LOCAL HISTORY: Tarring S. Davis, History of Blair County, Volume I, 1931, Blair County, PA - Chapter 9 Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Judy Banja Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/blair/ html file: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/blair/1picts/davis/tdavis1.htm _______________________________________________ A HISTORY OF BLAIR COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA UNDER EDITORIAL SUPERVISION OF TARRING S. DAVIS LUCILE SHENK, ASSOCIATE EDITOR HARRISBURG: NATIONAL HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, INC., 1931 VOLUME I CHAPTER IX TOWNSHIPS TOWNSHIPS 99 ELEVEN of the fifteen townships in Blair County were organized with the county in 1846. Some of them were taken from parts of Bedford and Huntingdon Counties. In some cases the old township name was retained. In others a variation of the old name was used or a new one acquired. Greenfield, Huston and North Woodberry Townships were taken from Bedford County. The greater number of townships, Allegheny, Antis, Blair, Catharine, Frankstown, Snyder, Tyrone and Woodberry were parts of Huntingdon County before 1846. Since that time the four remaining townships Freedom, Juniata, Logan and Taylor were formed from some of the eleven older ones. ALLEGHENY The name Allegheny is taken from Talligewi or Alligewi, a tribe of Indians, who, according to the legends of the Delawares, inhabited the entire eastern part of the United States from the Allegheny Mountains to the Mississippi River, before the Delawares came east. This township was part of Huntingdon County prior to 1846, where it belonged to the township of Frankstown until 1793. The latter township was too large and inconvenient for the citizens. In 1792, some of them decided to petition the courts for a division. Accordingly, on the second Monday of November, 1793, when the Court of Quarter Sessions met at Huntingdon before Thomas Smith, president judge, David Stewart, Robert Galbraith and Benjamin Elliott, associate judges of the Court of Common Pleas, a petition from the citizens was presented. The part of the record referring to the decision on the petition, follows "Beginning at the line of Tyrone Township where it crosses the south part of the Brushy Mountain, and thence along the summit of said mountain to the southwest and thereof; thence with a straight line to the line of Bedford County, so as to include the house that Henry Caldwell now lives in within the upper part next the Allegheny Mountain, and that the said upper division be called and known by the name of Allegheny Township. Whereupon it is considered by the court and ordered that the said township of Frankstown be divided in manner and form as mentioned in the said petition; that the name of Frankstown remain with that part lying to the southward of the said boundary, and that the part to the northward of the said boundary be erected into a separate township, to be called and known by the name of Allegheny Township in all public records, with the same privileges as any other township in the said county." The first assessment in Allegheny Township was made in 1794. The new township covered the present area of Allegheny, Logan and Antis Townships. The persons listed as living in Allegheny Township in 1794 were as follows: 100 BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY Acres Acres Allen, William 150 Galbraith, William 50 Armstrong, Thomas - (Also owned 1 still.) Blackford, Jacob 150 Gailbraith, James 100 Bell, James 100 Gness, Samuel 100 Burns, James 50 Hanna, Henry 200 Burgoon, Jacob 50 Hunter, John 50 Blair, Thomas 400 Hesler, Michael 200 (Owned 1 negro slave, Hoffstader, Matthew - 2 saw mills, 1 grist mill Hart, James 300 and 2 stills.) Blair, John 200 Hamilton, Alexander - Bradley, Charles 100 Kerr, John 50 Braddock, Nicholas 70 Karr, John 100 Carson, Hugh 100 Karr, Samuel 100 Clark, William 150 Long, Hugh 50 Cook, Joseph l00 Long, John 100 Curry, Robert 100 McFarland, William 150 Crain, James 100 McGwinner, Paul - Coleman, Thomas 150 Martin, John 100 Christian, Philip 50 McFarland, Hugh 50 Crawford, James 150 Myers, William, Sr. 150 Cunningham, John 100 Myers, Benjamin 100 Caldwell, Henry 100 McGuire, Cornelius 114 Caldwell, Samuel 100 Mitchell, Thomas - David, William - McGuire, Luke 600 David, John 200 McGuire, Peter 400 Dunn, Thomas 50 Noble, John 100 Dodson, William - Nipps, Christopher 100 Edington, Philip 50 Petticoat, Dorsey 200 Edington, Jonathan 150 Patton, Matthew 300 Edmiston, John 60 Pennington, Amos 100 Elder, John - Prather, John 200 Fetler, John 60 (Owned a still.) Fetter, Michael, Jr. 30 Summers, Elizabeth 200 Felton, William - Stevens, Giles 100 Felton, John 100 Swartz, Daniel 300 Fetler, George 400 (Owned a slave.) Galbraith, John 100 Swartz, Francis 200 Glasgow, John 100 Spear, William 100 Gwin, John 50 (Owned a slave and tannery.) Guthrie, George 100 Swank, Christian 100 (Also owned 2 stills.) Tipton, John 100 Gwin, William - Tipton, Jesse 50 Guilliford, William 50 Tussey, John 100 TOWNSHIPS 101 Acres Acres Trester, William 50 White, Matthew 100 Thompson, John (weaver)50 (Owned a still.) Thompson, John 50 Webb, John 150 Titus, Daniel 100 Wellbaum, Charles 50 Titus, Peter 100 Wertz, Henry 120 VanSchoik, Aaron 60 Whitinger, Francis 50 Williams, John 50 Williams, William 50 Waugh, Alexander 200 Welch, John - Whitinger, Jacob - Wymort, Felty 50 When first a part of Blair County, Allegheny joined Antis Township on the north, but in 1852 Logan was formed from Antis and Allegheny. The present boundaries of Allegheny are, Logan Township on the north, Cambria County on the west, Blair and Juniata Townships on the south and Frankstown Township on the east. Three streams, tributaries of the Juniata River, flow through Allegheny. They are Blair Creek, Sugar and Brush Runs. Duncansville lies partly in Blair Township but the major portion of it is located in Allegheny. It is the largest community in the latter township and has a post-office besides being located on the Pennsylvania Railroad. In 1810, Francis Smith kept an inn and tannery on its site. In 1828, some of the residents were Samuel Duncan, tavern keeper; Willis Gibboney, Francis Smith, Francis Floom, a brewer and inn keeper; John Berry and Samuel S. Smith, both wagon makers. The community supports Baptist, Lutheran and Presbyterian Churches. In 1930, the population of Duncansville was 1,379. Two other communities that flourished in Allegheny in 1883 were Foot of Ten, a village of twenty houses at the foot of the 10th incline plane of the old Portage Railroad, sometimes known as Germanyville, and Bennington, a group of homes occupied by employees of local iron furnaces and coal mines. Neither of these villages is listed among the post-offices of the county now, nor shown on maps. Beryl is another community in Allegheny but has neither a post-office nor a railroad connection. The greater portion of the township is mountainous so that the population is small. In 1930, there were 2,734 persons living there, outside of Duncansville. ANTIS OR ANTES Antis Township was named for Colonel Antes, famous Revolutionary officer of Northumberland County. Antis was originally part of Huntingdon County and was erected from Allegheny Township there in 1810. In 1787, some of the residents were William Allen, James Crawford, Jonathan Edington, Philip Edington, John Glasgow, Robert Ricketts, Jesse Tipton, Edward Tipton, Measaugh Tipton. When Allegheny Township was formed from Frankstown in 1793 additional residents of the first named township, now Antis, were, Christian Black, a tanner and farmer at Logan's Spring; Manasseh Bradley, William Clark, John Clark, Abraham Crane, Robert Edington, Samuel Edington, Jacob Fetter, 102 BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY John Hunter, John Hunter, Jr., Jacob Myers, Daniel Swartz, John Swartz, Giles Stephens, John Tussey, Caleb Tipton, Timothy VanSchoick, Aaron VanSchoick and Peter Wertz. In April, 1808, when the Court of the Quarter Sessions of Huntingdon County met at Huntingdon a petition from some inhabitants of Allegheny Township was read. They asked that the township be divided by a line, "beginning at the head of the main branch of the Little Juniata, where it rises in the Allegheny Mountain; thence by the same to the house of Jacob Chubb; thence by a straight line to Brush Mountain, so as to include the house of John Ake, in the last end of said township." John Blair, John Patton and Andrew Henderson were appointed as a commission to inquire into the matter and report at the next court. Several terms elapsed however, before the following report was returned in August, 1810. "We, the subscribers, appointed by the Court of Quarter Sessions of Huntingdon County to report to the said court whether in our opinions a division of Allegheny Township is necessary, and if so, in what manner the same should be done for the greatest benefit and convenience of the inhabitants, report, That a division of the said township is, in our opinion, necessary, and that it will be most convenient to divide it by a line south fifty-four and a half degrees east, so run as to include the farm of Thomas Provines, and one of John P. McKnight's, in tenure of Henry Wertz, to the southeast of said line, and the same line continued northwesterly to the summit of the Allegheny Mountain, and south- easterly to the summit of Brushy Mountain. "Given under our hands April 10, 1810." ANDREW HENDERSON, JOHN PATTON, JOHN BLAIR. After this report was rendered the court ordered the following to be put on record: "In testimony of the high regard which this court entertains for the memory of the late Col. Antes, of the town and county of Northumberland, as well on account of his Revolutionary services as of his personal worth, talents, integrity, and piety, the court decree, That the new township within returned to the court, as by the annexed draft, be called and known by the name of Antes, and the residue of the division by the former name of Allegheny. And the court further decree the division and establishment of the two townships as within returned to us by the commissioners." By the court, JONATHAN WALKER, DAVID STEWART. In 1850, the township was divided and the southern part went to form Logan. In 1852, there was another change when part of Logan Township was added to Antis. The township is bounded on the north by Snyder, on the east by Tyrone, on the south by Logan and on the west by Cambria County. Taylor, Bell's Gap, Laurel and Beaver Dam Runs flow into the Juniata River which pursues a TOWNSHIPS 103 northeast course through the eastern portion of the township. The greater part of the Tuckahoe Valley lies within the borders of Antis. The Bell's Gap Narrow- Gauge Railroad was a route recommended to tourists who wished to see some of the natural beauties of interior Pennsylvania in the '80's. This road is now a branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad and bisects Antis on the way to points in Clearfield and Cambria Counties. The greater part of the western end of the township is mountainous, so that towns are located along the eastern boundary line. Bellwood, originally Bell's Mills, a post-office and junction on the Pennsylvania Railroad had a population of 2,560 in 1930. It was named for the prominent family of pioneers, referred to in an earlier chapter, by the name of Bell. Edward Bell, an outstanding member of the family settled in Antis Township from the Sinking Spring Valley in 1800. He lived there for half a century and erected a grist mill, a saw mill and store. For years he was the only merchant in the vicinity. In 1828, Dudley H. Burnham was also a merchant there, but from 1829 to 1841 Bell had the sole business again. In the latter year, Graham McCamant and John Krotzer opened business enterprises. In 1830, John Bell and Josiah Clossin were local inn-keepers and in 1846 the merchants and inn-keepers included John Dougherty, Martin Bell, Benjamin F. Bell, John Bell and Graham McCamant. The present town was laid out by Dr. A. K. Bell and the name changed to Bellwood in 1877. In 1883, the town contained Methodist, Episcopal, Baptist, Lutheran and Presbyterian Churches. There were about 500 inhabitants then, the most prominent being D. L. Wray, merchant and postmaster; William M. Bell, proprietor of the hotel and meat-market; Alonzo T. Estep, blacksmith; John Gheer, furniture dealer and justice of the peace; Thomas P. Gheer, carpenter; W. Y. Levengood and J. C. Thompson, physicians; C. Long, butcher; James Lowther and Thaddeus Stewart, proprietors of grist-mills; S. Moore, Jr., merchant. The pastors of the four churches were then, Rev. S. F. Forgeus, of the Baptist Church; Rev. Isaac Krider, of the Lutheran Church; Rev. J. J. Mathers, of the Presbyterian Church and Rev. W. W. Dunmire, of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The latter also served as editor of the Bellwood Independent, a weekly newspaper, which was first published on May 16, 1882. Tipton, a post-office on the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad, was laid out by Herman Haupt on January 21, 1856. The place derives its name from the Tipton family who were among the early settlers. In 1828, the Antes Forge was built there by Dysart & Lloyd. In 1841, a Baptist Church was erected, a Presbyterian one in 1845 and shortly afterwards a Methodist Episcopal Church which was destroyed by fire. Fostoria, also on the railroad, had about 100 inhabitants in 1883. Pinecroft, on the Juniata River, is another settlement in the township. Davidsburg, or Hensheytown, was laid out by John Henshey in 1827 and he named it in honor of his son David. Logan's Spring, the site of the wigwam of the famous local chieftain, was located on the site of Davidsburg. This community is not listed among the post-offices of the county nor does it appear among the names in 104 BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY recent gazetteers or maps. The construction of the Pennsylvania Railroad diverted travel from the wagon road through this village, to the Portage Railroad at Duncansville, and after that the industry of Davidsburg declined. At one time it supported two taverns, two blacksmith shops, three stores, a tannery, two shoe-shops, two tailor shops, a wagon shop besides the shops of other artisans common to small communities. According to the census of 1930 there were 3,104 residents in the township outside of Bellwood. BLAIR This township is named for an illustrious family who were pioneers in the county. Captain Thomas Blair, of Scotch descent, led a group of volunteers against the Tories of the Sinking Spring Valley during the Revolutionary War. His son, the honorable John Blair, was a leading citizen of western Pennsylvania during the early national period. He lived at Blair's Gap. The county and township of Blair and Blairsville, Indiana County, are named in his honor. This township surrounds Hollidaysburg, the county seat, and was formed from Frankstown Township in 1839. At the January sessions of the Huntingdon County Court of Quarter Sessions in 1839, Thomas Burnside, president judge; Joseph Adams and John Kerr, associate judges, the report of the commissioners who had been appointed in the session of January, 1838, to inquire into the propriety of forming a new township from Frankstown was read, confirmed, ordered to be placed on record as follows: "The undersigned, two of the commissioners appointed by the foregoing order of court to divide Frankstown Township do report, That, having been duly sworn and having carefully examined the premises, they are of the opinion that the prayers of the petitioners should be granted, and that not being able fully to designate the division line by natural lines or boundaries, they have agreed upon the following division line, being partly natural and partly artificial, viz.: Beginning at the intersection of the Allegheny Township line with the Brush Run, thence down said run to its mouth, thence down the Beaver Dam Branch of the Juniata to the forks above Lowry's mill, thence up the South Branch of said river to where the great road leading from Hollidaysburg in the Loop crosses the same, thence by a straight line bearing south ten degrees west to the intersection of the Woodberry Township line, on the north end of the Cove or Loop Mountain, southeast of the residence of judge McCune. A plot or draft distinctly representing not only the township proposed to be divided, but also the division line proposed to be made therein is herewith annexed. "Witness our hands and seals the 29th day of May, A. D. 1838." MAXWELL KINKEAD, ALEXANDER DYSART. "And now, to wit, 19th January, 1839, read and confirmed and unanimously ordered, the western division of Frankstown Township to be called Blair, in TOWNSHIPS 105 honor of John Blair, Esq., late a distinguished citizen of Huntingdon County, member of the Legislature, and an ardent friend of internal improvement." "By the Court." In April, 1863, three commissioners were appointed by the Blair County Court to run a new line between Blair and Freedom Townships. The new boundary line ran as follows: "Beginning at the old corner between said townships of Blair and Freedom, near Gap Iron Works, and on the line of Taylor Township; thence by line of Taylor Township aforesaid, north thirty-eight degrees east seventy perches, to a post; thence north sixty-one degrees west one hundred and twenty-eight perches to a red oak on the old line, one hundred and thirty-six perches northwest of the old corner." Thus the area of Blair Township was decreased and that of Freedom enlarged. There are some good farms in Blair Township. Most of the surface is broken by hills and dales. The township is bounded on the north by Allegheny and Frankstown, on the east by Frankstown and Taylor, on the south by Freedom and on the west by Allegheny. Duncansville lies partly in Blair Township but the major portion is in Allegheny. The Beaver Dam and Frankstown Branches of the Juniata River, Poplar and Brush Runs, flow through Blair. Residents of the present Blair Township, who lived there in Revolutionary times were Patrick Cassidy, who owned 300 acres of land; Henry Champinour, 200 acres; Michael Fetter, Sr., Michael Fetter, Jr., George, Samuel and John Fetter, grist- mill, several large tracts of land including one of 170 acres, and much live stock; Paul Frazier, l00 acres; William Holliday, Sr., 500 acres and one negro slave; Major John Holliday, 200 acres; William Holliday, Jr., l00 acres; John Holliday, Jr., James Somerville, son-in-law of William Holliday, lived with all the other members of the Holliday family on the Gaysport side of the Juniata River. John, James, Angus and Patrick McDonald held warrants for land one mile south of Newry. Two men named Stackleather and Jacob Shingletaker lived nearby. Thomas and John McCune owned 350 acres of land that was later taken for the canal reservoir. William Pringle lived on Pringle Hill, a mile southeast of Patrick Cassidy. One mile east of the latter John Wareham resided on a 200-acre tract on the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata. Hollidaysburg is one of the oldest settlements in the county and was a frontier fort located on the Kittanning and Bedford Trails. Adam and William Holliday emigrated to America from the north of Ireland in 1750. They lived in Manor Township, Lancaster County, and at Chambersburg, before each of them took out warrants for 1,000 acres of land on the frontier in 1768. Hollidaysburg grew up on Adam's tract of land. It is said that when he drove the first stake into the ground there, he remarked to William, "Whoever is alive one hundred years hence will find a considerable town here." The town was laid out in 1790 and incorporated in 1834. It achieved prominence when it became a junction of the Pennsylvania System before railroads were built across Pennsylvania. At the base of the Allegheny Mountains over which the Portage Railroad was con- 106 BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY structed on inclined planes, and on the Juniata River along which the old canal was built, Hollidaysburg throve as a combined inland port and railroad center. In 1930, the population was 5,969. Gaysport, a borough adjacent to Hollidaysburg, had a population of 809 in 1900 and 997 in 1920. Hollidaysburg is its post-office and the chief manufactured product of the town has been iron. Gaysport was built upon land purchased by William Holliday, Sr., in 1768. His heirs owned it until the canal and Portage Railroad were constructed. Then Thomas Jackson, Christian Garber and David R. Porter obtained virtual control. A legal contest, Jackson vs. Somerville, ensued in which Thaddeus Stevens was counsel for Somerville. This case will receive more consideration in another chapter. Gaysport is said to have been named for Gay, an engineer who was prominent in the construction of the Portage Railroad. Much of the early history of this community is identical with that of Hollidaysburg from which it is separated by the Juniata River. It is located on level, bottom land and as a result of its proximity to the river several floods have been experienced by residents. Before the town was incorporated in 1841, John Bouslough, John Culbertson and John Keim were merchants there. David Caldwell established a tannery there early in the 19th century. In 1837, Henry Devine and James Evans were partners in the building of the Bellrough Foundry. An act of Legislature approved the incorporation of Gaysport as a borough on April 21, 1841. The first borough officers were: burgess, Jeremiah C. Betts; town councilmen, Thomas Jackson, John L. Patterson, Jeremiah Cunningham, William Barr and John Lowe; constable, William Pennington; school directors, Benjamin Bossert, Joseph Rollin, David Tate, David Caldwell, John Lytle and William Hetherington. Vicksburg, in the southern section of the township, on a branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and Newry, a post-office, four miles southwest of Hollidaysburg, are the other villages in Blair Township. The last named town was founded about 1793 by Patrick Cassidy, an Irishman. He had come to America as a servant to a British officer. After the Revolutionary War he remained in this country and bought 300 acres in the present Blair Township. He then laid out a town and named it for his native town of Newry in County Down. The town was incorporated as a borough and in 1930 had a population of 394. The population of the township aside from the boroughs was 1,828 in 1930. CATHARINE Catharine Township was named in honor of the wife of Alexander Gwin a member of the House of Representatives. It was at one time part of Morris Township, Huntingdon County, and was formed on February 26, 1846, when the act to create Blair County became effective. On June 19, 1857, three commissioners having been appointed to survey and establish a new boundary line between Catharine and Frankstown Townships gave their report. It was confirmed by the court of Blair County and recorded. The line thus established was TOWNSHIPS 107 described as "beginning at a post by the Juniata River near Canoe Furnace; thence north five and one-half degrees west three hundred and eighty perches to a chestnut-oak on the summit of Canoe Mountain; thence north thirty-three degrees west six hundred and ninety-five perches to the summit of Brush Mountain." The surface of this township is broken by mountains and ridges, although it contains some good farming lands. The famous Sinking Spring Valley extends into the northern part of Catharine Township. Great natural resources in the form of ganister rock, used for fire-brick to line furnaces, form a basic industry in the southern part of the township. The creeks that run through it are Canoe Creek, Fox, Roaring and Yellow Springs Runs. It is bounded on the north and east by Huntingdon County, on the south by Woodberry Township and on the west by Frankstown and Tyrone Townships. The famous Kittanning Trail intersected the township. In 1846, there were 185 taxable inhabitants. Yellow Springs was at one time a thriving community. The turnpike passed through it and brought travelers to its tavern and toll-gate. When travel was diverted the community dwindled to a store, post-office, blacksmith shop and two or three dwellings in 1883. Now it is no longer a post- office. Ganister, a post-office on the Pennsylvania Railroad in the southwestern part of the township, is named for the vast deposits of ganister rock, a siliceous, clayey formation, and is the center for the aforementioned industry. The population of Catharine in 1930 was 927. FRANKSTOWN The township of Frankstown takes its name from the old trader's post at Frankstown, originally a Delaware Indian village, Assunepachla, signifying where waters join. The post was known as Frankstown before 1758 because of the German, Stephen Frank, who was a trader there. He was a contemporary of John Hart another German of Hart's Log. Frank was on the usual friendly terms with the Indians that characterized most of the early traders, and at his death one of the Indian chiefs took the name Frank from which much controversy has arisen as to the origin of the post's name. After the French and Indian War white settlers entered the region west of Tussey's Mountain and the locality between that mountain and the Alleghenies on the west became known as the Frankstown District. During the Revolution the territory within a radius of ten miles from the post was known as Frankstown and included the present Hollidaysburg. The first settlers were Scotch, Scotch-Irish, German Lutherans and native born Americans. In 1770, there were about twenty families in the district. The Scotch Valley section took its name from the settlers. Among them were the Moore family of whom Jones writes: "The Moore family, whose name is identified with Scotch Valley as the original settlers, came to this country probably about the year 1768, from Scotland. It consisted of Samuel Moore, his seven sons and two daughters, - viz.: Daniel, William, John, Samuel, James, David, Joseph, Elizabeth, and Jane. Their first stopping-place in the interior was in 108 BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY Kishicoquillas Valley, where the hardy Scots commenced clearing land; but the yield not being such as they were led to expect, the two elder brothers, Daniel and William, were sent abroad by the old patriarch to look for better land and more of it. Accordingly, they shaped their course westward, prospecting as they went, until they reached what is now known as Scotch Valley. How they found their way to that place, an unbroken wilderness, five miles from the nearest human habitation, or what the inducements were for stopping there, were puzzling questions then. Let the reader now look at the fine farms of Scotch Valley, and he will see that, in selecting the spot, the Moores were actuated by a sagacity that enabled them to see those fine lands blooming like the rose in the future. They immediately occupied a large tract of land, built a cabin, and commenced clearing. The year following they went to Kishicoquillas, and brought on the father and the remainder of the family. "Beneath their sturdy blows the giant oaks fell, and the wilderness was turned into fields of waving grain, and they had a home that made them even forget the Highlands of Scotland. "When the war broke out they were all staunch republicans, active and energetic men, and were foremost in all measures of defense for the frontier. "William Moore, second son of Samuel, a useful man, loved and respected by all who knew him, met his death at the hands of an Indian, in August, 1778. It appears that one morning two of their horses were missing, when William and a lad named George McCartney, about fourteen years of age, started in pursuit of them as a matter of course not neglecting the caution of the day, to take their rifles with them. At that time two paths led to Fetter's Fort from Scotch Valley one by way of Frankstown, through Adam Holliday's farm, fording the river near where the plank-road bridge now crosses south of Hollidaysburg; the other led through the flat, back of the Presbyterian graveyard, and north of Hollidaysburg. This was the most direct route; but, in order to make a thorough research, they went by way of the river road, and reached Fetter's Fort without obtaining any tidings of the missing animals. After remaining at the fort a short time, they started on their way home by the back or direct road. No Indians having been seen in the country for some time, they traveled on with the feeling of entire security, and never for a moment entertained the remotest idea of coming in contact with savages. When they came to a pile of driftwood in what is now known as McCahen's Bottom, half a mile west of Hollidaysburg while Moore was in the act of trying to get over the drift, he was shot by an Indian from an ambuscade. The bullet entered his back, passed through the left ventricle of the heart, and he fell dead against the drift. "McCartney, who was some distance off, on the impulse of the moment commenced running. In the meantime the Indian had come from his place of concealment, and seeing him, drew his tomahawk and followed. McCartney soon finding that the savage was the fleetest, and must overtake him, cocked his gun while running, suddenly wheeled, and aimed at the Indian. This unexpected defense from a mere boy rather took the Indian by surprise, and he jumped TOWNSHIPS 109 behind a tree, and McCartney did the same, still keeping the aim ready to shoot in case the Indian moved from the cover of the tree. While in this position, the Indian commenced loading his rifle, and, after ramming home the powder, he accidentally dropped his ramrod, which he stooped to pick up; in doing which he exposed his posterior, which McCartney took advantage of, and fired. The Indian gave a scream of mingled rage and pain, dropped his rifle, and ran, picking up leaves on his way, which he endeavored to thrust into the bullet-hole to stanch the blood. "Young McCartney, satisfied with the exploit, and thankful that his life had been spared, did not pursue the savage. His first impulse was to do so; but fearing that the chase might lead him into an encampment of the enemy, since it invariably turned out that where there was one more were not far off, he returned with all despatch to Fetter's Fort. The men at the fort had heard both shots, but supposed that Moore and McCartney had started game of some kind; consequently, they were unprepared for any news of the kind. Fortunately, there happened to be a very large force at Fetter's at the time, and, under the impression that there must be more Indians in the neighborhood, a strong, experienced force at once started out. "When they arrived at the drift, they found the body of Moore, stark in death, leaning against it, with his rifle grasped in his uplifted hands, as if in the very act of trying to climb over. His body was removed to the fort by some of the men, while the remainder commenced searching for the Indian. By his blood they tracked him nearly a mile up the run, and even found a place where he had evidently stopped to wash the blood off; but at length they lost all traces of his trail. They continued their march, however, to Gap Run, in order to ascertain whether there was any fresh Indian trail. In their conjectures that there were other Indians near they were not mistaken. Half a mile west of where Hutchinson's Mill now stands, they found traces of a fresh encampment of a very large party, whose trail they followed several miles up the Kittanning War Path; but they soon abandoned all hope of overtaking them, and returned to the fort. "The dead body of the Indian shot by McCartney was found, some time afterward, by a Mr. Hileman, up Kittanning Run, where he had secreted himself by the side of a log, under some bushes, and completely covered himself with brush and leaves previous to giving up the ghost, in order to prevent the whites from finding his body. The ruling passion was strong even in death! "His rifle, which was kept at Fetter's Fort, as a trophy, was a brass-barreled smooth-bore, with the British coat of arms, stamped upon it - conclusive evidence that the entire savage band had been armed and equipped by his Majesty's officers at Detroit, and were on a scalp-hunting expedition. "During the troubles of 1779-1780, when the frontier-men fled before the assaults and merciless massacres of the Indians, the Moores returned to their former residence in Kishicoquillas. But the restless Scots did not remain away from their farm long. Some of them returned in a year; but the old patriarch, Samuel, did not return until after the surrender of Cornwallis. He was then accom- 110 BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY panied by a colony of Scotchmen, consisting of the Crawfords, Irwins, Fraziers, Stewarts and MacPhersons, and others, constituting from 25 to 30 persons. "The late Mr. Maguire, then quite a lad, was at Shaver's Creek when they passed on their way west. They were all in full Highland costume, with bonnet and kilt, armed with claymores and Queen Anne muskets. He had seen Indians before, but never any Highlanders, and, while listening to their Gaelic dialect, he wondered to himself what tribe they belonged to. "These men settled in the upper end of the valley; hence the name - 'Scotch Valley.' By their sinewy arms and sturdy blows the oaks of the forest fell, and by their unremitting toil to gain a home in the New World they encountered and triumphed over the most formidible obstacles, until the valley - its natural soil taken into consideration - became one of the finest of its size in the country. "The Moore family were the first persons who conceived the idea of running arks down the river from Frankstown. This they accomplished successfully before the close of the last century, and afterward engaged in running flat-boats between Frankstown and Middletown. "Of the third generation of the Moore family but three remain in this vicinity - viz., T. B. Moore, in Hollidaysburg; Jesse Moore, at the old homestead, in Scotch Valley; and Johnston Moore, in Ebensburg. Others, however, live in the West; and the fourth generation, whose number we are not able to compute, are scattered over the Union. "The descendants of the men who wound their way up the Juniata, in Highland costume nearly three-quarters of a century ago, with all their worldly possessions upon pack-horses, are also numerous; and many of them have risen to wealth and eminence by their own unaided exertions." In considering some of the locations and persons referred to by Mr. Jones it must be remembered that his volume, "History of the Early Settlement of the Juniata Valley," was published in 1856. In 1787, the township was formed as part of Huntingdon County. The first township officers served in 1788. They were, constable, James Smith; assessor, Daniel Moore; assistant assessors, Thomas Blair and Patrick Cassidy. The present township is much smaller than it was originally. Many of the other townships of the present Blair County have been erected from it. At present it is bounded by Tyrone and Catharine Townships on the north, by Woodberry and Huston on the east, by Taylor on the south, and by Blair, Allegheny and Logan on the west. The combined streams of the Beaver Dam and Frankstown Branches of the Juniata River flow in a northeasterly course through the township. In addition there are the smaller streams, Canoe Creek, Oldtown and Robinson's Runs. Frankstown, the earliest settlement, has been mentioned before. Conrad Weiser, the great Indian interpreter and counsellor, wrote of it after his western journey in 1748: "Came to Franks' Town, but saw no houses or cabins." John Harris, the founder of Harrisburg, listed Frankstown as one of the points to be passed through on the Kittanning Trail. It is located two and one-half miles below Hollidaysburg on the old canal. In 1790, Lazarus Lowry sold goods there. TOWNSHIPS 111 Jones refers to the account book kept by Lowry from which he got names of local residents. In 1800, Lowry had established grist and saw mills at Frankstown and John Cunningham conducted an inn. In 1810, the residents were engaged in distilling for the most part and the village contained about 20 houses and lots. Dr. John Buchanan was the local physician then and Joseph Patton operated a tannery. Ten years later the business men included Samuel Crawford and Henry Denlinger who owned mills; Peter Hewit, a distiller and merchant; John F. Lowry, grist and saw-mill owner; Joseph Patton, the tanner, and Lowry & Garber, merchants. In 1824, the retailers of foreign merchandise other than wines and spirits were Christian Garber and William Shiffler. Other merchants in the township were James McNamara, Robert McNamara, John Swoope, Alexander Knox and John M. Blair & Son. In 1832, the tavern keepers in Frankstown were, Henry Denlinger, Charles Cox, John Kinports, James Buchanan, David McKillip, Jacob Weidensall, William Donaldson, William Johnston, Philip Leamey, Jacob Nofsker, John Gannon, Jeremiah Murray, James Johnston, John Lytle, Bartle Harford and Michael Hayden. The great number of hostelries open at this time may be accounted for by the projection of the canal and Portage Railroad at Hollidaysburg, which brought engineers and laborers with men of other professions and businesses to the vicinity. In addition, the Huntingdon, Cambria and Indiana Turnpike through Frankstown was an important artery of travel after 1825. When the canal and Portage Railroad was proposed, projectors hoped that it would connect at Frankstown. Residents, anticipating much good from this internal improvement, looked to the future. Consequently, Frankstown was incorporated as a borough in 1831 or 1832. Property rose in value and many varied enterprises were begun. John Shenefelt, who owned a major portion of the town, was active in its incorporation. Unfortunately for Frankstown, its inhabitants lost hope of becoming a terminus for part of the Pennsylvania System, when one of their number demanded an exorbitant price for land on which to make the canal basin. Hollidaysburg offered more reasonable terms and it was chosen instead. The corporate life of Frankstown seems to have amounted to little. The only corporate officers ever reported to the proper authorities were constables. They included Michael Keach, 1832 to 1835; Joseph Jones, 1836 to 1840; B. B. Willett, 1841. In the last named year the merchants in the village were Hileman & Hammond and Wolf & Williams, and the population was about 350 persons. In the township, Condron & Good were also merchants. Frankstown gradually lost its identity after the selection of Hollidaysburg for the canal and railroad terminus. The leading and more progressive citizens moved to Hollidaysburg and only the Frankstown Furnace remained to help it through for half a century. Today it is a post-office and is located on a branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Canoe Creek and Geesey town are the other communities in the township. The latter probably takes its name from the family of Conrad Geesey who lived in the township for generations. Both Canoe Creek and Geeseytown are on the same line of the railroad as Frankstown. It is curious to note how gradually 112 BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY this important township was cut down and overshadowed by the neighboring Blair and Logan Townships with Hollidaysburg, the county-seat in the former and Altoona the great railroad center in the latter. In 1930, the population of Frankstown Township was 2,238. FREEDOM Freedom Township was part of Bedford County and became one of the Blair County Townships as Greenfield in 1846. Juniata Township was then formed from Greenfield and Freedom was formed from Juniata in 1857. Its boundaries are Greenfield on the south, Juniata on the west, Blair on the north and Taylor on the east. The Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River flows northeast through the township. Poplar, McDonald, Dodsons', South Dry and PawPaw Runs also water it. The surface of Freedom is broken by mountains, although as in most of the townships of the county there are fine farming lands in its valleys. On June 19, 1857, Job M. Spang and John Ullery, commissioners who had been appointed to investigate the practicability of establishing a new township from Juniata, reported to the county court that such a division was advisable. The court confirmed the report which includes the following descriptions of the boundaries decided upon. "Beginning at the Greenfield Township line, on the summit of Dunning's Mountain, at a pine-tree, thence along the said summit, a natural boundary adjoining Taylor Township, four hundred and eighty perches to the Blair Township line in McKee's Gap; thence along the line of Blair Township thirty-two degrees west four and a half miles to a post west of George Weaver's farm; from thence on the division line of said Juniata Township hereby established south forty-six degrees west five and a half miles to a post at the Greenfield Township line, leaving the farm of Peter Winkler on the west of said division line, and the farm of Daniel Clark on the east of said division line; thence along the Greenfield Township line south seventy-nine degrees east five miles to a white-oak near George Lingenfelter's house; and from thence along the line of said Greenfield Township north eighty-five degrees east two hundred and sixty- five perches to the place of beginning." And the undersigned hereto annex and return as part of their report a draft of Juniata Township with the division line established marked thereon, all of which is respectfully submitted. JOB M. SPANG, JOHN ULLERY, Commissioners. "And now, 1st February, 1858, Jacob Noffsker appointed judge, and Henry Feather and Dr. L. F. Butler appointed inspectors to hold first election in said township of Freedom, to be held in the town of East Freedom in said township. By the Court." The first township officers were elected in 1858 after the court organized the township. They were, assessor, Peter McGraw; supervisors, William Harlan TOWNSHIPS 113 and Peter Stiffler; school directors, Adam Moses, James McConnell, Abram Sell, Joseph McCormick and Daniel Sell; auditor, Henry Lingenfelter. Early residents of the township were Stephen Dalaney, George Myers, who owned a mill at the gap; William Early, John Shadle, John Gost, Christopher Gost, Edward McGraw, Peter McGraw, George McKee, for whom the gap is named; William Learner, Richard Shirley, Peter Miller, Samuel Donner, Jacob Glass, John Dodson, Nicholas McGuire, John Stiffler, Michael Stiffler, Michael Nipps, Henry Helsel, Jacob Smith, Peter Stiffler, William Shaw, William Dickey, Samuel West, Joachim Storm, John Tickerhoof, Charles Malone, Nicholas Burke, Peter Hetrick, Jeremiah Reinhart, Matthew Ivry, John McConnell, William Crawford and David Crawford, brothers who were there in 1787; Harmon Forber, William and John Riddle, brothers-in-law of George McKee; Alexander Knox, Sr., who had a store at McKee's Gap before 1810; Dr. Wallace and Henry Colelesser, the latter a blacksmith, lived at the gap; John G. McKee, son of George; Philip Beight, a weaver and tenant of George McKee, lived at the gap on the point of Dunning's Mountain in the latter part of the 18th Century; and Frederick Singer, a former Hessian soldier. The erection of the Maria Forges at McKee's Gap, Sarah Furnace in Greenfield Township, Martha Forge and Furnace, served as a boom of prosperity to Freedom and neighboring townships in the early 19th Century. The population increased with the erection of furnaces and the development of farming lands. The settlements of the township include Puzzletown, once known as Poplar Run Post-Office on Poplar Run in the western part of the township; East Freedom, in the eastern part of the township on the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River; McKee, one mile east of East Freedom on a branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Puzzletown was established about 1840 by a man named Baird or Beard. It was known also as Poplar Run Post-Office. Town lots were laid out and sold. The site was contested in the local courts for years in such cases as Langham vs. Stiffler. Solomon Langham was a familiar figure, first in the Bedford County court, and after the formation of Blair County was continually involved in litigation of some sort that referred to the ownership of the site of Puzzletown, until his death. The settlement has been important only in legal history although a United Brethren Church was erected there amid the few houses. No Poplar Run Post-Office existed in 1927, nor is Puzzletown connected with the outside world by railroad. Before 1838 East Freedom, seven miles from Hollidaysburg, was known as "Johnstown and Bedford Crossroads," and the site of the present town was owned by Edward McGraw, Esq., and Valentine Lingenfelter. A log schoolhouse was one of the few signs of settlement. In 1838, Joseph McCormick, a saddler, bought a corner lot there from McGraw and established himself in business, building the first house and shop. The house, of frame, became the Freedom Hotel. McCormick continued in business as a saddler until 1873. Soon after he settled there George Kephart opened an inn, renting one of McCormick's buildings for the purpose. George Yinger, a shoemaker, followed these men and 114 BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY erected a house. In 1839 and 1840, Edward McGraw, as proprietor, laid out the village plot, and in the latter year the town was recognized as a post-office when Robert Todd was the first postmaster. Before 1842, John Yirty, cooper; Robert Todd and George McBride, merchants; Dr. A. T. Shriver, physician; and Joseph Blackburn, tanner, resided there. E. F. Shoenberger erected a store-house at East Freedom in 1844. The Methodist Episcopal Church building, later owned by the United Brethren, was built in 1845. The following year William Anderson of Newry came as a merchant, and other of his contemporaries in business were Joseph Diehl and Alexander Knox. Artisans, common to small communities of the last century, came in. In 1883, there were about 200 inhabitants. In 1929, the post-office at East Freedom had one rural route. McKee, as it appears on late maps, is commonly known as McKee's Station or McKee's Gap. It is a post-office one mile east of East Freedom on a branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It was at one time in part of Frankstown Township and is very near the Blair Township line. George Myers owned grist and sawmills there before 1800, and the Myers family continued to own the property until after 1810 when George McKee came into possession of it and gave the community his name. A wagon road was constructed through it at an early date to facilitate travel into Morrison's Cove. A railroad followed, and the construction and operation of saw and grist-mills, forges and furnaces brought citizens to the community. On April 4, 1871, the town of McKee's Gap was laid out by John Brawley, surveyor, under the direction of A. K. Bell, president of the Hollidaysburg and McKee's Gap Iron Company. Eighty-three lots were laid out and streets named Spruce, Cedar, Front, Patterson, Irwin, Bedford and Freedom appeared upon the plan. On May 5, 1871, an additional plot was laid out. The community was prosperous with its railroad buildings, Gap Furnace, stores, mechanical shops and churches. The Lutherans were active in the vicinity for many years, and they were supplemented by the Methodists who built a church there, and the United Brethren. In 1883, there were 200 inhabitants at McKee, but in 1927 it is not listed in the state manual as a minor civil division of Blair County. Donnertown and Leamersville are other villages in the township. They are not post-offices or railroad stations and probably owe their origin to the Donners and Leamers who settled in the township in pioneer days. In 1930, Freedom Township had a population of 1,549. GREENFIELD This township, named for its natural features, is located in the southwest division of Blair County. It was detached from Bedford County in 1846 when Blair was organized. Originally it embraced its present territory and that of Juniata and Freedom Townships. Abutting the Allegheny Mountains, the general surface is broken with narrow valleys and precipitous mountain sides. The Blue Knobs, centrally located in the township, are prominent natural features and divide the arable land in two distinct sections. It is bounded by Bedford TOWNSHIPS 115 County on the south, Somerset County on the west, Juniata and Freedom Townships on the north and Taylor Township on the east. The Frankstown Branch of the Juniata has its source in the highlands of Greenfield and among the many other streams that water it are Beaver Creek, Polecat, South Poplar, Amelia's, Bobb's, Diamond, Queen Esther's, Pine, Smokey and Roaring Spring Runs. The early residents were largely of German descent. The section known as Sarah Furnace was the first part settled about 1770. Valentine Lingenfelter and his sons Jacob and George located there about that time. They came from Virginia, but originally from Germany. The Dively family came early too, and a short time after that Thomas Ives and John Nicholas settled in the northeastern part, and there were few other residents until after the Revolution. Even then there were not many, but they included Henry Bennett, John Barnhart, Adam Black, the Dodson and Justice families, Henry, David, John and Joseph Walter. The Walters came from Maryland near the Pennsylvania line and settled on Smokey and Pine Runs soon after the Revolution. In 1805 and 1806, John U. Zeth operated saw and grist-mills on the site of Claysburg. James McCormick came from Virginia and settled in the township in 1808. Jacob Yingling, a native of Maryland, settled near the "Knobs" in 1812, and Frederick Dibert moved into Greenfield from an older settlement in Bedford County. Between 1820 and 1832, Dr. Peter Shoenberger, prominent among Pennsylvania ironmasters, built Sarah Furnace. He was instrumental in erecting a log church there about 1834 for the use of any denomination. This is said to have been the first building to be erected for religious worship only, in the township. The erection of Sarah Furnace increased the population of the township. But as a whole, far from markets, the residents of the township relied on their own loom products for their clothes. A certain degree of prosperity came too and Sarah Furnace supported in addition to the church, a schoolhouse and a store. Claysburg, the largest settlement in the township, is a post-office, just off the railroad, on the main highway from Altoona and Hollidaysburg to Bedford. It is located on the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River, just above the mouth of Beaver Dam Creek. John Ulrich Zeth was the first to locate on the site of the present village. He was of German stock and came to Greenfield Township about 1804. The following year he built saw and grist-mills. In 1838, Conrad Ling kept an inn there. Paul Mauk was another inn-keeper and huckster. In 1883, the village supported 200 inhabitants among whom the Lutheran, German Reformed and Methodist Churches predominated. Fredericksburg in the central part of the township, and Friesville near Claysburg are the other communities in Greenfield. The population of the entire township in 1930 was 3,163. HUSTON Huston Township, named for Judge Charles Huston, a prominent member of the Huntingdon County Bar and a judge of the state supreme court, was originally a part of Bedford and then Huntingdon County. Before 1842, it was part 116 BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY of Woodberry Township in Huntingdon County and was then made into a separate township. On August 8, 1842, when the Court of Quarter Sessions of Huntingdon County met with Abraham S. Wilson, president judge, Joseph Adams and John Kerr associates, the report of Commissioners John Clark and John Aurandt, who, with John M. Gibboney, were appointed to investigate the advisability of erecting a new township out of Woodberry, was confirmed and recorded. The report was as follows: "To the Honorable the Judges within named: We, the subscribers, commissioners, appointed in the within order of court have met according to appointment, and, after having first been sworn and affirmed according to law, do report, That we have examined the said township, and are of opinion that a division of the same should be made. We have therefore located a division line commencing at a stone heap on the summit of Tussey's Mountain, on the line between the townships of Walker and Woodberry, thence running north seventy degrees west, leaving the farm of William Shaffer on the north and that of Aaron Burns, Esq., on the south, crossing the Barren Ridge, leaving Springfield Furnace on the north and Henry Reigart's farm on the south, intersecting the line between the townships of Woodberry and Frankstown, on the summit of Lock Mountain. A plot or draft of the said township and its proposed division is herewith annexed. "Witness our hands the 7th day of April, A. D. 1842. JOHN CLARK, JOHN AURANDT, Commissioners." "And now, 19th of August, 1842, read and confirmed, and the new township named by the court Huston, in honor of the Hon. Charles Huston, at present a judge of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, and formerly an eminent member of the bar of Huntingdon County. By the Court." In 1872, John M. Gibboney and D. M. Bare were appointed commissioners to change the boundary line between Huston and North Woodberry Townships. They reported on May 31, 1872, and their recommendations were confirmed by the court on October 28, 1872. The new line is described thus: "Beginning at a point on the county line on Tussey's Mountain; thence running north fifty-eight and one-half degrees west (crossing Rebecca Furnace Dam at upper end) five hundred and seventy-four perches to a corner of Rebecca Furnace lands, near Mrs. Beach's; thence north eighty-eight and one-half degrees west nine hundred and thirty-six perches to a point on the old line between the above mentioned townships." The territory included in Huston was diminished by the formation of Taylor Township in 1855. The fine farming lands of this township, which occupies a part of Morrison's Cove, and the prosperous farms characterize the thrift of the citizens, many of whom are of German ancestry. The township touches Bedford County on the south, Huntingdon County on the east, Woodberry Township TOWNSHIPS 117 on the north and Frankstown Township on the west. Clover and Piney Creeks flow through this township. Before the Revolution there were settlers here. Among them were Jacob and Conrad Brumbaugh, Harmonus, John, Jacob and Henry Clapper, David Coughenour, Isaac Hutson, Christian Hoover, Paul and Jacob Rhodes, Philip Metzker, Jacob Smith, Sr., Jacob Smith, Jr., James Spencer, William and John Shirley, Christopher Shrom and Henry Wisour. Many other families came in between 1783 and 1800. Their names indicate German stock. In 1800, some of the residents were Christian, Leonard and John Acker, George, Jacob, John, Sr., John, Jr., and Conrad Brumbaugh, Emanuel Ludwig; David Coughenour and Abraham Ditch, who operated grist and saw-mills on Clover Creek; Casper Dillinger, a former Hessian soldier, who owned a saw-mill; John and George Everhart; Nicholas Fouse, John, Matthew and Richard Hutson; Christian Hoover, who operated an oil mill on Piney Creek; Abraham Longenecker, Philip Metzker, Samuel Mobley, Harmon Obenour, Paul, Jacob and Christian Rhodes, James Spencer, Jacob Sheets, Stoephel Shrom, Jacob Smith; Adam Sorrick, who owned a grist-mill; Henry Solliday, Henry Wisour and Jacob Wilhelm. In the spring of 1843 the first township election was held when John Smith became constable; Adam Fouse and George Emigh, supervisors; David Hoover and John Brumbaugh, overseers of the poor; John McKiernan, Henry Clapper and George Wike, auditors; Jacob Hoover, Henry Wike, Frederick Fouse, David Rice and Henry Reigart, school directors. When the second assessment of the township was completed in 1844, all unseated lands were reported to be owned by Peter Shoenberger and Samuel Royer & Co. The total valuation of the property then assessed was $289,383. Clover Creek, sometimes called Clappertown, in the northwestern part of the township, was a post-office in 1883. A Lutheran Church cared for the religious needs of the vicinity. In the southeast on Piney Creek Rebecca Furnace was built in 1817. This was the first of many to be erected by Dr. Peter Shoenberger and was the fourth furnace to be built in Blair County. Morrell, on a branch railroad in the northern part of the township, and Orminea at the end of the same branch line, with Shantytown near the center of the township, are the other settlements. Williamsburg in Woodberry Township on the north and Martinsburg in South Woodberry to the south are connected by highways with the towns of Huston Township. They offer opportunities for marketing and transportation that are not available within the limits of Huston Township itself. In 1930, the population of the township was 1,041. JUNIATA Juniata Township is named for the river that has its sources in Blair and Bedford Counties. The name Juniata is of Indian origin and is said by Donehoo to be a corruption of Tyunayate, meaning projecting rock. Juniata is primarily a mountain township, yet the inhabitants engage in agriculture. Iron ore and 118 BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY bituminous coal are among the resources of the township. Before the organization of Blair County, Juniata formed a part of Greenfield Township, Bedford County. On March 22, 1847, viewers, Cornelius McConnell and Samuel S. Barr, who had been appointed to investigate a petition of inhabitants of Greenfield, that the latter be divided, reported to the Court of Quarter Sessions at Hollidaysburg. Their findings were presented to Jeremiah S. Black, president judge of Blair County and George R. McFarlane, Esq., associate judge. "We, the undersigned, being duly sworn, have taken a view of said township of Greenfield, and are of the opinion that a division is absolutely necessary for the convenience of the citizens thereof; and in conformity with their requests, began at the road leading from Newry to Johnstown, where it crosses the Cambria County line on the summit of the Allegheny Mountain, and ran south seventy-nine degrees east; at four hundred perches crossed Spruce Run, leaving Henry Long to the right and Josiah Corl to the left, about thirty perches each; at four hundred and sixty perches crossed Bobb's Creek, about forty perches south of Simon Deal's sawmill; at twelve hundred and eighty perches, summit of Blue Knob; at sixteen hundred and twenty perches crossed road northeast of the Widow Maguire's old mansion- house; at two thousand seven hundred and thirty-eight perches cornered on a white-oak near George Lingenfelter's; thence north eighty-five degrees east; at eighty-five perches a white-oak on the road leading from Hollidaysburg to Bedford, in all two hundred and sixty-five perches to a pine on the summit of Dunning's Mountain; thence four hundred and eighty perches to the line originally dividing Bedford and Huntingdon Counties, to McKee's Gap. "Given under our hands this 26th day of December, A. D. 1846. S. MCCONNELL, SAMUEL S. BARR." "Report of viewers confirmed March 27, 1847, and the new township erected to be comprised of that portion marked on the plan `North Greenfield' to be called Juniata, and that portion marked `South Greenfield' to retain the name of Greenfield. By the Court." Ten years later when Freedom was formed the limits of Juniata were decreased. The township is bounded by Cambria County on the west, Allegheny Township on the north, Freedom on the east and Greenfield on the south. Bobb's and Blair Creeks, Blue Knob, Poplar and Dry Runs find their courses through Juniata Township. Not more than 20 persons were in the township before 1800. They were a mixed group of Germans, Scotch and Scotch-Irish and included the Wilts, Burgers, Bousers, Costlows, Deihls, Champenours, Beegles, Feathers, Gaileys, Helsels, Conrads, Leightys, Lingenfelters, Mclntoshes, Mashes, Morgans, Rhodes, Stifflers, Shaws, Longs, and Yinglings. In 1848, the inn-keepers were Samuel G. and W. Leamer, George W. Kephart, James McIntosh, Frederick Stiffler. A year later Rudolph Spang and William Shaw were added to the list. The number of TOWNSHIPS 119 taverns may be accounted for by the fact that the Huntingdon and Indiana Turnpike, and the road beds of the Portage and New Portage Railroads followed the Blair Creek Valley from east to west across the northern border of the township. In 1852, David Confer, Samuel G. Leamer, James McIntosh, William Kellerman and Rebecca Kephart conducted hotels. The township officers in 1848 were George Weaver, justice of the peace; A. T. Schriver, constable; F. McConnell and D. Beegle, supervisors; James McConnell, assessor; V. Lingenfelter, Jacob Leighty, G. P. West and James Shirley, school directors; J. S. McKee, auditor. The William Penn Highway, a main artery to Pittsburgh from Altoona and the east, crosses Juniata in a northeasterly direction. Aside from Blue Knob in the southern section of the township there are no settlements worthy of mention. Blue Knob is a small hamlet with schoolhouse, Lutheran Church and cemetery. Before 1883, there were some forges and furnaces in the township. In 1930, there were only 441 persons reported as living in Juniata. LOGAN Logan Township, named for Captain Logan, the Delaware chieftain, who made his home in the county, is best known for its railroad center, Altoona. That city, with its suburbs, will be considered in another chapter. Logan Township was formed in 1850 from parts of Antis and Allegheny Townships. It embraces, as far as its western boundary extends, the eastern slope of the Allegheny Mountain and part of the western side of Brush Mountain. Its surface is characterized by high hills, steep declivities and narrow ravines. It is rich in mineral deposits and supports little agriculture. Part of the Tuckahoe or Logan's Valley, which extends from Altoona to Tyrone, is within its borders. The Beaver Dam Branch of the Juniata River is formed by some of the small streams that rise in Logan. The Little Juniata rises here before taking its northeasterly course through Antis and Snyder Townships. The smaller streams are Homer's, Mill Kittanning, Burgoon's, and Brush Runs. The construction of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the founding of Altoona in 1849 greatly increased the population of the sparsely settled Antis and Allegheny Townships. This development caused the inhabitants in the vicinity of Altoona to petition the courts for the erection of a new township. Accordingly, William Brook, Joshua McCord and Levi Slinghuff were appointed commissioners to that end. The following report was made and confirmed on October 30, 1850. "To the Honorable the Court of Quarter Sessions in and for Blair County: In pursuance of the within order the undersigned, two of the commissioners named in said order, met at the house of John Baird in Allegheny township in said county, on Friday, the 7th day of June, 1850, at 10 o'clock A. M., of said day, after having given notice of the time and place of their meeting according to the order of said court, a copy of said notice, with the proof of its publication is hereunto attached; and after being sworn proceeded to view the ground proposed for a new township to be called Logan, and to inquire into the propriety of grant- 120 BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY ing the prayer of the petitioners in erecting the same, and do report that the erection of said township is proper and necessary, and they have therefore marked on the ground and adopted as the boundaries of said new township the following courses and distances: Beginning at a white-oak on the line between Allegheny and Frankstown Townships; thence north sixty-four degrees west five hundred and ninety perches to a line; thence north fifty-five degrees west eight hundred and eighty perches to a chestnut-oak; thence north seventy-two degrees west eleven hundred and twenty perches to a post near Kummusky's Spring, on the Cambria and Blair County line; thence along said county line north thirty-one degrees east two hundred perches to a maple stump; thence north fifty-five degrees east one hundred and fifty-six perches to a chestnut; thence north sixty-five degrees east one hundred perches to a beech; thence north fifty-five degrees east three hundred and sixty perches to a chestnut; thence north eighty degrees east one hundred and fifty-eight perches to a post; thence north thirty- two degrees east nine hundred and twenty perches; thence south seventy-seven degrees east one thousand and thirteen perches to a white-oak corner of D. Smith; thence south sixty degrees east six hundred and fifteen perches to a post; thence south forty-seven degrees east one hundred and sixty-six perches to a pine; thence east six hundred and forty perches to a post on Bald Eagle Ridge; thence south thirty-two and a half degrees west eighteen hundred perches; thence south fifty degrees west eighteen hundred perches; thence south fifty degrees west six hundred and forty perches to the place of beginning. "Given under our hands and seals this 19th day of June, A. D. 1850. WILLIAM BROOKE, J. W. MCCORD." In December, 1851, the line from "David Smith's white-oak corner" to the line of Cambria County was straightened. On October 25, 1868, another adjustment was made in the boundary line between Tyrone, Logan and Frankstown Townships as follows: "We do establish the summit of Brush Mountain as it runs in all its meanderings to be the line of Tyrone, Logan and Frankstown Townships, so far as the two latter townships border on said Brush Mountain." Since 1910 parts of Logan Township have been annexed by the city of Altoona. Antis Township serves as the northern boundary, Tyrone and Frankstown touch it on the east, Allegheny on the south and Cambria County on the west. A number of white families referred to in the accounts of Antis, Allegheny and Frankstown Townships lived in Logan before the Revolution. Thomas and Michael Coleman, Michael Wallach, James Hardin, James Hart, John Torrance, Jacob Burgoon, John and William Guilleford, and others were among them. The township officers elected in 1851 were, Samuel Haggerty, assessor; David B. Long, constable; John Trout and Abraham Beale, supervisors; S. C. Baker and A. C. McCartney, auditors; Peter Miller, Samuel Haggerty, Michael Cassidy, George Cowen, James Coleman and William McCauley, school directors. Altoona, with its twelve wards and its suburbs, El Dorado, East Altoona, Juniata TOWNSHIPS 121 and Lakemont has grown up along the eastern boundary. Glenwhite, a postoffice in the western part of the township, is the only other settlement. The population of Logan excepting Altoona, was 8,226 in 1930. NORTH WOODBERRY North Woodberry Township was a part of Cumberland County before Bedford was formed in 1771. From 1771 to 1846 when Blair County was formed, North Woodberry remained a part of Bedford County. Some of its territory was detached to form Taylor Township in 1855. Morrison's Cove lies partly within its limits and Tussey's Mountain extends into its eastern section. Much iron ore is to be found in the township through which Clover and Piney Creeks flow. North Woodberry is bounded by Bedford County on the south, Taylor Township on the west, Huston on the north and Huntingdon County on the east. Most of the Blair County section of the cove was unsettled before the Penn's made the new and final purchase from the Indians in 1754. When settlers did come in they were subjected to many Indian depredations. In 1847, the township officers elected were, John Boyers, constable; Bernard Stroup and Adam Burket, school directors; J. L. Dougherty, auditor; John Stroudenour and John P. Hoover, overseers of the poor; H. W. Moore, assessor. Martinsburg, a post-office, is located in the cove, 22 miles south of Altoona, on a branch line of the Pennsylvania Railroad. In 1812, Daniel Camerer and Abraham Stoner settled upon the present site of the town. Camerer owned the land east of Market Street and Stoner owned the land to the west. Camerer laid out the first lots about 1815, and his son-in-law, John Soyster, built the first house shortly afterward. Rev. Christian Winebrenner built several houses there, and James Shirley, a surveyor; William Entriken and Benjamin Wright, merchants; and John Hysong were among the other early settlers. Daniel Bloom, whose family has been prominent in the town for many years, established a tanning business in the spring of 1819. The section owned by Stoner was laid out into town lots about 1820. Henry Bridenthal, a weaver, justice of the peace and one of the first representatives of Blair County in the Pennsylvania Assembly, settled there. Other inhabitants of this section of Martinsburg at an early date were Alexander McFadden, blacksmith; Col. John Bingham, stone mason; James Graham, shoemaker; Jonathan Graham, tailor; Adam Snyder, inn-keeper; Calhoun and Henry Shoemaker, merchants; Col. Samuel Swoope, Alexander Bobb, David Byers, and a man named Shimer. The state legislature passed an act incorporating Martinsburg as a borough on April 2, 1832. As the seat of Juniata Collegiate Institute, formerly Franklin High School and Blair County Normal Institute, Martinsburg was an educational center for the cove. In 1883, there were 200 inhabitants who supported six churches, Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, German Reformed, Church of God and Dunkard (German Baptist). Henrietta, another post-office, is the southern terminus of the Morrison's 122 BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY Cove Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It is located among extensive iron ore lands. Fredericksburg had a population of 125 in 1883, most of whom were machinists or founders. It no longer appears upon maps of the county. Currysville, on the highway leading south from Martinsburg to the Lincoln Highway in Bedford County, is a post-office located on the same branch railroad that terminates at Henrietta. Millerstown is an unimportant village north of Henrietta, without railroad connections. North Woodberry, outside of Martinsburg, had a population of 1,340 in 1930. SNYDER Snyder Township in the extreme northern part of the county was named for Governor Simon Snyder who served as the chief executive of Pennsylvania for nine years. Brush Mountain and Bald Eagle Ridge serve as natural boundaries on the east. The Allegheny Mountains extend through most of the western territory so that settlements are wholly along the eastern boundary. The surface of the township is broken and very mountainous. There is much timber and water power from the many streams ran many forges and mills. Some limestone is quarried here and the land along the Little Juniata River and the valley of Bald Eagle Creek is generally fertile. The streams that flow through it, aside from those already named, are Moore's, Sinking, Hutchinson's, Elk and Three Springs Runs. In 1840, a commission was appointed to form a new township from parts of Warrior's Mark and Antis Townships, Huntingdon County. Their report was accepted as follows: "We, the subscribers, two of the commissioners named by order of the court, met, and taking the draft of the division of Warrior's Mark Township as laid out by John S. Isett and John Wilson, said to be from the Centre County line to Upper Tyrone Forge, at which place we began keeping along the township line between Tyrone and Antes Townships to a gap in the Brush Mountain well known by the name of Burley's Gap, opposite (or nearly so) the run designated in the order of the court (run on the farm of Alexander McFarland, deceased), and taking a course from said gap across the township of Antes; and near the run on the farm of Alexander McFarland, deceased, as above, to the summit of Allegheny Mountain, as exhibited by the draft hereunto annexed. WILLIAM P. DYSART, JOHN MCMULLIN, Commissioners." On April 1, 1841, the Court of Quarter Sessions of Huntingdon County approved the annexation of the northwest corner of Tyrone Township by Snyder - The township is bounded by Centre County on the north, Huntingdon on the east, Antis Township on the south and by Cambria County on the west. The borough of Tyrone is within its borders and influences the economic and social life of the settled parts of the township. The first township officers in 1841 were TOWNSHIPS 123 James Miller and George Crane, supervisors; Robert Campbell, John W. Estep, Robert Caldwell and James Dunbar, auditors. Before the Revolution settlements were made along the valley of Bald Eagle Creek by pioneers who had little wealth. Many of them have been mentioned in an earlier chapter. The iron deposits attracted the attention of iron masters who came into control of much of the land in the township. As a result the population was made up of tenants for the most part, who were influenced by the prosperity of the iron industry. About 1805, John Gloninger came from Dauphin, now Lebanon County, and built Tyrone Forge. In 1807, rolling and slitting mills, and a nail factory were in operation below the old forge on a bend of the river. Gloninger continued his operations and built Upper Tyrone Forge in 1813 and Bald Eagle Furnace on Bald Eagle Creek in the upper part of the township about 1830. Bald Eagle Furnace was made a station on the Bald Eagle Valley Railroad and a post-office called Olivia was established. In 1835, John Kratzer built Cold Spring Forge and in 1880 an axe factory operated on its site. Grazierville, West Tyrone, Tyrone Forge, Ironsville and East Tyrone are all within two miles of Tyrone Borough. Grazierville is a flag station on the Pennsylvania Railroad near the Antis line in the southern part of the township. It was laid out by John W. Grazier in the autumn of 1871. West Tyrone was laid out on the old Cold Spring property and adjoins Grazierville on the north. Tyrone Forge, on the east line of Snyder, is a community created for the purpose of facilitating the manufacture of iron. Ironsville is below Tyrone on the Juniata River and was also designated as a place of residence for workmen at the forges. East Tyrone was an incorporated village one mile east of Tyrone Borough, at the upper end of the railroad yards of the Tyrone division of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It was laid out at the direction of that company by George C. Wilkins, superintendent of the Tyrone division. The borough of Tyrone will receive consideration in another chapter. The population of the township aside from Tyrone was 2,194 in 1930. TAYLOR This township was formed from Huston and North Woodberry Townships in 1855. Until the erection of Blair County its territory was divided between Bedford and Huntingdon Counties. It is bounded by Bedford County on the south, by Greenfield, Freedom and Blair Townships on the west, by Frankstown on the north and by North Woodberry on the east. Part of Morrison's Cove is within its borders and mountains rise in the western part. There are rich iron deposits here and fine farming lands throughout most of the township. Railway facilities are provided by the Morrison's Cove Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad. A highway extends through Taylor Township to Martinsburg. Halter and Plum Creeks flow through the township. The first officers elected to serve in Taylor in 1856 were, John C. Biddle, assessor; Jacob Shoenfelt and William McInna, supervisors; Jacob Snowberger, John Earlenbaugh, William Shiffler and Adam 124 BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY Flenner, school directors; John Lower, John C. Biddle and John M. Hammond, auditors; Jacob Snowberger, Jr., clerk. The first settlers here were mainly Germans. They were among the Dunkards who suffered much at the hands of the Indians because of their policy of nonresistance during the Revolutionary period. Jacob Neff, referred to before, Martin and Jacob Houser and Christian Hoover were here in 1775. Before Huntingdon County was organized in 1787, John Brumbach, Daniel Ellrich, Christopher Markle, Abraham and Jacob Plummer, Peter Hoover, Philip and Peter Stoner resided in the township. In 1800, Jacob Shoenfelt, Sr., was here and John Ullery had a mill at Roaring Spring. Edward Cowen, John and Adam Lower, John Morgan, Frederick Hartle, Tobias Shiffler, Frederick Entriken, Stoephel Franciscus, Samuel Hainley, Jacob and John Snowberger and George Shiffler, a son-in-law of Jacob Shoenfelt, Sr., were other pioneers in the settlement. The superior quality of the iron ore in the township, the abundant material for charcoal and the streams for motive power attracted the attention of Dr. Peter Shoenberger. In 1828, he built the Upper Maria Forge, the Middle Maria Forge in 1830 and the Lower Maria Forge in 1832. They were used in conjunction with the mines at Ore Hill and Sarah Furnace. During the Civil War in 1862, Rickettson & Knapp built Rodman Furnace near Middle Maria Forge, for the manufacture of Rodman guns. Roaring Spring, the largest community in the township, had a population of 2,724 in 1930. It is named for the spring of pure, limestone water that flows within its limits. Dunkards settled here and Jacob Neff built his mill shortly after the close of the French and Indian War. The town has transportation facilities through the branch line of the Pennsylvania Railroad that runs into Morrison's Cove. Roaring Spring was laid out in 1865 although it had supported mills and other places of business for nearly a century. A paper mill was erected then and its manufacture has become a leading industry of the county. The citizens support Methodist, Lutheran and Reformed Churches and a Church of God. Ore Hill is named for its vast deposits of high quality iron ore. Sarah Furnace and the furnaces and forges at McKee's Gap depended upon the Ore Hill mines for raw material. The community has a post-office and is a terminus of a spur of the Morrison's Cove Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Sharpsburg is in the center of the beautiful farming country of the cove. It was settled by Germans, the Brumbaughs, Shoenfelts, Myers and Shifflers. The population of the township, not including Roaring Spring, was 1,392 in 1930. TYRONE Tyrone Township was originally a part of Huntingdon County and embraced the territory of a half-dozen townships of the present Blair and Huntingdon Counties. Elk, Arch Spring and Sinking Runs and the Little Juniata River, that flows along its eastern boundary, water the township. Logan and Antis Town- TOWNSHIPS 125 ships bound it on the west, Snyder on the north, Huntingdon County and Catharine on the east and Frankstown on the south. The Sinking Spring Valley, famous for its lead mines and Tories in Revolutionary days, lies within the limits of the township. Mulch of the valley is of limestone and lies between Canoe Ridge on the southeast and Brush Mountain on the northwest. At the point of greatest width the valley covers six miles and tapers down to a narrow point in the southwest, giving the township a triangular shape. The unusual natural features of the Arch Spring and Sinking Creek are located here and have been described elsewhere in this volume. Colonists, many of whom were Presbyterians, came into the valley before the Revolution. In 1812, there were 5,825 seated acres and 10,055 unseated ones in the township. Eight distilleries had been established, two grist-mills, six sawmills, a forge and a brewery. Jacob Isett established one of the sawmills below Arch Spring in 1788. Arch Spring Mills eventually became a little settlement. Other mills were the Snyder grist-mill and the Sinking Valley Mills. Laurelville, known locally as Sinking Valley, was first settled when Henry Henchey built a house there in 1808. A man named Harris was a storekeeper at an early date and in 1831 James Clarke was another. A number of village lots were laid out at one time on lands owned by George Sharrar, Henry McMullen and John Wilson. Unfortunately for Laurelville the borough of Tyrone grew up nearby and the village never achieved the ambitions of its early settlers. A post-office was established there, known as Sinking Valley Mills and later as Sinking Valley. In 1857, the post-office was moved to Arch Spring and in 1858 both communities had offices. In 1927, they were not listed. From 1815 to 1842, John Wilson maintained a tannery at Laurelville. James E. Stewart was carpenter and undertaker for the valley from 1807 to 1851. Clarke and McGuire conducted stores there from 1838 to 1851. McMullen, Tussey and Crawford were merchants in 1835 and the firm went under many changes before 1867. After 1875, no stores existed in the community. William Davison was a hotel-keeper in the valley during the early part of the 19th century and George Gorley, a blacksmith, opened a shop at Laurelville in 1826 and in 1830 John Copley worked there. George Sharrar worked at his trade as wheelwright before 1842 and in 1858 James and William Logan were blacksmiths in the township. Skelp, Arch Spring, Elbert, and Culp are the present settlements in Tyrone Township, which had a population of 896 in 1920. In addition to the Presbyterians the Lutherans came in good numbers. In 1799, the Roman Catholics are said to have sent missionaries from Bedford to the people of the township. They erected a church near Laurelville. The Reformed Church had a congregation in the lower part of the valley, too. The population in 1930 was 869. WOODBERRY Woodberry Township was a Bedford County Township prior to the formation of Huntingdon County in 1787. From the latter year until the erection of 126 BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY Blair County in 1846 it was part of Huntingdon. When Huston Township was formed in 1842 part of the original Woodberry was placed under Huston. Tussey's Mountain rises on the east of the township and Lock Mountain in the west, Woodberry is another of the townships to have the agricultural advantages afforded by the fine land in Morrison's Cove. Iron ore and ganister rock are valuable natural resources. Clover and Piney Creeks afford water for manufacturing and agriculture. Huntingdon County touches it on the east Huston Township on the south, Frankstown on the west and Catharine on the north. In 1788, the officers of the township were Philip Walker, constable and Jacob Server, assessor. Before 1765, there were no settlers in this region. People moved in between the French and Indian Wars and the Revolution. As in other sections of the Cove these people were the victims of horrible Indian perpetrations and massacres. It has been estimated that more than 50 families lived in the vicinity in 1788. Their names are German in many cases. A century later the township had 403 taxable inhabitants and their real estate was valued at $421,965. Williamsburg, with a population of nearly 2,000, is the largest community in Woodberry Township. It is located in the northern part of the township on the south bank of the Juniata River. In 1790, the site of the town and the lands in its immediate vicinity were still unseated, and in a primitive state. John Canan and John Swift owned much of the land of the present Williamsburg. About that time Jacob Ake, of German descent, came north from Washington County, Maryland, and purchased 600 acres of land from Canan and Swift, presumably at the price of $6 an acre. Patrick Cassidy, surveyor and founder of Newry, was consulted on the matter of laying out a town on Ake's property. One hundred and twenty lots were planned in 1795. Ake adopted the system of selling lots on a lease by payment of one Spanish milled dollar yearly forever. Nearly all these lots remained subject to that system for generations. A visitor to Williamsburg in 1814 reported it to be a village of about 20 families. Among early residents were Robert Province, postmaster and merchant; William Entriken, merchant; John Martin, inn-keeper; William McGimpsey, tavern-keeper; a man named Blackburn, was a miller; Jacob Duck, blacksmith; John Barber, Peter Metz and Samuel Fluke, carpenters; Abraham Winters, distiller; Aaron Layton, Jacob Rodkey, Christley Shockey, Adam Anthony, John Barr, Jacob Benner, Samuel Derush, John Dugal, and Dr. George Kneophler. The first church was erected here in 1816. In 1824, John Steel and Adolphus Patterson sold foreign merchandise other than wines and spirits in the town, and Schmucker & Royer, Daniel Royer and Peter Shoenberger were merchants in the township. About 1827, Williamsburg was incorporated as a borough and the officers in 1828 were, town council, George Slaysman, Aaron Burns, Nathaniel Steel, Henry Lower and Frederick Menner; high constable, Samuel Fluke; borough constable, James A. Kerr; overseers of the poor, William Spear, Andrew Thompson; supervisors, Christian Coutz and John Weaver. The borough government seems to have amounted to little, for after 1841 the charter was declared void and no corporate officers were elected. Francis McCoy, Robert Martin and Philip Metz were TOWNSHIPS 127 tavern-keepers in 1840. The town was in the center of a prosperous community spurred to activity by the proximity of the canal, which brought commerce and business to its doors. Williamsburg merchants served all the territory within a radius of 15 miles. Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist, and Roman Catholic Churches are supported in the community. Williamsburg and Royer, a postoffice in the western section of the township, have railroad facilities through a branch line of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Larke and Shellytown are rural communities without railroad connections. The township had a population of 1,479 in 1930.