USA > Pennsylvania > Cambria County > History of Cambria County, Pennsylvania, Volume I > Part 28
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Wm. Cover, Sr.
John Dibert, Sr.
George Gates.
.
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HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
to James McLanahan, incorrectly written "McClenahan," for fifty pounds, colonial currency. The commonwealth granted a patent to MeLanahan on April 26, 1783, on the Campbell war- rant. On September 30, 1793, he sold it to Joseph Johns. On November 4, 1800, Johns laid out the town of Conemaugh, which included all the lots west of Franklin street, as has been noted elsewhere. Mr. Johns sold several lots before, disposing of his holding in bulk. The lot on the southeast corner of Main and Walnut streets, lately partly occupied by Mrs. Ann Morley. and the lot on the southwest corner, each of them hav- ing a frontage of 66 feet on Main and extending back 264 feet to Sycamore alley, now known as Lincoln street, were sold to James Brown for $20 each, in January, 1803. The Griffith and Barry lot adjoining that of Mrs. Morley was sold for $10, be- cause it was not on a corner. The lot on the corner of Main and Park place, 66 by 264 feet, now occupied by Mrs. Webster B. Lowman, John Fulton, W. B. Tice, the Grand Army hall, and W. C. Lewis, was sold for $10. The four lots-45, 46, 47 and 48-between Franklin and Park place on the south side of Main street, extending back to Lincoln street, were sold for less than $150. The square is now known as the Bank Corner.
On May 2, 1807. Johns sold the remaining plotted lots and other land in the Campbell and Henry Wise surveys to John Anderson and William Harley of Bedford, and on March 30, 1808, they conveyed the same to John Holliday, of Hollidays- burg. On June 21, 1811, Holliday sold the entire interest to Peter Levergood, and August 26, 1813, Peter Levergood and Susanna, his wife, conveyed it to Thomas Burrell, George Bren- heiser. Sr., and George Brenheiser, Jr., for $12,583.33, and gave a mortgage for the larger portion of the consideration. On November 2, 1816, Burrell and the Brenheisers sold about three acres of that part of the Third ward lying between Clinton and Franklin streets, from Cover's alley to Washington street, with the exception of a few lots otherwise disposed of, to Adam Cover, the father of the late William Cover. The mortgage was foreclosed. as the purchasers had failed, and Peter Levergood bought it back at sheriff's sale, his deed being given by John Murray, sheriff. bearing date of March 3, 1818. About 1828, Levergood and Cover laid out their holdings east of Franklin street to Clinton, and subsequently plotted the lots in the Ninth and Tenth wards.
The corner at Main and Bedford streets, now known as
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Swank's corner, was at this time Mr. Levergood's garden patch. but in 1836 he erected thereon a residence and store room for his son-in-law, Jacob Myers, the husband of Lucinda Lever- good. The land above the garden patch as far as Adam street, between Bedford and what was then known as the Frankstown road and now Main street, was purchased by Robert Hamilton. the father of David Hamilton, who plotted it, and, July 18. 1829, sold the Cover lot, which has been the residence of William Cover and his family since. The land lying between Bedford and Bamner streets, out to the Horner line, was acquired by Thomas Sharp, in consideration of a cow. Mr. Sharp plotted it and sold the lots. As late as 1870 it was known as "Sharps- burg."
With the exceptions noted, all the titles for lots in the Campbell survey have come through Peter Levergood to the time of his death, July 26, 1860; then by his executor, Jacob Levergood, his son, and since his death by M. L. Levergood, the son and executor of the latter's estate.
The land in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth wards is a part of the James Dougherty warrant, dated April 7, 1769, who held it for eighty years and sold it to Williamina E. Smith, of Phil- adelphia, who procured a patent for it August 9, 1849. On September 13, 1849, she sold it to Jacob Brallier, who on Feb- ruary 25, 1854, conveyed the part which is included in these wards to David and James P. MeConanghy. They laid it out into town lots about the time the Cambria Iron Company con- structed the works. James P. MeConaughy acquired the in- terest of his brother, and all the titles have come through them.
The Woodvale Titles: On July 30, 1776, Benedict Dorsey procured a warrant for all the land now in the Eleventh ward of the city of Johnstown, extending across the river into Cone- maugh township and the lower part of Franklin borough, and which contained 30112 acres. It joins the Henry Wise survey on Prospect, and the Campbell and Flack tracts on the west and south. The Flack survey includes Green Hill and lies be- tween the Campbell and the Peter Snyder surveys. Henry Canffield bought forty-five acres of it, the part known as " Peg- gy's Bottom," on September 17, 1845, and Peter Daniels about that time acquired a parcel of it which laid on the hillside above the bottom, or as the latter was afterwards known "Murray's Grove." On September 12, 1857, Daniel J. Morrell acquired
Vol. I-20
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the ('auffield holding and May 18, 1864, conveyed it to the Johns- town Manufacturing Company, who plotted it and sold the lots.
The Minersville Titles: Thomas Afflick procured a war- rant for the land which is now in the Fourteenth ward on March 12, 1785. In all he had 39034 acres. Afflick sold it to Espy L. Anderson, who procured a patent for it on February 24, 1837 ; on the 28th of April, 1837, he sold it to Mark Graham. May 18, 1837, Graham sold it to Eli Benshoff, who sold the mineral rights to George S. King & Co. on September 26, 1845; however, the titles to the lots come through Eli Benshoff and his heirs.
Osborne-Suppes Titles: A portion of the ground in the Eighth ward was acquired on a warrant in the name of Martin Reilly, but on September 15, 1787, a patent was granted to Martin Reilly and Thomas Vickroy for a tract of land called "Stony Point," containing 237 acres. On October 29, 1793, they conveyed it to Jacob Frazer, who on May 22, 1813, sold it to Jacob Stutzman. On the same day he conveyed it to William Proctor. On March 22, 1818, his interest in it was assigned to Isaac Proctor. Isaac Proctor sold it to John Buckwalter, who on the same day, April 25, 1818, conveyed it to Jacob Stutzman, a former owner. Mr. Stutzman acquired another tract con- taining 108 acres, adjoining the Reilly survey, by patent dated August 31, 1814. On November 1, 1855, Mr. Stutzman sold 108 acres to George W. Osborne for $7,150, who sold twenty-nine acres of it to Conrad Suppes on January 27, 1866, for $4,330. Mr. Osborne and Mr. Suppes died intestate. The Osborne property was divided by partition proceedings in court, and the Suppes heirs made an amicable distribution of their prop- erty, and all the titles to lots in that survey come through them. The Suppes lots have not been placed on the market.
Titles in the Twelfth and Thirteenth wards: Henry Wise procured a patent for a tract of land on November 22, 1787. It was described as "a certain tract of land called 'Maldon,' sit- uate on the north side of the Little Conemaugh, and north- eastwardly from the mouth of Stonycreek, adjoining the ‘Old Town,' in Quemahoning township, Somerset county," contain- ing 283 acres. On December 11, 1787, Wise sold it to Thomas Vickroy, and June 19, 1799, it was conveyed by Vickroy to "Joseph Phontz," intended for Johns, who now owned the Campbell and Wise tracts, making in all 532 acres. This also became vested in Peter Levergood by his purchase from Johns.
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HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
On June 1, 1835, Peter Levergood sold a small piece of the Campbell survey to Jacob Brallier, described as "beginning at the foot of the embankment of the bridge crossing the canal on the Ebensburg road." On March 18, 1848, Brallier sold it to Jacob Levergood, Robert P. Linton, John Linton, Peter Levergood, jr., and John Galbreath, and on February 6, 1849, Peter Levergood conveyed to the same gentlemen and John Benshoff, his son-in-law, fifteen acres more which included the blast furnace called the "Johnstown Furnace," consisting of a bridge house, casting house, engine and engine house, a two- story hewed log house, four one-storied hewed log houses, one one-story frame and three two-story frame houses, a store room, office, wagon and blacksmith shops. This furnace was dircetly opposite the station of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. The Levergood and Benshoff interests were trans- ferred to John and Robert P. Linton and Galbreath, who oper- ated the furnace until October 8, 1851, when it was sold to George Rhey, Levi Mathews and William Ebbs of Pittsburg for $4,175. Rhey, Mathews & Company operated it until February 6, 1854, when they sold it to Christian Ihmsen, of Pittsburg, for $20,000. Rhey, Mathews & Company also purchased from Peter Levergood in addition to the furnace property 149 acres of the Henry Wise tract and a small parcel of the Dorsey sur- vey. Mr. Ihmsen acquired this land under his purchase and plotted the lots on Prospect hill, now in these wards.
The Kern, Haynes and Dibert titles in the Fifth and Sixth wards: On October 2, 1795, the commonwealth issued a patent to Robert Adams for seventy-four acres which included most of the land in these wards. On May 17, 1805, a patent was is- sued to William Adams for another tract lying to the south of it which contained fifty-nine acres. Robert Adams acquired the ownership of it by deed of May 13, 1806, and now held 133 acres on that side of the Stonycreek river. Adams sold the first tract to David Stutzman, and on the 26th of April, 1806, Stutzman conveyed it to Adam Croyle. On March 18, 1818, Croyle conveyed it to Mary Ann Burrell for $2,128, who sub- sequently married Thomas H. Fowler. On August 4, 1827, the Fowlers sold thirty-four acres and forty-eight perches of the Robert Adams survey, or that below Dibert street, to Shepley Priestly. On April 19, 1833, Priestly conveyed fifteen acres of it to Joseph Haynes, who also procured another strip extending from Dibert street to Water street, west of Apple Tree alley,
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and plotted it, which is known as the Haynes plan of lots. On June 18, 1834, Priestly sold the remaining nineteen acres to John Taylor, Daniel C. Morris and George W. Kern for $800. On July 7, 1840, Joseph Kern, the father of George W. Kern, purchased the two-thirds interest held by Taylor and Morris. The Kerns sold the strip of land to Joseph Haynes, referred to above, being described as beginning at a point on "the road leading from the bridge to Amish hill, along the west side of Apple Tree alley." This deed bears date of August 2, 1847. The Kern land belonging to father and son lay below Dibert street and east of Apple Tree alley, which was between Franklin and Napoleon streets, extending to the Stonycreek river. The titles for all the lots below Dibert street come from the Haynes and Kern plan of lots.
On January 30, 1846, George S. King purchased the re- mainder of the Fowler land, which lay above Dibert street, and sold thirteen acres of it, or that part south of Everhart street, to Jacob Benshoff for $125. On June 9, 1848, Mr. King sold the remainder of the Fowler purchase to John Dibert for $2,500, and on August 9, 1849, John Dibert gave Benshoff a deed for the thirteen acres bought from King. Jacob Benshoff died intestate. His heirs were Mary Ann Everhart, John Everhart, Susanna M. Benshoff, Jemima Benshoff, Eliza Cramer, Daniel ('ramer, JJ. Q. A. Benshoff, Ethalinda Benshoff, who married Captain Patrick Graham, and David Benshoff, who plotted it and sold the lots.
John Dibert came to Johnstown in 1846 from Dibertsville, in Somerset county. He died testate in November, 1849. leav- ing to survive, Rachel, his widow, and eight children: David; John; Elizabeth, intermarried with Judge Mahlon W. Keim; Sarah, intermarried with Henry Yeagley; Mary D., intermar- ried with the Rev. John D. Knox; Jacob; Samuel, and Abraham C. Dibert. Jacob died in his youth. Dibert's field, which lay above Dibert street and between Franklin street and the Stony- creek river, was used for a race track and was the spot where the larger shows pitched their tents. Mr. Dibert in his will di- rected that the undisposed land should not be sold until his youngest child-Abraham C .- should become of full age, and which was then to be sold and the fund equally divided.
Abraham C. and Samuel conveyed their interests to John Dibert. On April 16, 1866, Rachel Dibert and the other heirs concluded to sell the remainder of the estate, and David Peelor
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made a plot of it, which is recorded in Vol. 26, at page 696, in the recorder's office. These lots were sold at public sale in June, 1866. Lots Nos. 13 and 14 on the southeasterly corner of Napoleon and South streets, 100 feet on Napoleon and 150 feet along South sold for $460.
The Moxham Titles: There are two surveys for the land in and contiguous to the Seventeenth ward of the city, namely, the Solomon Vickroy tract and that of William Barr. On May 6. 1786, the Commonwealth granted a patent to Solomon Vick- roy for fifty acres situated "on the east side of the Stonycreek river, adjoining lands of William Barr and Solomon Adams' old place." On October 18, 1786, Solomon Vickroy, who was single, sold it to Thomas Vickroy, the father of Edwin A. Vick- roy of Ferndale. On April 24, 1800, Vickroy conveyed it to Daniel Ullery.
The other tract was warranted in the name of William Barr, single, dated October 30, 1788, and on November 3, 1788, the Commonwealth granted a patent to him for 2781% acres. The Barr tract joined the Solomon Vickroy survey. On May 3, 1790. Barr sold it to William Matthews, and June 17, 1795, William and Martha Matthews conveyed it to Daniel Ullery, who now owned 32816 acres. Ullery having died, his executors by deeds dated April 18, 1820, and June 11, 1822, sold both tracts of land to Joseph Harshberger, who on March 29, 1850, sold them to Carl von Lunen, Senior.
As early as 1861 Mr. von Lunen plotted some lots along the Stonycreek river, each having over three acres of ground. On November 29, 1861. he sold one lot to Lewis Plitt for $259, which belonged to the Vickroy warrant. He sold others to William Miller, William Orr, Joseph Kost, Lewis Baumer, Sr. and David Berkey. On September 13, 1864, Carl or Charles, Senior, sold to his son Carl, or Charles von Lunen, forty-one acres lying along the Red Bridge road where the brick house was erected, and adjoining the Matthews farm, which Charles Jr., also purchased. The Matthews farm contained over 217 acres. On November 30, 1868, Carl von Lunen, Senior, sold 259 acres. the remainder of the Vickroy and Barr surveys, to his son Louis von Lumen for $20,786. On September 9, 1871, Louis purchased from Henry Constable nineteen acres which adjoined, making his holding in all 279 acres 117 perches.
On February 19, 1887, Louis sold an acre to Samuel Schrock for $225, and on March 31, 1888, another acre to Cyrus Wissin-
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ger for $250. On May 26, 1884, he also sold a piece containing 36 acres to Henry Stremmel for $3,695.
On May 12, 1869, Louis von Lunen sold to his brother Charles, 13 acres, which lay on the east side of the Red Bridge road, and on November 20, 1877, he sold him another parcel of 20 acres, lying below that road.
The Johnson Purchase: On November 1, 1887, Louis von Lunen sold to the Johnson Steel Street Rail Company, which was changed to The Johnson Company, on December 17, 1888, two pieces of the land, containing 95 acres, for $40,000. The mills were erected on this land. On the same day he sold to Al- bert L. Johnson of Cleveland, Ohio, ninety-four acres, plus, for $25,250. The Johnson sales included all of the remainder of the Barr tract and the nineteen acres coming from Henry Con- stable. A. L. Johnson, a brother of Tom L. Johnson, now mayor of Cleveland, made the plan of Moxham and sold the lots. Louis von Lumen also made a plan of lots as an addition to the Moxham plot and sold them. On May 3, 1887, Henry Strem- mel sold his thirty-six acres to Alonzo Rodgers for $5,542.50, and on June 29, 1888, Mr. Rodgers purchased forty-three acres from Charles von Lunen for $2,000. On November 19, 1887, Mr. Rodgers sold nineteen acres of the Stremmel land to E. B. Entwisle for $6,600, and on June 28, 1888, he sold the remainder of it, being about seventeen acres, to Charles von Lunen.
Charles von Lunen also made a plan of lots as an addition to Moxham, which he and his executors have sold, and are now selling, as most of the Matthews land lies beyond the city limits.
George Bhram was the owner of the principal part of Morrellville and plotted it for town lots about 1878. Isaac E. Chandler acquired a large part of the Strayer land and made an addition to the Bhram plot. The, titles for Coopersdale lots came from James Cooper who laid it out about 1868.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE RIVERS AT JOHNSTOWN.
Beside the very favorable topographical location of the city of Johnstown as well as the invaluable deposits of coal and other minerals, which are within its limits and in the surround- ing country, it has an ample water supply in the two rivers- Conemaugh and Stonycreek-which flow through and unite at the westerly end of Main street, and, besides, the pure mount- ain water furnished to its inhabitants from the several reser- voirs built between the hills, have sufficient pressure to throw a stream from any of the water plugs in the business portion of the city to a height of fifty feet.
The Johnstown Water company has tapped the Little Conemaugh river and also the Stonycreek, beside having three reservoirs built on mountain streams, namely : Laurel Run and Wild Cat, in 1867; St. Clair in 1877; Millcreek in 1881, and Dalton Run in 1902. The dam in the Little Conemaugh is nearly five miles above Johnstown, a short distance beyond Bridge No. 6, at the old tunnel. and was erected in 1876, and connected with a twenty-inch main. The Cambria Steel Company also have dams in Conemangh river a short distance west of South Fork and west of Coopersdale.
The Stonycreek is tapped about one-third of a mile above Border's Station, some eight miles from the city, with a thirty- six inch main, which was connected in 1891, the inlet being regulated by a valve without the use of a dam.
The Stonycreek and Little Conemaugh are divided at Johns- town by Green Hill. The Stonycreek rises near Berlin, in Som- erset county. and drains the Southern, or Quemahoning, valley, on the western slope of the Allegheny mountains. The terri- tory adjoining on the eastern slope is drained by the Juniata.
The name of Stonycreek was appropriately chosen, inas- much as its channel was filled with boulders of immense girth and diameter, probably fifteen to twenty feet through. About fifteen miles above Johnstown these large rocks are yet in the watercourse, but in the city and near to it they have been
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quarried and used for building purposes. There are houses in this town of which the foundations were made from the quarries in the channel of the Stonycreek. Now, after a period of many years, it is clear of large rocks.
Although the Stonycreek was made a highway in the early days of legislation, it was never used to a great extent. In high water barges have been floated from the Benscreek to town, and pig iron has been shipped by barges from the Stony- creek, by the Conemaugh, Kiskiminetas, and Allegheny rivers, to Pittsburg. The stream has also been used for floating logs from the upper fastnesses of the mountains to the various log booms.
The source of the Little Conemaugh is near Carrolltown, not a great distance from Canoe Place, the corner of the Indian purchase by virtue of the Fort Stanwix treaty.
It drains the Conemaugh valley, on the western slope of the mountains. The land adjoining it on the eastern side is drained into the west branch of the Susquehanna, and the water thereof flows into the Atlantic, while that of the Conemaugh reaches the Gulf of Mexico.
The Conemaugh and Stonycreek, of course, furnished the water to the pioneers for the grist and saw-mills, and both were utilized by the state to provide water for the Pennsylvania canal which was commenced in 1826.
The Conemaugh river proper begins at the junction of the Little Conemaugh and the Stonycreek, but it is commonly called the Conemaugh to its source.
The first bridge across the Stonyereek was the "Red Bridge." above Hogback tunnel, which was erected about 1800, and was the only means of crossing the stream to get to Johns- town, excepting, of course, the fordings, until 1842, when the Kernville bridge was erected. The first bridge across the Cone- maugh was built at Blairsville in 1820; it was a beautiful speci- men of bridge building for strength and length of span-two hundred and ninety-five feet- and stood for fifty years or more.
It is probable that the first regular fording and ferry on the Stonycreek river was at or about the mouth of the old Feeder, at Suppes' dam. It was in use for many years, and was one of the principal crossings to town, and in fact is still used as a fording. In 1813 Jacob Stutzman came into posses- sion of two hundred and thirty-seven acres at this place, which was known as "Stony Point." and for many years he and his
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family operated the ferry which was known as Stutzman's ferry.
Another fording leading into Johnstown, which the Som- erset county people used, was the old Beulah crossing, at Frank- lin and Willow streets. However, during high water they crossed the Red bridge and came down the Von Lunen road. The Benlah crossing received its name through the road lead- ing to Stovestown from Beulah-the same Beulah whose people sought to make their town the county seat in 1804.
In addition to the footwalks made during the low-water sea- son, another method of passage across the Stonycreek for foot travelers was either by the ferry of Adam Trefts or that of Joseph Haynes. Mr. Trefts' ferry was about where the Haynes street foot-bridge is now swung, and the Haynes ferry was off Market street. Gray's ferry, operated by William Gray, plied between The Point and the present west end of the Stone bridge.
Peter Daniels ran a ferry on the Little Conemangh almost opposite the old Woodvale mill.
After 1831, when the aqueduct was completed, it was used by foot passengers until the bridge was erected.
The ferry charge was three cents for each person, but some- times, when the water was high and the current strong, it would cost a fip to cross by either ferry.
The two most important fordings on the Conemaugh and the Little Conemangh were the Broad Fording, near the Cam- bria bridge, and another near the Walnut street bridge. The highways on which these fordings occurred were the main thor- onghfares through the Laurel Hill Gap and to Ebensburg.
The Broad fording was about four hundred feet in width, hence its name. It had a good bottom, but had deep water, which frequently ran into the beds of vehicles. It continued in use un- til the erection of the Cambria Toll Bridge, in 1853.
The fordings near the Walnut street were many, and were important crossings for the people going to Ebensburg and to Westmoreland and Indiana counties. One was located in the rear of the Cambria offices, another about the present site of the Walnut street bridge and a third several hundred feet below. After the canal was in operation the Laurel Hill road was prac- tically abandoned.
Where the Woodvale bridge is now located was a fording used from the earliest days of pioneering in going to Hilde-
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brand's grist-mill, at Sylvania, subsequently Conemaugh, but incorporated as East Conemaugh borough.
The first flood which inundated what is now the city of Johnstown was the "Pumpkin Flood," in the fall of 1820. Both rivers were high, but the Stonycreek swept everything within reach-pumpkins, cattle, barns, houses, fences, etc., and on Vine street, which was lower then than now, the water was "fence high." Paul Benshoff farmed the land which now in- cludes the Fifteenth and Sixteenth wards, and all his stock, crops, etc., were destroyed except one cow, which was rescued at the point where Coopersdale is now located.
The next overflow was that of 1847, caused by the breaking of the South Fork reservoir. The water was from four to six feet high on the "Island" and the lower parts of the city. The waste weir from the Basin and the overhead bridge from Canal street to Portage street, were destroyed. A short distance below where is now located the Baltimore & Ohio Station, the northerly bank of the Canal was washed out for a distance of a hundred feet. Boats which were in the Basin were washed through the break and carried away, passing under the acqueduct, and one of them knocked off the corner of Gaffer Davis' brick house on "Goose Island," which was still standing at the time of the flood of 1889, when it was swept out of existence.
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