USA > Pennsylvania > Washington County > Washington > Century history of the city of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens, 20th, Vol. I > Part 102
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Tavern which was famed for its hospitality from Phil- adelphia to the most western settlements of the time; it being located on a main thoroughfare from the east to the west. Mrs. Parkinson was noted as one of the best cooks in all the country and her dinners were a thing of art in the culinary science of those days.
In connection with tbe Parkinson Tavern at Parkin- son 's Ferry was the garden managed and superintended by Mrs. Parkinson, tbe wife of the landlord. It was admitted to be one of the finest flower gardens west of Philadelphia, in the days of Parkinson's Ferry. It was laid out in walks traversing it in various ways. The beds were laid off in squares for the vegetable portion of the garden, from which Mrs. Parkinson gatb- ered the products for the table for the entertainment of travelers who stopped with ber husband. The flower beds were of nearly every form such as circles, anchors, half-moons, crosses, squares and triangles. A wide walk ran all the way around the garden, and one main walk extended from the hall door of tbe tavern down through the garden to the well, tbence to the lower boundary of the same near the ferry, passing through a summer house, which was a perfect bower of beauty covered with flowering vines of many varieties. Another walk led from a summer house, which stood near the tavern, in a direction parallel with the main walk. In the gar- den were to be found all kinds of tulips, pinks, flags, lilies, hyacinths, blue bells, king's crown, many varie- ties of roses and all the flowers then cultivated in gar- deus. Besides the flowers, the garden was planted with all kinds of fruit aud ornamental trees and shrubbery.
The first thing a traveler did on arriving at this old tavern was to stroll through the garden that was talked about by everyone who ever came to Parkinson's Ferry.
As has been said, Mrs. Parkinson was a complete mis- tress of cookery and domestic sciences. She managed the care of her garden herself, and it was her particular pride to attend to its cultivation during her whole life as the hostess of the famous old tavern. It always gave her her greatest delight to walk out in the mornings and evenings with her guests to display the beauties of her garden and receive the deserved compliments of the easteru merchants and others then traveling from the more cultured and refined east.
It must not be supposed from the fact that Joseph Parkinson and his wife managed and conducted a tavern and ferry that they were the simple landlords of a small hostelry and the conductors of a ferry, and that Joseph Parkinson was a man who sat on the river bank looking for the occasional traveler. As a matter of fact, Joseph Parkinson was a very energetic and busy man from his early manhood to the time when age called him away from the activities of life. He engaged in trading for many years on the rivers as far
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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY
as New Orleans, taking flat boats with their cargoes to that distant eity and returning oftentimes afoot to his homo on the Monongahela, and risking his life among the then savages of the territory. He was for some years in the employ of his government as a supply agent at Fort Pitt, rendering his country a substantial service. His foresight and business aeumen was evi- denced further in laying out the first plan of lots which became Monongahela City. As to the many stories of tho Whiskey Insurrection it may be said that Joseph Parkinson and none of his brothers, exeepting Benjamin, were ever friendly to that movement against the gov- ernment. While the public meetings connected with the adjustment of that diffienlty were held on his lands at Parkinson's Ferry, yet it is a fact that General Lee made his headquarters at Joseph Parkinson's tavern. So that it is to be seen that he as a tavern keeper provided enter- tainment and accommodations for both the government 's military officers as well as the citizens for and against the levy and collection of the much despised excise tax. It is a family tradition that neither Joseph, William, Thomas or James Parkinson ever engaged in any way in the manufacture of whiskey, or in any manner supported the insurrectionists.
The Parkinson families who lived at the several points on the Monongahela River and on Mingo and Pigeon Creeks wero persons of considerable wealth, in fact rich for their day and time, and they lived in accordance. Many pieces of furniture and silver plate are still extant which show they lived in some luxury. The old mahog- any sideboard used in the Parkinson tavern when Gen- eral Lee and his officers were gnests at the then hostelry in 1794 can be seen at the residence of a great grand- daughter, Ella V. Warne, in Monongahela City, besides many other pieces of plate and furniture.
One instance of the many big dinners served at the old tavern is given in an old Washington County news- paper :
"Parkinson's Ferry, July 4, 1811.
"The Williamsport rangers, commanded by Captain James Warne, assembled at 10 o'clock a. m. After performing varions military taetics, they dismissed un- til 3 o'clock p. m., when all met at the house of Mr. Joseph Parkinson and partook of an elegant dinner. General John Hamilton and Joseph Beckett, Esq., occu- pied seats at the head of the table, and thirteen toasts were given."
Joseph Parkinson was acquainted with all the early pioneers and knew them personally. He knew and had business with such men as Col. George Morgan, at Fort Pitt. He knew the Indian chiefs mentioned in the his- tory of the early days. He was well acquainted to his sorrow with Simon Girty, the outlaw. He associated with the Deckers, Fromans, Devores, Wickerhams, Van Voor- hises, Andrew and James McFarland, Daniel Depue,
Samuel Black, Van Swearengin, Paul Froman, the Bradys, and hundreds of others whose names made up the population o fthe territory around Fort Pitt in the days preceding and immediately following the Revolu- tionary war.
From the records of the Supremo Exeentive Conneil for August 24, 1781 (XIII. Col. Records, 38), is found tho information that among the justices of the peace of Washington County, returned as elected is the name of Joseph Parkinson, as one of the justices from Nuttin- game Township.
A petition was signed by many citizens of Washing- ton County, in 1781, and forwarded to President Reed at Philadelphia, protesting strongly against the commis- sioning of some of the twelve men returned as elected as justices who should form the first Court of Washing- . ton County, and containing the names of certain citizens as more fit to serve in said capacity, among whom were, James Edgar, Judge, Danl. Leet, John Reid, Jos. Parkin- son, Jolm Armstrong, Abner Howell, and James Brice, all of whom were certified "to be more able to serve."
Thus we can realize that Joseph Parkinson was a man of many parts and exerted an influenee in various ways and was prominent socially as well as in a business ca- pacity.
As to his church relations the writer has no data; bnt it is to his eredit that he donated to the Presbyterian Church its first location for a church and a small piece of land for a graveyard. And from the further fact that his family came originally from the old Presbyterian Settlement of the Conoeocheagure Church, his leanings at least were Presbyterian, if not actually affiliated as a member.
On the death of Josepb Parkinson, the Monongahela Patriot of April 29. 1834, published in Williamsport, states:
"Died .- In this borough, on Monday night. April 28. 1834, at the advanced age of 94 years, Mr. Joseph Parkinson. Mr. Parkinson was well known to many as the original proprietor of this place, from whom it received the name of Parkinson's Ferry. Althongh his death was long looked for, it has east a gloom over our citizens. The following testimony of respect from our town authorities, to the memory of the deceased. was handed in a few minutes before our paper went to press :
Tribute of Respect.
" ' Whereas, We have learned with deep regret of the death of our aged and esteemed fellow-citizen. Joseph Parkinson, the original proprietor of this town ; therefore, be it
" ' Resolved. That as testimony of respect to the memory of the deceased, we will attend his funeral this afternoon, at 4 o'clock, and that it be recommended to our citizens generally to attend said occasion.
"' 'By order of the council of the borough of Williamsport.
"''JOHN BAUSMAN. See. AARON KERR. Pres.' ''
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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY
In early life Parkinson was a tall. bony, muscular man dressed rather fashionably iu the costume of his day, with knee buckles aud shoe buckles. Iu his older days he wore side-whiskers, and the well known queue of the times.
The founder of Monongahela City was buried iu the old grave-yard at the head of Church Alley near the old Presbyterian Church within the lines of a small tract of land which he himself donated to the church for a burying ground. The exact spot where lies the remains of all that is mortal of Joseph Parkinson and his wife Margaret is not known, as no tombstone was ever erected to mark the last resting place of the two persons whose lives were given to open up this country and establish the town in the wilderness, now a thriving and progres- « sive little city. After all. is'nt it just as well. The grandeur of monuments and the massive walls of cryps will not keep a man's name green after him. But the name of Parkison will live as long as the foot of mau shall tread the soil of the great Monongahela Valley. Some time we hope the people who will live to enjoy the things made possible by the old pioneer who built his cabin and dwelt among the scenes of uature as he
found them in 1770, in order that his part in the great scheme of God's plan might be carried out, will have euough local pride to erect a fitting marker to call the attention of the coming generations to the one who first cleared the way for the white man to set up the standard of Christianity and civilization on the banks of the Monongahela, where the 5,000 acres of lands once taken up by him and his brothers now ponr their millions through its gates into the great water way that will soon lead to all parts of the world.
The only living descendants of Joseph and Margaret Weaver Parkinson residing in Washington County, Penn- sylvania, at this time are the following: Miss Ella V. Warne, Matthew S. Warne and his children, aud Mary E. Warne Stathers and her children, of Monongahela City; and A. Clark Warne, Boyd E. Warne, Esq., Howard R. Warue, Flore R. Warne and Mae Warne, and William Parkinson Warne, Esq., and the following named chil- dren: James Kemp Warne, Mary Elizabeth Warne, Thomas Parkinson Warne( William Dumm Warne, Rich- ard Mastin Warne and Harry Millar Warne, all of Wash- ington, Pa.
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AUG 1 7 1965
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