USA > Pennsylvania > Franklin County > Chambersburg > Historical sketch of Franklin County, Pennsylvania : prepared for the centennial celebration held at Chambersburg, Penn'a, July 4th, 1876, and subsequently enlarged by I. H. M'Cauley John M. Pomeroy, publisher. To which is added a valuable appendix by J. L. Suesserott, D. M. Kennedy and others, and embellished by over one hundred lithographic illustrations, drawn by W. W. Denslow > Part 14
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Historical Sketch of Franklin County.
West Conococheague creek ; thence south seventy-one degrees, east nine hundred and ninety-four perches to the Baltimore road, near Charles Lowry's; thence north eighty degrees, east one thousand one hundred and forty perches to a buttonwood tree standing on the bank of the East Conococheague creek, at the mouth of Wood's run, being the whole extent of said division line-the south side to be called ' Montgomery.'" This name was undoubtedly selected in honor of Brigadier General Richard Montgomery, who had been killed in the attack upon Quebec, Canada, on the 31st of December, 1775. The first settlers were mostly Scotch-Irish, though there were a number of Welsh in the south-eastern part of the township, from whom the present village of "Welsh Run" took its name. They located between the years 1730 and 1735. The first Presbyte- rian church there was organized abont the year 1736, about which time their first church edifice was erected, which was used until the year 1760, when it was burned by the Indians. In 1741 the Upper West Conococheague Presbyterian congregation was divided, and a congregation organized in the Welsh Run district, under the name of "The Lower West Conococheague Church." About 1774 they built their second church, which was used until the present beautiful structure ("The Robert Kennedy Memorial Presbyterian Church " ) was put up on the site of the old church, and dedicated September 30th, 1871.
On the Ist of September, 1787, Mr. John Kennedy, one of the cit- izens of this township, and the owner of five hundred acres of land in it, advertised through the Carlisle Gazette that he had laid out a new town at the forks of the east and west branches of the Conoco- cheague creek ; that there were two hundred and twenty-six lots in his town, each of which was eighty-two and one-half' feet wide by one hundred and sixty-five feet deep; that the streets were to be sixty and eighty feet wide, two of which were named "Water street," (east and west) ; that the lots were to be disposed of by lot- tery on the 13th of November, 1787; that each lot must be inclosed with a rail or paling fence within three years, and a house of briek, stone, frame or log, at least twenty-two feet square, with a chimney of brick or stone, must be put up within five years, and that the annual quit rent on each lot would be three bushels of merchantable wheat. No name was given to the new town, and the whole enter- prise must have been abandoned for some cause or another. A wharf and a warehouse were erected at the site of this town many years ago, and wheat and other grains purchased and floated down the Conococheague in flat boats to the Potomac, and by that river to Georgetown, which was then the principal market for the products of this region of country. The erection of the mill dams on the creek interfered with this trade, and it was long ago aban- doned.
R .
3
135
Historical Sketch of Franklin County.
SOUTHAMPTON-1783.
This township was organized out of the south-eastern part of Lur- gan township, by the order of the Court of Quarter Sessions of Cum- berland county, about the year 1783. I have been unable to find the exact date of its organization, but as it appears upon the records of that county in that year, and does not appear earlier, it must have been organized about that time. Its earliest settlers were also Scotch-Irish, who located in that township (then Hopewell, Cum- berland county) as far back as the year 1738. It is said that the township was called after the county of Southampton, in the south of England, in which there is a city, and important seaport, of the same name, containing about 60,000 inhabitants.
FRANKLIN-1784.
This township appears on the records of our county in the year 1785, and was carried along upon the books of the Commissioners' office, for taxation purposes, as late as the year 1822. I could find no trace of it on the records of Cumberland county, and therefore it must have been organized by an order of the Court of Quarter Nes- sions of this county in 1784, or in the early part of 1785. It was formed out of parts of Guilford and Hamilton townships, and em- braced the town plot of Chambersburg, and seven tracts of land adjacent thereto in both townships, containing about 1,150 aeres. The Borough of Chambersburg was erected by an Act of Assembly approved 21st March, 1803, with boundaries greatly less in extent than those of the township of Franklin, yet the assessments were made for the township for nineteen years afterwards, and how the township organization was then gotten rid of, and the surplus land, outside the borough limits, returned to the adjoining townships, I cannot tell. It may have been done by the order of our Court of Quarter Sessions, but as all the records of that Court prior to 1864, were destroyed when our town was burnt on the 30th of July in that year, I cannot speak with any certainty as to any action of that Court in relation to this township. It was undoubtedly named after our county.
GREENE-1788.
This township was formed out of the eastern end of Letterkenny township, by an order of the Court of Quarter Sessions of our county in the year 1788. The records containing the action of the Court no longer exist, but there are contemporaneous records in the Commissioners' office which show that the township did not exist in 1787, and did exist in 1788. Besides this, the township officers have the township records of 1788, which show the election held
136
Historical Sketch of Franklin County.
that year for their first township officers. These data render it cer- tain that the township was organized in 178?, or in the early part of 1788. It was undoubtedly named after Major General Nathaniel Greene, of the revolutionary army, who but a few years before had so gallantly contested the possession of the Carolinas with the British troops under Lord Cornwallis.
The original settlers in this township (then Hopewell or Lurgan), were Scotch-Irish Presbyterians, who came into it contemporane- ously with the settlement of the surrounding districts. I have not been given the dates of their settlements, and cannot therefore par- ticularize them. Among them were the Armstrongs, Thomsons, Ramages, Stewarts, Culbertsons, M'Clays, Hendersons, Criswells Bittingers, Fergusons, Bairds, Jolmsons, &c., &e., who lived there many years, who are buried there, and whose descendants are among the most worthy in the township, and still adhere to the faith of their forefathers. A house built in 1755, one hundred and twenty - one years ago, is still standing, and in a fair state of preservation.
The town of Greenvillage stands upon the summit level between . the Susquehanna and Potomac, the waters rising east of it flowing into the former, and those rising west of it flowing into the latter. Years ago a certain James M'Nulty, a Roman Catholic, kept a tav- ern in the village, and the celebrated Lorenzo Dow frequently preached in his bar-room to crowded audiences, "subject to certain rules," among which was one that he should not abuse the Catholics, and whenever Lorenzo in his haste or zeal forgot the "rules," out went the candle, and the preacher and his audience were left in the dark.
METAL-1795.
This township was formed out of the southern end of old Fannett, by the order of the Court of Quarter Sessions of this county, about the year 1795. As in the case of Franklin and Greene townships, no record of its organization can be found, because of the destruc- tion of the records of the court. But from the records referred to before, as existing in the Commissioners' office, (wherein tables con- taining the names of all the townships are found), it is certain that this township must have been created about 1795, for its name does not appear in 1795, and does appear in May, 1798. Its earliest settlers were chiefly Scotch-Irish, of the same religious faith as those who settled in the upper part of the Path Valley. Among them were the Elliotts, Walkers, Nobles, M'Connells, Kilgores, Alexanders, M'Cartneys, M'Curdys, Elders, Skinners, Campbells, Mackeys, Montgomerys, Armstrongs, &c., &c. A Presbyterian congregation was formed about the year 1767, composed of the Presbyterians of the whole valley. They early differed as to the location of their church edifice, and finally divided and formed two congregations,
----
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Historical Sketch of Franklin County. 137
that in the southern end of the valley taking the name of "The Lower Path Valley Presbyterian Church, " built their church about one mile south of where Fannettsburg now stands. The congrega- tion in the northern part of the valley took the name of " The Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church," and built their church editice- where the village of Spring Run now stands. The Reverend Amos A. M'Ginley ministered to both churches from 1802 to 1851-nearly fifty years. When first called his salary was fixed at five hundred dollars per year, one-half of which was paid by each congregation. About the year 1820 or 1823, when times became very hard, money scarceand everything very high, the sessions of the churches met and added two hundred dollars to their pastor's salary, one-half thereof to be paid by each congregation. In a few years, when times became better and prices lower, Mr. M'Ginley called the sessions of the churches together and told them that they must take off the extra two hundred dollars, and he afterwards continued to preach for them until his retirement, in 1851, at his old salary of five hundred dollars. Few clergymen can be found in these days who would act so lisinterestedly as did Dr. M'Ginley in this case.
This township was undoubtedly so called because of the large quantity of metal to be found within its boundaries.
WARREN-1798.
The "Little Cove," as this district was called in former tines, was a part of Bedford county until the 29th of March, 1798, when an Act of Assembly was approved annexing it to our county, and making it a part of Montgomery township. It was formed into a township during that year, by an order of the Court of Quarter Sessions of our county, and called " Warren," in honor of Brigadier General Joseph Warren, who had been killed at the battle of Bunker Hill, on the 17th of June, 1776. Because of the destruction of our county records I have been unable to fix the exact date of the order of court organ- izing the township, but it must have been between the April and August terms of that year, for on the 3d of January, 1799, the County Commissioners paid Benjamin Williams six dollars, in part of his services for assessing Warren township.
Settlements were made in this township as early as 1740. Quite a number of them were under rights from Lord Baltimore and the Maryland authorities, whilst the true position of the boundary line between Maryland and Pennsylvania was yet undetermined. There are no towns in the township.
ST. THOMAS-1818-1820.
This township was formed out of territory taken from Peters and Hamilton. That part of the township cast of Campbell's run was 18
138
Historical Sketch of Franklin County.
taken from Hamilton, that west of the run from Peters. The pre- cise date of its organization is in more doubt than the organization of townships formed in the last century. The records of our Court of Quarter Sessions, by whose order it was created, have been de- stroyed, and no contemporaneous record, either in the township or elsewhere, has been found that would fix the date. The first assess book for the laying of a tax in it was issued in November, 1820, but citizens of the township claim that it was formed in ISI8.
The early settlers in the township were chiefly Scotch-Irish, who went there between 1733 and 1737. . There were also some Germans in the eastern or Hamilton part of the township at a very early date.
The township, it is said by old residents, was called after Thomas Campbell, the founder of Campbellstown, (or St. Thomas, as it is now called), by putting the prefix Saint to his given name, making the new name "St. Thomas."
QUINCY-1837-183S.
This township was formed out of the northern part of Washing- ton township, by the Court of Quarter Sessions of our county, and embraces rather more than the one-half of the territory originally in Washington township. It was organized very late in the year 1837, or within the first nine months of 1838 The assess books for 1837 were issued in November of that year, and no book for this town- ship appears amongst them, whereas it does appear among those issued in November, 1838.
The country now embraced in the township was early settled by a mixed population of Germans and Scotch- Irish. Frederick Fish- er located in 1737; George Wertz came from York county in 1745; Adam Small settled about the same time. John Snowberger, a Swiss, settled in 1750; John M'Cleary, of Scotland, in 1768, and his descendants occupied the same tract of land for one hundred and two years. Christopher Dull, Abraham Knepper, Adam Small, George Royer, John and George Cook, Samuel Toms, John Heefner and others were early settlers.
William Hayman, Jr., says : "The first settlers were a hardy and industrious class of men, who came principally from Germany, or from other districts of this country settled by the Germans. They had no lofty affixes or suffixes to their names, There were no Gener- als, Colonels or "D. D's." amongst them; and as they were plain and economical in their style of living, having few luxuries, they sel- dom needed the "M. D's." They were peaceable, and strictly honest in their dealings with their neighbors and fellow men. They loved the institutions of the land, and were slow to favor innovations, think - ing that the old and well-known ways were the best. They went in
RES. OF JOSEPH CRAWFORD. GUILFORD TWP. FRANKLIN CO. PA.
Page 249
RES.OF MILTON CRAWFORD, GUILFORD TP, FRANKLIN CO., PA. (FROM THE SITE OF THE OLD HOMESTEAD.)
139
Historical Sketch of Franklin County.
for the substantials of life. Their clothing was plain and comforta- ble, both in summer and in winter. Shoddy was unknown to them. Every farmer put out a small patch of flax for himself and his house- hold. The fields yielded abundantly, and the men served their coun- try as faithfully in raising produce for the sustenance of mankind- as many who occupied public stations and bore arms."
This township is very rich in iron ores and other minerals, and has in it some of the most productive farm lands in our county. The old residents say that it was called after John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States.
POST OFFICES IN FRANKLIN COUNTY.
The first settlement in our county, as has heretofore been stated, was made about the year 1730. Thirty-four years afterwards, or in 1764, the town of Chambersburg was laid out, and twenty years after that, or in 1784, the county of Franklin was formed, and yet, it was not until six years later, or in 1790, that the people of the county were given a post office. Considerable settlements had been in existence for years before at Fort Loudon, Chambersburg, Mer- cersburg, Greencastle, Waynesboro', Roxbury, Strasburg, St. Thom- as and other points in the county, whilst the population had in- creased from between three and four thousand in 1750, to nearly fourteen thousand in 1784, and numbered fifteen thousand six hun- dred and fifty-five in 1790; and yet for nearly sixty years our ances- tors in this part of the Cumberland Valley had not a single post office among them. How they were able to transaet their necessary public and private business, it is difficult to imagine. It is well known that letters were not neat as numerous then as now; but how a people numbering nearly sixteen thousand, with a county or- ganization, and all the consequent public and private corres- pondence, could thus get along for six years I cannot conceive. Of course they had to depend upon the courtesy of travelers, or neigh- bors, or rely upon private post riders, for the transmission of their letters and other postal matter.
The Hon. James H. Marr, Acting First Assistant Post Master General, has certified to me the following list of the post offices in. our county, with the dates of their establishment, respectively, and the names of the first post masters, viz. :
Chambersburg, John Martin, appointed. P. M. June 1,1790
Greencastle, John Watson,
١١ April 4, 1799
Mercersburg, James Bahn,
Jan. 1, 1803
Fannettsburg, James Sweeney,
March 30, 1809
Brown's Mills, William Brown,
،،
July 1,1813
Concord, Edward W. Doyle,
16
Jan. 16, 1816
Waynesboro, Michael Stoner,
Dec. 31, 1818
140
Historical Sketch of Franklin County.
Roxbury, William Reynolds, appointed P. M. Feb. 5, 1822
St. Thomas, John Shafer,
Feb.
21, 1824
Dry Run, William Campbell, Jr.,
Sep. 15, 1825
Fayetteville, John Darby,
Sep. 4, 1826
Greenvillage, James M'Nulty,
66
Sep. 12, 1827
Jackson Hall, John S. Kerr,
Jan.
12, 1828
Loudon, Benjamin Stenger,
Dec.
24, 1828
Upper Strasburg, William M'Clellan,
16
Feb.
28, 1828
State Line, David Brumbaugh,
،،
Feb. 9, 1830
Quincy, Jacob Byer,
March 27, 1830
Welsh Run, John Eldon,
66
March 2, 1833
Orrstown, James B. Orr,
Jan.
26, 1836
Sylvan, William Bowers,
Feb.
3, 1837
Bridgeport Mills, Martin Hoover,
Feb.
15, 1837
Mont Alto, John Kuhn,
Dec.
14, 1843
Scotland, George R. M'Ilroy,
June
26, 1849
Spring Run, William A. Mackey,
Nov.
13, 1850
. Amberson's Valley, B. J. Culbertson, Doylesburg, Philip T. Doyle, Carrick Furnace, Geo. W. Swank,
July
5, 1860
Shady Grove, Frederick B. Snively,
Dec.
7, 1860
Mount Parnel, John Mullan,
April
3, 1862
Clay Lick, Elam B. Winger,
April
21, 1862
Mowersville, Jacob Snoke,
66
March 3, 1868
New Bridge, H. P. Piper,
64
Sep.
8, 1868
Mason & Dixon, A. B. Barnhart,
May
15, 1868
Richmond Furnace, W. Burgess,
May
23, 1872
Williamson, E. FL. Hagermau,
..
Aug.
20, 1872
Five Forks, W. H. Brown,
March 5, 1873
Rouzersville, C. H. Buhrman,
June 26, 1873
Lehmaster's, C. Plum,
16
1877
TOWNS AND VILLAGES IN FRANKLIN COUNTY.
ALTO DALE. See Funkstown.
BRIDGEPORT (P. O., Bridgeport Mills) is situated in Peters town- ship, at the intersection of the roads from St. Thomas to Mercers- burg, and from Loudon to Upton. It is a very old settlement. As early as 1730 or 1731 John, William, Nathan and James M'Dowell, four brothers, took up a large quantity of land immediately around where the village now is. Within a few years afterwards John M'Dowell built a grist mill, and in 1756 built the fort, which dur- ing those early days was so well known as "M'Dowell's Fort." A magazine was early established there by the Colonial authorities for the deposit and safe keeping for arms and munitions of war. About
May 17, 1830
Marion, William Martin,
16
Dec.
16, 1550
May
23, 1854
16
66
141
Historical Sketch of Franklin County.
fifty-five years ago a stone bridge was built there over the West Branch of the Conococheague, and from that time the place was called Bridgeport. The town has grown up principally within the last twenty five or thirty years. The population is now near one hundred and fifty.
CAMP HILL is situated in Montgomery township, at the base of Casey's Knob, six miles south of Mercersburg. It was started by William Auld, Esq., about the year 1830, and took its name from a large camp meeting that was held there at that time. Its popula- tion numbers nearly fifty persons.
CARRICK (P. O., Carrick Furnace) is situated in Metal town- ship, on the road leading.from Loudon through Path Valley north- ward, about four miles south of Faunettsburg. Carrick Furnace was built by General Samuel Dunn in the year 1828. It is now carried on by R. M. Shalter, and manufactures about thirty tons of iron per week. The population of the village is about one hundred and twenty persons.
CASHTOWN is situated in Hamilton township, on the slate road leading from Chambersburg to Mercersburg, six miles from the former place. Its population numbers about fifty persons.
CENTRE, or CENTRE SQUARE, is situated in Lurgan township, on the road leading from Orrstown to Roxbury. The population numbers about one hundred and fifty persons.
CHAMBERSBURG (P. O.) is situated at the confinence of the Cono- cocheague creek and the Falling Spring. Benjamin Chambers set- tled here about the year 1730. On the 30th of March, 1734, before . the Indian title was extinguished, he obtained a license from Samuel Blunston, the agent of the Penns, to take up four hundred acres of land, ou both sides of the creek, at the point where Chambers- burg now stands. He immediately built a saw mill at the mouth of the Falling Spring, and a few years afterwards erected a flour mill just south of his saw mill. In the early part of June, 1764, Colonel Chambers laid out the town of Chambersburg, and on Thursday, the 28th day of that month, held a lottery to dispose of the lots. The town grew slowly, and lots commanded but poor prices, as thirteen years afterwards, viz. : on the 12th day of July, 1777, Colonel Chambers sold the lot Trostle's tavern now stands upon to Nicholas Snyder for one pound ten shillings, Pennsylvania cur- rency, (or $1.00 of our present money), upon the condition that within two years he should build a house upon it at least sixteen feet square, and forever pay an annual quit rent of fifteen shillings to the said Chambers, or his heirs or assigns.
In September, 1784, by the act creating the county of Franklin, Chambersburg was made the county seat of the new county. Its population was then not more than four or five hundred. In 1786 there were ninety-six houses here, and in 1788 one hundred and
142
Historical Sketch of Franklin County.
thirty-four. We have now about 1085 houses, of stone, brick and framed timber, all of them substantially, and many of them taste- fully built and ornamented. We have fourteen churches, viz. : two Presbyterian, one Reformed, one English Lutheran, one Protestant Episcopal, two Methodist Episcopal, one German Reformed, one Baptist, one German Lutheran, one United Brethren, one Roman Catholic, and two colored Methodist. Our Court House is one of the best in the State, whilst our prison is a disgrace to the county.
We have two banks, with commodious banking rooms, a conven- ient and tasteful Masonie Hall, two Odd Fellow's Halls, "Reposi- tory Hall," for public meetings, concerts, &c., and seven of the most convenient and best conducted hotels to be found anywhere in the interior of the State. We have also an immense straw-paper mill, (Heyser's), a largesteam flouring mill, ( Wunderlich & Nead's), the Chambersburg flour mill, and the Chambersburg Woolen Mills. We have also the foundry and iron works of T. B. Wood & Co., and the furniture manufactory of Henry Sierer & Co., where everything in their lines of business is made, and we have water works and gas works. Our population is about six thousand eight hundred, and our municipal debt does not exceed ninety-five thousand dollars. The borough of Chambersburg was formed out of parts of the town - ships of Guilford and Hamilton, by an Act of Assembly approved 21st March, 1803, and has been enlarged several times since by the action of the Court of Quarter Sessions.
CHARLESTOWN is situate in Peters township, on the turnpike leading from Mercersburg to M'Connellsburg, about three miles from the former place. It has a population of near fifty persons.
CHEESETOWN is situated in Hamilton township, three miles north- west of Chambersburg, on the road leading towards Keeter's store. It was begun by Joseph Bowman about the year 1810, and has a population of near forty persons.
CHURCH HILL is a small village in Peters township, on the "Warm Spring" road. It has sprung up recently, and is located upon land formerly the property of the " Old White Church," from which it takes its name. The population numbers about thirty persons.
CLAY LICK (P. O.) is situate in Montgomery township, at the base of Clay Liek mountain, from which it takes its name. It was begun by Jacob Negley about the year 1831. Its population is near one hundred.
CONCORD (P. O.) is situated in Fannett township, in the upper end of Path Valley. It was laid out by James Widney, and the first sale of lots for building purposes was made by him in the year 1797. It was doubtless called after Concord, Massachusetts, the place where, on the 19th of April, 1775, the British troops under Lieut. Col. Smith, first felt the temper of the continental minute
143
Historical Sketch of Franklin County.
men. The town now contains thirty-four dwellings, two churches, two stores, one hotel and one grist mill, and one hundred and seventy-six inhabitants.
COVE GAP is situated in Peters township, at the point where the public road leading out of the Little Cove, or Warren township, in- tersects the turnpike leading from M'Connellsburg to Mercersburg. Its population is about fifty persons.
DOYLESBURG (P. () is situated in Fannett township, three miles south of Concord, at the mouth of Burns' Valley, on the pub- lic road from Concord to Dry Run. It was laid out by Philip T. Doyle, in the year 1851, and contains a large steam tannery, one store and eleven dwellings, with a population of about seventy per- sons.
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