USA > Pennsylvania > Clinton County > Beech Creek > History of the Beech Creek Area of Clinton County, Pennsylvania > Part 6
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12
After being burned out by the disastrous Main Street fire of 1903, Edward Sykes opened a store on Locust Street in the present tavern building. He was followed at this location by his brother, Frank, who was later succeeded by his nephew, Milton, oldest son of Edward. Meantime another Frank Sykes, a cousin of Edward and Frank, con- ducted for several years a general store in the brick building at the cor- ner of Main and Grant Streets. Other merchants of that period were Adam Grenninger, who occupied several different locations, and B. Frank Thompson, whose son, Guy, married Ada Packer, daughter of George and Maria (Burd) Packer. In the early 1920's Shetler's Cash Grocery was opened in the building directly across from the present post office building. This business was continued by Beschler and Mil- ler, Mr. Beschler alone, Robert E. Murray and Ted Hunter, in this order.
The present Spotts IGA market, an outgrowth of the former Dunlap
62
farm supply and hardware center in the former auto factory building on Main Street, is flourishing as a modern, self-service, grocery and hardware outlet. Recently this firm added a line of major electrical ap- pliances. The Beech Creek Egg Barn, started originally in the old brick plant building as an industrial-agricultural venture in the production and wholesale of poultry, later specialized in producing and marketing eggs. Managed by Bruce Miller this commercial enterprise is now devoted particularly to the retail of fresh eggs. A nearby meat market is operated by Charles "Mike" Kitchen. In addition to those already mentioned retail or eating places have been conducted by J. W. Mer- rey, Thomas Burke, The Morrissey family, the Mckean family, Wil- liam Fudge, Maud (Rupert) Smith, Anna (Dickey) Mann, Genevieve (Lytle) Bitner O'Donnell, Fred and Beatrice Sherman, William and Vi- vian Kunes, Edward Scantlin and likely many others.
Around 1890 a large roller skating rink was built on east Main Street. When the building was later dismantled the lumber was reused by Dr. J. E. Tibbins in the construction of three houses in a row on the front of the same lot. Projecting from the roof of each house was a steeple- shaped dormer, which not only gave additional space and light to the attic area, but also provided a unique symmetrical appearance. One of these houses became the home and office of Dr. George H. Tibbins and presently serves the same purposes for Dr. Robert E. Drewery.
Efforts to learn when and by whom the Beech Creek Hotel was built have been unsuccessful. Proprietors in the years prior to its acquisition by W. P. Morrissey around 1919 have been given as: Cline Quigley, who sold to Peter Gould in 1895; John P. DeHaas, a son of John P. and Susan (Bechdel) DeHaas, who took over in 1905; and Jacob Basinger, who left when the prohibition law took effect. After coal became an im- portant fuel for house-heating, a coal tipple, accessible from the railroad, was built along the tracks just west of Locust Street by Harry W. Packer. Later another tipple was erected by George D. Hess and Son at a point east of Locust Street. Local deliveries were made by horse and wagon. The exact date of the inauguration of telephone service in our area has not been verified. However, by 1909 we were being served by both the Bell and the Commercial companies. This double service continued until the 1920's, when Bell withdrew from the area. At about that same time the Commerical lines became the Bald Eagle Telephone Company, and later the United Telephone Company.
In 1921, recognizing the need for such an institution, Dr. P. Mc- Dowell Tibbins took steps to establish the Beech Creek State Bank, now the Beech Creek National Bank. Mr. Tibbins became the first president and his fellow directors were: Dr. George H. Tibbins, a brother; William P. Morrissey, who, some years earlier, had married a
63
SHARES
C
CAPITAL STOCK $100,000.00-429% FULL. PAID AND NON-ASSRKHABLE
BEECH CREEK TRUCK AND AUTO. COMPANY
this 2
BARES
that
This Certifies
131
local girl; John H. Hunter, son of James and Clara (Nestlerode) Hunter; Elmer Peters, son of Casper and Phoebe (Eckert) Peters; Shuman S. Williams, son of Isaac Williams and his second wife, Catharine (Holter) Williams; J. Irvin Wagner, son of George and Susan (Rorabaugh) Wagner; Albert Bergner, whose wife was a sister of Elmer Peters; and Stewart Williams, a Clearfield County native and the mine superintendent at Monument. The first cashier was David G. Meek, who had come from Juniata. Subsequent cashiers were Louden Brungard, whose first wife was Matilda Metzger, daughter of James and Ella (Martin) Metzger, and J. Aaron Haugh, a Mill Hall native who had married Olive Peters of Beech Creek. The present cashier is D. William Selfe, who was raised in the Lock Haven area. The modern bank building on East Main Street, which includes a drive-in facility, has undergone two major expansions since it was constructed in 1967.
The first garage and service station was opened by Thomas F. Kes- singer, a son of William F. and Martha (Lucas) Kessinger. Later operators of auto repair services included Clyde Lewis, who stayed only several years; William B. Cook, son of Charles and Dora (Bechdel) Cook; George Bitner, son of George and Elizabeth (DeLong) Bitner; Robert Dunlap, son of Thomas P. and Eva (Askey) Dunlap; and Fred Sherman, whose combination of garage, restaurant and trailer court was purchased and further developed by Edward W. Scantlin, the present owner. Other current garage operators are Malcolm and Thomas Myers, sons of Hiram and Tacie (Scantlin) Myers and Fred Gundlach, son of Allen W. and Ruth (Morrissey) Gundlach.
According to a newspaper account in 1898 Beech Creek Council placed two new street lamps, increasing the total to 15. One was placed near the railroad station with the other placed on Mill Street (now Maple Avenue) in front of the residence of Johnson Gardner, now the home of William Kunes. Nothing was said of the twice-daily task of caring for each lamp. In 1920 State Center Electric Company extended their lines from Milesburg to our community. When the current was turned on in early December F. I Thompson, with the aid of B. Frank Bowers, local jack-of-all-trades, had many of the homes wired and ready. The street lights were lighted for the first time on Saturday night, November 17, 1921. Our producer later became Keystone Power Company, and still later West Penn Power Company. During those ear- ly years power interruptions were so frequent that kerosene lamps and candles had to be kept in readiness. In fact the company was dubbed by some as "The Sunshine Power Company." They joked, "We have light while the sun shines." At that time the minimum monthly billing was one dollar even though a family may have used less than the maximum
65
64
BEECH CREEK TRUCK AND AUTO. CO.
Richard B Ringe is the word
Shares of the Capital Block of
doused harson . transferable entypen die feels of His Corporation in person or by Allemey Waffen surrender of His Certificate property endorseits subject to restrictions on- , IN WITNESS WHEREOF the said Corporation has caused this Certificate to be signed. By its duly authorized officers and it's Gotbergle pat lyle herunter affiren
-once.
is the owner of
shares, fully paid and non-assessable, of the par value of
191.
The Beech Greek National Zar
THE BEECH CREEK NATIONAL BANK
day of
the
This Certifies that
Forty w Dollars ($40.00) each of the cumulative preferred stock of
hereinafter called the "Bank", a National Banking Association organized under the Laws of the United States
A description of the preferred stock and common nock of the Bank and of the preferences, privileges, powers, voting and othert
This certificate is transferable only om the books of the Bank by the holder hereof In person or by duly authorhed attorney
Da Witaess Whereof, che Bank has caused thus certibeate to be signed by its duly muhorized efecen and ts corporate stal
Dated ST ...
of America.
righti, tatnousont, Tunkatiue, and qualifications thereul sa contained In the Articles of Association of the Bank And amendment thereto apprate on the back hereul, to otl af which the holder herecd, by acceptance liereot, agrees and ments.
upon surrender of this collocare properly endowed.
NUMBER
to be heleupro atfred.
of ten KWH's allowed for the minimum charge. Today most families use more than that in a half day.
The electrical appliance and bottled gas business of William B. Kes- singer was first established in a new storeroom adjacent to the site of the present bank building. This business was later moved to its present location in the former, masonry-constructed, Kessinger garage building in the heart of town. An electrical appliance store was conducted for a number of years by Blaine W. Kunes in a part of his building on Locust Street. The local television cable system was installed by a developer living in Williamsport. Financial troubles forced the sale of the local network, which was purchased by Mr. Kunes. Improvements and ex- tensions made by Mr. Kunes and his son, Blaine F. Kunes, the present manager, turned this undertaking into a viable enterprise.
At one time at least eight local stores had show cases fully stocked with penny candy, some pieces weighing an ounce or more. The youngster with a penny to spend had the choice of a tootsie roll, a peanut bolster, a jaw breaker, a lolly pop, or any one of about twenty additional varieties. If shopping at Waite's store he could slip his penny into the slot of an uncommon-type machine, pull the lever, and receive a heaping handful of Spanish peanuts or, if his appetite called for it, he could spend his penny for a dried herring, commonly called a "blind robin." If so inclined one could insert the penny in the Zeno chewing gum machine at Stephens's store and perchance get a stick of gum with a red wrapper. This particular wrapper entitled the lucky person to a free pack of gum. If after store hours, the penny could be used at the outdoor gum vending machine at the Mckean pool room on Main Street.
Our first beauty parlor was opened by Jane Linn, a daughter of Edward and Minnie (Furl) Linn, and now the wife of Sydney Tressler. Other beauticians of an earlier day included Ann (Minier) Barner, wife of Russell Barner, the insurance agent, and Ann Yeager, a former schoolteacher and the wife of Franklin "Sonny" Yeager. The following opened shops in more recent years: Catharine (Ponte) Johnson, wife of Joseph Johnson, the rural mail carrier; Eileen (Hovan) Gardner Mace, a daughter of John and Olive (Gardner) Hovan; and Trenelva (Confer) Peters, the daughter of Clyde and Mildred (Woodring) Confer, and wife of McDowell Peters.
66
67
Chapter VII
Events, Disasters and Anecdotes
During the November, 1818 term of Centre County court James Monks, a native of Potter Township, and a son of William Monks, was tried for the murder of Reuben Guild, which had occurred on November 16 of the previous year. On Saturday, January 23, 1819 he was hanged in the yard of our county jail at Bellefonte while William Armor, a fifer in the War of 1812, played "Mary's Dream" beneath the gallows. Monks, himself, had requested this particular tune rather than the customary "Dead March." Even though the murder occurred on Marsh Creek in that part of Howard Township that later became Liberty Township, the story of this murder has always been associated with local history, because Monks had been employed here at the Henry James sawmill. It should be noted that previous local accounts had erroneously listed Guild as Giles. Mr. Monks had set out on foot for a visit in Clearfield County. When he returned on Sunday evening he was riding a horse equipped with attractive saddle and bridle, and he was sporting a new watch. When the murder of Guild was reported all suspicion fell on Monks. On a dark, rainy night Sheriff William Alex- ander came to Marsh Creek, arrested Monks, and, with no assistance took his prisoner to Bellefonte each riding a horse. Jurors for the trial included Absalom Ligget and Frederick Schenck, and witnesses were Mr. James, William Gardner, John Ligget, John Confer, Michael Meese, John Wantz, Samuel Gardner and Ephraim Green Gardner, all from this general area.
Following the guilty verdict Monks confessed and explained in some detail his cowardly act of shooting Guild in the back after they had met on a lonely road. Upon completing a brief conversation each had started toward his destination when Monks, seized by what he, himself, described as an uncontrollable impulse, suddenly grabbed his gun, wheeled around, pointed at Guild and pulled the trigger. When the 1820 census was taken, Mary Monks, widow of the murderer, and her two daughters, both under age 10, were still living in Liberty Township. Incidentally some of our present-day James, Heverly and Linn families
68
descend from Mr. James, the sawmill operator. While awaiting his ex- ecution, the first in Centre County following its incorporation nineteen years earlier, Monks is credited with writing a thirteen-verse poem. The poem describes events that led to the murder, the actual murder and his later actions and feelings. He also absolves Andrew Allison, who was still accused of the murder, by some, even after Monks was convicted. A copy of the poem is in possession of the authors.
The following story, the authenticity of which cannot now be verified, has been related many times by descendants of Michael and Zylphia (Winslow) Miller. They, with their six children, four boys and two girls, lived on a farm northeast of town at the location of the pres- ent home of William Karch. About the year 1859 Mr. Miller became ill and a Beech Creek doctor, who lived on upper Water Street was sum- moned. The doctor thoroughly examined the patient and left a supply of medicine. About an hour later the doctor came rushing back, his horse and buggy moving at top speed. He hurriedly announced, "Do not give that medicine; I made a mistake." The family immediately responded, "We already gave it to him, and he's dead!" The widow Miller later married George Ruple, a native of New Jersey. In 1863 the Ruples had a son, whom they named for Civil War general, George B. McClellan. Zylphia got another shock from the announcement that her son, Eli, was killed in the Battle of Gettysburg. The birth in June 1877 of her son, William, when she was fifty-five, featured another major event in the life of Mrs. Ruple.
Our area was not immune to the smallpox epidemic that occurred during the Winter of 1862-63. A well-preserved letter written on March 1, 1863 by a local woman to her son who was serving in the Civil War, said in part, "Mrs. Mason, old Mr. Mason's woman, had smallpox about four weeks ago, and Dr. Rothrock was away. They sent for Mr. Leonard, who pronounced it smallpox. Then some of the neighbors got it, and also Mr. and Mrs. John Kunes and Mrs. Huff. Mrs. John Bridgens has been exposed to it." Mrs. Bridgens, mentioned here, was Mary Emma, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kunes. If she contracted the disease, she most certainly recovered, because she lived until 1926. However, Mr. Kunes died in August of that year, likely from the effects of the disease, and Mr. Bridgens's younger brother, Marcus, and a niece, Lena Mae Bonsell, died at that time.
In a letter dated March 29 the above mother wrote, "If you come home I advise you not to stop at Milton or Williamsport on account of smallpox." Earlier, on January 6, this same mother had written, "The smallpox is in Eagleville again so I don't like to go to church." Records show that two weeks afterward John and Hannah (Longshore) Ligget lost their only son, John R., age four; the following week they lost their
69
only daughter, Laura, age two. Smallpox was likely the cause. The Lig- gets had built and lived for many years in the house on Water Street next to Dr. Rothrock. This house is presently occupied by Pauline (Shuttleworth) Masden, widow of LeRoy. Mr. Ligget, who was a long- time local justice of the peace, built the cluster of buildings that stood in the triangle across from the present post office. The squire, a native of Liberty Township, died in 1914, three years after the death of his wife, a native of Nashville, Ohio. He willed the triangle properties to his favorite lodge, The Improved Order of Red Men. His death brought an end in this area of a name that had been very popular ever since the first Liggets came from Virginia many years earlier, accompanied by some of their slaves. It should be mentioned that at least one Ligget, Fisher, volunteered and fought to free all slaves.
Records reveal that some sort of epidemic may have plagued our area a few years earlier. In 1855 Richard and Agnes (Nancarrow) Gummo, natives of England, lost four children, ages four to ten, within a span of two weeks. These deaths followed the loss of a child two years earlier. The Gummo farm was on the dividing line between Beech Creek and Bald Eagle Townships, with the house being in one township and the barn in the other. The boundary actually passed through the center of their spring, permitting one to obtain a good cold drink from whichever township he chose.
Rebecca (Clark) Winslow died at age 40 on November 2, 1877, and was buried at the Blanchard Church of Christ cemetery beside her hus- band John, who had died more than two years earlier. On December 7, 1877 the Democratic Watchman, a Bellefonte newspaper, carried an account written at Beech Creek, regarding the raising of the body of Mrs. Winslow. An autopsy had been ordered by Clinton County of- ficials because of the suspicion that an illegal operation may have caused her death. The re-digging was under the supervision of county officials, who, late in the morning, retired to the Eagleville Hotel to mark time and have lunch while the grave diggers were completing their task. Around noon time the diggers surfaced the body and left for their homes, leaving the coffin unattended. When the officials returned to claim the body they discovered that several curious boys had come upon the scene and made their own inspection. A later edition of the same newspaper carried an account of a guilty verdict against an area doctor for an illegal operation. The verdict was being appealed by the doctor, who seemed to have the support of a large number of citizens. No effort was made by the authors of this history to determine if the two incidents had any connection.
Daniel B. Malone, a grandson of Revolutionary War soldier, Richard Malone, and, himself, a Civil War veteran, lived with his third wife,
70
Ruth (Yarnell) Zimmerman Malone, just south of the old crossroads in the house now occupied by the Frank Meskell family. One day in late October, 1898 Joseph W. Merrey, who lived on Maple Avenue, hitched his team to the family carriage and was about to climb inside when the horses became very frightened, possibly by a passing NYC train. They suddenly took off down the road at high speed leaving Mr. Merrey behind. When reaching the crossroads they turned toward Bald Eagle Creek, and were immediately spied by Mr. Malone, who immediately sensed what had happened and decided to do something. While run- ning through the garden area at the south side of his house to reach the road and stop or head off the horses, Mr. Malone fell to the ground, and consequently the horses kept running. After crossing the bridge the team and a PRR train reached the crossing at exactly the same time. Both horses were killed and the carriage was destroyed. However, the most unfortunate part of the whole episode is the fact that Mr. Malone had suffered a heart attack and died on the spot where he fell.
Census records for the year 1810 indicate that Mathias Richards had died about the year 1807 and his widow, Elizabeth, was in charge of their combined farm and distillery operation. Assessment records of that period reveal additional and interesting information. In 1804 Mr. Richards had one slave. At the time of his death he had three slaves. By 1811 Mrs. Richards had reduced the slave holdings to one female valued at forty dollars, which required a tax payment of twenty cents. Previously printed historical accounts tell that in 1820 the wife of Thomas Holland (Hollen) disappeared from their farm home near the head of Masden Hollow, and that she was never heard from again. Records show that Nancy, a later wife of Mr. Holland, died in 1845 at age fifty-six, and there may have been at least one subsequent wife.
As stated elsewhere Rebecca Clark, wife of James Clark, was a daughter of Nicholas and Elizabeth (Moore) Quigley. Careful research indicates that Rebecca had a sister, Margaret, the wife of William Counsil, who was born locally to John and Rhoda (David) Counsil on September 30, 1815. Other children of Nicholas Quigley were Ellen Eliza, who married George Wensel and James Quigley, who married Catharine Miller, and later Hannah Rutland, who still later became the third wife of Levi Rupert. On May 18, 1861 James Clark and Wil- liam Counsil were hunting in the mountains north of town. Mr. Clark's gun was accidentally discharged killing Counsil instantly. In addition to his wife, Margaret, Mr. Counsil was survived by sons, Martin, Stewart, Irvin Q. and George. At that particular time Mr. Clark's own family was complete except for his son, James Monroe Clark, born July 29 of that same year.
In the Fall of 1912 James Scott DeHaas, son of Charles Jacob and
71
Mary (Gardner) DeHaas, was enjoying his first year of big game hunting at Beech Creek. Mistaken for a bear the fourteen-year-old boy was shot and killed at Jose Valley, north of town. James Scott, a grandson of James Riley DeHaas and his first wife, Mary (Bechdel) DeHaas, and of Scott and Lydia (Graham) Gardner, carried the names of both his grandfathers. A near-parallel of this accident in 1917 took the life of Edward Johnson, age 43, son of William and Emily (Mapes) Johnson. Grandparents were Nathan Johnson and his first wife, Rebec- ca (Reeder) Johnson, and Edward and Eliza (Locke) Mapes. Funeral services for young DeHaas and Mr. Johnson, both then out-of-town residents, were held locally and each was buried at Hays-Fearon cemetery among earlier ancestors.
As late as 1863 our ancestors were still living by rather primitive methods. A letter written from a local farm home that year said in part, "I am finishing this letter by candlelight." This, of course, did not im- ply that the electricity had been shut off, or even that the kerosene sup- ply had been exhausted. It simply meant that darkness had overtaken the writer and she was finishing the letter by their most common method of illumination.
The Evan and Phoebe Ashton family left Beech Creek very hurriedly in March, 1863. One report said, "they disappeared like a skift of snow at harvest time with a large sum of money, possibly twelve to fifteen thousand dollars, that belonged to Mr. Ashton's employer, Buckley, Saylor and Company."
A fire that destroyed Keyes Fanning Mill factory and Halls Planing Mill in 1885 may have been our worst ever. A pumper had been hurried- ly sent from Lock Haven on a railroad flat car. In descending a ramp at the local station the pumper went out of control, killing one man and critically injuring two others. Whether the two injured men survived was not known when the story was published in the Philadelphia Times on April 29 of that year.
A Main Street fire in 1889 burned the post office and Albert Bergner's store. A fire in January, 1899 burned Henry Berry's shoe shop and Richard Berryhill's storeroom. At 2 a.m. on January 4, 1903 a fire broke out in the Edward Sykes store on Main Street. In addition to the Sykes store, a former Keyes building, it burned the barber shop of Al Williams, the Williams store building, the McKean building and John McGhee's store and tenant house. Mr. Sykes, who then established his store on Vesper Street was followed at that location by his brother, Frank, and later his son, Milton, whose business was destroyed by fire around 1930.
At about ten o'clock on an Autumn morning in 1925 the female members of the Edwin R. Reed family, living at the corner on Main and
72
Grant Streets, came running into their front yard, wringing their hands and screaming for help. Clouds of smoke were pouring from the Reed Candy Factory at the rear of their lot. Within about twenty minutes the Mill Hall fire truck rolled into town and was flagged-down at Grant Street by William Fudge waving his handkerchief. The hose was drop- ped and the pumper proceeded to the grist mill bridge and went into action. However, it was too late to save any part of the building or its contents, which included two trucks. Nevertheless, the barns on the ad- joining properties of Lyle Mckean and John Earon were saved.
One person died and seventeen were left homeless as the result of an early morning fire at the eastern edge of town on December 10, 1937. A. Dale Baney succumbed to burns caused by the blaze, which destroyed the Baney and Ben Bitner homes. These houses were the inner two of a row of four houses, familiarly known in an earlier day as the Joe Masden properties.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.