USA > Pennsylvania > Washington County > Washington > Century history of the city of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens, 20th, Vol. I > Part 22
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The price of wool has, however, been advancing within the past few years with the result that there has been a stimulus in the wool industry. It is now selling from 33c to 35c per pound and flocks of sheep are now seen on the hills of many Washington County farms that have not been seen since the palmy days of the industry back in the seventies and eighties.
In 1881 the available reports show that there were 600,000 sheep in Washington County, or 3,600,000 pounds of wool produced annually.
The year 1905 showed a production estimated at 1,200,000 pounds, taken from 200,000 sheep. Taking tho average prico of one head at $5 the value of the sheep in the county is $1,000,000 and the wool was sold at an average price of 33 1-3c or $400,000.
The clip for 1906 was, in round numbers, approxi- mately 1,000,000 pounds of fine wool and several thou- sand pounds of coarse wool. The price of tho fine wool averaged 31c per pound, thus bringing the flockmasters of the county $310,000.
CATTLE.
In the early days cattle were very scarce and there was not a sufficient supply for the soldiers in the little garrison kept so long at Pittsburg. The cattle were of a very common grade. The price of a cow and calf was a bushel of salt, and salt until 1804 was $7.00 per bushel, and a bushel of salt was the hire for a horse for a trip over the mountains when packing. England was considered the land where cattle were most highly developed and English writers speak frequently of black cattle. In 1778 the British destroyed near Buzzard's Bay, on the coast of New England, and carried off, 10,000 sheep and 300 black cattle. According to an old historian, in 1776, Col. George Morgan wrote to his French spy inquiring among other things "the number of black cattle" the British had at Detroit. (Baus- man's History of Beaver County, p. 70.) During the colonial days Virginia had a law which prohibited the exportation of cattle, and it was impossible for Pennsyl- vanians to get them from this neighbor. John G. Ruple, Esq., one of the oldest inhabitants of Washington, says that there were a number of black cattle among those in this community when he was a boy.
Not much attention was paid to improving the breed- ing of cattle in this county until the Devon and Durham and Short-horn were introduced about the beginning of the century. Robert Miller, of Mount Pleasant, was an early breeder of Devons. James L. Henderson intro- duced the Holstein in 1878 and the Herefords were brought in by O. H. MeKnight in 1879.
Alexander Reed was the first man to introduce the Short-horn bull in this section. Julius Lemoyne was an early fancier of Short-horns and James M. Buchannon, of Mount Pleasant, J. G. Paxton, of Chartiers, Robert M. Carons, of Amwell, were among these cattle fanciers. C. L. Taggart, of Canton and Alexander and Benjamin Hamilton, of Hopewell, in the later years assisted in developing the black Poll-Angus. Several others in the county endeavored to produce a better strain of cattle, which has been a benefit to the county.
To-day we have many fine pedigreed herds of Short- horns, not surpassed, perhaps not equaled, in the State.
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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY
We have the registered Devons that stood the highest in competition in State shows, as well as the Herefords and the Holsteins. We have the Jerseys for cream and milk; the Polled Angus are on the way. Many of the above named breeds are thoroughbred and registered and there are others. Through these we have fine grades from common stock. Our cattle breeders as well as other farmers are studying the correlations of ani- mal form, in the structure of the animal rejecting the long lank body that lacks corresponding depth and thickness, and guarding against the other extreme, an excessively short, thick and deep body, as producing too large a proportion of fat, preferring a mean between these proportions as the most profitable. After all, we have heard it said, our county has the best cattle in the State; made so by purchase and judicious breeding.
Manufactories for producing cheese were established at Bulger and near Woodrow and Gretna and perhaps other places in the county, but only flourished a short time within the last quarter of the century. The ship- ping of milk was first commenced on the Pan-Handle Railroad about 1866, and has developed a great busi- ness, not only along that road, but all over the county where there are railroad facilities for shipping direct to Pittsburg without transfer. Dairying has become an important business near Washington and Monongahela City and near the other towns and mining settlements. Milk is hauled several miles and sold to the local con- sumer. This industry has become a very important one in the county. In some parts of the county, especially in the eastern part, summer pasturage is used to fatten cattle which have been purchased in the Chicago market and sold late in the fall. This part of the cattle busi- ness has never become general. The drove roads across the county from the west towards Pittsburg, formerly were used by great numbers of large droves of cattle, hogs, sheep and mules, prior to the construction of the P., C., C. & St. L. R. R. This road through this county and other roads coming from the west have stopped entirely the droving of stock on foot across the county. The cattle supply is far below the demand. The beef producer in the county would not be much missed in feeding the multitude, which is supplied mainly from beef packing establishments in the middle west.
HORSES.
The scrub horses were much improved by the intro- duction of the Windflower stallion of the Diomedes stock about the year 1840. Alexander Reed was pro- gressive and farsighted and to him and his friends is due much credit for the improvement of stock. The Maydike, and especially the Consul, were the fine horses. The Cottrell was brought from the east as a fast horse
by S. B. Hays and John Morgan, but his life was soon cut short during the fair at Florence, about 1865. The tendency was toward light weight and speedy horses. The ordinary farm horse of to-day would then have been considered as a mastodon for size. McFadyean and Me- Combs, of Burgettstown, were among the earliest im- porters of heavy weight, hairy legged horses in the early seventies and the farmers considered them as too clumsy and heavy for farm field work. Such horses are now very common. Very few mules were brought into the country except in later years for coal bank duty.
HOGS.
As an article of food, pork was not used by our pioneers for several years; it would not keep without salt, which they seldom had. Wild turkeys were always at hand in the winter season, venison too could be had by those who had guns and knew how to use them well and occassionally a bear, when intruding, was killed for a change of diet. Still-houses did more to bring hogs than any other cause. The first step for a better breed was made by the same Alexander Reed, of Washington, who introduced the Bedford breed about the year 1840. From that time the spirit of improvement began to spread among our farmers. At present we have estab- lished breeds, both large and small. We have the pure Chesters, Berkshires, Poland Chinas, Suffolks and the Jersey Reds and Yorkshires, equal to any of our neigh- boring States.
SILK.
From the close of the Revolution up to 1825, the pro- duction and manufacture of silk was confined to fam- ilies. The importations largely increasing, Congress ap- pointed a committee to investigate the subject and to devise means to encourage production. The report of this committee in 1837 led many to the culture of Morus Multicaulis, "which grew into a mania, " and ultimately proved the financial ruin of many. Single mulberry trees sold at $10, thousands invested and many were ruined, for in two years the revulsion came and the trees could not be sold at 3 cents each. Of the cause of the failure but little is known; some thought it a sort of speculation. Again others more scienced attributed the failure to Morus Multicaulis, which is the male variety and must be raised from cuttings, instead of the Moras Alba, which is raised from the seed. The former has less vital power and is subject to a fungoid disease. The worms feeding on the leaves of these stocks, sick- ened and whole colonies died. Notwithstanding, how- ever, many of the citizens of our county who engaged in this widespread mania succeeded in producing a consid- erable quantity of cocoons. Silk stockings and silk dresses from silk raised in this county were made and
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PENNSYLVANIA REFORM SCHOOL, MORGANZA
METHODIST CHURCH. CLAYSVILLE
HIGH SCHOOL. CLAYSVILLE
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OLD VIEW OF NORTHE MAIN STREET. WASHINGTON
THE -
FRARY
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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY
worn some ninety years ago in Washington, the county seat. In the old Rankin Inn, located whero Andrew Mc- Daniel now lives, the upper rooms wero devoted to silk worms, which were fed on mulberry leaves.
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES.
The first fair of which we have record was that held on the farin of Daniel Purcel ou Chartier's Creek and advertised October 1, 1798. A public meeting was held in Washington in 1820 for the organization of au agri- cultural society, and iu 1822 officers were elected for the Washington Conuty Society for the Promotion of Agri- culture and Domestic Mannfactures. This was one of the first nineteen agricultural societies formed in the United States up to 1826. The fair was held at differ- ent times for many years. The stock display was usually held at some farm near Washington and the manufac- tures displayed at the court house. In 1852 land was leased and in 1855 where now is the College Park, fairs were held until the fair grounds was purchased in Tylerdale. Buildings were erected and fairs held there until 1901, when the society held the last fair. The last business meeting of the society was held in November, 1902. The fairground consisted of forty-two acres of fine level ground in the midst of a rapidly growing industrial district and was fast becoming too valuable for the purposes for which it was used. The taxes had become so high that the society began to lose money. Almost all the stock of the society was bought up, some at $175 per share. The ground was sold to the Fair Grounds Land Company for $80,000, and laid out in lots. It is now partly occupied by dwellings and indus- trial plants.
In 1856 the Union Agricultural Association of Bur- gettstown was organized and still holds annual fairs.
The Mt. Pleasant Equitable Agricultural Association was organized at Hickory in 1859 and existed about four years. About the same time the Florence Agricul- tural Association was organized and held fairs for sev- eral years. Another of these societies was the Mononga- hela Valley Association, which was organized about 1871, and for a time held very successful fairs.
The Millsboro or Sandy Plains Fair was started in 1873 and still holds successful fairs.
The Chartier's Valley Agricultural Association was organized in 1874 and held fairs at Canonsburg for almost ten years. The West Alexander Agricultural Association was organized about 1902 and is attended by many people each year, who are yearly becoming more enthusiastic.
GRANGES.
In 1867 the National Grange of the Patrons of Hus- bandry was organized in Washington, D. C. Under this
National Grange Stato Granges are organized and under them County Granges. The objects of the Grange is to elevato and improve tho agricultural peoplo socially and intellectually.
The Pomona Grange is the State Grange of Pennsyl- vania. Uuder it in Washington Connty there are eleven County Grauges. The Independence, No. 179 Grange, was the first to be organized in the county, it being insti- tuted about 1873. Since then the Jefferson, No. 314; Amwell, No. 1055; Chestnut Ridge, No. 1133; Turkey Foot, No. 1164; Dairy, No. 1308; Scenery Hill, No. 1345; Avella, No. 1371; Deemstown, No. 1372; Pawnec, No. 1375, and Fallowfield, No. 1382, Granges were estab- lished.
POPULATION.
The returns of the census of 1790 for Washington County are interesting. The county then included within its limits all the territory now embraced in Washington and Greene Counties and a part of Beaver County, which is south of the Ohio River. The figures are as follows: Total population, 23,892; white, 23,617; colored, 275; of which 12 were free and 263 slaves. It appears that the total population of the territory embraced in Wash- ington County in 1790, which was 23,617, had increased in 1900 to 116,393 or 392.84 per cent.
The number of inales in the county when the first ceusus was taken was 12,612, and of females, 11,005. The proportion of females has slightly increased, al- though the sexes are yet almost equal in numbers. The total number of families was 3,944. The average sized family had from six to seven members. Small families were the exception; 186 had 11 members and 206 had 2 members. While the increase between 1790 and 1900 had been nearly 400 per cent in both sexes, or in males alone, the increase of males over 16 years of age was over 634 per cent, showing the increase of men to be far greater than that of boys. This may be accounted for by the immigration of so many unmarried for- eigners, including mine employees and gangs of Italian laborers. Washington County had 16,103 persons of English and Welsh descent, 5,278 Scotch, 656 Irish, 76 Dutch, 117 French, 1,374 Germans, and 13 of all other nationalities in 1790. There was only one free colored family.
The population grew steadily every decade until 1840, when there was a falling off of over 1,500. The next census showed a substantial increase, however, and in seventy years the county's population had doubled. Since 1870 the increase has been more rapid, the an- nual increase being over 1,000. The population almost doubled between the census of 1870 and that of 1900. The following table shows the population by decades, as reported by each census :
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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY
Year.
Pop. 1
Year.
Pop.
1790.
23,866
1850.
44,939
1800.
28,298
1860.
46,805
1810.
36,289
1870.
48,483
1820.
40,038
1880
55,417
1830.
42,784
1890
71,155
1840.
41,279
1900.
92,181
The persons assessed for taxation between 1904 and 1906 was increased by over 7,000, making almost 10,000 of an increase of taxahles since 1901, or a total increase of population approximating 35,000 in six years. The increase in 1907 was kept up, but the financial depression in 1908 would probably cause a slight decrease hy foreigners visiting their native land.
Since the year 1901 the number of violent or sudden deaths in the county has been greatly increased. This increase was largely due to the opening of the coal mines in this section, as the mining industry demands a heavy toll each year in human life. Following is a table showing the increase from the year 1901:
Year.
No. of violent deaths investi- gated hy Coroner.
1901
188
1902
207
1903
434
1904
316
1905
366
1906
258
1907
356
1908
423
TAXATION.
For the purpose of comparison, the results of the triennial statements of 1901, 1904, 1907 and 1909 are given below. The last column covers a period of only two years.
1901.
Number of taxahles.
26,951
Acres of cleared land.
495,540
Acres of timber land.
55,121
Value of all real estate
$57,851,126
Number of horses.
15,812
Value of horses.
$786,202
Number of cattle.
14,116
Value of cattle
$364,322
1904.
1907.
1909.
29,758
37,000
35,989
455,782
463,131
484,760
39,479
27,427
23,009
$83,299,961
$106,762,772
$107,974,533
15,278
15,140
15,365
$987,937
$1,081,870
$1,211,538
15,047
16,052
15,602
$386,580
$428,454
$429,938
While the coal husiness has claimed a large share of attention within the past nine years, the real estate
market in general has shown great activity. Within this period, one of the finest steel plants in the world has heen erected within the borders of the county at Donora, and around this big industry has grown a town of 7,000 or 8,000 people. There are fine hotels there, two or three flourishing hanks, good schools and large husiness houses. The great Monongahela River Valley is hecoming one of the husiest spots on earth, and for the past several years has been a literal hive of industry.
According to the 1900 census, the reported area of Washington County is 830 square miles, or 531,200 acres. From this the assessors are authorized to deduct 6 per cent for roads. The total acreage, as returned in 1901 was 495,540, and the total in 1904 was 495,091. This loss of 448 acres prohahly represents property which was divided into town lots. In 1901, the amount of timber standing in the county was 55,121 acres, in 1904 it was 39,479 acres, and in 1909 only 23,009 acres. At this rate the timher would all disappear from the county within the next six years. A single tract of 500 can not he found in the county. Much of the timher has been used for pit posts and railroad cross ties. In 1901, the official report showed that 157,021 acres of coal were held separate from the surface. The 1904 returns showed that 245,668 acres were so held, an increase of 88,647 acres during that time. Of the total area of the county, which is 531,200 acres, probably 500,000 acres are underlaid hy the famous Pittsburg vein of coal. The average assessment of this coal in 1904 was $95.70 per acre. The latest available assessment increases the aver- age value to $142.25. Nothing could show more con- vineingly the remarkahle changes in Washington County within recent years than the ahove. The farmer did not know he owned coal and the commissioners did not know that they could tax it until within the last twenty years. The wonderful progress of the county is seen from the returns of the triennial assessment made in 1880, almost thirty years ago. It appears that 85 per cent of the valuation of the county was upon farm lands. In 1904 only 32 per cent of the assessed valuation was on farm lands. Town property, which in 1880 con- tributed approximately 15 per cent towards paying the expenses of the county in 1904, paid 35 per cent. This shows a larger increase of population in the towns than on the farms and removals from the farm to the towns. This tends to show the increase in prices of farm prod- ucts and the increase of living expenses.
The county records show that in 1791, ten years after the county was organized, the tax levy for county pur- poses was £800, and that laid for State tax was £1,500. One of the expenses provided for was to pay £150 for wolves' scalps. The commissioners and assessors re- ceived £200 per year. The county tax for the following year was £591. £100 was paid for killing wolves and
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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY
£30 for executing malefactors. Who these malefaetors wero wo are not told. Historian Creigh writes of the execution of a negro boy belonging to James DeCamp, by George MeCormick, sheriff of Youghiogheny County, but the date is erroneous. He gives the first exceution in Washington as that of Thomas Richardson, in 1784; the second, William Crawford, in 1823; the third, Kit, the slave, in 1828, and Robert Fogler, in 1867-the last named having been convieted of the murder of Robert W. Diusmore, in Hopewell Township, on December 4, 1866.
The growth of the county is indicated by the recent county tax levy, which is over $554,000.00.
On one day in September, 1908, over $13,000 for taxes was paid to the county treasurer, and the same can be said of the preceding day. The total county taxes in- creased over $100,000 from 1906 to 1908. The total in 1908, including general, dog, bonded debt and State tax, was $501,933.83. This levy was four mills, which was the same rate as two years before. The assessment of additional eoal lands in the county contributed much to this rapid increase of taxes. These taxes are used largely in improving publie roads and bridges, which are a comfort to the traveler, but do not materially in- crease the farm products or the revenue of either the tenant or farm owners. Damages to sheep by dogs in 1908 eost $4,641.68.
From the assessment books we find the following statistics, which show the rapid growth of the county in later years.
Year.
County Valuation. County Tax.
1881.
$ 35,828,485
5
mills
1883.
37,659,807
4 mills
1886.
38,598,554
3.3 mills
1889.
39,586,606
2 mills
1892.
42,206,411
3 mills
1895.
41,944,148
3 mills
1898
46,748,813
4 mills
1901.
58,867,526
3 mills
1904.
83,803,147
312 mills
1907.
107,120,232
3 mills
1909.
107,487,361
314 mills
The millage given does not include 1 mill for bonded tax to pay for the erection of the court house. An in- crease of assessed values was caused by the commission- ers who took charge in 1907 raising valuations to the greatest. Continued inflation appears most clearly in that horses were less in number at the beginning of 1909 than in 1901, yet their assessment value is $425,336 more.
INDUSTRIES.
The industries of the present time differ mueh from those of 100 years ago. The people are much more dependent upon the outside world than heretofore.
Brooms, chairs, eloth, men's hats, leather, boots and shoes, eroekeryware, churns, coopered artieles of home production were common, but such are not now made in the eouuty. The things now used aud worn are nearly all imported from outside of the county. A writer in a reeent issue of the Washington Reporter gives the fol- lowing clear picture:
"In the first quarter of the last century, a Washing- ton gentleman of means provided food for a large family from his farm ncar town, and the only artieles on the table that came over the umountains, or up the river from New Orleans, were sugar and one or two other delicacies. This householder wore a suit of elothes spun from Washington County wool, and shirts of home miade linen. He was shod with stout shocs made in Washington, from leather produced in the county, and he covered his head with a beaver hat turned out from a local hatter's establishment. At a gathering of his friends, he eheered the spirits of the party by a supply of Washington County whiskey, or some old "home- brewed." Last of all, when he and his family rode to church of a Sunday morning, or had occasion to travel to Pittsburg or Wheeling, the vehicle which conveyed them was a large, strong, carriage, made and finished in their home town, and drawn by a team of fine horses, bred in this county. The community at that time made a closer approach to economie independence than it ever has sinee, or probably ever will in the future.
"The most ambitious enterprise of the early days was the formation of the Monongahela Manufacturing and Milling Company, whose 'design was to manufac- ture cotton, wool, hemp, flax, and iron into their various uses.' This company advertised its articles of associa- tion in the papers of the year 1810, and ineluded among its incorporators residents of all parts of the county. Among those interested were Alexander Reed, James Acheson, James Mitchell and William Blackmore.
"The company issued two hundred shares of capital stock of the par value of $50 a share. No one suh- scriber was permitted to take more than ten shares. The water power of Ten Mile Creek was to be utilized by the new eoneern, which actually went ahead and erected factory buildings. These old structures, in a rather dilapidated condition, it is true, may still be seen standing a short distance below Clarksville, on the waters of Ten Mile."
During the first half of the nineteenth century the county was mainly agricultural. The next half is divided into three periods, and although agriculture is the gen- eral business it has been a county of sheep husbandry until 1883, when the glass industry and the oil excite- ment and production began and continued as a leading business until about 1895, when coal came forward as a producer of cash. The banks of the Monongahela River,
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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY
as also Washington, Canonsburg and Claysville, were sought out for manufacturing sites. These recent indus- tries have heen mentioned in the histories of the several townships and horoughs where they are located. Much money and skill and many improvements and inventions have gone into these, and nearly all represent the brain work of those who now reside in this county. Not many of these inventions can be mentioned or descrihed, as they are used privately or under cover. The most familiar and widely known and the ones most universally used are the Forgie Jack and the Forgie Sand Reel. These were invented hy William Forgie, of Washington, and are necessary wherever there is drilling for oil or gas.
The industrial development of the county may he said to have begun ahout the year 1900. Many miles of addi- tional railroads was constructed in 1903, and quite an extension in street car lines. A few months of the latter part of the year showed some depression. Wash- ington County felt the depression in 1904, which was the natural result of the upward movement in real estate transactions which had exceeded the three preceding years. Sale of the surface, coal lands and building lots throughout the county exceeded every anticipation. In one extreme corner of Washington County almost every- body who was not tied to a farm came to the county seat for work or lots. Much of the most desirable coal lands had passed into the hands of operators or specu- lators who were holding it for future operations or speculation. During 1904 there was comparatively little trading in land or coal, as the first owners were hegin- ning to learn of the upward tendency of prices and to learn how some of the old fashioned coal operators figured on the hlack diamonds under the land heing worth $1,000 per acre. Real estate was not so active in 1905, huilding operations were slow and not many new enterprises were commenced. The past ten years has shown the most remarkable growth in the history of this county and from 1900 to 1905 shows the greatest five years of advancement. Almost every little town in the county obtained its local bank. The county seat felt the later depression of the real estate market as little as anywhere in the county, but some of the industrial towns showed considerahle lack of vigor. A fairly good recovery has since heen made.
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