USA > Pennsylvania > Beaver County > History of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and Its Centennial Celebration, Volume II > Part 4
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The last building erected (in 1863), which in its turn soon
' By an Act approved May 8, 1855, the trustees of the Beaver Academy were authorized "to take possession of and occupy the reserved lots or public square in the southeast corner of the borough of Beaver for the purpose of locating thereon and erecting new academy buildings. Providing that the same be done with the consent of the burgess and council of the said borough." (P. L. 517.) We are unable to ascertain at this late date why advantage of the provisions of this Act was not taken by the trustees of the Academy. Possibly it was because the consent of the borough officials was not obtained.
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came to be known as the "old Academy building," stood until the year 1900, when it was demolished. For nearly twenty-five years it had been unused for school purposes. After the closing of the school the doors were nailed up and the shutters barred. All the maps, globes, and other apparatus passed with the title of the property, and were stored away in the lower rooms, the hope being that the school could sometime be resuscitated. This, however, was never accomplished. The place became a popular resort for adventurous boys, who turned the rooms into a play- house, and destroyed or carried off the apparatus. For a brief period it was occupied by an athletic club, and later by a private military company known as the Beaver Cadets, John Thomas McMahon, captain, who used the chapel as a drill hall, and this was the last legitimate use to which it was put.
The following is a list of the officers and instructors in the Academy, as complete as we are able to make at this late day:
Presidents of the board of trustees: Robert Moore, 1815-'32; James Allison, 1832-'35; Rev. William Maclean, 1835-'36; Daniel Agnew, 1841-'43, 1850-'52; Oliver Cunningham, M.D., 1843-'50; Rev. Isaac M. Cook, 1852-'54; Thomas Cunningham, Esq., 1854-'57; Smith Cunning- ham, M.D., 1857-'61; Rev. D. A. Cunningham, 1861-'64: Rev. D. H. A. McLean, 1864-'67; Rev. D. L. Dempsey, D.D., 1867-'69; 1879; Dr. John Murray, 1869-'70; Rev. D. P. Lowary, 1870-'75; Samuel Moore- head, 1875-'77; Rev. D. J. Satterfield, 1877-'79.
Secretaries: Samuel Lawrence, 1815-'32; William Allison, 1832-'33; James Logan, 1833-'35, 1843-'45; Robert Darragh, 1835-'36; John Pugh, 1836-'38; William McCallister, 1838-'39, 1840-'43; David Minis, 1839-'40; Hiram Stowe, 1845-'49; B. C. Critchlow, 1849-'52; Benjamin Wilde, 1852-'54; Thomas J. Power, 1854-'57; Dr. J. Murray, 1857-'60; John B. Young, Esq., 1860-'63; Henry Hice, Esq., 1863-'67; J. C. Wil- son, 1867-'68; John Barclay, 1868-'70; (vacancy from 1870 to 1875); J. R. Harrah, Esq., 1875-'77; D. Singleton, 1877-'79.
Instructors: David Johnson took charge Feb. 9, 1815, and taught several years. He was greatly venerated by many eminent men as the efficient and faithful instructor who had enabled them to lay broad and deep the foundations of their knowledge and character. Miss Helen Catlett, as elsewhere mentioned, was a sucessful teacher in this institu- tion from 1826 to 1827; Louis B. Williams, a distinguished scholar and teacher, served 1834-'38; Rev. A. O. Patterson, of great excellence also, was principal in 1838; Rev. Lemuel G. Olmstead, a scholar and author, was teacher 1837-'38. From 1839 to 1841 A. C. McClelland was prin- cipal, and Rev. Nathaniel Todd from 1841 to 1843. S. L. Coulter was principal from April 1, 1843, until 1850.
January 19, 1844, the institution became co-educational. T. M.
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Hill was employed as assistant teacher. William Y. Brown was prin- cipal, and W. W. Laverty his assistant, 1850-'51; and January 8, 1852, Samuel Jones became principal with P. L. Grim, assistant. Nov. 17, 1852, Mr. Jones resigned to accept a professorship in Jefferson (later Washington and Jefferson) College, where he was long a beloved and highly successful teacher. His successor in the principalship of the Academy was Rev. Isaac M. Cook, whose assistants were James Huston, Rev. Charles B. Maclay, and Miss Juliet E. Cook. Mr. Cook died in 1853, and Rev. J. A. McGill was chosen his successor, serving from 1854 to 1858. His assistants at different periods were Mrs. J. B. McGill, Na- thaniel McCormack, Miss Ellen Gillis, Miss M. E. Elliott, J. L. Bitner, Miss Margaret Warnock, A. M. Wilson, Miss Margaret Ledlie, Matthew Duff, Miss E. Moon, J. M. Smith, Miss M. J. Haft, Miss E. C. Moore, Miss Jennie Mateer, Miss Bella C. Fry, Miss Maria'Scott, Mrs. N. O. Van Emon, and Madame P. Zwerger. In 1858 C. W. Mateer was principal, his successor from that year until 1864 being Simon B. Mercer. Prof. S. H. Peirsol was assistant in 1862. In 1864, Rev. D. H. A. McLean and Rev. D. P. Lowary were appointed associate principals. January 26, 1865, Frank H. Agnew was chosen principal and M. Gantz, associate. In August of the same year Mr. Agnew resigned, and his associate, Mr. Gantz, was chosen to succeed him. For the five years following July, 1866, Rev. R. T. Taylor was in charge of the institution. Nov. 27, 1868, a contract for one year was made with Rev. J. W. Martin, but at the end of six months the contract was annulled. The last principal was the Rev. John W. Scott, D.D., LL.D., who was elected Feb. 6, 1870, but remained only six months. He was an eminent educator and had previously been president of Washington College.
In the catalogue of 1860-61, the name of J. R. Miller is given as Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Principal of the English Depart- ment of the Academy and Teacher of Phonography in the Seminary. This is the eminent Presbyterian minister of Philadelphia, well known as a writer of many religious works.
The Female Seminary of Beaver Academy .- In the summer of 1854, Rev. J. A. McGill, pastor of "Four-Mile Square" United Presbyterian Church, having been elected principal of the Beaver Academy, removed to Beaver and took charge of that institution. At this time the school was divided; the male stu- dents assembled and recited in the Academy building, and apart- ments were rented in a two-story frame house in another part of the town to accommodate the female students. It soon be- came apparent that more commodious buildings were needed to supply the demand of both departments, and accordingly the principal, by the advice of his friends and of the friends of the institution, purchased the property of R. B. Barker, M.D., a two- story brick building with spacious grounds situated on Third
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Street, which building he enlarged to 100 by 60 feet, with three stories, containing a chapel, class-rooms, and bed rooms, afford- ing accommodations for twenty or more boarders. This is the present Beaver House, corner of Third and Beaver streets. About the same time, as previously stated, the trustees of the Academy bought from the heirs of Major David Porter the three-story hotel property on the southwest corner of Third and Commerce streets, affording accommodations for school and boarding purposes. Under the principalship of Mr. McGill the Seminary greatly prospered, when, owing to the failure of his wife's health, who had been his efficient assistant in the work, he was compelled to resign in June, 1861. During his principal- ship of the Academy and Seminary, Mr. McGill, besides teach- ing for some years the higher branches in the Academy and superintending the interests of both departments, preached for a time in the court-house, and afterwards in the Seminary Hall, and eventually organized the United Presbyterian Church of Beaver, whose first house of worship, a brick building, was erected during his pastorate. On his removal from Beaver Mr. McGill became pastor of East 11th Street United Presbyterian Church, New York City, which he served for some years. At seventy-nine years of age he resides in New Wilmington, Pa., and still occasionally preaches as a supply.1
In October of the year in which Mr. McGill's connection with the Seminary ceased (1861), the control of the institution seems to have passed to Rev. W. W. Laverty. Of his successors we can find no record, except that mention is made by former
1 It is difficult to get definite information about this institution. Several residents of Beaver affirm that it was under the auspices of the United Presbyterian Church during the greater part of its existence, having no real connection with Beaver Academy unless, perhaps, at the start. But the account of it given above, the data for which we obtained from Mr. McGill himself, seems to be supported by the official catalogues of the Academy. Three of these are before us. The first is for 1857, and the title-page reads, Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Beaver Academy, a classical and commercial school, and Seminary for Young Ladies. The principal for both the Academy and the Seminary is therein named as Rev. J. A. McGill, A.M. The title-page of the catalogue for 1857-8 is the same, and that of the Seminary in the same catalogue reads, Catalogue of the Female Seminary of Beaver Academy. In the catalogue of that year C. W. Mateer, A.B., is named as the princi- pal of the Academy and Rev. J. A. McGill as the principal of the Seminary. The catalogue for the academic year 1860-61 is the same, except that S. B. Mercer is named as the prin- cipal of the Academy.
As further showing a very close connection of the Seminary with the Academy we quote the following, which is contained in all of these catalogues:
"FEMALE SEMINARY .- This department is under the same general supervision as the other [the Academy] thus securing to it all the advantages arising from the Endowment and the possession of extensive apparatus, and a fine Library. . .
-
Rev. R. T. Taylor, D.D.
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pupils of the school of one principal named M. E. Scheibner, and of Rev. Thomas Kennedy, who was in charge when, in 1876-77, the institution closed its career. With the ending of the Academy-about 1867 or 1868-the Seminary had become co-educational.
Beaver College and Musical Institute has an honored history of over half a century. It was chartered December 28, 1853, as the "Beaver Female Seminary," under "the auspices and patronage of the Pittsburg Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church of the United States." The charter members were: Rev. Joshua Monroe, R. P. Roberts, Esq., Rev. J. Keiss Miller, Hiram Stowe, Benjamin Adams, William Henry, John Barclay, David Minis, J. J. Anderson, William Barnes, John Allison, Rev. William G. Taylor, D.D., William Anderson, John West, and L. Whitsell.
The first board of trustees consisted of Rev. Joshua Monroe, R. P. Roberts, Esq., Hiram Stowe, Esq., Rev. William G. Tay- lor, D.D., John Murray, Hugh Anderson, Benjamin Adams, George W. Allison, and David Minis.
Among those actively instrumental in establishing this in- stitution were Bishop Matthew Simpson and Rev. D. L. Demp- sey, D.D.
About 1895 the buildings of the college were destroyed by fire, but the work of rebuilding was at once begun and on a larger and more modern plan. The faculty now numbers six- teen experienced teachers. The departments of instruction are literary, including four courses, classical, scientific, Latin, and modern languages, each covering four years of study and lead- ing to a degree. In music there are three complete courses, piano, pipe organ, and voice. There are also art and commercial departments.
The first president of the college was Rev. Sheridan Baker. On his retirement at the end of a year and a half, his place was taken by Professor Samuel Davenport, who held it for about the same length of time. He was followed by Rev. R. T. Taylor, D.D., who served until 1894, a period of continuous service of thirty-five years. Prof. J. A. Alexander, A.M., served from 1894 to 1896; Rev. N. H. Holmes, D.D., from 1896 to 1898; and Rev. Arthur Staples, A.M., B.D., is now at its head.
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PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The public-school system of Beaver was organized soon after the free-school legislation was passed in 1834. In 1835 the Beaver school district was formed, including Beaver, Vanport, Bridgewater, and Sharon, and a board of directors elected. Two one-story buildings were erected in 1838, which, in 1861, were replaced by the present large brick structure. The public schools now have a well-graded course of eight years, including all the common branches, and the High School gives a course in Latin, Greek, German, and English, preparing students for ad- mission to the freshman class of the colleges.
CHURCHES
The Presbyterian Church .- The remark made concerning the organization of several of the oldest churches of this denomina- tion in Beaver County, viz., that there was probably never any formal organization by Presbyterial committee made, is doubt- less applicable to the church in the county-seat. There is no record of any organization, but there must have been a con- gregation there for some time previous to the year 1799, for in the minutes of the Presbytery of Redstone under date of October 15th of that year occurs the following entry, " The Congregation of Beaver Creek applied for Mr. Gwin to be appointed there as a stated supply the next winter," and the minutes of the following day say that Mr. Gwin was appointed to "supply Beaver until the next meeting of Presbytery."I Still earlier mention is found. After the erection of the Presbytery of Ohio in 1793 mention is early made of "supplication for supplies " coming from McIntosh,2 i. e., Beaver, and in 1796 Revs. John McMillan and Thomas Marquis were appointed by that Presbytery to visit the region north of the Ohio. They doubtless found Presbyterian people there, and it may be organized them into churches. In the records of the Presbytery of Hartford, to which the territory in which Beaver is situated belonged from 1808, is a minute of the appointment on April 12, 1809, of the Rev. William Mathews to preach one day at Beavertown; and on September 12th of the same year the Rev. Mr. Sample was appointed to preach
1 See Minutes of the Presbytery of Redstone, Cincinnati, Elm Street Printing Company, 1878, pp. 150, 152.
See History of the Presbytery of Washington, Philadelphia, 1889, p. 11.
Old Presbyterian Church, Beaver.
.
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on the fourth Sabbath of September, and the Rev. M. Barr on the second Sabbath of November. At a meeting of this Presbytery held in Newton, Ohio, April 13, 1813, leave was asked by the congregations of Beavertown and New Salem to present calls to the Presbytery of Ohio, for the services of Ezekiel Glasgow, a licentiate of that body. The request was granted at the June meeting, the calls were accepted, and, on August 31, 1813, he was formally installed at the Beaver church, being its first regular pastor. Rev. Nathan B. Derrow preached the ser- mon; Rev. Thomas E. Hughes presided and gave the charge.
There was as yet no church building; the services were held in some grove, and after the completion of the court-house in 1810, that building was used both by the Presbyterians and other denominations of the town as a place of worship.
The pastorate of Mr. Glasgow was short. From the records of Presbytery, October 8, 1814, we learn "that Presbytery was in- formed that the Rev. Ezekiel Glasgow was removed by death on the 23d of April last." He was the first person buried in the old graveyard at Beaver, and his grave receives religious care from the congregation to this day.
The first existing sessional record of this church is dated 1823, and begins with these words: "The Rev. William Maclean undertook the pastoral charge of this church and congregation on the first Sabbath of May, 1823." Then follows a list of thirty-eight persons, members of the church. The first minutes of the session are dated June 14, 1823. The ruling elders at this time were James Jackson, Andrew Jackson, David Johnson, and William Anderson; and the additional names of John Clark, D. Eakin, and Thomas Henry soon after appear on the records. April 1, 1831, the number of communicants was 213.
In 1832 the Presbytery of Beaver was formed and included the Beaver church within its bounds. January 12, 1836, Mr. Maclean requested Presbytery to release him from the charge of the Beaver church on account of severe and protracted illness, and the request was granted. During this pastorate the first house of worship was erected, probably about 1825, for the grant of ground on the public square for this purpose had been made by Act of the Legislature, March 29, 1824.' The walls of this first building stood, as part of the several times remodeled
: P. L., 1824, 487.
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structure, until the present imposing building on Elk Street was erected.
Rev. A. O. Patterson was pastor from May, 1836, until June, 1839. During this time the whole number of additions to the church was seventy-six. In 1837 David Johnson, first protho- notary of Beaver County, and one of the first ruling elders of the church, finally passed away, having been for several years previous too infirm to meet more than occasionally with the session. After Mr. Patterson's resignation the pulpit was vacant for a longer period than usual, there being only occasional sup- plies by Revs. D. X. Junkin, James Satterfield, and others, from June, 1839, to November, 1840. About the latter date, Rev. A. B. Quay, father of the late Senator Matthew Stanley Quay, assumed the pastoral charge, which he faithfully performed, with the exception of an interval of three months in the early part of 1842, when he was acting as agent for the General Assembly's Board of Education, until February, 1842. In that year he resigned to accept an appointment from the Board of Foreign Missions as their agent. This position he held for one year, when he accepted a call to the church of Indiana, Pa., where he remained as pastor until 1849, after which he became the agent of the Pennsylvania Colonization Society. He died in Beaver in 1856, and his remains, with those of his wife, repose in its beautiful cemetery. For about three years and a half after the close of Mr. Quay's pastorate, the church of Beaver was without a settled pastor. This was a period of storm and stress in the life of the church. Two candidates had been brought before the church, Rev. John M. Lowrie and Rev. Isaac M. Cook. The session and congregation divided on the merits of these two men, and the controversy, after dragging out its weary length in the church and in the Presbytery, ended in the division of the congregation, four elders and eighty-one members being dis- missed, January 23, 1845, to unite with a congregation about to be organized, by consent of the Presbytery, in Bridgewater. The retiring elders were James Jackson, John Carothers, David Eakin, and John Alcorn.
On the roll of Beaver church, March 22, 1845, there are recorded sixty-nine names. There were two elders, of whom Thomas Henry was probably one. The roll of session, dated September 14, 1845, shows Rev. B. C. Critchlow, moderator;
The First Presbyterian Church, Beaver.
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and Grier McWilliams and Joshua Logan, elders. Mr. Critch- low had accepted a call to Beaver for one half his time, the other half being given to the church then lately organized in New Brighton. In a short time the session had been reduced to one elder, with the pastor, Thomas Henry having died July 20, 1849. In the minutes of May, 1851, the names of Joseph Moorhead and John D. Stokes appear as elders. April 5, 1852, Mr. Critchlow resigned to give his whole time to New Brighton.
From May, 1853, to September, 1856, Rev. W. G. Taylor was pastor. During this period the number of communicants increased from forty-one to sixty-one, and (1854) the church was transferred from the Presbytery of Beaver to that of Alle- gheny.
From 1856 until 1859 the pulpit was vacant, having occa- sional supplies. In March of the latter year, Rev. J. F. Mc- Laren, D.D.,' became stated supply, preaching every alternate Sunday. Dr. McLaren left about the 7th of May, 1862. On the 7th of September of the same year, Rev. David P. Lowary began the work of supply, and on September 15, 1863, was in- stalled as pastor, which post he held with great success until his death in 1873. During the eleven years of his pastorate there were added to the church 256 persons.
From May 5, 1873, until his resignation on June 28, 1885, Rev. D. J. Satterfield was pastor, and during this period there were 310 accessions to the membership.
The next pastorate was that of Rev. John K. McKallip, who began his labors January 1, 1887. Mr. McKallip continued with this church until his resignation on December 30, 1894.
During his pastorate the congregation entered on the work of building a church more suitable to its needs. The old struc- ture, the only house of worship in the history of the congrega- tion, had fallen into decay, and was besides too small for the growing congregation, and it was decided at a meeting of the people of the church, August 28, 1889, not to repair it. At another congregational meeting, September 4, 1889, it was unanimously decided to build a new church. John M. Buchanan, Esq., then submitted a written proposition offering to donate a building site on the corner of Elk Street and Corporation Alley,
' Father of Bishop W. E. McLaren, of the diocese of Chicago, and the father-in-law of Rev. Archibald Hodge, D.D., LL.D., of Allegheny and Princeton Theological Seminaries.
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which was accepted. The trustees, by authority of the con- gregation, appointed the following building committee: Hon. Henry Hice, John M. Buchanan, Esq., Mr. A. T. Anderson, Mr. John A. Shillito, and Hon. Ira F. Mansfield. Mr. Edward J. Allison was elected treasurer of the building fund. The archi- tect selected was Mr. James P. Bailey of Pittsburg. On Febru- ary 14, 1890, the contract was let to Mr. Robert Hall of East Liverpool, Ohio, to erect the building at a cost of $42,895. Ground was broken, March 12, 1890, and the finished structure was dedicated January 31, 1892. The dedicatory sermon was preached in the morning by Rev. James D. Moffat, D.D., Presi- dent of Washington and Jefferson College, and a formal opening of the beautiful Sabbath-school apartments took place in the afternoon, and Rev. H. T. McClelland, D.D., of Pittsburg, made an address.
The Sabbath-school of this church was organized shortly after the coming to the congregation as pastor of Rev. Ezekiel Glasgow, in 1813. Its first superintendent was Hon. Thomas Henry, and its present one is John M. Buchanan, Esq. The little school received a severe blow, a few months after it started, by the death of Mr. Glasgow.
During the pastorate of Mr. McKallip, he, with a faithful band of workers, began a work at Vanport, which resulted later in the organization of a Sabbath-school and church there.
The present pastor, Rev. James Smith Ramsay, D.D., was installed December 6, 1896, the interval having been filled by supplies, principally by Rev. James D. Moffat, D.D.
In addition to the usual societies, this church maintains a very successful Men's Club, for the promotion of mutual ac- quaintance and fellowship. It has a large membership, and meets twice a month. After an address by some one selected for the occasion, in the lecture room, the members adjourn to the dining hall of the church, where a lunch is served and an hour spent in post-prandial talks.
The Methodist Episcopal Church."-We have already given some data concerning the early history of this church in the chapter on the religious history of the county, and need not repeat it here. We spoke there of the first steps towards the 1 For the following sketch we have used part of the Historical Sketch of Methodism in Beaver, by Rev. Appleton Bash, Ph.D.
First House of Worship of Methodist Episcopal Church, Beaver.
MROU
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formation of a Methodist church being made by Elder Swazey and others in the organization of a class which met in Coulter's tavern. Members of this little band were such faithful ones as Mrs. Robert Moore, Mrs. Catherine Gibbs, Mrs. Mary Somers, William Adams, Benjamin Adams, Dr. Milo Adams, Robert Darragh, Joseph Vera, John T. Miller, George Hinds, the family of James Lyon, and others.
The grant of land on the public square for the use of the church has been alluded to. This was by Act of Assembly, passed April 10, 1826,' and it was provided by this Act that "Benjamin Adams, Robert Darragh, Milo Adams, Joseph Vera, and John T. Miller, trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in the Borough of Beaver, in the County of Beaver, or a majority of them, or their successors in office, be and they are hereby authorized and empowered to erect a church, or house of wor- ship, on the southeast section of the public square, in the town of Beaver, between the Academy and the southeastern boundary of said public square, and to enclose a yard not exceeding one- fourth of an acre." The church was begun in 1829 and finished in 1830. The records of the dedicatory services of this first church have vanished in the mists of the past. From some old subscription papers, however, the following facts were gleaned: Robert Darragh was sent to Washington, Pa., and Pittsburg to solicit aid, and returned with about $400. The largest single subscription was $75, made by Robert Darragh himself. It is of interest to know that Frederick Rapp, of the Harmony Society, contributed $25 to the building of this early church. A small debt remained upon the church for about ten years, when the balance, $85, was paid by H. Stowe and Robert Darragh. The structure was a one-story frame building with but one room. Frequently two classes met at the same hour on opposite sides of the room. The choir was placed in the rear of the congrega- tion beside one of the front doors.
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