History of Erie county, Pennsylvania. Containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, villages schools, churches, industries, etc, Part 93

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 93

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Losthenderson

809

CITY OF CORRY.

CHAPTER XVII.

CITY OF CORRY.

O N almost the last page of Miss Sanford's history of Erie County, published in 1862, appears the following modest paragraph: " At Junction, in Con- cord Township, where the Atlantic & Great Western Railroad intersects the Philadelphia & Erie, quite a cluster of buildings has arisen in the woods within the last three months." Few persons at that date could have been made to believe that the humble backwoods settlement thus described would, in less than ten years, become a bustling city of nearly 7,000 inhabitants, the name of which would be as familiar to a large part of the business world as hun- dreds of places that had been in existence since the beginning of the century. Looking down upon Corry from the high hills which overshadow it, three val- leys are seen extending in as many separate directions, the one to the west being that of the South Branch of French Creek, the one to the north that of Hare Creek, and the one to the east, which is the widest and most important, that of the Brokenstraw. The central portion of Corry is built on the summit land between these streams, but the residence and manufactur- ing sections have spread out east, north and west, until they reach into each of the valleys. The South Branch of French Creek almost touches the southwestern edge of the city, while the Brokenstraw is two or three miles beyond its eastern boundary. Bear Creek-so named from the number of those animals that gathered in the swamp on the northwestern verge of the city-flows through it from west to east, rising in Wayne Township, and emp- tying in Hare Creek. The latter stream, which cuts across the northeastern corner of the city, was named from Michael Hare, who was one of the pioneers of Wayne Township, and died at Waterford, at the most advanced age attained by any citizen of the county. It rises in French Creek Township, Chautau- qua County, N. Y., crosses Wayne Township, and joins the Brokenstraw in Columbus Township, Warren County, about three miles east of the city. Hare Creek was once navigable for rafts as far up as Corry. A smaller stream than any of the above rises on the high laud, in the south part of the city, and, flowing through the depot grounds, enters Hare Creek on or near the north- eastern boundary.

HOW THE CITY STARTED.

Corry owes its origin and growth to the circumstance of its being adopted as the point of junction for the Philadelphia & Erie, the Atlantic & Great Western, the Oil Creek and the Cross Cut Railroads. The P. & E road (then Sunbury & Erie) was opened from Erie to this point in 1858, and to Warren in 1859. In June, 1861, the A. & G. W. (now the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio) was completed from Jamestown to the junction, and the next year it was continued through to Ohio. The Oil Creek road, with a broad gauge track to correspond with the A. & G. W., reached Corry from Titusville in 1862, and the Cross-Cut road was built to Brocton in 1867. These two roads have since been consolidated under the name of the Buffalo, Pittsburgh & Western. For awhile, in 1861, the little huddle of shanties that sprung up at the inter- section of the P. & E. and A. & G. W. roads was known as " Atlantic & Erie

810

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

Junction." In October of that year, a piece of land was purchased by the A. & G. W. Railroad Company, from Hiram Corry or Cory, who owned the tract at the junction, and, in consideration of his liberal dealing, Mr. Hill, General Superintendent of the road, changed the name of the station to Corry.

The first building was a small, wedge-shaped ticket office and eating house, directly in the angle between the P. & E. and A. & G. W. Railroads, on the east side. Beginning at this point, the settlement spread out during 1861 along Main street, and to some extent along Cross street. There was little or no improved land in the immediate vicinity, and a good part of the tract since covered by the city was a swamp, covered with immense pine and hem- lock trees. A less promising location for a town than Corry was at that time, could not be conceived by the most lively imagination.

RAPID GROWTH.

Although the settlement grew with more than average rapidity in 1861, its era of amazing energy did not fairly commence till 1862. Samuel Downer, a wealthy Boston oil refiner, had conceived the shrewd notion that by erecting a refinery at some point, at or adjacent to the oil fields, and convenient for ship- ping, he would possess an immense advantage over his rivals, who had to carry the crude oil over hundreds of miles of railroad. With this end in view, W. H. L. Smith was sent from Boston in the summer of 1861, to prospect for a favorable site. His choice fell upon the junction, and he promptly purchased fifty acres from Mr. Corry, for what would now seem a " mere song." This tract he laid out in town lots, and it was cleared under the superintendence of Eugene Wright, of Boston. By fall, a frame building had been put up, as the office of the Downer Oil Company, a post office had been established, with C. S. Harris as first Postmaster, and a small refinery, known as the "French- man's," had been put in operation, in the rear of the present Downer works. By this time the Oil Creek road was under contract, and it had dawned upon the minds of a good many people that Corry was destined to become a place of more than ordinary importance. The summer of 1862 witnessed the opening of the Oil Creek road, the erection of the Downer & Kent Oil Works, several other factories, the Boston Hotel and Gilson House, and a large number of store buildings and residences. People from every section flocked in by the thousands, many of them men of uncommon dash and fertility of resource. Money was plenty and real estate sold readily. The founders of the town realized a fortune from the sale of lots, and several parties who owned land adjoining the plot were also made wealthy. From that period on to the panic of 1873, Corry continued to grow at a rate that encouraged its citizens to think that it would some day be a formidable com- petitor with Erie for the leading position in the Northwest.

The town as laid out by Mr. Smith did not cover more than a third of its present dimensions. Since then, additions have been made which render the city lines about two and a half miles in width from east to west. and nearly three miles in length from north to south. The original owners of the land, besides Mr. Corry, were Amos Heath, H. D. Francis, Mr. Crandall, Anson Johnson, Hollis King, Lorenzo Dow and Mr. Dunham. In laying out the place, a portion was taken from both Wayne and Concord Townships, the straight portion of Smith street marking the old boundary between them. Those who are curious to know something of the history of these townships are referred to the sketches elsewhere.

BOROUGH AND CITY.

Corry was organized as a borough in 1863, and the first election was held

811

CITY OF CORRY.

on the 18th of August, of that year, a few less than 100 votes being cast. The first borough officers were the following: Burgess, S. A. Bennett; Treas- urer, H. N. Ransom; Clerk, S. A. Beavis; High Constable, E. W. R. Baker; Council, Eugene Wright, H. N. Ranson, F. H. Parkman, James Lewis and O. B. Vincent. A city charter was obtained in 1866, which took off an addition- al area from Concord Township and a strip about a mile wide by two and a quarter in length from Wayne Township, making the Warren County line the eastern boundary of the corporation. Two wards were created by the charter, the dividing line being the track of the A. & G. W. Railroad. The first city election was held in the spring of 1866. The Mayors of the city with terms of service have been as follows: W. H. L. Smith 1866-67; S. A. Bennett, 1867-68; R. H. Palmer, 1868-69; F. S. Barney, 1869-70; M. Crosby, 1870- 72; F. A. Phillips, 1872-73; A. F. Kent, 1873-74; B. Ellsworth, 1874-75; T. A. Allen, 1875-79; F. Stanford, 1879-81; J. D. Bentley, 1881-82; T. A. Allen, 1882-83; Isaac Colegrove, 1883-84.

The census of 1870 and 1880 showed the population to be as follows:

1870

1880

First Ward.

3,559

2,758

Second Ward.

3,250

2.519

Totals.

6,809

5,377

The following were the valuations of the two wards in 1883:

First Ward.

Second Ward.

Real estate.

$500,740

฿538,375

Personal estate.

5,841

11,115

Trades and occupations.

36,070

33,010

Money at interest.

16,200

34,642

Total.

$558,851

$617,142

$1,175,993

THE CITY IN GENERAL.

Those who only know Corry by what they see at the depot or by passing through in the cars have no proper conception of the place. Having sprung up in the woods, as if by magic, it has always labored under some disadvan- tages in appearance, which are not incident to old and regularly developed communities. It is only recently that the main streets were cleared from stumps, and the outside thoroughfares still contain frequent remnants of the forest. Yet it is wonderful how much has been done in the short space of twenty years to build up a snug and progressive city. Many tasty private res- idences have been erected, and some of the public buildings would be a credit. to larger cities. The stores are generally large, well stocked and apparently liberally patronized. A park of three acres has been laid out and planted with trees, which gives promise of being a real ornament. It is true that the side- walks are still principally of plank and that the streets remain unpaved, but improvement in these regards will come in due season.

As a railroad center and shipping point, Corry has few equals and no su- periors among our inland cities. With three great railroads passing through, giving direct connection with the oil regions, the anthracite and bituminous: coal fields and the markets east, west, north and south, the city possesses rare advantages as a manufacturing point, and it is not surprising that enterprising men have availed themselves of the fact to a considerable extent. Freight. trains go through every few minutes, and twenty-one passenger trains leave daily in the winter and twenty-five in the summer. As long as the railroad system exists, Corry must be an important distributing point and a leading

812

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

center of business. Property is low compared with other places that are ad- vantageously situated, and choice sites are still to be had on reasonable terms. It is stated in the report of the Board of Trade for 1881 that every manufac- tory started in Corry has been "eminently successful."

OIL WORKS.

As mentioned before, it was to the establishment of the Downer Oil Works that the city owes its origin. The Downer Oil Works, located between Washington street and the railroads, were erected in 1862. The owners are the Downer Kerosene Oil Company of Boston, the members of the company having remained unchanged since the works were built. W. H. L. Smith was sent out from Boston as manager, which position he held until 1868. C. A. Murdock succeeded, and, in 1872, T. A. Allen, the present man- ager, was appointed to the position. Until about 1872, all grades of illu- minating and lubricating oils were refined from the crude petroleum, but of later years the business has been directed to the production of "heavy ends," which are then shipped to the Boston refinery. The Corry works consist of a number of substantial brick buildings, the main one being 27x313 feet, two stories high, containing office, shops, loading tanks, etc. The still house is 52x200 feet, the pump room, 26x87 feet, the boiler room, 27x76, and other buildings are of various dimensions. Fifteen tanks have a combined capacity of 441, 400 gallons, and the distilling capacity is about 60,000 barrels of heavy oils annually. About twenty-five men are employed.

One of the most successful and enterprising business firms of Western Pennsylvania is Clark & Warren, of Corry, manufacturers of all the finer products of petroleum. The members of the firm are R. C. Clark and M. H. Warren. They commenced business as producers and refiners of oil at Graf- ton, Ohio, in 1875. Two years later, they removed to this State, and became one of the pioneer firms in producing oil in the Bradford field, erecting works at Sawyer City, three miles from Bradford. Not content with the old processes of refining, these energetic men instituted a series of experiments on distilla- tion and refining with the aim of obtaining better results than the old methods afforded. Success crowned their efforts, and, in 1881, they commenced the erection of works at Corry in accordance with their new and improved plans of distillation. The complete success of their operations is attested by the contin- ued enlargement of the capacity of the works. At present the firm use 500 barrels of crude petroleum daily, and arrangements are now being made to increase the capacity to 1,000 barrels per day. The products of the works include all the finer grades of lubricating oils, coal test filtered cylinder oils, filtered cylinder stocks, illuminating oils of 120 degrees, 150 degrees and 300 degrees fire test, fine neutral oils and the various grades of petroleum, formerly known as vasaline, cosmoline, etc. The products of the works are sold through the Pennsylvania Oil Company (limited), of which Mr. Warren is President, and Mr. Clark, Vice President. The products have almost a world- wide reputation, and the sales are largely European. The Oil, Paint and Drug Reporter, in a recent issue editorially, compliments the works of Messrs. Clark & Warren as one of the best appointed oil refineries in the United States, and speaks at length of their painstaking efforts and improved methods to manufacture superior oils. The firm holds patents upon the construction of stills, the heating of stills, the construction of filters, the heating. of filters and for renewing bone black, all their own inventions. The extensive worke are located in the western part of the city at the junction of the N. Y., P. & O., P. & E. and B., N. Y. & P. Railroads, where employment is given to about sixty men.

813

CITY OF CORRY.

OTHER LEADING INDUSTRIES.

The Corry Wooden Ware Manufactory owes its origin to Wilder & Howe, who in 1865-66, built a pail factory on East Main street. It burned down in 1867, and was rebuilt on the present site, the corner of Washington and East. Wayne streets, in 1868. In 1869, the Corry Manufacturing and Lumber Com- pany was organized, and operated the works until succeeded by D. H. Wilder. A. M. Kent & Co., the present owners, assumed control in 1878. Lard and butter packages, tubs and pails are manufactured, at the rate of about 2,500 pieces per day. The lumber, mostly pine, is obtained from Warren County, and about 3,000,000 feet are annually consumed. The wares are shipped to all parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, to West Virginia. Maryland and other States. Employment is given to 100 hands.

Harmon, Gibbs & Co., manufacturers of steam engines, erected their shops on the west side of Center street, immediately north of the railroad in 1877. The building is 50x105 feet and three stories high. Steam engines and boil- ers of from 10 to 150 horse-power are manufactured, besides a general line of machine and foundry work. Their Ajax oil engine is a specialty, and the de- mand for it equal to the capacity to supply. Employment is given to twenty- five skilled machinists. The firm is composed of C. G. Harmon, L. L. Bliss, C. H. Bagley and the estate of George H. Gibbs.

The Corry City Iron Works were established at the northwest corner of Main and Concord streets in 1880, by P. I. Lynch. Soon after, he admitted G. D. Gilbert into partnership, and the proprietors were successively Lynch & Gilbert, P. I. Lynch and the Corry City Iron Company, of which George N. Barnes is President, P. I. Lynch, Treasurer and manager and C. B. Ely, Secretary. The engine shop is 45x65 feet, two stories high. Boilers only were manufactured until June, 1882, since which date in addition port- able and stationary engines for agricultural purposes have also been produced. When running at full force, about seventy-five men are employed.

The Corry Novelty Works, located on East Pleasant street, were erected in 1870 by King, Shafer & Co. The main shop is a two-story brick building, 32x62. Mr. Shafer retired in 1873, and the firm has since been H. King & Sons, succeeded by H. King & Son, present proprietors. For several years, a general machine and repair business was continued, then the manufacture of King's patent portable engine was commenced, and has ever since been con- tinued with success.

An important manufacture, recently started at Corry, is that of the cali- graph, by the American Writing Machine Company, of which T. A. Allen is President; C. G. Harmon, Treasurer; G. W. N. Yost, Secretary, and A. A. Aspinwall, Manager. Mr. Yost, having perfected the Remington Type Writer, invented the caligraph. Its manufacture was commenced in New York, but in the spring of 1883 the works were removed to Corry. The instrument ie meeting with a wide and extensive sale, and an increase in the capacity of the shops has already been made; about 150 employes are usually at work and six- ty-five caligraphs are made per week.

George N. Barnes, in June, 1883, started the Corry Lounge Factory in the basement and first floor of the Opera House building, where he gives employ- ment to from fifteen to eighteen workmen and manufactures about one hundred lounges of various patterns per week.

In the same building Murray M. Raymond in January, 1883, commenced the manufacture of the baby jumper and swing, of which he is the inventor. This novel invention is meeting with wide and favorable reception, and the business of Mr. Murray is increasing. At present 150 jumpers are manufact- ured weekly.

814

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

One of the largest industrial establishments of Corry was the Gibbs & Sterrett Manufacturing Company recently suspended. The manufactures were the Climax mowers and reapers, steam engines and boilers, mill machinery etc. The buildings are large brick structures, and at one time about two hundred men were employed. (These works have since resumed).

The large steam tannery of Emanuel Weisser, on East Wayne street, was erected by C. A. Auer in 1862, and the present owner purchased it in 1871, and has since greatly enlarged the buildings and capacity of the tannery. About thirty men are employed, and 30,000 hides are annually tanned. Mr. Auer in 1872 erected another tannery on Turnpike street, and still operates it.

Other manufactories of the city include a bedstead factory, three planing mills, four carriage shops, one cigar box factory, two cooper shops, one brick yard, one broom factory, one mitten factory, one sucker-rod factory, one oil cup factory, three flouring mills, one sausage factory, two breweries, three bot- tling works, three patent medicine manufactories, nine cigar factories, one saw and shingle factory, one saw mill, one candy factory, one brush factory, one brush block factory, one handle factory, one cider and vinegar factory, one feed mill, one wood pump factory, one bedspring factory, one drain tile works, one foundry, one meat refrigerator factory, one fruit cooler factory, and one nickel plating works.

GENERAL BUSINESS FEATURES.

A special advantage that Corry possesses is the convenience for procuring coal, lumber and stone. Bituminous coal reaches the city at a low charge by way of the B., T. & W. and the N. Y., P. & O. roads from Mercer and Butler Counties, and the latter road and the P. & E. give it the benefit of competi- tion in securing anthracite from the Eastern Pennsylvania fields. Large bod- ies of timber still stand near the city, and a good quality of building stone in inexhaustible quantity is found a few miles down the Brokenstraw. There is also plenty of good clay for making brick, and sand for building purposes is found in ample quantities in the vicinity.

The mercantile houses of the city embrace the following different lines of business: Wholesale-Groceries, 2; hardware, 2; confectioneries, 1; tobacco and cigars, 9; oysters and fruits, 3; illuminating oil, 1; pork packing, 1; drugs, 1; car- riages, 2. Retail-Groceries, 19; dry goods, 12; clothing, 5; millinery, 6; drugs, 7; meat markets, 7; variety stores, 4; leather, 1; fruits and confectionery, 3; boots and shoes, 7; furniture, 2; merchant tailors, 3; bakery and confectionery, 4; news depots, 3; harness, 3; jewelry, 2; hardware, 5; stoves and tinware, 2; hats, 1; feed stores, 2.

The city has intimate business relations with a wide scope of country, em- bracing, besides Wayne and Concord Townships in our county, several town. ships each in Warren, Crawford and Chautauqua Counties. The farming pop- ulation tributary to Corry is really more extensive than that which helps to sus- tain Erie. The post office at Corry distributes mail matter over a territory ex- tending perhaps ten miles in every direction, the sale of stamps and stamped envelopes alone amounting during the year 1880 to some $10,000. The finan- cial institutions of the city are the first National Bank and the Corry National Bank, both established in 1864, with a capital in each case of $100,000. A good index to the business of the city is shown in its hotels, which number fourteen, of which four are equal to the average in places of the size.

CITY GOVERNMENT.

The city is governed by a Mayor, and Council of three members for each ward. The latter body is presided over by the Mayor, who also appoints the

815

CITY OF CORRY.

Committees. The expense for the year 1881 was a little over $17,000. The city tax was thirteen and a half mills on the dollar. The Fire Department consists of a Chief Engineer and two assistants, two engineers and fireman for the two Silsby steamers, three hose companies and a hook and ladder company. The value of the Department property is estimated at $11,840, and the annual expense is between $2,000 and $3,000. For a place that is largely built of wood, there has been a remarkable freedom from tires. The school system is under the control of a Board of Directors, consisting of three members for each ward. The schools are graded, and a superior high school is maintained, which includes in its course a thorough training in book-keeping. Including the Superintendent, there are nineteen teachers. The school term is eight months. The schoolhouses are five in number, three of them being capacious and handsome brick buildings, and two frame buildings.

SCHOOL BUILDINGS.

Directly after Corry was incorporated as a borough, an election was held August 18, 1863, for a School Board, which resulted in the election of the following Directors: For three years, G. H. Coney and R. Morgan; for two years, W. H. Doan and J. L. Hatch; for one year, L. J. Tibbals and L. Rockwood. A schoolhouse which had been erected on Concord street the year previous by the School Board of Concord Township was transferred to the borough, and the first schools under the dispensation of the Borough Board were taught in the winter of 1863 by J. L. Hatch and Miss Mary Doud. Commencing in 1864, the Catholic schools were under the control of the Board for several years. In 1865, the rapidly increasing population necessi- tated more accommodations. An acre of ground was purchased at the corner of Washington and Essex streets for $1,350, and the schoolhouse thereon was designated the Union Schoolhouse, completed by Henry Drake in March, 1866. Vincent Moses, a theological student from Clymer, N. Y., was its first Princi- pal. In 1865, however, the Board leased a building on East Main street, near the Philadelphia & Erie crossing, where school was held until 1870. When Corry became a city in 1866, the schools were yet ungraded, so rapid had been the increase. In that year the old red schoolhouse on the Columbus pike became city property; it was re-named Wayne School, No. 4, and used until the completion of the Hatch School. In 1869, a course of instruction, compiled by H. J. Manley, then President of the School Board, was adopted, and the schools were regularly graded and classified. The same year a school building was leased on Pleasant street. This school was suddenly burnt down in March, 1869; but a room was engaged on the corner of Main street and Second avenue and the school re-commenced in a few days. It was continued until the completion of the Fairview Schoolhouse. In 1869, a tax was levied to erect a new brick schoolhouse on the corner of Second avenue and Fairview street, the lot having been purchased two years previous. The contract was let to Henry Drake for $14,580. The building was dedicated April 2, 1870. A new frame build- ing was erected in 1869 on Concord street for the accommodation of primary pupils, and lots were purchased between Congress and Bond streets, east of Wright, for the erection of a large brick edifice. The necessary expenditure exceeding the amount that could be levied by tax, a special act of Legislature was obtained in 1870 authorizing an additional tax of seven mills. The con- tract was awarded to S. L. Leach for $21,500. The building was completed in 1871, and, including heating, seating and furnishing, cost $30,000. It was named in honor of J. L. Hatch, who had been a member of the board since its first organization. The Union Schoolhouse on Washington street was

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History of Erie county, Pennsylvania. Containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, villages schools, churches, industries, etc, Part 93

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