History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Part 29

Author: Smith, Robert Walter
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago : Waterman, Watkins
Number of Pages: 790

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133

THE BOROUGH OF KITTANNING.

The court there held the public buildings of the county to be " a court-house, the necessary public offices for the conduct of the business of the county officers, and a jail. An academy is not a public building within the meaning of the act of assem- bly. The legislature had in mind those buildings which are ordinarily used in conducting county affairs. . Nothing more. Churches, academies, « schoolhouses, poor-houses and the like are in some sense public buildings, but they are not what is meant by legislative language, when, in the erec- tion of new counties, 'public buildings' are pro- vided for, because they are not indispensable to the conduct of the ordinary business of the county. This title, therefore, was never held upon any trust for an academy. *

* * Holding the lots, as the county did, for the purpose of supplying the people with the necessary public buildings, the academy accepted its license necessarily subject to that paramount trust. The trustees of the academy were bound to know that their house was not one of the ' public buildings ' of the county, and they knew also that if they placed it on ground devoted specifi- cally to public buildings, the necessary implication of the license or contract would be that they must quit the premises whenever they should be wanted for the purposes of the county's public buildings. The most that can be made out of the license is that it was a contract for quiet enjoyment during the pleasure of the county. * * The substance of the transaction may be expressed in language like this: 'You may place your academy building on our ground if you choose-for the present there is room enough for you and us; but when the time comes for us to occupy all the ground, or sell it for the purpose of enabling us to build public buildings elsewhere, you must take yourselves out of possession, for we have neither the power nor the disposition to devote the ground permanently to any other than county use.' * Still less * reason has the academy to elaim title under the statute of limitations, for in the first place it is settled law that public rights are not destroyed by long-continued encroachments or permissive tres- passes. And in the next place the possession here was not adverse to, but under and according to the title of the county."

Soon after that decision, the county commis- sioners assumed possession of the academy building and the ground on which it was situated, and leased the same for several years. The upper . room of the building was occupied by the Union Free Press company as a printing office, from April 1, 1864, until January, 1873, when the latter was removed to its present location in Orr's

building, on the north side of Market, below MeKean street.

By the act of April 8, 1851, the commissioners of this county were authorized to divide the acre lot fronting on Market and Jefferson streets, on which the first court-house, public offices, and the academy had been erected, into lots, and sell them to aid in the erection of new public buildings. That acre was divided into eighteen lots, fifteen of which were sold July 2, 1852. By the act of March 12, 1872, the county commissioners were authorized to sell the three unsold lots, in the occupancy of the academy, on what was called " the old court-house square, with the buildings thereon," at public sale, with fifteen days' notice of the time and place of sale, in the newspapers printed in this borough, to execute deeds therefor to the purchasers, conferring good and indefeasi- ble title, and the proceeds of the sale were directed to be paid into the county treasury, and applied toward defraying the expenses of erect- ing the new jail and jailer's house. They were accordingly sold May 1, 1872, for the sum of $7,250.

For years after that Academy went into active operation, it afforded the only facilities, except those of the Doaneville Seminary, for acquiring by both sexes a knowledge of such branches as are usually taught in institutions of that grade, throughout this county. The minutes of the board indicate that the trustees were careful and painstaking in securing competent teachers, among whom were Alexander Shirran,* Rev. J. N. Stark, Rev. Joseph Painter, D. D., and Rev. E. D. Barrett. Some of the pupils have honorably dis- tinguished themselves in the learned professions and in other useful avocations.

Besides the above-mentioned state appropria- tion and private subscriptions of citizens, the academy was the recipient of a bequest of four hundred dollars, made in the last will and testa- ment of the late Thomas Hamilton, which was paid in 1836 and 1837, amounting with interest, after deducting ten dollars collateral inheritance tax, to $501.35.

All that remains of that academy, designed to be a permanent instrumentality for advancing the great interests of education in this region, now consists of its eharter franchises, its board of trus- tees, and a fund amounting to $4,971.09, of which the sum of $1,813.13 is loaned to Armstrong

* A part of Mr. Shirran's system of school government was by a sheriff whom he appointed from among his scholars, one of whose duties was to look np absentees, and, in case they had not permis- sion from parents or some valid excuse for their absence, to arrest and bring them into school. It is said that truants had great dread of Shirran's sheriffs, one of whom was the late Thomas S. Torney, who took great delight in apprehending such wrong-doers.

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY.

county, and the sum of $3,157.96 to the school board of this borough.

UNIVERSITY.

By the act of assembly, approved March 18, 1858, a very liberal charter was granted for the incorporation of the University of Kittanning, " for the encouragement, promotion, cultivation and diffusion of the liberal arts and sciences, literature, law and medicine "- " to embrace the departments of a university, grammar school, a faculty of science and letters, a faculty of law, a faculty of medicine, and an agricultural school, or any one or more of said departments," and such other depart- ment as might be deemed necessary for such insti- tution. The original charter consists of five articles, in which are ample provisions concerning the board of trustees, chancellor, professors, stu- dents, and for the regulation of the various depart- ments, and, through a senatus academicus, for con- ferring academical, legal, philosophical, or medical and honorary degrees, diplomas to graduates, and certificates to such as might have pursued a partial course. The trustees of the Kittanning academy were authorized and empowered to transfer the funds and convey all the estate, real, personal and mixed, of that academy to the trustees of the Uni- versity of Kittanning, when at least ten thousand dollars should be subscribed to the funds of the latter, which has not yet been done. The supple- ment of May 1, 1861, provided, among other things, for the organization of a department for the education of females, to be called the Young Ladies' Collegiate Institute. The supplement of March 13, 1868, changed the name to Columbia University, changed considerably the board of trustees, limiting the number to nine, six of whom to be chosen by and from the shareholders-at-large, the remaining three from and by the First Presby- terian church of Kittanning, as follows : the first to be the active pastor, the second is chosen from and by the session, and the third by and from the board of trustees of that church. A majority of the trustees are to be members or communicants of the Presbyterian church in the United States, whose general assembly met May, 1867, at Cincin- nati, Ohio, or of its legitimate successors. That supplement also provides that all persons, irrespec- tive of birth, sex, creed, or denomination, shall be admissible to any class or department, examina- tion, degree, or honor in or of this institution, without any sectarian test whatever ; that all stu- dents shall be freely permitted to attend such church, religious meeting, or worship as their par- ents or guardians or their own unbiased consciences

may prefer ; and that the pastors of the several churches of Kittanning shall be permitted to in- struct the students of their respective denomina- tions in such moral and religious culture as they may respectively deem prudent, so as not to in- fringe upon the regular hours of instruction in the institution. The name of the chief officer is "changed from chancellor to that of president of the university. The subscriptions which had been made to the pastor or treasurer of the First Pres- byterian church of Kittanning, for founding and establishing au institution of learning, were de- clared to be valid, and required to be paid to the treasurer of the board of trustees of this univer- sity. Various other modifications of the original charter were made by that supplement-vide acts of March 18, 1858, March 31, 1859, May 1, 1861, and March 13, 1868.

Departments were organized under the original charter; also under the last supplement. But as the institution, notwithstanding the ample pro- visions of its charter, never had an adequate pecu- niary basis or suitable buildings for a university in these modern times to make a vigorous and sub- stantial start, its organization, however fair on paper, was necessarily ephemeral. Although the pupils-male and female, adult and juvenile-num- bered one hundred and fourteen for the session commencing in May and closing in September, 1868, all that now remains of that university is the corporate name, and the liberal franchises con- ferred by its charter.

COLLEGE.

Soon after the passage of the above-mentioned act of March 13, 1868, the Episcopalians of this diocese determined to establish a college at Kittan- ning and accordingly took the necessary legal steps to secure a charter, which was granted by the court of common pleas of Armstrong county, September 7, 1868. The body corporate thereby constituted consisted of prominent Episcopalians of Kittanning, Brady's Bend, Allegheny City, Pittsburgh, Erie, Clearfield, Rochester and Sewickley. The charter confers upon that corporation the name of Lambeth College, and, among other usual and necessary powers, the powers to hold property, real, personal, and mixed, by purchase, gift or devise, whose annual income shall not exceed $30,000 ; to confer degrees of bachelors of arts, science and philoso- phy, master of arts and philosophy, and the several academic degrees honoris causa; to award honors in the girls' school in the form either of certificates or diplomas. The bishop of this diocese is consti- tuted ex officio the chancellor of the corporation.

135

THE BOROUGH OF KITTANNING.

It is provided that the college be managed by a board of nine trustees, who must be members of and in faith attached to that branch of the church catholic known as the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States. Authority is given to estab- lish primary, preparatory and academic depart- ments, also departments of law and medicine, and a girls' school. The object of the corporation, as declared by the charter, is the promotion of liberal learning on a distinctive church basis-the reli- gious instruction to be in accordance with the Chris- tian faith as held by the last above-mentioned church-the worship to be in conformity to the formularies thereof, and daily morning and evening prayer to be an essential part of the exercises of the college. (Vide Deed book, Vol. 35, p. 385 et seq., in the office for the recording of deeds in this county.)

Since its incorporation until now this institution has afforded educational facilities in the primary and higher English branches and the classics to a respectable number of students of both sexes. The examinations of its pupils and the exhibitions in which they participated, like those of its cotempo- rary, the Columbia University, were creditable to both the teachers and the taught, but, like the latter in another respect, it has not yet an adequate pecu- miary basis and suitable buildings and equipments for consummating the purpose for which it was established. Whether either or both of the char- ters of those institutions will, during the coming century, be effective in accomplishing the designs of their originators is a question for some future historian of this county to answer, and for those who may have the means of placing the one or the other, or both of those corporations, on a broad and enduring basis to determine. Ought not both those charters to be fully utilized so as to meet the educational wants of the dense population with which this valley and this region will be filled before 1976 ?

PUBLIC LIBRARY.

As early as, or perhaps prior to 1820, the found- ing of a public library was commenced, to which Thomas Hamilton and Thomas R. Peters were liberal contributors. Several hundred volumes of standard historical and other works were contrib- uted by them and others. That library was kept for several years in the northeast room in the sec- ond story of the first court-house, and was removed thence to the southwest room in the first story of the academy. After being sadly neglected in the latter years of its existence and then having received ephemeral attention, the books were finally scattered, and they have thus continued for more

than thirty years in the custody of numerous indi- viduals.

DRAMATIC AND LITERARY SOCIETIES. 1

Between 1840 and 1845 a Thespian society was organized, consisting of about fifteen young men of the town, whose performances are said to have been quite entertaining. They were a mixture of tragedy, comedy and recitations. The society's rehearsals were had and its exhibitions given in the old oil mill, which had been erected by the late James Pinks about 1824, on lot No. 66, where the late Charles Cermpstey afterward erected a steam grist mill, now known as the Briney mill. Their first public theatrical performance was on Friday evening, November 17, 1843, when the fol- lowing plays were, or at least advertised to be, acted: The Review; Perronation, or Fairly Taken In; Swiss Cottage, or Why Don't You Marry? Those Thespians are represented not only to have acted tragedy and comedy well, but some of them to have had a large share of wit. Some of them, too, were great wags. Among the anec- dotes related is this : One of the members, on a certain occasion, was to render the piece begin- ning with, "My name is Norvel. On the Gram- pian hills," etc. After repeating the first line several times, and vainly endeavoring to recall what followed, another member, a noted wag and fun-provoker, assayed to help the declaimer's fal- tering memory by shouting at the top of his voice, "What the - is your name in America ?" which caused peals of hearty laughter. That inci- dent is akin to one which once happened in class- room at a noted theological seminary in this country. It was a certain student's turn to deliver a discourse before one of the professors and the class. He had chosen for his theme or text the words: "None of these things move me." He rose, uttered the words of his text, but could not recall the beginning of his discourse. Several times he repeated, "None of these things move me,-none of these move me," when the venerable professor, having become impatient to hear more of the discourse, with much earnestness exclaimed: " What in the world does move you?"

That Thespian society's existence was not per- manent -it was ephemeral -it was not a lasting success. Therefore, I leave the names even of its stars behind the curtain.

In the winter of 1854 the Literary and Scientific Institute was organized, with a fair prospect of permanent success. The number of members was respectably large, among whom were those engaged in the literary professions and other busi- ness pursuits. The meetings for awhile were well

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY.

attended. The subjects selected for oral debate, written discussion and essays were investigated with a commendable degree of thoroughness and research, and the various exercises were creditable to the industry and ability of those who partici- pated in them. So long as. the generality of its members felt and evinced a lively interest in pro- moting the object for which it was established, it was an effective instrumentality for acquiring knowledge and enhancing mental culture. A library was founded, the maximum number of vol- nmes in which was about 250, among which were substantial literary, scientific and historical works. Nevertheless, the organization, in the course of a year or two, became extinct, either from the lapse of the charm of novelty or want of unanimity among its members, or both. The library was sold at public outcry, and the proceeds of the sale were distributed pro rata among those who had eontri- buted the means for purchasing the books.

The meetings of that institute were held in the third story of the brick building on the southwest corner of Market and Jefferson streets, in the hall of the Sons of Temperance, fronting chiefly on Jefferson street. The close of its brief career was signalized by the delivery by the late Alonzo Pot- ter, D. D., the then bishop of the Episcopal diocese of Pennsylvania, of his masterly and eloquent lecture on the life and services of Washington, before a large audience in the court-room, on a pleasant April evening in 1856.

On the evening of November 18, 1867, about sixteen young and middle-aged men met for the purpose of organizing a Young Men's Christian Association. On Thursday evening, December 5, 1867, an organization was effected by the adoption of a constitution and by-laws, which were subse- quently amended. The object of the association was declared to be the mutual improvement and encouragement of its members in Christian work ; the cultivation of brotherly love and kindness, and Christian charity ; to use their means for the relief of the poor and suffering and their personal influence for advancement of home evangeliza- tion. Its officers were a president, vice-president, treasurer, corresponding and recording secretaries, and four standing committees, viz .: executive, finance, lecture, and on members. Special com- mittees were also appointed as emergencies required. The various evangelical denominations were, as far as practicable, to be represented in the appointment of those committees. The officers were elected by ballot semi-annually. The several committees were appointed by the president.

The members consisted of four elasses-active,

sustaining, life, and honorary. Each active mem- ber was required to pay two dollars annually ; each sustaining member, five dollars annually ; and each life member ten dollars at any one time. Active and life members only had the right to vote. The number of active members who signed the constitution was 91, about 25 others applied and were elected active members; sustaining members, 2 ; life members, 3; honorary members, 4. The regular meetings were held weekly on Thursday evening, except from the first week in June until the first week in October, when they were held onee in two weeks. The places of meet- ing, until May 21, 1868, were in the lecture rooms of the First Presbyterian, Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal, and United Presbyterian churches. Afterward, until regular meetings ceased to be held, they were held in McConnell's hall, which is in the third story of the store building on lot No. 5 of the old court-honse square, fronting on Market street, and in McCulloch's hall, second story of the building on lot No. 7 of the old court-house square, fronting on Jefferson street and an alley between that lot and lot No. 6 of that square.

The opening and closing exercises of the regu- lar meetings were devotional. For several weeks considerable time was spent in revising and amending the constitution and by-laws.

A series of excellent sermons on practical sub- jects, were occasionally preached by six clergymen of the different denominations, in the several churches, on which occasions the usual Sabbath evening exercises in the churches were suspended, so as to enable the congregations to hear these ser- mons. The audiences on these special occasions were large, interested, and appreciative.

A large number of the constitution and by-laws and a suitable selection of hymns and psalms used in the devotional exercises was printed for the use of the members.

A branch relief committee was appointed at an early period of the existence of the association, upon which devolved the duty of seeking out the destitute of this borough in order that they might, if found worthy, receive such aid as could be afforded them by the means at the disposal of the association. A then unprecedented degree of des- titution existed on account of so many having been thrown out of employment by the burning of the rolling mill at the lower part of the borough in December, 1867. The aid thus rendered was timely and greatly needed by some who would have gladly declined it if they could.

About the same time, a special committee was appointed to devise ways and means for establish-

137

THE BOROUGH OF KITTANNING.

ing a library and reading room, which resulted in securing a respectable number of valuable standard works for the former, which were chiefly con- tribnted by several ladies, and a variety of maga- zines and religious and secular papers containing excellent reading matter for the latter. Both were in due time opened to the members and the public, but much less extensively used than such reading matter deserved.

Soon after the complete organization of the association, it was determined to have a series of popular lectures. The first one was delivered February 20, 1868, by Rev. Alexander Clark, Pittsburgh-subject, "Creed and Copy;" the second, by Rev. Charles A. Dickey, Allegheny City, March 10-"At Home and Abroad; " the third, by Rev. Jonathan Edwards, D. D., then president of Washington and Jefferson college- subjeet, "The Philosophy of the Fine Arts ;" the fourth, by Rev. J. M. Guiley, Butler, Pennsylvania, at the opening of the new hall, McConnell's, June 1-" The Young Man's Glory ;" the fifth, by Rev. Alexander Clark, November 18, 1869-subject, " Common Wonders ;" the sixth, by Rev. George P. Hayes, D. D., President of Washington and Jef- ferson college, December 31-subject, "Hunting an Appetite." Prof. Robert Kidd gave several of his varied and masterly elocutionary entertain- ments, February 3, March 2 and 3, 1869, and in the latter part of January or fore part of February, 1870. A free lecture on the Darwinian theory was delivered by Rev. G. P. Hays, May 1, 1871. The plan for securing audiences was by publishing in the usual way the time and place of each lecture and entertainment and trusting to the inclination of the people to attend. At first, the price of a single admission was twenty-five eents, which was afterward increased to fifty cents. The total re- ceipts from all these lectures, except the fifth, of which no account appears to have been kept by either the treasurer or the secretary, were $208.75, and from the elocutionary entertainments, $300.20 -from both lectures and entertainments, $508.95. Through some misunderstanding, the attendance at the fifth leeture, though a very able one, was so meager that the receipts did not exceed, if they equaled, the expenses. Net proceeds from lee- tures, $108.75 ; from elocutionary entertainments, $163.30.

In the summers of 1868 and 1869, festivals were held for the benefit of the association. Each con- tinued for several evenings. The friends of the association, especially the ladies, in town and the surrounding country, made liberal contributions of material and of their time, labor and attention to

render those festivals successful. The total re- ceipts from the first one were $212.70, and from the second one, $65.33 ; from both, $278.03. I do not find in the records any statement of the expenses of the first one. Those of the second were $32.58. The net proceeds of both were, I judge, about $157.75.

When the association was organized it had an open field, which for a while it had a fair prospect of fully occupying for an indefinite period. In the absence of other organizations outside of the churches for advancing the moral and religious in- terests of this community, a large number of young men of different religious denominations, desirous of uniting on common ground for promoting these interests and their own improvement, were natur- ally attracted to it and were actuated by a desire to make it a permanent benefit to themselves and to society. But as the charm of novelty wore away, as the interest of some of its members was divided between it and various other organizations which, about the beginning of its second year, entered the field to help gather the fruits of good works, and after some of its most active members had removed to other places, the lively interest which it had awakened gradually flagged, and its regular meetings almost ceased to be attended by a quorum. It was sometimes difficult to get a quo- rum together for the transaction of urgent business. In June, 1870, the balance in the treasury was only $1.04, and a considerable amount due for rent of hall. Notwithstanding such an adverse state of affairs, the few who still adhered to its interests, determined to institute on a different plan another course of lectures, to be given by some of the most noted leeturers in the country, during the winter of 1871-2. The lecturers were selected, and then a successful attempt was made to sell season tickets, so that the lecture committee knew, before they absolutely engaged the lecturers, on what pecuniary basis they could stand. With the encouragement afforded by the extensive sale of that kind of tickets, the committee ventured upon the experi- ment of inaugurating for that season the follow- ing course:

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History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Part 29

Author: Smith, Robert Walter Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago : Waterman, Watkins Number of Pages: 790

Author: Smith, Robert Walter
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago : Waterman, Watkins
Number of Pages: 790