tadder & Aldinger Bowers, machine and repair shop; Freder- ick & Shultz, planing-mill; Chicora Tile & Clay Co .; Chicora Whip Co .; Chicora Coal and Coke Co .; Prospect Oil and Gas Co .; J. C. Wiles, Vensel & Son, and T. Reddick, livery; C. E. Uber, and Charles Fetzer, gents furnishings; R. Gaisford and De Wolf Bros., drugs; W. W. Campbell, E. C. Dunlap and Geo. Glass, groceries; Mrs. C. Teske and E. Frank, notions; Central House, A. A. Hoch, proprietor; Foryner House, B. J. Foryner, proprietor, and Lackey Hotel, W. E. Lackey, proprietor.

Chicora has a good water system which is furnished by drilled wells north of the town. The lighting is done by the Prospect Oil and Gas Company. The Chicora Vol- unteer Hose Company furnishes good pro- tection against fire. There are two reser- voir tanks north of the town which are kept always filled and they are supple- mented by a force-pump at the planing mill, which is kept always ready for action. There are twenty-four men in the fire com- pany, of which W. E. Lackey is chief. This company took the first prize at Butler and East Brady as the best equipped volunteer department in this section of the country. The present postmaster of Chicora is Lott I. Leech. The U. S. Express Company has an office here and the Peoples Telephone is

installed. The town is on the B. & O. Railroad.

The Prospect Oil and Gas Company of Chicora was originally known as the Citi- zens Light and Fuel Company of Millers- town, which received its charter in 1887. In 1897 a new charter was taken out under the present style. The company operates its lines through western Pennsylvania. Its officers are A. Fleeger, president ; A. A. Houk, secretary; H. J. Myers, treasurer, and M. G. Houk, general manager.

The Chicora Whip Company, Limited, was established in 1900, and now employs about forty-five hands, about one-third of them being girls. They have a capacity of three hundred whips a day, and it is the largest concern of the kind in the State.

Chicora Officials: Justices of the peace -M. L. Leonard and G. W. Huselton ; con- stable-Geo. Garver; tax assessor-P. G. Frederick; road commissioner-F. Daum; auditors-P. Doty and H. Walford; clerk -C. F. Aldinger ; burgess-R. Houk.

St. Joe, Plummer, Danville, Greer (or North Oakland), and Rattigan, have all been villages within the limits of Donegal Township, which were more or less devel- oped on account of the oil fields, and of these St. Joe, Greer and Rattigan are post- offices. St. Joe has the Peoples 'phone and a general store kept by Mr. Graham. There is a store at Rattigan kept by Mr. Porter- field.

The fraternal and other societies repre- sented in Chicora are the Masons, the Knights of Pythias, the Odd Fellows, the Maccabees, the Woodmen of the World, Modern Woodmen, the Home Circle, and the Grand Army of the Republic.

Donegal Township now has eight schools with an enrollment of 290 pupils. There is also one school in Chicora with 286 pupils, and the educational interests of the town- ship are well cared for. The present school directors are John F. Rodgers, S. F. Schultz, W. C. Pontius, John F. Black, John Oesterling and Peter Landgraff.

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Township Officials : Justices of the peace -S. Pontious and J. J. Kaylor; tax col- - lector-H. Graham; constable-J. B. Rumbough; tax assessor-J. Johnson; road commissioners -- II. Graham, J. Wohl, and S. Pontious; auditors-C. H. McGuire, H. G. Frederick and J. Richards; clerk- A. Snyder.

BUTLER TOWNSHIP.

Butler Township was one of the original thirteen townships organized in 1804 and occupied an area of about eight miles square. Subsequently divided into North Butler and South Butler. It thus remained until 1854, when the township was estab- lished within the present limits, embracing about five miles square. Its surface is diversified and it is drained chiefly by Con- noquenessing Creek, which enters the ter- ritory at the northeastern corner and flows in a southwesterly direction through the southern half of the township. The gen- eral surface of the township is hilly and the soil varies from a stiff clay to a light sand. A fair proportion of the land is till- able and highly productive wherever it is cultivated. The Upper Freeport Coal un- derlies most of the hills, and has been mined from an early day.

The early settlers of the township were immigrants from Westmoreland County and other eastern counties, and were the descendants of the Scotch-Irish. Many of them had seen service in the War of the Revolution, and others were the sons of Revolutionary soldiers. The Germans and some French came into the township about 1820 and later and settled in the southern and western parts.

The first actual settler in the township was probably William Kearns, who came here from Westmoreland County in 1795 and took up a large tract. His sister, Jane, who married John Potts, came with him and selected one hundred acres in her own name. The first graveyard in the township was located on the land taken up by Jane

Kearns, and became the resting place of many of the old pioneers.

James McKee came to the western part of the township in the spring of 1795, his father Thomas McKee, coming with the rest of the family a year later. James was sheriff in the county in 1818 and represent- ative in the legislature in 1828. Another son of Thomas McKee, named Robert, set- tled in Hendersonville in Cranberry Town- ship, while a third son, Hugh, was one of the pioneer manufacturers of Butler bor- ough.

John Pierce, a Revolutionary soldier, came here from Westmoreland County in 1796, and settled on a tract of land west of the Standard Steel Car Works, where he built a cabin.

John McQuistion, who was a native of Ireland, came in 1796. He purchased land now occupied by the County Home and erected a large tannery. He also built the first stone house in the county. He took a prominent part in public affairs.

James and Andrew Moore located west of Butler about 1797. Robert Graham, a native of Dauphin County, came in the same year and purchased one hundred acres of land in what is now Butler bor- ough. In 1803 he sold it to the trustees of Butler County, who laid out a portion of the town of Butler thereon.

William Wilson and John Morrow came here in 1797 or 1798 and located in the western part of the township. Wilson aft- erwards removed to Indiana.

Peter Peterson, a Revolutionary soldier, who was also a survivor of "Braddock's Defeat," came to Butler County about 1798. His daughter Jane married David Pierce, and became the progenitor of one branch of the Pierce family in Butler County.

John Burkhart, who was a noted hunter, came from Allegheny County in 1800 and settled in the southeast section of the town- ship.

Robert Maxwell and his son, Abraham,

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came here from Maryland in 1800 and set- tled on the tract of land just west of the Standard Steel Car Plant. The story of the shooting of Maxwell is given in an earlier chapter of this volume.

Abram Fryer came into the western part of the township in 1801. The same year John Bailes, known as "Little John" to distinguish him from the John Bailes of Connoquenessing Township, settled on a tract adjoining Fryer.

Lawrence King settled four miles west of Butler in 1801. Alexander Bryson set- tled in the northwestern corner of the township about 1800, and about 1820 he removed to Ohio, where he died.

Paul Bratton, who was a hatter by trade, came to the township about 1800 and set- tled on a tract of four hundred acres of land south of Butler. His marriage to Hannah Pierce was the first solemnized in the township.

Colonel Robert Lemmon, a native of Ire- land, came to the county in 1796 and located in the village of Butler soon after it was laid out. He served in the War of 1812 as a sergeant and after its close he- settled on a farm southwest of Butler, which afterwards became the home of his son Andrew, who died in 1908. A number of settlers came in 1805.

Leslie Maxwell located in the northwest- ern section of the township in 1815, mar- ried the daughter of Alexander Hamilton, the pioneer, and died on the homestead about 1860.

Among the German settlers were Jacob and Henry Dufford, who came in 1817, Henry Young from Luzerne County in 1824, Joseph Bernhart Sliker, from Baltimore in 1830, and Francis Criley from Germany, in 1831. Other arrivals about this time were David McElwain, who settled in 1835, and the Cunninghams, Mechlings, Negleys, and Brinkers.

Among the early enterprises of the town- ship, in addition to the tannery and Paul Bratton's hat factory, was a distillery run

by John Cratty and a saw-mill operated by William Freeman, while Moses Sullivan had two saw-mills erected on Sullivan Run, . a short distance northwest of Butler. This latter property came into the possession of George, Jacob and Martin Reiber in 1857, who erected a distillery on the site of the upper mill, and carried on the manufacture of whiskey for a number of years.

About 1850 William Ralston, Sr., built a grist-mill and a saw-mill on Little Con- noquenessing Creek at the intersection of the Butler and Prospect Road. The grist- mill is now owned by John Cranmer of Mount Chestnut.

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Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th, Part 69

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