Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I, Part 106

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 930

USA > Pennsylvania > Indiana County > Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I > Part 106

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The town was made a borough in 1855 by an act of the Legislature, and the first burgess was Dr. W. A. Piatt. The place is now a thriving borongh of about 600 population, having two railroads, the Cherrytree & Dixon- ville, or Pennsylvania Railroad, from Cresson and the New York Central, extending from Clearfield to Heilwood, both in a community of interest road, connecting at Clymer, Pa., with the Indiana Street Railway trolley line, giving access to the county seat. Indiana, for the eastern part of the county.

Just above this town on what is now the McKeage property there lived a man by the name of G. M. Gamble, who was a "con-

station being between that of Robert Mit- chell's on Twoliek creek, at what is now Mitchell's Mills, and that of George Atche- son, just above Burnside on the Susquehanna river. The next station north of Atcheson's was up Cush creek to that of Samuel Rank's and his son George, who conducted their "passengers" (always at night) to a point on the Mahoning waters that is now called Nicholtown, where they were met by other friends of the African and taken to the Work settlement, north of Marion center. At the time this "railroad" was in operation no one could tell, or would tell, its termini. All that the conductors themselves or the "pas- sengers" knew was that the line began "away down South, in the fields of cotton" and ended somewhere up in Canada. At this late day much less can be found out concern- ing it. While these conductors knew they were violating the laws of the land, they recognized a higher power, to which they were subject, and frequently prayed for the fugi- tives. and especially for the rulers of our land, giving the slaves out of their seanty means money, food and clothing. George Atcheson used to chuckle and say, "Indade, and indade, they can bate (beat) us down in Congress, but they can't bate us back here on Cush creek."

There are now here a new Pennsylvania railroad passenger station; a modern four- room brick school building: First National Bank: Cherrytree Iron Works, Schade & Moser, owners; New York Central & Hudson Railroad yards: MeKeage Roller Flouring Mill : Hawes Bros. department store: Dr. Peterman's drug store; McCormick's hard- ware store: Johnson's livery stable; hotel, "Cherry Tree Inn." O. C. Lonsberry, proprie- tor: post office, Joseph Sechler, postmaster, from which office there are three rural free delivery rontes.

First National Bank of Cherrytree .- Cherrytree has one good bank, the First National, which began business in November, 1903. The original capital was $25.000, but in 1904 this was increased to $50.000. The surplus (all earned ) is $75.000 and undivided profits $5,000. Deposits run from $575,000 to $600,000, and the total assets amount to about $775,000.

The president of the bank is E. W. Smith; vice president, J. C. Leasure; cashier, Frank Finsthwait. These gentlemen and the follow- ing constitute the board of directors: William McKeage, W. T. Mahaffey. B. W. Kinports,

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

B. W. Hawes. Three of the original directors Brickley, Books, Byers, Crossman, Davis, have died in the last few years, namely: Hughes, Hollister, King, Lovelace, Wilson, Patrick, Pittman, Tonkin, Sechler, Breth, Reed, Ginter, Nugent, Hadden, and others.

Porter Kinports, the first president, Vincent Tonkin, the first vice president, and W. M. Williams.

The bank building is a handsome new brick structure 132 by 132 feet, located on one of the most prominent corners of the town. The first floor is occupied by the banking room school at Indiana, Pa., was opened and caused and a fine drug store, while the second is di- vided up into eleven large rooms.

There is an Odd Fellows Lodge, No. 417, members of which meet weekly in their own building.

The church organizations in this town are Presbyterian, Methodist Episcopal, Methodist Protestant, all with church edifices, and there is an Evangelical Church at Stifflertown,

CHAPTER XXXIX

PINE TOWNSHIP

Pine township was formed from Wheat- in a beautiful country, and has supported field in 1850, and in 1870 had a population some very good select schools. of 921, in 1910, 2,563. This township is among the lumbering districts of the county. Among the early settlers were Hugh Donahue, F. Mulvehill, Johnson Leonard, James Mc- Caffery, John Okea. It was thus named for the extensive forests of pine within its bor- ders.

Strongstown was patented in 1823 by John Evans for James Strong and James Hill. The first three houses were erected by Mr. Strong. The first was occupied by Thomas Stophel as a cabinet shop. The second was used by Mrs. Fannie Douthard as a residence and the third was owned by T. H. Cresswell.

Nolo and Strongstown are located on the pike leading from Ebensburg to Indiana. Strongstown was an industrial center in the lumber business for many years. For a long time the people for miles around went to Strongstown to get their mail, especially on Saturday. It was a great loafing place for the people in that section, and it was not an uncommon thing to see several fights there on a Saturday evening. At that time they had the licensed hotel, which was well patron- ized. Things have taken a turn there, and the usual number of stores are there, but not the fighting and whiskey. The town is located

Nolo was called the "stone house" until 1858, when the post office of Nolo was estab- lished with W. F. Lydick as postmaster. For several years, prior to 1858, there had been a store kept at the stone house by Samuel Todd, James Sutton, Watts & Thompson, and S. Golden & Co. George Orner came to Indiana county about 1847, and located north of Strongstown. He was a shoemaker by trade, but gave up the trade and engaged in farm- ing and lumbering. He invested in timber- land and in 1853 he and his son Ephraim erected a sawmill ou their timberland in Pine township on Dutch run, where for many years they manufactured all kinds of lumber. John Coy, father of Lewis Coy, who first settled in Brushvalley township in 1820, came to Pine township in 1822. Evan Griffith, the father of S. B. Griffith, now of Indiana, Pa., settled where Dilltown now stands, and in a few years moved on what is now the mon- astery farm. They remained there a short time and about 1827 located on the Griffith farm near Grisemore.

The township is not very well watered. The streams are Yellow creek, Little Yellow creek and Dutch run. At one time there were some fine tracts of timber in Pine township. Much

Prominently engaged in business and con- nected with the history of this town during the lumbering period, reaching to about the year 1890, were the following family names: Camp, Kinport, McCormick, McCreary, Harter, Brilhart, McKeage, Clark, Notley, Pitts, Sebring, Douglas, Berringer, Grumb- ling, Needler, Stiffler, Conner, Boring, John- son, Patchen, Moore, Baker, Wissinger, Clearfield county, adjoining Cherrytree.

By an act of the Assembly in 1868 Cherry- tree Male and Female College was founded with a capital stock of $10,000 and was in progress up to 1875, when the State normal

the abandonment of the project. Judge S. J. Telford was at one time principal of this institution.

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

of it has been manufactured and hauled to output is in the neighborhood of 4,000 tons Indiana, Cherrytree, Johnstown, Armagh of coal per day. The plant is operated from one power house, which produces 2,000 horse power electric and steam energy to operate the several mines, light the town and furnish same with water. and towns along the Pennsylvania railroad on the Conemaugh. Building material, shingles and fencing boards were manufac- tured in abundance.

While there were a number of poor living in this township, the majority of the early settlers were well-to-do. In the northern part of the township lived the Williams and the Griffiths families, Welsh people who were very industrious, and since manufacturing their timber they have been farming and rais- ing stock extensively. In the central part of the township and in the vicinity of the mon- astery, are many Irish Catholics. They are an honest, industrious people and have always been in accord with all movements of ad- vancement. The writer is well acquainted with the Maloys, Mulvehills, Downeys, Burns, Leonards, Fairbaughs and Hamills, and from personal knowledge knows that they have been interested in good schools.

In the last few years special interest has been manifested in the public schools of Pine township. The ungraded schoolhouses have been placed in good condition, and the graded school at Heilwood is one of the best in the county. Pine is the only township in Indiana county that supports a township high school. Last year was the beginning of the high school, and two young men were graduated. The residents of the town have taken special interest in making it progressive. It is not without sport, having one of the best base- ball teams in the county.

Heilwood .- The town of Heilwood was started in 1904, by J. H. Weaver & Co., who opened up three mining operations in Pine township, Indiana county, and which mines are tapped by the Cherrytree & Dixonville railroad, owned conjointly by the Pennsyl- vania Railroad Company, and the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad Company, over which the tonnage from the several · mines is shipped. Development work pro- ceeded until 1906, at which time the Penn- Mary Coal Company purchased from J. H. Weaver & Co. their holdings in Pine town- ship and improved and enlarged same to such extent that to-day it is one of the large coal producing districts of the county. When the latter company purchased the operations they secured the services of H. P. Dowler to act as general superintendent, and he has had charge ever since. Up to this time five new mines, making eight in all, have been opened and developed to such extent that the present

The town, proper, located on a high pla- teau, with wide streets lined with shade trees, has a population of over 2,400 and has over 400 honses, with electric lights and pure water from artesian wells in each house; Pro- testant and Catholic Churches were built by . the company, who also erected a hotel, public and high schools, amusement hall and private hospital, were maintained for the benefit of their employees. The Heilwood Company, a separate corporation, own and operate large department stores. The hospital has proved to be a philanthropie and most efficient in- stallation of this broad-minded company. The Heilwood Inn, Charles Nollenberger, proprietor, is a place where the traveling public feel at home, and have the best service possible measured out to them, together with the hospitality so characteristic of the host and hostess.

The sanitation of the town of Heilwood has set the pace for many of the other mining towns throughout the State, due to the fact that every precaution and preventative is used against the ailments and ills that may attack the people. In addition to this, first aid and mine resene teams and stations are maintained to prevent injuries, and to care for same should they occur. The mines are equipped with all the latest appliances for the safety and convenience of the employees. Owing to the healthful location and high elevation (1,800 feet above sea level), and fine water supply, the town is considered one of the most sanitary and healthful in central Pennsylvania and is so recognized by the officers of the State board of health.

The Penn-Mary Coal Company owns and controls 15,000 acres of coal land in this im- mediate vicinity, which speaks well for the future of the locality. The operations are in direct charge of H. P. Dowler, general sup- erintendent, with Harry Kalloway as assist- ant superintendent. The hospital has been very ably handled by Dr. R. F. MeHenry, with Dr. J. C. Gourley as assistant, while the Heil- wood Company store is managed by J. M. Thompson, who has proved himself an efficient and capable manager. The casual visitor is impressed with the fact that the several de- partments of this progressive town are work-

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

ing together for the best interests of the com- pany and their employees.

Penn-Mary Hospital .- In 1905, when there were but forty houses in the town, a hospital was started by Dr. R. F. McHenry in a miner's shanty of three rooms, and was soon moved to a small house now used as a garage. It was afterwards moved to a seven-room dwell- ing, where it remained until October, 1909, when it was moved into the new hospital building, which is located on one of the most beautiful spots in Indiana county. The site is at an elevation of 1,800 feet, on a level land- scape which overlooks the country for miles around. From every point of view the loca- The sterilizing room is equipped with a tion is ideal. The building was erected at a sterilizing plant, modern in every particular. cost of $25,000 by the Penn-Mary Coal Com- The hospital is equipped with a modern X- ray machine and other electric apparatus for practical electro-therapeutic treatment. pany. The inside furnishings are plain oak in natural color. The building is plastered with number one imported Keen's cement, baseboards being of same material. The cor- ners are all rounded-not a right-angled cor- ner in the building.

The building was furnished by money saved from the assessment of the miners and citizens. This assessment started in 1905 at ten cents per month. In 1906 the superin- tendent, H. P. Dowler, of the coal company, raised the assessment to twenty cents a month, and again in 1909 it was raised to forty cents a month. The first two assessments were for the benefit of the injured miners, while the assessment of forty cents a month covers both accident and sickness of all employees of the company and their families, without any other charges. Outsiders are charged for ward services one dollar per day, services of physician additional. Private rooms are fif- teen dollars per week, services of physician and private nurse additional.

There are two wards and four private rooms. Twenty-four are accomodated in the wards and four in the private rooms, but the private rooms are sufficiently large to ac- comodate eight.

At the front entrance is a large waiting room for American people and a nurse's office. The physicians' room, nurses' office, dining room and living rooms are fitted out with plain oak. The balance of the building is furnished with sanitary steel enameled furniture. All doors are four feet wide and made of sanitary enameled oak. All fixtures are brass or nickel, perfectly plain.

The heat is the most modern hot water system attainable. Sterilizers for the operating rooms and typhoid sterilizers are equipped with fifteen-horse power high steam pressure boiler, which also supplies the high pressure steam to the laundry, which is arranged for the immediate sterilization of soiled linens, or any other material belonging to this de- partment. The laundry equipment is modern in every particular and is sufficient to take care of a hospital double this capacity. All materials leaving this department are not only cleansed but sterilized before returned to service.

The operating room is equipped with the most modern furniture obtainable. It is well lighted and can be heated to 90 degrees Fahrenheit in zero weather, without raising the temperature of the remainder of the build- ing above a normal condition.

Off the operating room is an etherizing room which is perfectly plain. In this room all anaestheties are started, thus avoiding all shock to the patient from sight of instru- ments, or by preparation in the operating room.

In structure, arrangement, furnishing and management the beautiful cased brick building is worthy of the highest commend- ation and is a monument that will stand to the credit of its promotors in years to come. It is the first building erected solely for hospital purposes in Indiana county.

The Heilwood Dairy .- In connection with a general merchandise business, the Heilwood Company, of Heilwood, Pa. (having leased from the Penn-Mary Coal Company for a period of twenty years some four hundred acres of farm land), has inaugurated a milk business that is modern in every particular, having erected on this land a dairy plant with all modern improvements. The cow barn, 40 by 130, is finished with concrete floors and feeding troughs and fitted with steel stalls and stanchions. Drinking water can be turned into the concrete troughs any time. The second floor is divided in two compart- ments, one for hay and straw and the other for feed. On the one side are twin silos, each holding 150 tons of ensilage and connected by an entry with the barn proper. Between the main barn and the milk honse an entry

The building has modern equipment of electric lights which are detachable and trans- ferable, the light being furnished from the power plant at the works of the coal company. way 8 by 14 contains room for milkers to

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

change clothes and a room containing milk stream of fresh water at a temperature of scales and lavatory.

Barn No. 2 is an emergency building, con- taining boiler room, coal bins and six hig stalls for siek cows. The entire plant is lighted with electricity. The cooling room in the the cooling process it drops slowly through milkhouse is kept at an even temperature hy the ammonia system of cooling.

The herd at present consists of Holstein- Friesian cattle, and, as the plant is just new, it is altogether probable that after the weed- ing out process has been gone through and the herd well balanced, the production will inerease gradually. In conversation with Mr. Blackburn, the superintendent in charge, he states: "Our aim is to furnish our people with a necessary product at a minimum cost, and we to-day are selling our milk at the low- est price known in the State of Pennsylvania for the kind."

The production of certified milk is a com- paratively small industry, still in its infaney, but in the vicinity of large cities this will soon be the leading class of milk sold. The retail price of certified milk in Philadelphia and Pittsburg is 15 eents per quart, while commercial milk sells at 8 cents per quart. Absolute cleanliness at every stage marks the protection of certified milk. First of all the cows must be free from disease. They are tuberculin tested and passed as perfectly healthy animals by official veterinarians ree- ommended by the dairy division of the depart- ment of agriculture at Harrisburg, Pa. Any cow found to be diseased is immediately iso- lated, and if the disease is found to be in ad- vanced stage is killed at once. Barns must be sanitary in construction, well ventilated and elean. Cleanliness in this connection means the absence of any contaminating filth daily. It means expensive and responsible labor. too. Pure running water must be accessible at all times and only persons of good health and elean habits should be allowed to work in the milkroom. All milkers are required to wear elean white duck snits when milking. When a cow freshens, all the long hairs are clipped from the ndder, inside of hind legs and part of the tail. Before milking the udders are washed clean with warm water, and all milk- ing is done in sanitary pails having two layers of strainer cloth over the top.

Each cow's milk is weighed at once and the milk is emptied in a large funnel which conveys it through to the cooling machine. In this funnel is a large amount of absorbent cotton through which the milk filters into the cooler. Through the cooler is a continuons

45' Fahrenheit, which eliminates the animal heat from the milk and prevents the multipli- cation of the bacteria which cause the disease germs in milk. When the milk passes through two or more layers of ganze or strainer eloth and goes into the bottling machine through a wire strainer cloth. This is the fourth time the milk is strained, and it is now bottled in sterilized bottles. It is then put in the cool- ing room and an even temperature, and de- livered to consumer in a condition that will keep it sweet and pure for twice the length of time that common milk ean be kept. On a test the Heilwood Dairy shows an average of 4.4 of butter fats, which is very good qual- ity. Certified milk is required to have over 3.5 of butter fats. It must be free from any disease germs and contain only the harm- less germs natural to all milk. These germs multiply very rapidly when the animal heat is retained in the milk and when exposed in open vessels. This is what causes milk to sour quiekly. It is known that commercial milk contains ten times the germs that would be found in certified milk.

All pails and utensils used in the handling of the milk are sterilized daily in live steam, even to the milking stools. Ventilation is se- eured hy the King system. Each cow stands on cork brick floor covered with sawdust. Once a day cows are curried and brushed and litter and bedding removed. Eventually the floor will be covered daily with sprinkling of land plaster or cheap lime as a deoderizer or disinfectant, this to be removed with the litter.

The cows are milked early in the morning and late in the afternoon, with udders cleanly washed, and the men themselves observing every rule of personal cleanliness, washing their hands after each cow is milked. Stools and pails are sterilized. The milk being milked into small monthed pails through sev- eral layers of sterilized gauze, the only chance for it to acquire germs is when passing through the air into the pails. It is conclu- sive under these conditions the degree of eon- tamination is unimportant.

This dairy has the hearty indorsement of the home physicians on its "baby" milk. Two eows running low in butter fats are set aside and fed a special diet free of anything strong, and this milk is marketed especially for babies or invalids. For this 10 cents per quart is charged.

It is not surprising that a great deal of

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

common or commercial milk is unwholesome. tors, Thomas Davis, James Nesbit, Samuel Certainly the price for which it is sold in the Conrad; school directors, Henry Wyke, Lewis Coy, Joseph Bryan, Thomas H. Bracken, Adam Lowry, William Hill; township clerk, Reuben W. Mervine; overseers of the poor, William Graham and Barney McCaffery ; judge of election, Samuel Mardis; inspectors, George Wike and Adam George; election offi- cers-judge, William Hill; inspectors, Wil- liam Graham and Francis Mulvehill. country would not encourage the producer to be very enthusiastic about making it scien- tifically pure. The price some sell at must force economies which preclude the practice of efficient sanitation. The Heilwood Dairy not being in business long enough to give the net cost per quart of its product, but detailed monthly files are now being arranged, from which will be known the exact cost of each bottle marketed.

The first election of Pine township was held in the schoolhouse at Strongstown March 15, 1850, when the following officers were elected : Justices of the peace, Maj. James Stewart and Thomas Stophel; constable, Thomas H. Cris- well; assessor, Thomas H. Bracken; super- visors, Daniel Cameron and John Fink ; audi-

The assessor's book for 1913 shows the fol- lowing in Pine township: Number and value of horses assessed, 254-$6,075; number and value of cows assessed, 244-$3,592; taxables, 875; taxable real estate, $349,461; acres of cleared land, 14,826; acres of timberland, 4,122; money at interest, $55,728.64; cost of assessment, $53.52.

CHAPTER XL RAYNE TOWNSHIP

Rayne township was formed from Wash- Senecas assisted in building the Shoenberger ington and Green townships in 1847, and in house on the Robert Little farm. This evi- 1870 had a population of 1,731, and in 1910, dence is conclusive, and we have yet to learn of any murders committed in this neighbor- hood by this band after the Revolution. 3,485. The soil is a sandy loam and is adapted to grain and stock growing which, aside from mining, is the chief employment. Coal and iron are found in abundance.

The township was so called for Robert Rayne, an early settler on the run which bears his name. The blockhouse on the John Thompson (David K. Thompson) farm was erected in 1790, and torn away in 1811. The names, so far as known, of those engaged in its construction were: Jacob Hess, Henry and Jacob Shallenberger, Ezekiel and Elisha Chambers, James McKee, John Stuchell, Timothy O'Neil, and a few others. The building was originally about 80 feet long, 30 feet wide and two stories in height, and small round logs were used in its construc- tion. It had two ranges of portholes. The brush and lumber were cut off and it was surrounded by a stockade about 10 feet in height, made of sharpened poles driven in the ground. The building was nearly a ruin when John Thompson came to it in 1801. He removed the stockade and used part of the house to repair the remaining portion. We cannot learn that this blockhouse was ever attacked, and we have learned from com- petent sources that the Cornplanter tribe of

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Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I, Part 106

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 930

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 930