USA > Pennsylvania > Venango County > History of Venango County, Pennsylvania : its past and present, including > Part 67
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Notwithstanding the difficulty of access and frequent recurrence of fires, with other obstacles and disadvantages, the population rapidly increased until, with the suburbs of Balltown, Prather City, and Babylon, the num- ber of inhabitants has been variously estimated at from thirteen to six- teen thousand. The place declined with the influences that had called it into existence. Flowing wells did not always continue to flow nor were
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flowing wells always "struck." Other centers came into prominence and the population was attracted thither. The newspaper was removed to Pe- - troleum Center in 1868; the railroad was abandoned; the more costly build- ings were rebuilt at other places; and the city of Pithole astonished the world by the circumstances of its disappearance no less than the manner of its marvelous growth. After the first exodus there still remained a respect- able village, composed of operatives at the wells and others, but the produc- tion steadily became less and even they were compelled to remove elsewhere. In November, 1876, there were but six votes polled in the borough, and upon petition to the court of quarter sessions in August of the following year the charter was annulled. At the present time the place is scarcely entitled to classification as a country village. Of the important buildings erected but one, the Methodist church, sustained by private munificence, still remains. The surrounding scenery is of a most romantic type, and although remote from the ordinary routes of travel, few localities in north- western Pennsylvania are more interesting to the thoughtful tourist. Sic transit gloria mundi.
PETROLEUM CENTER.
There is little in the present appearance of this place to suggest its for- mer size and importance. The visitor cannot fail to be impressed, however, with the natural beauty of the surrounding scenery. The valley of the creek is comparatively narrow, bounded on either side by wooded hills of majestic height and abrupt acclivity. It was upon the level ground west of the creek that a town was laid out, the history of which is a record of phe- nomenally rapid growth, business activity unprecedented in northwestern Pennsylvania, and ultimately almost total disappearance. The site was well chosen. Within a few miles in any direction enormous wealth seemed to have rewarded every adventurer. There was a rush of population and capital to the Pennsylvania oil field such as had never before been attracted to a territory of equal size in the state. As this population must inevitably concentrate, the growth of a city was among the possibilities of a very few years. It was the work of far-seeing sagacity to plan a town of such size as Petroleum Center became and make the project a brilliant financial suc- cess. In this instance it was largely the accomplishment of one man- George H. Bissell.
A brief sketch of Mr. Bissell may not be inappropriate in this connec- tion. He was a native of the town of Hanover, New Hampshire, of French and Dutch descent. Thrown upon his own resources at an early age, he supported himself by teaching and graduated at Dartmouth College in 1845.
' He was employed during the following winter as Washington correspondent of the Richmond Whig, and shortly afterward secured a position on the staff of the New Orleans Delta. He was elected first principal of the high school
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of that city and subsequently city superintendent of public instruction. Im- paired health obliged him to return north in 1853. He was the principal organizer of the Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company, the first petroleum com- pany in the United States, formed under the laws of the state of New York .in 1854, and mainly instrumental in the reorganization of that company in 1855. It was principally through his instrumentality that Drake was sent to Titusville in 1859. The favorable issue of his mission decided Mr. Bis- sell in locating in the oil regions and from 1859 to 1863 he resided at Franklin. He was one of the first to realize the possibilities of the oil in- dustry and at once invested largely. His operations were usually success- ful. He was prominently and honorably identified with many extensive enterprises, and enjoyed the confidence of the public to an exceptional degree.
The first success of any importance in the immediate vicinity of the town occurred in the spring of 1861 upon the Hyde and Egbert farm, a trian- gular tract at the foot of the McCray hill. This was the Hollister well, and flowed in considerable volume. It had been part of the contract of the lessees to deliver the oil to the land owners in barrels, but as barrels at that time cost ten times as much as the oil they would contain, the lease was abandoned and the oil allowed to flow into the creek. The first production of any magnitude was obtained in 1863, when a company from New Jersey drilled a well that flowed three hundred and fifty barrels daily with little variation for nine months. The Maple Shade well was struck August 5, 1863, and flowed at the rate of eight hundred barrels a day for ten months. Another important "strike " on this farm was the Coquette, which began at twelve hundred barrels and flowed at the rate of eight hundred a consid- erable period.
The Mcclintock farm, a tract of two hundred and seven acres, including the site of the town and a semi-circular ravine known as Wild Cat hollow, was leased by George H. Bissell & Company, in November, 1863. In Febru- ary, 1864, the property was transferred to the Central Petroleum Company of New York, a merely nominal change, however, as Mr. Bissell was the orig- inator of the latter company and largely interested in its capitalization. Active developments were at once begun and prosecuted with energy. Leases at a uniform royalty of one-half the oil were given to actual operators only, and as the result of judicious management quite as much as the excel- lence of the territory, it proved remarkably productive; although literally perforated with wells, the percentage of successful ventures was probably larger than at any other locality in this region.
It was early in the spring of 1864 that the town of Petroleum Center was formally laid out. Village indications had been apparent almost since the first influx of population to the creek; the location was central to the territory then most largely and successfully operated; the projectors were
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HISTORY OF VENANGO COUNTY.
well and favorably known, and the town grew as only an oil country town is capable of growing. A promiscuous throng of investors, adventurers, . laborers, operators, and tradesmen, men of no particular avocation or busi- ness, and individuals of questionable appearance and antecedents, not excepting that nameless element of human society which inevitably accom- panies a chaotic condition of social order, speedily gave to the place the size, the population, the volume of business, the cosmopolitan character, and many of the less desirable features of a large city. It was the policy of the company to lease lots for building purposes, and hence many of the buildings first erected were mere sheds for only temporary use. In fact, But one large and costly buildings were never erected here to any extent. brick block was ever built; it is now the property of Henry Wilbert, and was formerly occupied as a bank. On the opposite side of the street stood the local office of the Central Petroleum Company, a large frame building of pretentious appearance, and there were several large and commodious hotels. The merchants carried large stocks of goods, but their buildings were not usually of an expensive or elegant character.
A natural incident of the exclusive construction of frame buildings was frequent and destructive fires, not only in the built-up portion of the town but also at the wells in the vicinity. One of the most extensive conflagra- tions of which there is any record occurred on the 31st of March, 1866. The machinery and appliances at the Coquette and Jersey wells, twenty-five thousand barrels of oil, with many dwellings and business houses, the ac- cumulated results of months of labor and expensive disbursements, were completely obliterated, involving a loss of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. There was a fire on the 23rd of April, 1867, followed by another on the 2nd of June. Thirty-five buildings were destroyed by the latter. Scarcely a month passed without some casualty of this nature. The last fires of any importance occurred in July, 1878, and in 1880. The former destroyed the large building of the Central Petroleum Company and other valuable property; the latter was less destructive, owing, probably to the fact that its predecessor had left a somewhat contracted building area.
Acts of violence were of frequent occurrence. There was never any or- ganized local government, and as a result vice in every form flourished. The saloon, the gambling hell, and the resort of questionable notoriety seemed engaged in amicable rivalry to determine which should excel in numbers, luxurious appointments, and glaring display. A single term of the court of quarter sessions at Franklin furnished minutes sufficient to fill the larger part of a large volume, the cases being principally from this town. There was one murder trial from the place, but as the deed was committed in a state of intoxication and with no evidence of premeditated malice, the perpetrator escaped the gallows and was sentenced to a long imprisonment. It would be an egregious mistake to suppose that the community
John Wallace
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was utterly destitute of moral sense; but its activities were completely ab- sorbed by the multitudinous considerations of business, and as in the case of every society at a similar period in its development, there was a general disposition not to interfere with individual infractions of the moral or civil code so long as the welfare of the public at large was not injuriously affected to a material degree. Occasionally, however, exceptional boldness by the objectionable elements in plying their trade provoked an application of mob law. An instance of this nature occurred July 30, 1866. Several ques- tionable resorts were raided, their occupants compelled to leave the town in peril of their lives, and a reconstruction generally effected. But the effect was only temporary. It would be an utterly indefensible misapplication of terms to call Petroleum Center a moral town at any time during the period of its prosperity.
On the other hand, there were also evidences of religious life and effort. A Methodist society was organized early in 1863, or possibly earlier, and a church building erected in 1865-66. The Roman Catholic population enjoyed the regular ministrations of the pastors of neighboring parishes, and for some years the place was the residence of a priest. A Presbyterian church was organized in September, 1865; and it is a noticeable fact that, while nearly everything else has disappeared, two of these churches still remain.
The city reached its culminating point about the year 1869. Pithole City had detracted somewhat from its growth in 1865 and 1866, but with the decline of that place there was no rival town of equal importance for several years. Some of the largest buildings of Pithole City were rebuilt at Petroleum Center. The Record was published there for a number of years, and in various ways the latter was directly benefited by the collapse of its formidable competitor. It is estimated that there was a population of more than fifteen thousand in 1869. But about that time several lines of railway were opened to Oil City, and from that date its growth registered the decline of the flourishing town only a short distance up the creek, but debarred by this slight geographical disadvantage from a longer continuance of its former prestige. It continued to be a town of some local importance some years longer, however. There is said to have been a population of fifteen hundred in 1873, but in 1880 this had dwindled to two hundred and ninety-five, and at the present time it is considerably less.
The village is a station on the Western New York and Pennsylvania rail- road. There are several stores, two churches, and a school building; also two local manufacturing establishments-Henry Whittlesey's valve-cup fac- tory and W. L. Betts' machine shop. The latter was established in 1865. Oil well supplies are manufactured and repaired.
Liberty Lodge, No. 7, A. O. U. W., was one of the first organizations of this order in the state, and is still in a flourishing condition. The records
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HISTORY OF VENANGO COUNTY.
having been burned, it is impossible to give particulars concerning its for- mation.
* Petroleum Center Union, No. 293, E. A. U., was instituted April 15, 1881, with the following officers: Chancellor, G. F. Lawrence; advocate, Mrs. B. Wilkins; president, D. K. Jones; vice-president, H. E. Whittlesey; auxiliary, Mrs. C. Lamb; treasurer, Benton Wilkins; secretary, Mrs. S. R. Paist.
In an open space, on a slight declivity above Oil creek, there are several graves inclosed within a wall of masonry. The inscriptions state that Francis Mcclintock died January 15, 1847, aged seventy-one years, nine months, and eleven days; and that Rachel, wife of Francis Mcclintock, died July 31, 1848, aged sixty-eight years, six months, and eighteen days. Another tombstone in the vicinity records the fact of Andrew S. Irwin's death, April 16, 1805, and Andrew Stewart's death, March 5, 1809. These were the first interments in the township. The old graveyard has been sadly desecrated.
ROUSEVILLE.
The tract of land upon which Rouseville is situated was originally seated by Francis Cullertson. Hays' saw and grist mill was built here at an early date, but with this exception the locality about the mouth of Cherry run re- mained a quiet farming neighborhood until the discovery of oil attracted thither a large and heterogeneous population.
H. R. Rouse, from whom the place derives its name, was born at West- field, Chautauqua county, New York, August 30, 1837. After completing a course of study at the public schools, he studied law and was admitted to the bar. Subsequently he taught school in Warren county, Pennsylvania, and seems to have acquired a strong personal attachment for that region. At the beginning of the oil excitement he was among the first to realize the possibilities of wealth offered by this section, and in company with others made extensive leases of what afterward proved to be among the most pro- ductive territory on Oil creek. His career as an oil operator had but fairly begun when it was cut short by a tragic and untimely death. On the 17th of April, 1861, the Merrick well was struck, and the unusual volume of oil it was producing attracted a large crowd of sight seers, among whom was Mr. Rouse. On the evening of that day an ominous explosion occurred at the well, resulting in the immediate ignition of the stream of oil pouring from it and everything combustible within a radius of several hundred feet. Mr. Rouse was discovered about twenty rods from the well, enveloped in his burning clothing and already without the sight of either eye. His first con- cern was the making of his will, by which, after various bequests to personal friends, he bequeathed the bulk of his property to Warren county, Pennsyl- vania, one-half to be expended upon the public highways, and the other
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moiety to be applied to the maintenance of an institution for the relief of the poor of that county. At the request of Mr. Rouse his remains were in- terred by the side of his mother in the cemetery at Westfield, New York.
At the time of the oil discovery the farms embracing the site of the village were owned by Archibald Buchanan, John McClintock, and John Buchanan. The Buchanan farms were leased for ninety-nine years by H. R. Rouse, Samuel Q. Brown, and John L. Mitchell, at a royalty of one- fourth of the oil produced. Mr. Rouse drilled the first well. From its lo- cation at the mouth of Cherry run a village quickly came into existence and received the name of Buchanan Farm. In February, 1861, Allen Wright, president of a local oil company, substituted "Rouseville" for Buchanan Farm in having his letter-heads printed, and thus conferred upon the place its present name. In the sub-leases executed by Mr. Rouse it was stipu- lated that the sale of intoxicating liquors should work immediate forfeiture, a provision which made the place a temperance town for a time.
The Reno, Oil Creek and Pithole railroad was completed to Rouseville January 31, 1866, and opened to travel on the 5th of March following. Passenger travel over the Farmers' railroad (now the Western New York and Pennsylvania) was begun August 27, 1866.
The town reached the culminating point in its prosperity early in the seventies. In December, 1869, Forster W. Mitchell established a bank. The receipts of the postoffice for that year were twenty-five thousand dol- lars. The Methodist church, erected in 1865, was enlarged in 1869. Pres- byterian and Episcopal churches were erected in 1870, a Baptist church in 1871, and a Catholic church in 1872-73. Two newspapers, the Evening Bulletin and Pennsylvanian, were published, the former in 1871, the latter in 1872. It is estimated that the population in 1870 was ten thousand peo- ple. Unfortunately for its permanence as a place of such size the produc- tion in the immediate vicinity declined and places more advantageously lo- cated attracted its population. The census of 1880 places the number of inhabitants at six hundred and eighty-eight. There are a number of well- built and substantial residences, two churches, a fine school building, rail- road, express, and postal facilities. The various lines of business are well represented. Several extensive refineries in the vicinity are described in the chapter on Oil City. The machine shop of Smith & Enos, of which Smith & Walker and Thomas Smith were the successive proprietors, has been an industrial feature of the town since 1865.
Petrolia Lodge, No. 680, I. O. O. F., was instituted November 16, 1869, with F. G. Smith, N. G .; P. D. Slingerland, V. G; J. W. Calder, secretary, and J. Bottner, treasurer. This lodge has disbanded and its membership united with the organizations at Oil City.
Fraternal Lodge, No. 483, F. & A. M. (formerly known as Knapp lodge), was constituted February 1, 1871, with the following officers: C. L.
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HISTORY OF. VENANGO COUNTY.
Stowell, W. M .; William Irish, S. W .; C. C. Camp, J. W .; R. C. Beveridge, secretary, and James Tyson, treasurer. The lodge owns a fine property.
Knights of Pythias .- A lodge was organized September 1, 1870, but has been removed to Oil City.
Rouseville Council, No. 4, Royal Templars of Temperance. - The charter was granted April 30, 1878, to O. H. Strong, S. C .; B. W. Stennett, V. C .; W. H. Keeler, P. C .; N. W. Reed, chaplain; J. A, Vaughan, secretary, and J. V. Lockwood, treasurer.
Rouseville Branch, No. 14, Catholic Mutual Benefit Association, was organized September 14, 1878, with Henry Wilbert, president; Anthony Hammer, John Gilmer, vice-presidents; Daniel McAlese, Thomas Kelch, and James Mahar, secretaries; Thomas Laroux, treasurer; Thomas Griffin, marshal; Michael Bichlar, guard; Thomas Donnelly, William Geiser, Michael Fitzgerald, J. M. Mckinney, and John Harrington, trustees.
Petroleum Council, No. 175, Royal Arcanum, was organized at Petro- leum Center October 3, 1878, and removed to Rouseville March 20, 1879. The first officers were George B. Lord, P. R .; Samuel R. Paist, R .; Samuel D. Kepler, V. R .; C. R. Cobb, O .; A. A. Stewart, treasurer; S. J. Murphy, secretary; R. B. Cogan, collector; Benjamin Mckay, W.
Rouseville Assembly, No. 2207, K. of L .- The charter of this assembly was granted August 26, 1882.
Rouseville Union, No. 583, Equitable Aid Union, was organized April 14, 1887. The first officers were Andrew S. Smith, C .; Virginia S. Con- nant, advocate; F. C. Slingerland, president; Mary J. Slingerland, vice-pres- ident; Etta Groser, auxiliary; Peter Bankson, treasurer; John W. Waits, secretary; F. L. Fry, accountant; Mrs. Matilda Harsh, chaplain; Edward Boardman, warden; Mrs. Rebecca Wilkins, S. ; George Dias, W.
Rouseville Division, No. 314, Sons of Temperance, was instituted March 29, 1889, with Cyrus Brown, P. W. P .; Wilson Smith, P .; Mary Mustard, W. A .; Frederick Harsh, C .; Belle Mckean, A .; Percy Smith, F. S .; Etta Corlett, R. S .; Mabel Smith, A. S .; Mrs. Watson Smith, chaplain, and Ruth McCandless, treasurer.
BOROUGH OF SIVERLY.
The earliest survey of the site of the borough was made in 1802 by Sam- uel Dale for Noah and Jesse Sage upon improvement warrants. Each of them made a settlement and two orchards were planted, one below Siverly run and the other above it. They were the oldest orchards in this part of the county, and bore fruit as late as 1875.
In 1820 the site of the lower improvement, having been abandoned for some time, was settled by Abram George Siverly, whose family has since been identified with the locality. He was born in New York city July 26, 1769. At an early age he began to read medicine, but the death of his pre-
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ceptor having terminated his studies before their completion, he went to sea and followed the avocation of a sailor with varying fortunes seven years. He then located at New Fane, Windham county, Vermont, where he learned the trade of cabinet maker, and married Susanna Thayer October 7, 1793. He removed successively to Delaware county, New York, and Olean, and in 1819 settled in Pinegrove township, whence in the following year he trans- ferred his residence to the tract mentioned. Here he lived until 1825, when, the validity of his title having been successfully contested by a rival claim- ant, he crossed the small stream that forms the eastern boundary of Oil City and settled at the site of the borough, where a survey was made in the name of his sons, Philip H. and Milton T. Siverly, who built a log house for him on the bank of the river on ground at present owned by the Imperial Refining Company. He served as a justice of the peace and was the first postmaster in the vicinity of the mouth of Oil creek, the office bearing the name of Cornplanter. In 1839 he removed to Iowa and passed the remainer of his life in that state. Of a family of fourteen children eight grew to maturity, of whom five are now living: Philip H., of Philadelphia; Milton T., of Davenport, Iowa; Elhanan W., of Morning Sun, Iowa; Mrs. Alzira M. Witherspoon, of Siverly, Iowa, and Mrs. Ann Dorothy Purdy, of Rockland township.
In 1824 William Alcorn settled at the upper end of the borough. He was connected with the numerous Alcorn family of Cherry Tree. He served one term as justice of the peace.
The village was laid out in 1862 by Philip H. and Walter Siverly; the former purchased the farm upon which it is situated in 1848, and sold a half interest to the latter in 1857. Various subdivisions have since been made.
The population was six hundred and sixty-seven in 1880 and has since materially increased. The borough is situated upon the line of the Western New York and Pennsylvania railroad, and is conveniently accessible from the business and manufacturing quarters of Oil City. It sustains a graded school and has erected a commodious frame school building. There is a Methodist Episcopal church. Practical prohibition of the liquor traffic has been a feature of the place throughout its history.
The first postmaster in recent years was T. N. Rogers, and the name of the office was Archie. D. T. Borland and H. H. Gardiner were succes- sively appointed to the position, and during the incumbency of the latter the name was changed to Siverly, its present designation.
The borough was incorporated by decree of court August 27, 1874. Its civil affairs have been administered by the following borough officers:
1874 .- Burgess, Walter Siverly; council: J. H. Alexander, William Jones, J. W. Gardiner, John Mohnkarn, Alvin Wasson, John Farren.
1875 .- Burgess, Alvin Wasson; council: William Jones, Walter Siverly, J. H. Alexander, J. W. Gardiner, John Farren, J. W. Dowling.
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HISTORY OF VENANGO COUNTY.
1876. - Burgess, Alvin Wasson; council: Walter Siverly, T. J. McBur- ney, John Farren, Dennis McMahon, John Mohnkarn, D. H. Lewis.
1877 .- Burgess, Alvin Wasson; council: Walter Siverly, D. T. Bor- land, J. W. Gardiner, A. D. Tolles, Dennis McMahon, John Farren.
1878 .- Burgess, J. W. Downing; council: Walter Siverly, Alvin Was- son, D. T. Borland, Charles Downing, J. W. Gardiner, Reuben Maul.
1879 .- Burgess, Walter Siverly, council: George Mott, John M. Mar- tin, Michael Gormley, Dennis McMahon, H. B. Martin, Daniel Mohnkarn. 1880 .- Burgess, Alvin Wasson; council: Walter Siverly, J. N. Martin, Michael Gormley, James Bannon, A. D. Tolles, James Martin.
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