USA > Pennsylvania > Jefferson County > Jefferson County, Pennsylvania : her pioneers and people, 1800-1915, Volume I > Part 73
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Then, too, coopers were common in every town. These coopers made tubs, buckets and barrels, all of which were bound with hickory hoops. Our cooper was a Mr. Hewitt. His shop was on the alley, rear of the "Commercial Hotel" lot. These are now two lost industries.
In 1840 there was but one dental college in the world, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, established in Baltimore, Md., in 1839, the first dental college ever started. Up to and in that day dentistry was not a science, for it was practiced as an addendum by the blacksmith, barber, watchmaker and others. In the practice no anatomical or surgical skill was required. It was something that required muscular strength and manual dexterity in handling the "turnkey." With such a clumsy, rude condition of dentistry, is it any wonder that Tom Moore wrote these lines ?
What pity, blooming girl, That lips so ready for a lover, Should not beneath their ruby casket cover One tooth of pearl; But, like a rose beneath a churchyard stone, Be doomed to blush o'er many a moldering bone.
The pioneer native American dentist was John Greenwood. All the great discoveries and improvements in the science and art of dentistry as it is to-day are American. Den- tistry stands as an American institution, not only beautified, but almost perfected, upon a firm pedestal, a most noble science; and through the invention, by Charles W. Peale, of Philadelphia, of porcelain teeth, our molars shall henceforth be as white as milk. If Moore lived to-day, under the condition of American dentistry, he might well exclaim, in the language of Akenside,
What do I kiss? A woman's mouth, Sweeter than the spiced winds from the south.
In 1796, when Andrew Barnett trod on the ground where Brookville now stands, slavery existed throughout all Christendom. Millions of men, women, and children were held in the legal condition of horses and cattle. Worse than this, the African slave trade-a traffic so odious and so loudly reproved and condemned by the laws of religion and of nature-was carried on as a legal right by slave dealers in and from every Christian nation. The horror with which this statement of facts must strike you only proves that the love of gold and the power of evil in the world are most formidable. The African slave trade was de- clared illegal and unlawful by England in 1806-07, by the United States in 1808, by Den- mark, Portugal and Chile in 1811, by Sweden in 1813. by Holland in 1814-15, by France in 1815, and by Spain in 1822. The illegality was enforced for the first time in the United States in 1860.
When Andrew Barnett first trod the ground where Brookville now stands the curse of slavery rested on Pennsylvania, for in that vear three thousand seven hundred and thirty-seven human beings were considered "property" within her borders and held as slaves.
Chains him and tasks him, and exaets his sweat With stripes, that Merey with a bleeding heart Weeps when she sees it inflicted on a beast.
In 1840 slavery still existed in Pennsyl- vania, the total number being seventy-five, distributed, according to the'census of that vear, as follows: Adams county, two ; Berks, two; Cumberland, twenty-five ; Lancaster, two ; Philadelphia, two; York, one; Greene, one; Juniata, one; Luzerne, one; Mifflin, thirty- one; Union, three; Washington, two; West- moreland, one; Fayette, one. It will be seen that no slave was held or owned in Jefferson county. There is not, to-day, a slave in all Christendom, after a struggle of nearly two thousand years.
Little by little the world grows strong, Fighting the battle of Right and Wrong. Little by little the Wrong gives way ; Little by little the Right has sway ; Little by little the seeds we sow Into a beautiful yield will grow.
In 1840, according to the census, there were fifty-seven colored people and no slaves in Jefferson county. The most prominent of these
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colored people who lived in and around Brook- ville were Charles Southerland, called Black Charley; Charles Anderson, called Yellow Charley; John Sweeney, called Black John; aund George Hays, the fiddler. Charles South- erland came to Jefferson county and settled near Brookville in 1812. He came from Vir- ginia, and was said to have held General Washington's horse at the laying of the cor- nerstone of the national capitol at Washing- ton. Hle was a very polite man, a hard drinker, reared a family, and died in 1852, at the ad- vanced age of nearly one hundred years. Charley always wore a stovepipe hat with a colored cotton handkerchief in it. He loafed much in Clover's store. The late Daniel Smith was a young man then, and clerked in this store. Mr. Smith in his manhood built the property now owned and occupied by Harry Matson. Charley Southerland, if he were living now, would make a good congressman, because he was good on appropriations. One day there was no one in the store but Smith and Charley. There was a crock of eggs on the counter. Smith had to go to the cellar and left the store in the charge of Charley. On returning he glanced in the direction of the eggs, and discovered that Charley had pilfered about a dozen of them. Where were they? lle surmised they must be in Charley's hat ; so stepping in front of Southerland, he brought his right fist heavily down on his hat, with the exclamation, "Why the h -- Il don't you wear your hat on your head?" Much to the amusement of Smith and the discomfort of Southerland, the blow broke all the eggs, and the white and yellow contents ran down over Charley's face and clothes, making a striking contrast with his sooty black face.
The lives of many good men and women have been misunderstood and clouded by the thoughtless, unkind words and deeds of their neighbors. Good men and women have strug- gled hard and long, only to go down, down, poisoned and persecuted all their days by the venomous and vicious slanders of their neigh- bors; while, strange to say. men and women who are guilty of all the vices are frequently apologized for, respected, and are great favor- ites with these same neighbors. It is unfortu- nate enough in these days to have been painted black by our Creator, but in 1840 it was a terrible calamity. A negro then had no rights ; he was nothing but a "d -- d nigger"; any- body and everybody had a right to abuse, beat, stone and maltreat him. This right. too, was pretty generally exercised. Ihave seen a white bully deliberately step up in front of a negro,
in a public street, with the exclamation, "Take that, you d-d nigger !" knock him down, and this, too, without any cause, word or look from the negro. This was done only to exhibit what the ruffian could do. Had the negro, even after this outrage, said a word in his own defense, the cry would have been raised, "Kill the d-d nigger!" I have seen negro men stoned into Red Bank creek, for no crime, by a band of young ruffians. I have seen a house in Brookville borough, occupied by negro women and children, stoned until every win- dow was broken and the door mashed in, and all this for no crime save that they were black. It used to make my blood boil, but I was too little to even open my mouth. A sorry civilization, was it not?
The accompanying cut represents Brook- ville as I first recollect it, from 1840 to 1843, a town of shanties, and containing a popula- tion of two hundred and forty people. It is made from a pencil sketch drawn on the ground in 1840. It is not perfect, like a pho- tograph would make it now. To understand this view of Main street, imagine yourself in the middle of the then pike. now street, oppo- site the "Union" or "Mckinley" hotel, and looking eastward. The first thing that strikes your attention is a team of horses hauling a stick of timber over a newly-laid, hewed-log bridge. This bridge was laid over the deep gully that can now be seen in G. B. Car- rier's lot. Looking to the left side of the street, the first building, the gable end of which you see, was the Presbyterian church, then outside of the west line of the borough. The next, or little house, was Jimmie Lucas's blacksmith shop. The large house with the paling fence was the residence and office of John Gallagher, Esq., and is now the Judge Clark property. The next house was east of Barnett street, and the "Peace and Poverty Hotel." East of this hotel you see the res- idence and tailor shop of Benjamin McCreight. Then you see a large two-story house, which stood where the "Commercial Hotel" now stands. This building was erected by John Clements, and was known a's the Clements property. Then there was nothing until you see the courthouse, with its belfry, standing out, two stories high, bold and alone. East of this and across Pickering street, where Harry Matson now resides, was a large frame building, occupied by James Craig as a store- room for cabinet work. Rev. Gara Bishop re- sided here for a long time. Next to this, where Guyther & Henderson's store now stands, were several brick business buildings belonging to
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Charles Evans. Next came Maj. William Rodgers's store, on what is now the Edelblute property. Then came Jesse G. Clark's home ; then the "Jefferson House" (Phil. Allgeier's house), and the present building is the original, but somewhat altered. Then across the alley, where the barbershop now is, was the "Elk- horn" or "Red Lion Hotel," kept by John Smith, who was sheriff of the county in 1840. The next house was on the Mrs. Clements property, and was the home and blacksmith shop of Isaac Allen. Then came the Matson row, just as it is now down to the Brownlee house, northeast corner of Main and Mill streets, now Franklin avenue.
Now please come back and look down the right-hand side. The first building, the rear end of which only can be seen behind the tree, was the first foundry built in town (by a man name Coleman ). When built it was out- side the borough. The second house, with the gable next the street, was the house of James Corbet, Esq., father of Colonel Corbet, and it stood where the gas office now is. The next and large building, with the gable end next the street, was called the James Ilall building, and stood on the ground now occu- pied by the Bishop buildings. This building was used for day-school and singing-school purposes. I went to day school here to Miss Tane Clark then, now Mrs. E. H. Darrah. It was also used by a man named Wynkoop, who made beaver hats. The next building was a house erected by Mr. Joseph Sharpe, and was located on the lot west of where the National Bank of Brookville now stands. The building having the window in the gable end facing you was the Jack building, and stood on the ground now occupied hy MeKnight & Son in their drug business. East of this, on the ground now occupied by R. M. Matson's brick, stood a little frame building, occupied by John Heath, Jr. It cannot be seen. East and across Pickering street you see the "Franklin House" and its sign. Here now stands the "Central Hotel" of S. B. Arthurs. East of the "Frank- lin House," but not distinctly shown on the picture, were the houses of Craig, Waigley, Thomas M. Barr, Levi G. Clover, Mrs. Mary MeKnight, Snyder's row, and Billy McCul- lough's house and shop, situated on the cor- ner of Main and Mill streets, or where the Baptist church now stands. The buildings on each side of Pickering street, east of the courthouse, you will see, are not very plain or distinct on the picture. The building on the east end of Main street was the residence
of Robert P. Barr. It was in what is now Litchtown.
These recollections, picturing life and con- ditions in Brookville in the period 1840-43, were published in 1895.
BROOKVILLE'S EARLY PUGILISTS
I clip the following from the pen of Bion H. Butler: "Harry Clover was a strong man, and as supple as he was strong. He could lift with his teeth a chair on which was a man weighing two hundred and twenty-five pounds. He could take up a barrel of whiskey easy and drink from the bung-hole.
"Clover was a blacksmith. He weighed two hundred pounds, but he was as agile as any man you ever saw. One day, when he had gone with some lumber to Pittsburgh in raft- ing season, he went into a store to buy a hat. The price did not suit him, so in the course of the banter he told the merchant to hang it on a hook that was serewed in the ceiling and let him kick at it. If he kicked it down it was to be his. If not, he would pay double for it. The first kick Clover brought the hat down, kicking a hole in the ceiling which was a sight for raftsmen for years.
"Harry had no scientific pugilistic training, and never sought a row. On the contrary, he was cowardly, and often would not fight when bullies set on him. But when his anger was aroused his great strength and his activity made him a terrible enemy. When he worked in the old blacksmith shop by the bridge I have seen him shoe unruly horses, and he just held them by main force. His reputation had extended all along the creek; and in the spring, when we went to Pittsburgh with lumber, the first question asked was as to whether Harry Clover had come down.
"More or less rivalry always existed be- tween the raftsmen and the furnace-men along the river. One time the Red Bank furnace hands concluded they would clean out the raftsmen, and a fellow by the name of Tom Fagan, who had heard of Clover, came down from Catfish Furnace to do him up. Clover never wanted to quarrel when sober. and he hid behind a door when Fagan came to look for him. After much persuasion he was brought forth. When he stepped up be- fore Fagan he closed an eye with each fist before Fagan could get a successful blow on Clover anywhere."
TAXABLES, POPULATION, ETC.
According to the assessment list of 1844 the taxables were as follows: Richard Arthurs,
25
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single man, house and lot, profession ; Caleb Alexander, one patent lever watch, $35; Charles Anderson (colored), one outlot and house; James Acheson, single man; Isaac Allen, two lots improved, one half lot and house, and blacksmith shop; John Arthurs; James H. Ames, occupation ; John Alexander ; Rev. Garey Bishop, profession ; Cyrus Butler, house and lot ; Samuel B. Bishop, house and stable, profession, one gold watch, $50; Thompson Barr, single man, office; Robert P. Barr, house and lot, one gristmill, mill lot and house, sawmill; Hugh Brady, one lot im- proved, profession; Thomas Barr, house and lot, outlot, lot improved; John Brownlee, house and lot, printing office ; Samuel M. Bell; David Bittenbenner, single man; Wakefield Corbett, minor, one patent lever watch; Bar- clay & Hastings, printing office ; Jesse G. Clark, house and lot. brick, tavern stand, lot im- proved. outlots improved, profession, one gold watch, $50; James Corbett, one lot, office, justice of peace; Levi G. Clover, house and lot, lots, outlots, office judgeship; Solomon Chambers, house and lot; Joseph Clements, house and lot, lots improved; Samnel Craig, house and lot, lot improved; James Craig. house and lot; Andrew Craig, single man ; Corbett & Barr, house and lot, inlot and smith shop; James C. Coleman ; William F. Clark, single man, inlot, one lever watch, $35; George Darr; Joseph Deering, single man ; Hugh Dowling, single man; George Darling, house and lot ; Lewis B. Dunham, house and lot, outlot, profession, one pleasure carriage, $30: Daniel Dunkleburg, single man; David Deering. single man, profession. one lever watch, $35: John Dougherty, house and lots (tavern), house and lots (brick), house and lots, inlot improved, inlots, one gold watch, $45; James Dowling. profession ; Jared B. Evans, four lots and houses and stables, eight lots ; Samuel Espy, house and lot; Charles Evans, house and lot, brick, main street ; Evan Evans; John Gallagher, lot improved, office justice of peace, outlot ; Enoch IJall, house and lot ; William Fleming, single man : John Hutchison, house, lot and shop: Joseph Henderson, house and one and two-thirds lots ; John Hastings, occupation, one lever watch, $35: Jamison Hendricks, occupation ; James Hall estate, house and lot, outlot; Joseph Hughes, house and lot ; George Irwin ; David B. Jenks, house and two lots. profession ; William Jack, house and one-half lot, house and lot, inlots, inlots improved, outlots; Wil- liam P. Jenks, Sr .; Samuel Il. Lucas, house
and lot, one gold watch, $40; Thomas Lucas, house and lot, inlot improved; profession ; John Matson, Jr., house and lot; Uriah Mat- son, house and lot; James C. Matson ; Joseph McAfee, inlot improved, ontlots improved ; Benjamin McCreight, house and lot, brick, partly finished, house and lot, four lots; George Mclaughlin, single man, house and lots, lot improved ; William McCandless, single man; Robert Matson, single man; John Mc- Crea, office prothonotary ; George Porter, house and two lots ; John Richards, occupation, one gold watch, $75; John Ramsey, house and lot ; William Rogers, occupation; Alexander Scott, Jr., single man ; Philip Schrader, house and two lots; John Smith, house and one-half lot, tavern, outlot; Daniel Smith, house and lot; Gabriel Vastbinder, inlot improved ; George Wilson, single man; William Wilkins, single man, one pleasure carriage; Thomas Wilkins ; James C. Wilson, single man, watch, value of $25; Wilkins & Irwin, one and one- half lots and house, tanyard and house; Michael Woods; Adam Goodman; T. B. Mc- Clain, house and lot, lot improved ; Ephraim Washburn, occupation ; Alexander Scott, Sr., lot improved ; George Scott, single man ; Wil- liam A. Sloan, house and lot, lot improved ; Samuel Truby, house and lot, lot improved ; John Templeton, house and lot; James Humphreys, single man.
The taxables in Brookville in 1849 were 177; in 1856, 273; in 1863, 297; in 1870, 526; in 1880, 689 ; in 1886, 837.
The population, by census of 1840, was 276; 1850, 1,063; 1860, 1,360; 1870, 1,942; 1880, 2,136; 1890, 2,478; 1900, 2,472; 1910, 3.003; 1917. 3,640. In 1860 there were 346 dwellings, 383 families and 400 voters.
DISTANCES BY ROAD BETWEEN BROOKVILLE AND OTHER COUNTY POINTS
The following are the distances in miles and fractions by road from Brookville to the dif- ferent villages and boroughs of the county fifty years ago :
To Belleview. 5.7 miles ; Brockwayville. 18.7 miles; Big Run, 21.9 miles ; Clayville, 20.7 miles; Corsica. 6.7 miles; Frostburg. 17.9 miles ; Heathville, 9.9 miles; Knox Dale, 7.6 miles; Langville, 11.6 miles; Perryville, 18 miles; Punxsutawney, 21.7 miles; Reynolds- ville, 11.5 miles; Richardsville, 8.5 miles; Ringgold, 13.8 miles ; Rockdale, 16 miles ; Hag- gerty (now Sigel), 8.5 miles: Schoffner's Corners, 15 miles ; Troy (now Summerville), 7.7 miles ; Whitesville, 19.2 miles.
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BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
The close of the first quarter of a century in Brookville saw much improvement, and the Jefferson Star of August 25, 1855, gives the following record of the business of the town at that time: "There are seventeen stores, four groceries, two drug stores, five black- smith shops, three cabinet shops, five churches, four tailor shops, one chair shop, one steam foundry, one carding and fulling mill, two gristmills, one steam sawmill, one huge steam clapboard and shingle mill, four shoe shops, six taverns (two of which have license, having obtained them before the passage of the new liquor law), two printing presses, one acad- emy and three common schools, seven physi- cians, thirteen lawyers, one saddle and har- ness shop, one water-power sawmill, one brewery, one book bindery, five carpenter shops, one planing machine, four painters, one barber shop, two butcher shops, two tin shops, two wagon shops, one windmill establishment. one civil engineer."
The pioneer clock and watch makers were itinerant. In 1856-57 James Thompson and C. Paulman located here, followed by S. M. Tinthoff, who for years resided in Brookville, and Robert Hubbard.
Drs. A. M. Hills and T. M. Van Valzah visited the town in a dental capacity at an early day. The Chandlers, Thomas and his son William J., were the first resident den- tists, the latter being the first to locate here.
An advertisement in the Jeffersonian of April 30. 1857, reads: "One of the curiosities of the day may be found at the store of J. S. King & Co., in the shape of one of Wheeler & Wilson's sewing machines. It would pay any person to call and see it." The first traveling agent for the sale of these machines in the county was a man named Merrick, who, with his wife, first taught the ladies of Brook- ville to manipulate this much-prized article of domestic use. The first local agent in Jef- ferson county was Mrs. Betsy Corbet.
The first foundry in Brookville was built on the northwest corner of Main and Valley streets. on site of McCracken Hall building, by a man named Coleman, in 1841, who in a short time sold to Evan Evans, who in turn sold to Wilkins & Corbet, who moved it to the location lately occupied by the foundry of Edwin English. They operated it for a while and then sold to John Gallagher and George Mclaughlin, who, in 1850, sold to Edwin and Daniel English. This foundry was first run by waterpower, supplied by a dam built for the
purpose, but the water supply not proving adequate, horsepower was substituted.
In 1853 the Washington foundry and ma- chine shop was built by J. P. Wann and Pat- rick McTaffe. They commenced the manu- facture of plows, stoves, etc., and did mill re- pairing. In 1857 McTaffe sold his interest to Orlando Brown, who, at that time, resided in Angelica, Allegany Co., N. Y. The same year Mr. Brown came to Brookville with part of his family, consisting of wife and two chil- dren, Orlando H. and Carrie. He brought with him new machinery and men skilled in mechanical arts and put new life into the foundry and machine business. The other son, James L., came to Brookville in 1858 from the West, and went to work for Wann & Brown as an apprentice. The principal business was building circular sawmills and repairing. Hav- ing no railroad connection nearer than Kittan- ning, most all the goods came by boat from Pittsburgh to Mahoning. At the breaking out of the Rebellion, in 1861, stagnation followed in all branches of business. The foundry and machine shop was closed for six months or over, with nothing to do and no men to work, as most every able-bodied man that could stand the hardships had enlisted, either in the three months' call for volunteers or for a longer period. The finding of the Seneca oil, or petroleum, on Oil creek, opened up a new industry. The excitement attending the dis- covery created a demand for machinery, engine and boiler and boring tools. Ap- pliances for the business, at that time in its infancy, had to be created. Mr. Brown de- signed and built an eight-horsepower engine and boiler for the oil trade; five or six horse- power was considered ample to handle the lieaviest tools at that time and to bore a well to the required depth.
Carriage manttfactory, M. G. Murphy; started in 1874; located in rear of Opera House building. Mr. Murphy has worked at his trade in Brookville since 1870, and now in 1915 is still active.
The North Fork brewery, S. C. Christ, pro- prietor, was built by Mr. Christ in 1861, and was torn down to make room for the present one in 1863.
The Spring brewery, M. Allgeier, proprietor. started in fall of 1871 ; located at Geers Spring, opposite red mill; capacity, twenty thousand barrels per year.
Hotels
The hotel business in Brookville dates back to the time when John Eason came to the
JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
town, early in 1830, and built a portion of what was afterwards the kitchen and dining- room of the first hotel, the "Red Lion." In this he and his wife boarded the surveyors who laid out the county seat, and also those who, in June of that year, attended the sale of lots in the new town. At the rear of the new "hotel" stood two large pine trees, and after the house was built the inmates, fearing that these giants of the forest might, per- chance, fall upon the little structure and de- molish it, cast about for some way to fell the trees ( which naturally inclined toward the house ) in an opposite direction. This was done by affixing cables to them and then hav- ing men pull them, after they were partly cut down, in the direction it was desired they should fall.
Mr. Eason kept the house, building an addi- tion to it, until his death in 1835, when Mrs. Eason occupied it for a short time, and then William Clark kept it in 1837. In 1838 John Smith, who had married Mrs. Eason, took charge of the house, and kept it until 1844. In 1848-50 Mr. Smith again had control, and in 1851-53 it was kept by Robert Ralston. A part of the building is still occupied, and is the property of J. S. Carroll.
The next hotel was built on Jefferson street. in 1830, by William Clark, and kept by him until 1833, when he sold the property to Jared B. Evans, who in turn sold it to Dr. Gara Bishop, and the site is now occupied by the residence of Cliff. Deemer.
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