Century history of New Castle and Lawrence County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens, 20th, Part 49

Author: Hazen, Aaron L. (Aaron Lyle), 1837- comp. and ed. cn
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1058

USA > Pennsylvania > Lawrence County > New Castle > Century history of New Castle and Lawrence County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens, 20th > Part 49

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A log schoolhouse was built about 1810- 12 a quarter of a mile west of New Wil- mington.

"Rich Hill" schoolhouse was built of round logs, with a cabin roof, abont 1824- 25. One of the first teachers was George Carlon. This schoolhouse gave place to a frame building 24x24 feet, built about 1835. The second building was put. up in another part of the township, in order to accommodate all the pupils in the district, and was afterwards burned. A third build- ing was erected near the site of the second one and stood until about 1868-70, when a substantial brick structure was erected, and used by pupils from both Wilmington and Washington Townships.

The schools in the township now number seven, with an average attendance in 1908 of one hundred and seventy-nine. The sum of $2,240 was paid seven teachers, and the total expended for school purposes was $3,187.44.

CHURCHES.

The oldest church organization in the township is the "Neshannock Presbyterian Congregation," which was organized about 1800. The first pastor was Rev. Will- iam Wick, who was ordained September 3d, 1800, in connection with Hopewell, the latter congregation being at the present village of New Bedford, in Pulaski Town- ship. Mr. Wick was released from his charge June 30th, 1801, and the second pastor was Rev. James Satterfield, an

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original member of the Erie Presbytery, and the second preacher who settled with- in the limits of Mercer County. He was ordained and installed by the Presbytery of Ohio, March 3d, 1802, and installed as pastor of Neshannock Congregation in connection with Moorfield, in the present limits of Mercer County. The first elders of Neshannock Church were William Jack- son, Thomas Scott and Robert Stevenson. Mr. Satterfield was pastor until. the early part of the year 1812. In July of that year Rev. William Matthews took charge of the church and served it till some time during the year 1815. He was succeeded by Rev. William Wood, who commenced his labors March 11th, 1816. Mr. Wood preached at Hopewell, in connection with Neshannock, until July 1st, 1828, when he gave all his time to the latter. He was released Jan- uary 1st, 1837, after a pastorate of twenty- one years. The next pastor was Rev. Ab- salom McCready, who was installed Oc- tober 14th, 1839, and released in 1857. The next pastor was Rev. Robert Dickson, who was installed in 1858, and released from his charge in 1867. He was succeeded by Rev. John M. Mealy.

A number of other churches have been organized from parts of the Neshannock Congregation, among them the ones at Pu- laski, Rich Hill and Unity, the latter in Crawford County. The congregation is a large one, and the church has been well supported, the organization being in pros- perous condition.

The first church edifice at Neshannock was built of round logs, and was thirty feet square. The next building was of hewed logs, and was thirty by seventy feet in dimensions. This was considered a very pretentious structure for that time. A frame structure was built in 1839, being the third house the congregation had at this place. The cemetery near the old frame building contains the graves of many of the pioneers.

Rev. John M. Mealy, D. D., served the church till 1898, a pastorate of 31 years,

crowned with success. Rev. Hubert Rex Johnson followed, closing in 1901 a brief but effective ministry among this people, in which his tact and winsome personality steadied the congregation through the ten- sion and crisis growing out of the contro- versy over the site of the new church build- ing. Many from the west side favored the old grounds from beauty of location and sacredness of association, others preferred to erect the temple of worship in the neigh- boring town of New Wilmington. Advo- cates of either site were tremendously in earnest, and not always discreet, and feel- ing ran high. But tactful leadership with- out and grace within were sufficient to hold them together when it was decided to build in the town; and a large and beautiful brick structure erected by the mutual toil and sacrifice of all, now stands with ad- joining manse and surrounding lawn the pride of a united people.

The present pastor, Rev. Sherman A. Kirkbride, stated clerk of the Presbytery of Shenango, came in 1901 and divine blessing still attends the preached Word. The membership has grown to more than 400.

Dr. Mealy's pastorate was fruitful of missionaries, ministers and mission teach- ers. His eloquence and personal magnet- ism gave him power over young people to inspire high ideals, and largely through his influence Neshannock church has fur- nished far more than its normal share of missionaries, including Rev. Dr. Eugene P. Dunlap and his wife in Siam, Mrs. Mc- Cauley in Japan, Dr. Jessie Wilson Law- rence in Persia and Rev. Dr. Thomas J. Porter in Brazil. Almost 40 young minis- ters have gone out from this congregation to preach the gospel and more are coming on. All indebtedness on the church build- ing-which cost about $15,000-was can- celled last year, and contributions to be- nevolence are constantly increasing.

RICH HILL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH was organized at the Spring Session of 1840, by a committee from the Presbytery of

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Allegheny (now Butler). It takes its name from the tract of land on which the church is located. The lot was purchased from B. Anderson, formerly of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, the owner of the tract. The original congregation consisted of about thirty members, and was made up of members from the Neshannock congregation principally. Some came from New Castle, some from Mercer, and some from Plain Grove. The church stands on the old Beaver and Mercer State Road. This church sprung from a Sabbath-school which had flourished for some twenty-five years, holding its meet- ings in the old schoolhouse. They also oc- casionally had preaching-Rev. William Woods and Rev. John Munson occasion- ally holding evening meetings, some time before the church was organized. The first regular preacher of this congregation was Rev. Newton Bracken, who ministered for fifteen years. The church is in the south- eastern part of Wilmington Township.

The names of those who have served as pastor of the Rich Hill Presbyterian Church since 1877 follow: Rev. Cooper, Rev. Hill, Rev. Davis, Rev. Stewart, and Rev. C. B. Wible, who is the present pas- tor. The church officers are: Elders, Messrs. Snyder, W. W. Drake, D. P. Welk- er, Reed, W. M. C. Drake, Martin and Mc- Knight; the deacons, Messrs. Carr, Blev- ins, McDowell and Wilson; the trustees, Messrs. Joseph Martin, John McConnell, William Welker, Fisher, O. A. Morehead; and church treasurer, D. P. Welker. The present church membership is 178, and that of the Sabbath-school 100.

THE AMISH OR OMISH MENNONITES es- tablished a church about two miles south- seat of New Wilmington. It was built in the summer of 1872, and is the only one of the kind in the county. Rev. Shem King was their first preacher, and they had about sixty members at the inception of the church.

One of the first of this denomination to settle in Lawrence County was Abraham

Zook, who came in the spring of 1846. Shem King brought out his family in Au- gust, 1847. Nearly all the families were from Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, and settled in Hickory, Wilmington and Pu- laski Townships principally, with perhaps a few in Neshannock.

BOROUGH OF NEW WILMINGTON.

New Wilmington was incorporated into a borough by Act of the Legislature, April 4, 1863, from a part of Wilmington Town- ship. The land incorporated includes an area of between three and four hundred acres, and extends north to the Mercer County line. The ground on which the original town stands was a 100-acre tract, purchased by James Waugh, shortly be- fore the town was laid out. New Wilming- ton was only made a "half borough" in 1863, and it was not until about 1872 that it became a complete borough, with all the powers pertaining to such a corporation.

The town of New Wilmington was laid out by James Waugh and sons, about 1824, and the first buildings were erected in that year. A house had been built previously by James Hazlep, the first settler in the vicinity, and was the first one in the place. James Waugh built the second one. He had settled in 1798, in what afterwards became Lackawannock Township, Mercer County.

The first house built in the newly laid out town was erected by Dr. Hindman. It was a log structure. Soon a one-story frame building was put up by Phillip Crowl. John Galloway built a tannery about 1824-25, at the east side of the vil- lage.

David Carnahan opened the first wagon shop in the place ; next came J. W. H. Haz- lep.

Thomas Wilson had the first saddle and harness shop, which stood at the south- west corner of the West Diamond. The first shoe shop was kept by Robert Ham- ilton.

The first blacksmith shop was opened by

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Phillip Crowl, who afterward removed to Eastbrook, in Hickory Township. The first general store in the place was opened by the Waughs about the time the town was laid out; the second by James Hazlep, subsequently sold out to J. & A. Galloway, who carried on the store for a time. Thomas Brown had the first actual tailor shop, although William McCready had done some work in that line before Brown came, but never owned a shop.

School was first held in a frame build- ing now or recently used as a dwelling, the teacher being Robert Miller. Long before this house was built, a log school- house had been erected a mile west of town, about 1810-12. The two-story brick school- house of more recent times was built about 1868.

Thomas Wilson kept the first hotel, about 1834, and was succeeded by Richard Hammond, who built the second hotel building about 1835. The Lawrence House was next built, and conducted for a while by a man named Weir.

James Hazlep, previously mentioned, became the possessor of some 800 acres of land in the neighborhood.

Thomas Pomeroy came to New Wilming- ton in 1834, and acted as justice of the peace for several years. In 1855, he was elected one of the associate judges of Law- rence County, and twice elected subse- quently. He also served as county au- ditor, was one year-1863-on the Internal Revenue Board of Pennsylvania, and two years-1846-47-in the State Legislature.

William M. Francis came to New Wilm- ington from Baltimore, Md., in 1839. In February, 1841, he purchased a piece of land south of town, and built a house upon it, which was his residence for the re- mainder of his life. In the winters of 1858-59-60 Mr. Francis represented Law- rence County in the State Senate, and was speaker of the Senate in 1860.

James A. McLaughry came to New Wilmington from Mercer County, Pennsyl-

vania, in 1835, and for two years taught school in the village. He was originally from Delaware County, New York, and from Wayne County, Pennsylvania, when he came to Mercer.

The New Wilmington Telephone Co., an independent concern, was organized Sep- tember 19, 1905, by New Wilmington capi- tal, and after being conducted for a year and a half, was purchased by Martha and Robert J. Totten. Mr. Totten assumed full control on May 1, 1907, and has been en- joying a steady increase of patronage for the past year and a half. The office is centrally located on Vine Street, occupy- ing a two-story frame building. There are 100 subscribers and about forty or fifty miles of wire. Three operators take care of the calls, generally assisted by two or three sub-operators, who are learning.

R. S. Mercer & Co.'s department store of New Wilmington was organized about a year ago. This store is on Market Street, and is one of the largest in the city.

John Wright and son keep a hardware store. The business was started by the son in 1903, the father entering into the partnership with him in 1907.

Wyatt R. Campbell conducts a furniture and undertaking business. He is the only undertaker in Wilmington Township.

Norman G. Vance is the proprietor of a feed and hay market-the only one of its kind in the township.

J. Frank Williams conducts a dry goods and notion store-the largest business of its kind in the place.

The New Wilmington Bank was organ- ized by George H. Getty, who was cashier thereof for twelve years. His son, Howell T. Getty, has held that position for the past year. The bank is a safe and con- servative institution, and is a prominent and useful factor in the commercial life of the community.

George M. Robinson, with his son, has conducted the leading grocery in town for eight years.

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CHURCHES.

The first United Presbyterian Church was organized as an Associate Reformed congregation somewhere about 1810 or 1812. This church was originally called "Neshannock," but that name was finally dropped, and the present "Neshannock," United Presbyterian Church is situated in the southern part of Hickory Township. The congregation at first worshiped in a rude log structure. They also for some time used the brick building occupied by the postoffice in 1877. Subsequently a sub- stantial and commodious brick edifice was erected in the north part of town.

Rev. Alexander Murray served the con- gregation while they occupied the old log church. Other ministers .supplied the church for a number of years, and it was not until about 1832 that their first regu- lar pastor, Rev. Alexander Boyd, was set- tled. He ministered about six years. About 1840 Rev. David R. Imbrie became the pastor, and served for twenty-five years. Revs. James R. Miller, D: D., J. M. Donaldson and Rev. John H. Gibson came after. While Mr. Murray preached here he had four charges-Neshannock (New Wilmington), New Castle, Prospect (in Neshannock Township), and Wolf Creek (in Butler County.).

The Second United Presbyterian Church was organized as an Associate Reformed congregation by the Presbytery of the Lakes, February 27, 1850. Rev. William A. Mehard was its first pastor. The orig- inal congregation consisted of thirty-two members. A church was built in 1852 and was used until 1862, after which time their meetings were held in the college building. A Sabbath-school was organized in 1852.

The Methodist Episcopal society was or- ganized about 1839, and the next year the frame church was built. The building was enlarged and repaired in 1858. The first pastor of this congregation was probably Rev. Mr. Benn. Following him came Rev. Mr. Parker; then the appointment was made a double one, and Revs. Leslie and Lane were appointed. In the spring of 1843, a Sabbath-school was organized at New Wilmington, with Robert Ramsey as its first superintendent.

New Wilmington is the seat of West- minster College, a sketch of which admir- able institution may be found in another part of this work.

The postoffice at New Wilmington was established January 14, 1828, and was known as New Wilmington Postoffice, Mer- cer County, Pennsylvania, in which county it was then located, it being before Law- rence County was erected. Its first post- master was John Carnahan, who was ap- pointed January 14, 1828.

In 1850, after Lawrence County was erected, the office was transferred to it.

New Wilmington is remarkable for the excellence of its sidewalks and stone pave- ments. This work, begun in 1874, has since been kept up, to the credit of the borough, which thus gives a favorable im- pression to the passing stranger. It stands well in line with other places of its size with respect to modern improvements, and the presence of the college, with its numer- ous students coming and going, were there no other causes, would prevent it from lapsing into a condition of stagnation, which from one cause or another, has been the fate of many other promising com- munities.

Some Representative Citizens

WILLIAM PATTERSON. Few men of Lawrence County have deserved the con- tinued esteem and admiration of their sur- viving fellow citizens in higher degree than the late William Patterson, who might just- ly be called the father of many of her largest industries and the promoter of much of her notable prosperity. Mr. Pat- terson was born in what was then named Beaver County, but which is now Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, October 20, 1824, and died August 31, 1905. His parents were Samuel and Esther (Dickson) Patter- son.

The late William Patterson was of Scotch-Irish ancestry, a combination of sturdy stock of which he was ever proud. His maternal grandfather, William Dick- son, settled in Lawrence County in 1806, as one of the earliest settlers, becoming a leading man of his day. The paternal grandfather was equally prominent in Beaver County, where he combined farm- ing with manufacturing interests.

Samuel Patterson, father of William, was born in Beaver County, now a part of Lawrence County, in 1802, and died during the childhood of his son. He married Esther Dickson, who, after the death of her husband, returned to her father's home, where William was reared to the age of fourteen years. During his boyhood he attended the district school in the winters and worked in a tannery during the sum- mer. He later enjoyed two years of aca- demic training at New Castle. In 1840 he became clerk in the store of John B. Pear- son at New Castle, and in 1845 he was pro- moted by Daniel Euwer, a large merchant

of Pittsburg, to the position of assistant. This gave him an opportunity to accumu- late some capital, which he used three years later in starting a wholesale and re- tail drug store at New Carlisle. About this time the great coal resources of Ohio were being discovered, and in 1852 Mr. Patterson, alive to promising business de- velopments, investigated the coal fields along the Mahoning River, and he finally decided to sell his New Castle interests and devote all his time and capital to develop- ing the coal lands he had secured. He con- tinued to be largely and personally inter- ested in coal developing until 1855, when he returned to New Castle, leaving his coal business in charge of James McKinley, a brother of the late President William Mc- Kinley. In the previous year he had dis- posed of a part of his mining property, which he owned both in Illinois and Ohio, to John M. Maris, of Philadelphia. He then opened a banking and exchange busi- ness with Mr. Watson at New Castle, and through all the panics and hard times from various causes which convulsed the coun- try at intervals the Patterson bank never failed to make good its financial promises, and Mr. Patterson continued with the en- terprise until 1880, although in 1873 he had bought a large portion of the stock of the National Bank of Lawrence County.

In 1864 Mr. Patterson, with A. L. Craw- ford and others, became interested in open- ing a block coal field in Mercer County, building a railroad, sinking shafts, and at- tending to all the details of developing a large mining industry. This enterprise was successfully carried on for a period

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of eleven years. Another enterprise in which Mr. Patterson was the leading spirit was the organization of the Aetna Iron Company, in 1868, which had a paid up capital of $160,000, and which continued to do business until 1873. He was largely in- terested also in a number of other coal and iron enterprises and was part owner of furnaces at various points, having capital invested in several States, and through wise supervision and excellent business ability realizing his expectations of profit from each.

In 1863, in connection with A. R. Lee, he became part owner of large tracts of coal land in Lawrence County, which were first worked under the name of Lee & Patter- son, and later under the name of the Beaver Coal & Coke Company. He was one of the organizers of the Penn Coal Company. In 1883, again associated with Mr. Crawford and other capitalists, he pur- chased the Neshannock furnace property at New Castle, which was later operated under the corporate name of the Crawford Iron & Steel Company, and which had a capacity of 70,000 tons of Bessemer pig iron yearly. Again, as one of a party of capitalists, in 1885-6, he built the plant of the New Castle Wire Nail Company, and organized the company which later en- larged the business and constructed one of the largest wire rod mills in the United States, known as the New Castle Steel Company. Following this development was the organization of the Shenango Valley Steel Company, which erected a Bessemer steel plant having a capacity of 1,000 tons per day, having taken over the furnace of the Crawford Iron & Steel Company and also the blast furnace of Raney & Berger. Then came the erection of a tin plate bar mill, and in turn a tin plate plant of thirty mills, which to this time is the largest sin- gle tin plate plant in the world.

The wire nail mill and wire rod mill were also taken over by the Shenango Valley Steel Company, thus giving a continuous

chain from the iron ore to the finished product of tin plate, wire and wire nails. This series of conversions created for Mr. Patterson a strong position in the trade- second to none-and gave to New Castle much prominence in the iron and steel cir- cles of the United States. Finally all these properties were merged into what is now the United States Steel Corporation.

This rapid growth in manufacturing plants of large tonnage created an urgent necessity for a hospital, and in 1894 Mr. Patterson was instrumental in founding the Shenango Valley Hospital, a 100-bed institution, having every modern facility for attending the injured and sick; and he continued to give this institution his daily personal attention as its president until his death.

Mr. Patterson continued the operation of the two banks in which he was interested until 1880, after which he gave his atten- tion to building up the Lawrence County Bank, and with such success that he made it the third institution of its kind as to recognized stability and assets in the United States. This was a remarkable achievement, accomplished in a compara- tively short period of time, and it placed him among the leading financiers of the country.

Mr. Patterson was one of the organizers of the Beaver Valley Railroad, which was the first railroad to enter New Castle. The founder and promoter of many of the greatest industries of this section of the State, Mr. Patterson was essentially a business man of high capabilities, and his faculties remained unimpaired until his death at the advanced age of eighty-one years. But while keen and progressive in the pursuit of business, Mr. Patterson pos- sessed the foresight and saving caution which prevented any chance of disaster, carrying on his large operations in the con- servative manner that preserved the sta- bility of the institutions over which he had control in the face of panics which swept

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competitors from the field. Personally he was a man of high aims and unblemished character.

On January 6, 1852, William Patterson was married, first, to Anna M. Mills, who died in March, 1863, leaving two daughters and son : Mary L., Anna M., and Rufus C. The elder daughter, Mary L., married Ed- ward King, who is president of the Na- tional Bank of Lawrence County and also president and treasurer of the Pennsyl- vania Engineering Works.

On January 17, 1866, Mr. Patterson married for his second wife Harriet E. Woodward, whose father, Solomon Wood- ward, was a leading citizen of Taunton, Mass. They had three children: Julia H., William Lee, and George Lewis. Both Rufus C. and George L. Patterson are of- ficially connected with the National Bank of Lawrence County. Mrs. Patterson sur- vives her husband and resides at Kingston, N. Y.

E. P. WORKLEY, contractor and build- er, who owns the finest private residence in the town of Wurtemburg, and in addi- tion to his other duties fills the office of justice of the peace, was born in Perry Township, Lawrence County, Pennsyl- vania, near Pyles Mill, on Camp Run, and is a son of J. N. and Mary (Geohring) Workley.

The father of Mr. Workley was born in Wurtemburg, Germany, and in young manhood came to Lawrence County, Penn- sylvania, where he purchased a farm on which he lived during the remainder of his life. He married a daughter of John Geohring, who was a farmer in Beaver County. The nine children born to this union were: Charles, who is engaged in farming in Butler County; J. G., who fol- lows farming near Eastbrook, Lawrence County; E. P .; Phoebe, who married T. J. Morrison, of Perry Township; Louisa, who married J. S. Schweintsbug; Eliza- beth, who married S. U. Christee, super-

visor of the poor farm; and three who died in infancy.

After completing the common school course, E. P. Workley decided to learn the carpenter trade, a decision he has never regretted. For some years he worked as a carpenter, and then began contracting and has built up a reputation that is sec- ond to none in this part of the country. He has no need to advertise his skill, the many residences and other substantial buildings which he has erected speaking for him. He keeps a large force of men at work all the time and distributes a large amount of capital, the expenditure of which adds to the prosperity of the town. In addition to buying his own home, Mr. Workley has made other business and realty invest- ments.

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Century history of New Castle and Lawrence County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens, 20th, Part 49

Author: Hazen, Aaron L. (Aaron Lyle), 1837- comp. and ed. cn Publication date: 1908 Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold publishing co. Number of Pages: 1058

Author: Hazen, Aaron L. (Aaron Lyle), 1837- comp. and ed. cn
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1058