USA > Pennsylvania > Mercer County > History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : its past and present > Part 24
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The Sharpsville Railroad was built originally as a coal road to Oakland, a distance of five miles from Sharpsville, without any regular organization. On the 26th of January, 1866, an organization known as the "Sharpsville & Oakland Railroad Company" was effected. The persons represented were Gen. James Pierce, Kimberly & Forker, Ormsby, Fish & Co., Frank Allen & Co., Forker, Meek & Co., Phillips, McMasters & Co., and Ormsby, Koonce & Co. The capital stock was $148,000, but was afterward increased to $184,500. The leading man in the enterprise was Gen. Pierce, who became and continued its president until the time of his death. About 1875 it was reorganized with a capital stock of $350,000, and the right to extend into Butler County, if deemed advisable. It has been a feeder for both the E. & P. R. R., and the N. Y. P. & O., and is now operated in the interest of the B. & O. R. R.
Nearly forty years ago the construction of a railroad from Mercer to New Castle was mooted, and on the 15th of October, 1853, Charles L. Whippoo, of New Castle, submitted a report of a preliminary survey made by him and James A. Leech, of Mercer County. The distance was reported as being eighteen miles, which required an expenditure of $9,000 per mile, amounting to $162,000. The superstructure at $11,000 per mile would cost $198,000. Engineering and contingent expenses were estimated at $26,000. Total, $386,000. Like all other railroad projects, the first efforts were simply pre- paratry to some successful movement. Finally the New Castle & Franklin road was built in 1872. It was reorganized as the New Castle & Oil City Railroad in May, 1881, and merged with the Oil City & Chicago Railroad in April, 1882; and a second time merged with the Buffalo, New York & Phila- delphia Railroad in February, 1883. In 1887 it was again reorganized and became a part of the Western, New York & Pennsylvania Railroad. This is the present operating company.
The heaviest mortgage ever recorded in Mercer County is one that was placed upon the W. N. Y. & P. R. R. in the year 1887. The instrument executed by the railroad company to the Mercantile Trust Company, of New
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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.
York City, in the sum of $2,000,000, was recorded by Jonathan Dean as one of the closing acts of his office as recorder of the county, the document, covering thirty-five pages of the mortgage book.
The Pittsburgh, Shenango & Lake Erie Railroad had its inception in the charter of the Bear Creek Railroad Company, March 20, 1865. This name was changed by legislative act April 9, 1867, to the Shenango & Allegheny, which title it bore until February 11, 1888, when a reorganization occurred and the present name was adopted. The road was originally intended as a coal feeder to the Atlantic & Great Western, and was finished from Shenango to Pardoe in October, 1869. In July, 1872, it was completed to Harrisville, and in January, 1876, to Hilliard. Several branches were built in 1880, '82 and '83, tapping the coal fields in Mercer and Butler Counties, and in September, 1883, the line was finished to Butler. In March, 1882, the road was extended from Shenango to Greenville, which remained its northern terminus till the latter part of 1887, when operations commenced on the extension to Amasa Crossing, where it intersects the Lake Shore. It was pushed rapidly, and was completed during the summer of 1888. This road, with its connections, has now a line extending from Amasa Crossing to Allegheny City, and the management has in contemplation its extension to the lake in the near future.
The general offices of the company are at Greenville, and its shops, built in 1882, are located at Shenango. Its officers are: M. S. Frost, president; A. H. Steele, vice-president; J. T. Blair, general manager; I. D. Stinson, general passenger agent and treasurer; P. E. McCray, secretary and audi- tor; E. Richardson, master mechanic; and M. L. Osterhout, master of trans- portation. With the extension of the road to Amasa a decided improvement was also effected in its surroundings at Greenville. A handsome depot was fitted up on Main Street, and a great deal of filling done along its route through the borough. The citizens of Greenville look upon this road as a home institution, and are proud of the enterprise exhibited by its management.
A number of unrealized railroad schemes might be recorded. One is selected. On the 15th of July, 1847, a meeting was held at the Mercer court- house at which F. B. Hubbard was chairman and D. B. Hays, secretary, to consider the feasibility of building a railroad from Mercer to Big Bend, then an important point in consequence of its superior shipping facilities by canal. A committee, consisting of B. F. Baskin, William F. Clark, James McKean and William Maxwell, was appointed to voice the sense of the meeting. In their report they declared that "in the opinion of this meeting it is every way desirable to have a railroad constructed from the borough of Mercer to connect with the Erie extension of the Pennsylvania Canal at some point near the bend of the Shenango." The failure to embody the "sense of the meeting" in practical form prevented two points from becoming commercial centers for all time to come.
EARLY INNS AND INNKEEPERS.
When hauling was done on horseback, or by wagons and omnibuses, the inn, as a place of entertainment, was an important factor of growing civiliza- tion. The weary traveler had to find a stranger's home, and this, as he alighted from his horse or his clumsy hack, he always found at the wayside inn. . Whisky, music, good victuals in great abundance, clean beds, with well- filled straw ticks and feather-beds, and not infrequently the excitement of the rustic dance, awaited his pleasure. A social time was enjoyed. The old-time inn was one of the important educational factors of the times. From the old- time inn, or tavern, has sprung the modern hotel, with register, sample rooms, reading and writing apartments, high-toned clerks and landlords, and numer-
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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY
ous commercial guests. To trace the transition carefully would require a vol- ume. Appended is a list of those who have been permitted in Mercer County to keep tavern and to deal out drink as the public demanded, from 1804 to 1834, inclusive. Many of these, it will be seen, were residents of country places. Latterly these houses of entertainment have naturally gravitated to towns and cities, the centers of business activity.
1804: David Watson, Mercer; John Garvin, Coolspring Township; Will. iam McMillan, Coolspring Township; William Nicholson, Wolf Creek Town- ship; James Denniston, Wolf Creek Township; Levi Hunt, Wolf Creek Town- ship; John Small, Neshannock Township; Jacob Myers, Mercer; Joseph Hun- ter, Coolspring Township; Alexander Douglas, Mercer; Joseph Townsend, Neshannock Township; Joshua Cook, Neshannock Township; David White, Salem Township; Christian Miles, Pymatuning Township.
1805: David Watson, Mercer; William McMillan, Mercer; Washington Porter, Mercer; John Craig, Coolspring Township; Jacob Rose, Wolf Creek Township; Joseph Hunter, Mercer; Alexander Bean, Mercer; George W. Bartlett, Mercer; Moses Cochran, Wolf Creek Township; Levi Hunt, Wolf Creek Township; John Small, Neshannock Township; James Denniston, Wolf Creek Township; Christian Miles, Pymatuning Township; Solomon Williams, West Salem Township.
1806: William McMillan, Mercer; Joshua Cook, Lackawannock Town- ship; Andrew Shaw, Delaware Township; Joseph Hunter, Mercer; Alexander Bean, Mercer; George W. Bartlett, Mercer; Jesse Dushane, New Castle; Levi Hunt, Slippery Rock Township; John Anderson, Neshannock Township; Moses Cochran, Springfield Township; Alexander Paden, New Castle; Alexander Hawthorn, New Castle; John Dicky, New Castle; James Denniston, Spring- field Township; John Sheakley, Sandy Creek Township; Solomon Williams, West Salem Township; Adam Black, Wolf Creek Township; Christian Miles, Shenango Township; William Wilson, Mercer.
1807: Joseph Marlatt, Springfield Township; John Shurtz, Mahoning Township; John Sampson, Neshannock Township; Jonathan Harlin, Slippery Rock Township; George W. Bartlett Mercer; Nathan Patterson, Mercer; William McMillan, Mercer; Joseph Hunter, Mercer; Alexander Bean, Mercer; Jesse Dushane, New Castle; Robert Wallace, New Castle; John Anderson, Shenango Township; John Felix, Shenango Township; William Jones, She- nango Township; Levi Hunt, Slippery Rock Township; James Denniston, Springfield Township; Adam Miller, Delaware Township; John Hanson, She- nango Township; Alexander Hawthorn, New Castle; Daniel Inbody, Mahoning Township.
1808: John Sampson, Neshannock Township; John Sheakley, Sandy Creek Township; Jonathan Harlin, Slippery Rock Township; Solomon Williams, West Salem Township; Joseph Marlatt, Springfield Township; Adam Black, Wolf Creek Township; William McMillan, Mercer; Alexander Bean, Mercer; Joseph Hunter, Mercer; George W. Bartlett, Mercer; Nathan Patterson, Mercer; Francis Hamilton, Mercer; William Woods, Sharon; John Anderson, Shenango Township; Robert Wallace, New Castle; Levi Hunt, Slippery Rock Township; Adam Miller, Delaware Township; James Denniston, Springfield Township; John Chambers, Mercer.
1809: William McMillan, Mercer; John Sheakley, Sandy Creek Town- ship; Alexander Hawthorn, New Castle; Alexander Bean, Mercer; George W. Bartlett, Mercer; Nathan Patterson, Mercer; Robert Wallace, New Castle; Daniel Inbody, Mahoning Township; Joseph Hunter, Mercer; Isaac Hulse, Shenango Township; Jesse Dushane, New Castle; Abraham Hunt, Slippery Rock Township; James Denniston, Springfield Township.
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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.
1810: John Chambers, Mercer; James Clark, Mercer; Alexander Haw- thorn, New Castle; William McMillan, Mercer; George W. Bartlett, Mercer; Robert Wallace, New Castle; John Sheakley, Sandy Creek Township; John McCurdy, Springfield Township; Alexander Bean, Mercer.
1811: John Chambers, Mercer; Joseph Hunter, Mercer; John Hanson, Mercer; James Walker, Slippery Rock Township; James Denniston, Springfield Township; Joseph Mitchell, New Castle; Adam Thompson, Salem Township; George W. Bartlett, Mercer; Josiah Winters, Mercer; Samuel Robinson, Mer- cer; James Clark, Mercer; William Elliott, Mercer; Joseph H. Reynolds, Mahoning Township; Robert Wallace, New Castle; John McCurdy, Springfield Township; John Sheakley, Sandy Creek Township; Jesse Dushane, New Castle.
1812: James Denniston, Springfield Township; John Chambers, Mercer; Joseph Mitchell, New Castle; Adam Thompson, Salem Township; William Nicholson, Slippery Rock Township; George W. Bartlett, Mercer; James Clark, Mercer; Samuel Robinson, Mercer; William Elliott, Mercer; Robert Wallace, New Castle; Joseph W. Reynolds, Mahoning Township; Jesse Dushane, New Castle; John Sheakley, Sandy Creek Township; Samuel Evans, French Creek Township.
1813: John Chambers, Mercer; Joseph Mitchell, Mercer; James Dennis- ton, Springfield Township; Joseph W. Reynolds, Mahoning Township; William Nicholson, Slippery Rock Township; Hugh Moore, French Creek Township; Nathan Patterson, Mercer ; Aaron Hackney, Mercer; Robert Moore, Mercer; George W. Bartlett, Mercer; Cornelius Mortimus, Slippery Rock Township; Robert Wallace, New Castle; John Sheakley, Sandy Creek Township.
1814: Joseph W. Reynolds, Mahoning Township; James Denniston, Springfield Township; Samuel Evans, French Creek Township; John Cham- bers, Mercer; James Miller, Mercer; James Clark, Mercer; Robert Moore, Mercer; Aaron Hackney, Mercer; George W. Bartlett, Slippery Rock Town- ship; Neal Gillespie, Slippery Rock Township; Robert Wallace, New Castle; John C. Stewart, New Castle; John Chambers, Mercer; Jesse Dushane, New Castle; James Denniston, Slippery Rock Township.
1815: Robert Wallace, New Castle; Alexander Hawthorn, New Castle; Elizabeth McComb, Mercer; James Miller, Mercer; Aaron Hackney, Mercer; James Woods, Delaware Township; Neal Gillespie, Slippery Rock Township; John Calvin, Salem Township; Arthur Chenowith, New Castle.
1816: Thomas Graham, Mercer; James Miller, Mercer; Aaron Hackney, Mercer; Robert Wallace, New Castle; Alexander Hawthorn, New Castle; James Waugh, Mahoning Township; Elias Jones, Shenango Township; John Boston, Delaware Township; William Elder, Slippery Rock Township; James Denniston, Springfield Township; Jesse Dushane, New Castle; R. D. Stansborough, Mercer; Arthur Chenowith, New Castle.
1817: Thomas Graham, Mercer; Thomas Boozle, Slippery Rock Town- ship; Neal Gillespie, Slippery Rock Township; James Miller, Mercer; Aaron Hackney, Mercer; Robert Wallace, New Castle; Alexander Haw- thorn, New Castle; James Sutton, New Castle; William Elder, Slippery Rock Township; James Denniston, Springfield Township; Arthur Chenowith, New Castle; John P. Farrell, New Castle; Benjamin Junkin, Springfield Township; R. D. Stansborough, Mercer.
1818: Thomas Graham, Mercer; Aquilla Thompson, Delaware Town- ship; James Waugh, New Bedford; Neal Gillespie, Slippery Rock Town- ship; Thomas Boozle, Slippery Rock Township; Moses Sheakley, Sandy Creek Township; Elias Jones, Shenango Township; James Miller, Mercer; Arthur G. Long, West Salem Township; John Boston, Delaware Township;
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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.
Robert Wallace, New Castle; Alexander Hawthorn, New Castle; Jesse Dushane, New Castle; Aaron Hackney, Mercer; William Elder, Slippery Rock Township; James Denniston, Springfield Township; Elias Jones, Shenango Township; Arthur Chenowith, New Castle.
1819: Neal Gillespie, Slippery Rock Township; Thomas Graham, Mercer; John Ritcuem, Wolf Creek Township; Isaac Turner, Delaware Township; Jesse Dushane, New Castle; Alexander Hawthorn, New Castle; Moses Sheakley, Sandy Creek Township; James Waugh, Mahoning Town- ship; Arthur G. Long. West Salem Township; James Miller, Mercer; Aaron Hackney, Mercer; John Piper, Mahoning Township; Robert Wallace, New Castle; Arthur Chenowith, New Castle; Elias Jones, Sharon; John Chambers, Mercer.
1820: James Denniston, Springfield Township; William Sheakley, Sandy Creek Township; Thomas Graham, Mercer; William Elder, Slippery Rock Township; Elizabeth Gillespie, Slippery Rock Township; Samuel Thompson, Mercer; William McMillan, Mercer; Alexander Hawthorn, New Castle; Jesse Dushane, New Castle; Arthur G. Long, West Salem Township; Moses Sheak- ley, Sandy Creek Township; Isaac Turner, Salem Township; Stephen Mc- Kinley, Mercer ; Aaron Hackney, Mercer; Arthur Chenowith, New Castle; John Chambers, Mercer.
1821: Elias Jones, Sharon; Thomas Graham, Mercer; John McCammond, Mercer; Alexander Hawthorn, New Castle; James Herrington, Mercer; Samuel Shipler, Mercer; Samuel Thompson, Mercer; Isaac Turner, Mercer; Aaron Hackney, Mercer; Jesse Dushane, New Castle; Arthur Chenowith, New Castle.
1822: Samuel Burchfield, Harlansburg; Thomas W. Bean, Greenville; Thomas Graham, Mercer; Patrick McCloskey, Mercer; William McMillan, Mercer; Samuel Thompson, Mercer; Jacob Williamson, Mercer; Alexander Hawthorn, New Castle; Joshua Lane, Greenville; William Elder, Harlans- burg ; Joseph Culbertson, Georgetown; Arthur Chenowith, New Castle.
1823: Aaron Hackney, Mercer; Jacob Herrington, Mercer; Thomas Gra- ham, Mercer; Jesse Dushane, New Castle; Samuel Thompson, Mercer; Jacob Williamson, Mercer; Alexander Hawthorn, New Castle; Andrew Campbell, Greenville; Thomas W. Bean, Greenville; William Elder, Harlansburg; Aaron Hackney, Mercer; James Herrington, Mercer; Arthur Chenowith, New Castle.
1824: Jesse Dushane, New Castle; Charles Whistler, Mercer; William Dunn, Georgetown; Christopher Wentz, New Castle; James Herrington, Mercer; Alexander Hawthorn, New Castle; Thomas W. Bean, Greenville; Jacob Herrington, Mercer; Samuel Thompson, Mercer; William McCrumb, Greenville; Joseph Culbertson, Georgetown; George Sheakley, Georgetown; Samuel Burchfield, Harlansburg; William Elder, Harlansburg; Arthur Che- nowith, New Castle; James Park, Edenburgh.
1825: William Dunn, Georgetown; Jesse Dushane, New Castle; Aaron Hackney, Mercer; Charles Whistler, Mercer; Redmond Wilcox, Mercer; Joseph Linn, Mercer; Thomas W. Bean, Greenville; John Hill, Hillsburgh; Daniel Budd, Sharon; Alexander Hawthorn, New Castle; Joseph Culbertson, Georgetown; William Porter, New Bedford; William Elder, Harlansburg; Thomas Rogers, Mercer; Jacob Herrington, Mercer; Aaron Hackney, Mercer; Benjamin Hull, Greenville; James Park, Edenburgh.
1826: William Dunn, Georgetown; Jesse Dushane, New Castle; Alexan- der Hawthorn, New Castle; Charles Whistler, Mercer; Aaron Hackney, Mer- cer; Thomas Graham, Mercer; Anthony Squiers, New Castle; William Coovert, Edenburgh; Thomas W. Bean, Greenville.
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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.
1827: William Porter, New Bedford; William Elder, Harlansburg; Jesse Dushane, New Castle; John Bell, Mercer; Thomas Rogers, Mercer; Galbraith McMillan, Mercer; Thomas W. Bean, Greenville; Aaron Hackney, Mercer; Frederick Shannon, Greenville; Charles Whistler, Mercer; Anthony Squiers, New Castle; Griffith Bennett, Georgetown; Alexander Hawthorn, New Castle.
1828: William Dunn, Georgetown; John Pollock, New Bedford; John Bell, Mercer; Frederick W. Shannon, Greenville; Cornelius Riley, New Castle; Anthony Squiers, New Castle; Alexander Hawthorn, New Castle; Robert McDowell, Mercer; William Elder, Harlansburg; Mary Hackney, Mercer; Will- iam Dunn, Georgetown; John Parks, Edenburgh; Thomas W. Bean, Green- ville; Jesse T. Dushane, New Castle; Samuel Thompson, Mercer.
1829: John Boyd, Harlansburg; William Dunn, Georgetown; Frederick Shannon, Greenville; Thomas W. Bean, Greenville; William McCrumb, Green- ville; Joseph T. Dushane, New Castle; Alexander Hawthorn, New Castle; Anthony Squiers, New Castle; Thomas Graham, Mercer; Oliver Stevens, Mer- cer; Robert McDowell, Mercer; John Pollock, New Bedford; Alexander Camp- bell, Edenburgh; John Hill, Hillsburgh; James Stewart, North Liberty; Massa Swift, North Liberty; Levi S. Williamson, Georgetown.
1830: Benjamin Reno, Sharon; Griffith Bennett, Georgetown; Thomas Rogers, Mercer: John Shearer, New Castle; John Boyd, Harlansburg; Freder- ick H. Shannon, Greenville; William McCrumb, Greenville; James Stewart, North Liberty; Mary Hackney, Mercer; James Caldwell, Harlansburg; Archi- bald Douglas, New Bedford; Samuel Thompson, Mercer; Anthony Squiers, New Castle; Alexander Hawthorn, New Castle; Thomas W. Bean, Greenville; Thomas Graham, Mercer.
1831: John Shearer, New Castle; Samuel Hinds, Mercer; Charles Whistler, Mercer; John Boyd, Harlansburg; Mary Hackney, Mercer; Thomas Graham, Mercer; James Caldwell, Harlansburg; Levi Williamson, North Liberty; Mrs. Massa Swift, North Liberty; Joseph Culbertson, Georgetown; David Scott, Georgetown; Griffith Bennett, Georgetown; Benjamin Reno, Sharon; William and Samuel McCrumb, Greenville; Thomas W. Bean, Green- ville; Alexander Hawthorn, New Castle; Jesse Dushane, New Castle; A. A. Douglas, New Bedford.
1832: Thomas Wilson, New Wilmington; John Swift, Mercer; John Brownlee, Mercer; Charles Whistler, Mercer; Mary Hackney, Mercer; David Scott, Georgetown; Thomas J. Porter, Sharon; John Boyd, Harlansburg; Elizabeth O'Brien, New Castle; John Shearer, New Castle; Samuel McCrumb, Greenville; Thomas W. Bean, Greenville; John Book, New Bedford; Casper Wilgan, Clarksville; Thomas Coovert, Edenburgh; James Stewart, North Liberty; Jacob Lager, James Armstrong, Samuel Connelly, .Clarksville; Andrew Lewis, New Castle.
1833: Charles Kelly, New Castle; John Shearer, New Castle; Andrew Lewis, New Castle; William Dunn, Georgetown; Joseph Culbertson, George- town; Thomas Wallace, Georgetown; Adam Weir, Georgetown; William McCrumb, Greenville; Thomas W. Bean, Greenville; Conrad Bittenbanner, Greenville; Thomas J. Porter, Sharon; James Caldwell, Harlansburg; Thomas Wilson, New Wilmington; Charles Whistler, Mercer; Mrs. Hackney, Mer- cer; Samuel Thompson, Mercer; John Swift, Mercer; John Brownlee, Mercer; Isaac Emery, Harlansburg; Margaret Graham, Mercer; Samuel Connelly, Clarksville; James Stewart, North Liberty; Jacob Lager, Samuel Harriott, New Castle; Thomas Coovert, Edenburgh.
1834: James Shearer, New Castle; A. Lewis, New Castle; David Shar- per, New Castle; John Brownlee, Mercer; John Swift, Mercer; Mary Hack-
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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.
ney, Mercer; A. W. Patterson, Mercer; Thomas W. Bean, Greenville; Sam- uel McCrumb, Greenville; Conrad Bittenbanner, Greenville; John Palmon, Leesburg; Thomas J. Porter, Sharon; A. A. Douglas, New Bedford; James Caldwell, Harlansburg; Andrew Morrison, Pulaski; Adam Weir, George- town; Thomas Wallace, Georgetown; William Dunn, Georgetown; Joel Gould, Mercer; James Stewart, North Liberty; G. Kirkpatrick, Harlansburg; Richard Hammond, Wilmington.
POST-OFFICES AND POSTMASTERS.
Nothing has more fully marked the progress of civilization thanthe ease, rapidity and certainty with which written and printed communications have been distributed. To note the transition from the monthly appearance of the herald on horseback, whose trumpet announced at the door of the frontier cabin that a message was ready to be delivered, to the daily or even tri-daily visitation of the crowded mail pouch carried on trains with almost lightning speed, would furnish an interesting picture.
In 1806 a weekly mail route was established from Pittsburgh to Erie via Mercer. The carrier rode horseback during the earlier years of its existence. It became a semi-weekly in 1818, a tri-weekly in 1824, and a daily in 1827. On the opening of the Mercer and Meadville turnpike, in 1821, a stage route was established and the mails transported by stage.
Most of the mail in pioneer days was received at the county seat. Envel- opes were not used, but sheets of foolscap were employed, properly folded, and closed with small red wafers. The sheet was both letter paper and envelope, the whole secret being involved in the proper folding. The rates of postage were high, and based upon distance. Single letters by land, conveyed not over 40 miles, were charged 8 cents; 40 to 90 miles, 10 cents; 90 to 150 miles, 123 cents; 150 to 300 miles, 17 cents; 300 to 500 miles, 20 cents; over 500 miles, 25 cents.
The postmaster sometimes gave notice that in future letters could not be removed from the office without the postage being paid. In those days the sender might compel the receiver to pay the sum charged for a message. Not infrequently did the postmaster announce that letters not called for within ninety days would be sent to the dead-letter office. The post- office certainly was not so popular then as now, when it is the place not only for receiving and sending mail, but a meeting ground for those who wish to renew or per- petuate acquaintanceships. Private boxes with keys and glass windows did not then exist. Cheap postage, rapid transit and safety are modern character- istics of the postal system.
We append a list of the post-offices and postmasters in Mercer County from the beginning of its system to the present time, with the year of each post- master's appointment. It will be noticed that the list does not embrace those which existed in that part of the county which was detached in 1849 to form Lawrence. This list was obtained from the department at Washington through the courtesy of Hon. Norman Hall, member of Congress from this district.
ยท Balm was established May 1, 1858. Its successive postmasters have been: Joseph Bogardus, 1858; Cephas M. Stewart, 1861; Robert C. Glenn, 1866; Lillie Rodgers, 1887.
Bay was established January 20, 1875, and discontinued November 4, 1875. Its postmasters were: Robert L. Lee, 1875; J. C. Hickey, 1875.
Bristow was established as Springvale June 7, 1875; changed to Bristow June 17, 1875, and discontinued April 6, 1877. Its postmasters were: David Clark, 1875; Peter Sinclair, 1876; Clark McMillen, 1876; Peter Sinclair, 1876.
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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.
Carlton was established July 13, 1874. Its postmasters have been: Nel- son J. Reynolds, 1874; Samuel O. Reader, 1882.
Centretown was established January 9, 1840; discontinued July 21, 1842, and re-established December 15, 1843. Its successive postmasters are: John Tumelson, 1840; Patrick McDowell, 1840; Hugh Beard, 1843; Luther Wyck- off, 1846; Samuel Hall, 1848; Jonas M. Gillett, 1848; Lyman Beach, 1849; Samuel Coleman, 1851; John Hughes, 1868; Samuel Coleman, 1871; David C. Eakin, 1872.
Clark was established July 14, 1833. Its postmasters have been: John Fruit, 1833; Charles Koonce, 1835; William Guthrie, 1839; Isaac Hazen, 1840; William Clark, 1841; Joseph McClure, 1843; Isaac Hazen, 1845; Luke H. Cutler, 1849; David D. Williams, 1853; Elhannon W. Woods, 1855; David Hurn, 1859; Samuel C. Koonce, 1867; Seth Fruit, 1875; Samuel C. Simonton, 1886.
Clark's Mills was established January 16, 1871. Its postmasters have been: Jacob M. Vaughn, 1871; Margaret Small, 1876; John McClure, 1880; James W. Beal, 1883.
Crockettville was established February 5, 1839, and discontinued May 23, 1840. Its successive postmasters were: George R. Moore, 1839; Hugh Lee, Jr., 1840.
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