History of the counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections; including their early settlement and development; a description of the historic and interesting localities; sketches of their cities, towns and villages biographies of representative citizens; outline history of Pennsylvania; statistics, Part 6

Author: Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.) comp. cn; J.H. Beers & Co., pub
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1320

USA > Pennsylvania > McKean County > History of the counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections; including their early settlement and development; a description of the historic and interesting localities; sketches of their cities, towns and villages biographies of representative citizens; outline history of Pennsylvania; statistics > Part 6
USA > Pennsylvania > Potter County > History of the counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections; including their early settlement and development; a description of the historic and interesting localities; sketches of their cities, towns and villages biographies of representative citizens; outline history of Pennsylvania; statistics > Part 6
USA > Pennsylvania > Elk County > History of the counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections; including their early settlement and development; a description of the historic and interesting localities; sketches of their cities, towns and villages biographies of representative citizens; outline history of Pennsylvania; statistics > Part 6
USA > Pennsylvania > Cameron County > History of the counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections; including their early settlement and development; a description of the historic and interesting localities; sketches of their cities, towns and villages biographies of representative citizens; outline history of Pennsylvania; statistics > 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).

HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA,

demonstrations, they were induced by some cool heads to return. These tur- bulent proceedings coming to the ears of the State and national authorities at Philadelphia, measures were concerted to promptly and effectually check them. Gov. Mifflin appointed Chief Justice McKean and Gen. William Irvine to proceed to the disaffected district, ascertain the facts, and try to bring the leaders to justice. President Washington issued a proclamation commanding all persons in arms to disperse to their homes "on or before the 1st of Sep- tember. proximo," and called out the militia of four States-Pennsylvania. New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia-to the number of 13,000 men, to enforce his commands. The quota of Pennsylvania was 4,500 infantry, 500 cavalry, and 200 artillery, and Gov. Mifflin took command in person. Gov. Richard Howell, of New Jersey, Gov. Thomas S. Lee, of Maryland, and Gen. Daniel Morgan, of Virginia, commanded the forces from their States, and Gov. Heury Lee. of Virginia, was placed in chief command. President Washing- ton. accompanied by Gen. Knox, secretary of war, Alexander Hamilton, secre. tary of the treasury, and Richard Peters, of the United States District Court, set out on the Ist of October for the seat of the disturbance. On Friday the President reached Harrisburg and on Saturday, Carlisle, whither the army had preceded him. In the meantime a committee, consisting of James Ross. Jasper Yeates and William Bradford, was appointed by President Washington to proceed to the disaffected district, and endeavor to persuade misguided citizens to return to their allegiance.

A meeting of 260 delegates from the four counties was held at Parkinson's Ferry on the 14th of August, at which the state of their cause was considered, resolutions adopted, and a committee of sixty, one from each county, was ap- pointed, and a sub-committee of twelve was named to confer with the United States commissioners, McKean and Irvine. These conferences with the State and national committees were successful in arranging preliminary conditions of settlement. On the 2d of October the committee of safety of the insur- gents met at Parkinson's Ferry, and having learned that a well-organized army, with Washington at its head, was marching westward to enforce obedi- ence to the laws, appointed a committee of two, William Findley and David Reddick, to meet the President, and assure him that the disaffected were dis- posed to return to their duties. They met Washington at Carlisle, and several conferences were held, and assurances given of implicit obedience; but the President said that as the troops had been called out, the orders for the march would not be countermanded. The President proceeded forward on the 11th of October to Chambersburg, reached Williamsport on the 13th and Fort Cumberland on the 14th, where he reviewed the Virginia and Maryland forces. and arrived at Bedford on the 19th. Remaining a few days, and being satis- fied that the sentiment of the people had changed. he returned to Philadel- phia, arriving on the 28th, leaving Gen. Lee to meet the commissioners and make such conditions of pacification as should seem just. Another meeting of the committee of safety was held at Parkinson's Ferry on the 24th. at which assurances of abandonnent of opposition to the laws were received, and the same committee, with the addition of Thomas Morton and Ephraim Doug- lass, was directed to return to headquarters and give assurance of this dispo- sition. They did not reach Bedford until after the departure of Washington. But at Uniontown they met Gen. Lee, with whom it was agreed that the citi- zeus of these four counties should subscribe to an oath to support the consti- tution and obey the laws. Justices of the peace issued notices that books were opened for subscribing to the oath, and Gon. Lee issued a judicious address nrging ready obedience. Seeing that all requirements were being

HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA.

faithfully carried out, an order was issued the 17th of November for the re- turn of the army and its disbandment. A number of arrests were made and trials and convictions were had. but all were ultimately pardoned.

With the exception of a slight ebullition at the prospect of a war with France in 1797, and a resistance to the operation of the "homestead tax " in Lehigh, Berks and Northampton counties, when the militia was called out, the remainder of the term of Gov. Mifflin passed in comparative quiet. By an act of the legislature of the 3d of April, 1799, the capital of the State was removed to Lancaster, and soon after the capital of the United States to Washington, the house on Ninth street, which had been built for the residence of the Pres- ident of the United States, passing to the use of the University of Pennsylvania.

During the administrations of Thomas MeKean, who was elected governor in 1799, and Simon Snyder, in 1808, little beyond heated political contests marked the even tenor of the government, until the breaking out of the troubles which eventuated in the war of 1812. Pennsylvania promptly seconded the national government, the message of Gov. Snyder on the occasion ringing like a silver clarion. The national call for 100,000 men required 14,000 from this State, but so great was the enthusiasm that several times this number tendered their services. The State force was organized in two divisions, to the com- mand of the first of which Maj .- Gen. Isaac Morrell was appointed, and to the second Maj. Gen. Adamson Tannehill. Gunboats and privateers were built in the harbor of Erie and on the Delaware, and the defenses upon the latter were put in order and suitable armaments provided. The act which created most alarm to Pennsylvania was one of vandalism scarcely matched in the annals of warfare. In August, 1814. Gen. Ross, with 6,000 men in a flotilla of sixty sail, moved up Chesapeake Bay, fired the capitol, the President's house and the various offices of cabinet ministers, and these costly and substantial build- ings, the national library and all the records of the government from its foundation were utterly destroyed. Shortly afterward, Ross appeared before Bal- timore with the design of multiplying his barbarisms, but he was met by a force hastily collected under Gen. Samuel Smith, a Pennsylvania veteran of the Revo- lution, and in the brief engagement which ensued Ross was killed. In the severe battle with the corps of Gen. Stricker, the British lost some 300 men. The fleet in the meantime commenced a fierce bombardment of Fort McHenry, and during the day and ensuing night 1,500 bombshells were thrown, but all to no purpose, the gallant defense of Maj. Armistead proving successful. It was during this awful night that Maj. Key, who was a prisoner on board the fleet, wrote the song of the Star Spangled Banner, which became the national lyric. It was in the administration of Gov. Snyder in February, 1810, that an act was passed making Harrisburg the seat of government, and a commission raised for erecting public buildings, the sessions of the legislature being held in the court-house at Harrisburg from 1812 to 1821.

The administrations of William Findley, elected in 1817, Joseph Heister, in 1820, and John Andrew Schulz, in 1823, followed without marked events. Par- ties became very warm in their discussions and in their management of political campaigns. The charters for the forty banks which had been passed in a fit of frenzy over the veto of Gov. Snyder set a flood of paper money afloat. The publie improvements, principally in opening lines of canal, were prosecuted, and vast debts incurred. These lines of conveyances were vitally needful to move the immense products and vast resources of the State.

Previous to the year 1820, little use was made of stone coal. Judge Obe- diah Gore, a blacksmith, used it upon his forge as early as 1769, and found the heat stronger and more enduring than that produced by charcoal. In

HINTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA.

VAH Phillip Hinter, of ' Carbon county, a hunter by profession, having on one dermoon been out all day without discovering any game, was returning at night. discouraged and work out, across the Match Chunk mountain when, in the gathering shadon ho stumbled upon something which seemed to have a glaston mg appearance, that he was induced to pick up and carry home. This speci men was taken to Philadelph n, where an nunlysis showed it to be a good qual ity of anthrnette roul But, though coul was known to exist, no one know how to une it in ISI" Col. George Showumker, of Schuylkill county, look nine

But he was looked upon as an imposter for attempting to noll worthless done for cont. He finally sold two loads for the sportation, the romantung seven proving a complete loss. In 1812 W Inte & Hlasned, manufacturers of wird at the Falls of Schuylkill, induced an application to be made to the legislature to scorporo a company for the improvement of the Schus Hall, urging as an inducement the importance it would have for transporting coal, whereupon, the senador from that district, in his place, with an air of knowledge, assorted that. " there was no coal there, that. there was a land of black stone which was called coal, but that it would not. burn " WInte & Hazard procured a court fond of Lohigh coal that cost them St a bunchof, which was all warded in vain attempt to make it ignite. Another on load was obtained, and a whole night spout in endeavoring to make a fire in the furnace, when the hands shut the furnace door and left the mill in dis " Fortunately one of them loft las jacket in the mill, and returning for it in about half an hour, noheed that the door was red hot, and upon opening i, was surprised at finding the whole furnace at a glowing white head. The other hands were aumoned, and four separate pareols of iron were hented and rolled by the same fire before it required renewing. The furnace was replenished, and as letting it alone had succeeded so well, it was concluded to Ity of again, and the experiment was repeated with the same result. The Lolugh Navigation Company and the Lolugh Coal Company were incorporated ISIS, wluch companies became the basis of the dehigh Coal and Navigation In 1590 cont was sent to Philadelphia by artificial navigation, but op tons glutted the market " In Its there were brought by the Schuylkill 5,8, tous In 1828 by the Schuylkill 16,200 tons. and by the Lolugh 81, 50 tous The stage of water boing insufficient, dams and sluttees were constructed near Mauch Chunk, in 1819, by which the navi gation was improved The coal boats used were great square arks, sixteen to Hightoon foot wade, and twenty to twenty five foot long. At first, two of these were joined together by hinges, to allow them to gold up and down in passing over the dans Finally as the boatman became skilled in the navigation. several were formed, attaining a length of 10 fort After reaching Philadel pha. these beats were taken to pieces, the plank sold and the lunges sent back for constructing others Such were the cradle methods adopted in the early days for bringimg coal to a market In 152, a railroad was commenced, which

of one at Quincey, Mass, of four unles, bakt m IN26, was the first constructed the descent was one hundred foot per mile, the coal descending by gravity im a half hour, and the ears were drawn back by males. which rede down with the oval Bitumunions coal was discovered and its qua des attheed not much eather than the anthracite A tract of coal land was Show up in Clearfield county in LESS, by Mr & Boyd, and im 1504 he sent m ark down the Susquehanna to Columbia

During the administrations of George Woll olected in 1529 and loseph Rather elected in 1885, a measure of great benolicence to the State was passed.

HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA.

and brought into a good degree of successful operation nothing less than a broad system of public education. Schools had been early established in Phila delphia, and parochial schools in the more populous portions of the State from the time of early settlement. In 1719, through the influence of Dr. Franklin, a charter was obtained for a "college, academy, and charity school of Pen sylvania," and, from this time to the beginning of the present century, the Friends of education were earnest in establishing colleges, the colonial govern ment, and afterward the legislature, making liberal grants from the revenues acerning from the sale of lands for their support, the University of Pennsyl vania being chartered in 1752, Dickinson College in 1783, Franklin and Mar shall College in 1787, and Jefferson College in 1802. Commencing near the beginning of this century, and continuing for over a period of thirty years, vigorous exertions were put forth to establish county academics. Charters were granted for these institutions at the county seats of forty one counties, and appropriations were made of money, varying from two thousand to six thousand dollars, and in several instances of quite extensive Jand grants. In 1809 an net was passed for the education of the " poor gratis." The asses sors in their annual rounds were to make a record of all such as were indigent, and pay for their education in the most convenient schools .. But few were found among the spirited inhabitants of the commonwealth willing to admit that they were so poor as to be objects of charity.

By the act of April 1, 1831, a general system of education by common schools was established. Unfortunately it was complex and unwieldly. At. the next session an attempt was made to repeal the act, and substitute the old law of 1809 for edneating the " poor gratis." the repeal having been carried in the senate, But through the appeals of Thaddeus Stevens, a man always in the van in every movement for the elevation of mankind, this was defeated. At the next session, 1830, an entirely new bill, di-carding the objectionable features of the old one, was prepared by Dr. George Smith, of Delaware county, and adopted, and from this time forward it has been in efficient opera tion. In 1851 the system was improved by engrafting upon it the feature of the county superintendency, and in 1859 by providing for the establishment of twelve normal schools in as many districts into which the State was divided for the professional training of teachers.

In 1837 a convention assembled in Harrisburg, and subsequently in Phila delphia, for revising the constitution, which revision was adopted by a vote of the people. One of the chief objects of the change was the breaking up of what was known as "omnibus legislation," each bill being required to have but one distinet subject, to be definitely stated in the title. Much of the pat ronage of the governor was taken from him, and he was allowed but two terms of three years in any nine years. The senator's term was fixed at three years. The terms of supreme court judges were limited to fifteen years, common pleas judges to ten, and associate judges to live. A stop backward was taken in limiting suffrage to white malo citizens twenty one years old, it having pre viously been extended to citizens irrespective of color. Amendments could be proposed onee in five years, and if adopted by two successive legislatures, and approved by a vote of the people, they became a part of the organic law.

At the opening of the gubernatorial term of David R. Porter, who was chosen in October, 1838, a civil commotion occurred known as the " Buckshot War, " which at one time threatened a sanguinary result. Fraud in the election returns was alleged, and finally the opposing factions armed for the mainte nance of their claims. Some of them were supplied with buckshot cartridges, hence the name which was given to the contest. It ended without bloodshed.

HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA.

Francis R. Shunk was chosen governor in 1845, and during his term of office the war with Mexico occurred. Two volunteer regiments, one under command of Col. Wynkoop, and the other under Col. Roberts, subsequently under Col. J. W. Geary, were sent to the field, while the services of a much larger number were offered, but could not be received. Toward the close of his first term, having been reduced by sickness, and feeling his end approaching, Gov. Shunk resigned, and was succeeded by the speaker of the senate, William F. Johnston, who was duly chosen at the next annual election. During the administrations of William Bigler, elected in 1851, James Pollock, in 1854. and William F. Packer, in 1857, little beyond the ordinary course of events marked the history of the State. The lines of public works undertaken at the expense of the State were completed. Their cost had been enormous, and a debt was piled up against it of over forty million dollars. These works, vastly expensive, were still to operate and keep in repair, and the revenues therefrom failing to meet expectations, it was determined in the administration of Gov. Pollock to sell them to the highest bidder, the Pennsylvania Railroad Com- pany purchasing them for the sum of seven million five hundred thousand dollars.

In the administration of Gov. Packer petroleum was first discovered in quantities in this country by boring into the bowels of the earth. From the earliest settlement of the country it was known to exist, and it had been gath- ered in small quantities and utilized for various purposes. In 1859 Mr. E. L. Drake, at first representing a company in New York, commenced drilling near a spot where there were surface indications. When the company would give him no more money he strained his own resources and his credit with his friends almost to the breaking point. and when abont to give up in despair finally struck a powerful current of pure oil. From this time forward the ter- ritory down the valley of Oil creek and up all its tributaries was rapidly acquired and developed for oil land. In some places the oil was sent up with immense force at the rate of thousands of barrels each day, and great trouble was experienced in bringing it under control and storing it. In some cases the force of the gas was so powerful on being accidentally fired as to defy all approach for many days, and lighted up the forests at night with billows of light. The oil has been found in paying quantities in Mckean, Warren, Forest, Crawford, Venango, Clarion, Butler and Armstrong counties, chiefly along the upper waters of the Allegheny river and its tributary, the Oil creek. Its transportation has come to be effected by foreing it through great pipe lines, which extend to the great lakes and the seaboard. Its production has grown to be enormous. Since 1859 a grand total of more than three hundred millions of barrels have been prodneed in the Pennsylvania oil fields.

In the fall of 1860, Andrew G. Curtin was elected governor of Pennsyl- vania, and Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States. The war of the great rebellion followed, and in the spring of 1861 Pennsylvania was called on for sixteen regiments, her quota of the 75,000 volunteers that were sum- moned by proclamation of the President. Instead of sixteen, twenty-five regi- ments were organized for the three months' service from Pennsylvania. Judging from the threatening attitude assumed by the rebels across the Potomac that the sonthern frontier would be constantly menaced, Gov. Curtin sought permission to organize a select corps, to consist of thirteen regiments of infantry, one of cavalry, and one of artillery, and to be known as the Penn sylvania Reserve Corps, which the legislature, in special session, granted. This corps of 15,000 men was speedily raised, and the intention of the State authorities was to keep this body permanently within the limits of the com-

HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA.

monwealth for defense. But at the time of the first Bull Run disaster in July. 1861, the national government found itself without troops to even defend the capital, the time of the three months' men being now about to expire, and at its urgent call this fine body was sent forward and never again returned for the execution of the duty for which it was formed, having borne the brunt of the fighting on many a hard-fought field during the three years of its service.

In addition to the volunteer troops furnished in response to the several calls of the President, upon the occasion of the rebel invasion of Maryland in September, 1862, Gov. Curtin called 50,000 men for the emergency, and, though the time was very brief, 25,000 came, were organized under command of Gen. John F. Reynolds, and were marched to the border. But the battle of Antie. tam, fought on the 17th of September, caused the enemy to beat a hasty retreat, and the border was relieved, when the emergency troops were dis- banded and returned to their homes. On the 19th of October Gen. J. E. B. Stewart, of the rebel army, with 1,800 horsemen under command of Hampton, Lee and Jones, crossed the Potomac and made directly for Chambersburg. arriving after dark. Not waiting for morning to attack, he sent in a flag of truce demanding the surrender of the town. There were 275 Union soldiers in hospital, whom he paroled. During the night the troopers were busy picking up horses-swapping horses perhaps it should be called-and the morning saw them early on the move. The rear guard gave notice before leaving to remove all families from the neighborhood of the public buildings, as they intended to fire them. There was a large amount of fixed ammunition in them, which had been captured from Longstreet's train, besides government stores of shoes. clothing and muskets. At 11 o'clock the station-house, round-house, railroad machine shops and warehouses were fired and consigned to destruction. The fire department was promptly out; but it was dangerous to approach the burn- ing buildings on account of the ammunition, and all perished.

The year 1862 was one of intense excitement and activity. From about the 1st of May, 1861, to the end of 1862, there were recruited in the State of Pennsylvania 111 regiments, including eleven of cavalry and three of artillery, for three years service; twenty-five regiments for three months: seventeen for nine months; fifteen of drafted militia, and twenty-five called out for the emergency; an aggregate of 193 regiments-a grand total of over 200,000 men-a great army in itself.

In June, 1863, Gen. Robert E. Lee, with his entire army of Northern Vir- ginia, invaded Pennsylvania. The army of the Potomac, under Gen. Joseph Hooker, followed. The latter was superseded on the 28th of June by Gen. George G. Meade. The vangnards of the army met a mile or so out of Gettys- burg on the Chambersburg pike on the morning of the 1st of July. Hill's corps of the rebel army was held in check by the sturdy fighting of a small division of cavalry under Gen. Buford until 10 o'clock, when Gen. Reynolds came to his relief with the first corps. While bringing his forces into action, Reynolds was killed, and the command devolved on Gen. Abner Double- day, and the fighting became terrible, the Union forces being greatly outnum- bered. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon the eleventh corps, Gen. O. O. Howard. came to the support of the first. But now the corps of Ewell had joined hands with Hill, and a full two-thirds of the entire rebel army was on the field. opposed by only the two weak Union corps, in an inferior position. A sturdy fight was however maintained until 5 o'clock, when the Union forces withdrew through the town, and took position npon rising ground covering the Baltimore pike. During the night the entire Union army came up. with the exception of the sixth corps, and took position: and at 2 o'clock in the morning Gen. Meade

HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA.

and staff came on the field. During the morning hours, and until 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the two armies were getting into position for the desperate struggle. The third corps, Gen. Sickles, occupied the extreme left, his corps abutting on the Little Round Top at the Devil's Den, and reaching, en echelon, through the rugged ground to the Peach Orchard, and thence along the Emmittsburg pike, where it joined the second corps, Gen. Hancock, reach - ing over Cemetery Hill, the eleventh corps, Gen. Howard, the first. Gen. Doubleday, and the twelfth, Gen. Slocum, reaching across Culp's Hill-the whole being crescent shaped. To this formation the rebel army conformed, Longstreet opposite the Union left, Hill opposite the center, and Ewell opposite the Union right. At 4 P. M. the battle was opened by Longstreet, on the ex- treme left of Sickles, and the fighting became terrific, the rebels making stren- nous efforts to gain Little Round Top. But at the opportune moment a part of the fifth corps, Gen. Sykes, was brought upon that key position, and it was saved to the Union side. The slaughter in front of Round Top at the wheat- field and the Peach Orchard was fearful. The third corps was driven back from its advanced position, and its commander, Gen. Sickles, was wounded, losing a leg. In a more contracted position, the Union line was made secure, where it rested for the night. Just at dusk the Louisiana Tigers, some 1, 800 men, made a desperate charge on Cemetery Hill, emerging suddenly from a hillock just back of the town. The struggle was desperate, but the Tigers being weakened by the fire of the artillery, and by the infantry crouching be- hind the stone wall, the onset was checked, and Carroll's brigade, of the sec- ond corps, coming to the rescue, they were finally beaten back, terribly deci- mated. At about the same time a portion of Ewell's corps made an advance on the extreme Union right, at a point where the troops had been withdrawn to send to the support of Sickles, and unopposed gained the extremity of Culp's Hill, pushing through nearly to the Baltimore pike, in dangerous proximity to the reserve artillery and trains, and even the headquarters of the Union com- mander. But in their attempt to roll up the Union right they were met by Green's brigade of the twelfth corps, and by desperate fighting their further progress was stayed. Thus ended the battle of the second day. The Union left and right had been sorely jammed and pushed back.

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Author: Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.) comp. cn; J.H. Beers & Co., pub Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 1320

Author: Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.) comp. cn; J.H. Beers & Co., pub
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1320