USA > Pennsylvania > Union County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 1, Pt. 2 > Part 25
USA > Pennsylvania > Mifflin County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 1, Pt. 2 > Part 25
USA > Pennsylvania > Snyder County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 1, Pt. 2 > Part 25
USA > Pennsylvania > Perry County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 1, Pt. 2 > Part 25
USA > Pennsylvania > Juniata County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 1, Pt. 2 > Part 25
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The Brookland Furnace was built in 1835, on a tract of land adjoining and below the Walters tract. A small amount of ore was taken from the farm mentioned above, but it was not thought of sufficient account to make further effort, and during the time the furnace was op- crated the ore was mostly obtained from other sources. Some years after it was abandoned, General John Ross, of Mc Veytown, opened a drift, since which time it has been worked to considerable extent by different parties, and the drifts extend into the hills four or five hundred feet. The property now belongs to Mrs. Dr. O'Connor, of Harrisburg.
George Mitchell, a son of the George Mitchell who lived in what is now Bratton township, purchased a farmabout two milesabove MeVey- town. His sons were George, Thomas, William and James, and a daughter, Mary, who married Irwin Coulter. George lived in varions places in the township. Rev. Thompson Mitchell is a son. Thomas settled on part of his father's farm. His son George was a physician and died in the Big Valley. A sketch of him will be found in the Medical chapter. James set-
tled on the home farm and died married. Reuben E. Bratton now owns the property.
James Stackpole, a son of James Stack pole, of Carlisle, warranted two hundred acres of land one mile cast of Waynesburg, July 31, 1786, on which he settled. He married Dor- cas Elizabeth, the danghter of Thomas Holt, who resided on the tract afterwards known as Hope Furnace. At this place he built a dwell- ing-house, which, in 1792, he opened as a tav- ern. He later purchased a tract of land in Long Hollow, over against the hills. He died early in the century, and Dorcas, his wife, lived many years after and is well remembered by many. They had three sons and two daughters,-James, Thomas, John, Margaret and Mary.
James (2) had three sons,-William, James and Henry II.
William died in Lewistown.
James died in Nashville, Tenn. His sons, G. F. and J. S. Stackpole, are the editors of the Gazette in Lewistown.
Henry II. resides in Harrisburg and has charge of the public buildings.
Thomas, son of James (2), moved to Schuyl- kill County.
John, also son of James (2), died at MeVey- town.
Mrs. E. Conrad is a danghter.
Margaret became the wife of John M. Barton.
John Culbertson, in 1783, was in possession of two hundred acres of land, and in 1790 was assessed on that amount of land and a full- ing-mill, in 1793 on a grist and saw-mill. In 1799 he erected on the place the most sub- stantial and best-finished stone house in the county at the time, which still stands. He was elected a justice of the peace and served for many years. He died before 1813. Mary Culbertson, his widow, as administratrix, February of that year, advertised for rent the " Fulling-Mill Place," having two hun- dred acres, filling-mill and tan-mill; also, half the traet called " New Mills," incluid- ing the grist and saw-mills. The Fulling- Mill Place is now owned by Elliott Rhodes. The last was the homestead and is one mile
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west of Me Veytown. John Culbertson left no children, and Mrs. Culbertson died soon after his death, and the property was left to his sis- ters,-Mrs. Patrick Leister and Mrs. Foster. In 1818 the home farm was sold to William Armstrong and David Criswell. It has passed through many hands and is now owned by Mrs. David Stine, of Me Veytown.
Robert Crawford, in 1783, lived on a farm of one hundred and fifty acres, now owned by the Brattons and Forgys. ITis son Moses lived on the property for several years and sold to otliers.
Thomas Collins was a shoemaker, and, in 1783, lived on a farm of sixty acres, at the foot of the mountain, back of the Hana- walt property. In 1793 he owned one hundred acres. His son John married Elizabeth Jen- kins, daughter of David Jenkins, grandfather of David Jenkins, now living on the Juniata River.
On the 2d of September, 1785, Hector Gal- braith warranted three hundred acres of land, a part of which was sold to his son George, who, in 1790, was assessed on four hundred acres of land and a saw-mill. September 4, 1792, George warranted two hundred acres of land and lived upon this farm until 1805, when he moved to MeVeytown and built a tavern- stand on the corner opposite Ross' Hotel, now a vacant lot. A further account of George Galbraith will be found in McVeytown. A portion of land taken up by him and his father passed to Joseph Kinsell, whose son Michael now owns part. George Galbraith, a son by the second wife, lived and died on the home- stead now owned by his daughter, Mrs. Retta Clarke. The original furnace traet on which Brookland Furnace was erected was from the Hector Galbraith tract. It stood on the site of Peter Myers' grist-mill, which was built in 1872.
James Huston lived in Potter township, but had purchased a tract of two hundred acres of land before 1783, and in 1790 the estate con- tained three hundred and fifty acres. He had several sons-William, James, John, Joseph, Samuel and several daughters. William Hus- ton, one of the sons of James Huston, Sr., war-
ranted one hundred acres February 28, 1787, and four hundred acres February 8, 1794. The tract of James Huston was sold in 1790 by the heirs to James Huston, one of the sous. A tract of one hundred and forty-eight acres was pat- ented by him April 6, 1801, which, on the 25th of the same month, was conveyed to Michacl Horning, who sold it to his son John, March 14, 1821. At the time of Michael Horning's purchase it was adjoining lands of John Oliver, Jolin Robert and William Robinson.
Henry Dunmire came to Greenwood township, Mifflin County (now Juniata), and on the 10th of May, 1802, purchased of Henry Drinker ninety-nine acres of land on the heads of Cocola- nius Creek, where he lived a few years, and moved to Wayne township (now Oliver), and purchased one hundred and sixty-three acres of William and John Taylor, adjoining lands of John Swigert, George Galbraith and William Lewis. On this place he lived till his death. He had four sons,-Gabriel, who lived for some years in Ferguson Valley, but since 1870 on the homestead farm ; Daniel ; Michael, who removed to Clarion County ; and John, who settled in Ferguson Valley.
A part of the George Galbraith farm (one hundred and thirty-two acres) was purchased Angust 13, 1820, by Joseph Kinsell, who, Sep- tember 25, 1833, purchased two hundred and twelve acres adjoining the Galbraith land, and April 1, 1834, purchased of Henry Hanawalt, administrator of George Hanawalt, two hun- dred and thirty acres additional. This land is now in part owned by Michael Kinsell, his son. Jacob, another son, settled on a part for several years and moved West.
Henry Hanawalt warranted, October 31, 1785, three hundred acres of land, and Novem- ber 21, 1792, one hundred acres. This land was in what is now Oliver township, adjoining the George Galbraith tract. Henry Hanawalt died in 1794 and left two sons, George and John, who, in April, 1802, purchased a traet of land in what is now Wayne township of the heirs of James Ross. John removed to that place and George remained on the home farmn. The property was divided in April, 1821, and . cach remained where they were living. John
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JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
died in 1829 and George in 1832. The latter left five hundred and fifty acres of land and a widow, Catharine, and children, -Margaret (Mrs. Hugh McKee), An (Mrs. George I capold), Susanna, Joseph and James,
John Swigert, on May 29, 1792, bought one hundred and fifty agres of land of William Harper, adjoining land of Widow Taylor and James Bratton. It was described as being in the upper end of John Brown's Narrows along, Jack's Mountain. He purchased lands in what is now Oliver township also, and in 1836 a John Swigert was assessed on two hundred and fifty acres. Peter and Christian Swigert also were living in Ferguson Valley. Peter sold his land to John Allen, brother of George, who died there. John had several sons, of whom two now live on and near the homestead. Chris- tian's sons also live in the valley.
BROOKLAND FURNACE .- The land on which the furnace was erected was part of a tract which was warranted February 2, 1785, to Hee- tor Galbraith and sold by him to George Gal- braith, who, Jannary 7, 1822, sold it to William Wakefield. The firm of Charles Brooks & Co. was formed for the purpose of erecting a for- nace and manufacturing iron, and was composed of Charles and Clement Brooks, of Chester County, and Jesse Thomas, of Mifflin County. Charles Brooks (for the firm) purchased one hundred and fifteen acres of the tract mentioned above and twenty-five acres adjoining on the 1 4th of April, 1835. Later they purchased thirty-one acres of Samuel Holliday and the Greenwood ore-banks, in Union township, and several ore-rights within a few miles of the fur- nace. The furnace was built on the one Inm- dred and fifteen acres. Ore was brought by six- horse teams from the Big Valley. William Pat- ton became the manager. The iron manutac- tured was mostly sent to Harper's Ferry, where it was used in the manufacture of gun-barrels and wire.
The furnace property passed to Michael Crisswell & Co. in 1810, who, in 1843, built the Ellen Forge, below the site of the old Holli- day Mill. They operated the furnace and forge abont a year and leased it to R. Allen & Co., who discontinued in winter of 1818-19 and sold
the material and tools February 11, 1819. The property was sold, April 5, 1819, to Horatio N. Burroughs, of Philadelphia, who, in 1851, leased to Huntington, Robinson & Co., of New York. William Green, From Cumberland County, be- came manager. In 1856 this firm built an ad- dition to the forge for a rolling mill and put in a set of mek-rolls, a hammer, a pair of squeezers and three paddling furnaces. With this equip- ment they made mnek-bars and continued fur- nace, forge and rolling-mill until 1861, when they abandoned it, as the expense of hanling ore was too great ; and although good ore was within ahost a stone's throw of the furnace, it was not then known. The next year the forge was refitted by Mitchell & Clouser, who operated it for a year, working up the slag, since which the furnace and forge have been abandoned.
Mr. Burroughs sold the furnace property, April 1, 1856, to the Juniata Iron Company, who, Angust 2, 1859, were sold out by the sheriff, and Mr. Burroughs became the purchaser, and sold the property in small parcels from time to time. The site of the furnace stack was pur- chased by Peter Myers October 9, 1874, who erected a grist-mill, which is still in operation.
It is a singular fact that the ore used at this furnace was brought from Big Valley at consid- erable expense, when later researches have re- vealed good ore on the original furnace tract, which has largely been used by furnaces since that time.
BRADLEY & DULL'S SAND-WORKS are lo- cated on the creek to the northwest of Me Vey- town. The first sand taken from the hill for use in the manufacture of glass was in 1868, when J. R. Wirt, Edmund Davis and General John Ross mined a car-load and shipped it to Pitts- burgh. In 1870, Bradley & Dull, the present proprietors, began operations and have increased their capacity from time to time as the demand inerea-ed, until in 1881 there was shipped from the works over eighteen thonsand tons of clean- washed sand. They began drifting in 1870, and at present have six drifts, with numerous side-outs. These drifts are three above and three below and parallel about eight hundred feet into the hill. The sand from the upper drifts is dumped into the lower drifts, loaded on
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MIFFLIN COUNTY.
cars, drawn by mules to the station, where they are drawn up an incline to the two crushers, which each consist of two very heavy revolving wheels, under which the sand passes. It is then carried to a revolving iron sieve. As the sand falls into a trough it is carried by spiral conveyers through water to the top of the building, when it is thoroughly clean, After draining, it is placed upon dryers, which are pipes heated by steam, where it is thoroughly dried and ready for shipment and as white as flour. In the early days of these operations the sand was washed in a cirenlar tub, with a stir-paddle worked by steam. In 1871 washing in troughs was begun. In 1882 the water-power was erected at the canal and the power transmitted by wire one thonsind feet from the canal to the works.
DULL & WILSON'S SAND-WORKS .- A little southwest of MeVeytown, on land of D. M. Dall, John McGuire leased, in 1876, a small traet and opened a sand-bank, which he continued in a small way a year or two and re- leased to - Miller, of Huntingdon. In 1880 Dull & Wilson, the present proprietors, took possession and began mining on a larger scale. The drifts are in a westerly course and are between five hundred and six hundred feet in length. About six thousand tons were shipped in 1884.
The history of the Brethren Church of Oliver township will be found embraced in an article in Derry township on the society in Milllin County.
LOCKPORT. - The place now known as Lock- port or Three Locks lies at the month of Brights- field or Strode's Run. A short distance above, on the Juniata River, where Strunk's mill now stands there had been a settlement for many years, at the place under the name of Willis' Mill. In 1829-30 three locks were built along the canal at this place and a lock-house. Owen Owens was for several years in charge and owned a lot there. About 1830 a Methodist Society was formed in the neighborhood by the Rev. das. Stevens, and meetings were held in Mr. Owens' house for a time. In 1832 the society purchased the lot of Mr. Owens and ererted the present stone church. The society
was under the charge of the Baltimore Confer- ence for many years and was supplied by cir- enit preachers, among whom were Henry Taring and Peter MeAnly. It now belongs to the Central Pennsylvania Conference, and this church and the Granville Church are supplied every other Sunday, one in the morning the other in the evening. In 1833 Owen Owens erected at the Three Locks a store, which he kept until May 9, 1835, when S. F. & G. A. Green purchased and run; they also built on the canal a warehouse for storing grain and merchandise. This firm dissolved in November of that year and business was discontinued.
A Baptist Society was organized in 18 40 and worshipped part of the time in the Methodist Church and part in the store then kept by Jolm lekes. In 1842 they purchased a lot of Robert Hope and erected a church edifice, which is still used. Of the pastors who have served are the Revs. David Williams, A. B. Stills, W. B. Purdy, J. L. Holmes, S. K. Boyer, George W. Coulter, Black and D. W. Hunter, who closed his pastorate in 1883. The church has a membership of forty and a flourishing Sunday- school. Samnel Strong keeps a store at Lock- port at present.
Sruong's Muas is located above Lockport. An account of the ocenpaney of the land by the Strodes will be found in Granville town- ship. The store and post-office is in Oliver. In 1836 Jomm lekes, who married a sister of .Joseph Strode, kept a store at the place, and in Is10 moved to Lockport. Joseph Strode now keeps the store and post-office.
Senoors .- The first school-house of which anything definite is known was at Strode's Mills, where Robert Cooper taught between 1808 and 1810. He had tanght in Lewistown, and came to this place and died here. Martin Brown tanght after him. The school-house was built of logs and close against Chestnut Ridge.
As early as 1818 a school-house was built on the " Falling Mill Place" of John Culbertson. A log school-house was on the Stewart farm (now Manuel Bieler's) before 1812. William A. Moore attended school at the house in that year. On the 25th of January, 1820, Michael
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JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
Horning sold to School Trustees John N. Gra- ham, John Horning, John Robison, William Marsden, John Oliver, William and George Wakefield and James Crisswell a lot of land from his farm, " for the purpose of erecting a school-house thereon, which house is to be used as a school-house, with liberty for people to meet and sing therein, and also liberty for preachers of any or every denomination freely to preach therein, and for no other purpose." A house was erected and used many years.
This township was formed in January, 1835, and in May of that year Richard Miles and John Haman, who were the school directors, advertised for proposals for teachers until the 20th of May, when they would meet at the house of Mrs. Lnsk, in Me Veytown, to con- tract with teachers. The school districts, as taken from' Wayne township, were No. 2 at Swigert's, No. 4 at Mc Veytown, No. 5 at Mit- chell's, No. 9 at MeKinstry's and No. 10 at MeKee's.
Mc Veytown borough became separated from Oliver township in its schools in 1842. The township at present contains nine schools and two hundred and eighty-three pupils attending.
The justices of the peace who have served the township since 1815 are as follows :
1845. Charles Bratton. William Irwin.
1846. Henry Leattor.
1850. Samuel B. Lower.
1851. William Irwin. 1856. George Leopold. 1857. John Mckee. 1859. John Dummire. 1860. Samuel Horning.
1861. Thomas Mayes.
1862. Moses Gillespie.
1866. Moses Gillespie. 1867. Samuel Bratton. 1868. Moses Gillespie.
1869. James Rhodes.
1870. Robert Forgy.
1871. Moses Gillespie.
1872. John Ream. 1873. Joseph Strode.
1874. David Decker. 1875. Adam Lefford. 1876. Owen Wagner. 11. McCormick.
1877. Mason White.
1879. Daniel Decker. 1880. Robt. McCormick. Peter Ream. 1881. Uriah Manbeck.
1882. Austin Gro.
1883. Austin Gro. J. E. Stine. 1884. Osman Whitworth. Henry Cornelius.
1885. Joseph Hardeshell.
CHAPTER X.
THE BOROUGH OF MCVEYTOWN.
The settlement of this place was begun by Samuel Holliday in 1755, but it was not until
1762 that he settled permanently, and not nutil 1795 that the town of Waynesburg (now Me- Veytown) was laid out. In the latter year John McVey lived adjoining and above the Holliday tract, and it was by him the land was owned and the town founded. In the enlarge- ment of the borough, in 1842, the Holliday mill property was embraced in its limits.
Samuel, Adam, John and William Holliday, and two sisters, Elizabeth and Nancy, the latter of whom became the wife of Andrew Bratton, emigrated to this country about 1745 and lo- rated on the "Manor," in Lancaster County, and later moved to Conococheague, in what is now Franklin County, from which place John removed to Path Valley, where he lived and died. Adam and William took up land at the site of the town of Hollidaysburg, and from him that borough took its name. Samuel Hol- liday and Andrew Bratton early in 1755, and just after the new purchase of the Indians, went out into that region to search for lands on which to settle. After deciding upon the land, they made application to the Land-Office, then in Philadelphia, and in the year 1755 received their warrants-Bratton in what is now Brat- ton township, and Holliday at what is now Mc Veytown and vicinity.
At the time of their settlement all the sur- rounding region of territory was in Cumberland County and in the unorganized district north and west of Lack township, which then em- braced all of what is now Juniata County.
Upon this tract which Holliday located he built a log house at the site of Troxell's tannery, intending to settle there, but soon after, the In- dian troubles, consequent upon the defeat of Braddock in Western Pennsylvania, broke out, and the fact that the Indians were attacking and murdering the white settlers wherever found in the vicinity led Holliday and Bratton, with all others who had settled in the new purchase, to flee for safety to some of the larger settlements, mostly south of the Blue Ridge. It was not until abont 1762 that the troubles were so far abated as to warrant a safe return to their lands from which they had fled. At this time they brought with them their families,
Sammel Holliday created, soon after his re-
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turu, a grist-mill on the site of Troxell's tan- uery office and butcher-shop, on the Juniata River, at the mouth of Mattawana Creek. The dam was below the present sund-works, the race was on the upper or south side of the ereck, and where the road now passes down and over the canal.
The township of Derry was erected in July, 1767, and embraced all of what is now Mifflin County. The first assessment of the township was made in 1768, and at that time the only grist-mill and saw-mill assessed in the township (now Mifflin County) was the property of Samuel Holliday. His nearest neighbor was Andrew Bratton, his brother-in-law, who lived up the river on the opposite side. Holliday made application to the Land Office and obtained a warrant, dated October 25, 1774, for one hun- dred acres, and one on May 7, 1788, for two Indred and eighty acres, and, April 5, 1792, one for twenty-five aeres. This land was ad- joining his other property below.
The proprietaries issued a warrant October 13, 1760, requiring the surveyor-general to survey, for their own nse, all the islands in the several rivers and creeks in the province. In accord- ance with that order, the island in the Juniata River, opposite Me Veytown, was surveyed August 17, 1767, and is described as "at a place called the Mathawanna Cabins, opposite to Holliday's mill in the county of Cumber- land." It contained at that time thirty-eight aeres and fifty perches, with allowance for roads.
The island was granted to Samnel Holliday, by patent, Angust 17, 1770, for which he paid sixty-one pounds and ten shillings, with a quit- rent of one half-penny, to be paid upon the 1st day of March in every year. The island at present contains about thirty-five acres, and be- longs to the Dull estate.
Jolm Me Vey, the founder of Waynesburg (now Me Veytown), in 1787 located a tract con- taining two hundred aeres, adjoining Holliday's land, and along the river above. He built a log house on property now belonging to A. Lef- ford. James Stackpole had settled below him, and on the hill, a year previously. Hector and George Galbraith, also adjoining his property inland, had settled in 1785. Others had settled|
farther away much carlier, of which meution is made in Oliver township.
In 1790, Sammel Holliday was assessed on two hundred acres of land, three horses, three cows, one negro and a grist-mill. In March of that year a petition was presented to the court of Mifflin County (then just organized), asking for a road from Samuel Holliday's mill to intersect the road leading from Summerville's mill to the State road leading to Siding Hill. This was probably the first road ent from the place now Mc Veytown. Holliday, soon after this, estab- lished a ferry across the river, below the island. He operated the mills and ferry at this place until his death, in 1882. He married Sarah Campbell, who survived him. They had seven children-John, James, Adam, Michael, Samuel, Rebecca and Jane; the last-named died before her father and was the wife of Thomas Provines. The property, at the time of his death, consisted of theisland of thirty-eight acres (now thirty-five) and two hundred acres adjoining the village of Waynesburg, a merchant grist-mill, saw-mill, distillery, dwelling-house, barn and two bearing orchards. It was described as being on a streani where boats "can load and go down the river Juniata, and was also on the road from Harris- burg to Pittsburgh." The property was adver- tised for sale September 26th in that year. The mills were sold to Samuel Holliday, a son, and Andrew Bratton, June 1, 1813, who operated them for several years, when Andrew Bratton sold his interest and moved to the Bratton farm. The grist-mill was abandoned before the canal was dug, and a new one was erected by Stunnel Holliday, on the opposite side of the creek and above, which was used by him for many years. In 1867 it was owned by C. & C. P. Dull, who in that year built an addition to the east end and fitted it up for the manufacture of straw-board and wrapping-paper, and operated the mill and paper-mill until its destruction by fire, June 1, 1870. The ruins and stack are still standing. The old saw-mill stood near the canal and has long since disappeared. The Holliday property passed to James Crisswell, and is now mostly owned by the Dull estate,
The site of MeVeytown was taken up by John Mc Vey, who received a warrant for two
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JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
hundred acres of land, dated July 9, 1787, on the Juniata River, adjoining Samuel Holliday. In 1790 he was assessed on two hundred and fifty acres and his brother Enoch on one hun- dred acres, his son William on fifty acres. The place is mentioned as Waynesburg in road and other records as early as 1795. In 1797 Enoch Me Vey bought of his brother a lot in " Wayne- burg " which John bought again, August 18, 1800, for six hundred dollars. The village plot was laid out about 1795, and the lot Enoch bought was on the Diamond and the house he built was the south part of the stone honse now occupied as a grocery and dwelling, long known as the Swanzey property. Enoch, soon after the sale, went West.
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