USA > Pennsylvania > Erie County > History of Erie county, Pennsylvania. Containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, villages schools, churches, industries, etc > Part 92
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FACTORIES AND MILLS.
The factories and mills of Washington Township are as follows: Wait & Ensign's eteam saw mill and shingle and lath factory, north of McLane; Well- man's cheese factory, steam saw mill, shingle and lath factory, on the Crane road, about two and a half miles northwest of Edinboro; St. John's tannery, in the Conneauttee Valley; a cheese factory and cider mill, near McLallen's Corners; M. G. Gardner's steam saw mill, on the Little Conneauttee, near Draketown; Edwin Beach's saw mill, on the same stream, below Mclellan's Corners; Jesse Lewis' carding and fulling mill, and J. F. Wade & Bros.' saw mill and shingle and lath factory, on the Conneauttee, about three-fourths of a mile south of Edinboro; J. F. Wade & Bros.' planing mill, sash and door factory, on the same stream, a short distance below; I. R. Reeder's saw mill, on the same stream, still lower down; N. White's factory, on the Kinter road and Giles Run; Anderson's cider and jelly mill, one and a half miles west of Edinboro.
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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
BOROUGH OF EDINBORO.
The borough of Edinboro was incorporated by act of the Legislature in 1840, and includes some 500 acres of high, gravelly land at the foot of Lake Conneauttee, twenty miles south of Erie, seven miles north of the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad at Cambridge, and two miles north of the Craw- ford County line. The valley of the Conneauttee is about a mile wide at this point, and the country around the borough is one of the finest sections of Erie County. The corporate limits, which cover a portion of the lake, are about a mile from north to south, and about two-thirds of a mile from east to west. The population was 232 in 1840, 363 in 1850, 474 in 1860, 801 in 1870, and 876 in 1880. The first officers were: Burgess, William Kellison; Council, James Stancliff, L. B. Goodell, Abel Whitney, Daniel Shryock, Simeon Mea- chem; Assessor, Abel Whitney; Collector, Cornelius Graham. By the assess- ment of 1880, the valuation of the borough was as follows: Real estate, $193,- 422; number of horses, 81; of cows, 49; value of the same, $5,510; value of trades and occupations, $16,450; money at interest, $48, 225.
The third grist mill in Erie County-one each having been previously built at Union and Walnut Creek-was erected on the outlet of Lake Conneauttee, very nearly on the site of the present mill, in 1801, by William Culbertson, one of the first settlers, who added a saw mill in 1802. The property fell into the hands of Isaac R. Taylor and James Reeder some thirty years ago, who built new mille, which are among the most extensive in the county. The estab- lishment of the mills may be said to have laid the foundation of the town. By degrees quite a number of houses sprung up around them, and Mr. Cul- bertson finally concluded to survey the site into lots, to which he gave the name of Edinboro.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION.
Edinboro has four churches, two hotels, one bank, six doctors, oue lawyer, one normal school, several halle, societies of the Masons and United Workmen, and a variety of manufactories. Of the latter, the principal are J. T. Reeder & Co.'s grist mill; M. Phelps' cheese factory, established in 1868; Taylor & Reeder's pump factory and plauing mill. The village also contains three dry goods stores, five groceries, two drug stores, two hardware stores, two furniture stores, one clothing store, one jewelry store, three boot and shoe stores, three mil- linery stores, one saloon, two livery stables, four blacksmith shops, one carriage shop, one wagon shop, two harness shops, one tailor shop and one cooper shop. The buildings of the borough are of wood, with the exception of Isaac R. Taylor's fine residence, and Normal Hall, which are balloon frame brick structures, and Dr. Hotchkiss' brick residence. Town lots range in value from $125 to $500, averaging probably $300. The hotels of Edinboro are the Robinson House and the Cutler House. The first named was built in 1843, on the site of one that burned down, and was run by A. Robinson from 1852 to 1883, when he sold it to W. Bennett. The Cutler House is of recent date. .
The cemetery of the borough, in a pretty location, on a knoll near the foot of the lake, and overlooking its whole extent, embraces three acres, the gift of William Culbertson for the purpose. It has been in use perhaps seventy years.
CHURCHES.
The religious societies of Edinboro are Methodist Episcopal, Presbyterian, Close Communion Baptist and Advent, all of which have neat frame buildings.
The Presbyterian Church of Edinboro was organized in 1829 by Revs.
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WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP.
Samuel Tait and Pierce Chamberlain. A Presbyterian congregation had been organized here prior to 1819 by Rev. Mathews. From about 1821 to 1824, Rev. Bradford Marcy, of Venango Township, Crawford County, preached at Edinboro once in four weeks. Rev. Chamberlain, after the organization, sup- plied the church for several years. He resided at Rockville, Crawford County. Rev. Jared Spicer was probably the first resident minister. He came about 1837, and remained only a year. During his pastorate, the congregation sep- arated into New School and Old School branches. The former employed Rev. James F. Reed at first; he remained seven years, and was succeeded by Rev. Ottinger for one year; Rev. E. W. Beebe followed, and remained many years. The Old School division secured the services successively of Alexander Cun- ningham and J. W. Dickey. In 1865, the two branches re-united, and were served twelve years by Rev. William Grasse. Rev. Bush was pastor from 1878 to 1880, when Rev. R. G. Williams, the present minister, took charge. In 1836, the congregation erected the first church in the village. In 1854, the New School branch erected a new house, and the year following the Old School branch also constructed a new church, which in 1871 was sold to the Baptist Church.
The Methodist Episcopal Church at Edinboro was organized about 1829, prior to which date, however, Methodist preaching had been held in the vicin- ity by Rev. Russell Stancliff and others. Revs. Job Wilson, Mack Callender and Butt Barris were among the first ministers. The second church in the village was built by the Methodists in 1838, and now constitutes the Town House. The present building was erected in 1863.
The Edinboro, formerly Washington, Regular Baptist Church was organ- ized, it is thought, about 1838. Rev. E. C. Rogers was minister in charge about twenty-five years. He was succeeded in 1874 by Rev. H. H. Phelps, who preached to the congregation for five years. Revs. Norman Thomas and J. R. Pendell each maintained the pastoral relation for about a year. In April, 1882, Rev. Phelps was recalled, and now supplies the congregation, which is small. Services were held in the schoolhouse until 1871, when the society purchased the Old School Presbyterian Church.
The Advent Christian Church of God was organized at Edinboro in 1863, with about thirty members, by Rev. H. L. Hastings, of Boston, Mass. Services had been held irregularly for twenty or more years previously by members of this faith who resided here. Rev. J. D. Brown was the first pastor. He came in the autumn of 1864 and remained six years. After a vacancy of four or five years, Rev. G. W. Stetson became pastor, and continued in charge for seven years. A vacancy now exists in the pulpit. The membership is about eighty. The church edifice was erected in 1864 at a cost of $1,200.
SECRET SOCIETIES, NEWSPAPERS AND POST OFFICES.
The charter for Oasis Lodge, No. 417, F. & A. M., was granted March 4, 1868, and in the following autumn the lodge was organized with the follow- ing eight charter members: John W. Goodell, Charles Buruham, Martin Cor- nell, Job Taylor, A. J. Proudfit, George Proud, H. D. Rogers and C. C. Roberts. The present membership is about fifty. The lodge owns the third floor of the Stanford building, which constitutes their hall. It was dedicated October 12, 1875.
Edinboro Lodge, No. 80, A. O. U. W., was chartered September 10, 1877. Its first officers were: W. B. Skelton, P. M. W .; William B. Green, M. W .; T. H. Goodrich, G. F .; W. W. McWilliams, O .; O. H. Durham, Recorder; William P. Burchfield, Financier; E. H. Austin, Receiver; M. V. Cornell, G .; D. Burrows, I. W .; N. T. McLallen, O. W.
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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
In 1855, Edinboro boasted of three newspapers-the Native American, a monthly, and the Gem and Museum, weeklies, of which latter Mr. Lewis was editor. The Native American and Gem died natural deaths in 1856, and the Museum was moved to Waterford, where it led a struggling existence for sev. eral years under the name of the Enquirer. Henry Lick established the Ex- press in 1859, which lived until December 29, 1860, when the material was sold to Mr. Clute, and used in establishing a journal at Three Rivers, Mich. The Edinboro Independent was started iu February, 1880, by the Cobb broth- ers. They sold the paper December 1, 1881, to James T. Armstrong. Rev. J. R. Pendell became editor and proprietor in the spring of 1884.
The post route to Erie and the post office at Edinboro were established in 1837. Dr. Stranahan was the first postmaster.
STATE AND COUNTY OFFICERS.
The following is a list of the public officers furnished by Edinboro and Washington Townships: Auditors, Russell Stancliff, 1834 to 1837; James H. Campbell, 1845 to 1848; Samuel Reeder, 1851 to 1853; John W. Campbell, 1856 to 1859. Commissioners, Russell Stancliff, 1840 to 1843; William Campbell, 1846 to 1849; Josiah J. Compton, 1855 to 1858. Treasurer, Mor- timer Phelps, 1855 to 1857. Prothonotary, C. P. Rogers, 1866 to 1869. Assemblymen, John W. Campbell, 1859; E. C. Twichell, 1862-63; Chauncey P. Rogers, 1872; E. H. Wilcox, 1873-74 ;. Sealer of Weights and Measures, William P. Butterfield, 1883.
THE NORMAL SCHOOL.
The most conspicuous institution in Edinboro, and the one which has con- tributed most to its advancement, is the Normal School. This prosperous seat of learning grew out of an academy which was opened in 1855. The Normal School was built by subscription in 1856, was erected at a cost of $3,200, and was used as an academy in 1857-59. Prof. J. R. Merriman and Prof. Sears were engaged as instructors. Owing to the large attendance of scholars, two additional buildings, now known as the Assembly Hall and the Ladies' Boarding Hall respectively, were erected in 1858, at an outlay of $11,000, also raised by subscription. The State Superintendent, Dr. Hickok, on ex- amining the school, pronounced the accommodation insufficient to justify him in accepting it as a State Normal School. During the winter of 1859-60, $10,000 were raised by subscription, and in 1860 a fourth building was erected, now known as the Gentlemen's Boarding Hall. On January 26, 1861, the institution was formally recognized by the State Superintendent as a State Normal School. The buildings connected with the school are as fol- lows: Literary Hall, the original academy, built in 1857, and rebuilt in 1880; Dormitory, built in 1858; Library, built in 1858, rebuilt in 1880; Normal Hall, built in 1875; Dormitory. built in 1860; Music Hall, built in 1878; Recitation Building, built in 1880. Normal Hall and the Recitation building are brick clad, all the other edifices are wholly of frame. They stand on a tract of twelve acres, on the southeast edge of the borough, which has been planted with trees and laid out with walks. The Normal School has a good scientific apparatus, and the best collection of apparatus for teaching common schools in the State. It owns a library of 4,500 volumes. The teachers num- ber twelve in the Normal department, and four in the Model School. Prof. Cooper, Principal, came to the school in 1861 as an assistant, and was pro- moted to the general charge in 1863.
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CONCORD TOWNSHIP.
CHAPTER XVI.
CONCORD TOWNSHIP AND BOROUGH OF ELGIN.
U P to the year 1821, all of Erie County from the eastern boundary of Union and Amity to the Warren County line was known as Broken- straw Township. In that year, the name was changed from Broken- straw to Concord. This continued until 1826, when the township was divided, the northern portion receiving the name of Wayne and the south- ern retaining the old title. The three names, Union, Amity and Concord were all suggested by William Miles. In the act of April 11, 1807, Broken- straw and Union were constituted one election district, to be known as No. 10, and the house of John Taylor was designated as the election place. This relation continued until 1821, when each township became a sep- arate election district. As constituted in 1826, Concord contained 25,590 acres, but its size has been reduced to 19,624 by the taking off of a slice for Corry Borough in 1863; of another in 1866, when that place was incorporated as a city, and of a third by the creation of Elgin Borough in 1876. Concord is the extreme southeastern township of the county. It is bounded on the north by Wayne and Corry; on the west by Warren County; on the south by Craw- ford County; and on the east by Union. The assessment of 1873 gave the following results: Value of real estate, $467,119; number of cows, 582; of oxen, 36; of horses and mules, 278; value of same, $30,587; value of trades and occupations, $2,075; money at interest, $26,365. The only settlement within the township that can lay any claim to be styled a village, since Elgin was made a borough, is the small collection of buildings at Lovell's Station, which is also the sole post office. The population of Concord was 83 in 1820, 225 in 1830, 652 in 1840, 882 in 1850, 1,255 in 1860, 1,112 in 1870, and 1,171 in 1880.
COUNTY OFFICERS.
The only county officers Concord has been favored with have been Simeon Stewart, County Commissioner from 1849 to 1852, and David Nash and Will- iam H. Belknap, County Auditors-the first from 1858 to 1861, and the second from 1860 to 1863. Mr. Stewart was the Commissioner under whose supervis- ion the present court house at Erie was planned and erected. While the town- ship has been treated so sparingly in the bestowal of official honors, it has evened the matter up, in a certain sense, by turning out more attorneys than any other in the county. Its representatives in the legal profession are A. W. Covell, of Erie; H. W. Blakeslee, late of Erie, but now of Bradford; H. A. Baker, C. L. Baker, C. G. Olmstead and C. L. Covell, of Corry; and F. G. McClintock, of Union. In medicine it claims Frederick Beebe, of Findley's Lake, and Cisco Stewart, of Iowa; and in the editorial fraternity it is repre- sented by F. S. Heath and D. M. Colegrove, of Corry.
EARLY SETTLERS.
The first settlers in Concord were William Miles and his brother-in-law, William Cook, who came from the Susquehanna Valley with their families in June, 1795. They first located on what is now called the Wilber Webb farm,
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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
just north of the Crawford County line, and secondly a short distance south of the line in Sparta Township. Mr. Miles moved to Union in 1800, and Mr. Cook the year after. No other permanent settlements were made until 1800, when James and Robert McCray, natives of Ireland, took up homes for them- selves in the township, and Joseph Hall, a Virginian, who bad gone to Beaver Dam in 1797, moved over to the present site of Elgin Borough. From that date, no evidence exists of any additions to the colony until 1822 or 1823, about which time a brisk emigration set in from New York. Among the first of this class of settlers was Elder Jeduthan Gray, a Baptist minister, who, with a family of grown-up children, located on or near the William Gray
place. The section was long known as the Gray settlement, and a post office
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by that title was kept up for a number of years. Deacon Graves went in at the same time or shortly after, and was followed within the period between 1825 and 1835, by Ezekial Lewis, Jesse and Heman Heath, Simeon Stewart, William Bugbee, Abner Lilly, John B. Chase, James Crowell, Russell Dar- row, Hiram Cook, Paul Hammond, Stephen Hollis, Buckingham Beebe, Elijah Pond, Oliver D. Pier and others. G. J. Stranahan, founder of the well-known family of that name, settled in Concord in 1836, having formerly resided in Herkimer County, N. Y. His sons, John D. and P. G. Stranahan, moved to Le Bœuf, the former in 1849 and the latter in 1850, from which place, P. G. changed to Union in 1859. Oliver D. Pier, one of the pioneers of the town- ship who is still living, though totally blind, was, in his day, a famous hunter. With a single gun, he claims to have killed 1,322 deer, besides a number of wolves, bears and other wild animals.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION.
Concord is in general a hilly township, but contains very little waste land. Bordering French Creek, there is a good valley, ranging from eighty rods to half a mile in width, south of Corry, and spreading out to one and two miles between that city and Union. The soil of the valley is much better than that of the high ground, but the farmers are more troubled by the frosts. Corn and oats are produced in all parts of the township, and most of the farm- ers raise their own wheat. The great industry, however, is dairying, for which the country is better calculated than for grain. All kinds of fruits are raised, except peaches. The value of land varies from $25 to $80 per acre, according to its situation and quality. The loftiest elevation is on the Darius Walton place, where a view is afforded into two States and four counties.
THE STREAMS.
The chief stream is the South Branch of French Creek, which rises on the James Bell farm, in the southeast, runs to the western edge of Corry, then turns abruptly to the west, flows in a westerly direction across the northern part of the township into Union, and joins the main stream a few rods below the Philadelphia & Erie Railroad bridge in Le Boeuf. It has a course of fully fifteen miles in the township, and a total length of about thirty miles. Its valley forms the route of no less than three railroads, the Oil Creek, P. & E., and N. Y., P. & O. The tributaries of the South Branch in Concord Town- ship are Scotch Run, Slaughter Run, Spencer Run, Baskin Run, Spring Brook, Lilly Run and Beaver Dam Run. Scotch Run rises on the J. Aiken place, and unites in the public highway, at the foot of Stewart Hill, on the W. W. Covell place, having a length of over two miles. Spring Brook is made by a number of large springs on the line of Concord and Wayne, and falls into the South Branch on the place of A. Palmer, after a course of perhaps a mile.
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CONCORD TOWNSHIP.
The State Fish Hatching Pond, west of Corry, is at the source of this stream. The head of Lilly Run is on the J. D. Hammond place, and it terminates near Elgin, having a course of four miles. Beaver Dam Run takes its rise in the south part of Amity, flows through the southwestern corner of Wayne, and combines with the South Branch near Elgin Borough, through which it passes. Its length is not far from five miles. Slaughter, Spencer and Bas- kin Runs all come in from Wayne, between Elgin and Corry. In addition to these streams, the township is the starting place of several tributaries of Spring Creek and Oil Creek, which rise on the highlands and flow to the east and south. The head-waters of Oil Creek, French Creek and Spring Creek are all within a few rods of each other, near the summit of the Oil Creek Railroad, in the southeast.
The township has only two bridges of any importance, both at Lovell's. They were built at a cost of $500 to $600.
RAILROADS, COMMON ROADS, ETC.
The N. Y., P. & O. and the P. & E. Railroads run through the northern section of the township from Corry to the Union line, following the valley of the South Branch. From Corry to Lovell's, the tracks run side by side, but at the latter place they diverge somewhat and continue at a short distance apart to Union. Below Union they separate entirely, the N. Y., P. & O. running to the west, and the P. & E. to the lake at Erie. The old Oil Creek Railroad, now the Buffalo, Titusville & Pittsburgh, follows the upper channel of French Creek from Corry to the Summit, crossing the township into Crawford County. This road has no station in Concord, and Lovell's is the only one on the other roads. Of the common roads, the main ones are the Meadville & Columbus -the first opened in the township-the Union & Corry, which passes through Elgin, the Elgin & Sparta, the Corry & Spring Creek, and the Corry & Titusville. Lovell's Station, on the N. Y., P. & O. and P. & E. roads, three miles west of Corry, and thirty-four east of Erie, consists of a few houses only. A water mill was started at this point by James Crowell at an early date, which ran down; a machine shop, a saw mill and a planing mill were built and destroyed by fire. The present saw mill was built by D. J. Crowell about 1879. The village post office supplies a number of the people of Con- cord and Wayne.
SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES
The public schools of Concord are as follows, all the buildings being plain wooden structures: Fay, on Ox-bow Hill; Hemlock, near E. J. Ormsby's; McCray, near Lovell's Station; Stewart (1st), near E. A. Hammond's; Hays, near F. S. Heath's; Stewart (2d), near A. H. Bower's; Pine Wood, near E. Hatch's; Lewis, near Samuel Lewis; Moffat, near W. Young's; Chaffee, near Corry; Lindsley, near C. Pier's, and Cook, near the south line. The town- ship is also interested with Sparta Township, Crawford County, in the Harbor School. Daniel Sackett, then of this township, was one of its first pedagogues. He taught, about 1823, in a log schoolhouse, the first in the township, which stood on the site of the present Cook School building. Andrew Aiken and Joseph Gray and wife afterward taught in this primitive schoolhouse.
The church buildings are the Wesleyan and the Methodist Episcopal. The Wesleyan was built on the McCray place, about a mile south of Lovell's Sta- tion, about 1840. The class was organized several years before by Rev. John Broadhead, besides whom Revs. J. E. Carroll, Thomas Savage, G. M. Hardy and Rev. Dempsey have been prominent among the ministers. Rev. Thomas
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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Burrows, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, now preaches to this congrega- tion, the membership of which is about fifty.
The Methodist Episcopal building, also a frame, was dedicated in July, 1879, soon after this society was formed. It stands near F. S. Heath's. The present membership is about thirty-five. The society is connected with Spar- tansburg Circuit. Rev. C. M. Coburn was the first minister, succeeded in 1881 by J. B. Darling, and in 1883 by S. W. Douglass.
A graveyard is attached to the Wesleyan Methodist Church, and the Stew- art burial place is on the farm of A. Bowers. Most of the interments take place in the cemetery at Corry.
MISCELLANEOUS.
The township is without a grist mill since the incorporation of Elgin Borough. The saw mills are William Young's and David Crowell's. A cheese factory has been in operation for some years near Wilbur Webb's, almost on the Crawford line. Several wells have been put down for oil, but the precious fluid has never been discovered in a profitable quantity. Large quantities of hay are packed and shipped to the oil region.
BOROUGH OF ELGIN.
Elgin Borough was incorporated in the winter of 1876, with territory about a mile square taken out of the western part of Concord Township. A grist and saw mill were established by Joseph Hall, on Beaver Dam Run, at an early day, and as the settlement grew it became known as Hall Town. A grocery was started about 1856, but the village did not amount to much until the opening of the Philadelphia & Erie road, when its name was changed to Concord Station. The title was again altered when it was made a borough, and that of the post office was changed about the same time. Elgin consists of a Methodist Church, a schoolhouse, a barrel factory, a grist mill, a saw mill, two groceries, one general store, a hotel, one blacksmith shop, one wagon shop, one shoe shop and perhaps forty private residences. Its population in 1880 was 154. Beaver Dam Run passes wholly through the town, and the South Branch of French Creek cuts through one corner. Elgin has the ad- vantage of two railroads, the N. Y., P. & O. and the P. & E. The borough possesses a neat cemetery. Elgin gets considerable of its trade from western Wayne and Concord. Itis thirty-three miles east of Erie, six east of Union, and five west of Corry, by railroad in each case. A Christian or Disciple Church was erected at Elgin about 1868, largely through the efforts of Mrs. Yost, of Corry, and the contributions of the citizens of Elgin generally. A society of this denomination was shortly before formed at the village, and attained a membership of about sixty. Revs. Walker and Way were its first ministers. The membership soon decreased through removals, and in a few years the so- ciety ceased as an organization. A Methodist class was organized at the school- house one mile south of Elgin, in 1854 or 1855, by Rev. Josiah Flower, then of the Wattsburg Circuit, with S. D. Lewis as Class Leader. In 1858, it changed the place of meeting to the Elgin Schoolhouse, and there continued until two years after the Christian Church was built, in which the meetings have since been held. The society was a part of the Wattsburg Circuit until 1877, when it was attached to Spartansburg. The pastors have been J. W. Wilson, 1877; C. M. Coburn, 1878, 1879 and 1880; J. B. Darling, 1881 and 1882; S. W. Douglass, 1883. The membership of the Elgin congregation is fifty.
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