USA > Pennsylvania > Warren County > History of Warren County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers > Part 43
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The grist-mill, after some changes in ownership, passed to the control of George Ensworth, and while owned by him was burned in the conflagration which some four or five years ago again destroyed the " Exchange Row " on the south side of Water street. Upon its site was erected in 1882 the structure now known as the Warren Flouring Mills, by a company composed of George Ensworth (its present manager), S. P. Johnson, Andrew Hertzel, and M. Wa- ters. The main building is of brick, 46 by 72 feet in dimensions, and four sto- ries and basement in height, to which is added another structure, also of brick and the same height, covering grounds 32 by 32 feet in extent. The latest designed roller process for the production of the finest grades of flour, two run of stones for custom and feed work, etc., are among the equipments of this establishment. The machinery is propelled both by water and steam, an eighty horse-power Buckeye engine and a boiler of one hundred horse power being ready for instant use when the water supply fails. There are facilities for stor- ing twenty thousand bushels of grain, and one hundred and fifty barrels of merchantable flour, branded as "Conewango," "Snow Flake," and "Patent," can be manufactured per day.
On the island, in the near vicinity of Clark's saw-mill, are located the build- ings devoted to the manufacture of the world-famous remedy known as "Piso's Consumption Cure." About the year 1863 Mr. E. T. Hazeltine (then associ- ated in business with Hon. S. P. Johnson, under the firm name of Hazeltine & Co., druggists, etc.), having learned of some remarkable cures being effected by this remedy, secured the formula and determined to manufacture the medi- cine for the general public. He began by preparing a few dozen bottles, and offering the same for sale at his drug store. The demand, when once its virtues became known, increased rapidly. An adjoining room was rented; then a room on the third floor of the Johnson block. In 1870 the business had grown so large that more room was necessary; hence a factory on the island was established, and the facilities increased to one thousand' bottles per hour.
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BOROUGH OF WARREN.
Since 1872 Mr. Hazeltine has devoted his entire attention to the manufacture and sale of Piso's Cure. Like all other proprietary medicines that have been made successful, its sale has been extended to every part of the United States and Canada by active agents and a constant and judicious use of the news- paper columns throughout the country. In 1880 a branch office and laboratory was established at Chelmsford, England, thirty miles from London. Mr. Haz- eltine personally superintends every department of the business, and has invented machinery now capable of filling two thousand bottles per hour. He employs altogether about fifty people. He likewise distributes annually millions of almanacs which are printed in his establishment. During the past year an extensive brick building has been erected, the business demanding a still further enlargement in capacity, etc .; and doubtless the production will be greatly increased in the near future.
The very complete and extensive sash, door, and blind manufactory of L. D. Wetmore & Co. is situated in the lower part of the town, on and near High, Beech and Chestnut streets. The capacity is sufficient for the manufacture of 150 doors, 150 windows, 40 pairs of blinds, besides large quantities of siding and flooring, daily. Their mills, office, dry-kilns and lumber yards cover more than four acres of ground, the main building alone, which is fitted with the very best of modern machinery, being 192 by 65 feet in dimensions. The interior of this building is so arranged that no unnecessary handling of material is required; the rough lumber is passed in at one end of the mill, it goes from one machine to another, and finally comes out at the other end a finished and exact piece of workmanship. During the past year these mills consumed over 2,000,000 feet of lumber. Large shipments of manufactured products are annually made to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, etc., and intermediate points, besides supplying a considerable home demand. From fifty to sixty men are usually employed.
Besides H. A. Jamieson's pail and tub factory, James P. Johnson's furni- ture manufactory, Philip Leonhart's brewery, the gas works, etc., there are other and varied minor manufacturing establishments in the borough, about the same as are found elsewhere, which the future chronicler of local events can unearth by turning to the directory and newspaper files of the present time.
MERCHANTS .- In preceding pages the names of nearly all who have been prominently identified with the mercantile interests of the town, from its first settlement until years quite recent, have been mentioned. As a rule the mer- chants of Warren, no matter in what department of trade they have been engaged, have proved to be men of conscience, conservative, fair, and honor- able in their dealings. In the dry goods trade but three failures (one of them by a non-resident) have occurred in forty years, and a number of well-known citizens laid the foundation of large fortunes while so engaged ; among them
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HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
Lewis F. Watson, for twenty-one years a member of the firms of Watson & Davis, Watson & Rogers, Watson, Davis & Co., retiring in 1860; Ben- jamin Nesmith, of the firms of Arnett & Nesmith and Crandall & Nesmith for sixteen years, retiring in 1870; D. M. Gross, of the firm of D. M. Gross & Bro. for eleven years, retiring in 1884; M. Waters, as Hunter & Waters for four years, and O. H. Hunter, a member of the firms of Baker & Hunter, Hunter & Waters, Hunter & Mathews, O. H. Hunter, and O. H. Hunter & Son for forty-one years, and still in trade. The names of many others might be added, but those mentioned sufficiently illustrate the class of men who have heretofore represented the dry goods trade in Warren, in a manner quite satisfactory to themselves and their customers.
Mr. O. H. Hunter, the widely-known dry goods merchant above referred to, has had a longer continuous business experience than any other merchant in Northwestern Pennsylvania, and possibly in the State. More than forty- one years ago, when but a boy, he commenced business here. He has con- tinued with varying success until the present, and now stands at the head of an extensive dry goods establishment, employing a large number of salesmen and women, the annual sales of which would be creditable to houses in any of our cities. He has seen Warren grow from a small hamlet to a populous town, containing among its residents a larger proportion of wealthy men than any other place of its size in Pennsylvania.
Among the other leading merchants now engaged in business in the bor- ough are David Shear, a popular and heavy dealer in dry goods, etc., who with his brother succeeded an old firm in 1882; George L. Friday, C. P. Henry, George P. Orr & Co., Messner & Kopf, and J. J. Taylor & Co., grocers ; Johnson & Siegfried, A. W. Morck, and Richard B. Stewart, drug- gists; Christian Smith, C. P. Northrop, and Offerlee & Son, boot and shoe dealers ; Beecher & Copeland, and H. A. Jamieson & Co., dealers in hardware and oil-well supplies ; Morck Bros., and Wyman & Davis, jewelers, etc .; George Ball, for many years an extensive dealer in clothing, custom work, etc .; Jacob Keller, J. K. Ronne, C. and J. F. Retterer, merchant tailors, and A. A. Davis & Co., books, stationery, etc.
PHYSICIANS .- Abraham Hazeltine and Thomas Huston were the first phy- sicians to reside and practice here of whom we have authentic data. Both were here as early as 1828. The latter remained but two or three years. Dr. Hazeltine, however, continued for a decade or more. He as well as Abner Hazeltine, csq., the first lawyer to locate in Warren, were representatives of the family of that name, which for three-quarters of a century has been so prominently identified with the history of Warren, Pa., and Jamestown, N. Y., all being descendants of a Vermont family of sterling worth, which traces its origin back to the l'ilgrim fathers and beyond.
Then came Dr. Parker from Vermont, about 1832, closely followed by Dr.
OHHunter
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BOROUGH OF WARREN.
Henry Sargent, a native of New Hampshire, in 1833. Next in order came Dr. D. V. Stranahan, a native of Columbia, Herkimer county, N. Y. He be- gan the study of medicine with Dr. Sargent in 1833, graduated at the Fairfield Medical Institute in 1835, commenced to practice his profession in Warren in 1 840, and died here May 19, 1873. Dr. G. A. Irvine died in Warren in Feb- ruary, 1867. It was then stated that he had resided in the county thirty years and in the borough twenty-five years. He was a skillful physician, an accom- plished gentleman, the possessor of decided abilities, and enjoyed the respect and esteem of all who knew him.1
Dr. S. A. Robinson, it appears, who came to Warren in the fall of 1858, was its first homœopathic practitioner. Dr. B. G. Keyes, of the same mode of practice, came in the autumn of 1859. Since that time many changes have occurred ; but the trails of those who have come and gone are considered too intricate to be followed.
A County Medical Association was organized at Warren May 31, 1871, and a constitution, by-laws, medical code of ethics, and fee-bill adopted. The offi- cers then elected were D. V. Stranahan, president ; William V. Hazeltine and A. C. Blodget, vice-presidents ; H. L. Bartholomew, recording and correspond- ing secretary ; C. H. Smith, treasurer ; J. L. Burroughs, H. C. Daveny, and R. C. Sloan, censors.
The physicians now in practice in the borough are William V. Hazeltine, W. M. Baker, H. L. Bartholomew, D. V. Stranahan, Richard B. Stewart, J. M. Davies (homœopathic), W. S. Pierce, E. D. Preston (homœopathic), F. C. Stranahan, and F. W. Whitcomb.
HOTELS, TAVERNS, ETC .- Daniel Jackson, sr., was the first to receive a license to keep an inn in the town of Warren, and when this privilege was granted him, in 1806, he was the only licensed " mine host " in the eastern half of the county. In the western half at the same time Giles White was the only one lawfully entitled to dispense liquors and entertain the public as a tavern-keeper. Jackson had no opposition in town until about 1815, when Henry Dunn opened a tavern on the site of the First National Bank, in a house built of hewn tim- bers. In 1819 the third hostelry was opened by Ebenezer Jackson (son of Daniel), in a frame house which stood on the Carver House corner.
Some five or six years later Archibald Tanner, having gained a firm foot- ing here and amassed some surplus capital, erected a row of buildings - small frame houses mainly - extending from Daniel Jackson's tavern to the site of a structure now occupied by F. R. Scott's book-store and G. W. Cogswell's meat market. On the grounds last described Tanner built a frame house intended for the entertainment of the public. It was the famous old " Mansion House,"
1 When this paragraph was written we unintentionally omitled mention of Dr. H. S. Newman, who it is believed settled in Warren prior to either Hazeltine or Huston. His wife died and was buried here in July, 1827, and he was still numbered among the resident taxables in 1833.
24
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HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
and it was first opened for business about 1826, by William Pierpont. His successor a year or so later was Joseph Hackney. After various changes in its management, this stand finally passed to the control of Richard S. Orr. It was a low, rambling, story-and-a-half structure, with no pretensions to elegance ; but " Dick " Orr, in southern parlance, made a " heap of money " in it, and it is said dispensed more " hard licker " within its walls than the combined output of all his predecessors and contemporaries in the business, from 1806 down to the time of his retirement. Old Guy Irvine, and other coarse-grained and bel- ligerent lumbermen and raftsmen, frequently " made things howl " around the Mansion House; but the able and good-natured proprietor was equal to the emergency, and would soon bring order out of chaos. But few landlords on earth, probably, have ever been bothered with a customer more unreasonable, noisy, bulldozing and murderously inclined than were those of Warren with old Guy Irvine when he was loaded with " Old Monongahela." By his own exertions and the driving of those in his employ he amassed considerable wealth in the lumber business, and his money gave him some standing in the community. Occasionally he was given to generous, commendable acts. Nevertheless he was naturally coarse and brutal, and withal seemed proud of the reputation he had gained-the power to intimidate and terrorize the timid and peacefully inclined when within reach of his arm. He has long since passed beyond the line dividing the known from the unknown ; but his reputa- tion, traits of character, etc., still linger on this side.
The Mansion House was closed as a tavern about 1856, when its lower rooms were utilized as stores, shops, etc. It was finally destroyed in the con- flagration which swept that part of the strect in March, 1869 Surmounting its low, broad roof was a quaint-looking bell-tower in which swung a bell. This bell was transferred to the "Tanner House" - the Falconer stone building nearly opposite the court-house - in 1859, when Editor Cowan indulged in some facctious reminiscences concerning it, as follows : " Who has not heard of the old Mansion House bell of Warren ? For many long years it was the reg- ulator of the town. The sleepy heads couldn't get up in the morning till the bell rung, and sonictimes not then. The cook couldn't set the dinner on until she heard its familiar clang. The boys couldn't quit work for meals until the bell turned on its old wooden wheel and told them the glad hour had come. If the clock ran down in the cold night it couldn't be got right until the bell rung. Then it was all right again, for didn't everybody go by the bell, and didn't the bell go by Bennett, and didn't Bennett go by the sun ? Yea, verily, and let him dispute the tell-tale rattle of the old bell who dare! A watch wasn't good for anything if it didn't agree with the bell. A clock was forth- with dismantled if it varied a hair from that standard. If we had a jollification, felt merry and all got drunk, forthwith the old bell echocd our joy in merry peals from hill to hill. If the shrill, startling cry of fire went up from any part
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of town, forthwith the old Mansion House bell re-echoed the cry in tones that roused us like a signal gun."
The building known as the Carver House was commenced in 1848, and was first opened for the entertainment of the public in March, 1849. It has ever since enjoyed the distinction of being termed the leading hotel of the town. John H. Hull, its first proprietor and manager, continued in charge until January 1, 1857, when he leased it or gave way to N. Eddy & Son. In February, 1859, Mr. Hull again assumed control, and remained until Decem- ber, 1864, when M. W. Hull and J. B. Hall made their bows to the public as proprietors. An addition, sixty-five by forty feet, three stories in height, with an entrance on Hickory street, was commenced by Mr. Hull, its owner, in the summer of 1865. In April, 1867, J. B. Hall, having purchased the interest of his partner, M. W. Hull, became sole proprietor. Williams & Scott assumed control in September, 1871, and in September, 1873, Myron Waters became the owner of the property by the payment of $20,000. Of the changes in ownership to this time we have no knowledge; hence, where the term proprie- tor is used, as above, it refers to those who presided over its management, either as lessees or owners. Mr. Waters improved and enlarged the building to a great extent, and while owned by him it was leased and managed by dif- ferent parties until about 1882, when Mrs. C. W. King, its present proprietress, became the owner by purchase. Under her control, assisted by her son the ever gentlemanly George W., and B. H. Johnson, the active, watchful man- ager, the Carver House has gained an enviable reputation far and near. Its furnishings are first class, and kept scrupulously clean and in order. Its table d'hôte is always well spread with tempting viands, game, fruits and veg- etables in season, and last but not least, its employees are quiet, polite, and prompt in the performance of their duties.
The Exchange Hotel, under the management of George H. Leonhart, a life-long and highly respected citizen of the county, and the Warren House, H. Buss, proprietor, are the only hotels, other than the Carver House, in the business part of the town. The buildings occupied are of brick, comparatively new, well appointed throughout, and both are extensively patronized.
SECRET ASSOCIATIONS .- North Star Lodge No. 241, F. and A. M., was chartered December 3, 1849. Its first principal officers were Joseph Y. James, W. M .; Henry Sergent, S. W .; Gilman Merrill, J. W. Those now officiating in these positions are James Cable, W. M .; Nelson Moore, S. W .; and Albert W. Ryan, J. W. The lodge has a present membership of about one hundred and fifty.
Occidental H. R. A., Chapter No. 235, was instituted August 17, 1871, with the following officers: Henry S. Getz, M. E. H. P .; D. M. Williams, king ; George Hazeltine, scribe ; John H. Hull, treasurer ; Stephen Carver, secretary. The present officers are Nelson Moore, M. E. H. P .; Willis M. Baker, K .; Al-
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HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
bert W. Ryan, scribe ; Andrew Hertzel, treasurer ; Robert W. Teese, secretary. Its members are about one hundred in number.
Warren Commandery No. 63, K. T., was organized May 27, 1885. The first officers were Caleb C. Thompson, E. C .; Clarence E. Corbett, generalissimo; John M. Clapp, captain-general; O. W. Beatty, treasurer; George L. Friday, recorder. Those now serving are Clarence E. Corbett, E. C .; Nelson Moore, G .; George L. Friday, C. G .; O. W. Beatty, treasurer ; William A. Talbott, recorder. The knights are about seventy in number.
Warren Lodge No. 339, I. O. O. F., was organized in a hall which then included part of the third story of the Carver House, February 27, 1849. The first officers were John A. Hall, N. G .; J. Warren Fletcher, V. G .; A. J. Davis, secretary, and Stephen Carver, treasurer. The lodge started with a member- ship (including charter members and those initiated during the first meeting) of about twenty-five. Their hall was dedicated June 26, 1851. In 1852-53 there were nearly two hundred members in good standing. Thereafter for some years many seem to have become lukewarm in Odd Fellowship and gradually dropped out. Of late, however, the membership has increased, and now num- bers about one hundred and forty. To the old steadfast members of this lodge is due the credit of establishing the Oakland Cemetery, and hastening the building of the suspension bridge. The present officers are A. M. Rogers, N. G .; Frank Werey, V. G .; A. S. Dalrymple, secretary ; P. E. Sonne, assistant secretary ; George H. Ames, treasurer ; R. P. King, C. C. Thompson, and J. P. Johnson, trustees.
Kossuth Encampment No. 98 was instituted in 1850. Its present officers are F. K. Johnson, C. P .; J. P. Johnson, H. P .; S. E. Walker, S. M .; Frank Werey, J. W .; Dwight Cowan, scribe ; George H. Ames, treasurer ; R. P. King, W. C. Allan, and C. C. Thompson, trustees.
Warren Lodge No. 481, K. of P., was instituted April 21, 1882, by Thomas G. Sample, D. D. G. C. The officers first installed were John C. Fuelhart, P. C .; Harrison Allen, C. C .; George H. Leonhart, V. C .; Christian Arnold, P .; V. Meck, M. at A .; C. A. Richardson, K. of R. & S .; Peter Greenlund, M. of F .; E. F. Hodges, M. of E .; George Bradenbaugh, I. G .; A. Carroll, O. G .; G. C. James, C. P. Northrop, and John Graham, trustees. J. C. Fuelhart, who died in November, 1885, was the first representative to the grand lodge. The present officers are Richard B. Stewart, P. C .; S. J. Martin, C. C .; A. J. Heibel, P .; John H. Sandstrom, M. at A .; E. J. Phillips, I. G .; Jacob Hartman, O. G .; Peter Greenlund, M. of E .; J. R. Bairstow, M. of F .; W. Corwin, K. of R. & S .; George Ball, John H. Sandstrom, and A. Mull, trustees. L. T. Bishop was the last representative at the grand lodge and was then elected grand inner guard. On the 10th of August, 1886, Uniform Rank No. 24, K. of P., was instituted in Warren Lodge, of which L. T. Bishop is the chief officer. It has thirty-two members.
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BOROUGH OF WARREN.
Eben N. Ford Post No. 336, Dept. of Pa., G. A. R., was organized with twenty-seven charter members June 24, 1883. The first officers were G. W. Kinnear, commander; D. W. C. James, S. V. C .; John Rowland, J. V. C .; George W. Cogswell, surgeon ; Fred Baltzinger, Q. M .; C. A. Waters, O. of D .; W. H. Taylor, adjt .; S. M. Cogswell, Q. M. S .; C. A. Still, sergt-maj .; Theodore Bach, chaplain ; James A. Mair, O. of G.
The members now in good standing are one hundred and sixty-three in number. They have pleasant rooms, where regular meetings are held every Thursday evening. The members of this post are noted for their thorough and very appropriate manner of annually observing Decoration Day, also for their promptness in extending a helping hand to needy comrades and their families. Charity, however, is one of the cardinal principles upon which the grand association is built. None respect a soldier's reputation or revere his memory as do soldiers, and none are so prompt to respond to an appeal for aid from an unfortunate comrade as they, no matter whether the giver or recipient belongs to the Grand Army or not. The ties, thoughts, and impulses born in bivouac, on the march, or on the field of battle are beyond the ken, the comprehension of simple mortals whose cheeks have never been fanned by an enemy's gun or its missiles.
The present officers of the post are S. H. Davis, commander; Ameriah Cook, S. V. C .; John Rowland, J. V. C .; Dr. H. L. Bartholomew, surgeon ; W. J. Alexander, chaplain ; W. H. Taylor, adjutant ; J. J. Leonhart, quarter- master ; John Townley, O. of D .; R. H. Smith, O. of G .; C. A. Waters, sergt .- maj .; John Knupp, Q. M .- sergt.
Laban Lodge No. 52, K. of H., named in honor of Laban Hazeltine, the originator of the lodge, was organized March 4, 1875. The officers then in- stalled were Laban Hazeltine, dictator; J. H. Bowman, V. D .; Monroe Hall, ass't D .; W. P. Lightner, reporter ; P. J. Bayer, financial reporter; J. C. Wells, treasurer ; Henry P. Hunter, sentinel; A. Merrill, guide. This lodge has paid out, to the present writing, the sum of $12,000, for the benefit of widows and orphans of deceased members. The present members are about sixty in num- ber, of whom the following are serving as officers: C. T. Boberg, D .; J. J. Ar- nold, V. D .; W. S. Leffard, R .; J. Danforth, F. R .; F. K. Russell, treasurer ; Dr. W. M. Baker, examining physician.
Besides the associations above named there are several others in Warren of varied titles and aims, not of much importance, however, to the general reader.
MILITARY COMPANY. - Company I, of the Sixteenth Regiment N. G. State of Pennsylvania, we had nearly forgotten. It is composed of an exceptionally fine-looking body of men, and completely uniformed and equipped, can be placed in line ready for active service at thirty minutes' notice. Its officers are John M. Siegfried, captain ; F. M. Knapp, first lieutenant ; George H. Hamil-
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HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
ton, second lieutenant. Of its civil officers, George N. Frazine is president ; Homer J. Muse, secretary ; F. M. Knapp, treasurer.
CEMETERIES, ETC. - At the dedication of Oakland Cemetery, October 12, 1863, Hon. S. P. Johnson delivered the principal address. His somewhat lengthy article indicated much thought and research, and was considered to be quite correct ; hence, from it we have selected the following paragraphs. We do not quote the judge literally, but close enough to render necessary the use of quotation marks :
"For several years after the first settlement of Warren, tradition furnishes no history of schools, places of holding religious worship, or burial grounds. No common place of burial had been selected, yet scattered graves were visible along the river side. Some time prior to 1810, however, a retired acre had been selected and set apart on the farm of Daniel Jackson as a habitation for the dead. Here the first settler in Warren, John Gilson, was laid March 12, 1811; but to the grief of his descendants his location is lost. In death as in life, he has around him many of his contemporaries, among them Jackson, Dougherty, McKinney, and Henry Dunn. Here were interred the dead from Warren and the surround- ing country, down to 1823 ; but no hcad-stones or monuments were erected to mark their several resting places. The first memorial placed there was in 1839, at the grave of Sidney N. Berry. It consists of the stone by which he was killed at the Warren bridge, and, in the true spirit of monumental history, con- tains a record of that event. This yard is still used by several families on both sides of the Conewango, and a number of grave-stones have since been crected.
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