Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens, Part 65

Author: Sell, Jesse C 1872-
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Publishing
Number of Pages: 1036

USA > Pennsylvania > Blair County > Altoona > Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens > Part 65

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It is estimated that nearly 200 homes have been erected in the past two or three years, and this revival of building operations can be attributed solely to the new industrial plant. Encouraged by the bright prospect, others

have remodelled and improved their properties, and more of this work will be done next spring.

To those who visit Williamsburg for the first time it resembles a boom town, instead of one that is more than half a century old. Ac- tivity is displayed on every hand. In course of erection is a magnificent new hotel, an opera house and several business places. To suggest five years ago that these places would be necessary would have brought on the head of the prophet nothing but scorn and derision. No one ever dreamt that such a thing could be possible. Williamsburg, there was every rea- son to believe, had lived its span, and, like hundreds of other once-prosperous communi- ties, was destined to a life of undisturbed placidity, serving merely as an abiding place for its few inhabitants.

The plant is supplied with ten 250 horse- power boilers of one pattern and two 125 horse-power of another. These are supplied through automatic stokers from storage bins overhead. This battery of boilers is capable of producing some 3,300 horse power. The largest consumption of steam is in the engine room adjoining, where a 1,250 horse power compound engine runs an alternating genera- tor, which supplies practically all the power used in various departments of the mills.

Electricity was adopted as the most modern and economical method of power transmission. In the same room you will see a smaller engine of the Corlis type running a direct current dy- namo, which is used for lighting purposes. This dynamo furnishes current, not only for the mills, but also for the borough of Williams- burg and many private consumers. At one side of the room is a large switchboard from which is controlled all of the lighting and power circuits.

In April, 1906, the interest of all the orig- inal stockholders was acquired by the West Virginia Pulp & Paper Co., of New York city, and is owned and operated by them. The present officers of the Williamsburg Paper Manufacturing Co., are Joseph K: Cass, presi-

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dent; John G. Anderson, vice president; F. S. Armstrong, secretary and treasurer. The present superintendent of the mill is John B. Stroup. About forty cords of wood daily are used and a stock of about 12,000 cords carried,

and the average daily production runs from 85,000 to 90,000 pounds. The pay roll is $12,000 per month. From 200 to 225 people are employed. The company was incorporated November 13, 1902.

CHAPTER XXXI.

THE ADVANCE IN VALUES.

Disappearance of Old Industries and the Establishment of New-Benefits of the Change-In- crease in Property Values-A Few Illustrative Cases-Increase in Population and the Gen- eral Prosperity-Credit Due the Pennsylvania Railroad.

The careful observer will notice in reading the history of Blair county that the industries of former years, and some that seemed in their day to have no limit, and that really called for the establishing of the county, have entirely disappeared. The development of the iron business was almost marvelous. It is doubtful if the glowing climate and glittering gold mines of California brought more wealth and happiness to its people in the same extent of territory than the iron mines of Blair county brought to those who reduced the crude ore to the useful articles of everyday life. The question that would naturally arise is if these profitable, wealth and happiness producing in- dustries are gone what is left for Blair county? What about its future? These changes did not come suddenly. In some cases these for- mer industries were pushed to the side as be- coming unprofitable because of other things that were coming into birth. When workmen were thrown out of employment because of the discontinuance of one thing, they usually found something more profitable elsewhere. True, sometimes it required a little effort to become accustomed to readjustments, and even this had its advantages. More people sought to have their own homes. Farms were reduced in size or divided so as to crop fewer acres and give better tillage. Property has contin- ued to advance in price. Capitalists have found that Blair county afforded a profitable field for investments in land, especially around

Altoona, Tyrone, Hollidaysburg and along the railroad and trolley lines. Mr. Jones, in his history of the Juniata valley speaks of the ad- vance in the value of real estate sixty years ago before the iron industry had reached the zenith of its glory. It will serve us well as a basis of comparison :

"Some years ago a gentleman in Hunting- don county took a tract of timber land, lying at the base of the mountain in Blair county, for a debt of some $400 or $500. The debt was deemed hopelessly bad, and the land little better than the debt itself. Right will- ingly would the new owner have disposed of it for a trifle, but no purchaser could be found. Anon the railroad was built, and a number of steam saw-mills were erected on lands adjoin- ing the track in question, when the owner found a ready purchaser at the sum of $2,500 cash. A gentleman in Gaysport, in the sum- mer of 1854, purchased twelve acres of ground back of Hollidaysburg for $700. This sum he netted by the sale of the timber taken off it preparatory to breaking it up for culti- vation. After owning it just one year, he dis- posed of it for $3,000. A gentleman in Holli- daysburg in 1854, bought 380 acres of ground adjoining the Franktown ore bank for $380. The undivided half of this land was sold in 1856 for $2,900, showing an increase in value of about 1,400 per centi n fifteen months, and yet the other half could not be purchased for $5,000. By this the land speculator will see

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that it is not necessary for him to go to the far west to pursue his calling while real estate rises so rapidly in value at home."

This increase in the value of land sixty years ago seemed to the people then to be a wonder- ful thing. But much of this same land has steadily increased in value since then. And while the intrinsic value, such as minerals, . have been exhausted, values have increased in other ways. Among these may be noticed town plots, railroad yards, adjacent to railroad conveniences and water rights. One town lot back of Hollidaysburg at the place where the gentleman bought fourteen acres will now bring more than he paid for the entire tract and lots in town will bring more than he re- ceived for his fourteen acres.

Out-laying farms, among the hills and mountains that were unproductive and usually sold at a nominal price of from $1,000 to $3,000, as they were wanted for rights of way for water sold readily at from $6,000 to $12,000.

In the vicinity of limestone boulders where

quarries were opened, land that was purchased sixty years ago from $10 to $20 per acre sold for $1,000. Those who sold the rock on roy- alties may in the end realize much more.

So on every hand values are on the increase. Blair is richer now than at any time in its his- tory. Its population has steadily increased and prosperity is manifest on every hand. Steady employment is found at fair remunera- tion for all who desire to work. To feed and clothe the vast population taxes the energies of the tillers of the soil and the dealers in trade. One million dollars are paid by the Pennsylvania railroad to its employes every month in Altoona. This wonderful corpora- tion has become the life of the county. Its headquarters are here, and here its treasure is poured out. It is not certain that the re- sources of former industries are exhausted. There is doubtless much undeveloped mineral, but the pressure of the times relegated the manufacturing to the rear, and while the people of today do not suffer in consequence, the generations to come may be all the richer by it.

CHAPTER XXXII.

COUNTY POLITICS OLD AND NEW.

Early Interest in Politics Taken by Blair County Citizens-Pioneer Justices-State and National Elections - Political Conventions - Early Parties-Blair a Republican County-Some Hard-fought Battles-Visits of National Political Leaders-Altoona's Politics-Blair County's Officers.

From the earliest days, the people of Blair county took a great interest in politics, but un- til the development of the iron industries and the construction of the canal in the thirties, the voting population was small. Among the first elective officers of the county were justices of the peace, or "squires," as they were com-, monly termed. These officers were selected from among the most intelligent citizens; they often settled neighborhood disputes out of court and were generally known as the peace- makers of their respective localities. They held court in the largest room of their houses, and the yard was taken up with the vehicles of those who came to hear the trials. The local elections in the early days brought out little partisan feeling. The early settlers met irre- spective of party and put the best man in the field, then went to the various polls, swapped horses, voted and went home.

When it came to state and national elections it was very different. Excitement then, as a rule, rose to a high pitch. During the entire existence of the whig party, Blair county could generally be depended upon to give a majority to that party, and from the organization of the republican party to the present time it has in- variably recorded a majority for the candi- dates of that party. General William Henry Harrison and Henry Clay were great favorites among the whigs of the county. Their names were sufficient to rouse the most intense en-

thusiasm. During the campaign of 1840, Henry Clay visited Bedford and several wag- ons filled with enthusiastic admirers of the great statesman, were driven overland to that town, a distance of forty-five miles, to hear him speak and to participate in a torchlight parade that was held. The practice of naming children in honor of political idols was much in vogue then, and many of the old men living today carry the names of the great political leaders of the early days.

The first republican convention in Blair county was held in 1855 and was presided over by the late Hon. Samuel S. Blair. One of the delegates from Frankstown township was the late Joseph Stiffler, grandfather of the author. A ticket was placed in nomination for the various county offices, but as the opposi- tion to the democratic party was in rather chaotic condition, being divided among the whigs, know-nothings and republicans, the democrats won. The next year, however, the republicans were successful and at the election in 1858, Mr. Blair was elected to congress from the district of which Blair county formed a part. He was re-elected in 1860.

From the organiaztion of the republican party down to the present, Blair county has been a normal republican county, and the oc- casions when it has been carried by the opposi- tion have been the exception. It has neverthe- less been the scene of many hard-fought

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HISTORY OF BLAIR COUNTY

political battles, notably the judicial campaigns. who served a term as register and recorder, and Thomas D. Hughes, who defeated C. D. Beegle for sheriff in 1894. Opposition to the state republican leadership resulted in the elec- tion of democratic or independent republicans to the legislature on several occasions, and in 1906, William H. Berry, democratic candidate for state treasurer, carried the county over J. Lee Plummer, of Hollidaysburg, who had the republication nomination, and was elected in the state. This outcome was not the result of unpopularity on Mr. Plummer's part, for he had served the county very acceptably in the legislature, but was the result of general dissatisfaction with the administration at Har- risburg, growing out of the building of the new state capitol. The judicial campaign of 1871, which resulted in the election of Blair county's favorite, John Dean, over Judge Taylor, of Huntingdon, the two counties then embracing one judicial dis- trict, was a most bitter one and engendered much animosity. In 1891, when Judge Dean ran for the third time, his opponent was H. T. Ames, Esq., of Williamsport, Pennsylvania., no member of the Blair county bar desiring to enter a contest against Judge Dean. Ames was a prohibitionist, and the issue was fought out on the question of license or no license. Judge Dean defeated Ames by a majority of over 3,000 votes. Judge Dean retired the fol- lowing year, having been elected a justice of the supreme court, and Governor Robert E. l'attison, who was a democrat, appointed Hon. As a result of its political one-sidedness, Blair county has not often been visited by na- tional political leaders. James G. Blaine vis- ited Altoona in 1886 in conjunction with General James A. Beaver, republican candi- date for governor, and addressed an immense multitude at the ball grounds. Senator Charles W. Fairbanks spoke in the court house at Hollidaysburg when a candidate for vice president with Roosevelt in 1904; one of the few political speeches delivered by the late Senator Matthew S. Quay, was made by him in the Eleventh Avenue opera house in Al- toona in 1898. The various candidates for governor have usually visited the county dur- ing campaigns. William J. Bryan has ap- peared in Altoona on several occasions, but dency. August S. Landis to serve until the ensuing election. Judge Landis was nominated by the democratic party for the full term, while the republicans named Martin Bell at a convention in which he was opposed by Benjamin L. Hewit and Nicholas P. Mervine. The ensu- ing campaign was one of the hardest fought in the history of the county. During his brief service on the bench, Judge Landis had very materially reduced the number of liquor licenses and he was generally supported by the temperance element in the county and party lines were not closely drawn. Judge Bell was elected by more than 2,000 majority. In the judicial campaign of 1903 Judge Bell was obliged to contest for the nomination of his own party, his opponent being William S. not during any of his campaigns for the presi- Hammond, Esq., of Altoona. His opponent at the election were A. V. Dively, democrat, and Henry A. Davis, independent republican and prohibitionist. The issue of license or no license was sharply drawn between Bell and Davis, who was his most formidable opponent, but Judge Bell was re-elected by a plurality of more than 2,000.

A great majority of those who have served in the other county offices have been members of the republican party. Notable exceptions have been James P. Stewart, who served three terms as prothonotary, Abraham Lingenfelter,

The city of Altoona was formerly demo- cratic, but for the past quarter of a century has invariably registered a majority for the republican party at national elections. On local issues, however, the voters of the city have been conspicuously independent, and the city administration has been more frequently in the hands of the democratic party than the republican. Of the thirteen mayors of the city, seven have been democrats, one of these serving three terms and two others two terms, while but one of the six republicans served two

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terms. In the 42 years since the formation of the city in 1868, the democrats have held the reins of government twenty-five years and the republicans seventeen years.

Some of the bitterest political battles ever waged in the county were for congressional honors. When the county was formed in 1846 it formed a part of the seventeenth district, embracing Center, Huntingdon, Juniata and Mifflin counties. In 1852 the state was re- districted and Blair was embraced in the eigh- teenth district, which also included Somerset, Cambria and Huntingdon counties. By the apportionment of 1862 it became a part of the seventeenth district, embracing Cambria, Blair, Huntingdon and Mifflin counties. In 1873 the apportionment act made it a part of the twentieth district, embracing Blair, Cambria, Somerset and Bedford counties. The district thus remained until 1904, when by a re-appor- tionment Blair county was made a part of the nineteenth district, the other counties being Bedford and Cambria. The members who have served the district of which Blair has formed a part from time to time since 1846 are as follows :

1846, John Blanchard, of Center; 1848, Samuel Calvin, of Blair; 1850, Andrew Parker, of Juniata; 1852, John McCulloch, of Huntingdon; 1854-56, John R. Edie, of Som- erset; 1858-60, Samuel S. Blair, of Blair; 1862, Archibald McAllister, of Blair; 1864, Abraham A. Barker, of Cambria; 1866-69, Daniel J. Morrell, of Cambria; 1870-72, R. Milton Speer, of Huntingdon; 1874, John Reilly, of Blair; 1876, Jacob M. Campbell, of Cambria; 1878, Alexander H. Coffroth, of Somerset; 1880-82-84, Jacob M. Campbell, of Cambria; 1886-88-90, Edward Scull, of Som- erset ; 1892-94-96, Josiah D. Hicks, of Blair; 1898, Joseph E. Thropp, of Bedford; 1900-02, Alvin Evans, of Cambria ; 1904-6-8, John M. Reynolds, Bedford.

In the sixty-four years since the creation of the county, it has been represented in congress in all but ten years by republicans or whigs. Mr. Blair was the first republican congress-

man and his successors have all been repub- licans except Mr. McAllister, Mr. Speer and Mr. Reilly. One of the most acrimonious con- tests in the history of the county was the con- gressional battle of 1890 between Edward Scull, republican, and Thomas H. Greevy, democrat. The city of Altoona had been en- deavoring to secure a government building, and Mr. Greevy, who lived in that city, fos- tered the impression that Mr. Scull had not been making the proper efforts to secure it at the hands of congress, and he made it the issue of his campaign, carrying Blair county at the election. On the face of the returns, however, Mr. Scull had a small majority, but Mr. Greevy instituted a contest before congress. Voluminous evidence was gathered and the battle was carried to the elections committee of congress. The house of representatives was then democratic, but it decided in Mr. Scull's favor shortly before the close of the session.

Another bitterly contested election was that of 1896. Under the conferee system then in vogue, the republicans had been unable to agree on a candidate within the time specified by law for making party nominations and Congressman Hicks and Joseph E. Thropp, who had been put forward for the nomination by the Bedford county republicans, ran as in- dependent candidates. The democratic nom- inee was Robert C. McNamara, of Bedford. For weeks the battle raged in all its fury, and when the smoke had cleared away and the ballots were counted, Mr. Hicks came off vic- torious by a large plurality over his opponents.

John M. Reynolds, who has represented the district in congress since 1905, was formerly a democrat and as such served as assistant sec- retary of the interior under President Cleve- land. He left the democratic party in 1896, and eight years later was nominated by the republicans for congress, defeating Joseph E. Thropp, who had previously served in con- gress as a republican, but who in 1904 was nominated by the democrats. Mr. Reynolds will retire from congress March 4, 191I, not being a candidate for re-election.

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HISTORY OF BLAIR COUNTY

BLAIR COUNTY'S OFFICERS.

PRESIDENT JUDGES.

Jeremiah S. Black, July 27, 1846 to April 5, 1849. George Taylor, April 5, 1849 to November, 1871. John Dean, November, 1871 to January, 1893. Augustus S. Landis, January, 1893 to January, 1894. Martin Bell, January, 1894 to January, 1910. Thomas J. Baldrige, January, 1910 to present time.

ASSOCIATE JUDGES.

George R. McFarlane, appointed June 8, 1846. Daniel McConnell, appointed June 8, 1846. George R. McFarlane, appointed March 11, 1847. Davis Brooks, appointed January 28, 1848. James Gardner, appointed April 10, 1851. James Gardner, elected October, 1852. Levi Slingluff, elected October, 1852. James D. Rea, appointed July, 25, 1854. James L. Gwin, appointed March, 1855. David Caldwell, elected October, 1855. John Penn Jones, elected October, 1855. Adam Moses, elected October, 1865. Benjamin F. Rose, elected October, 1865. George W. Patton, elected October, 1870. Joseph Irwin, elected October, 1870. Charles J. Mann, elected October, 1875. Samuel Smith, elected October, 1875. Robert Stewart, elected October, 1880. Robert L. Gamble,* elected October, 1880. Joseph Fichtner, appointed September, 1881.

* Died September, 1881-Fichtner appointed. The office of associate judge was abolished when Blair county was made a separate judicial district during the terms of Associate Judges Stewart and Fichtner, who served until the end of the terms.

DISTRICT ATTORNEYS.

The first district attorney, Col. John Cres- well, was appointed by Governor Shunk, in June, 1846, and he was succeeded by David Hofius, appointed by Governor Johnston, who occupied the position until 1851, when the office became elective. Joseph Kemp was then elected by the whigs, but his health failing soon after, George A. Coffey performed the duties of the office until 1854, when Essington Hammond was elected. At the expiration of his term Benjamin L. L. Hewit filled the office two terms. Then John H. Keatly served al- most two terms. Mr. Keatly resigned the last year of his second term, when John Dean was appointed to fill the vacancy. Mr. Dean was then elected at the next general election, and served one term. He was succeeded by Milton Alexander, who served one term. James F. Milliken was Mr. Alexander's successor. Then

came Thomas W. Jackson, who was followed by Josiah D. Hicks, who was elected in 1880 and served two terms and was succeeded by Martin Bell, 1886 to 1892, followed by Will- iam S. Hammond, 1892 to 1898; William L. Hicks, 1898 to 1904, and J. Banks Kurtz, 1904 to present time.

From the beginning until 1910, the term was three years and from 1910 it will be four years.

PROTHONOTARIES AND CLERKS OF COURT.

Jeremiah Cunningham, appointed June 10, 1846.

Joseph Smith, elected October, 1846. George W. Johnston, elected October, 1849.

Hugh McNeal, elected October, 1852.

Anthony Morrow, elected October, 1861, 1864, 1867, 1870. James P. Stewart, elected November, 1873, 1876, 1879. Charles Geesey, elected November, 1882, 1885, 1888. Jesse L. Hartman, elected November, 1891, 1894, 1897. Harry E. Ferguson, elected November, 1900, 1903, 1906.

Guy R. Lingafelt, elected November, 1909.

REGISTERS AND RECORDERS.

John M. Gibbony, appointed June 17, 1846. Lewis H. Williams, elected October, 1847, 1850, 1853. Hugh A. Codwell, elected October, 1856, 1859, 1862. David M. Jones, elected October, 1865, 1868, 1871. Abraham Lingenfelter, elected November, 1874, 1877. James S. Plummer, elected November, 1880, 1883. Charles R. Downing, elected November, 1886. (Mr. Downing died while in office and James Roller was appointed to fill the unexpired term.)

J. Lee Plummer, elected November, 1889, 1892. William H. Irwin, elected November, 1895, 1898. John W. Cliber, elected November, 1901, 1904. Claude Jones, elected November, 1907.

TREASURERS.

Robert H. McCormick, appointed June, 1846. Joseph Morrow, elected 1846.

John Penn Jones, elected 1848.

A. M. Lloyd, elected 1850.

James M. Hewit, elected 1852.

Joshua McCord, elected 1854.

Samuel Hoover, elected 1856.

John Lingafelter, elected 1858. John McCage, elected 1860. James H. Cramer, elected 1862. David Steteler, elected 1864.

John W. Black, elected 1866.

John M. Clark, elected 1868. Joseph Baldrige, elected 1870.

George M. Metz, elected 1872.

Isaac F. Beamer, elected 1874.

Alexander Rutledge, elected 1876.

Johnston C. Akers, elected 1880. John G. Lingenfelter, elected 1883.

David Over, elected 1886.

Martin Graffius, elected 1889.

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William W. Yon, elected 1892. John T. Akers, elected 1895. Harry C. Burger, elected 1901. William W. Wolff, elected 1898. Jacob A. Rohrer, elected 1904. James J. Davis, elected 1907.

BLAIR COUNTY SHERIFFS.

Blair county has had twenty-two elections for sheriff in its history, with twenty-one dif- ferent sheriffs. The sheriff appointed by the governor at the formation of the county in 1846 was Benjamin Betts. He was succeeded January 1, 1847, by Samuel J. Royer, the first man to be elected. He had no opposition and received 1,341 votes. He served but one term, as did all his successors except two, namely, G. Thomas Bell and Adam L. Hare. Bell was elected three times, first in 1879, when he was elected over Amandus G. Sink by a majority of 911. His second election was in 1894, when he defeated Alex. Cornmesser, of Bellwood, by a majority of 4,134. His last election was in 1903, when he had practically no opposition, being endorsed by republicans and democrats alike. During his last term he died, and his unexpired term was filled out by W. Thomas Blackburn, the coroner of the county. Mr. Hare was first elected in 1897 over Frank McCloskey, the democratic nom- inee, by a majority of 1,852. He was re- elected in 1906, his opponent being the late Alderman B. B. Irvin.

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Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens, Part 65

Author: Sell, Jesse C 1872- Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Publishing Number of Pages: 1036

Author: Sell, Jesse C 1872-
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Publishing
Number of Pages: 1036