USA > Pennsylvania > Franklin County > Waynesboro > Waynesboro : the history of a settlement in the county formerly called Cumberland, but later Franklin, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in its beginnings, to its centennial period, and to the close of the present century > Part 7
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The meagre records which remain disclose little with respect to the cause of opposition to this act of incorpora- tion, but a careful analysis of the subject would seem to indicate that opposition, to a degree, was grounded in dis- approval, in certain quarters, of the name chosen for the new borough. The vote on second reading showed that seven members from Philadelphia county, four from Bucks, five (a solid delegation) from Chester, four from Lancaster, two from the Berks and Schuylkill district, one from the Armstrong, Indiana and Jefferson district, one from Lebanon, one from Beaver, one from the Allegheny and Butler district, two from Delaware, two from Adams, and three from the Erie, Crawford, Warren, Mercer and Venango district, opposed the measure.
During this period the three localities in Pennsylvania which contended with the Franklin county town for the honor of the municipal name, Waynesburg, were Greene county, with its county seat so named; Bedford county, with a Waynesburg or Bloody Run, and Chester county, with its native home of the Waynes, indifferently men- tioned at times as "Waynesburg" and "Waynesborough," the last mentioned, however, being the proper appella- tion.
Neither Bedford county nor Greene county appeared to have been antagonistic to the measure; on the con- trary, their representatives voted for it. The most de- cided opposition came from Chester county, in which the original Waynesburg or Waynesborough is situated, and
CHAPTER IV.
Opposition de- veloped.
Causes of antag- onism.
Note 22.
Note 23.
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WAYNESBORO.
CHAPTER 1V.
from the counties contiguous thereto. The remaining op- position worthy of considering came from the Erie dis- trict and surrounding territory the locality where the famous general died and was first buried. and wherein he was their first hero after old General John Armstrong.
It is a reasonable deduction, therefore, that the locali- ties opposing were prompted in their action by a jealous desire to guard from too common use the honored name.
The opposition from Adams county, just across the mountain, may be attributed to the fact that "a prophet is not without honor, save in his own country." or, may- hap. to the jealous ambition of some thriving but yet un- incorporated town in the vicinage.
Dec. 14, 1818.
Dec. 16, 1818.
Dec. 19, 1818.
Dec. 21, 1818.
The bill of incorporation encountered no further oppo- stion in its passage through the house. After its third reading and passage in the lower house, it was messaged over to the upper branch, and there considered upon first reading the same day. The second day after, it was read the second time, and ordered to be prepared for third reading. Three days later it was passed finally without opposition. formally compared and presented to the Gov- ernor for his approval, and within two days Governor Wil- liam Findlay affixed his signature thereto, and it became a law.
Charter re- pealed.
The charter for Waynesburg. thus promptly secured by the faithful work of Franklin county's representatives in the Legislature, was destined to be short-lived ; whether it was that the little mountain-shadowed town was prematurely and ill-advisedly endowed with corporate powers, or that proceedings under the complex and am- bitiously enlarged terms of the charter grew to be vexa- tious and a burden to the men of simple methods who dwelt under its jurisdiction and endeavored to abide by its terms, cannot now be definitely known : but, be that as it may, this, at least, is certain that the Waynesburg charter.
87
THE PLANTING OF THE TOWN.
within five years after it had been secured, had en- gendered sufficient antagonism to warrant the presenta- tion of a petition to a subsequent Legislature "from sundry inhabitants of Waynesburg, Franklin county, pray- ing that the Act erecting the town into a borough may be repealed."
CHAPTER IV.
Feb. 13, 1824.
Journal H. R., 638.
Frederick Smith, Esq., one of the best representatives which Franklin county ever had: Robert Smith and Wil- liam McClay, were the members of the House of Repre- sentatives, and John Rea was the Senator from Franklin county at this time. Mr. Frederick Smith presented the repeal petition of "the inhabitants of Waynesburg," and it was referred for action to himself in conjunction with Representatives Wykoff and Ryan as a committee. This committee prepared and presented to the House a bill of repeal, known as number three hundred and five, which, upon presentation, was read the first time. It was a bill of absolute repeal. It passed with expedition, and with- out opposition, through the several stages of legislation in both House and Senate, and finally received the ap- proval and signature of Governor J. Andrew Shultz.
Thus abruptly and absolutely ended the first experi- ment of Waynesburg as a borough. For a period of five years, and longer, no movement was made in the direction of securing another formal act of incorporation. Then, Feb. 4, 1830. near the close of a session of the Legislature, and too late to be acted upon at that time, the matter was again agi- tated. Mr. John Coxe, one of the members from Frank- lin, his colleague being Mr. Frederick Smith, presented a petition of Waynesburg people, praying the Legislature to grant a charter, different in certain respects from the act of incorporation formerly enacted and repealed. Of what these alterations consisted, it is not now possible, in the absence of records, to absolutely determine, but, from a general view of the subject, the inference may be drawn
February 14.
March 30.
Journal H. R., 1829-30.
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WAYNESBORO.
CHAPTER IV.
that the chief alteration related to the scope of territory and boundaries to be included within the corporate limits.
Opposition to re- vival.
Feb. 15, 1830.
That there was a lack of unanimity among the people of Waynesburg, with respect to this renewed effort to secure a charter. is evidenced by the fact that within a short time after the presentation of the petition in favor thereof. the speaker (Mr. Frederick Smith, of Franklin). laid before the House "a remonstrance from sundry in- habitants of the town of Waynesburg, in Franklin county. against erecting said town into a borough."
All effort to ascertain the grounds upon which this re- monstrance was based has proved fruitless.
March 10, 1830.
After due consideration of the matter in the committee on corporations, Mr. David Hassinger, of Philadelphia, the chairman of that committee. reported bill number three hundred and sixteen, entitled "An Act reviving an Act incorporating the borough of Waynesburg, and changing the name thereof to Waynesborough." At this session, the movement did not advance beyond this intro- duction of the bill into the llouse.
1830-31.
At the next regular session, Franklin county was repre- sented by its tried and true members, Frederick Smith and John Coxe, with David Fullerton, widely known and highly respected for his attainments, as Senator.
Dec. 13, 1830.
Dec. 21, 1830.
There seemed to be. in the present House, an entire absence of the opposition to the Waynesburg corporation bill which had manifested itself at the former session, and at his earliest opportunity, Mr. Coxe called up "the item of unfinished business" relating to the incorporation of the town of Waynesburg, and secured its reference to the committee on corporations, of which Almon H. Read. of Philadelphia, was chairman. In a short time the measure, now known as "bill number twenty-eight." was favorably reported from that committee by Mr. Read. under the title
S9
THE PLANTING OF THE TOWN.
of "An Act reviving an Act incorporating the borough of CHAPTER IV. Waynesburg, in the county of Franklin, and changing the name thereof to Waynesborough."
As in the case of the former, the present bill en- The act re- countered no further opposition in the course of its pro- vived. gress through the two branches of the law making power. Its consideration upon second and third reading and final passage in the House, was uneventful routine.
Dec. 24, 1830, and Jan. 4, 1831.
In the Senate, when under consideration of the "com- mittee of the whole," the old restive feeling with respect to the name again was manifested, and resolved itself into Jan. IS. an amendment "making the name 'Waynesborough' read 'Waynesboro"," and thus necessitating, the next day. Jan. 19. upon second reading, a technical amendment to the title offered by the ever watchful Senator Fullerton to make the title conform legally to the body of the bill. Third reading and final passage followed apace, and, as the amendments proposed by the Senate were promptly con- Jan. 21. curred in by the House, no delay was experienced in the formal steps necessary to be taken to place the bill in the .Jan. 25. hands of Governor Wolf, whose undelayed approval thereof and signature thereto gave corporate life to the Waynesboro of to-day.
In order to fully understand the chartered privileges of Waynesboro, it will be necessary to remember that the last act of incorporation is simply an act reviving the re- pealed charter enacted at an earlier day. The original act contains all the machinery, and the revived act chiefly de- termines under what name and within what limits it shall be operative. From a comparison of the somewhat in- definite description in the original act with the rather more specific description in the reviving act, it can be readily seen that the original corporate limits were con- siderably enlarged.
Trouble about the name.
Jan. 20.
Terms of the charter.
Note 24 .
Note 25.
Borough limits.
90
WAYNESBORO.
CHAPTER IV.
Qualifications electors.
Every resident for six months within the corporate of limits, who was qualified to vote for members of the Gen- eral Assembly. was entitled. under the charter, to vote for the first Chief Burgess and members of the Town Coun- cil, five in number. The first election was fixed to be held Time and place "at the house now occupied by John Cochran," on the of election. first Monday of March succeeding the passage of the re- viving act, but all subsequent elections were to be held as originally provided, "on the first Tuesday of May in every year." The Burgess and Town Council thus Style of the cor- poration. elected, and their successors, were declared to be "one body politic and corporate by the name and style of Chief Burgess and Town Council of the borough of (Waynes- burg) Waynesboro, and shall have perpetual succession."
Penalties of de- faulting officers.
Official oaths.
Fitting penalties upon officers duly elected and accept- ing the offices, for failure to properly and faithfully per- form the duties imposed upon them, were fixed. All of- ficers, before entering upon the duties of their office, were required to take and subscribe an oath "to support the Constitution of the United States and of this State, and to perform their duties with fidelity." These oaths were re- quired to be preserved among the records of the corpora- tion.
Powers of Town Council.
The Town Council was required to meet, at least, quar- terly, on the third Saturday of April. July. October and January in each year for the transaction of business. Full powers were granted to enact proper rules and ordinances for the government of the market and streets, and for all police regulations, the levying and collecting of taxes, etc.
Town Clerk.
It was the duty of the Town Clerk to keep the archives, to be custodian of the common seal, and to preserve the records.
Treasurer.
A Borough Treasurer was also provided for, upon whom was imposed the duties usual to such office, and the
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THE PLANTING OF THE TOWN.
obligation of giving bond for the faithful performance of CHAPTER IV.
those duties.
A High Constable was also provided for, and it was High Constable. among his duties to give notice of the annual borough elections, and, under the original act, two commissioners, with the High Constable of Washington township, were appointed to the duty of publishing and superintending the first election to be held.
A peculiar feature about the salaries of all the officers of ancient Waynesboro was that "salaries shall not be in- creased or diminished during the time for which said officers were appointed respectively." This is an inhibi- tion which is to-day one of the leading ordainments of the latest constitution of Pennsylvania with respect to the highest offices in the State.
The Burgess and Town Council were constituted as a tribunal for the decision of the questions arising under the charter, while there was a regularly constituted appeal from their decisions (except with relation to borough taxes and appointments to offices), to the court of com- mon pleas of the county.
Misunderstanding of some of the provisions of the re- vived charter caused serious delay in organizing, and ren- dered absolutely necessary a supplement to the charter act the next year.
The preamble to the supplement recited the fact that the day appointed by the act of the year before for hold- ing the first borough election "had passed before the citi- zens of Waynesboro had received notice of the passage of the said act, and no persons were appointed to publish said act."
As a matter of fact, the revival of the act was all too superficially drawn, and did not re-enact with sufficient definiteness the vital provisions of the original act. By
Wm. Blakeney. John Flanegan.
Salaries not to be increased or di- minished during
term.
The Burgess' court.
Jan. 11, 1832.
Legislative in- terpretation of charter.
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WAYNESBORO.
CHAPTER IV.
James Burns and George Bashore.
the supplement it was provided that the first election of borough officers should be held on the first Monday of March ensuing, and commissioners were appointed to superintend and publish the election.
1851.
Under the general borough law.
Nearly a score of years had passed away since the for- mal incorporation of Waynesboro. They had been years in which the spirit of progress in the methods of govern- ment in its relation to the governed had quickened and broadened in general, but particularly along the line of the governmental theory, which is now one of the cardinal doctrines of our State Constitution, that general laws shall be enacted for the regulation of those matters in which the public is generally interested, and that special laws for the benefit of individuals, or classes of individu- als, granting privileges that are the peculiar provisions of general laws, shall be prohibited.
Note 26.
Up to this period in a single line of corporate fran- chises, that of boroughs, there had been granted by the Legislature special charters, running up into the hun- dreds. These differed materially in terms, at least so much so as to be wholly lacking in uniformity when con- sidered as a class.
April 1, 1834. The beginning of general legisla- tion.
Courts to incor porate.
Officers.
At a somewhat earlier day, as a first step in the direc- tion of a remedy for this evil, the Legislature enacted a general law providing for the incorporation of boroughs. The courts of quarter sessions, with the concurrence of the grand jury, in each county, were clothed with the power to incorporate towns and villages into boroughs, upon the petition of a majority of the freeholders therein, and also, upon application of two-thirds of the freeholders of any existing borough, to alter or amend the special charter thereof. In charters granted by the courts, the chief borough officers authorized were a Burgess and five members of Town Council. The Town Council was to be
93
THE PLANTING OF THE TOWN.
a court of appeal only for questions in which were in- CHAPTER IN. volved the assessment and collection of taxes.
By a supplementary enactment, the corporate powers Apr. 3, 1851.
of boroughs were fully defined and specifically set forth. Powers defined.
Under the general law, regulating incorporated bor- oughs, was first put into operation the method of cumu- lative voting, which subsequently became a feature in the choice of certain officers under the State Constitution and enabling legislation. The members of the Town Council could be chosen under this system, which did not remain in vogue long, but was soon abolished.
Soon after the powers of courts of quarter sessions, with respect to this class of corporations, were further enlarged, and they were authorized to divide boroughs into wards, which should each be a separate election dis- trict entitled to not less than one nor more than three members of Council.
Under the provisions of the general borough law, all boroughs already created by special charter could be brought within its provisions, and be uniformly classed with each other and with those to be created in the future ; a plan conceived in wisdom, and with all operations under it crowned with success.
Waynesboro, at an early day, availed herself of the opportunity to escape from the unequal work of conduct- ing her affairs under a special charter, and notwithstand- ing the fact that the same was secured with so much diffi- culty, and by special Act of Assembly, came into full con- formity with the general borough law.
In due course of time the expansion of the borough rendered it necessary, in order "to satisfy the convenience and confirm the interests of the taxpayers generally of said borough." to have said borough divided
June 2, 1871.
Cumulative voting.
March 28, 1873.
Formation of wards.
Special charters to be merged.
Waynesboro comes in.
April 15, 1852.
Borough divided into wards.
March 15, 1589.
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WAYNESBORO.
into wards : at least, so the petition to the court of quarter sessions of Franklin county recited.
After due consideration of the petition, the Court ap- pointed three gentlemen from different sections of the county, one from Greencastle, one from Mercersburg, and one from Strasburg, as commissioners to divide the town into wards, as prayed for.
Sept. 20, 1889.
By the report of these commissioners, which was duly confirmed by the court. the borough was divided into three wards. Two councilmen and two school directors were designated for each ward, and each ward was made a separate election district.
Statistical rela- tions.
The village. 1797-1818.
Wallacetown, afterwards Waynesburg. in its incipiency, that is to say from the time when it was formally laid out by its founder up to the time when the first steps were taken toward its incorporation into a borough, differed in no material respect from the ordinary settlement towns of the valley. Its growth was steady, and, perhaps, a lit- tle in advance of other portions of the county.
United States census. 1790.
At the taking of the first authorized United States cen- sus, the population of the entire county of Franklin was fifteen thousand six hundred and fifty-five, and as an in- teresting historical fact it is here noted that of the number mentioned three hundred and thirty were slaves.
Note 27. 1800.
Note 27.
At a second decennial census, the population had in- creased to nineteen thousand six hundred and thirty- eight, of which number one hundred and thirty-one were slaves.
1810.
1820. 1590.
In the next ten years, the number of inhabitants had increased to twenty-three thousand and eighty-three. with eighty-seven still in slavery, while in the succeeding ten years, the population increased to thirty-one thou- sand eight hundred and ninety-two.
At the taking of the last decennial census, the popula- tion reached the number of fifty-one thousand four hun-
CHAPTER IN.
Ilon. John Stewart, P. J.
Jacob Pensinger. A. B. Lauder- baugh. W. W. Britton.
95
THE PLANTING OF THE TOWN.
dred and thirty-three, showing more than a three-fold in- CHAPTER IN. crease in population in one hundred years.
With respect to Washington township. the first census shows the population to have been about thirteen hun- dred: the second, about two thousand and twenty-five: the third, two thousand seven hundred and nine : and the fourth, four thousand seven hundred and ninety-seven. This indicates an increase of the population of the town- ship, in the ten years last mentioned, of two thousand and eighty-eight, or about seventy-seven per cent. During the same ten years, the population of the entire county of Franklin, outside of Washington township. had in- creased only six thousand seven hundred and twenty-one, or about thirty-three per cent.
This was substantially the situation as to population when Waynesburg made its first application for a borough charter. Reliable information from which to derive an exact account of the personnel and business of the town at this particular time is lacking, but from authentic sources it has been ascertained that in the township of Washing- ton there were six hundred and ninety-six persons en- gaged in agricultural pursuits ; eighteen in commerce, and two hundred and eleven in the business of manufacture. The presumption is not too violent that a majority of those engaged in commerce and a number of the manu- facturers were within the limits of the town.
For the twelve succeeding years during which Waynes- burg waited for the evolution of its chartered rights in perfect form from the chaos of undigested State legisla- tion, the township continued to grow steadily in popula- tion, while the town kept pace therein, thrived in its home building and progressed in its commercial enterprises.
An observant chronicler within its gates took note of the fact that it contained between one hundred and forty and one hundred and fifty dwelling houses and places of
1790.
1820.
United States census. 1820.
Transition period. 1818-1831.
1831 Gordon.
96
WAYNESBORO.
CHAPTER IN.
business, "chiefly of stone :" that its people worshipped in two principal churches, the Presbyterians and Lutherans in one, and those of the German Reformed persuasion in the other : and it was altogether a thriving village, giving great promise for the future.
Formative period. 1831-1870
The period of nearly forty years directly following the formal incorporation of Waynesboro may, with propriety. be called the "formative period" of the town : its business enterprises arose, culminated and set in strict accord with the laws of progress and ever changing methods. It shared to a greater or less degree the financial and other distresses incident to the troublous times which, from period to period, the county in general fell into, particu- larly the war for the preservation of the Union, which brought the army of an enemy to the very doors of its people's homes.
1840.
The fifth decennial census officially fixed the population of Waynesboro at eight hundred and fifty. For four de- cades there was nothing in the rate of increase in popula- tion to mark it as unusual. The figures of the sixth census were one thousand and nineteen: of the seventh. one thousand two hundred and thirty-three : of the eighth. one thousand three hundred and forty-five; and of the ninth, one thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight.
The golden age. 1870-1900.
1580
Phenomenal growth. 1890.
But now, the conservative, quiet little town has reached a period in its history which, for want of a less poetic ap- pellation, may be styled the "golden age." Let the figures speak again. The first ten years of this period show little change in the percentage of increase of popula- tion. The census return fixed the figures at one thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight. but mark the phenomenal progress: the outcome of the generally wonderful and eventful years which are tolled off to make up the full measure of the last decade.
It almost surpasses belief that. albeit crystallized by
HISTORY OF WAYNESBORO.
BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF WAYNESBORO, 1897.
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX A'D TILS IFLI CATIONS.
.
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THE PLANTING OF TIIE TOWN.
the deep-rooted conservatism of the locality, and after nearly one hundred years, this ancient town should dis- card the methods of the past and, in a brief period of time, not exceeding one-tenth of its whole existence, expand into a miniature city of three wards and more than double its population. This is what Waynesboro has done. It is carried upon the latest census rolls with a population in its three wards combined of three thousand eight hun- dred and eleven, an increase of one thousand nine hundred and twenty-three, and an excess of eight hundred and eighty-five over the combined increase of the forty years preceding, which was one thousand and thirty-eight. "Comparisons are odious," but, simply for the sake of fuller exemplification, the following comparison of the rate of in- crease of Waynesboro's population during the last ten years and the rates of increase of neighboring towns, and of the county, for the same period, is given :
Waynesboro, rate per cent. of increase, 101.85
Hagerstown,
52.68
Chambersburg,
14.34
Carlisle,
22.73
Franklin county, 22.85
From this comparison, a correct idea of the phenomenal growth of Waynesboro during this period can be gather- ed.
A local census taken in January, of nineteen hundred, shows the population of Waynesboro to be five thousand, eight hundred and one.
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