USA > Pennsylvania > Venango County > Venango County, Pennsylvania: Her Pioneers and People (Volume 1) > Part 76
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residents in this part of the valley were John McFadden, James Alexander and Robert Mason.
Samuel Plumer, father of Arnold Plumer, lived in this township about ten years, coming in 1800 from Allegheny county, and in 1810 returning to that section, where he died in 1820. His widow and family subsequently came back to Venango county, Mrs. Plumer dying here Oct. 2, 1847. Their son Arnold was one of the first white children born in Jackson township, and as one of the leading members of the Democratic party in Penn- sylvania and one whose counsels prevailed with its national chiefs, as well as a man of unblemished honor in every relation of life, he remains at the head of the most distinguished citizens of the county.
In 1811 Samuel Small moved here with his wife and family of four children, Samuel H., Moses, Mary and Jane, and acquired a tract of 375 acres where his sons remained, the daughters removing west. Samuel Small was a native of Ireland, and lived in Bucks county, Pa., before settling in Venango. He was a carpenter by trade. All of his property is still held by his descendants, his posterity being among the most substantial citizenship in the locality.
William Crain, whose posterity were once numerous in this section, came from eastern Pennsylvania, and had five sons, George, Wil- liam, James, John and Charles. A number of the family are buried in the Sugar Creek churchyard.
One of the early settlers on Sugar creek above Cooperstown was William McIntosh. a soldier of the war of 1812. He operated a dis- tillery and gristmill there. We have a record of two of his children, A. J. and Mrs. Milli- cent Green, who made their homes in Plum township.
John Bleakley, Sr., whose posterity are among the prominent citizens of the county, resided in Jackson township until his death, Sept. 11, 1869. He was a native of Ireland, and came to this country in June, 1819.
John Gibbon was one of the earliest settlers on the Lake branch of Sugar creek.
Population .- By 1850 the township had a population of 985 ; 1870, 720 ; 1880, 789; 1890, 842; 1900, 854; 1910, 592.
Cooperstown was so named for the Revolu- tionary veteran who was the first settler at its site, which is very near the geographical cen- ter of Jackson township, at the confluence of three principal branches of Sugar creek, about four miles from its mouth. As usual, in a roll-
ing country of this character, the roads fol- lowed the course of the streams, and the high- ways of this part of the county converge at this point, making it the logical location for a town. William Cooper was from one of the eastern counties of Pennsylvania, born in 1747, served in the Revolution, and in the allotment of lands in the sixth donation district secured the tract now occupied by the town. He died Feb. I, 1813, in his sixty-sixth year, his wife, Rachel, dying May 16, 1821, in her sixty-seventh year, and they are buried in the Methodist church- yard at Cooperstown. They had five sons and one daughter, Samuel, William, John, Philson, James and Jane (wife of Robert Mason). James kept store, but removed to Iowa early in the forties: John was a hatter by trade, and William a blacksmith.
Robert Bradley, the first person outside of the Cooper family to locate here, settled at Cooperstown in 1824. He had come to Venan- go county with his father's family in 1816, was a millwright by trade, and became a well known citizen, serving a term as county com- missioner and many years as justice of the peace. He died March 23, 1872, aged seventy- six years.
James Kingsley came here in March, 1827, and established one of the first cloth dressing establishments in the county, being a cloth dresser by calling. He was a native of Fort Ann, N. Y., and was married at Centerville, Crawford Co., Pa., to Louisa Patton, daugh- ter of Joseph Patton, the founder of that town.
Edward Sweeny, a native of Ireland, was a prominent citizen of Cooperstown from the time of his arrival here in 1828 until his death. His parents intended him for the priesthood and had him educated accordingly, sending him to the Roman Catholic College of May- nooth, near Dublin, but he did not wish to en- ter the church and left college without com- pleting the course, coming to America. In Philadelphia he found employment as a book- keeper, later following that occupation at Mur- rinsville, Butler Co., Pa., where he had joined friends settled there. Subsequently he ob- tained a position in the office of the furnace company at Oil Creek, and while thus engaged purchased a farm near Cooperstown, the place later occupied by his son, settling there him- self in 1828. His unusual intelligence and acquirements, together with the fact that he was a man of absolute integrity, won him the confidence and esteem of the community, where his gifts were of great practical value to his fellow citizens. He was almost invariably called upon to execute their legal documents,
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held the office of justice of the peace for thirty- five years, and frequently served as school di- rector. In politics he was a Democrat.
The residents of Cooperstown in 1837 were located as follows: Robert Mason, son of James Mason (a pioneer of Oakland town- ship) and son-in-law of William Cooper, lived in a house on the Franklin road at the edge of the town; he was a farmer and miller, taking charge of the Cooper mill after Mrs. Rachel Cooper died. The next house above was the frame building erected by Alexander McCal- mont in which the first store in the town was started under the management of William W. Shaw, James Cooper succeeding to the busi- ness, which he was operating in 1837; he re- moved to Iowa early in the forties. The next house was one built by John McKinzie (son of Angus McKinzie, of Sugar Creek town- ship), who kept the first hotel there. It was purchased in 1837 by John Kelly, a retired farmer from Center county, and was later oc- cupied by Robert Crawford. John Cooper, one of the sons of William, lived in a frame build- ing on the same side of Sugar creek, and did a fair business at his trade of hatter. William Cooper, his brother, was a blacksmith, and lived near where Jacob Hillier afterward had his home, removing to Erie county in 1837. David W. S. Cook, to whom he sold his prop- erty, was from Center county, purchased sev- eral mills, and at once became a prominent man in the town. These were all the fami- lies living on the east side of the creek at that time. .
James Cook, brother of David W. S. Cook, was born at Spring Mills, Center Co., Pa., Jan. 11, 1798, had a tannery on the south side of Factory street in Cooperstown, near the creek and bridge, and a dwelling house on the same lot, and resided here until his death, Feb. 26, 1878.
Proceeding up Franklin street, the first house was the dwelling and store of William W. Shaw. The next was Robert Bradley's residence, in the rear of Bradley's store build- ing, he having bought Shaw's store in part- nership with John Fetterman and carried on business many years ; they dealt largely in live stock. On the same side of Franklin street, op- posite the academy, James Kingsley had erect- ed a large frame building, afterward used as an hotel. James Foster owned two small houses on the east side of the street, living in one himself, while the other was occupied by William Perrine. Edward Sweeny lived near the house later occupied by his son. Jos- eph Hillier lived in part of the factory build-
ing, in which vicinity were a number of tene- ments. Dr. James Williams, a Baptist min- ister, lived on the west bank of the creek, below the bridge, and in addition to his cleri- cal and other professional duties was inter- ested in various business enterprises.
It was about this period that Dr. S. Bates and others attempted to give the town the name of Pekin, which is referred to in several legal notices, but it never acquired any popularity.
The development and prosperity of Coopers- town were due largely to the thriving indus- tries in and around the town. The local grist and saw mills were among the earliest in the county. William Cooper's gristmill, built early in the nineteenth century, was the first on Sugar creek, located on the east side just above the bridge. He put up a small one-story building, with primitive and meager equipment, improved machinery being subsequently in- stalled. After his death his widow assumed charge of the establishment, doing the work about the mill herself until her son-in-law, Rob- ert Mason, took charge ; he continued the busi- ness many years.
The Fetterman mill was two miles above Cooperstown. It was built by John Fetter- man, and subsequently owned in turn by Jacob Geist, Arnold Plumer and Dr. Robert Craw- ford, a later owner being Samuel McAlevy, afterward sheriff of Venango county.
In 1846-47 Rich, Booth & Hillier built a gristmill with two run of native stone, after- ward buhrs, which was operated for several decades but has now fallen into decay, the ma- chinery exposed to the weather.
A mile and a half from Cooperstown, at the lower bridge, one Robison built a mill which David W. S. Cook owned for a time.
Early in the forties John McKinzie built a mill on the Lake branch which he operated un- til the early eighties, when it was destroyed by fire.
Alexander Wilson owned and operated a sawmill on the same stream which was very useful while that section was being cleared of the timber. He also had a store there and kept the post office, which was known as Wilson's Mills.
Of the two distilleries operated in the vi- cinity of Cooperstown in the early days, that of James and Alexander Gordon stood on Dr. Robert Crawford's farm, and the other one above Cooperstown, in the valley of the creek, conducted by William McIntosh.
James Cook did a large business at his tan- nery near the creek, below the bridge, which was equipped with vats and a bark mill, being
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among the most complete establishments of the kind in the county.
There was no profitable way of disposing of the vast quantities of timber cut when the country was being cleared, and it was custom- ary to roll the logs together in great heaps and burn them, the ashes having considerable value for the saleratus, alkali and potash which they yielded. Two asheries were in operation in Jackson township, one at Cooperstown built by Rushmore Brothers, which passed into the hands of James Cooper shortly afterward, the other about a mile and a quarter up the Lake branch, established by a man named Gilman.
walked from Franklin to Cooperstown, in 1832-33, there was only one house between the two towns; the road was a trail, the land /unsettled. The gristmill is in the building still standing in the picture, though it has fallen now, and the old waterwheels and other machinery are exposed to view and to the weather. The mills were run by water from a wing dam half a mile above. The old banks of the flume are still here, and some parts of the gate admitting water to mills be- low. An interesting collection of pebbles is found in the old mill races, where they have been thrown by the tillers of the soil. The
THE OLD WOOLEN AND GRIST MILL AT COOPERSTOWN, 1836 (Photograph by Mrs. W. H. Wise)
Part Standing is Gristmill. The tumbled down part is the first woolen mill built in the county.
During the thirties the Cooperstown woolen mills were established-the first of their kind of any magnitude in the county. The orig- inal projector, John Rich, had owned and op- erated a woolen mill on Chatham's run, near Jersey Shore, Lycoming Co., Pa., before lo- cating here. He visited this locality in 1834, secured the mill site and arranged for the erec- tion of a factory building, operations at the mill commencing the next year under the di- rection of Joseph Hillier, and the business was conducted by Rich, Booth & Hillier, Booth & Hillier, and S. B. Hillier in turn, until 1890- 91. The mill was a two-story frame structure, 60 feet long, equipped with all the neces- sary appliances of a full one-set mill. This mill is shown in the picture of the old mill at Cooperstown. When Mr. Hillier 25
pebbles are of varying sizes, from a few inches to a foot and a half in diameter. They are quite pure quartz, smooth, round or elliptical. Very old residents are they, and they tell a story. Millions of years ago they were torn from flint beds far north in Canada and brought to this place by glaciers, grinding out lakes and valleys and preparing the good soil of this locality, an unusual condition in this county.
The cloth made by the woolen mill was famous for years in this section. Booth has a mill in the East, making similar material, which is highly valued here. The old books were very interesting, the accounts with Ham- ilton McClintock and others on Oil creek show- ing large purchases of oil at prices ranging from fifty cents to a dollar a gallon.
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The iron industry also contributed consider- ably to the local prosperity. About 1850 there were four furnaces in operation within a ra- dius of four miles of Cooperstown: Texas Furnace, built and operated by James Porter, from Indiana county, Pa., was leased for a time by McCalmont & Bush; it had a capacity of ten or fifteen tons per day, getting motive power for the blast from Sugar creek, ore at different banks in the neighborhood, and char- coal from the surrounding forests. Liberty Furnace, four miles west of the town on Trout run, was built by Reynolds, Lowrie & Com- pany. Union Furnace, a mile above the bor- ough on the east side of Sugar creek, was built by Geist & Williams, who sold the plant to Hughes & Benn, its last proprietors. The Valley Furnace, the fourth, was over in Sugar Creek township.
Kraemer & Company had a foundry at Cooperstown, where stoves, plow irons and similar articles were made.
In 1849 James Kingsley built the Roll card- ing mill, which he and his family operated for over forty years, the buildings and franchise being eventually acquired by A. P. Miles, who established a planing mill, now out of oper- ation.
J. G. Wagner's flour mill was also an im- portant industry in the borough. In 1888 a lo- cal company built a creamery, but it was burned in August, 1889, and not rebuilt. The only manufacturing industry in the borough now is that of the Cooperstown Milling Company, which fully supplies the local demand for flour and feed.
Oil Development .- On Sept. 6, 1860, in re- moving a fragment of steel from their well in Cooperstown, Booth & Hillier struck oil at a depth of 280 feet, the first discovered in this part of the county. A light production was obtained several miles to the north, and east- ward, toward Sugar Lake, there was a very small output, which still continues smaller.
Cooperstown now contains, and is the cen- ter of, an intelligent, active and prosperous people. It is surrounded by farms as fine as any in the county. It is connected by a paved road with Franklin, six miles away. As a cen- ter of wealth and of distribution of commodi-
ties, it is a place to be reckoned with, increas- ing with the coming years.
Though the population increased slowly in the early days Cooperstown gradually assumed the proportions of a small village, but it was not incorporated as a borough until Nov. 25, 1858. The petition was filed Aug. 23d of that year, approved by the grand jury on the fol- lowing day, confirmed nisi Aug. 27th and ab- solutely Nov. 25th. At the first election of offi- cers, held the third Friday of March, 1859, J. P. Byers was chosen burgess; L. W. Ranney, Robert Crawford, Thomas Kelley, N. Wood and R. A. Bower, members of council. The following have officiated since 1900:
1900-01-02-Burgess, H. B. Bradley ; Coun- cilmen, 1900-G. W. Dill (three years) C. W. Bower (three years), J. R. Mendenhall (one year), J. A. Karnes, Lew A. Ray ; 1901-W. H. Shaw, D. R. Mendoshe, Homer Jackson ; 1902-John Gurnee ; J. Duncan ; Charles Rob- inson.
1903-04-05-Burgess, W. J. Bradley ; Coun- cilmen, 1903-Grant Shaffstall, C. D. Rodgers, J. S. Gates; 1904-A. P. Miles, S. G. Bean, H. J. Hanna ; 1905-William Gates, J. W. Gurney.
1906-07-08-Burgess, W. A. Crawford; Councilmen, 1906-J. S. Gates, C. H. Hillier, C. W. King; 1907-J. W. Gurney, A. D. Ceas, S. B. Hillier ; 1908-J. W. Gurney, W. W. Proper, William Thompson.
1909-10-1I-Burgess, W. F. Rice; Council- man, 1909-W. W. Proper, S. G. Bean; 1910 -J. S. Gates, S. B. Hillier; 1911-J. W. Gur- ney. Samuel Eich.
1913-15-Burgess, W. F. Rice; Councilmen, 1913-S. B. Hillier, McClelland Rogers, Wil- liam Proper, S. G. Bean; 1915-D. B. Hood, J. W. Gurney, W. F. Rice, S. G. Bean.
1917-Burgess, J. B. Gates (four years) ; Councilmen-Harry Proper (four years), McClelland Rogers ( four years).
As noted elsewhere, owing to changes in leg- islation there were no borough elections in 1912, 1914 and 1916, officials holding over during those years.
In 1870 the population of the borough was 264: 1880, 297; 1890, 290; 1900, 243; 1910, 181.
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CHAPTER XXVII
TOWNSHIPS AND BOROUGHS (Concluded)
PRESIDENT TOWNSHIP-THE CLAPP LANDS-CLINTON TOWNSHIP-CLINTONVILLE BOROUGH- KENNERDELL-JANESTOWN-OIL CREEK TOWNSHIP-PLEASANTVILLE BOROUGH-MINERAL TOWNSHIP-RAYMILTON-VICTORY TOWNSHIP
PRESIDENT TOWNSHIP
President township was erected from parts of Pinegrove, Cornplanter and Tionesta (For- est county) April 3, 1850, by act of the legis- lature. It lies in the eastern part of Venan- go county, on both sides of the Allegheny river. North of the river the adjoining town- ships are Allegheny and Cornplanter ; south of the river, Cranberry and Pinegrove. Pithole creek forms the line of division between Presi- dent and Cornplanter ; the other streams flow- ing into the Allegheny on the north are Musk- rat run and Stewart's run, while the principal stream on the south is Hemlock creek, which rises in Pinegrove township and has a rapid current. Here, as elsewhere in its course, the river is bounded by high hills, and the sur- face for several miles inland is scarcely sus- ceptible of cultivation; in fact, there is prob- ably less arable land in President than in any other township in the county. This has been abundantly compensated for. however, by its oil and timber resources.
Settlement .- McCrea run, a little stream emptying into the south bank of the Alle- gheny in President township, perpetuates the name of its first settler, Patrick McCrea, a native of Ireland, and no doubt the first Cath- olic to settle in Venango county. His father, Michael McCrea, was a captain of light horse in the British army and was killed at the bat- tle of Brandywine, and Patrick McCrea held a commission in the same service, but left the army because he had no inclination to serve England. Settling at Richmond, Va., he taught school. He had also studied medicine in Ireland. It was in 1797 that he removed to the wilds of western Pennsylvania, locating at what has since become the village of Eagle Rock-the only settler along the river between Franklin and Warren at that time. He had a
log cabin about eighteen by twenty feet in di- mensions, with clapboard roof and wooden chimney, which was removed about a hundred years ago, and his log barn stood several rods farther down the river, at the site later occu- pied by Hugh McCrea's house. He secured 393 acres of land, but he did not follow the pioneer occupations-neither farming, hunting nor fishing-not having been trained for man- ual pursuits. But his mental acquirements made him a valued member of the community, where he remained an honored and respected citizen until his death. He enjoyed the confi- dence and friendship of Cornplanter, and often acted as agent for the Indians in disposing of their furs, honey and bear grease, and he ex- tended a warm welcome to the other white men who joined him in the settlement of this region.
In 1802 John Henry settled on a tract of 100 acres at what has ever since been known as Henry's Bend, and died there March 16, 1858, at the ripe old age of eighty-seven years. Like McCrea he was an Irish Catholic, and a very worthy, intelligent citizen. His obituary in the Spectator for March, 1858, shows that he came into the county in 1798, and resided fifty- six years on the farm where he died. Though he had a large family, there are no descend- ants in the township.
Samuel Rhoads, another early settler in the vicinity of Eagle Rock, was there probably as early as 1803, and acquired 100 acres of land, which he sold in 1813 or 1814 to Francis Cul- bertson, who came hither from the north of Cherry run on Oil creek as mentioned in Cornplanter township. The latter also secured 300 acres adjoining the McCrea property. by virtue of settlement and improvement. Rich- ard Williams, who came from Philadelphia. located at the mouth of Muskrat run in 1821. On the north side of the river above Presi-
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dent, Alexander McCray and Thomas McCal- mont were early residents.
Before Alexander Holeman established his ferry in the extreme eastern part of the town- ship, just below the island named for him, Patrick McCrea transported travelers across the river, two canoes lashed together serving the purposes of a ferryboat. Horses were taken across in this way also. Holeman opened a road at his own expense from the State road, at a point near Fryburg, to the vicinity of Pit- hole in order to have people use his ferry, but the construction of the Susquehanna turn- pike in 1819 attracted travel entirely away from his route.
Settlement south of the river was slow in starting and progressed leisurely. The first mill in the township was built in this section by Robert Elliott, who removed from Frank- lin and settled on a tract of 1,000 acres at the mouth of Hemlock creek. He was compara- tively well-to-do and became an influential citi- zen. His son William Elliott was a prominent county official, and the name is still well rep- resented among the estimable citizens of Franklin.
Population .- In 1870 the township had 618 inhabitants ; 1880, 416; 1890, 366; 1900, 289; 1910, 387.
Villages .- President station, on the Penn- sylvania railroad, is on the north bank of the Allegheny, with the village itself across the river, and at the mouth of Hemlock creek, a settlement of perhaps a dozen houses and a present population of 45. Robert Elliott was the first resident there, and his business activi- 'ties contributed to its 'early prosperity, as various other industries have affected it since. The place attained its greatest prosperity while the furnace built by Robert Clapp was in op- eration. It also experienced some business activity during the period of lumber rafting. E. E. Clapp built a large hotel there, and a num- ber of well constructed roads radiating from the village to different parts of his estate. There is a post office at this point, one general store, a blacksmith shop and a ferry. The hotel and other remains are symbols of an unfulfilled dream. It was intended to estab- lish an ideal pleasure resort here. But what Joseph Conrad would sturdily and unreproved call "chance" intervened. Rock-wood and its neighbors met a want, and hope was more than deferred. It is a beautiful spot in which to rest. The eddy is beloved of faithful fisher- men who like to cast the fascinating fly even if no fish reward their exertions. The deeply green hills throw their shadows over the river,
and at nighfall are as inscrutable as the Pyra- mids. The mournful voice of the whippoorwill comes from hidden depths and seems a part of the mysteries of life. There are quiet places with reminders of the forward-looking man of other days who carried out fancies that still attract. The watering troughs named "Horses' Delight," the signboards directing the passer- by to the points of interest, all had a touch of originality. The signs were erected upon pine posts stripped of bark, as thick as telegraph poles, set in cement, roofed over to preserve the lettering. The roads were graded almost like a railroad bed, and were kept clear of underbrush by the fifteen or more men who lived upon Mr. Clapp's land. The roads gen- erally led nowhere through the fourteen thou- sand acres of his estate, or returned to start- ing point, or connected with a public highway. In winter the men cut down lumber, worked it into beams and boards, piled it up to rot. There was a walk a third of a mile in length from near the hotel to Hemlock creek, of pine posts and planks, strong enough for a freight train. Mr. Clapp was a providence to the men, giving them employment. They were always busy. Perhaps his innate goodness in seeing to the welfare of the fifteen families that he gathered about him to care for his es- tate is more clearly discerned now than dur- ing his life. No one in trouble ever sought his aid in vain. It may seem that his dream of developing this unique place was fairer than any reality. But dreams themselves are realities.
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