History of the Beech Creek Area of Clinton County, Pennsylvania, Part 11

Author: Harry A and Vera A Lingle
Publication date:
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USA > Pennsylvania > Clinton County > Beech Creek > History of the Beech Creek Area of Clinton County, Pennsylvania > Part 11


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As was likely the case throughout the country during prohibition, a number of area residents attempted to produce a better quality of home-brewed beer. For some it was a case of trying to increase the de- mand for their illegally-sold brew. For most it was merely trying to improve the taste of a product used strictly for home consumption. One local resident, who did not imbibe in alcoholic drinks, but upon hearing so much talk about the making of home brew, decided to "set an old hen," a common term for the home brewing process. He never men- tioned how well his experiment turned out or how he disposed of it. Equally interesting in those days was the various types of additives that went into a barrel of sweet cider to produce a tastier, peppier hard cider that would not turn to vinegar.


The stone masonry Kessinger building on Main Street stands as a


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monument to the late William F. Kessinger (1875-1947), a son of H. Franklin and Anna (Nestlerode) Kessinger. Having been born and lived at Eagleville Station, Billy was, therefore, not a local resident. Nevertheless, he was a part of us during many years of the building's construction. Then, too, he had many, many local cousins, some being double cousins. Except for the placement of structural steel, the electrical wiring and other modern day features, Billy, aided first by Barney Rupert, and later by Hallie Slaterbeck, performed all the masonry and carpentry chores. At the outset of construction Billy had detailed the project to several onlookers, including George C. McGhee. Their seemingly appropriate response was, "You'll never get it finished." After the building was completed Billy enjoyed recounting this conversation. He is buried at the local Hays-Fearon cemetery.


Prior to the construction of his garage on Main Street, Thomas F. Kessinger maintained his automobile repair shop in a part of the old Sykes garage, a two story structure on Locust Street. This same building was later used for auto repairs by Harry and Clarence DeLong, sons of Irvin and Mabel (Hoffman) DeLong, by Clyde Lewis, and by Edwin Williams, a son of John and Belle (Winters) Williams. Mr. Wil- liams later moved his shop to the Cook building at the intersection on Main and Water Streets, where William B. Cook, a son of Charles and Dora (Bechdel) Cook, later conducted his automobile dealership. Some time afterward Paul Bechdel, a son of Claude and Dorothy (Bechdel) Bechdel, remodeled the Cook building to include a show room for Kaiser-Frazier automobiles. This same building now serves as Borough headquarters. The Sykes garage building was originally constructed by Edward Sykes for his Overland automobile agency. The present-day auto repair business of Fred Berry, son of Joseph and Pauline (Mc- Closkey) Berry, is located in our township near the house where Fred's grandparents, Clair and Mabel (DeHaas) Berry raised a large family.


It was pointed out in a previous chapter that families quite often gave a new-born baby the same name as an older, deceased sibling. Mentioned was the family of Joseph M. and Janetta (David) Smith. Their second son, Charles P., who was born July 2, 1834, died October 15, 1835. On August 22, 1837 another son was born into this family. He was likewise named Charles P. In 1845 the Smith family was blessed with their third daughter, who was named Emily. Emily died on Oc- tober 3, 1850. Three years later another daughter, who was destined to receive the name Emily, came into the world. This Emily, the fourteenth of fifteen children, was followed by Alice, who grew up to marry John B. Miller. Doris Miller is a granddaughter. Back on January 1, 1809 a son, to be named Christian, was born to Christian and Mary (Leathers) Bechdel, the great, great grandparents of Lula


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Clark, Dorothy Bechdel and Frank Bechdel of our town. This child died six weeks later. When the next son was born on October 14, 1812, he was also given the name Christian. This Christian married Lydia Bechdel, his full cousin. The marrying of first cousins was not uncom- mon in those days. Harold and Joseph Packer are descendants of Chris- tian and Lydia. Close by in neighboring Liberty Township on February 2, 1878 James W. Gunsallus and his second wife, Margaret J. (Wensel) Gunsallus, lost their son, James, age three. A son born to this couple on February 19, 1879 was thereupon given the name James, but usually called "Frankie" because of his middle name. This lad died at age nine and is buried as James F. alongside his older brother, James. Fisher D. Ligget, a son of John and Susannah (Neff) Ligget, was born about 1840. However, he was not the first Fisher Ligget in this family. His older brother, Fisher, had died just shortly before his own birth. On March 5, 1867 Fisher married Harriet "Hattie" Mobley, a daughter of Salathial and Mary (Quigley) Mobley. Fisher and Hattie later moved to Ohio, the state where her father was born, and settled in Canton. In the listing of Civil War soldiers in Linn's History Fisher Ligget is er- roneously listed as Fisher Lingle. John and Susannah Ligget are buried at Hays-Fearon cemetery.


The male co-author of this history was brought into this world by Dr. P. McDowell Tibbins, a neighbor of the Lingles and a close friend of Clinton County Judge Harry Alvan Hall. When Dr. Tibbins became aware that the parents of the new-born had not decided on a name, and possibly in fear that the ugly little fellow might become his own namesake, he suggested the name Harry Alvan. His suggestion was ac- cepted. Several years later, seeing little Harry Alvan sitting along the sidewalk, Mrs. Mary (Saylor) Fearon asked the boy his name even though she already knew it. His answer was, "Harry Alvan Lingle Hall." Mrs. Fearon always enjoyed telling others how the lad had given his name. It might be added that to Dr. Tibbins this particular person was always Harry Alvan, not just Harry. This same Harry Alvan, while attending the Grange Fair at Centre Hall in August, 1980, was ap- proached by a man who had grown up in the Beech Creek area. "Do you remember," he asked, "when you cut my hair?" The answer was "Yes." The Lingle barber shop was an improvised area in the Lingle barn, where an old dentist chair with a crank-up seat served a very useful purpose. The crank for the seat did double duty. It was borrowed from the grind stone, located in another part of the barn. The patrons were mostly boys and a number of old-timers of that day, including Harvey Mann, George Peters, Sr., Bob Renninger, Charles Hunter, James Bitner and others. One young client, who had been receiving his cut- rate hair cut regularly, decided he could save even more by doing the


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job himself. On his next visit to the Lingle shop he had one clipper- width swath up the right side of his head and another swath in the back. When he left he was very happy, not just because his botchery was corrected for just ten cents, but also because the barber bought his clippers for exactly the same amount he had paid for them. The clipper deal provided that the patron would accept payment in terms of future hair cuts rather than outright cash.


Census records reveal that in earlier days many girls, particularly teenagers, did live-in house work and were classified as servants. In 1880, for example, Isabelle and Annie Bowes, daughters of James and Sarah (Bechdel) Bowes of Liberty Township, were living in Beech Creek with the families of Stillman Keyes and Charles Keyes, respec- tively. Isabelle, who was born in 1860, before the National Census was taken, and not in 1861 as she had always believed, later married J. Alfred Miller, youngest son of John and Nancy (Nestlerode) Miller of Beech Creek Township. Annie married John Wallace. Just three doors from the Charles Keyes home, Virginia DeHaas, oldest daughter of J. Riley DeHaas and his first wife, Mary (Bechdel) DeHaas, was doing domestic work in the William and Elmira (White) Trexler home. Virginia later married William Kintzing. Sometimes these young domestics were enumerated both in their own homes and also in the households where they worked, as was the case of Virginia DeHaas. But, just as often they were not listed anywhere, each family believing that she would be counted in the other household. Live-ins in those days very often included parents of one or both of the householders, young men doing farm work, and grandchildren, or others, who were orphaned particularly by the loss of their mothers.


In early days many females, who, at birth, received the middle name, Jane, were known throughout most of their lives as Jane with their first name used as the middle name, or dropped entirely. In some instances the middle name, Jane, was substituted for the actual first name before the child was old enough to realize she had a name. In other cases the child may have grown to womanhood before her middle name was completely adopted as her given name. In either instance she was usually called "Jennie," the common nickname, for Jane. To check in later years the exact full name as- signed at birth was difficult. Baptismal records were seldom preserved. Family bible records, if any, provided the best help, especially if they had been completed on a timely basis. However, in most cases no bible entries were made until and unless the one person who was recognized as the best hand writer in the area was engaged - for a fee. At one time Irvin DeLong, son of J. I. DeLong and his first wife, Ellen (Gardner) DeLong, while still a young man, did much of this writing. Irvin's


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sister, Mary Jane, who married W. Frank Berry, a local leather worker, presents a perfect example of what this paragraph set out to show. Census records listed her as Mary Jane during the first thirty-five years of her life. But, by 1900 she was Jennie M., the name by which she was known the remainder of her life, and by which she is buried at Hays- Fearon cemetery


Many of the items in this story, and especially in this chapter, were prepared in answer to questions that arise in present-day conversa- tions. This particular paragraph is a typical example. With the recent closing of the Gundlach Garage on Main Street, which had been originally opened by Robert Dunlap, we now have just two gasoline retailers, the Myers Garage and the Scantlin Garage. Gasoline dis- pensers of the past included the Kessinger Garage, the Beech Creek Hotel, Dave Bitner's Place and the service station owned by the late Clair Johnson, all on Main Street. On Maple Avenue gasoline was sold at the residence of I. J. Rohrbaugh and at the Beech Haven, operated by Jack DeSau. On Locust Street it was sold at the Sykes store and later at the garage of Clyde Lewis. On Route 364 gasoline could be ob- tained at the farm home of Charles and Margaret Rupert and son, Tor- rence, now the home of William and Marilyn Bitner. Our first gasoline dispensing pumps required one full course of the crank for each gallon. Then the crank had to be turned back to its original position. Each gal- lon was registered by the hand of a clock-like dial. This style pump was later replaced by a type that required hand pumping the desired


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A section of the Haven Homes manufacturing complex.


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number of gallons, up to five, into a large glass cylinder at the top of the pump. When released the fluid flowed by gravity through the hose.


Joseph C. Earon (1883-1957), son of John and Anna (Quay) Earon, did farming during his first thirty-five working years. At the same time he mastered the blacksmithing trade, including the shoeing of horses. When Joe retired from farming and moved to town he fired up his forge and kept busy throughout his remaining years. It has been suggested that Joe should have been included in the listing of blacksmiths in Chapter IV. The authors agree.


For the 1869-1870 period there was published a directory of the business and professional people and the skilled craftsmen in a number of towns in central Pennsylvania. Lock Haven, Beech Creek, Howard and Mt. Eagle of this general area were included. This particular publication reveals that our own David Mapes was then serving as one of our three county auditors. This information had not come to light in any previous research. This hard bound book is filled with advertise- ments and may have been published specifically for the income from them. The name of the printer could not be found. The Beech Creek listings failed to include Fleming Trexler among the shoemakers. He had already mastered the trade. Missing from their carpenter listings were John I. Kunes and James McGhee. Irvin Hanscome was not in- cluded with the blacksmiths, while John W. Crays and Charles W. Montgomery did not show up in their profession as engineers. Their listings showed seven storekeepers, but failed to include George Furst, our leading merchant at that time, and Enoch Hastings, who had opened his store several years earlier. They named six persons engaged in the production or sale of lumber, two of whom were manufacturing shingles, but they failed to include John A. Cook. John, shortly thereafter, left our area, but is buried at Hays-Fearon cemetery alongside his wife, a Hays descendant. Two prominent grist millers, Joseph M. DeHaas and William B. Foresman were not named. Also missing were Daniel Kunes, the local butcher, and John Harleman, a stone mason. During the years covered by this book and for many years after, Rachel Huff, the widow of Edmond Huff, was supporting her young family by doing weaving in her own home. She should have been recognized. Richard Gundlach of our town has a copy of the book refer- red to herein.


In the chapter dealing with industry mention was made of the milk processing plant on Main Street in a small building that now serves as a family residence. This plant, then known as a skimming plant, was a division of the Bellefonte Creamery. In April, 1902 the operation was discontinued and the equipment was moved to Howard by Boyd N. Wilson, then living at Howard. Mr. Wilson, a native of our area was a


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son of William J. and Barbara (Myers) Wilson. Boyd's wife, Gertrude, also an area native, was a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Kane) Linn. Incidentally, Harry Wilson, who operated a clothing store in Lock Haven for many years, was a brother of Boyd. Their sister, Mary, mar- ried Sherman Holter, whose mother, Mary (Miller) Holter, was raised in our township.


The Lock Haven Evening Express reported on April 26, 1902 that Mr. L. Richardson, proprietor of the drug store in Beech Creek, was visiting Costello, Pa. Efforts to learn the exact location of his place of business were not successful.


For the school year of 1891-1892 the Beech Creek Borough school pupils having perfect attendance were listed in the local news column of the Lock Haven weekly newspaper. The following were named: Frank and Charles Pollock, Robert and Trenna Bullock, Ellery and Thomas Winslow, Frank and Mamie Snyder, Clarence Williams, George Searle, Taylor Slacker, George Heverly, George Miller, Ada and Mattie Packer, Pansy and Jennie Casselberry, Ida and Altie Slacker, Frances Harvey, Edith and Vivian Berry, Ellen and Florence Blair, Ethel McGhee, Laura Smith, Josie Burlingame, Roy Mobley, Willie Lamkin, Harry Confer, John Miller, Damie and Ira Lingle, Walter Mil- ler, Haven and Lemmie Farwell, Ralph Hall, Charles Miller, Jesse and Sherman Heverly, Willie Merrey, Lula Mckean, Mae McCarthy, Ella Miller, Mabel Shearer, Bertha Keagle, Cora Snyder, Blanche Bridgens, Alva Linn, Elida Lorrah, John W. Johnson and Jennie Deise. The teachers were Cora Chatham and Dora Bechdel (later Cook), the mother of William B. Cook, now of Lock Haven. It is interesting to note that of the thirty-three family names represented by the pupils only nine families of the same names live here today. Of these nine at least four are from entirely different family lines.


Ira E. Cowling, teacher at the Hubbard School in Beech Creek Township, presented a printed souvenir card to each of his 1898-1899 school term pupils. The card, which included the pupils' names, in- dicates a school term of 120 days. The pupils were Gertrude Batschelet, Mabel Brady, Floyd Furl, John Furl, Lottie Gunsallus, May Gunsallus, Myra Gunsallus, Charles Heimer, Jacob Heimer, Tillie Heimer, John Herr, Samuel Herr, Charlotte Hubbard, Morris Hubbard, Frank Kuhn, Florence "Floy" Linn, Fountain Linn, Kelsey Linn, Roy Linn, George Miller, John Miller, Percy Miller, Augustus Smith, Janet Smith and Annabelle Whamond. Of the twenty-five pupils only seven remained here and raised families.


Back in the days when the Beech Creek Railroad was a very busy line Bert Hill of Jersey Shore, a railroad employee, wrote a poem entitled, "Old Timers on the Beech Creek." The poem of Mr. Hill, who had mar-


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ried a Beech Creek girl, depicted the duties of a number of his fellow workers. His poem was published in the Lock Haven Express in the late 1970's. Familiar names mentioned were George Keagle, John Winslow, Ed Leyden, Wilson Forcey, William Bartley, William Ruple, Oscar DeLong, Gray Hastings, Thomas Winslow, John Bowes, George Bul- lock, James Harvey, Joe and Fred Roffe, Harry Packer, Charles Bitner, Charles Long, Clair Berry, Joe McCloskey, Pat McLaughlin and Phil Frederick, who, many years later, closed out his career at the Beech Creek station. The accidental death of Mr. Bartley, while employed on the track, was reported in an earlier chapter.


Our own Dr. George H. Tibbins, then practicing in Wyoming County, is credited as being the first person to drive an automobile into Clinton County. This year was about 1898 and the doctor was driving to Beech Creek to visit his father, Dr. J. E. Tibbins. Several years earlier the Hi Henry Circus had brought an automobile to Clinton County. However, Dr. Tibbins held the distinction of driving the first car into our county and our town. At that very time Dr. George may have been contemplating moving his practice to Beech Creek, which he did several years later.


Deeper research reveals that the "Seven Kitchens" on Main Street became a reality only after Dick Berryhill's inn and his wagon repair shop had been been joined to form a single unit. A close look at the pic- ture of his building, which is displayed in this book, shows the exact place where the two structures had been attached. Also showing in the picture is a tiny corner of the roof of Silas Hess store building, which was next door, to the East. An 1862 map, which identifies the three separate buildings, is in possession of William Tyson of our town. George D. Hess later built a garage on the site of the Silas Hess store building. If any family relationship existed between Silas Hess and George D. Hess, it has not been established. However, their wives were not-too-distant cousins.


Much has been written regarding Buckman "Buck" Claflin and his daughter, Victoria (Claflin) Woodhull-Martin, the Equal Rights party's candidate for U. S. president in 1872. Some accounts claim that the Claflin family lived here two, and possibly three, times. If so, each stay was short. Official assessment records reveal that "Buck" was taxed as a storekeeper in 1829. For the 1830 taxable year he was marked "Gone." There is no record of his being assessed at any time as a school teacher, the occupation generally associated with his residence here. The Claflin family is not listed in any of the decennial census records of our area.


Most of the credit for the construction of the Wesleyan Church building on Main Street should go to the late B. Frank Bowers. Mr.


Bowers, in earlier years, had come from the Flat Rock, now Rote, area of Lamar Township and married Annie Shilling, a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Wolfe) Shilling. Frank, an all-round handyman, did the planning, supervising and all the skilled chores throughout the building's complete construction. A unique feature was the extension of the foundation wall sufficiently beyond the framework to provide a base for brick veneering, if ever added. This gives the building a somewhat unusual, yet attractive, appearance.


In 1980 a project to provide public housing for the elderly was an- nounced for Beech Creek Borough. Plans are to locate the structures just off East Main Street, to the South. At about the same time plans were developed to determine the feasibility of producing, by water power at Sayers Dam, electricity to be sold to West Penn Power Com- pany for distribution in this part of Lower Bald Eagle Valley. It is as- sumed that in these days of fuel conservation the power company would welcome an additional supply of current if, of course, it can be produced competitively.


In 1892 the Beech Creek Normal School was organized by J. E. Wilson and Dr. Rolla B. Fore, who later married Carrie DeLong and


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Three generations of Lingle stilt walkers in 1980 - Harry, David and Cindy.


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lived in Blanchard. The first ten-week term started on April 11 of that year. Courses were offered in elocution, composition, rhetoric, logic, literature, mathematics and at least fifteen additional fields. No infor- mation is available to show how long this school was continued.


For a number of years the Mckean brothers, Sheldon and Lyle, operated a combination pool hall and barber shop on Main Street. Sheldon took full charge of the pool room, while Lyle limited his work almost entirely to barbering. On one particular evening when Sheldon's assistant was running the pool room, and Lyle, too, was ab- sent, George Montgomery "Mont" Gunsallus, son of Ira and Abigail (Lucas) Gunsallus, stopped in for a shave. Soon after "Monte" had seated himself in the barber chair Walter E. "Beechie" Miller, who was among those present, was at his side. To the complete amazement of all the bystanders "Beechie" forthrightly proceeded to administer the shave. Mr. Gunsallus, quite appreciative of his free shave, was soon on his way. A short time later "Beechie," the son of J. Orrie and Virginia (Campman) Miller, possibly buoyed by this successful experience, entered barber school, where he learned a trade that he followed for the next fifty-one years.


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In 1900 John Rothrock of Beech Creek Township was hailed by various newspapers as the youngest telegraph operator in the state. John was a son of Charles and Mary Ella (Haagen) Rothrock. He was a grandson of Dr. Thomas Rothrock of Eagleville, who died that very same year, and of John and Fayetta (Brungard) Haagen of our township. At the time of the citation John was substituting for his ill father, one of two brothers, who had become telegraph operators on the Bald Eagle Valley Railroad. His family was living at the southern end of what is now Wynn Avenue. When one is reminded that this young man was sending telegraph messages and directing train crews, he or she will be very sur- prised to learn that John was then just twelve years of age. He died un- married in 1961, and is buried at Hays-Fearon cemetery beside his mother, who died three years earlier at age eighty-nine.


The mentioning of the Haagen name in the paragraph above is a reminder of Bill Haagen's grain threshing outfit. Starting in late Sum- mer each year Mr. Haagen moved from farm to farm. His powerful steam engine had the general appearance of a dinkey locomotive. When followed by the water tank wagon, the thresher and the baler, one was apt to think that a train had come off the track and onto the highway. Mr. Haagen, a son of John and Fayetta, raised a family of fifteen in our township.


Historical publications of 1890 state that William Clark, father of James Clark, the Water Street merchant, settled here in 1792. William was actually only eight years of age in 1792. Perhaps the reference is to


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James Clark's grandfather, also named William, and the first of a number of area coopers of the Clark name. Even so, the 1792 date seems incorrect since the senior William was not assessed until 1815, and was not listed on local census records until 1820. In 1819 the younger William, who had likewise learned the cooper trade, was as- sessed for the first time, appearing on the "Single Man" list. In 1820 the younger William was marked "Married," his wife being Sarah Hays, a daughter of Dickie and Anna Hays. William and Sarah were not about to let the name "William" die. Their son of that same name married Charlotte Hall on March 6, 1855. Charlotte was a daughter of Jesse and Elizabeth (Johnson) Hall.




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