History of Erie county, Pennsylvania. Containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, villages schools, churches, industries, etc, Part 82

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 82

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In the Middlebrook Graveyard were interred the bodies of many of the fore- most Presbyterian pioneers in the county. Most of the remains have been taken up, and the old burying place is no longer interesting except from its associations. The other cemeteries and graveyards of the township are the Lowville, Wattsburg and Phillipsville, the old Butler Burial Ground on the James W. Davis place and some family inclosures.

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VENANGO TOWNSHIP.

VILLAGES.

The pleasant village of Lowville is on the West Branch of French Creek, eighteen miles southeast from Erie, and two north of Wattsburg. The Watts- burg Plank Road runs through the place and constitutes its main street. Be- sides the mills, church and school above noted, Lowville contains the town house of Venango -- a frame building 24x40 in size and 16 in height, built in 1872, at a cost of $675-one dry goods store, one general store, one grocery, one wagon shop, one blacksmith shop, one shoe shop, and about thirty houses. It has a lodge of the Knights of Honor, organized in 1877, with twenty-nine members. The Lowville Cemetery, a tract of four acres, on the bank of the creek, contains some costly monuments, is neatly laid out and carefully kept, and a credit to the place. Several soldiers of the last war with Great Britain are buried in the cemetery. Lowville owes its origin to the en- terprise of Samuel Low, who moved there in 1822 from Genesee County, N. Y., and established the grist and saw mill. Mr. Low's business proving unsuc- cessful, in 1834 he changed to Harbor Creek. Col. Wareham Warner carried on a tannery at Lowville with success for some years, but collapsed about 1860 or 1861. The village contained ninety-nine inhabitants by the census of 1880.

Phillipsville was founded by Gen. John Phillips, of political fame, who took up a large quantity of land in 1797 in company with his brother David, and opened a tavern about 1810 on the Waterford & North East road, a few rods west of the corners, which has been torn down. The village is fourteen miles from Erie and five from Wattsburg, in the midst of a beautiful rolling country, at the crossing of the Waterford & North East road by the old Erie & Wattsburg road. The village contains, in addition to the church, school and mills before referred to, a dry goods and grocery store, a shoe shop, and a blacksmith shop. It has about a dozen residences, and numbers probably sixty people. There is an organization of the State Police and a Grange, the latter possessing a hall of their own. The cemetery covers two acres, and is fairly kept up.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A NATIVE OF THE TOWNSHIP.

The following interesting reminiscences were contributed to the Erie Ob- server of May, 1880, by James D. Phillips, of Union City, a son of one of the pioneers of Venango Township:

" Thomas Phillips, with his sons John, David and Thomas, Jr., and his daughters Elenor, Hannah and Polly, moved from Northumberland County, Penn., in the year 1797. His daughter Elenor married John Hunter, Polly married Burrill Tracy, and Hannah married Nathaniel Wilson. John Phil- lips took up 1,400 acres of land, Thomas, Sr., 200, and David 200 acres. Messrs. Yost, Donaldson and others followed about the same period. James Phillips, son of Thomas, Sr., and brother to John, David and Thomas, Jr., moved from Lancaster County, Penn., in 1827. He left Waterford on the morning of the 1st day of June at sunrise, and cut the road most of the way to Phillipsville, a distance of eight and a half miles, arriving at sunset. James Phillips died in 1846 at the age of seventy-five years and eight months. James D. Phillips, son of James Phillips, and grandson of Thomas, Sr., is now the only living representative of the Phillips family in this coun- ty. John Phillips was Paymaster General in the war of 1812, under Gen. Harrison. He received his money, to pay off the army, in silver at Pittsburgh, and carried it through the wilderness to Fort Meigs on pack-horses. He served for years as the first Representative of this county in the State Legisla-

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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

ture at Lancaster; afterward, he was appointed Canal Commissioner of the State, and subsequently was appointed and served as Justice of the Peace for several years. He died in the fall of 1846. The first post office at Phillipsville was established in 1829. James Phillips, father of James D., was appointed Postmaster. A post route was established at that time from Jamestown, N. Y., via Phillipsville, to Erie. The mail was carried by Mr. Polly on foot from Jamestown to Erie, with nothing from Phillipsville to Mill Creek Townehip to mark the way through the wilderness except blazed trees. The county at that time was a home for the bear, the wolves and the deer. Levi Butler and sons Jackson and Timothy, from Onondaga, N. Y., made their settlement in * 1828-29. The first schoolhouse was built in the year 1828, of logs. * * The grist and saw mills were at Lowville, Colt's Station, Lattimore's, at Wa- terford, and Miles, at Union Mills. The mode of getting to Erie from Pbil- lipsville was via Colt's Station, North East and then up the Buffalo road to Erie, a distance of twenty-eight miles to get the distance of fourteen miles across. Had no roade for wagons, and consequently used oxen and slede in the summer or winter to carry our produce and get household supplies, salt, etc. The products of Venango Township at that time were maple sugar and black salts-the salts taken to Colt's Station and sold for $2.50 per hundred, half cash and half store pay; the cash part to pay taxes and to buy leather for shoes. We paid our school teacher $12 a month in maple sugar at six cents a pound."

BOROUGH OF WATTSBURG.

The first clearing at Wattsburg was made in 1796 by William Miles, who built a storehouse as a depot of supplies for the surrounding country and for the purchase of furs. At that time the headquarters of the Population Com- pany were at Colt's Station, and all the trade between the lake and the Alle- gheny was carried on in canoes up and down French Creek. The first road was opened to North East, by way of Greenfield, in 1800. In 1809, through the persuasion of Mr. Miles, joined to that of the Russells, of Belle Valley, and others, the county opened a road from Erie to the Forks of French Creek, as the site was then called, which, in general, followed the route of the old Wattsburg road, though it was afterward changed in some places. Previous to 1822, the West Branch had to be forded, but in that year Mr. Miles got the county to build a bridge on the same site used for the purpose to-day. This was the first permanent bridge erected in Erie County. During the same sea- son he erected a grist mill and saw mill, and in 1822 he induced Lyman Rob- inson, a surveyor at North East, to move over and build a tavern. He located in 1795 on the head-waters of Oil Creek, near the Crawford County line, in Concord Township, where he remained until 1800, when he changed to Union. In 1828, Mr. Miles laid out Wattsburg, naming it after his father-in-law, David Watts, of Carlisle. In February of the same year, he had a post office estah- lished at Wattsburg, and at the same time a weekly mail route was opened between Erie and Jamestown, by way of the infant village. The mail was carried for years on the back of a man, who walked the whole distance. Mr. Robinson acted as agent at Wattsburg for William Miles for many years, and after his death served in a similar capacity for his son James Miles. The large tract of 1,400 acres taken up by Mr. Miles was not originally in his own name, but in that of Watts, Scott & Co.

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VENANGO TOWNSHIP.

INCORPORATION.

Wattsburg was incorporated as a borough in 1833, its limits being thus described: "Beginning at French Creek where the old State line crossed the same, being the south boundary of Venango Township; thence east along said line 100 perches; thence north 180 perches; thence west 180 perches, more or less, to the creek; thence south ward by its windings, to the place of beginning." The town stands on the wide and fertile plain just above the junction of the two branches, twenty miles by the plank road, eighteen by the old road, and eighteen and three-fourths by the Lake Pleasant road from Erie, and eight miles from Union. It contains three church buildings, Methodist Episcopal, Pres- byterian and Baptist. The Methodist Episcopal congregation was organized in 1827, by Elder Knapp, who went there as a missionary in 1820. The first edifice was erected in 1831, and the present one, which cost $3,400, in 1861. H. H. Moore was pastor for 1881, 1882 and 1883. The circuit embraces Watts- burg, Lowville and Hatch Hollow.

RELIGIOUS.

The Presbyterian congregation, organized in 1826, is the legitimate suc- cessor of the old Middlebrook society, the history of which is given in the sketch of Venango Township. The first church was built in Wattsburg about 1828, and the second in 1855, costing $1,350. The pastor when the first building was put up was Rev. Absalom McCready, who began preaching for this congregation in February, 1826, and the following April his time was divided between the two congregations. His installation took place on the second Tuesday of September, and he severed his pastoral relation with the church October 1, 1833. In November of that year the Wattsburg Church was recog- nized by the Presbytery as a separate congregation. Rev. Alexander McCand- less became the successor of Mr. McCready and served until April 1, 1834. Revs. O. Fitch McKean, and J. B. Wilson preached for the congregation at Wattsburg, in the order given, from 1834 to 1837.

The Baptist Church at Wattsburg was organized April 6, 1850, with twenty-two charter members. On the 25th of that month the church was duly recognized. The meeting-house was erected in 1851. The pastors of the church have been Revs. F. Kidder, J. W. C. Covey, James A. Newton, S. Ak- erly, W. J. Hughes, and C. W. Drake (closed labor in 1872 on account of sick- ness). In 1875, he renewed his pastorate and remained with the church until 1877. For several years following, the church had no regular pastor. Rev. Charles Bowman became pastor in 1881 and remained about one year. The charge is now without a pastor.

SOCIETIES, ETC.

Wattsburg is the headquarters of no less than three secret societies-a Ma- sonic Blue Lodge, instituted in 1875; a lodge of the Knights of Honor, in 1877, and a Grange, in 1874-all of which are in a flourshing condition. The Masonic Lodge commenced with seven members, C. R. Gray being first Mas- ter, and has increased to twenty-eight. This society and the Grange have creditable halls of their own. There is also a branch of the State Police, es- tablished in 1877, a co-operative insurance society, and a section of the Sunday School Scientific Circle of Chautauqua Lake, which latter holds frequent meet- ings for the discussion of Biblical history. The manufacturing establishments are a grist mill, saw mill, sash factory and two planing mills run by water, a handle factory and a sash and blind factory owned by Wood & Page, run by steam. There is also an extensive broom and fork handle and shingle factory

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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

carried on by Patterson, Gross & Baldwin. The water- power afforded by the two branches of French Creek is considerable, and, with railroad facilities, the town could not fail to become a point of importance.

BUSINESS FEATURES.

Among the business interests of the borough, other than those mentioned above, were (in 1883) one tailor shop, one dry goods store, three groceries, four general stores, two furniture stores, one wagon shop, one hardware store, one clothing store, one meat market, one hotel, two shoe shops, four blacksmith shops, one jewelry store, one drug store, one bakery, one photograph gallery, one dental office, one harness shop, several millinery stores, one barber shop. A roller skating rink was built and opened in the summer of 1883. The town gives support to four physicians, two attorneys, two Justices, one dentist, and one draughtsman. It is the headquarters of three stage lines- one running to Union and back each day; one to and from Erie daily, by way of Phillipsville and Lowville; and one to North East twice a week by way of Lowville and Greenfield. Wattsburg has been a famous butter market for thirty years. " Wattsburg butter," which includes the produce mainly of Amity, Venango and Greenfield, ranks as "Chautauqua butter " in the New York market and brings the same price. The schools are held in one large and substantial frame building. The population of the borough was 286 in 1870, and 389 in 1880.

The assessment for 1883 gave the following results: Real estate, $65,675; cows, 29; value, $850; horses and mules, 63; value, $4,085; personal prop- erty, $4,935; trades and occupations, $8,025; money at interest, $9,915.

Before the era of railroads, Wattsburg was a place of more consequence, comparatively, than now. It had a tract society in 1828, and an agricultural society in 1856. The first temperance society in Erie County was organized . in Wattsburg in 1828. In 1832, a project was agitated for a new county, to be called Miles, with Wattsburg as the county seat.

PUBLIC MEN.

The following State and county officers have been residents of Wattsburg: Assembly, Lyman Robinson, 1842 and 1845; Byron S. Hill, 1863 and 1864; Samuel F. Chapin, 1875 to 1878; A. W. Hayes, 1881 to 1884. County Super- intendent of Common Schools, William H. Armstrong, 1854 to 1860, the first incumbent of the office. County Commissioner, Lyman Robinson, 1839 to 1842. County Treasurer, Newton T. Hnme, December 14, 1874, to January 7, 1878. Director of the Poor, O. J. McAllister, 1883 to 1886. Jury Commis- Bioners, D. N. Patterson, 1868 to 1871; Robert Leslie, 1874 to 1877. Mer- cantile Appraisers, James T. Ensworth, 1856; D. N. Patterson, 1868 and 1878; O. J. McAllister, 1882.

SCHOOLS AND NEWSPAPERS.

In the immediate vicinity of the present large and commodious school building in the borough in 1821 stood a schoolhouse, in which school was held by John Brown. The schoolhouses of the borough have all been situated on almost the same site. Among the teachers bave been a Miss Roberts, Wm. H. Armstrong, Lucius Chapin, David Shafer, Phineas Platt. The present schools consist of three departments, which were graded by R. P. Holliday in 1878. Mr. Holliday is still Principal of the schools, and has two assistant teachers. The average enrollment is about 100 pupils.

The first newspaper published in Wattsburg was an eight-page weekly

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HARBOR CREEK TOWNSHIP.

styled the Chronicle, begun in 1878 by W. A. Moore, and discontinued in about one year. In 1881, the Wattsburg Occasional was started by R. P. Holliday. Mr. Holliday was then Principal of the Wattsburg Schools, and the paper was started as a kind of a school paper, devoting its columns principally to school matters. As its name indicated, it was only published occasionally. In 1882, it was made a semi-weekly, and subsequently a weekly paper. It is still the village paper, and has not changed hands. The mechanical work is executed at Union City.

CHAPTER VI.

HARBOR CREEK TOWNSHIP.

THE earliest location within the limits of Harbor Creek Township was made by Thomas Rees, who took up a large tract of land, long known as the Rees Reserve in 1796. He was the first surveyor in the county, having been appointed by the Population Company in 1792, but was prevented from entering regularly upon his duties until the spring of 1795, by the threats of the Indians. He did not become a resident of the township, bowever, until some years after. The first actual settlers were William Saltsman, Amasa Prindle and Andrew Elliott, who went in in 1797. These were followed by Hugh McCann and Alex. Brewster in 1800; by Thomas Moorhead, John Riblet and sons, John, Christian and Jacob Ebersole and the Backus family about 1801, and by Ezekiel and Benjamin Chambers iu 1802. Mr. Moor- head's father, and brothers John, Robert and George, came in at intervals run- ning from 1802 to 1806. Robert Scott, Thomas Greenwood, Robert Jack, John Shattuck, Aaron Hoag, Henry Clark, Andrew Culbertson, Thomas Bun- nell and the Caldwell brothers were among the first settlers. Several of these persons were from the eastern portion of the State; the others were mainly from New England and New York. Mr. Saltsman was from Northumberland County; the Riblets and Ebersoles from Lancaster County; Mr. Clark from New England and Mr. Elliott from Ireland. The Riblets and Ebersoles were the first of the " Pennsylvania Dutch " stock that settled in the county. A

man by the name of Jack was on the Jesse Ebersole place in 1802. Dr. Ira Sherwin made his location in the township in 1825. William Henry and brother settled in Mill Creek in 1803, and changed from there to Harbor Creek. The descendants of these pioneers generally occupy the land to-day. Mr. Brewster cleared thirty acres, which he abandoned and moved to Erie. Sarah Prindle was the first female child born in the township, in 1799, and William Clark the first male child, in 1801. Thomas Rees was the first justice, and Thomas Greenwood and Myron Backus held the same office at an early day.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION.

The township was one of the original sixteen established, and has retained the same limits to this day. It has an area of 20,481 acres, and is noted as having more colored population than any other in the county. The negroes are mostly descendants of three slaves who were taken in by Thomas Rees To two of these, Robert McConnell and James Titus, upon reaching the twenty-sighth year of their age, when they became free by the emancipa- tion act, Mr. Rees gave fifty acres of land near Gospel Hill. The Moorhead

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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

family also brought in a slave, known as Cæsar, who was emancipated as above, but continued to live with his former master until his death. Harbor Creek is bounded on the north by the lake, on the east by North East and Greenfield, on the south by Greene and on the west by Mill Creek. It has a frontage on the lake of about seven miles, its east line is a trifle longer, its south line is about four and a half miles, and its west line very nearly five miles. The township is one of the wealthiest and most populous in the county, and its citizens are not surpassed as a moral, intelligent and church- going people. It maintains unusually good schools, has many neat houses and barns, and its farms, as a rule, are under a fine state of improvement. Of late years, the farmers of this section have given much attention to the culture of fruits, berries, grapes and melons, meeting with a degree of success that far exceeds their original anticipations. The First and Second Ridges extend across the entire southern portion of the township from east to west. On the First Ridge and back of it, on the second plain, the land continues quite good. From the Second Ridge south, it is broken, cold and clayey, being better suited for grazing than grain. The township contains three villages-Wesleyville, Harbor Creek and Moorheadville-each of which is a station on the Lake Shore and Nickel Plate Railroads. These are also the post offices of the town- ship; through them most of the inhabitants receive their mail matter. Another post office, known as Southville, was kept up for some years, near the Cass Woolen Factory, but was abandoned about 1840. Since that period, the southern portion of the township has been without mail facilities, though a post office somewhere on the Station road would seem to be a necessity.

The population of the township has been as follows: 555, in 1820; 1,104, in 1830; 1,843, in 1840; 2,084, in 1850; 2,033, in 1860; 1,974, in 1870, and 1,781 in 1880. The assessment of 1883 gave the following results: value of real estate, $1,114,000. Number of cows, 584; of oxen, 12; of horses and mules, 605; value of the same, $58,058. Value of trades and occupations, $12,280. Money at interest, $35, 744.

CREEKS AND GULLIES.

The streams of Harbor Creek are Four, Six and Twelve Mile Creeks, Elli- ott's Run and Scott's Run, all emptying into the lake, and McConnell Run, a branch of Four Mile Creek. Four and Six Mile Creeks head in Greene, and Twelve Mile Creek on the edge of North East and Greenfield. All the rest are wholly within the township. Elliott's Run and Scott's Run are both small, short streams; the first flows through or near Harbor Creek Village, and the second is the next stream east. They were named after two of the earliest set- tlers. McConnell's Run crosses the Station road a little south of Gospel Hill, and joins Four Mile Creek near the foot of the great gully. It received its name from a mulatto, who built a cabin at an early day on the bank of the stream. The great gully or gorge of Four Mile Creek, which has attracted the attention of nearly every person who has ever traveled over the Philadel- phia & Erie Railroad, commences in Greene Township, and extends to very near the bridge of the Station road, about half a mile south of Wesleyville, gradually becoming shallower as it reaches its northern terminus. Its length is about six miles, and it varies in depth from fifty to a hundred and fifty feet. There are a number of mills along Four Mile Creek, in both Harbor Creek and Greene Townships. The Old Cooper Mill, near the foot of the great gulf, was once a famous landmark of the lake shore region. William Saltsman first built a saw mill at this point in 1815, and added a grist mill in 1826. These afterward became the property of William Cooper, Sr., under whose manage-

BRIG GEN US VOL'S.

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HARBOR CREEK TOWNSHIP.

ment they obtained wide reputation. Mr. Cooper bought the mill property in 1839, and rebuilt the mills in 1850. The third saw mill in the county was erected by Thomas Rees, near the mouth of the creek, on the Crowley place, in 1798, for the Population Company. In the same year, Eliphalet Beebe con- structed the sloop Washington, of thirty-five tons, on the shore of the lake, near the mill, for the use of the same company, being the first sailing vessel built on the south shore of Lake Erie. The gorge of Six Mile Creek extends to within a mile or a mile and a half of the Buffalo road, and its windings must be nearly five miles long. The deepest part of the gorge is at the Clark settlement, where it is but little short of 150 feet deep, with an average width of not more than 100 feet.

MILLS.

There are a number of mills in the township, but the most important are the Cooper Grist, Saw and Cider Mill at Wesleyville, the Neeley Grist and Saw Mill at the mouth of Twelve Mile Creek, Dodge's handle, shingle and saw mill, Troop's basket factory and cider mill at Harbor Creek Station, and Cass' woolen mill on the head- waters of Six Mile Creek, in the southeastern section. A small grist mill was erected in 1800 by James Foulk, at the fall of Six Mile Creek, near its mouth, but was only kept up a year or two. Neeley's mill was established in 1802 by Capt. Daniel Dobbins and James Foulk. Capt. Dob- bins lived there with his family seven years, until their removal to Erie. The mill fell into the hands of Joseph Neeley in 1816, who did a very prosperous business until 1841. From that time the mill was run by his son-in-law, the eminent Gen. John W. McLane, until the outbreak of the war, when it was sold by Mr. Neeley. Since then it has changed proprietors several times. The mill of the Messrs. Dodge was built in the spring of 1870, and has always done a good trade. It is run by steam, which is partially created by the gas from a well on the premises. A carding and woolen mill was erected on the site of the Cass factory as long ago as 1810, and was kept up till 1841 or 1842, when Thornton, Cass & Co. purchased the property, which had run down, and built the present extensive works. The factory was carried on very success- fully for some years, and is still running on a small scale. In this connection, it may be noted that there were fully twenty-five woolen factories in the county forty or fifty years ago, of which five were in Erie city or its vicinity. Joseph Backus had a grist mill, saw mill and distillery near the Cass Mill in the early years of the county. The grist mill and distillery were abandoned fifty years ago; the saw mill continued to be run till a comparatively recent period, when it, too, was left to decay. Cooper's mill at Wesleyville will be referred to in con- nection with that village. Troop's basket factory was started about 1878. In addition to the above, there is a large cider mill at Moorheadville. The build- ing used as a barn, on the north side of the road, on the Joseph McCarter farm, was once a grist mill, the power of which was furnished by Elliott's Run. Joseph Backus built mills at an early date in the Backus neighborhood in the southeast. The first cargo of flour and pork shipped to New York from Erie County was taken through the Erie Canal by Joseph Neeley in 1826. The flour was made at the mill near the mouth of Twelve Mile Creek.

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History of Erie county, Pennsylvania. Containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, villages schools, churches, industries, etc, Part 82

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