USA > Pennsylvania > Clarion County > History of Clarion County, Pennsylvania > Part 57
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At the first election in 1848 Lester Warner and Charles McKerr were chosen justices of the peace; Elias Emminger, constable; Harrison Hall and William McDonald, school directors; and Wilson S. Packer, overseer of the poor.
Highland township contains no large streams except Little Toby Creek, which traverses its northwestern part. The greater part of the surface is drained by a succession of small runs falling into the Clarion. The land facing the river and along the western border is hilly, rough, and sterile, and most of it has been stripped of its valuable timber. Back in the interior, however, in the vicinity of Helen Furnace, the soil is tractable, and agriculture flourishes.
The post-offices in the township are Helen Furnace and Miola. Smithport and State Road Ripple are crossings and rafting points on the river. The nearest approach to a village is the cross-roads at Helen Furnace.
The population in 1850 was 648. The cessation of the furnace and the reduction of its boundaries caused a falling off, and in 1870 we find it only 524 ; in 1880 it was 698.
CHAPTER LV.
HISTORY OF KNOX TOWNSHIP.
T 'HIS division of the county, in topographical character, is an undulating upland, cut deeply from north to south in the center by Paint Creek.
1 For northwestern boundary, see Knox township.
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HISTORY OF CLARION COUNTY.
It was formed from parts of Paint, Highland, and Washington, by a decree of the Court, dated May 7, 1853, and was the result of a petition presented at the Quarter Sessions of February, 1853. Three commissioners, James Hasson, B. J. Reid, and J. K. Maxwell, were appointed. They reported that a new township was necessary, and submitted the following boundaries, which were confirmed by the Court: " Beginning at the Elk township line at the north- west corner of warrant No. 2770, thence along the Elk township line, to the Washington township line, a distance of 560 perches, to a red oak, being the northwest corner of warrant No. 2776, thence east along the Washington town - ship line, 318 perches, to a maple, being the southwest corner of warrant No. 2783, thence north along the dividing line of warrants No. 2783 and 2782, 525 perches to a post, the southwest corner of warrant 2788, thence east along the dividing line of warrants 2788, 2787 and 2806 on the north, and Nos. 2783, 2784 and 2785 on the south 1010 perches to a post at the Farmington town- ship line, it being the northeast corner of warrant No. 2785, thence south along said line by the eastern boundary of No. 2785, 388 perches to the north- west corner of warrant No. 3681, thence east to the middle of said tract, a distance of 319 perches to a post, thence south, 161 perches to a maple, thence east 42 perches to a white oak, thence south by lands of Bingham 535 perches to Robert Felton's corner, thence west by the line dividing land of Cook and Felton from lands of Walter 182 perches to Little Toby Creek, thence north . fifty-eight degrees west 263 perches to the northeast corner of warrant No. 277 I, thence west along the dividing line of warrants No. 2772, 2773, 2774 and 2776 on the north, and No. 2771, 2769, 2767 and 2766 on the north 1318 perches to the Elk township line at the place of beginning."
All east of warrants 2772 and 2785 was taken from Highland township ; the former warrant and three west of it were originally a part of Paint town- ship ; and the tracts north of these belonged to Washington. The township was named after Hon. John C. Knox, then presiding.
Previous to 1820 the region now embraced by Knox township was entirely unsettled. In that year John B. Vogelbacher came out on the State road from Carlisle, Cumberland county, bringing with him his family, composed of his wife, his son Joseph, then five years old, who is still living, and his daugh- ter Mary. A native of the Black Forest, where he had served as a game- keeper, he had sailed for America in 1815. The voyage was one of months, and full of horrors. Of 300 passengers about one-half reached the port alive. The brutality and incapacity of the captain were incredible. The supply of food and water ran short, and neglect and want brought on diseases which made terrible ravages among the emigrants. The passengers were obliged to ob- tain drinking water by hanging out clothing to catch rain. On their arrival at New York, Vogelbacher and two other men were alone able to crawl on shore. They complained of the captain's cruelty to an official, and he advised them
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to lay in wait for him and shoot him dead. This lawless method of punish- ment, however, was not carried out, and whether or not the shipmaster was ever brought to justice is unknown.
Mr. Vogelbacher remained five years at Carlisle, working at the cooper trade, but becoming dissatisfied he resolved to seek independence amid the wilds of the West. He purchased 114 acres from James Humes, of the Lan- caster Land Company, and with his family and some effects in a Conestoga wagon, started for their unseen home, over the long and solitary road through the wilderness. On arriving at the place, he selected as the spot for his resi- dence an eminence a little to the northwest of the road, where at present stands the brick dwelling-house of his grandson, and built a cabin of two ground rooms and a loft.
Upon his arrival Mr. Vogelbacher discovered that there were several lodges in the vicinity occupied in a desultory way by quite a number of harmless Cornplanter Indians, attracted by the excellence of the country for game. On the P. Gatesman farm, in the angle of the road intersection, they had con- structed a double and a single cabin of saplings. There was a camp of brush and bark on the present 'Bastian Lauinger farm, and another of the same description near the bridge, where the Lickingville road crosses Paint Creek. One of the most notable of these Indians was Big John. He, with others of his tribe, came to Vogelbacher's house on one occasion, and asked him to accompany them on a hunting expedition. He replied that he had no lead. Big John said that he would soon bring lead; started off toward the south, and in three hours returned with a handful of the mineral wet and stained with dirt. Mr. Vogelbacher thought he had brought it from the Clarion River. When asked where he had obtained it, the Indian cocked his head to one side, smiled shrewdly, and replied, "That's Big John's business." It is probable that the Senecas obtained their lead from a distance and secreted it in the earth at convenient spots, to spare them the labor of carrying it with them wherever they went. Big John told Joseph, Vogelbacher's child, that he would one day tell him where to find the lead, but he and his comrades shortly disappeared, and never returned.
Mr. Vogelbacher was a famous huntsman, his experience as a forester stand- ing him in good need. The quantity of noble game he captured would make a modern Nimrod green with envy. Three hundred deer was the record of one year, among them a snow-white doe. It was very common for him, while at work in the clearing, to drop several of those animals during a day. When lead was scarce, as it often was with him (his gun required an ounce ball), he took care to preserve his bullets, if possible firing while the game was between him and a tree or log, so that if the missile passed through the body it would easily be found in the wood; if it did not, he could extract it from the carcass. In this way he shot nine deer with the same bullet, remoulding it after each shot.
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HISTORY OF CLARION COUNTY.
He had several desperate encounters with stags at bay. In one of these, after badly but not mortally wounding a very large buck, it required an hour's time and the assistance of his son, before the animal could be taken at advan- tage and dispatched with the tomahawk. One night, hearing the squealing of a hog, he took his trusty gun, ran out in undress and found a bear devouring a stray porker. He wounded the bear, and on approaching closer the brute sprang savagely at his leg, but encountered instead the down-hanging butt of his flint-lock, and tore the box out of the stock, leaving the marks of his teeth in the surrounding wood. The gun is still in the possession of the family.
Vogelbacher was very familiar and popular with the Indians, his prowess in the chase inspiring them with respect. They often hunted with him and taught him to tan deer-skins and make moccasins. Before the coming of other settlers, Mr. Vogelbacher's nearest civilized neighbors were the Kapps and Siegworths at Fryburg on the north, and Alexander McNaughton on the south. A short route to Kapp's Settlement was blazed through the forest. The hos- pitality of John Vogelbacher was almost as noted as his skill as a marksman. Travelers along the road were always sure to find a warm and gratuitous wel- come at his cabin. The fire-place pot was kept replenished with fresh game meats, and wheat bread-a rarity remarked by his neighbors-could always be found on his table.
The sterling traits of this pioneer were recognized when the country became settled. His superior character and intelligence preserved his ascendency over his neighbors and made him a leader in the community, being foremost in pro- moting improvements and building up the settlement, as he had been in lay- ing its foundation. He died in August, 1859, aged seventy-two. The cluster of farms about his homestead and the neighboring church (which was erected on his farm) bespoke his pre-eminence in the name Vogelbacher's Settlement, which it long bore, and by which it is still sometimes known.
John Vogelbacher was alone till about 1822, when Francis Tschurdi (now Judy) and his family, from Switzerland, came to what is now the S. and P. Shillinger farm. George Walters and his two sons came soon after from Allegheny county and built a one-room log house on the present farm of P. Gatesman, sleeping the year round in the log barn. Then followed Henry Imhoof, Frederick Shillinger, and about 1833 David Walters, Charles Kerr, and James Lamb.
The starting up of Lucinda furnace in 1833 by James Humes and George B. Hamilton, who were foremost in the opening and developing of Knox town- ship, attracted many, and considerably increased the population. From 1830 to 1845 settlers came in great numbers, most of them being German Catho- lics. The northeast corner of the township was settled by Joseph Snyder ; the northwest, a fertile and well-cultivated section, by William Strikenbarger,
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many years later. Much of the land in the central and southern part was pur- chased from President Buchanan and John Reynolds, who became the owner of the furnace and Humes territory in 1843.
The first saw-mill was constructed on Paint Creek in 1832 by Hamilton and Humes. The first grist-mill was built by the same firm in 1834. Before its erection the settlers had to carry their grain much longer distances. At first the nearest mill was Best's on Beaver Creek, twelve miles away. Hither the grain was hauled in home-made wagons, with wooden wheels fashioned out of the splitting off of a cross-cut, and with wooden axles, a combination which in motion produced a screech that could be heard two miles off, as it jolted over the rough roads.
Shippenville was the earliest trading point. Before its existence the pio- neers contented themselves with homespun fabrics, and lived entirely on the abundant game and their little crops of cereals and produce. For five years Mr. Vogelbacher never saw a cent, except one which a passing traveler gave to his son.
The earliest road was of course the State road. The first local road was one connecting Lucinda post-office (that is the cross-roads at the church) with the Furnace. It took a more southerly course than the present way between those points, and is now disused as a public road. The road leading from Lu- cinda Furnace to the river at Clarion Furnace was one of the earliest opened.
The first inn was started in 1844 by Jacob Neuland, and occupied a part of the residence of John B. Vogelbacher. In 1850 the present Union Hotel, also by Neuland. A store at the cross-roads was built by Joseph Vogelbacher in 1869.
In 1846 the Catholic congregation built a frame church, on the site of the present one. Before that time mass was celebrated about once a month in the house of John Vogelbacher, by Father O'Neill and others, but there was no regular pastor. In 1850 the frame building was burned down, and replaced in 1856 by a brick church 39 x 70 feet. Before erecting this, the knob on which it was to stand was cut down, leveled and regularly sloped. This church was also destroyed by fire (it is thought by an incendiary), January 3, 1860, but promptly rebuilt with the same dimensions, and in 1871 a rear extension of thirty-five feet was added. When the first church was built, 1846, the con- gregation was composed of about thirty-five families ; at present there are one hundred and forty families, and eight hundred souls. The following have been the pastors: 1846, P. Hoy; 1849, Jos. Dean ; 1850, Andrew Skopez ; 1854, Jas. Slattery; 1855, A. Skopez and others ; 1856, Charles B. Mayer (first resident priest) ; 1857, various ; 1858, Philip Schmidt and Thomas Ledwith ; 1859, various ; 1860, A. Skopez ; 1863, Andrew Andolshek ; 1864, up to the present time, Rev. John Koch. Rev. Patrick Smith assisted by Father Koch in 1868 and '70.
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HISTORY OF CLARION COUNTY.
There are no Protestant Churches in Knox township. The Protestants have a cemetery on the farm of P. Gatesman.
Schools .- The first school was started by subscription in 1824, on the Bin- del farm. There are now one parochial and four public schools in the township, with a total attendance of about one hundred and ninety pupils. The Catholic school was commenced in the parsonage, in the autumn of 1866, with William Schmidt teacher. In 1876 the Benedictine sisters arrived, and have been teach- ing since. A large brick convent was erected for them. The school building is a two-story frame.
The toil and untiring industry of the German agricultural population have subdued the soil, naturally stony and untractable, and brought it to a creditable state of cultivation. Many good farms and pleasant farm-houses are to be found in this township, particularly in the Settlement, the vicinity of Snyders- burg, and the northwest corner.
Lucinda post-office (Vogelbacher), is a collection of houses about the church, with two stores, a hotel, a blacksmith shop, etc. The Pittsburgh and Western Railroad has a station near by. The post-office was transferred here from Lucinda Furnace shortly after the furnace was abandoned. Snydersburg is a small village to the north, on the railroad. New St. Mary's is a thriving settlement of farmers in the western end of the township, and reaching into northwestern Paint. It was named from St. Mary's in Elk county, from whence many of the settlers came.
Population .- In 1870, 656; 1880, 767.
CHAPTER LVI.
HISTORY OF LICKING TOWNSHIP.
L T ICKING township lies next north of the southern tier of townships in Clarion county. It is bounded on the north by Beaver, east by Piney, south by Toby, and west by North Perry and East Richland.
The surface of the township is considerably broken by numerous ridges, but almost all the land can be cultivated. The township is divided by the Clarion River passing through it, and is well watered. The Clarion River strikes it on its northeast corner, where the Piney line comes in. The river forms the boundary between Licking and Beaver, till just at the foot of Delo's Eddy the line crosses the river, and from there to the Perry line, immediately below Ebling's saw-mill, the river flows within the township-something it does not do in any other township of the county. From Ebling's Mill to the mouth of
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LICKING TOWNSHIP.
the Alum Rock Run, the river forms the Perry-Licking line, and at the mouth of this Run the Licking-East Richland line begins. Licking, the next stream in size, enters the township at Craig's saw-mill on the Callensburg-Sligo road, and empties into the Clarion immediately below Callensburg. Cherry Run enters the township at John Russell's place on the road to Millerstown, Toby township, and empties into Licking at the grist-mill of W. Craig, jr., one-half mile from the mouth of Licking.
These are the only streams upon which water-power is now utilized, or upon which lumbering is carried on. Licking and Cherry Run are not lum- bering streams, but have good water-power.
South of the Mount Zion Ridge the numerous small streams flow into Licking, except some west of the Thomas Elliott Ridge flow into the Clarion. North of the Mount Zion Ridge the streams flow into the Clarion. North of the river the streams on the northeast slope of the main ridge flow into the Clarion above the mouth of Licking, while those on the southwest side flow into it below the mouth of Licking. This odd shaped portion of the township is known as the Loop.
Originally the township was covered with a fine growth of timber, princi- pally oak and chestnut on the ridges, with maple and walnut in the valleys. South of the Clarion there was a strip of pine extending from the Piney town- ship line above Canoe almost to the mouth of Pifer's Run, near Callensburg.
The climate is uniform with other sections of the county, only it is notice- able that the snow does not accumulate as it does in the northern townships, and perhaps the snow-fall is not so great.
Good crops of wheat, corn, oats, rye and buckwheat are produced. Many potatoes, beans, and other vegetables are grown. Apples and cherries and other small fruits are generally a bounteous crop. Peaches are uncertain. Above the limestone the crop is more uniform than on the lower lands. For- merly a considerable quantity of flax was raised, but of late little attention is given to that industry. Some tobacco is cultivated. The hills are rich in minerals, especially coal. The most important vein of coal, the "four feet" vein, or the one next below the limestone, runs through every ridge in the township, while the vein above the limestone is worked in several localities and yields a good quality of coal.
The supply of limestone is practically inexhaustible. On the slopes of the Mount Zion Ridge and its minor ranges, a vein of splendid iron ore lies imme- diately on top of the limestone. This vein has been profitably worked from Mount Zion to where the vein crops out toward Licking. This vein has also been worked north of the Clarion, and other veins have been opened at various places in the township.
Whether the Indians lived here at any time or not, is not known. Many relics of their presence have been found-tomahawks, arrowheads, wampum,
57
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HISTORY OF CLARION COUNTY.
&c., but this may have been only a hunting-ground. The writer has often gathered flint arrowheads along the Clarion at the Bullock Ford, a short dis- tance up stream from the mouth of Licking.
Early Settlements .- It seems to be a pretty well established fact that the first settlement within the limits of Licking township was made in the extreme northwestern part, on the farm known as the "Old George Best farm," and now owned by Elias Ritts. A small brook runs from the ridge southwest of Cyrus Neely's residence, and flows almost' southwestward into the Clarion at Alum Rock. On the northwest side of this brook, about forty rods from the present farm-house on the farm referred to, a man named Range built a house in 1802. This house stood close by a spring of water which joins the brook a few rods from where it comes from the earth. A solitary apple tree marks the spot where the cabin stood.
In 1804 Thomas Morgan squatted on and made an improvement in the northern part of the township. The tract on which he squatted was patented by a man named Peters. This improvement was in the vicinity of the St. John's or "Loop" church. The cabin into which Mr. Morgan moved stood about where Mr. Disher's house now stands. Jacob Allebach and his son David settled on the tract and purchased it in 1834, the deed being made to David. Bartley Clark settled where Lawson Morgan now lives; date not known.
In 1804 Alexander Wilson, sr., settled on the Pine Hollow Road near the present home of Alexander Wilson, jr., on the tract known as the Samuel McCauley lot. A few old apple trees mark the location of the house.
John Elder settled in 1807, and built a house about forty rods east of the Oak Grove school-house.
In 1808 Christopher Reicherd settled where Philip Over now lives.
In 1809 Andrew Lowers built a house at the Bullock Ford, on the Kil- gore farm, near Callensburg.
Samuel Lobaugh'settled in the present Oak Grove district in 18II, and Jacob Whitmer in 1815.
Benjamin Gardner, sr., settled at the mouth of Beaver in 1812.
Hugh Callen came in 1812.
John Colwell settled where Miles Colwell now lives. He and his family came in 1824.
John Elliott settled at; W. D. Elliott's homestead, on the present Sligo road, in 1824.
Sidle Lobough settled in 1822 at the old tannery.
John Henry settled in the township in 1826.
In 1831 Paul Neely settled where William Neely now lives.
In 1836 James L. Wilson settled where he now resides.
Among the other early settlers were Christopher Over, George Heeter, sr.,
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LICKING TOWNSHIP.
George Elliott, sr., William Elliott, sr., John Dunkle, Hugh Kilgore, John L. Reid, Abram Frampton, Henry Alexander, and others, whose descendants still live in the township.
The excellent water-power of the township and the mineral and forestry resources have given considerable activity to the milling, lumbering, and iron industries from time to time.
Grist-Mills .- As early as 1814 Alexander Wilson built a grist-mill on the Clarion, a short distance from the mouth of Licking. This mill was burned, and soon after being rebuilt it was again burned. A man named Myers had built a rival establishment about two hundred yards up Licking, and the fact that a controversy arose between Wilson and Myers gave currency to a rumor that Myers burned the mill, but the crime was never proven against him. The mill was put up a third time, and it went to decay when Mr. Wilson became too old to operate it. In connection with the first two structures a carding- machine was erected, which was operated by John Craig. The Myers mill was sold to Michael Reichart, late of Perry township, who sold it to Abram Frampton. Mr. Frampton saw the advantage of being located on the "pike," which had been laid out from Graham's Landing (now Parker) to the place where the pike now crosses the Jefferson county line, so he proceeded to build a new mill where the road crossed Licking. This mill has long been known as Craig's mill, now owned by W. Craig, jr. The machinery of Frampton's old mill was set up in a mill at Matildaville, and ran for a long time.
In 1833 Benjamin Junkins built the Bell grist-mill, long known as Best's mill, on the Clarion below Sassafras Point. The ice flood of 1885 tore the mill from its foundation, and it was taken down soon after. William Bell had a grist-mill at Sassafras Point.
The Buchanan furnace mill was erected to supply the wants of the furnace people, probably in 1850. It was afterwards torn down, and moved away.
Saw-Mills .- There have been twenty saw-mills erected in the township; fifteen along the Clarion and five on the smaller streams out from the Clarion. A water-mill, at the mouth of Beaver, erected in early days by Benjamin Gardner, sr., was rebuilt by Benjamin Gardner, jr., and converted into a steam- mill. It was afterward owned and run by J. B. Reynolds, and at present it is owned by J. B. Miller. For years a boat scaffold has been connected with this mill, and run by H. C. Heeter & J. B. Miller.
Next down the stream above the present site of G. W. Heeter's mill was one built by Sidle Lobough. Some ruins of it still remain. The mill and scaffold of G. W. Heeter & Bro. were erected in 1877.
Crary's saw-mill, below the bridge, was built about the year 1850. It had two boat scaffolds in connection with it, one above, and the other below the dam. Samuel Stover afterward owned and operated the mill.
The saw-mill at the mouth of Licking was built at an early date. At the
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HISTORY OF CLARION COUNTY.
time Prospect furnace was in blast William Moore had control of the mill with a boat scaffold on the Callensburg side of Licking, where they built many boats.
In 1857 or 1858 G. W. Elder and Allen Fowler built a mill and scaffold where Stover & Neely now have their new mill. The new establishment was erected in 1886 by C. G. W. Stover and Samuel Neely.
William Bell once had a saw-mill at Sassafras Point ; Robert Bell had one at the Turnip Holes, and Thomas Bell had one at the mouth of Best's Run.
A saw-mill stood for many years beside the Best grist-mill, and a steam saw-mill only a short distance below the grist-mill.
South of the river, at the mouth of Wilson's Run, Allen Fowler had erected a mill early in the history of our saw-mills, and in 1870 Isaac Shorman built what is now known as Ebling's mill, being now owned by Charles Ebling, of Callensburg. At Fowler's old mill the first boat was constructed that was built on the Clarion.
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