USA > Pennsylvania > Erie County > The history of Erie County, Pennsylvania, from its first settlement > Part 16
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And in section thirteenth, "that it shall be lawful for the Governor, with the consent of the individuals, respectively, to protract the enlistments of such part of the detachment of State troops, or such part as may be in garrison at Fort Le Bœuf, or to enlist as many men as he shall deem necessary, not exceeding one hundred and thirty, to protect and assist the commissioners, surveyors, and other attendants intrusted with the execution of the several objects of this act : provided always, nevertheless, that as soon as a fort shall be established at Presqu'ile, and the United States shall have furnished adequate garrisons for the same, and for Fort Le Boeuf, the Governor shall discharge the said detachment of State troops, except the party thereof employed in protecting and assisting the commissioners, surveyors, and other attendants as afore- said, which shall be continued until the objects of this act are accomplished, and no longer."
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And section fifteenth, "that in order to defray the expenses of making the survey at Fort Le Bœuf, and the various sur- veys and sales herein directed, and to maintain the garrison at Fort Le Bœuf, there shall be, and hereby is, appropriated the sum of $17,000, to be paid by the Treasurer on the warrants of the Governor."
When Judge Vincent 1 settled in Waterford in 1797, he says : "There were no remains of the old French fort excepting the traces on the ground, and these traces were very distinct and visible." Fifteen years after, a cellar and a deep well were the only visible remains. Cannon, bullets, etc., have been found occasionally below the surface, and fragments of human skeletons pervade the soil. From the first settlement to the present time men have, at intervals, been searching for treasures on the sites of Le Bœuf and Presqu'ile, with all the helps afforded by the magnet and mineral rod. At Le Bœuf, in 1860, a man, digging under the direction of the " spirits," discovered below the surface a stone wall laid up with mortar, which would probably have a radius of one hundred feet. Within this was the foundation of a blacksmith's forge, or in- dications of one-as burnt stone, cinders, pieces of iron of all shapes, and of no conceivable use, guns, gun-locks, bayonets, and parts of many implements of war.
Judge Vincent says further, on the same ground, in 1797, stood a stockade fort built by Maj. Denny in 1794 ; it was com- manded by an officer of the army, Lieut. Marten, with twelve or fifteen soldiers. The same year (1797) a new fort was built, which is still occupied by a family, though very much dilapidated, and some parts apparently ready to fall. This blockhouse was at one time a storehouse ; in 1813 (after the
1 Judge John Vincent was born in Newark township, Essex county, New Jersey, February 4, 1772. The family were originally from France, where his great-grandfather was born, in 1676. Several of the brothers were residing at West Branch, Pennsylvania, and in Fort Freeland when captured by the Indians.
Judge Vincent was appointed Associate Judge in 1805. He discharged the duties of the office for more than thirty-four years, being absent but twice from the sittings of the court. When he removed to Waterford in 1797, he found in the vicinity William Miles, Capt. Pollock, Capt. Martin Strong, and Amos Judson; and a strong friendship was engendered by common dangers and privations, and which was interrupted only by death. Judge Vincent was industrious, energetic, and persevering, and lived to enjoy the benefits his industry had accumulated. He died in February, 1860.
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battle of Lake Erie) a body of prisoners and wounded men were there quartered ; it was next connected with other buildings, the whole being weatherboarded, and a respectable hotel constituted. The main street of the borough running from north to south passes in front of the " Blockhouse Hotel," and over the same ground which was occupied by the French and first American forts. The whole is now the property of A. M. Judson, Esq.
In the neighborhood of the depot, two miles northeast of the blockhouse, spikes, bullets, cannon balls, etc. have been found. In another part of the town, a quarter of a mile from the fort, a hillock is called "Washington's Mound," from the fact (as tradition has it) that Washington, when on his mission in 1753, spent a night there.
One of the first appropriations for the northwestern part of the State, in 1791, was £400 for the improvement of French Creek (besides £400 for the road from Le Boeuf to Presqu'ile), and in 1807 we find five hundred dollars were to be set apart from the sale of town and out-lots of the Commonwealth, adjoining Erie, for clearing and improving the navigation of Le Bœuf and French Creeks from Waterford to the south line of the county. -
Here it may not be out of place to give a short description of French Creek. It was formerly called Venango Creek, or rather, In-nan-ga-eh, and is a beautiful, transparent, and rapid stream. For many miles from its confluence with the Allegheny it is less than one hundred feet in width. At some seasons its waters are navigable to Waterford for boats carry- ing twenty tons, yet for a few weeks of summer it cannot usually be navigated by any craft larger than a canoe.
Washington, in his journal, calls Le Boeuf Creek the West- ern Fork, which is correct ; but besides this there are three others, and these are now particularly so designated. In addition to many small streams, in all directions, proceeding northerly from the mouth of French Creek, its most noted contributary waters, all of which have mill privileges and are furnished with sawmills and gristmills, are Big Sugar Creek, Deer Creek, Little Sugar Creek, the outlet of Conneaut, Casse- wago, Woodcock, the outlet of Conneauttee, Muddy Creek,
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and Le Bœuf Creek, on which Waterford stands, three or four miles above its union with French Creek.
In the articles on roads and the salt trade Waterford is con- spicuous. Salt on its arrival from Erie was deposited in store- houses at the landing to await a freshet. There were four of these large storehouses, being the property of Judge Smith, Judge Vincent, Capt. Tracy, and Thomas King. Messrs. Tracy and King did not build until 1815 or 1816. The last load of salt carried down the river to Pittsburg was by Judge Smith, in 1819, the boat containing four hundred barrels.
In the days of the salt trade Waterford contained no churches, and the people assembled in the storehouses to hear the word of God. On one occasion when Mr. Matthews was preaching, the freshet reached the point that made it neces- sary, or at least desirable, to start the boats. The barrels were rolled out and the boats filled in the midst of the service, and the divine prayed for "the success of the boats that were obliged to start on the Lord's day."
The keelboats gave employment to many, who seemed to form a peculiar and vigorous class by themselves. An "up- the-river boatman" was quite a different specimen of the genus homo from all others. "He could drink, swear, smoke, and fight in a manner that would quite astonish his degen- erate great-grandchildren of these days. The race is nearly extinct."
It was the custom to give the men who went with the boats every tenth barrel of salt for their pay. There was a Dutch- man by the name of Jacob Kitelinger (as it was pronounced), who said to Judge Smith on one of his trips, " Judge, you are an old friend of mine, and, I believe, a good one. Prove it by giving me every twelfth barrel. I think I deserve it." The Judge thought about it, and finally, for friendship's sake, agreed to do it. Kitelinger was delighted, and when they reached Pittsburg worked industriously, setting aside for him- self every twelfth barrel. But when he found that the others received ten barrels for every hundred and he only eight, the poor fellow was in despair. The Judge, however, was a man of honor, and gave him his due, but Jacob could never under- stand it.
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Keelboat fare has been pronounced, even by some epicures, the very sweetest, owing, undoubtedly, to the fresh air and a good appetite, A mass composed of flour and water was well kneaded on the top of a barrel, the large loaf then placed on a board before the fire, and when well browned the lower side placed in the same position. Some slices of bacon were then roasted on the points of sticks, to complete the variety. Their drink was usually chocolate, with the bacon held over while roasting, some drops of the fat imparting a richness and flavor to the beverage.
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To impel by poles against the current (as they were obliged to do on their return) was a most laborious employment ; keelmen not unfrequently at that day had the side flayed and raw as a poor draught-horse long galled by the harness. "No more going ahead, backward," was the expressive toast of an old boatman at the Meadville canal celebration ; and well did his class appreciate the improvement.
On April 8, 1833, the town of Waterford was erected into a borough, being bounded and limited as follows : beginning at a white ash at the northwest corner of the Waterford reserve, adjoining lands of J. Vincent, Esq., on the north and west ; thence east 276 perches along the north side of Circuit Street, adjoining lands of J. Vincent, Esq., and the heirs of A. Him- rod, to a post at the northwest corner of G. W. Reed's land ; thence south along the reserve line 159 perches to a post at the southeast corner of said Reed's land ; thence east 69 perches along the southern boundaries of the same and the reserve line tola post ; thence south 26 degrees, east 125 perches, along the eastern boundaries of out-lots numbers 30, 23, 22, 94, and 1, to a post adjoining land of Amos Judson on the south ; thence south 64 degrees, west along the line dividing the out-lots and reserve tracts, 261 perches to a post at the southwest corner of out-lot number 12; thence north 26 degrees, west 40 perches, along the western boundary of said out-lot to a post on the south side of Water Street ; thence south 64 degrees, west 126 perches along the south side of Water Street, to a post on the west side of Circuit Street ; and thence north 422 perches along the west side of Circuit Street to the place of beginning.
The first borough officers were elected in 1834. Amos
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Judson, Burgess ; John Boyd, Henry Colt, William Benson, John Tracy, Isaac M. White, Wilson King, Town Council ; Charles C. Boyd, High Constable ; B. B. Vincent, Town Clerk and Treasurer ; Samuel Hutchins and Daniel Vincent, Overseers of the Poor.
Waterford has a plank road connecting it with Erie and with Meadville, and the Philadelphia & Erie Railroad, which as yet has appeared to be of no advantage to the town.
It has four churches, of the United Presbyterian, New School Presbyterian, Protestant Episcopal, and Methodist Episcopal denominations. The Presbyterian church was organized in 1810, Rev. John Mathews being the first pastor, and William Bracken, John Lytle, and Archibald Watson, the first trustees.
In 1832 the Presbyterians united with the Protestant Epis- copal denomination in erecting a church, which now belongs to the latter exclusively. In 1835 they erected their present house of worship.
The Associate Reformed church (United Presbyterian) was organized in 1816, Rev. Robert Reid being the first pastor. This is much the largest congregation in Waterford, and, like the same denomination in Erie, composed almost entirely of Irish Protestants. The founders were William Smith, Robert Kincaid, and William Carson. A year or two since they en- larged and improved their building.
The Methodist Society was organized as early as 1814, but did not erect a house of worship until 1854. Rev. Mr. Pad- dock, first pastor.
A Protestant Episcopal church was organized in 1827, and they erected their building, as mentioned above, in 1832. Rev. Bennet Glover was their first clergyman. Dr. M. B. Bradley, Timothy Judson, Amos Judson, Martin Strong, John Vincent, James Pollock, and John Tracy were the first officers.
Waterford Academy is the oldest institution of the kind in the county, as we have mentioned.
Waterford has eight factories and one banking establish- ment.
The borough officers are William Judson, Burgess ; David
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Boyd, William C. Smith, Samuel C. Stamford, J. L. Cook, J. L. Mckay, Owen McGill, Town Council ; J. M. White, Town Clerk and Treasurer.
EDINBORO, in Washington township, is twenty miles south of Erie, and but two miles from Crawford County. It was incorporated April 3, 1840, and is the most enterprising interior town in the county. Mr. Culbertson built a mill here about 1800, being one of the first mills erected in the county. Families of the name of Hamilton and Reeder were also among the first settlers. It was formerly called Conneauttee or Little Conneaut, an Anglicized aboriginal word.
Eight miles in a southwesterly direction from Meadville, is a beautiful lake three or four miles in length and one in breadth, called Conneaut, or as the Senecas pronounce it, Kon-ne-yaut, "the snow place." The Indians of the neigh- borhood had observed the snow to remain some time on the frozen lake after its disappearance elsewhere.
Here are church organizations of the Baptist, Methodist Episcopal, and Old and New School Presbyterian denomina- tions.
The Old School Presbyterians, under the pastoral charge of the Rev. James Dickey, erected their building in 1855, at a cost of $2,000. It has sittings for five hundred and fifty persons. The Methodist Episcopal church will accommodate two hundred and fifty persons, and cost $500. The New School Presbyterian church cost $3,000, and will accommodate five hundred. The Baptists are yet without a house of worship.
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In 1833 the Conneauttee Library Company was incorporated. Edinboro has the most expensive school buildings in the county, and the citizens have exhibited a commendable spirit of liberality and enterprise in their efforts connected with the establishment of the Normal School of the twelfth district in their midst. About $25,000 have been raised by them in subscriptions and expended in buildings and improvements, and the success of the school promises to compensate for the investment, and add to the population and prosperity of the town. The Normal School has at present four teachers and about eighty pupils. There is also one common school with two teachers and one hundred and thirty-six pupils.
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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
M. Saley was elected burgess in 1861. A plank road con- nects Edinboro with Erie and Meadville.
For manufactures there are two cooper shops, two for the manufacture of sashes and blinds, one of shovel handles, three of cabinetware, a tannery, gristmill, sawmill, and tin shop.
The water power of Conneauttee Lake, obtained by the damming of the outlet, is one of unsurpassed excellence, and many factories working wood and lumber are found along the stream below. This lake is noted for its double, white pond lilies, which are exquisitely beautiful, and peculiar, we be- lieve, to the American continent ; springing from the bottom of the lake, they expand their flowers when they reach the surface and sunshine.
NORTHEAST was formerly called Gibsonville, and later Burgettstown, and is seventeen miles east of Erie, on the Buffalo and State Line Railroad. This vicinity has been long settled, and is highly cultivated and populous. The inhabit- ants are mostly Eastern people, while in other parts of the county the Scotch-Irish element predominates.1
Northeast has three churches, one public school, and a flourishing high school, at present under the management of P. H. Stewart, with three assistants. Rev. Mr. Carrier's very interesting history of the Presbyterian church in this place is found under the general head. The Methodist Episcopal church was formed at an early day. The Baptists dedicated a neat and commodious house of worship February 1, 1860. For many years this people had maintained public worship two miles east of the borough ; in July, 1858, a church was organized denominated "The First Baptist Church of North- east." Officers : E. C. Heath, A. Partridge, Deacons ; E. C. Heath, A. Partridge, S. Malick, Trustees ; and H. Partridge, Clerk.
An account of Northeast cemetery is found elsewhere.
For manufactures it has four shoe shops, two tin and two wagon establishments, one plow manufactory, a cabinet shop,
1 The first brick building erected in the county was the residence of Mr. Silliman in 1809 or 1810, which is still firm and good. It is said the con- tractor was to have so much a thousand for all the brick he put in, and in accordance with a law of human nature, he used an enormous quantity, which in the end has proved good economy.
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ashery, etc. It has also one banking office. At Freeport, two miles distant, the Franklin Paper Mill, owned by J. S. John- son, is in excellent order, with every modern improvement. In 1860 they manufactured 4,000 reams of wrapping paper, 2,000 of writing paper, and 2,000 of printing. In 1838 a paper mill on the same site, the property of Mr. W. S. Hall, was consumed by fire, at a loss of $15,000.
In 1860 the borough officers were Philetus Glass, Burgess ; J. M. Conrad, Richard Bran, John Greer, Rufus Loomis, Levi Jones, and Harley Selkregg, Town Council.
WATTSBURG, Venango township, is seventeen miles east of southeast from Erie, at the forks of French Creek. Provi- sions and stores from Pittsburg were landed here for Colt's Station and Northeast from their first settlement. There was also a landing at Bissel's mill, seven miles above Wattsburg, on French Creek, where at first provisions were landed for Colt's Station, being but two miles distant. In 1797 Mr. William Miles built " the upper storehouse," in which was deposited a few dry goods for the convenience of the settlers, and to exchange for furs, besides being a depot for provisions. Mr. David Watts (of the company known at an early day as Watts, Scott & Co.), from whom the town was named, owned a tract of 1,400 acres in the vicinity.
In 1796 Adam Reed and a Mr. Tracy, with their families, settled up the stream, a little above Wattsburg. Messrs. Reed and Tracy built a small gristmill on the east branch of French Creek at an early day.
In April, 1833, Wattsburg was erected into a borough, with the following boundaries : beginning at French Creek where the old State line crosses the same, being the south boundary of Venango township ; thence east along said line 180 perches ; thence north 180 perches ; thence west 180 perches (more or less) to French Creek ; thence southwardly by the windings of said creek to the place of beginning.
Wattsburg had, in 1840, one hundred and thirty-one inhabit- ants, and in 1860, three hundred and thirty-seven. It has three churches, a select school, and a common school with two teachers and one hundred and two scholars, which has a new building in progress. The Presbyterian church was organized
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at an early day-the church being of the New School branch dedicated a house of worship in 1854. It is valued at $1,500, and will seat three hundred persons. The Baptist and Methodist Episcopal denominations have also churches ; the Methodists completed a new one the past year at an expense of $4,000, which will seat four hundred. The Baptist will accommodate two hundred, and cost $1,200.
For manufactures it has two sash, door, and blind factories, two boot and shoe shops, one tannery, one harness, one of cabinetware, one ashery, etc.
This borough and the vicinity has been greatly benefited by the building of the Erie and Wattsburg plank road. In 1836 a bill for a railroad called the " Erie and Wattsburg Railroad " (a connection being intended with the New York and Erie) became a law, but for want of means the road was never built.
Wattsburg has a fine water power, an extensive flat and bottom lands up both branches of the Creek, and on the main stream. The forests are of pine, cherry, and other valuable timber. The soil is productive, the water clear and whole -.. some, and the climate salubrious.
L. S. Chapin was elected Burgess of the borough, in 1861, and Lyman Robinson, Justice of the Peace.
GIRARD was named from Stephen Girard, who, at the time the village was laid out, had a large tract of land in Conneaut township adjoining.
In 1814 the site of this pleasant borough was a part of the farm of John Taylor, and his residence was the only building.1 It is fifteen miles south of west from Erie, and ten miles from the Ohio State line, and overlooks some of the finest scenery in the country. The valley of Elk Creek, winding toward the east, has precipitous banks-the stream having worn its bed in some places to the depth of two hundred feet. The rocky formation here is a soft, friable slate, in which are many fossil shells, and which appears solid, but on exposure soon crumbles to clay. On the creek there are several mills, and the water power is sufficient for an indefinite number.
1 The names of some of the earliest inhabitants in this vicinity were Miles Taggart, Joseph Wells, James Laughlin, James Silverthorn, and Willard Badger.
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Around is a rich agricultural country, dotted with pleasant farm houses and well-cultivated fields, and owned by a people who are excelled by none in all the qualities of good citizen- ship.
The borough was incorporated in 1846. The first officers were Mason Kellogg, Burgess ; John McClure, Jr., Lefferet Hart, H. McConnell, and George H. Cutler, Town Council ; L. S. Jones, Clerk. It contains four churches and a fine academy capable of accommodating two hundred pupils- this is particularly described elsewhere. Of the churches, the Methodist was organized at a very early day ; the Presby- terians were organized in 1830, and after the division of the General Assembly in 1837, the New School branch retained the building. Three of the elders, Messrs. Bristol, Porter, and Blair, remained with the Old School, and for some years the possession of the church property was disputed by the two parties. The Old School, for some time, had preaching in the Methodist Episcopal church, and in 1852 erected a build- ing. The Universalist church was organized in 1853, and their house of worship was erected soon after. A Roman Catholic church (Irish) was consecrated in 1856. This is outside of the borough limits.
The Erie Canal crosses the principal street on its west end, thus increasing its business without marring its appearance. The depot of the Lake Shore Railroad and the Pittsburg and Erie Railroad is about two miles north of Girard ; from this place to Erie both roads use the same track.
For manufactures Girard has two carriage shops, a steam planing mill, and the requisite stores and shops for the popu- lation of the town and vicinity.
The buildings and grounds of the citizens are quite tasteful ; the streets and walks are delightfully shaded by elms, maples, and locusts ; the society is cultivated, and altogether Girard is quite a desirable place of residence.
West Girard has about twenty dwellings, Methodist, Epis- copal, and Baptist churches, three machine shops, a mill, etc.
UNION CITY, or MILES'S MILLS, the third town in popu- lation, having 807 inhabitants, is situated twenty miles south- east of Erie, on the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad. Mr.
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William Miles, from whom the place derived its name, was a soldier in the revolutionary army, and at the capture of Fort Freeland, on the West Branch, was taken prisoner and carried to Canada, where he remained until the peace. He then returned to Northumberland County, and in 1785, with Mr. David Watts, was appointed (by Gov. Mifflin, we believe) to survey the tenth Donation Tract.1 In June, 1795, he re- turned and settled on the flats of French Creek, in what is now Concord township, Erie County. Accompanying him were his wife and children, and Mr. William Cook with his family. The manner in which Mr. Miles's children were con- veyed from Franklin, Venango County, is worthy of especial notice. A sack was provided, partly open at the side, but closed at the end. The sack was thrown across the horse and a child placed in each side. Mrs. Miles carried her youngest child before her on the horse. Mrs. Miles and Mrs. Cook, her sister, were, next to Mrs. Reed, the first white women in the county.
Mr. Miles resided in Concord about five years, removing in 1800 to Union, where he erected the same year a sawmill and gristmill, and a frame dwelling house, which, from its being an unusual improvement, Mr. Judah Colt recorded in his diary at the time its dimensions, being twenty by seventy feet, and a story and a half in height. The nearest station was in distance eight miles. All provisions, in 1795, were transported by means of pack-horses, from Pittsburg to Concord ; shortly after, they were brought up the Allegheny, and thence by its tributaries to Union City.
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