History of Butler County, Pennsylvania, Part 47

Author: Brown, Robert C., ed; Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.); Meagher, John, jt. comp; Meginness, John Franklin, 1827-1899, jt. comp
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago : R. C. Brown
Number of Pages: 1658

USA > Pennsylvania > Butler County > History of Butler County, Pennsylvania > Part 47

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In the course of a few years other railroads came. The first to follow was the Pittsburg and Western, and next the Pittsburg, Shenango and Lake Erie.

TELEGRAPH OFFICES. .

In 1861 the first telegraph office was opened in Butler. It was a crude affair. The line ran from Pittsburg to Franklin, and a box was fixed on one of the poles in Butler, and a repair man-Henry Zimmerman-tested the current daily. The first regular office was opened in 1862, in the Lowry House, and David Potts was placed in charge of it. This was not only the first office in the town, but also in the county. Since that time the development in the telegraph business has been great. The Western Union now employs four operators, three in day time and one at night, with W. A. Ilauck, manager, and the receipts have reached as high as $6,000 in a year. The office is a repeat- ing station between New York, Chicago and St. Louis, which adds greatly to its importance. Dynamos are used to keep up the electrical current on the wires.

An office of the Postal Telegraph Cable Company was established here in [884, and is still in successful operation. The line is worked in connection with the Mackay-Bennett cable, and messages are forwarded direct to Europe. Two operators are employed.

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BUTLER BOROUGH (CONTINUED).

WATER SUPPLY.

The Butler Water Company was chartered November 1, 1877, with a capi- tal stock of $49,000 divided into 980 shares of fifty dollars cach. Charles Duffy and Samuel G. Purvis were the prime movers in the project, the former taking 892 shares of the stock. The company contracted with James Mccullough, Jr., of Kittanning, to construct the plant for the sum of $19,000, payable partly in cash and balance in bonds and stock of the company. Ile thus became the prin- cipal stockholder, and the stock is now owned by Kittanning and Butler citizens. A dam was built on the Connoquenessing above the Reiber mill, from which the water is pumped to a reservoir constructed on the hill north of the Orphan's Home, with a capacity of 3,000,000 gallons. The town was piped in 1877-78, and in the fall of the latter year the water was turned on for the first time. The plant embraces twenty-five miles of pipe, and seventy fire plugs give ample pro- tection to the borough. The officers are W. D. Brandon, president ; W. B. Mer- edith, general superintendent, and J. Il. Conard, manager, the last of whom has filled his present position since May, 1882.

Springdale has its own water water works and is independent in that respect. In 1891 a company called the Butler Mutual Water Association was organized for the purpose of sinking wells and building a reservoir. The capital stock is $12,000, and the board consists of three trustees and nine directors. There are two wells, and pure water was struck at a depth of 250 feet. The reservoir has a capacity of 3,000 barrels. Two hot air pumps are used for raising the water, and the cost of running them is about three dollars each per month. The company now have in use about two miles of six and four-inch iron pipes, and have sixty-five water takers. The cost for ordinary family use is one dollar per month. A metre is used for registering. It is contemplated to erect plugs soon for use in case of danger from fire. The present officers are : President, Prof. E. Mackey ; secretary, John Findley.

FIRE DEPARTMENT.

As early as February 19, 1825, the council considered plans for fire protection. by appointing John Potts, Jacob Mechling, Maurice Bredin, William Beatty, Abraham Maxwell and William Hagerty, a committee to obtain subscriptions for buying a fire apparatus. At the same meeting, John Gilmore, John Bredin and Robert Scott were appointed as a committee to draft a constitution for a fire company. All arrangements having been completed, a fire engine was bought by the council from the Allegheny Fire Company in 1827. for $400, and an engine house was built the following year. This was the beginning of the fire system of Butler. The old engine did service until worn out. In 1812 a small engine was in use for a short time. Then came a period when the citizens had to depend on the " bucket brigade " in case of fire. In 1870 a Hook and Ladder Company was organized, and H. C. Heineman and J. J. Elliott, per instruction of the council. purchased a truck of the Columbia Hook and Ladder Company, of Allegheny, for $400. Of this sum $300 was appropriated by the council, and the balance was raised by subscription. This apparatus met the needs of the times until better

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY.

means were provided. Mr. Heineman, who is regarded as " the father of the fire department," was ever alive to the importance of having a good service, and never relaxed in his efforts to have it provided.

The first regular organization was effected August 31, 1878, when the First Ward Hose Company was founded, largely through the efforts of Henry C. Heineman. Thirty-three members signed the article of agreement and they chose the following officers : Henry C. Heineman, president ; Jacob Boos, vice-presi- dent ; A. T. Black, secretary ; C. W. Coulter, treasurer. Although still bearing the original name, the company is now located in the Second ward, and has a membership of forty. Since that time the following companies have come into existence :

Good Will Hose Company, the second organization, is located in the Second ward. Of the original and active members of this company, W. II. Ensminger is the only one now remaining.

John S. Campbell Hose Company is accredited to the Fourth ward, and was organized in 1889. John S. Campbell was the first president.

The Springdale Hose Company, First ward, was established in 1891.

Markham Hook and Ladder Company was formed in 1890. It also belongs to the First ward.

Sypher look and Ladder Company is the sixth, fire organization. It was established in 1893, and is accredited to the Third ward.

These companies have an aggregate of 2,250 feet of hose. No engines are needed, as the pressure is sufficient to throw water over the highest buildings.

Another feature of the fire department is what is known as the Running Team, an association of seventeen young men belonging to the First Ward Hose Company. They are agile in their movements and are quick to run at tournaments and make hose connections. The test of quickness is to run 200 yards, connect and lay fifty yards of hose, break couplings, and attach the nozzle. In a competitive test in Corry in 1893, they made a record of thirty-five and two fifths seconds and won the honors. In a test at home in September, 1894, they broke the record by executing the movement in thirty-two seconds, the lowest ever made by a professional or amateur team. They are classed among the champion runners of the country. The people of Butler are justly proud of their fire department. It is composed of excellent citizens, and they are ever on the alert to discharge the onerous duties which they have voluntarily assumed, and by their conduct they have made themselves worthy of the high esteem in which they are held.

LIGHT AND FUEL COMPANIES.

The Butler Electric Light and Power Company was first chartered July 21, 1885. The applicants were ; R. II. McBride, John S. Campbell, Charles H. Taylor, W. C. McCandless and A. II. Daniels. They organized by electing the following officers : President, R. H. McBride : secretary and treasurer, John S. Campbell ; superintendent, W. C. McCandless. The power house, located on Washington street, was started running October 1. 1885. Capital stock, $10,000.

The original plant was operated a number of years, when it was sold to the

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BUTLER BOROUGH (CONTINUED).

present company, which was chartered March 7, 1890, under the title of the Butler Light, Heat and Motor Company. The charter members were : John S. Campbell, J. Il. Troutman, W. D. Brandon, William Campbell, Jr., L. R. McAboy and B. II. Jack ; capital stock, $50,000. The plant is located in a brick building on the corner of Cunningham and Monroe streets, and the machinery is driven by two engines of 300-horse power. There are 1.000 Edison, 1,300 Thomson and Houston, and fifty arc lights, of 2,000 candle-power. in use. There are thirty miles of Edison and Thomson and Houston wires and fifteen miles of arc light wires in use.

Home Natural Gas Company .- This company was first organized by A. Kirk and was called the Home Mutual Gas and Fuel Company. It was pur- chased by H. J. Klingler, in 1890, who obtained a charter under the present name, and had for its officers: HI. J. Klingler, president : H. Troutman, William Campbell, F. Reiber, H. H. Clark, directors. In 1892 they sold to the present company, composed as follows: George B. Foreman, president ; Mr. Barse, vice-president ; II. T. O'Neil, secretary ; David Sypher, superintendent. Capital stock. $153,753.

The Independent Natural Gas Company was organized on February 1, 1888, with Henry Reiber, president; George L. Reiber, treasurer, and Edward Reiber, secretary. It was the first natural gas company incorporated in Butler. and the gentlemen named have owned it up to the present. This company has about fifty miles of pipe, supplied by seventeen gas wells located within a radius of ten miles of Butler. It has a fair share of the local patronage, and claims to have furnished gas at a lower rate than any other home company.

The Peoples' Gas Company had its inception in the fall of 1890, when Blair Ilook purchased a gas well from the Standard Plate Glass Company, located on a lot in Springdale which he had previously bought, and obtained a permit from the council to pipe that part of the borough. In the winter of 1890-91 he sup- plied some forty families with fuel and light. He subsequently drilled another well, and, in 1892, organized the present company, composed of Blair Hlook, Otto Limburg and William Larkin. The company continued to put down more wells and extend their plant, and now supply over 400 stoves, besides several manufacturing plants.

The Citizens' Gas Company was organized at a meeting held on December 14, 1892, by the election of the following officers : Peter Schenck, president ; H. H. Goucher, vice-president ; Joseph Rockenstein, treasurer, and F. M. Baker, secretary. The board of directors consists of five persons, including the president and the capital stock is $10,000.

SECRET AND BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES.

Connoquenessing Lodge, Number 278, I. O. O. F., was instituted December 11, 1847, the charter having been granted on November S. The charter members were Jacob Ziegler, Alfred Gilmore, John Graham and Dunlap MeLaughlin. The first members admitted at the same meeting were John II. Negley, William Balph, Cornelius Coll and Thomas W. Wallace ; while the first officers elected were, Alfred Gilmore, N. G .; Jacob Ziegler, V. G .; John Graham, secretary, and Dun-

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY.

lap Mclaughlin, treasurer. The second meeting was held on December 23, 1817, in the court house. This old lodge has been quite prosperous during its existence of nearly half a century, and has embraced in its membership many of the leading citizens of Butler. Its present membership is 163.

Ziegler Lodge, Number 1039. I. O. O. F., is an offshoot of the parent society. It was instituted April 23, 1892, with twenty-four charter members. The first officers were : Dr. G. J. Peters, N. G .; J. II. Conrad, V. G. ; S. M. Swartz- lander, secretary ; A. M. Borland, assistant secretary, and Dr. N. M. Hoover, treasurer. The lodge prospered from the start, and has now a membership of 190. The lodge room is on Center avenue in Springdale.

Butler Lodge, Number 22. F. d .I. M., was granted a charter March 7. 1853, and instituted August 3 following. The charter members and first officers were : James Bredin, W. M. ; David A. Agnew, S. W. : Felix C. Negley, J. W. : William Criswell, treasurer; George W. Crozier, secretary ; Joseph P. Patterson, John McCarnes, J. J. Sedwick, Hugh McKee and Andrew Fitzsimmons. From this lodge were organized several other prosperous lodges in Butler county. Its long list of officers from 1853 to 1894 contains the names of many well-known pioneers, as well as others prominent in the business and professional life of the borough. The hall is in the Reiber block, and the present membership is 113.

Butler Chapter, Number 273, R. A. M., was chartered December 27, 1890, and constituted March 24, 1891. The first officers were as follows : William C. Thompson, M. E. Il. P .; Charles N. Boyd, K. ; Francis M. Cole, S. ; Josiah B. Black, treasurer, and Newton Black, secretary. The membership is sixty-seven.

Butler Lodge, Number 94, A. O. U. U., was instituted January 18, 1876, with the following charter members : L. P. Walker, S. R. Diffenbacher, T. A. Templeton, A. L. Reiber, T. B. White, D. Cupps, A. Mitchell, H. Gemper, E. Robb, T. S. Green, D. A. Heck, C. Rehbun, Samuel Walker and John F. Lowry. The lodge embraces in its membership some of the best citizens of the borough and can boast of a fine library of carefully selected books.

A. L. Reiber Lodge, Number 679, K. of H., was instituted June 22, 1877, with twenty-nine charter members, embracing many well known citizens of the borough. It has a steady, substantial growth and is now fairly prosperous.

Butler Council, Number 219, R. A., was instituted May 3, 1880, with sixteen charter members. This is largely a benevolent and insurance society. and has accomplished a great deal of good in every town where it has been estab- lished.

Butler Lodge, Number 732, A. L. of II., was instituted September 30, 1881, with twenty-five charter members, including several leading business men of the community. This society has held its own among the fraternal associa- tions of Butler and has had a fairly prosperous career.

Butler Tent, No. 34, K O. T. M., was first organized in 1887, and dis- banded in 1889. It was reorganized on December 19, 1890, with a large member- ship. The first officers were : D. L. Aiken, P. C. ; David E. Dale, C .; J. C. Snow, L. C .; A. E. Gable, R. K. ; William Cromm, F. K. ; A O. Eberhart, C. ; Dr. Samuel Graham, P .; George Kerstetter, S .; T. W. Crawford, M. at A. ; Robert Turner, M. F. of G. ; HI. W. F. Graham. S. M. of G. : G. A. Billingsley.

Spander Bluck M.D.

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BUTLER BOROUGH (CONTINUED).

S. ; W. Martin, P. For the first two years the membership averaged about eighty, but at present some 130 names are on the rolls and the tent is in a pros- perous condition.

Butler Lodge, Number 170, B. P. O. E., is one of the later but most flourishing societies in Butler. It was chartered and organized July 10, 1890, by J. B. Black, W. T. Mechling, F. M. Cole, J. D. Northrup, E. W. Tibbals, William Il. Reihing, E. E. Kelly, I. G. Smith, and Dr. Lysander Black. The first officers were: J. B. Black, E. R. ; W. T. Mechling, E. L. K. ; F. M. Cole, E. L. K. ; J. D. Northrup, E. L. K. ; E. W. Tibbals, secretary, and 1. G. Smith, treasurer. The lodge grew rapidly and within two years had fifty members. By the close of its fourth year 125 members answered the roll call. This society prides itself on the fact that its lodges usually contain a large per cent of the lead- ing young men of every community in which it finds a home. It is purely a social and benevolent order, the underlying principle being charity. The lodge room is in the third story of the Butler County National Bank building.

Branch Number 56, C. M. B. A., was organized March 16, 1889, with the following charter members: Joseph Rockenstein, Bernard Kemper, Jr., A. Rockenstein, Joseph Niggel, Henry Grieb, Norbert T. Weser, Ed McShane, Albert Frank, Andrew Liebler, John Kappler, John Garber, Casper Eyth, Thomas H. Gallagher, Henry C. Plohr. J. N. Harvey, Thomas J. Moran, Charles McCarthy, J. C. Wagner, Fred J. Morall, Theo. D. Pape and W. J. McCafferty. The successive presidents of the branch have been as follows : Joseph Rocken- stein, Bernard Kemper, Jr., Henry Grieb, John Kappler, John W. Vogel, Joseph Manny and Bernard Kemper, Jr. The organization was effected through the efforts of Bernard Kemper and W. H O'Brien, the latter having previously belonged to the branch at Oil City. The present membership is over ninety, and the hall is above Joseph Rockenstein's store on North Main street.

Branch Number 92, L. C. B. A., was organized September 17, 1891, by supreme deputy, Mrs. J. A. Royer, of Erie, Pennsylvania, with seventeen charter members. The presiding officers have been Lena Grieb, M. C. Rockenstein and Amelia Schaffner. The present membership is over thirty.

Among other secret organizations of the borough are Butler Council, Num- ber 242, Jr. O. U. A. M. ; Lodge Number 211, K. of P. ; Circle Number 22, P. HI. C., and Keystone Camp, Number S. W. of W.

A. G. Reed Post, Number 105. G. A. R., was organized on May 12, 1881. and named in honor of the brave and gallant Alfred G. Reed, one of Butler's patriotic sons, who fell on the bloody field of Fredericksburg. The charter mem- bers were as follows : George W. Fleeger, Wilson E. Reed, James R. Story. Joseph Kelly, William A. Wright, C. E. Anderson, A. B. Richey, Henry Korn. George W. Johnston, H. A. Ayres, Daniel Beighley, Casper Sherman, S. G. Ilnghes, Alexander Russell, Ferd Weigand, A. G. Williams, D. S. McCulloch. John L. Jones. John K. Fleming, James Graham, Samuel P. Shryock and John Kennedy. The successive commanders of the Post since its organization have been as follows: George W. Fleeger, W. A. Wright, Newton Black, A. G. Williams, John T. Kelly. John M. Greer, C. E. Anderson, Alexander Russell,

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY.

R. P. Scott, W. A. Lowry, Joseph Criswell, 1. J. McCandless and A. B. Richey. The 1. O. O. F hall on the corner of Jefferson and Washington streets has been the meeting place since the beginning. The present membership is 192. a gain of forty-three since January, 1894, which is an indication of its prosperous con- dition. Connected with the Post is the Woman's Relief Corps, Number 97, which contains some twenty members.

Butler Encampment, Number 15, U. F. L., was chartered on June 20, 1889, with nearly seventy members, who were mastered in on June 27 and 29, follow- ing. The first officers were as follows: Robert J. Phipps, colonel ; O. C. Redic, lieutenant-colonel; W. A. Clark, major ; Jefferson Burtner, chaplain ; D. M. Ward, adjutant; 1I. Z. Wing, quartermaster; R. S. Nicholls, officer of the day, and Casper Sherman, officer of the guard. In July, 1889, another mus- ter in took place when nearly cighty additional names were placed on the rolls. Every member must have seen active service and veteranized, for, as the title indicates, it is a " Veteran Legion," and admits none but veterans to its ranks. The hall is decorated with stirring battle scenes, intended to keep green the memories of war times, reminders of the trials and sufferings of bygone days.

PUBLIC BUILDINGS.

The fine court house is one of the public buildings of Butler to which its citi- zens point with pride as an evidence of the county's prosperity. Its history is given in a previous chapter. The many fine church buildings of the borough are also described ; while in the preceding pages ot this chapter the several substan- tial school buildings find generous mention. The Armory Building, also known as the Park Theater, on the south side of the Diamond, is the only one of a pub- lic character remaining to be spoken of. It had its inception on March 11, 1891, when the Armory Building Association was incorporated by the following gen- tlemen : John W. Brown, president : John L. Black, vice-president; W. T. Mech- ling, secretary : S. 11. Huselton, treasurer, and Ira Me Junkin. The building was erected the same year, but ere the interior was commenced ,the old opera house on MeKean street was burned, and the company was solicited by many leading citizens to convert a part of the Armory Building into a theatre. This was accomplished by the erection of an addition to the rear, and thus it serves the double purpose of an Armory and opera house. The latter is on the first floor ; the second floor is devoted to offices, and the third floor is occupied as an armory by Company E, Thirteenth Regiment, N. G. P. The total cost of the building and theatre was about $50,000. On July 30, 1894, the " Park Theatre Company of Butler " was granted a charter with a capital stock of $45,000, with the following officers : John W. Brown, president ; George Schenck, vice-presi- dent ; W. T. Mechling, secretary ; Peter Schenck, treasurer ; Ira Mc Junkin, George Ketterer and W. II. O'Brien, directors.

In addition to the public buildings, the handsome monument on the Diamond, dedicated on July 4, 1894. to the memory of " Our Silent Defenders," deserves mention here, though its history is given in the chapter on the War of the Rebellion. It is one of the most attractive and beautiful objects in the borough

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-a substantial evidence of the patriotic spirit which animates the people of But- ler county-and a fitting memorial to the brave men who defended the flag in the dark days of civil strife.

GRAVEYARDS AND CEMETERIES.

The first burial place in Butler was the old graveyard north of the imposing Jefferson street school building. It will be remembered that at the public sale of lots, August 15, 1803, lot Number 150 was sold to " John Cunningham, Abraham Brinker and others, for the use of a graveyard," for ten dollars. On the 16th lot Number 151 was sold to the same parties at the same price, for the same purpose. Lot 152 was purchased in 1828 from Norbert Foltz, for fifty dollars, and added to the cemetery, which made it complete. In this lot John Cunningham, who died in 1805, was buried, and years ago it was said " no man knew his grave." Charles McGinniss, who died in 1806, at the age of eighty-six years, was the second one to find a resting place in " God's acre."

When it was set apart for a burial place it was far removed from the center of business, and likely its founders never dreamed that the sacred spot would ever be surrounded by dwellings. Native oaks grew there then as they do to-day and spread their branches as protecting arms over the graves of the dead. In course of time a massive stone wall was built around the enclosure, in accordance with the custom of a hundred years ago. It remained as a protection for many years, when more modern and advanced ideas demanded its removal, and it was taken down more than thirty years ago. The plot now serves as a park and is in good repair, but the tombstones of about 120 dead still dot its grassy surface. Hundreds of the early settlers and their descendants were buried there. It was finally abandoned as a burial place more than forty years ago, and other cemeteries further from the center of population selected, whither the remains of many were removed.

The effort to condemn the old graveyard and appropriate it to school purposes, aroused opposition and developed litigation. Col. John M. Sullivan in referring to the difficulty of removing the remains of the earliest buried there says :

The location of the graves of whole families are unknown. The dust of one of the founders of Butler has laid there for nearly ninety years. There lie the remains of a venerable Revolutionary soldier, the ancestral head of the McKee family. He served his country bravely and faithfully, and after fighting his last battle, laid down in But- ler to rest. There lie the remains of the first christian minister who ever preached in Butler county, buried there over seventy years ago. There is the grave of the wife of the Hon. Walter Lowrie, one of Butler county's most highly honored sons, who reached the exalted position of a seat in the Senate of the United States. His wife has been buried there for over sixty-one years. There one of the earliest Methodist ministers has a grave to be cared for by those who have followed him in the ministry in Butler, and there it has been undisturbed for two-thirds of a century. Those venerable pioneers of Butler county, the father and mother of Hon. John Bredin and grandparents of Hon. James Bredin, sleep in this old graveyard. A few years since an attempt was made with loving hands to disinter the remains of these loved ones, but it was found to be impossible, and so it would be with regard to several hundred others.

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY.

St. Peter's Catholic Cemetery, the second burial place in Butler, was laid out in 1880, on ground deeded for the purpose by Sarah Collins, a daughter of Stephen Lowrey. An addition was made to it in 1831, of ground deeded to the Catholic church by Valeria Evans, a daughter of Mrs. Collins, and her husband, E. R. Evans. It is located on East Jefferson street, and was used for burial pur- poses until within a few years, when interments were discontinued. Many of the Catholic pioneers are buried in this old graveyard.

The South Cemetery is owned in common by the German and English Luth- eran and the United Presbyterian congregations. In 1850 John Negley deeded land to the German Lutherans, and subsequently to the English Lutherans, and still later the McQuistion heirs made a deed of a small tract of land adjoining upon the south, to the United Presbyterian church. The enclosure, which occupies a commanding position, now comprises nearly seven acres. In this cemetery lie the remains of many of the pioneer settlers of Butler. Jacob Mechling. Sr., who died in 1860, aged ninety years, is buried here, together with his wife. Magda- lena, and others members of his family. John Negley, who succeeded the Cun- ninghams as owner of the old mill property, is also an occupant, and on a sub- stantial monument is given a short record of his life. An inscription on a marble slab tells in brief the story of the life of Rev. Isaiah Niblock, D. D., the venerated United Presbyterian minister who for forty-six years faithfully served his people. Inscriptions tell that members of the Walter family are here interred; and another stone informs the visitor that beneath it repose the ashes of John II. Agnew, who died near the middle of of the year 1851, at the ripe age of eighty-one years. Ile had scarcely emerged from the infantile state when the thunders of the Revo- lution shook the land, and he was a small lad when the American Nation was born. Here too are the graves of John McQuistion and wife, and several inem- bers of this pioneer family ; whilst all around are obelisks and granite tablets telling of those who not only preceded, but followed him The Reiber family have here a beautiful lot and fine monuments. John Michael Zimmerman, John Oesterling, George Lutz, John Lawall, the Vogeleys, MeCandless, and members of many other well-known families are buried in this cemetery.

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History of Butler County, Pennsylvania, Part 47

Author: Brown, Robert C., ed; Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.); Meagher, John, jt. comp; Meginness, John Franklin, 1827-1899, jt. comp Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Chicago : R. C. Brown Number of Pages: 1658

Author: Brown, Robert C., ed; Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.); Meagher, John, jt. comp; Meginness, John Franklin, 1827-1899, jt. comp
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago : R. C. Brown
Number of Pages: 1658