Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I, Part 95

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 95

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).

The assessor's book for 1913 shows the fol- lowing: Number and value of horses assessed, 50-$1,778; number and value of cows as- sessed, 21-$409; taxables, 404; taxable real estate. $225,985; money at interest, $66 .- 872.12; cost of assessment, $32.86.

own power plant. The interior is painted snow white and all the wires and cables are embedded in metallic conduits, thus insur- ing safety and improving the appearance of the interior. The power plant consists of a four-cylinder automatic gas engine, con- nected direct with a three-phase generator. This not only furnishes the power for driving the 335 horse-power motors distributed in the various buildings, but also for the electric lights through the interior. The woodwork- ing department has modern high speed equip- ment of the largest size and capacity and a 36 by 24 in. band resaw, planers, moulders.

Prairie State Inenbator Company .- Twen- ty-five years ago this famous plant was started by Hon. A. F. Cooper. It was a suc- cess from the start and the incubators were sold in all parts of the United States, and in foreign lands. Afterward J. L. Nix was matchers, automatic rip saws, automatic lathes, taken in as partner, and later he purchased sanders, nailing machines, and, in fact, every modern device for working wood accurately and at the lowest possible cost. The sheet the interest of A. F. Cooper also. On August 10, 1911, when the factory force were all nicely started on their usual day's work, fire metal department is equipped with a full line broke out in the main building and com- of Bliss and Toledo stamping presses. All the

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

lamps, regulators and thermostats and sheet business. The saving afforded on this one metal parts are manufactured by machinery, item alone amounts to 5 per cent. of the plant's entire investment. and thus the slow expensive hand work is all eliminated, and one article is just like the other, insuring that one part or one attach- ment is equally as perfect as the other.

The Prairie State Incubator plant is thus the most modern and best equipped incubator plant in the world and has a capacity of five carloads per day, and the output is shipped to all parts of the known world. This beauti- ful and substantial plant is a lasting monu- ment to the energy and perseverance of the inventor of Prairie State Incubators, Mr. James Love Nix, who thirty years ago, on a farm in southern Illinois, produced a machine

While the factory buildings are absolutely fire proof, the contents will burn, and as no fire protection is provided by the village the company have put up a complete waterworks of their own. Upon a hill eighteen hundred feet away a concrete reservoir has been built, having a capacity of 260,000 gallons, with an elevation of 225 feet above the plant. An 8- which from that time to the present has inch main connects the reservoir with the always been recognized as the most perfect yard hydrants and a sprinkling system inside solution of artificial incubation ever produced. the buildings insure protection. This system Mr. Nix has given his constant and undivided attention to every detail of the plans and erec- tion of this factory, which accounts for its maintains a constant gravity pressure of over 90 pounds per square inch. The perfection of its fire system makes possible the lowest in- thorough equipment and successful com- surance rate of any plant in a similar line of pletion.

CHAPTER XXX

CHERRYHILL TOWNSHIP-CLYMER BOROUGH

Cherryhill township was formed from safe for him to venture such an addition to the Green and Brushvalley townships in 1854. In acres he already had. The agent divided it . 1870 it had a population of 1,976, and in 1910 into small tracts and sold it out." This tract the population was 2,198, not including Cly- could not be bought now for less than mer borough, which had a population of 1,753. $100,000.

The soil is a sandy loam, and is well adapted to farming and stock growing. The minerals are coal, lime and iron. It received its name from "Cherryhill Manor," surveyed to the Penns. Rev. Thomas W. Stephens describes this tract as follows :

"There was a tract of land lying near the center of what was called Green township, in 1823 called Penn's Manor. It contained about 1,300 acres. The line of my father's place was along it for about one mile. There were sev- eral settlers on it when we went into the cabin on the Johnston place. Some of them had been there nearly long enough to keep it by settlement right of twenty-one years, but the heirs of William Penn were watching them. They sent an agent to have it divided into suitable parts for sale. When he came, he stopped at my father's house and made ar- rangements for his lodging while he would be at the job. After seeing around and over it he proposed to sell the whole thing to my father for $3.50 per acre, which would have amounted to $4,500. Father didn't think it

Old settlers of the township were: John Lydick, who settled on what is now known as the McGaughey farm, was driven away by the Indians three times, and the last time was gone seven years (he and his wife were na- tives of Ireland and emigrated to America with the Penns) ; James Moorhead, who was a great-grandson of the pioneer, Fergus Moor- head; James M. Barr, who occupied the farm now owned by George Stephens; W. H. Cole- man, who was born on the "Manor" in 1815; William Fowler, who settled on land adjoin- ing the "Manor," in 1806, coming from Cum- berland county ; John Martin, who settled in 1814 on the farm now owned by W. J. Had- den; Shadrach Stephens, who settled on Yel- low creek on land afterwards owned by Peter Coy, in 1805; William Stephens, father of Rev. Thomas W. Stephens, who settled on the "Manor" on part of the farm now owned by George Stephens; Samuel McKendrick, who in 1828 settled on the "clay pike" near "Lapsley Tavern"; John Ray, who came from Ireland and settled on the "Manor"

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

about 1816; James Simpson, who came from very tired of it. She said she didn't like that East Mahoning township in 1823; George Wike, the first of the Wike family, who set- tled here about 1819 (the oldest pioneer of the name was Heury Wike) ; John Howearth, who settled in Cherryhill at a point on Two- lick creek, known as Howearths Mills; John Evans, who settled where Greenville now stands, in 1804.

The site of one of the first schoolhouses in the township was about one mile west of Greenville on the Moorhead farm, which was occupied by Francis Lockard about 1810. It is on the Kittanning trail. The spring was an Indian watering place, as the trail deviates from its course to the spring.

The following gives some of the trials of the early settlers as told in an interesting way by Rev. Thomas W. Stephens, of Cherryhill town- ship : "On the trip over the Allegheny Moun- tains to our western home, for it was called 'The West' at that time-but perhaps the next one you would hear speak of it would say 'the backwoods,' and truly it was backwoods ; it was one broad forest after another for fifty miles over stones and over creek, not a bridge to be seen on the way. But by and by we ar- rived at our destination, a little one-story log house with clapboard roof and a small kitchen adjoining, built of the same materials, and this kitchen was to be our home for the win- ter-kitchen, dining-room, bed-room and par- lor, all four in one. The other room was occupied by an old Irish couple named John- son and their daughter, Jane. They were to have it until spring. But I return to our first spring in the 'backwoods.' Father had The farm occupied by Samuel Hendricks in 1828, on the clay pike near the Lapsley farm, was surveyed as vacant land in 1795 by John Evans for James Simpson, and contained 400 acres. It is near Twolick creek on the Indian path diverging from the Kittanning trail at the Brown farm. It was a wild place in 1839, there being only a cabin built by the Lockards, and a small clearing. A panther killed Me- Kendricks' dog after they came on the place. On the farm of the pioneer Samuel Ralston. on the pike five miles east of Indiana, was kept a hotel for many years. The property was first settled by William MeSweeny. The building was erected about 1830 and for many years was well patronized by drovers and wagoners. The Kittanning war trail passes nearly the entire length of the farm. On the Campbell farm, now occupied by John Camp- bell, settled by a man by the name of Fergu- son about 1803, a log hotel was erected in paid what money he had on the land and there was $300 due, and grain scarce, and hard to get. As an evidence of the condition of things at that time in this country, my father had been securing some grain to do us until we could raise some. Moses Campbell, who lived about two miles from us, heard that the Eng- lish government was giving 100 acres of land to every man that would settle in Canada and 100 for each son he had; and he got the Can- ada fever so bad that he offered father $5.00 for three bushels of rye that he had bought for his own use. Campbell wanted it for horse feed on his journey to Canada. Wheat was very scarce. Corn could be raised much sooner than wheat, so we had to eat corn cakes very often and pone, as the corn loaf was called. Sometimes we could get a fat deer or bear, and then the most of us could eat corn cooked in any way with good gravy, but my sister, who was younger than I, got 1805 or 1806. It was 20 by 30 feet, with a

'mushi bread.' The mush was not quite as good as if we had milk to take it with, but father got his shop up, and by saving a little money from time to time he managed to get enough to buy a cow. She was a good one, but she must have salt. Father had to pay $4.00 per bushel for the first salt he got in the ‘back- woods,' and $12.00 for the first barrel. The cow was the only beast we had for some time except a dog, and he was almost as necessary as the cow, because of the bear, the wolf, the wildcat, the panther and the racoon. Deer and turkey equally plenty, and some of them were quite an advantage to the pioncer set- tlers. A case or two will make it clear.

"My father and his brother built one of the first sawmills in this part of the country. It was only two miles from home to the place of building the mill. Father took his rifle with him as he went to and fro from his work. That summer, in going and coming, he shot seven- teen deer at twenty shots. We had plenty of fresh meat that summer. The bears and coons were usually fat in the fall, and any man that had a good dog and a good gun, and could manage them, could have oil enough for the lamps all winter. My mother rendered twenty- one tinfuls out of one bear. Bears would some- times kill the hogs, but the hunters usually kept even with them. My father and William Frazer, an old hunter, went out with their dogs on one occasion for a special bear hunt to return when they were tired of hunting. They were out two days and a half, and killed nine bears."

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

"lean-to" on one side. Samuel Reed kept the hotel and had a smith shop. Travelers used to drive early and late to reach this point, which was on an old State road located nearly on the line of the Kittanning trail. There was two or three cabins on the tract prior to Reed's settlement in 1805. A storm in the winter of 1879-1880 unroofed the old tavern. In early days it was a good hunting ground, part of which was called "Plum Thicket," and there were evidences of an Indian battle on the ground. The tavern was noted for the fights that occurred there. An orchard was planted on the farm in 1805 or 1806, and part of it is still bearing.

Thomas Askins emigrated from Ireland and settled in the township about 1805. He worked in a brickyard in Philadelphia until he paid for his farm. He built a sawmill on the tract in 1822, and others have been erected on the site since. William Murphy, in 1870, started a woolen factory on Twolick, below the present site of Diamondville, in a building erected for a foundry by Spalding & Farren. James Knabb in 1870 built a sawmill on Laurel run, near the edge of Pine township on the site of one built by John Coy in 1841. In 1847 Alex- ander Stuchell engaged in the furniture, undertaking and cabinet business in Green- ville. He used water for power, after six years introducing a 15-foot overshot wheel.

Benjamin Long and Charles Burnheimer began the manufacture of threshing machines in Diamondville in 1858 and continued for five years. Mr. Long conducted the business until 1873, when H. C. Sickenberger became a junior member of the firm, and the making of fanning mills was added. In 1876 they manufactured 140 fanning mills, and in 1878 they made eight single and double strap threshing machines. They have produced ten threshing machines in one season. The "Key- stone Fanning Mill," invented and manufac- tured by them, is well and favorably known in this section.

A gristmill built by Joseph Widdowson was bought by John Houk and Mrs. Dorcas Houk in 1877. It was the place of the settlement of the Widdowsons about 1820. The mill in later years was run by steam power, having a 40-horse power engine, two rows of burrs, and a capacity of one hundred bushels per day.

At one time there was a greater majority of Republicans in this township than in any other township of the county. It has fur- nished its share of county and state officials. Dr. Robert Mitchell was a member of the Legislature for six years. Dr. Thomas Mc- Mullen was assemblyman for two years. Wil- liam Evans served three terms in the State Legislature and one term as sheriff of the county, as county surveyor, and clerk in the land office at Harrisburg for ten years. Fred- erick Cameron was county commissioner, one term; John G. Cameron, one term; Johnston Moorhead, one term.

The following are the old people who still live in the township: Mrs. Eliza Houston, widow of John Houston, daughter of John A. Jamison; Clarissa Empfield, mother of C. W. Empfield ; Richard D. McGaughey ; Andrew Lydick; James Fowler; Rev. Joseph Holsop- ple; William Fair; William Householder; Mrs. William Lydick; J. M. Bartlebaugh ; H. F. Burkeypile; Milton Carney; S. J. Chap- man; Henry Golden; Henry James Simpson ; Matthew Stokes; Daniel Wolfe; Mr. and Mrs. Bennett Wyncoop; Mrs. Michael Sickenber- ger; Mrs. Mattie Coy; Mrs. Charles Fyock ; Mrs. Jacob Dick; Mrs. John Myers; Mrs. Giles Stephens.

The churches of Cherryhill township are as follows: Manor Brethren, Diamond Metho- dist Episcopal, Diamondville Union, Ridge Chapel E. M., Twolick United Evangelical, Grace United Evangelical, Stakes United Evangelical, Riel Hill Wesleyan Methodist, Spruce Wesleyan Methodist, Cherryhill United Brethren, Greenville Brethren, Green- ville Methodist Episcopal, Harmony Presby- terian at Greenville.

The cemeteries are as follows: Manor Ger- man Baptist, Harmony, Manor, Howe, Steph- ens, Diamondville, Rich Hill and Swamp.

The first election in Cherryhill township was held March 16, 1855, when the following officers were elected : Justices of the peace, A. S. M. Cunne and Thomas Askins; constable, Alexander Stuchill ; anditors, William Evans, John Getty and James Davis; poor overseers, John McGuire and George Nockinger; school directors, William Fowler, Andrew Gibson, Isaac Empfield, Thomas Stephens, Frederick Cameron and J. R. Buterbaugh ; supervisors,

The residents of Cherryhill are among the James Haddin and Samuel Howe; judge of most enterprising of Indiana county. (The election, James M. Barr; inspectors, Peter Risinger and Joseph Cruly, assessor, Archi- bald Fowler: assistant assessors, Jacob Dorr growing borough of Clymer, which is dis- cussed elsewhere, was taken from Cherryhill in 1908.) The citizens of this township have and James Lydick; township clerk, Thomas always taken an active interest in politics. Barr; election officers, Samuel H. Johnston,

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

judge ; John D. Paige and Patrick Lydiek, in- hotel was conducted by him for twenty-two spectors.

The assessor's book for 1913 shows the fol- lowing: The number and value of horses as- sessed, 450-$16,593; number and value of cows assessed, 407-$5,295; taxables, 650; tax- able real estate, $605,412; number of acres of cleared land, 22,283; timber land, 7,553; money at interest, $112,477.21; cost of assess- ment, $113.10.

Greenville .- Aside from Clymer, the prin- cipal town is Greenville (Penn Run P. O.). The town was located on the Hugh Fulton and the William Evans farms. The first building on the site of the village was the dwelling of William Evans. He laid out lots in 1838, and called the village Greenville for the township of Green, in which it was then situated. The second house was the mud building or clay house of David Davis, situated on the lot west of the "Mansion House." William Evans and Samuel Wiggins erected the first salesroom. This was situated near the site of the build- ing formerly occupied by J. C. Rugh & Broth- er, and here was inaugurated the first store in the village. The second mercantile estab- lishment was managed and owned by Samuel and Andrew Wiggins. The post office in Greenville was established in 1839, and the first postmaster was Andrew Wiggins. A black walnut desk used in the old post office is now owned by C. W. Empfield. For many years the post office was located in the store of J. C. Rugh & Brother. The next postmaster was Sanford Pattison, a Democrat, who located the office on the main street opposite where the Methodist church now stands. It was afterwards moved to the residence of William Shalito and from there to the present location, where the office is in charge of W. II. 1886. H. Adams.

Fifty years ago Greenville was a very busy village. Through this place much of the haul- ing of lumber was done from the vicinity of Cherrytree to Indiana. A resident of Green- ville remembers seeing one hundred teams going through the village in one day. Today the lumber is going the other way-from In- diana to the county towns.

Mr. Isaac Empfield started a hotel in 1850 where his son, C. W. Empfield, now lives. The

years, until his death, and was conducted until 1880 by his wife and above named son.

The "Houston Hotel" was built in 1859 by Simeon Truly and was kept by John Houston until his death; since that time it has been conducted by Mr. Houston's wife and daugh- ters. The hotel formerly conducted by Mr. William Lydick is now conducted by Mr. Lowry Houck.

At one time there were three tanneries in the town : one on the property of James Davis, formerly owned by Frank Stewart, was oper- ated more than forty-five years ago by Alex- ander and William Thompson; another was built by P. S. Risinger and operated by him and James M. Diekey more than fifty- five years ago; a third, built and operated by Anthony Smith, was in later years operated by Robert Millikin, Sr., and Robert Millikin, Jr., but is not in operation now.

The woolen mill of Penn Run was started by William Murphy and afterwards con- ducted by W. H. Green. The mill was burned in the fall of 1911 and was not rebuilt.

The first gristmill, run by J. M. Barr, was a small water mill run by an overshot wheel. The mill was purchased from Mr. Barr by Robert McKeoge, who sold to J. C. and Sam- uel Rugh, who operated the mill until it was burned, June 1, 1885. It was rebuilt by J. C. Rugh, Frederick Cameron, and William Me- Featers. Mr. McFeaters bought the interest of Mr. Cameron, which he disposed of to Wil- liam Fair. The interest of Mr. Fair was sold to James Fowler. On January 1, 1913, the mill was purchased by John H. Lytle. It was at first run by water power and afterwards by steam. The roller process was installed in

The places of business :-

Mr. C. B. Widdowson keeps a general store For many years Greenville has been a cen- ter for select schools. It may boast of having in the central part of the village in the build- had some of the largest and most successful schools in Indiana county. The citizens have always been interested in the select schools and have helped to make them a success. The success of its present school still continues. ing erected by Mr. Crawford. Mr. Widdow- son purchased the store building of the Fred- erick Cameron heirs. In this building Lowry Cameron conducted a store five years. The business has been conducted by C. B. Wid- dowson since April 1, 1901.

M. L. Houston began business on the oppo- site side of the street from the Widdowson building in 1876. For twelve years he made and sold cigars, but at present conducts a racket store.

On December 25, 1897, Mr. J. M. Fyock opened a general store on the main street op- posite the "Houck Hotel." In connection with the store he conducts an undertaking

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

business, in which he has been engaged for the creek, on the Robert Lydick farm, formerly past twenty years.

The old drug store near the J. M. Fyock store, conducted by Orrin Pattison since July 30, 1912, was formerly conducted by Messrs. Cherryhill township in 1905. It had a pop- ulation of 1,753 in 1910.

Samuel Glassford, J. M. Stewart, North Ly- dick, R. H. Flude and E. G. Smith. Mr. Flude kept his drugs in a small building on the opposite side of the street, near the center of the town.

In 1907 Mr. F. M. Burkhart built a large and handsome store building on the Stuchell property, where the old cabinet shop formerly stood. Here he conducts a general merchan- dise and hardware business.

Diamondville (Mitchells Mills P. O.)-The tract upon which this village is situated con- tained 400 acres and was purchased by Dr. Robert Mitchell, because it was "the nearest pine tract to Pittsburg." Thomas Barr pointed out the timberland to the Doctor about 1822. The first movement was made by Robert Mitchell in 1823. He and A. T. Moor- head, Sr., erected a gristmill some time during the season of 1824. Mr. Moorhead was the first miller, and was succeeded by Thomas Lockard. The gristmill was built of logs, 20 by 30, two stories high, had one run of coun- try stone, and used a "rye fly" something like a tub wheel. It was enlarged in 1825, A number of years ago the Berwind-White Coal Company purchased coal lands in the vicinity of Clymer, but they shifted their oper- ations to Somerset county and made Windber their center of operations. The first exten- sive mining in this vicinity was done by the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation and the Pioneer Coal Company. Their purchases were followed by the Russell Coal Mining Company and Rembrandt Peale, J. L. Mitch- and was then supplied with an undershot wheel, and two run of stone. The second mill was erected by Doctor Mitchell in 1838. It was a two-story frame building 50 by 50, had two sets of burrs and an overshot wheel twelve feet in diameter. The village was called by Doctor Mitchell "Diamondville" because the property was the diamond, or had the great- est value of all the pine tracts in that section. The first birth was that of Joseph McCloud ell and associates, J. H. Weaver, the Oper- Moorhead, in 1825. He was the son of A. T. Moorhead, Sr.

Hustonville .- The commencement of this village was the building in 1850 of a smith shop and house for the smithy of Robert Hus- ton. Other mechanics moved in and there are now eight houses, store, post office and shops. The first store was established by Eli- jah Cresswell in 1853, the present one by J. H. Ellwood in 1879. The first blacksmith was Henry Truxell, who came from Cambria county in 1850. He was succeeded by David Dougherty, who came from Blair county in 1858.

CLYMER BOROUGH

known as the "Billy Weimer" farm, about eight miles north of Indiana, and connected therewith by electric cars, was formed from

The name of the town was suggested by John S. Fisher and adopted by the Dixon Run Land Company, which established the town. "Clymer" was chosen in honor of George Clymer, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a member of the Constitu- tional committee that adopted the Constitu- tion of the United States, a friend of George Washington, and the one to whom belongs the distinction of being the founder of Indiana, owing to the fact that he donated the ground for the county seat. The land company sold the lots at public and private sale. In this respect Clymer differs from any other coal town in the county. All available lots have been sold. The policy of the promoters is "a fair deal to every man," and the fact that it is the center of large coal operations has made it one of the largest and most prosper- ous coal towns of the county. The Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation, Rembrandt Peale, and the Pioneer Coal Company have branch offices in Clymer.

ators Coal Mining Company, and the Green- wich Coal Company.

The Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corpo- ration, owned by the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad Company, is not a commercial company, but produces coal ex- tensively for the railroad. It has operations at Sample run, below Clymer, and at the Barr slope, near Dixonville. It also has a large development at Rossiter, in Canoe town- ship. Its holdings (aggregating more than 160,000 acres) and operations extend into Clearfield, Cambria and Blair counties. The company employs many thousand men and produces 200,000,000 tons of coal annually.

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Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I, Part 95

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