USA > Pennsylvania > Jefferson County > History of Jefferson county, Pennsylvania, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 56
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Silica. 44.220
Alumina (by difference)
38,151
Protoxide of Iron 510
Titanic Acid. 2,150
Lime. 020
Magnesia.
234
Alkalies
035
Water. .
14,6So
100,000
Lumber and Saw- mills .- Pine Creek has been the scene of some of the most active operations in the lumber trade of the county, and no part of it has produced finer timber. In all the years of her history lumbering has been the principal occupation of her citizens, and since the little mill was erected on Mill Creek, by the Barnetts, in 1795, many such structures, gaining in utility and importance with the progress of the county, have been erected upon the streams within her borders.
489
PINE CREEK TOWNSHIP.
The next mill built after that of Joseph Barnett is said to have been erected on the North Fork in 1800, by Moses Knapp, near the head of the present Ltich dam. Mr. Knapp, after building several other mills in different localities, returned to the North Fork in 1836 and built one about a mile from the pres- ent " Company mill." This he sold in a short time to William Paine who in turn sold it to his brothers, Alexander B. and Sinton Paine, and Leonard Walters, of Pittsburgh, and Sinton Paine also sold out to the latter and re- moved to Kentucky. A. B. Paine and Leonard Walters, after remodeling the mill somewhat, ran it until about 1878, when the machinery was taken out and the mill abandoned. The mill-site has since been sold to C. M. Carrier.
The next mill on the North Fork was erected by Hollenbeck, Coryell & Co., of New York, in 1855. This company owned five thousand acres of land in Jefferson county, four thousand acres of which were heavily timbered with pine, situated in Pine Creek and Warsaw townships. C. M. Garrison super- intended the building of this mill. Mr. Garrison was a lumberman of long experience, having been engaged extensively in the business in Apalachian, N. Y., from whence he came to take charge of the new enterprise of Messrs. Hollenbeck, Coryell & Co.
In 1861 this firm sold to Carrier, Jackson & Co., of which latter firm Mr. Garrison was a member, and made the purchase from Hollenbeck, Coryell & Co. The firm was then changed to Jackson, Moore & Co., and then known for several years as Jackson, Verstine & Co., and for the last ten years as Car- rier, Verstine & Co. Some question having been raised as to the capacity of the " Company mill," as it is called, Bernard Kline, then sawyer on the mill, claiming that he could cut 30,000 feet of good, merchantable boards in twelve hours, the 2d day of August, 1865, was set apart for the trial, and in the time specified he sawed 44,325 feet of good boards, R. J. Nicholson measuring the same. Only one saw was used.
During the first years the firms operating this mill shipped large quantities of square timber, but in the last fifteen years the principal shipments have been boards and bill stuff, amounting to about 4,000,000 feet per year.
The present firm is composed of Cassius M. Carrier, Bernard Verstine and Bernard Kline. They own over 5,000 acres of land in Jefferson county, sit- uated in Pine Creek, Rose, Warsaw and Eldred townships.
In 1837 James C. Matson built a saw-mill on the North Fork, which was burned down in 1844.
In 1865 Mr. Matson erected a portable mill on Little Mill Creek, which was also destroyed by fire September 12, 1867. On this there was no insur- ance, and Mr. Matson's loss was very heavy. The mill, however, was at once rebuilt.
William McCullough built a mill on Little Mill Creek in 1837, which he afterwards exchanged for the property on Pickering street, in the borough of
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
Brookville, owned by D. B. Jenks, esq., and where Mr. Mccullough resided until his death.
In 1839 James S. Mccullough built a mill on Big Mill Creek, above Port Barnett, which he afterwards sold to Parliament Hutchens. Mr. Mccullough also built a mill on Little Mill Creek in 1847 or 1848, which he afterwards sold to H. H. Parker.
Matson Knapp built a mill on the Geer or Knapp Run about the year 1848, and Joseph Knapp built one on the same run shortly after.
George Ford built a mill on Little Mill Creek about 1858, two miles above the Parker mill.
About the year 1865 John Carrier and Andrew Baum built a steam mill on Big Mill Creek. In the spring of 1871 Nathan Carrier, jr., purchased John Carrier's interest in this property, and after running it about a year removed the machinery to the new mill erected by him on Red Bank.
The " Iowa " mill, on Sandy Lick, was built in 1847, by Elijah Clark & Sons (Samuel K. and Charles B.) and Joseph E. Hall. It was named " Iowa," (which name it has always retained) by Rufus Kent, of Maine, a cousin of the Clarks, as a joke at the expense of the younger Clarks and J. E. Hall, who had for some time entertained their friends with their plans and intentions for em- igrating to the West and locating in the State of Iowa.
In July, 1850, Joseph E. Hall sold his interest to the Clarks, who ran the mill as Clark & Sons until November 5, 1850, when Elijah Clark died, and then it was managed by the Clark Brothers until July, 1851, when E. H. Darrah, who had been working on the mill as a sawyer, purchased a third in- terest in the mill and the tract of seven hundred and seven acres of timber land belonging to the property, which had been purchased from the Portland Land Company, by article of agreement dated February 10, 1847. Novem- ber 22, 1851, Samuel K. Clark died while down the creek with lumber.
Mr. Darrah, after the death of Samuel K. Clark, became an equal partner in the property with Charles B. Clark, and the business was conducted by Clark & Darrah, until they sold to James Neal in 1853, who owned it until June 21, 1871, when he sold to Robert R. Means and Robert J. Nicholson. In 1877 Mr. Means died, and the business was conducted by Mr. Nicholson and the heirs of Captain Means, until February 22, 1884, when Mr. Nicholson also died, and the business passed into the hands of the Means heirs and the executors of R. J. Nicholson, Mr. Thomas H. Means having the management of the business. During all this time the firm was known as Means & Nich- olson. In 1886 the property was sold to A. D. Deemer, of Emerickville, who is now operating the mill. The capacity is about 15,000 feet per day.
The first mill built where Bellport now is, was erected some time in the 30's by Benjamin Bailey. It was carried away by a flood after only one log had been sawed. Then, in 1838, John J. Y. Thompson built another mill on the
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PINE CREEK TOWNSHIP.
same site. It was built by Samuel Baird, and was called a double mill, having a saw at both ends of the building. Mr. Thompson sold the mill to Alpheus Shaw, who in turn sold to Amos Austin and Josiah Rodgers, two restless, Yankee lumbermen from New England, who on the lookout for a more pro- ductive lumber country, had wandered down into the Southern States, and on retracing their steps, struck the Sandy Lick region, and bought the mill fron Shaw, in June, 1841. Rodgers, after a few years, returned to New England, but Mr. Austin, who had voted for Harrison for president, one day in New Hampshire, left the next day, and has never since beheld the granite hills of his native State. He cast his lot in with the people of Jefferson county, and has for many years been one of the most respected citizens of Brookville.
In 1848 the mill burned down, and was rebuilt in 1849; and in 1854 Mr. Austin sold the property to F. D. Lake, who in 1856, sold it to Hon. Alfred Bell, of Rochester, N. Y. The present mill was built in 1868 ; the machinery is propelled by water power, and the production has averaged something over two million feet per annum, or about sixty-five million feet since the property came into the possession of Judge Bell. According to his estimate, however, only about one-fifth of the stock cut at this mill was the product of Jefferson county, the balance coming from his lands in Clearfield county. The pine timber on Judge Bell's lands in the two counties is exhausted, but he has some twelve million feet of hemlock timber on land owned by him in Washington township.
The late E. D. White and his sons, G. W. and A. A. White, now of Ken- tucky, were for a number of years in charge of the Bellport mill, and were well known lumbermen. For the last eight years it has been ably managed by Mr. John B. Campbell.
Next comes the " Garrison mill " upon the site of which a portable mill was built in 1863, but it being burned down shortly after, the present mill was built by Garrison, Fuller & Co., in 1864. This co-partnership continued for about ten years, when Mr. Sidney Fuller retired, and the firm was changed to C. M. & J. N. Garrison, under which title it continued until 1882, when C. M. Gar- rison retired from active business, and the business passed into the hands of his sons, John N. and Lorenzo S. Garrison, under the firm name of J. N. Gar- rison & Brother. This is one of the most extensive lumber establishments in the county, fully five million feet being cut per annum.
Cornelius M. Garrison, the pioneer of this and of the "Company mill " on the North Fork, was always kind and thoughtful for the welfare of his em- ployees, and when his death occurred August 18, 1886, there were three men in the employ of the firm who had worked for him for thirty years. These are still working on the same mill for his sons, and are Reuben B. Lyle, Joseph Plyler and David D. Demott.
The shingle mill of Sidney Fuller, is also situated at Garrison Station. It
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
was built about four years ago, and turns out ten thousand shingles per day ; the shingles manufactured are eighteen inches in length.
Mr. Fuller has a well cultivated farm of seventy-five acres here, with good house and other improvements. This was his residence until a few years ago when his increasing lumber business, obliged him to locate in Pittsburgh. The farm and shingle mill are now superintended by Mr. Fox. Mr. Fuller cleared his farm, and made the first improvements at Garrison.
In the neighborhood of Emerickville are a number of saw-mills; the E. Weiser mill was built on land owned by Weiser, by J. C. Wilson, in 1886. The capacity of the mill is about nine thousand feet per day.
The Frederick Starr mill, on land of J. Klepfer, was built about ten years ago. The mill cuts about one million feet per year. A good deal of custom sawing is done.
The steam saw-mill of John Rhinehart, on land of Emanuel Shuckers, was built in 1886. This mill replaced a water-mill built by Benjamin Schwartz, in 1859. This mill saws about five hundred thousand feet per year.
Shobert Brother's (James and John) mill, on a one hundred acre tract, owned by Daniel Rhodes, saws about one million feet per year. The timber is owned by Shobert Brothers.
The steam saw-mill of Orr, Mckinley & Co., was built in June, 1886. The capacity of this mill is about ten thousand feet per day. It is built upon land of B. P. Bell, of Indiana county, containing four hundred and seventy-six acres of hemlock and hard wood timber.
The pine timber is almost a thing of the past in Pine Creek, and it will take but a few years to exhaust the hemlock. The grand forests of magnificent trees that caused Joseph Barnett to locate in this region, have all fallen before the lumberman's axe.
Schools. - The first school in the township was that one built of logs, and with greased paper windows, and the huge chimney at one end, that Mrs. Gra- ham tells about. It stood on what is now the McConnell farm, and in con- trasting it and the primitive kind of instruction then imparted, with the ad- vantages of the present day, we may well rejoice in the greater advantages in this respect now enjoyed by the school children.
In 1886 there were eight schools in Pine Creek ; average number of months taught, five ; male teachers, five; female, three ; average salary of teachers, thirty-five dollars per month; number of inale scholars, one hundred and sixty-five ; females, one hundred and forty-four ; average number attending school, two hundred and forty ; average per cent of attendance, eighty-five; cost per month, ninety-three cents. Tax and rate per cent. number of mills levied for school purposes, thirteen. Total amount of tax levied for school and building purposes, $1,391.25. Total expenditures for schools, buildings, etc., $1,681.33.
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PINE CREEK TOWNSHIP.
The number of churches in the township are three ; Methodist Episcopal, Protestant Methodist and Lutheran.
Cemeteries. - The first graveyard started in the township or in the county, was located some place near the forks of the road between Brookville and Port Barnett, and here the first who died after Andrew Barnett, were buried; but all trace of its locality is lost, and the lowly mounds have long since disap- peared, and are now covered with dwellings, and the careless passer-by treads unwittingly over the spot where repose the early dead of the township and of the county.
The next graveyard was the one laid out on the farm of Nathaniel Butler, and in which his son, Winfield Scott Butler, a boy of only two summers, who died February 28, 1842, was buried, Mr. Butler then setting apart the spot that is now known as the " Butler graveyard," and where the parents of the little boy, and Samuel Jones and his wife, and many of the other old settlers of Pine Creek, and their children and children's children, are buried.
At Emerickville the Lutheran graveyard was laid out in 1858, Daniel Shuckers being the first laid therein. The Methodist graveyard, on the Moore farm, was laid out on ground donated by James F. Moore, about 1862, and a child of Russell and Emeline Vantassel, and grandchild of Mr. Moore, was the first interred, followed soon by Willie Britton. Since then Mr. Moore and many others have laid down in this silent spot by those little ones to "rest from their labors." There are three monuments in this cemetery ; one of granite, erected to the memory of James F. Moore, who died October 2, 1881, and one of marble over the daughters of Abel Fuller, also one of marble erected by George Zetler, to the memory of his son.
PORT BARNETT.
Port Barnett, the little hamlet where the first settlers of Jefferson county first found a home, the history of which has already been given in former chapters, was originally the property of Joseph Barnett and Samuel Scott. The records of the county describe this property as follows :
" The Port Barnett property containing two hundred and fifty-six acres and one hundred perches -- One part conveyed to Samuel Scott by Jeremialı Parker by deed dated 16th day of - 1818 ; recorded in Indiana County in Deed book No. 2, Page 727, and by Sundry Conveyances to Andrew Barnett. Other moiety conveyed to Joseph Barnett by Jeremiah Parker, by deed dated 26th June 1821, Recorded in Indiana County, in deed book No. 4, page 482, and by will of Joseph Barnett, devised to Adrew Barnett."
The Barnetts kept store and hotel at Port Barnett for many years, beside running their mills, and part of the old hotel is still standing. After the death of his father Andrew Barnett continued to reside upon the property until about the year 1850, when he sold the property to Andrew J. Brady and Irvin Long,
59
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
and removed to the West. The hotel, which was for a long time the only one in the county, after it passed out of the hands of the Barnetts was kept by several parties, one of whom was Joseph Shobert. In 1850 A. J. Brady as- sumed charge of it, and we find quite an extensive advertisement in the papers of that day of the "Port Barnett Hotel," under his management. In 1852, Mr. Brady sold to Jacob Kroh, who was the last man to play mine host at the first hostelry in the county. Joseph Shobert, now of Brookville, is the only one living who was its landlord.
The auditor general's report for 1831 gives the following record of licenses in Jefferson county :
" Andrew Barnett. tavern license, $33.44, Andrew Barnett, dealer in for- eign merchandise, $31.69."
The records of the county show that tavern licenses were granted in Pine Creek township to Andrew Barnett for 1833-41, at Port Barnett ; Isaac Packer, for 1834-42, where Peter Baum now lives; Jacob Kroh, for 1842-47, at Port Barnett; George S. Mathews, 1846; George Leitner, 1840.
The first store was kept by the Barnetts and Samuel Scott, who, in 1826, was succeeded by Jared B. Evans, who removed it to Brookville in 1830.
William McMannigle, who still resides at Port Barnett, came there in 1834 from Westmoreland county, at which time there was no house between Port Barnett and Reynoldsville, except the log hotel of Isaac Packer on the Peter Baum place, and a log house occupied by Hance Vasbinder, where Emerick- ville now is.
The first mill erected by the Barnetts was replaced in 1831 by a new one erected by Andrew Barnett, and this in turn gave way to the present steam- mill erected in 1870, and remodeled in 1882 by James Humphrey, who purchased the property of Jacob Kroh. While building the dam for the present mill the workmen came across the timbers of the first mill, which were in a good state of preservation considering the length of time they had lain in the water. The logs had huge wrought iron spikes firmly imbedded in them. The present grist-mill was built in 1860.
Port Barnett is still the property of James Humphrey, who, in connection with his mills, has a store under the management of his son, W. N. Humphrey. Their saw-mill does a large business. Nearly all the houses in the place be- long to Mr. Humphrey, and are occupied by his workmen. He resides in the residence built by Jacob Kroh, jr., on the Brookville road, west of the mills. In ISSo the census gives the population of Port Barnett as seventy.
EMERICKVILLE.
This little village is situated on the " pike," about six miles east of Brook- ville, and has about one hundred inhabitants. The census of 1880 gives its population as fifty-seven, showing, according to the population now claimed by
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PINE CREEK TOWNSHIP.
the citizens, an increase of almost one-half more. It contains one hotel, two stores, one blacksmith shop, and twenty dwellings. The hotel, which was built about the year 1843 by Jacob Kroh, is now kept by Emanuel Weiser, who came to the township from Northumberland in 1852, and engaged in lumber- ing and merchandising. He started his present store at Emerickville in IS70. The other store is owned by George Zetler, jr., who removed to Emerickville from Philadelphia in 1848. His father, the late Edward Zetler, when he came to the place with his family in that year, found it impossible to find a dwelling house, and was obliged to move into a school-house on the Moore farm until he could erect a house.
The blacksmith shop is owned by E. Weiser. The first blacksmith was George Gray, who rang the anvil in 1858. The shop is now run by George Raymer.
There are two churches, the Lutheran Church, on the Bliss farm, and the Methodist on the Moore farm. There is also a new church being built by the denomination known as the Church of God.
FULLER'S STATION.
Fuller's Station, on the Low Grade Division of the Allegheny Valley Rail- road, is situated at the eastern end of the township, on Sandy Lick Creek. It contains about one hundred inhabitants, and is the principal shipping point for lumber, bark, etc., for that section of the county, about one hundred cars of lumber being shipped per month, averaging 10,000 feet to the car, and in the fall months the shipments of bark are over ninety cars per month, averaging nine cords to the car.
The Fuller saw-mill was built in 1862 by Abel Fuller, after whom the place and post-office are named ; its capacity is from 15,000 to 20,000 feet per day. In 1868 the aggregate business of this mill was over 2, 100,000 feet of boards. Mr. Fuller has 265 acres of timber land, on which there is yet some 20,000 feet of timber, principally hemlock. This mill was remodeled, and new ma- chinery put in about two years ago. Mr. Fuller also has a store at this point, which was started in 1876. The post-office is kept in this store. Mr. Fuller cut the first stick of timber, and made the first improvements in this part of the township. Abel Fuller is a son of Salmon Fuller, one of the first settlers of Clover township, who settled there in 1829. He was a native of Duffin's Creek, Upper Canada, but removed to Painesville, O., where his son Abel was born in 1826. He has spent fifty-eight years of his life in Jefferson county. Mr. Fuller owns a farm of sixty-five acres, bought eight or nine years ago from Henry Milliron, and on which he has erected a good house and barn. He raises excellent fruit-apples, pears and peaches.
Population, Taxables, etc .- The population of the township did not in- crease very fast in the first twenty-five years. The census of ISIo gives it
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
as 161; 1820, 561, (which also included Perry) ; 1840, 628; 1850, 778 ; 1860, 729 ; 1870, 941 ; 1880, 1189.
The taxables in 1807 were 23 ; in 1814, 35 ; in 1821, (including Perry), 161; in 1828, 60 ; in 1835, 103; in 1842, 98 ; in 1849, 156; in 1856, 125; in 1863, 183; in 1870, 247 ; 1886, 368.
The triennial assessment for the year 1886, gives the number of acres seated as 10,872, and the valuation $44,004 ; average per acre $4.46. Num- ber of houses and lots 118; valuation $8,537. Grist and saw-mills 7 ; valua- tion $9,613. Unseated lands 5,936; valuation $18,171 ; average per acre $3.06. Number of horses 186; valuation $7,714 ; average valuation $41.47. Number of cows 255; valuation $2,850 ; average, $11.18. Occupations 164; valuation $5,500 ; average $33.84. Total valuation, subject to county tax, $96,434. Money at interest $24,122.
The basis of taxation adopted in all the townships of the county is one- fifth of the real value on real estate, and one-third on personal property. This would make the real value of real estate in Pine Creek township, for the year 1886, $1,908,000, and of personal property $150,000.
The assessed valuation of real estate in the township for 1886 is $381,600 ; personal property $50,000.
Elections .- The first elections in Jefferson county, which were also the first held in Pine Creek, have already been given. We give below the last election held before Perry was organized :
" 1817, Pine Creek township. At an election held at the house of Joseph Barnett in said township on Friday, the 14th day of March, A. D. 1817, the following persons were duly elected : Constable, Elijah Graham, 22 votes ; John Dixson, 13. Supervisors, Joseph Barnett, 25 votes ; Thos. Lucas, 28. Overseers, Henry Fey, 9 votes ; John Matson, 6. Fence appraisers, Moses Knap, 7 votes ; William Vasbinder, 7. Town clerk, Elijah Graham, 22 votes. Signed, Adam Vasbinder, Walter Templeton, judges."
The last election, held in February, 1887, resulted in the election of the following persons to fill the various offices in the township: Justice of the peace, Z. T. Chambers; constable, John Cable ; supervisors, S. R. Milliron, Calvin Hutchins; school directors, A. H. Yost, John Carberry ; poor over- seer, E. C. Wilson ; auditor, A. D. Deemer ; tax collector, Charles Wetzel ; judge of election, Frank Grady; inspectors, Joseph Dempsey, Frank P. Plyler ; assessor, William DeMott ; town clerk, Z. T. Chambers.
The justices of the peace in Pine Creek now are George Zetler, jr., and Z. T. Chambers. The members of the school board previously elected are Michael Mowry, John Cable, Thomas Montgomery, and Barton Hutchins.
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PERRY TOWNSHIP.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
HISTORY OF PERRY TOWNSHIP.
PERRY was the second township organized in Jefferson county, being taken from Pine Creek in 1818. It embraced the whole of the county south of Little Sandy, and the dividing line was for a long time called the " Mason and Dixon line of Jefferson county." It was organized soon after the brilliant victory gained on Lake Erie, by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, and was named for him. Perry township, until 1826, was bounded on the north by Pine Creek township, on the east by Clearfield, west by Armstrong, and south by Indiana county.
The township now contains about twenty-eight square miles, or 18,000 aeres, principally good farming land. Its shape is nearly square, with boun- dary lines running due east and west, and north and south.
The surface is mostly elevated. With the exception of Mahoning Creek the streams are small and flow through narrow ravines. The Mahoning Creek flows in. a tortuous course through a deep, wide valley extending along the southern border of the township. A narrow divide, trending east and west, erosses the northern portion of the township and separates the waters of the Mahoning from those of the Little Sandy. Frostburg is at the summit of this elevated plateau.
The first settler in what is now Perry township, was John Bell, who was born in Virginia on the 28th of January, 1770, and when but an infant was taken by his family to Cumberland county, and subsequently to the Sewiekly settlement, then in Westmoreland county, where he resided until 1800, when he moved to the vicinity of what is now the town of Indiana, where he was, in 1805, on the formation of Indiana county, elected the first constable in that county. In 1809 he decided to penetrate still further into the wilderness, and settled upon the farm about one mile north of the Big Mahoning Creek, and made the first improvement in that part of Jefferson county. Until the year 1812 his nearest neighbors were nine miles distant, in Indiana county, and the nearest, in what is now Jefferson county, were those living in the Barnett Settlement, over twenty miles north of him.
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