USA > Pennsylvania > Clearfield County > History of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 10
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83
The same year Decatur was made an election district, and the electors thereof authorized to meet at the house occupied by Abraham Goss.
Brady township was formed into a separate district at the same time, and the place of holding elections was fixed at the house of Lebbeus Luther, at Luthersburg.
Chest township was first authorized by the act of April 6, 1830, to hold elections therein. The freemen were directed to meet at the house of William Mahaffey, but by a law passed April 4, 1831, the place was changed to the house of John Smith, at New Washington.
Parts of Gibson and Fox townships which lay adjoining, were formed into a district, and elections were ordered to be held at the house of Thomas Lig- gett, in Gibson township. This act was also passed in 1831.
In the year 1832 three districts were provided for. The polling place in Pike was changed from the house of James Blair to the inn kept by Isaac Chambers. Fox was directed to hold elections at John Kyler's, and Girard was made a separate district, and authorized to hold elections at Mordecai Liv- ergood's.
By the act of April 9, 1833, elections in Gibson were appointed to be held at the house of William Montgomery ; and by a further act, passed April 15, 1835, the second Tuesday in February was fixed for holding such elections.
Jordon was made a separate district in 1835, and the house occupied by James McNiel designated as the voting place. The same act changed the place of holding elections in Beccaria township to the house of William W. Feltwell.
The laws of 1836 made four designations: Morris township elections were to he held at the house of William M. Hunter; Burnside, at the house of John Young ; Bell, at the house of Frederick Tamyar, and Chest at the house occu-
89
FROM 1810 TO 1843.
pied by James Thompson. Burnside and Bell townships were erected in 1835, and Morris one year later, hence these were original appointments.
In 1838 the voting place in Pike was changed to the house of John Draucker, at Curwensville; Penn township was created into a separate district and voted at the old school-house on Spencer's Hill; Boggs was also made a separate dis- trict, and the freemen thereof voted at the house of William Merrill, in Cram- mondale.
By the laws of 1840 the township of Huston was made an election district, and the house occupied by Jesse Wilson was designated as the place of meet- ing. By the same act Ferguson was made a separate district, and the freemen thereof were directed to meet at the house of Thomas Davis, in that township.
The place of holding elections in Morris was changed in 1842, to the house of Josiah Hunter. At the same time Covington and Karthaus were declared o be separate election districts ; the former to hold meetings at the house of Jacob Maurer, and the latter at the boarding-house of the Karthaus Iron Works, being the same place used when Karthaus formed a part of Covington.
In 1842 the polling place in Decatur was changed to the house of John Goss; and in 1843 Burnside changed to the house of Wilson Owens, and Girard to the house occupied by George B. Smith.
The election districts formed up to this time from the erection of the county in 1804, were established by the General Assembly for the convenience of the residents of the county, and without special reference to township lines, except as new townships were created from time to time. It will be seen that, by the gradual formation of the several townships, the original Chincleclamousche township has been absorbed by the subsequent erections, so that the name is entirely lost. The creation of new townships subsequent to about 1830 were but subdivisions of the older, although the election districts were formed, in fre- quent instances, from parts of already established townships; and a record of election districts subsequent to about the year 1843, is incidental to the record of those townships to which they belonged, therefore further mention of them at this time is unnecessary.
Floods on the West Branch .--- It is a matter of almost annual occurrence that the waters of the West Branch and its tributaries rise to an unusual height. At the breaking up of the ice in the river in the springtime, high water is, of course, expected, and the residents and property owners along the banks make preparation for that event, and place their movable property out of the reach of any such rise in the river as may destroy or carry it away. In early days these floods were not of such frequent occurrence as of later years, and this fact is attributable to the clearing up of the timber lands. When the country was well covered with forests the rays of the sun could not as readily reach the snow lying on the ground, and it passed off moderately with the gradually in- creasing warmth of the season, and, as a consquence, the country was not as
90
HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY.
frequently subjected to a sudden rise of the waters ; but since the county has been mainly stripped of its protecting forests an annual rise is expected of greater or less extent, dependent on the amount of snow lying on the ground, and the character of the season generally. Notwithstanding the usual precau- tions of the people, the river sometimes rises to a height not contemplated, and a destruction of property follows. A few of these events it is the purpose of this chapter to record.
The first occasion upon which the river rose to an extraordinary height was in the month of November, 1811. There were no bridges on the river at that time, but those across the several streams in the county were almost entirely swept away. The crops of the season had not been fully gathered, and those on the lowlands were carried away by the waters. At times the surface of the water seemed literally covered with pumpkins swept from the fields along the river, and from that fact that this was ever afterward termed the "pumpkin flood." This event was not single to this locality, as a like flood occurred at at the same time on the north branch of the Susquehanna, which extended far up toward the head waters of that stream, and was there known as the " pumpkin flood." No serious damage was done to property in the locality of the West Branch, as settlement was in its infancy, but slight as the loss was, the burden of it was felt by the struggling pioneers.
The next great flood occurred in the fall of 1847. The river became swollen from a heavy and continued fall of rain, and reached a height nearly as great as in the pumpkin flood. At this time the damage was greater, as fences, hay stacks, chicken-coops, dams, bridges, and lumber were carried away. The Ringgold Mill, the property of Kratzer & Barrett, was lifted from its founda- tion on Clearfield Creek, and carried into the river, thence down to Karthaus bridge, where it became lost. On the Sinnahmahoning Creek the destruction was also great. A small house, in which was a woman and three children, was floated down stream several miles, but fortunately none were drowned.
About Christmas time in the year 1851, there came another sudden rise in the streams. A heavy body of snow had fallen, and was followed by a warm rain, causing the river to rise very rapidly. The county seat was entirely sur- rounded, and as court was in session, much anxiety was created on account of the fact that those attending court were unable to reach home. Large quanti- ties of lumber were carried away and lost at this time.
In 1861, during the month of October, occurred another unusual rise in the river, caused by heavy rains. The damage to the crops was severe, and quan- tities of lumber, shingles, and other property were lost. At this time the waters were higher than in 1847. The freshet of '47, as it has been called, was also termed the " pumpkin flood," from the fact of its occurring at the time when ยท that product was still in the fields, and all in reach of the overflowing streams were swept away. No other serious damage was done by the flood of 1847.
91
FROM 1810 TO 1843.
That flood and the rise in 1811, are frequently confused by the term " pump- kin flood " applying to each.
The greatest destruction, both of property and life, was experienced in the memorable flood on St. Patrick's day, March 17, 1865. This was not, by any means, confined to the country drained by the West Branch and its tributaries; in truth, the damage caused here on that occasion was as little felt as anywhere in the Middle States. The whole country of the Susquehannas, the Chenango, the Allegheny, the Ohio, the Genesee, the Delaware, and other like streams was completely inundated. On the north branch of the Susquehanna and Chenango rivers the waters reached a height unequaled either before or since, and a great loss of property and life resulted. In this locality on the West Branch, bridges, dams, lumber and rafts, houses and out buildings, fences, and every movable thing in the path of the mighty torrent were swept away. John Graham, of Graham township, was drowned while trying to cross Moravian Run in order that he might save a raft. The bridge had been carried out, and Graham tried to cross on a pole. The pole broke and he was thrown into the stream. Ellis Graham, of Goshen township, was also drowned on the same day by falling
into the river from a raft that he was trying to secure. There was but little rain to aggravate the flood of 1865. An unusual body of snow lay on the ground, and a very warm wind blew steadily from the south for three or four days. In its early stages this might be aptly termed an ice-flood, but the greatest height of water was reached after the ice had passed down the river.
In the spring of 1884 another destructive ice-flood occurred, by which the iron bridge built to replace the " Goodfellow bridge," was carried off its piers and borne on the floating ice to a point nearly opposite to the Beech Creek station, where it sunk to the bottom of the river. On its passage down it struck and carried off the west part of the Market street bridge at Clearfield, and still further down struck the covered bridge leading to West Clearfield, but did not cause much damage thereto.
There have been other destructive floods on the river at various times, but these are the principal ones worthy of mention. At a bend in the river known as the " Pee-wee's nest," the ice very frequently gorges and causes an over- flow along the river for many miles above that point, but the country below is not often affected by it. From that cause the residents up the valley of the river are subject to almost annual floods upon their premises, resulting from the filling up of the channel at the " Pee-wee's nest."
92
HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY.
CHAPTER XI.
LUMBER AND ROADS.
The Lumbering Interests -- Rafting and Floating -- Turnpike and Road Companies - Rail- roads of the County.
T `HE lumbering interests of the past have borne about the same important
relation to the welfare and prosperity of Clearfield county, as do the coal producing interests of the present; and looking back three-quarters of a cen- tury, who of those pioneers would for a moment think that the complete dev- astation of the seemingly boundless forests could be accomplished in so brief a time ? In the infant days of this region, lumbering was a necessity. Through- out the whole extent of the original territory embraced by this county, and even far beyond it, there was but one cleared tract, comprising a few acres of land where the county seat now stands. To make a settlement and improve- ment by the pioneer meant the clearing up of the woodlands, and required long and untiring labor before a sufficient area could be improved to supply the necessary products for a frugal family.
It was then that lumbering commenced-not that lumber was then a com- modity sufficiently valuable to place in market, but that the land might be cleared for agricultural pursuits.
The first work in the forests in the production of logs and lumber as a bus- iness was commenced soon after the year 1820, and as at that day and in years following, rafting was an indispensable auxiliary to lumbering, the two will be treated under a common head.
The early history of this county shows that Daniel Ogden and Frederick Haney had each built mills prior to 1805. Soon after Daniel Turner erected one on Clearfield Creek, and in 1808, Robert Maxwell had built a mill near Curwensville, and William Kersey another, at the Kersey settlement. The mill of James and Samuel Ardery was soon after built near the old Clearfield bridge. These men had built the several mills to supply the demands of residents in this locality.
David Litz ran a small log raft down Clearfield Creek as early as the year 1805, but this was for the purpose of erecting a log house in the county.
Among the first persons who commenced manufacturing lumber for the market down the river was one Shepherd, who began operations on the Sin- namahoning, in the (then) northern part of the county, but lately in Cameron county, about the year 1822. He had a mill erected and manufactured some lumber, but he rafted mainly square or hewed timber. Shepherd married after coming to the creek, and lived there many years.
93
LUMBER AND ROADS.
" Buck " Claflin came to the Sinnamahoning lumber district between 1825 and 1830, and operated extensively. He kept a store there at the same time for the accommodation of his employees and the permanent residents of the county.
Soon after Claflin, and prior to 1830, the Colemans were extensive opera- tors in that locality.
The Johnsons operated further up and had a mill on Bennet's Branch, in Gibson township, now set off to Elk county. Winslow and Shaffer operated in the same locality, the latter on a small scale. Of the Winslows, there were three brothers-Reuben, Eben, and Carpenter.
The above mentioned persons, it will be seen, operated mostly along the stream known as the Sinnamahoning Creek ; in fact it seems that the business of lumbering commenced down the river nearer the market, and, as the lands were taken up or stripped of their valuable timber, the newer operators were compelled to buy tracts farther up the several streams. Timber was so plenty at that time that no thought was entertained of getting far from a stream suffi- ciently large to navigate a raft. The modern inventions of " tram-roads " and " slides " were unnecessary and unprofitable.
About the year 1832, and soon after, the lands were nearly all taken from Karthaus to the Cherry Tree, the borders of the river being the greatest field of operations.
The reader will understand that the object of the operator was to get his rafts to market as quickly as possible, and for that reason only a small quantity of sawed or manufactured lumber was rafted. Log floating was not indulged in till about 1857 or '8.
From 1830 to 1840 we find names of several who operated extensively, many of whom have become permanent residents of the county.
John and William Irvin lumbered on lands about Curwensville. John Patchin located at Patchinville, and made that vicinity the base of operations, although he had and worked other tracts on Clearfield Creek and in the neigh- borhood of Frenchville.
Judge Richard Shaw located near Clearfield, where he had a large tract of timber. He also operated near where Shawsville now stands.
Alexander Irvin also commenced near Clearfield. Matthew Irvin located in Burnside township, and David Irvin at Luthersburg. The Irvins were brothers. Matthew was not an extensive operator, but his sons followed the business extensively.
Graham & Wright were large operators in Graham township.
Fitch & Boynton came to the county in 1835. They had some timber lands, but dealt mainly in worked timber, buying and rafting to market.
Ellis and William Irwin operated in the vicinity of Clearfield town as early as 1837.
13
94
HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY.
Bigler & Powell commenced about 1834, and made Clearfield the base of operations, although they had lands at Frenchville and elsewhere. Mr. Bigler became governor of the State in 1851. Mr. Powell is a merchant of Clearfield.
A. B. Waller located at Cherry Tree, in the upper end of the county. He was from Washington, D. C., and operated largely for several years.
At about this time Stewart & Owens cleared a large tract on Clearfield Creek near Glen Hope.
James Forest operated on the creek further down, and resided at Clearfield bridge.
John M. Chase commenced about the same time, and has followed the business to the present time.
The principal marketing points for lumber cut in the region during these years, was at Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Marietta, where the large buyers from New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, and other large cities east and south, came to make their purchases.
For the next twenty years lumbering appears to have been the chief occu- pation of nearly every resident land owner of the county. Agriculture became a neglected pursuit, and the farmer looked to the accumulation of a fortune in the lumber business. Expenses were great, and during the excitement of the time, future contingencies were not provided for.
The legitimate and certain result of the neglect in improving the lands as they were cleared, proved disastrous in very many cases. Hoped for fortunes were not realized, and when farming was resumed the lands were found to be exceedingly poor and difficult of cultivation. By years of labor and expense the farms were brought into a fair producing state. While this is true, as a general rule, there were of course exceptions in various localities, and there were just as good farms in some townships twenty-five years ago as there are to-day.
Among the many who came to the county to engage in this business about the year 1840, and from that time to 1850, was John Du Bois, a native of New York. He operated first on the Sinnamahoning, but made headquarters at Williamsport. Mr. Du Bois afterward became one of the most enterprising men in the county, and did much for its substantial benefit. He founded and built up the borough of Du Bois, erected a lumber manufactory there, among the largest in the State, and engaged in extensive business enterprises that will live for generations a substantial monument to his memory.
John G. Redding & Co., of Williamsport, began lumbering on the Sinnama- honing about 1844. The firm had a large tract and did an extensive business.
Perks & Bowman had and operated a large tract on the Moshannon. Mr. Perks died, but the business was continued by his partner, who still operates there, although residing at Williamsport.
Craig & Blanchard were heavy producers on the Sinnamahoning. In the
95
LUMBER AND ROADS.
firm were three brothers, Blanchard, who lived on the tract. Mr. Craig was a resident of Wilmington, Del.
Christ & Long had a tract on the creek comprising about fifteen or twenty thousand acres. They were large dealers besides. Their lumber was rafted rough to Lock Haven, where they had saw-mills.
John F. Weaver became a member of the firm of Bigler & Powell in 1847, after which the firm name was changed to Bigler & Co. Their field of oper- ations lay in the vicinity of Clearfield, about Bald Hill, in Bell township, and on Clearfield Creek. After Mr. Bigler was elected governor, in 1851, his in- terest was sold to George L. Reed, and the firm became G. L. Reed & Co. The firm of Weaver & Betts was formed in 1869.
John Patton commenced lumbering near Curwensville about 1847 or 1848.
The Dodge tract, on the Sinnamahoning, was opened about the same time by their agent, Mr. Sacketts, a New Yorker. John Brooks, Levi Lutz, War- ner, Major Andrews, and Judge Gillis, commenced about the same time. John Brooks came in soon after 1850. He was a large operator. At one time he was elected to the Legislature.
In 1857 a new system was introduced. Instead of rafting, as was the pre- vious practice, some operators began floating their logs to Williamsport, where the river had been boomed to receive them. This deprived the rafters of their means of livelihood, and they organized to prevent any such innovation. An armed party of rafters attacked and drove the floaters from Clearfield Creek, after which the system of floating was abandoned on the waters of the creek, although it continued elsewhere. The attacking party of rafters were arrested and convicted of riotous conduct, but their attack had a wholesome effect in breaking up the floaters' organization in that vicinity.
The lumbering business reached its maximum about this time, and any at- tempt to enumerate the entire list of those engaged in that occupation would be incomplete and useless. There were many small operators who ran from two to ten rafts each season, but by far the greater number of these were sold to dealers, and by them rafted to the markets.
From the year 1859 to the present time there may be mentioned the names of some extensive operators in the various localities not heretofore referred to, and besides these many of those already named continued to the present, or until a very recent date. In Karthaus there may be recalled D. B. Hall, John Gilliland, Samuel Gilliland, Dr. J. W. Potter, I. C. McCloskey, and others. The Gillilands, with D. B. Hall, constituted the firm of D. B. Hall & Co.
In Covington, on the river, were L. M. Coudriet, Augustus and Alphonso Leconte. Augustus Leconte built a mill in Girard in 1842, and afterward lived there. Judge Lamm was on Deer Creek, in Girard.
Thomas H. Forcey succeeded Graham & Wright across in Graham town- ship.
In Cooper there were Joseph C. Brenner, and Leonard Kyler.
96
HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY.
In Girard, Alexander, William, and Anderson Murray, James Irvin, Robert Stewart, and Gillingham and Garrison.
In Bradford, William, George, and Henry Alberts, under the firm name of Alberts Bros. They had headquarters at Woodland.
In Goshen, A. B. Shaw, Walton Dwight, and Phelps & Dodge. The latter had large tracts throughout the northern part of the county, and were very large operators.
In Lawrence were Ellis Irwin & Son, and they still operate on Lick Run ; Joseph Shaw, and William Mapes.
In Pike, E. A. Irvin D. W. Irvin, Isaac B. Norris, N. E. & Samuel Arnold, John Irvin & Bros. The latter are also interested on Anderson Creek. On this creek were also John Du Bois, Paul, George, and John Merrell, and Blan- chard Bros.
At Lumber City, and in Penn township, the Kirks, Fergusons, G. H. Lit- tle, and Joseph Hagerty. At Belleville were the Bell Brothers, and at Lewis- ville in the same township (Greenwood), the present firm of Leavey, Mitchell & Co. In Bell, the Mahaffeys, Robert, William, and Frank, the McGees, and Elias Henderson.
In Burnside township, at New Washington, Burnside, and other points, were John M. Cummings, McMurrays, Mahaffeys, Gallagers, Dr. McCune, Horace and Jackson Patchin, John C. Conner, Aaron Patchin, Irvin Brothers, William and: Matthew. The Irvin Brothers were succeeded by Horace Patchin.
At the Cherry Tree region there still remains quite a bevy of lumbermen. Of those who have been there during recent years are David and Porter Kim- port, Jesse Harter, E. B. Camp, Pitts & McKeag, Vincent Tonkin, and others. The latter purchased the lands formerly operated by A. B. Waller.
On the Moshannon, the Steiners, Moshannon Lumber Company, and A. B. Long & Sons; in Geulich, P. & A. Flynn; in Houtzdale and Madera, D. K. Ramey, Samuel Hagerty, and James Lowther. In Beccaria and Jordon town- ships there were Clark Patchin, and John and Henry Swan. At Penfield, Hiram Woodward, and generally in Huston and Sandy townships, Charles Blanchard, George Craig & Sons, and John E. Du Bois.
The pioneer lumbermen of Brady were Samuel and Frederick K. Arnold, and David Irvin. During latter years the business has been conducted by Reuben H. Moore, the Carlisles, Samuel Kuntz, the Knarrs, Pentzs, and George, William, and Charles Schwem, who succeeded to the business of their father, William Schwem.
Following carefully through the names of the lumbermen in this county since the business was commenced, there will be found many who are among the most enterprising and worthy residents of the county-men who came here to engage temporarily in business, and when that was accomplished have
97
LUMBER AND ROADS.
continued to reside here, and, by their efforts and means have contributed towards the present prosperous condition of the county.
Although the lumbering business of the present will not bear comparison with that of twenty-five years ago, it is still carried on to a considerable ex- tent. In some parts of the county there still remain large tracts of standing timber, noticeably from Burnside to Cherry Tree, and generally throughout the northern part of the county.
As incidental to the above subject it may be stated that on the streams large enough for rafting and floating, all lumbermen had equal rights in the pursuit of their business, as the river and its tributaries were declared by the Legislature to be public highways for the purpose intended. This was a neces- sary act, as by it any conflicting claims were prevented.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.