History of Erie county, Pennsylvania. Containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, villages schools, churches, industries, etc, Part 32

Author: Bates, Samuel P. (Samuel Penniman), 1827-1902; Whitman, Benjamin, 1940-; Russell, N. W. (Nathaniel Willard); Brown, R. C. (Robert C.); Weakley, F. E; Warner, Beers & Co. (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : Warner, Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1280

USA > Pennsylvania > Erie County > History of Erie county, Pennsylvania. Containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, villages schools, churches, industries, etc > Part 32

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OLD TAVERNS.

The first public house on the south shore of Lake Erie, west of Buffalo, and the first building erected within the limits of Erie City, was the Presque Isle Tavern, built by Col. Seth Reed in July, 1795. It stood near the mouth of Mill Creek, and was a one-story log and stone structure. The next year, Col. Reed built a two-story log building on the southwest corner of Second and Parade streets, which he turned over to his son, Rufus S. Reed, who kept a store and tavern in it for many years.

The third tavern was built in Erie by George Buehler in 1800. Needing larger accommodations, he erected another at the northeast corner of Third and French streets, which afterward became known as the McConkey House. This building was occupied as Perry's headquarters in 1813. It was standing till a few years ago. Mr. Buehler moved to Harrisburg in 1811, and estab -. lished the well-known Buehler House in that city, the name of which was afterward changed to the Bolton House.

Outside of Erie, the earliest public house was opened in Waterford by Lieut. Martin in 1795. Public houses were established by Richard Swan at Manchester in 1805; by Henry Burgett at North East in 1806; by Lemuel Brown on the site of the Haynes House, in the same place, in 1808; by John Ryan on the Buffalo road, near East avenue, Erie, in 1809; by George W. Reed in Waterford in 1810; and by John and David Phillips at Phillipsville in the same year. After Mr. Ryan's death, his widow kept the house till 1820, when she married Wareham Taggart, who assumed charge of the property, and gave it the name of the Taggart House. In 1835, Anthony Saltsman, son in-law of Mr. Taggart, became the landlord, and served in that capacity a number of years. It was once a noted stand, being the site of the militia trainings for Mill Creek Township, and a sort of political center.

Before the introduction of railroads, the Buffalo and Ridge roads were among the busiest thoroughfares in the country, being the great avenues for emigration and trade between the Northeastern States and the West. Num- erous public houses sprung up and did a good business., The tavern keepers of those days were usually men of much force of character, and wielded wide political influence. It is said that at one time there was not a mile along the roads named without a public house. Many of the buildings are standing, but have been converted to other purposes. The completion of the Lake Shore

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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

Railway caused a diminution of travel almost instantly, and it was not long before the emigrant, cattle, and freight business fell off entirely. One by one the public houses closed, and by 1860 there were none left in operation except in the towns and villages. Among the most noted of the old lake shore taverns were the Doty and Keith Houses at East Springfield; the Martin House at Girard; the Fairview House at Fairview; Swan's Hotel at Swanville; the Half- way House, a little west of the county almshouse; the Weigleville House; the Taggart House above referred to; Fuller's Tavern at Wesleyville; and the Brawley House at North East. A number of these are yet in operation, and will be mentioned in connection with the places where they are located.

Back from the lake shore the best known of the older hotels were Martin Strong's, at the summit of the Waterford Turnpike; the Eagle Hotel at Wa- terford; the Robinson House at Edinboro; the Sherman House at Albion; the Wattsburg House at Wattsburg; and the Lockport House at Lockport.

The Erie City hotels, and the more recent ones outside, will be described in their proper connections.

TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION.

Up to 1800, a good share of the travel and transportation was by means of small boats on the lake from Buffalo, and by way of French Creek from Pitts- burgh. Judah Colt's colony at Greenfield was supplied in this way for sev- eral years. The goods that came by lake for the Greenfield colony were landed at Freeport, and from there were transported on horseback or by ox teams. The boats on French Creek generally went no farther up than Waterford, but in times of good water they were poled to Greenfield Village. They were either canoes or flat-bottomed vessels, the latter being something like the mud scows now seen on Presque Isle Bay, but small and shallow, drawing but a trifling amount of water. Those on the lake were originally propelled by oars, but it was not long till sails were introduced. The passengers generally acted as a crew, and were glad of the privilege. In winter many persons came into the country, either on foot or in sledges, by traveling on the ice of the lake. There was more of a beach along the whole length of the lake than now; and, until roads were opened, this was much used during the summer.

By 1810, there were roads to all points south, east and west, and the op- portunities for travel and transportation became greatly improved. The roads however, were still rough and muddy, and horseback riding was the favorite mode of travel. Many instances are related where emigrants came in with their few household goods loaded on horses' backs, the wife riding one, the husband another, and the children, if any, a third animal. Sometimes they were too poor to own more than one horse, in which case the wife and small children rode, and the husband walked by their side with his gun or ax over his shoulder. As the roads became better, the once familiar two-horse wagons were introduced. These were covered with cotton cloth stretched over hickory ribs, and furnished shelter for the whole family, besides carrying their goods. There being few public houses up to 1820, each party brought their provis- ions along, stopping at meal times by the springs, and doing their cooking over open fires. From the direction of Pittsburgh the French Creek route con- tinued to be the one used till some time after the second war with Great Brit- ain. The supplies for Perry's fleet, including the cannon, were largely trans- ported in flat boats to Waterford, and from there by the turnpike to Erie. Most of the roads in the county were in poor coudition as late as 1830.

The introduction of stage coaches was a great step ahead. After that came the steamboats, which carried hundreds of passengers on each trip. For a

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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

number of years succeeding the opening of the canal, thousands of emigrants, bound for the West, reached Erie by steamboat, and from there went by canal. boats down to the Ohio. The packet boats on the canal, the steamboats and the stage coaches all did a good passenger business until the completion of the railroads, which speedily put an end to their business.

THE SALT TRADE.

One of the leading industries of the early days was the transportation of salt for the Southern markets. This trade was commenced by Gen. James O'Hara, of Allegheny County, about 1800, and continued until 1819, being at its height probably about 1808 to 1812. The salt was purchased at Salina, N. Y., hauled from there to Buffalo in wagons, brought in vessels to Erie, un- loaded in warehouses at the mouth of Mill Creek, and from there carried by ox teams to Waterford, where it was placed in flat-boats and floated down French Creek and the Allegheny to Pittsburgh and the country beyond. The growth of the trade, as shown by the custom house records, was from 714 bar- rels in 1800, to 12,000 in 1809, which amount was increased at a later period.

The hauling of the salt over the portage between Erie and Waterford and the floating of it down French Creek gave employment to many citizens of the county. To some farmers the trade was really a Godsend, as their land barely furnished food for their families, and, no markets being near for the little they had to sell, they were obliged by necessity to spend a part of their time at some other employment to raise money for taxes, groceries and clothing. This was especially the case just before and immediately after the war. when the times were very hard. It is estimated that when the trade was at its best, one hundred teams and as many persons were constantly on the road between Erie and Waterford. The time for making each trip was calculated at two days and the average load for a four ox team was fourteen barrels. The price paid at first was $1,50, and then $1 per barrel, which was reduced by the close of the business to 50 cents. As may be imagined, the road was always bad, and it was not unusual for a wagon load of freight to get stuck in the mud, and be four days in crossing the portage. On many occasions, a part of the burden had to be abandoned on the way, and a second trip made to get it to its destination. A number of warehouses were erected on the bank of LeBoeuf Creek at Waterford for storing the salt until the water was at a suitable stage for floating it down French Creek. The salt was bought at Salina for 60 cents per bushel, and the price at Erie and Waterford ranged from $5 to $12 a barrel, It required from two to three months to convey it from the place of manufacture to market at Pittsburgh. There was a period when salt was almost the only circulating medium in the county. Oxen, horses, negro slaves and land were sold to be paid for in so much salt. As a sample, Hamlin Russell, father of N. W. Russell, of Belle Valley, exchanged a yoke of oxen for eight barrels, and Rufus S. Reed pur- chased of Gen. Kelso a colored boy, who was to be held to service under the State law until he was twenty-eight years old, for one hundred barrels. The price that season was $5 per barrel, making the value of the slave $500. The discovery of salt wells on the Kiskiminitas and Kanawba, about 1813, cheap- ened the price of the article at Pittsburgh, so that Salina could not compete, and the trade by way of Erie steadi ly diminished until it ceased altogether in 1819.

STAGE LINES AND MAIL ROUTES.

In 1801, a route between Erie and Pittsburgh, via Waterford and Meadville, was opened, to carry the mail once a week. By 1803, it had been reduced to

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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

once in two weeks, but was soon changed back to the original plan. The mode of transportation was on horseback for some years, and later by a horse and common wagon. At what time a regular stage line commenced running is not known to the writer, but it was probably about the date of the comple- tion of the turnpike. In 1826, stages began running each way three times a week, carrying a mail every trip. This was increased to a daily mail, each direction, which continued until the day of railroads.

A route was established between Erie and Buffalo in 1806 to carry the mail once a week. Mr. Knox, Postmaster at Erie, stated to a friend that the mail was often taken in the driver's breeches pockets. During a good share of the time before coaches were introduced, the pouch was carried on the back of a single horse; then it was increased in size so that two horses were required, one carrying the driver and the other the mail.

The first line of stages between Erie and Buffalo was established by Messrs. Bird & Deming, of Westfield, N. Y., and commenced making weekly trips in December, 1820. At the beginning, a stage left Buffalo every Satur- day at noon and reached Erie the next Monday at 6 P. M. ; returning, it started from Erie at 6 A. M. every Tuesday and arrived at Buffalo on Thursday at noon. By January 8, 1824, a stage with mail was making semi-weekly trips between Erie and Cleveland. On the 10th of February, 1825, a mail coach commenced running daily between Erie and Buffalo. The stage line to Cleve- land consisted for a time of a single horse and wagon.

It was considered a great stride forward when a line of four-horse coaches was placed on the road between Buffalo and Cleveland by a company of which Rufus S. Reed and Ira R. Bird were the chief men. This event, which took place in 1827, was as much talked about, and, if anything more, as the open- ing of a new railroad would be to-day. The new line carried a daily mail each direction and was a source of large profit to its owners. Eighteen hours were allowed as the time between Buffalo and Erie, but bad roads and acci- dents often delayed the coaches much longer.

The mail route to Jamestown, N. Y., via Wattsburg, was established in 1828. At the start a man or boy on foot carried the pouch once a week. The route to Edinboro was established in the winter of 1835-36, and the pouch was carried weekly on a horse's back. A weekly mail was carried over the Station road more than forty years ago. Stages still carry the mails to Wattsburg, Edinboro, Greenfield, Lake Pleasant, Franklin Corners and intervening post offices.

The arrival of the stages in old times was a much more important event than that of the railroad trains to-day. Crowds invariably gathered at the public houses where the coaches stopped, to obtain the latest news, and the passengers were persons of decided account for the time being. Money was so scarce that few persons could afford to patronize the stages, and those who did were looked upon a fortunate beings. The trip to Buffalo and Cleveland was as formidable an affair as one to Chicago or Washington is now by railroad. The stage drivers were men of considerable consequence, especially in the villages through which they passed. They were intrusted with many delicate missives and valuable packages, and seldom betrayed the confidence reposed in them. They had great skill in handling their horses, and were the admiration and envy of the boys. Talk about the modern railroad conductor -he is nothing compared with the importance of the stage coach driver of forty years ago.

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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

CHAPTER XIV.

RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS, CHURCHES, GRAVEYARDS, ETC.

W HEN the French army penetrated this section in 1753, they were accompan- ied by several Catholic priests, who served in the double capacity of chap- lains and missionaries. They erected a small log chapel at Erie, on the right. side of Mill Creek, near its mouth, and another within the walls of Fort Le- Bœuf, at Waterford, in which the solemn rites of the mother church were regularly administered until the departure of the invading forces in 1759. So far as any record exists, these were the only religious services held within the bounds of Erie County previous to the year 1797. It is not known whether the chapels were torn down when the French left the country, were destroyed by the Indians, or fell into decay, but no trace of either is mentioned by the early American settlers.

The first Protestant exercises we have any account of took place at Colt's Station, in Greenfield Township, where Judah Colt had established the most important settlement then in the county, on Sunday, the 2d of July, 1797. About thirty persons assembled in response to a general invitation. No minis- ter was located within the bounds of the county, and the services were led by Mr. Colt, who read a sermon from Dr. Blair's collection.

PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONARIES.

Most of the colonists were Presbyterians from New England and the valley of the Susquehanna, and it was no more than natural that that denomination should have been the first to look after the spiritual welfare of the promising settlement. In 1799, a tour that is somewhat celebrated in the annals of the church was made through this section by Revs. McCurdy and Stockton, two missionaries who were sent out by the Ohio and Redstone Presbyteries. They visited Erie, Waterford and North East, and preached at each place to the de- light of the pious people of the community, many of whom had not been afforded an opportunity to attend public worship for a number of years. A period of two years ensued before the colonists were favored with another min- isterial visitation, when Mr. McCurdy was again sent forth, aseisted by Reve. Satterfield, Tate and Boyd, all of the Presbyteries above named. The first two. reached Middlebrook, in Venango Township, in August, 1801, and preached with great acceptance in a chopping that had been prepared for the purpose on the bank of French Creek. They were accompanied by their wives, and trav- eled on horseback. No roads had been opened in that part of the county and the party had to find their way by marked trees and trails through the woods. The efforts of the two ministers met with such marked favor that it was re- solved upon the spot that a meeting house should be put up within the ensuing week. On the next Thursday, the population for miles around gathered at the site that had been chosen, on a knoll near the first place of worship, cut down the forest trees, hewed them into shape, and at night had a rough log building under roof, the first house for Protestant worship erected in Erie. County. This structure was succeeded by another and better one in 1802, known to every old settler as the Middlebrook Church, which stood until decay

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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

compelled it to be taken down some twenty years ago. From Middlebrook, after organizing a congregation of eighteen members, Messrs. McCurdy and Satterfield continued their journey to Colt's Station aud North East, where they were joined by Messrs. Tate and Boyd. At the latter place, these four participated in the first sacrament of the Lord's Supper ever administered in Erie County, according to Protestant forms. The scene of this eventful cere- mony was at the house of William Dundas, within the present limits of North East Borough, and the date was the 27th of September, 1801. An audience of about 300 had assembled, of whom some forty sat down to the tables. A con- gregation with the title of "The Churches of Upper and Lower Greenfield " was organized at the same time.

THE ERIE PRESBYTERY.

The whole of Western Pennsylvania this side of the Allegheny River was at that time within the jurisdiction of the synod of Virginia. On the 2d of October, 1801, in response to the petitions of those who foresaw the coming importance of the field, that synod set off the territory between the Ohio and Allegheny Rivers and Lake Erie, extending some distance also west of the Ohio line, into a Presbytery, to which the name of Erie was given. The new Pres- bytery met at Mt. Pleasant, Beaver County, on the 13th of April, 1802, seven ministers only being in attendance. Supplications were filed from Upper and Lower Greenfield, Middlebrook and Presque Isle. Revs. McCurdy, Satterfield and McPherrin were chosen missionaries, and, it is presumed, visited Erie County during the year, but no evidence of the fact is to be found.

PERMANENT PREACHERS.

Rev. Robert Patterson, who had accepted a call from "The Churches of Upper and Lower Greenfield," was received by the Presbytery on the 30th of September, 1802. He returned to North East, and entered upon his pastoral work on the 31st of December, but was not ordained until September 1, 1803. The congregation were still without a building, and the ordination exercises were held in John McCord's bark house. Mr. Patterson's contract was to preach two-thirds of his time for the congregation, and the balance was spent by him in riding the county from place to place, holding services in the woods, barns, sheds and private houses. During these trips, he had numerous startling adventures, and suffered many privations. An effort was made to have him devote one-third of his time to Erie, but failed for want of an ade- quate subscription. A log church was built at North East in 1804, on the knoll now occupied by the cemetery of that borough. Mr. Patterson preached at Springfield during that year, and organized a preaching point there. The first church in the latter township was built in 1804 on the site of the ceme- tery at East Springfield. Mr. Patterson was unable to stand the fatigues of frontier duty, and in April, 1807, applied to the Presbytery for a release from his charge, which was granted.

REV. JOHNSON EATON.

During the year 1805, Rev. Johnson Eaton came on from the southern part of the State, and preached for some time at the mouth of Walnut Creek and in Springfield. In the fall of that year, he went back to his home, re- turning in 1806 with a bride, and settling permanently in Fairview Township. The devotion of the young wife, and tlie earnestness of the minister can only be appreciated when it is remembered that they rode on horseback through

Junge Saldo

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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

the woods the whole way from the Ohio River to Lake Erie, with nothing but a trail to guide their course, and with scarcely a house on the route at which to obtain shelter and refreshments, to take up their abode in what was almost an unbroken wilderness. Mr. Eaton immediately entered upon his pastoral duties, having the whole county for his field, but giving special atten- tion to the people at Fairview and Springfield. In 1807, he succeeded Mr. Patterson at North East, and he also held occasional services for several years at Colt's Station, Middlebrook, Waterford and Erie. He was not ordained, however, till June 30, 1808, the ceremony, for lack of a church building, taking place in William Sturgeon's barn, in or near the limits of Fairview Borough. A church was built at the mouth of Walnut Creek in 1810. During the war with Great Britain, Mr. Eaton gave his serv- ices to the Government as a Chaplain, besides ministering to his congregation with as much regularity as the unsettled condition of the time would allow. By 1816, the population of Erie had increased sufficiently to enable an arrange- ment to be made by which he gave one-third of his time to the congregation there, which had been organized by him September 15, 1815. He continued as pastor of the Erie congregation until 1823, and of the Fairview Church un. til his death, on the 17th of June, 1847. The first year of Mr. Eaton's resi- dence in the county, his salary was $360 a year, one-half of which was to be taken in produce.

In 1808, supplies were granted by the Presbytery to " Upper Greenfield, Middlebrook, Waterford and Erietown," and in 1809 it was reported to that body that none of these places could support a pastor. It must have been due to the poverty of the people, though, rather than to their want of religious principle, for we find that in 1808 one Jared Goodrich, of Greenfield, was fined $4 by Justice Marvin, of the same township, for driving his ox team to Erie on Sunday. If every offense of a similar nature were punished now, the offices of Justice and Constable would be more profitable than that of Sheriff.

THE ERIE AND OTHER CHURCHES.

No regular preaching of any kind was had at Erie until Mr. Eaton was called to give one-third of his time, as before stated, the people who were piously inclined being compelled to attend worship at North East and Fairview. A faithful few rode their horses to these places every Sabbath when service was held, regardless of the weather, and for a number of years the churches were not even warmed in winter. Men, women and children in those prim- itive days thought nothing of riding ten to twenty miles over rough forest roads in the middle of winter to attend Divine worship, which meant a good deal more to them than an opportunity to show off their fine clothes, or a mere compliance with the mandates of fashionable society.

The Presbyterian congregation of Waterford was organized in 1809, and that at Union in 1811, being the first in those places. Rev. John Matthews was settled as pastor of the Waterford and Gravel Run (Crawford County) congregations October 17, 1810. The Union congregation did not put up a building till 1831, and that of Waterford till 1834. In 1817, Rev. Mr. Camp was employed as a missionary to supply the churches unable to support a pas- tor, and served in that capacity for two years. The minutes of the Presbytery in 1820 show congregations at Springfield, North East, Waterford, Middle- brook, Union, Fairview and Erie.

METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.

The Methodists held occasional worship at an early date in various por- 14

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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. .

tions of the county, but principally in the western and southwestern town- ships. The first service of which there is any positive knowledge was led by Rev. Joseph Bowen, a local preacher, at the house of Mrs. Mershon, near West Springfield, in September, 1800. A class was organized near Lexington, in Conneaut Township, in 1801, and the same year a great revival was held at Ash's Corners, Washington Township. The first church building was erected in 1804, about a mile south of West Springfield, and soon after its dedication was the scene of a famous revival, during which Rev. Andrew Hemphill was the instrument of converting about 100 souls. The first quarterly meeting was held in that church in July, 1810. Meetings of the denomination in Erie were held by circuit preachers, at long intervals, commencing in 1801. Wor- ship took place in the winter of 1810-11, in a tavern on the west side of French street, between Sixth and Seventh. A congregation would seem to have been partially established soon after the beginning of the century, but was probably unable to support a pastor until 1826, at which period the First Church of Erie City dates its organization. The earliest of the other congre- gations in the county were those at Mill Village, organized in 1810; North East, in 1812; Fair Haven, Girard Township, 1815; Girard Borough, 1815; Waterford Borough, 1816; Union City and Fairview, 1817; Middleboro, 1819; Northville, 1820; Wattsburg, 1827; Wesleyville, 1828.

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History of Erie county, Pennsylvania. Containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, villages schools, churches, industries, etc, Part 32

Author: Bates, Samuel P. (Samuel Penniman), 1827-1902; Whitman, Benjamin, 1940-; Russell, N. W. (Nathaniel Willard); Brown, R. C. (Robert C.); Weakley, F. E; Warner, Beers & Co. (Chicago, Ill.) Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Chicago : Warner, Beers & co. Number of Pages: 1280

Author: Bates, Samuel P. (Samuel Penniman), 1827-1902; Whitman, Benjamin, 1940-; Russell, N. W. (Nathaniel Willard); Brown, R. C. (Robert C.); Weakley, F. E; Warner, Beers & Co. (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : Warner, Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1280