HISTORY: “Valley of the Conemaugh” by Thomas J. Chapman, 1865 Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Diann Olsen , September, 2008 Copyright 2008 All rights reserved. http://http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cambria/ _______________________________________________ THE VALLEY OF THE CONEMAUGH. BY THOMAS J. CHAPMAN. ALTOONA, PA.: McCRUM & DERN, PRINTERS. 1865. --------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER III. THE SETTLEMENT OF THE VALLEY. With the taking of Kittanning, and the fall of Fort Duquesne, as related in the preceding chapter, did not come peace and safety to the Pennsylvania backswoodsmen. By no means. Though these successes on the part of the British greatly discomfited and crippled their inexorable foes, the savage red man and his scarce less savage. accomplices continued to murder and devastate whenever and wherever they could. But the star of empire has ever been west ward. The old fort of Duquesne was repaired and improved, and named after the immortal Pitt. A little village soon clustered about it. Settlements gradually crept out into the wilderness, and as the red man's power waned the white man's power continued to increase. In the course of time settlers made their way into the valley of the Conemaugh. Who was the first it is difficult to say. Among the first, however, were the Maguires, Nagles, Ragers, Storms, Campbells, Hildebrands, Altmans, and --------------------------------------------------------------------- 40 THE HISTORY OF Davises. Favorable reports must have been transmitted by these primitive settlers to their friends and quondam, neighbors in the older settlements; for the country was speedily dotted by the "clearings" of the hardy backwoodsmen. In the course of a few years the population had become so great that new counties were formed. Of these Westmoreland, which we consider as partly belonging to the Conemaugh valley, inasmuch as that stream forms its northeastern boundary, was the first. It was erected out of Bedford county by act of February 26th, 1773. It then embraced the entire southwestern corner of the State. "Previous to the year 1758, Westmoreland was a wilderness, trodden only by the wild beast, the savage, and an occasional white trader, or frontier-man. The access to the Forks of the Ohio, in those days, was either up the Juniata and then by water down the Kiskiminetas, [Conemaugh,] or by Braddock's road from Virginia, and thence down the Monongahela. The first opening through the wilderness of Westmoreland county was cut by General Forbes' army, in 1758. * * This.road opened the way for numerous pioneers into this region; but it was only safe for them to live under the protection of the forts."* Loyalhanna, now ----- * Day's Hist. Cot., pp. 680, 681 --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CONEMAUGH. 41 Ligonier, seems to have been a base of military operations as far back as the time of Forbes' expedition. By a singular error this place has been located by some writers as only five miles west of Bedford.* After the defeat of Major Grant, at Fort Duquesne, the French and Indians, under De Vetri, assailed Colonel Bouquet at this place, as we have already seen. A few years later, perhaps about 1760, a fort was built here, called Fort Ligonier. During Pontiac's war, in 1763, this fort was attacked by a strong force of Indians. They had also invested Fort Pitt at the same time. Lieutenant Blane, then in command at Ligonier, though his force was very small, bravely defended the fort, and the savages were repulsed. Colonel Bouquet, advancing from Carlisle with two regiments of troops, was met by the united forces of the Indians near Bushy Run, and after an obstinate engagement of one entire after- noon and a part of the next day, succeeded in totally defeating and routing the savages, and compelling them to abandon their designs against the forts. Hannastown, some three or four miles from the present site of Greensburg, was one of the earliest settlements in Westmoreland county. It was built on the road made by General ----- *See Hist. Six Counties, p. 568. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 42 THE HISTORY OF Forbes, in 1758. When the county was erected in 1773, the courts were directed to be held in this place. It contained about thirty habita- tions of different descriptions, a wooden court house and jail, and a fort stockaded with logs. Arthur St. Clair, Esq., * afterward a conspicuous general in the Revolutionary and Indian wars, was the first prothonotary and clerk of the courts, and Robert Hanna, Esq., was the first presiding justice. During the war of the revolution, Hannastown was the headquarters of Colonel Archibald Lochry, Lieutenant of Westmoreland county. It was thus a conspicuous town in the early history of Western Pennsylvania. On the 13th of July, 1782, the Indians made a descent on Hannastown. The frontier northwest of the town was almost deserted; the inhabitants had fled for safety and repose to the older settlements. There was, therefore, but little impediment to the Indians, either by way of resistance, or even of giving warning of their approach. The savages first made their appearance at a harvest-field, about a mile and a half north of the village, where a party of the townsfolk were engaged in reaping. Upon discovering the Indians the whole reaping party ran for the town, each one intent upon ----- *See sketch of his life, chapter X. --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CONEMAUGH. 43 his own safety. The scene which then presented itself may more readily be conceived than described. Fathers seeking for their wives and children, and children calling upon their parents and friends, and all hurrying in a state of consternation to the fort. The Indians were not long in reaching the town; but fortunately not until the inhabitants were about all safely in the fort. As the savages emerged into the open space around the town, sounding the dreaded war-whoop and brandishing their tomahawks, a young man named David Shaw, who had not yet entered the fort, resolved to make one of them give his death halloo, and raising his rifle to his eye, his bullet whizzed true, for the stout savage at whom he aimed bounded into the air and fell upon his face. Then, with the speed of an arrow, Shaw fled for the fort and entered in safety. The Indians were exasperated when they found the town deserted, and after pillaging the houses they set them on fire. Although a considerable part of the town was within rifle range of the fort, the whites did but little execution, being more intent on their own safety than solicitous about destroying the enemy. One savage, who had put on the military coat of one of the inhabitants, paraded himself so ostentatiously --------------------------------------------------------------------- 44 THE HISTORY OF that he was shot down. Except this one, and the one laid low by Shaw, there was no evidence of any other execution, but some human bones found among the ashes of one of the houses where they, it was supposed, burnt those that were killed. There were not more than fourteen or fifteen rifles in the fort; and a company having marched from the town some time before, in Lochry's ill-fated campaign, many of the most efficient men were absent; not more than twenty or twenty-five remained. A maiden, Jennet Shaw, was killed in the fort; a child having run opposite the gate, in which there were some apertures through which a bullet from the Indians occasionally whistled, she followed it, and as she stooped to pick it up a bullet entered her bosom -- she thus fell a victim to her kindness of heart. The savages, with their wild yells and hideous gesticulations, exulted as the flames spread, and looked like demoniacs rejoicing over the lost hopes of mortals. From Hannastown the Indians went to Miller's Station, two miles south of the town. Here were a number of families who had fled for safety from their homes on the extreme border. There had been a wedding here the day before. Love is a delicate plant, but will --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CONEMAUGH. 45 take root in the midst of perils in gentle bosoms. A young couple, fugitives from the frontier, fell in love and were married. The bridal party were enjoying themselves in the principal mansion, without the least shadow of approaching danger. Some men were mowing in the meadow- people in the cabins were variously occupied when suddenly the war whoop, like a clap of thunder from a cloudless sky, broke upon their astonished ears. The people in the cabins and those in the meadow mostly made their escape. At the principal mansion the party were so agitated by the cries of women and children, mingling with the yells of the savages that all were for a moment irresolute, and that moment sealed their fate. John Brownlee and his family were there. This individual was well known in frontier forage and scouting parties. His courage, activity, generosity, and manly form won for him among his associates, as they win everywhere, confidence and attachment. Many of the Indians were acquainted with his character -- some of them probably had seen his person. After that first moment of terror had passed, Brownlee made his way to the door, having seized a rifle; he saw, however, that it was a desperate game, but made a rush at --------------------------------------------------------------------- 46 THE HISTORY OF some Indians who were entering the gate. The shrill, clear voice of his wife, exclaiming, "Jack, will you leave me?" instantly recalled him, and he sat down beside her at the door, yielding himself a willing victim. The party were made prisoners, including the bridegroom and bride, and several of the family of Miller. Longfellow, in his beautiful poem of "Evangeline," nearly describes this scene: "As, when the air is serene in the sultry solstice of summer, Suddenly gathers a storm, and the deadly sling of the hailstones Beats down the farmer's corn in the field and shatters his windows, Hiding the sun, and strewing the ground with thatch froth the house- roofs, Bellowing fly the herds, and seek to break their inclosures; So on the hearts of the people descended the words of the speaker. Silent a moment they stood in speechless wonder, and then rose Louder and ever louder a wail of sorrow and anger." Heavy were the hearts of the women and maidens as they were led into captivity. Who can tell the bitterness of their sorrow? They looked, as they thought, for the last time upon the dear fields of their country, and of civilized life. They had proceeded about half a mile, and four or five Indians near the group of prisoners in which was Brownlee, were observed to exchange rapid sentences among each other, and look earnestly at him. Some of the prisoners had named him; and, whether it was from that circumstance or because some of the Indians had recognized his person, it was evident --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CONEMAUGH. 47 that he was a doomed man. He stooped slightly to adjust his child on his back, which he carried in addition to the baggage that they had put upon him; and, as he did so, one of the Indians who had looked so earnestly at him, stepped to him hastily and buried a tomahawk in his head. When he fell, the child was quickly dispatched by the same individual. One of the women captives screamed at this butchery, and the same bloody instrument and ferocious hand immediately ended her agony of spirit. God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb, and he enabled Mrs. Brownlee to bear that scene in speechless agony of woe. Their bodies were found the next day by the settlers, and interred where they fell. As the shades of evening began to fall, the marauders met again on the plains of Hannastown. They retired into the low grounds about the Crabtree creek, and there regaled themselves on what they had stolen. It was their intention to attack the fort the next morning before the dawn of day. At nightfall, some thirty settlers assembled at George's Farm, not far from Miller's, determined that night to give what assistance they could to the people in the fort at Hannastown. They set off, each with his trusty rifle, some on horseback and some on foot. With the great- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 48 THE HISTORY OF est precaution they marched to the gate, and were most joyfully welcomed by those within. It was the general opinion that the Indians in tended to make an attack the next morning; and, as there were but about forty-five rifles in the fort, and about fifty-five or sixty men, the contest was considered extremely doubtful, considering the great superiority of numbers on the part of the savages. It became, therefore, a matter of the first importance to impress the enemy with a belief that large reinforcements were arriving. For that purpose, the horses were mounted by active men and brought full trot over the bridge of plank that was across the ditch which surrounded the stockading. This was frequently repeated. Two old drums were found in the fort, which were new braced, and music on the fife and drum was kept oc- casionally going during the night. While marching and countermarching, the bridge was frequently crossed on foot by the whole garrison. These measures had the desired effect. The military music from the fort, the trampling of the horses, and the marching over the bridge, were borne on the silence of night over the low lands of the Crabtree, and the sounds carried terror into the bosoms of the cowardly savages. They feared the retri- --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CONEMAUGH. 49 bution which they deserved, and fled shortly after midnight. Three hundred Indians, and about sixty white savages in the shape of refu- gees, that day crossed the Crabtree, with the intention of destroying Hannastown and Miller's Station. The next day, a number of the whites pursued the trail as far as the Kiskiminetas without being able to overtake them. The little community, which had now no homes but what the fort supplied, looked out on the ruins of the town with the deepest sorrow. It had been to them the scene of heartfelt joys -- embracing the intensity and tenderness of all which renders the domestic hearth and family altar sacred. By degrees they all sought themselves places where they might, like Noah's dove, find rest for the soles of their feet. The lots of the town, either by sale or abandonment, became merged in the adjoining farm; and the labors of the husband man soon effaced what time might have spared. The prisoners were surrendered by the Indians to the British in Canada. After the peace of 1783, they were delivered up, and returned to their country.* Greensburg was laid out shortly after the ----- * This account of the burning of Hannastown, I have condensed from a well-written article first published in the "Greensburg Argus," in 1836. and thence copied into Day's Hist. Col. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 50 THE HISTORY OF destruction of Hannastown. It was incorporated as early as February, 1799. Its growth for half a century was very gradual. In 1850, the population was scarcely one thousand. It is surrounded by a highly fertile and well cultivated country. Old Westmoreland is the garden of Western Pennsylvania. The Pittsburg and Bedford turnpike passes through the town, and this gave it some advantages. In it are a fine court house and other county buildings. The Pennsylvania Railroad now passes along the edge of the town. Since the construction of this thoroughfare, the town has improved considerably. Judge Lobengeir, Dr. Postlethwaite, Mr. Campbell, and Mr. McLellan were among the earliest settlers in Greensburg. General Arthur St. Clair, of Revolutionary fame, lies buried in the Presbyterian churchyard. In 1832, the Masonic fraternity placed a monument, over his grave, with the following inscriptions: On the South Side. -- "The earthly remains of Major General ARTHUR ST. CLAIR, are deposited beneath this humble monument, which is erected to supply the place of a nobler one, due from his country. He died Aug. 31, 1818, in the 84th year of his age." On the North Side. -- 'This stone is erected --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CONEMAUGH. 51 over the remains of their departed brother, by members of the Masonic Society." The citizens of Greensburg have ever been a highly moral and intelligent people. Very early in this century, about 1805 or 1806, Messrs. Snowden & McCorkle established a newspaper in this town, called "The Farmers' Register." It was neutral in politics, and ably edited for that period. Greensburg is the home of Hon. Edgar Cowan, U. S. Senator, Hon. Henry D. Foster, Democratic candidate for governor in 1860, and other prominent public men. The town is beautifully situated in a fine agricultural district, and within less than an hour's ride of Pittsburg. Somerset county was the next county erected in the Conemaugh valley. It was organized by act of April 17th, 1795. It had formerly constituted a part of Bedford county. The region of country now embraced in Somerset county was visited by white adventurers and traders at a comparatively remote period. We have already referred to Frederick Post's journey through it in 1758. John Evans, Alexander Magenty, and others, had penetrated these wilds as long ago as 1740. About 1752, Evans, with others, fell into the hands of the savages. They were carried to Quebec, --------------------------------------------------------------------- 52 THE HISTORY OF and from thence sent to Rochelle, in France, where they were released by the English ambassador, and by him sent to London, and from thence they got a passage to Philadelphia. Magenty, while on his return from a trading expedition to the Cuttawa Indians, who were in alliance with the crown of Great Britain, was taken prisoner on the 26th of January, 1753, by a party of French Indians of the Cagnawaga nation, near the Kentucky river. The Indians beat and abused him in the most barbarous manner, and then sent him to Montreal. His release was effected by the mayor of Albany, by paying a considerable sum of money to the Indians who had captured him, and in the fall of 1753, he returned to Phila- delphia in destitute circumstances.* In 1758, a road was cut through the northeastern part of the county by Colonel Bouquet, under the command of General Forbes, and in October of that year an army of six thousand men marched over this road on their way to Fort Duquesne. Shortly after the fall of that Indian stronghold, settlements were commenced within the limits of Somerset county. We have already mentioned the ruins of a house visible to within a very recent period, ----- * Votes of Assembly, Vol. IV. --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CONEMAUGH. 53 which was said to have been built about this time. A fort was built at Stoystown, and a breastwork at the forks of the road on the Allegahny mountains. During the Indian troubles of 1763, the little garrison at Stoystown was called in to strengthen the fort at Bedford.* Berlin, in Brothers' Valley township, was one of the first settlements in this county. It was settled by the Germans, many of whom were Dunkards. The inhabitants of the more exposed parts of the country frequently fled hither to escape the "murderous tomahawk" of the Indians. Somerset, the county seat, was laid out by Mr. Bruner, in 1795. It was for some time called Brunerstown. It was incorporated by act of 1804, and a supplementary act of 1807. It is a pleasant town, surrounded by a fine agricultural district, and enjoys the advantages of pure mountain air and water. The turnpike from Bedford to Washington passes through the town. The first settlers about Somerset were Mr. Bruner, the founder of the town, Mr. Philson, and Mr. Husband. During the whisky rebellion, in 1794, the citizens of this county took no very active part, though they were generally ----- * Hist. Col., p. 617. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 54 THE HISTORY OF secretly opposed to the excise. Mr. Philson and Mr. Husband were more bold in the expression of their sentiments, and were, in consequence, arrested, sent to Philadelphia, and imprisoned. Mr. Husband died in Philadelphia, after enduring an imprisonment of about eight months. Mr. Philson was released.* On the 16th of October, 1833, a destructive fire swept over the town of Somerset, and laid a large part of it in ashes. An extra of the “Somerset Patriot" of that day, after describing the origin, and so forth, of the fire, goes on to say: "We have no means of ascertaining the loss -- it must be immense. Upwards of thirty families are turned homeless in the streets. The part of the town which is now in ashes, was the most business doing and populous, as well as most valuable -- Stores, Offices, Shops, Taverns -- all have been consumed. Some private families have lost their all. Some have saved much of their furniture. We would suppose the whole loss, not less than one hundred thousand dollars." Public meetings were held throughout the country, and resolu- tions of condolence were passed, and still stronger testimonials of sympathy in the shape of contributions for the sufferers were liberally and cheerfully made.** ----- * Hist. Col., p. 618. ** Ebensburg Sky, Nov. 7, 1833. --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CONEMAUGH. 55 Indiana county was erected out of parts of Westmoreland and Lycoming counties by act of March 30th, 1803. This region of country was explored as long ago as 1766-67. The first attempt at making a settlement in the limits of this county is believed to have been made in the year 1769, in the forks of the Conemaugh and Blacklick. The early adventurers into this section were particularly well pleased with the tract of country in the immediate neighborhood of the present town of Indiana. In 1771 or 1772, three or four years before the breaking out of the American Revolution, Fergus Moorhead and James Kelly had erected their log cabins here. The late lamented R. B. McCabe, Esq.,* of Blairsville, has recorded the following incident in the history of these two hardy pioneers: "So soon as the cabins were finished, each of these adventurers betook himself at night to his castle. One morning Mr. Moorhead paid a visit to his neighbor Kelly, and was surprised to find near his cabin traces of blood and tufts of human hair. Kelly was not to be found. Moorhead, believing him to have been killed by the wolves, was cautiously looking about for his remains, when he discovered him ----- * See sketch of his life, Chap. X. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 56 THE HISTORY OF sitting by a spring, washing the blood from his hair. "He had lain down in his cabin at night and fallen asleep; a wolf reached through a crack between the logs, and seized him by the head. This was repeated twice or thrice before he was sufficiently awakened to shift his position. The smallness of the crack and the size of his head prevented the wolf from grasping it so far as to have a secure hold, and that saved his life." Moses Chambers, an old British man-of-war's-man, was one of the first settlers in this wild region. Moses forsook his calling upon the high seas, and sought adventures of another kind in the wilds of our Pennsylvania forests. We, of these times, have but a faint idea of the dangers, privations, and vicissitudes which environed the hardy settlers of these early days. The following incident in the life of Chambers well illustrates the nature of the difficulties with which the settlers of our country had to contend: "Moses continued to work on his improvement till he was told one morning that the last johnnycake was at the fire! What was to be done? There was no possibility of a supply short of Conococheague. He caught his --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CONEMAUGH. 57 horse and made ready. He broke the johnnycake in two pieces, and giving one-half to his wife, the partner of his perils and his fortunes, he put up the other half in the lappet of his coat with thorns, and turned his horse's head to the east. There were no inns on the road in those days, nor a habitation west of the mountains, save, perhaps, a hut or two at Fort Ligonier. The Kittanning path was used to Ligonier, and from thence the road made by General Forbes' army. Where good pasture could be had for his horse, Moses tarried and baited. To him day was as night, and night as the day. He slept only while his horse was feeding, nor did he give rest to his body nor ease to his mind, until he returned with his sack stored with corn. "How forcibly would the affecting story of the patriarch Jacob apply itself to the condition of families thus circumstanced! 'Jacob said to his sons, why do ye look one upon another? and he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt; get you down thither, and buy for us from thence, that we may live and not die.'"* Some eight or ten years after the settlement of Moses Chambers in this remote country, ----- * R. B. McCabe, Esq. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 58 THE HISTORY OF William Bracken built a mill on the Blacklick, which was an incalculable advantage to the settlers. No more wearisome journeys to Conococheague! Bracken's mill speedily became a cynosure to all within a radius of many miles, and the narrow paths which led to it might have been seen winding through the green forests in every direction. The settlement of Indiana county was very gradual. The savages made frequent inroads into the quiet retreats of the settlers, murdering or driving them off. We continue to quote, with some variations of language and order, from Mr. M'Cabe's valuable sketch. About the year 1774, Samuel Moorhead commenced building a mill on Stony Run, but before it was completed, the settlers were driven off by the Indians. They fled to what was then called the Sewickly settlement. This was called Dunmore's war; by some of the old settlers it was called the civil war. This war was brought about in this manner: In 1774, Lord Dunmore, of Virginia, set up the unfounded pretension that the western boundary of Pennsylvania did not include Pittsburg and the Monongahela river, and many settlers were encouraged to take up lands on Virginia warrants. He even took possession of Fort Pitt, by his agent, --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CONEMAUGH. 59 Conolly, on the withdrawal of the royal troops by order of General Gage. Even General Washington, who knew that country so well, and had taken up much land in it, entertained the idea probably at that date, that what are now the counties of Fayette, Greene, and Washington, were in Virginia. Some of these new settlers were of the worst class of frontier men, and two of them, Cresap and Greathouse, were concerned in the barbarous murder of the family of Logan, "the friend of the white man." A bloody war upon the frontier was the consequence of these murders.* The settlers in Indiana county who were thus compelled to flee, lost their cattle and their crops. However, they returned to their improvements in the fall, and Moorhead completed his mill. This was perhaps the second mill erected within the bounds of what is now Indiana county. At this time the Indians were living on the Allegheny river. They had a town called Hickorytown, another called Mahoning, and another called Punxutawney. At their leisure, and they continued to have a good deal, they stole the white men's horses, and showed no symptoms of doubtful character as to their feelings towards their new neighbors. ----- *Day's Hist. Col., p. 33. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 60 THE HISTORY OF In 1776, when the blast of war, wide-spread and destructive, swept over the land, it penetrated even the seclusion of this remote wilder- ness. The Indians again became openly hostile. No further improvements, it is believed, were attempted. The settler laid down the axe, and took up the rifle of the soldier. One courageous pioneer, John Thompson, erected a block-house some six miles northeast of the present town of Indiana, and here he continued to reside throughout all the troubles on the frontier. Not until after Wayne's treaty, in 1795, were any improvements of importance attempted. As late as 1800, not a single town existed in the county, if we except a few cabins that stood where Saltsburg now stands. Greensburg, in Westmoreland county, was the nearest trading town.* Among the first villages in Indiana county was one called Newport, which stood on the right bank of the river, about a mile below the mouth of the Blacklick. When or by whom built is a mystery. It was a matter of tradition in our childhood. Old settlers affirm that it was in a state of decay more than fifty years since. We remember years ago to have seen a solitary house, tenantless and dilapidated, ----- * Day's Hist. Col., p. 377. --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CONEMAUGH. 61 still remaining. Of course it had the reputation of being haunted. One who passed by it on a remarkably dark night afterward declared that he had seen a strange, murky light flaring through the sashless windows and the chinks in the walls. Doubtless the hobgoblins held their midnight revels there. Had that timid wayfarer drawn nigher he might have been blest with such a sight as that which greeted the eyes of Tam O'Shanter in the auld kirk of Alloway. After the old house had departed a lone chimney continued to stand for years, not so tall and graceful as Pompey's Pillar, perhaps, yet serving very well to mark the site of the abandoned hamlet. But even this last vestige has disappeared, and the stones of which it was constructed have been built into a fence by the owner of the land. In another generation Newport will be as hard to locate as Tadmor in the Wilderness. The town of Indiana was laid out in 1805. A tract of 250 acres was granted for the purposes of a town by George Cymer. The turnpike from Kittanning to Ebensburg passes through the town. In 1856, the Blairsville Branch Railroad was extended to this place. This has had the effect to cause great improve- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 62 THE HISTORY OF ments to be made in it. The town has suddenly grown from being a small, out-of-the-way place, to be an important business point. It contains a fine court house, several elegant churches and hotels, a large number of first-class stores, and many elegant private residences. There is here also an extensive establishment for the manufacture of straw boards. The town is finely located in the midst of a superior agricultural district, and the people have ever been noted for their intelligence, morality, and enterprise. The manufacture of salt has long been a prosperous business in this county. These salt-wells are principally to be found along the bank of the Conemaugh The existence of salt water in this section was indicated by the oozing of water, slightly brackish, through the fissures of the rocks. About the year 1813, when salt, in consequence of the war, was extravagantly high, Mr. William Johnston, an enterprising gentleman, determined to perforate the rock, and ascertain whether there was not some valuable fountain from whence all these oozings issued. He commenced operations on the bank of the Conemaugh, near the mouth of the Loyalhanna, and persevered until he had reached the depth of 450 feet, when he struck --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CONEMAUGH. 63 an abundant fountain, strongly impregnated with salt. He immediately proceeded to tubing the perforation to exclude the fresh water, erecting furnaces, pans, and other fixtures, and was soon in the full tide of successful experiment, making about thirty bushels per day, all of which was eagerly purchased at a high price. Mr. Johnston's success induced others to embark in the business, most of whom were successful. Very soon the hitherto silent and sol- itary banks of the river were all bustle, life, and enterprise.* The canal which was afterwards made to pass through this region, brought the most available means of transportation to these works, and salt formed one of the chief staples of commerce of that section, and was carried to every part of the country. About the year 1825, a salt well was sunk on the left bank of the river, a short distance above the mouth of the Blacklick, but, to the grief of all the parties interested, instead of finding a gushing fountain of salt water, the well poured out nothing but a stream of dirty-looking oil, very offensive in its smell, and of no conceivable use whatever. The well was then covered up, and abandoned. This is now believed to have ----- *Hazard's Register, 1831. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 64 THE HISTORY OF been petroleum oil, and great pains have been taken lately to find the exact spot where this well was sunk, but so far in vain. Cambria, county was taken from Somerset and Huntingdon by act of March 26th, 1804. Some have thought that the first settlements in the limits of this county were made about the year 1789; but from the following incident it would seem that settlements were attempted here some years before this: About December, 1777, a number of families came into the fort (at Bedford) from-the neighborhood of Johnstown. Amongst them were Samuel Adams, one Thornton and Bridges. After the alarm had somewhat subsided, they agreed to return to their property. A party started with pack horses, reached the place, and not seeing any Indians, collected their property and commenced their return. After proceeding some distance, a dog belonging to one of the party, showed signs of uneasiness, and ran back. Bridges and Thornton desired the others to wait whilst they would go back for him. They went back, and had proceeded but two or three hundred yards, when a body of Indians, who had been lying on each side of the way, but who had been afraid to fire on account of the number of the whites, --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CONEMAUGH. 65 suddenly rose up and took them prisoners. The others, not knowing what detained their companions, went back after them; when they arrived near the spot the Indians fired on them, but without doing any injury. The whites instantly turned and fled, excepting Samuel Adams, who took a tree and began to fight in the Indian style. In a few minutes, however, he was killed, but not without doing the same fearful service for his adversary. He and one of the Indians shot and killed each other at the same moment. When the news reached the fort, a party volunteered to visit the ground. When they reached it, although the snow had fallen ankle deed, they readily found the bodies of Adams and the Indian; the face of the latter having been covered by his companions with Adams' hunting shirt.* This bloody encounter is said to have taken place on Sandy Run, about eight miles east of Johnstown. Authorities differ, however, both as to the date of the occurrence, and the manner in which the actors in the tragedy made away with each other; some affirming that it took place about the year 1785, and that Adams and the Indian killed each other with their knives while fighting round a white-oak tree.** ----- * Day's Hist. Col., pp. 122, 123 ** A. J. Hite's “Hand-Book of Johnstown, for 1856,” p. 19. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 66 THE HISTORY OF In the year 1789, the Rev. D. A. Gallitzin* directed his course to the Alleghany mountain, and found that portion of it which now constitutes Cambria county a perfect wilderness, almost without inhabitants or habitations.** He chose to settle where the village of Loretto now stands, and by his labors and munificence he attracted about him a little colony of pioneers that has now grown to be a numerous and wealthy population. Among these early settlers were Captain Michael Maguire, Cornelius Maguire, Richard Nagle, William Dotson, Michael Eager, James Alcorn, John Storm, and others. Of these, Captain Maguire is believed to have been the first. He came here in 1790. The others followed soon after. These were the right kind of men to people a country, for one of them at least, Mr. Rager, is said to have left no less than twenty-seven children! Under the auspices of these settlers, the country improved very rapidly. The first grist mill in the country was built by Mr. John Storm. Robert L. Johnson, Esq., of Ebensburg, who is, perhaps, better acquainted with the early history of this county than any other man in it, and from whom we have borrowed the ----- *See sketch of his life, Chap. X. ** See Mountaineer, May 14th, 1840. --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CONEMAUGH. 67 principal part of the above items, in the year 1840 published in the Ebensburg "Mountaineer," of which he was editor, a series of articles, from which we extract the following: "Previous to the year 1789, the tract of country which is now included within the limits of Cambria county was a wilderness. ‘Frankstown settlement,' as it was then called, was the frontier of the inhabited parts of Pennsylvania east of the Alleghany mountains. None of the pioneers had yet ventured to explore the eastern slope of the mountain. A remnant of savage tribes still prowled through the forests, and seized every opportunity of destroying the dwellings of the settlers, and butchering such of the inhabitants as were so unfortunate as to fall into their hands. The howling of the wolf, and the shrill screaming of the catamount or American panther, mingled in nightly concert with the war-whoop of the savages. "The hardships endured by the first settlers are almost incredible. Exposed to the inclemency of an Alleghany winter, against the rigor of which their hastily erected and scantily furnished huts afforded a poor protection, their sufferings were sometimes almost beyond endurance. Yet with the most unyielding --------------------------------------------------------------------- 68 THE HISTORY OF firmness did these men persevere, until they secured for themselves and their posterity the inheritance which the latter at present enjoy. "There was nothing that could be dignified with the name of road by which the early settlers might have an intercourse with the settle- ments of Huntingdon county. A miserable Indian path led from the vicinity of where Loretto now stands, and intersected the road leading to Frankstown, two or three miles this side of the Summit. "Many anecdotes are related by the citizens of Allegheny township of the adventures of their heroic progenitors among the savage beasts, and the more savage Indians, which then infested the neighborhood. The latter were not slow to seize every opportunity of aggression which presented itself to their blood-thirsty minds, and consequently the inhabitants held not only property, but life itself, by a very uncertain tenure. The truth of the following story is vouched for by many of the most respectable citizens in Alleghany and Cambria townships, by one of whom it has kindly been furnished us for publication: A Mr. James Alcorn had settled in the vicinity of the spot where Loretto now stands, and had built a hut, and cleared a potato patch, --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CONEMAUGH. 69. at some distance from it. The wife of Mr. Alcorn went an errand to see the potatoes, and did not return. Search was immediately made, but no trace could be found to lead to her discovery. 'What became of her is to this day wrapped in mystery, and in all human probability, we shall remain in ignorance of her fate. It was generally supposed that she had been taken by the savages; and it was even reported that she had returned several years after; but this story is not credited by any in the neighborhood." After Loretto, Johnstown is believed to have been the first spot settled in Cambria county. A few years afterward, about 1795, a number of Welsh emigrants located themselves upon the banks of the Blacklick, in this county. The spot which they chose was eminently adapted to the purposes of a village. The climate was salubrious; the scenery around attractive; the land in the neighborhood highly productive, while its interior was full of the most valuable minerals; the water in the springs and streams was as pure and sparkling as the fount of Castaly, and the grand old woods on every side nodded their green heads in welcome to those early pioneers. The village was properly laid out in streets and alleys, and bore the --------------------------------------------------------------------- 70 THE HISTORY OF name of Beulah. It was rapidly built up, and improvements of all kinds were inaugurated. Religious and literary societies were formed, and an enterprising disciple of Faust and Franklin established a newspaper in the little colony. This primitive sheet rejoiced in the name of the "Western Sky." It has since been rolled together as a scroll, and disappeared. The people of Beulah were an honest, energetic, independent race, and deserved to be, as they were, prosperous. Upon the organization of Cambria county, in 1804, Beulah contended with Ebensburg for the honor of being named the capital of the new county. That dignity was conferred upon the latter, and forthwith Beulah declined through chagrin and disappointment. She was never able to hold up her head afterward. Colonel Swank says : "That unfortunate tilt with Ebensburg ‘fixed’ beyond a peradventure the destiny of Beulah. Its Welsh burghers soon commenced to turn a longing look upon the county-seat; the implements of husbandry and the tools of the cunning workman were laid away to rust, and the price of real estate rapidly declined. Ere long Beulah was deserted, and it remains deserted to this day. Where once stood the bustling little village, --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CONEMAUGH. 71 now only can be seen a single old-fashioned and very shaky wooden dwelling -- a fitting relic and a sorry monument of the departed greatness of Beulah. All else is gone. Even the streets, the 'busy streets' of Beulah -- where are they?"* The history of Beulah presents us with a new edition of Goldsmith's "Deserted Village:" Sweet smiling village, loveliest of the lawn, Thy sports are fled, and all thy charms withdrawn! Amidst thy bowers the tyrant's hand is seen, And Desolation saddens all thy green." Ebensburg, two miles east of Beulah, was laid out by the Rev. Morgan J. Rees, at nearly the same time with the latter. The ground upon which it is built was bought of the celebrated Dr. Rush, of Philadelphia. The original settlers of Ebensburg, as of Beulah, were exclusively Welsh. It had a powerful rival in the latter town, until, by the act of 1805, it was directed to be the seat of justice for the county, which gave it an impulse that enabled it to far distance its haughty competitor. The great northern turnpike, running from Pittsburg to Huntingdon, passes through the central part of the town. There is also a turnpike leading from it to the town of Indiana. ----- * Editorial Brevities, p 9. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 72 THE HISTORY OF The town is pleasantly situated, almost on the summit of the Alleghany mountains. The eye can sweep in every direction over a vast expanse of woodland, field, and hill-top, to the far-off horizon, that, like a circle, hems in the scene. The air is pure and healthful, though, in the winter, it is said, it is rather too bracing. Surrounding the town is some good farming land. Ebensburg contains a fine court house, and the usual county buildings, several good hotels, stores, shops, and some very fine private dwellings. The inhabitants are an intelligent, hospitable, free-hearted people, as the dwellers in mountain regions have ever been. A news paper, called the "Cambria Gazette," was established here about the year 1816. There are now two papers published in the town, the "Democrat and Sentinel," and the "Alleghenian." The Ebensburg and Cresson Railroad, built in 1862, gave a stimulus to the business of the town, and caused considerable improvements to be made. The population is about 1000. On Sunday evening, July 31st, 1842, one of the most atrocious murders ever committed was perpetrated in the neighborhood of this town. That evening two men broke into the --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CONEMAUGH. 73. house of Mrs. Elizabeth Holder, a lone widow, who resided near Ebensburg, and who was thought by some persons to have some money in her house. At their first attack, she screamed a few times very violently, and her next neighbor, a Mr. Rainey, who had retired to bed, heard her, and ran to her assistance. But ere he got there the struggle was all over, and she was no more; and they were plundering the house. Mr. Rainey was afraid to venture into the house alone, and ran off for more assistance. Four or five men soon came, along with him, and they arrived there just as the murderers were about leaving. The citizens endeavored to take them, and fired a rifle at one of them, but missed him. They made their escape, in the darkness of the night, into the neighboring woods.* They were afterwards arrested -- one at Bellefonte and the other near Meadville, and were imprisoned at Ebensburg. They proved to be two brothers, named Bernard and Patrick Flanagan, Irish- men, from Centre county, this State. On Wednesday, the 6th of October of the same year, they were arraigned before Hon. Thomas White, President Judge, and Richard Lewis and John Murray, Associate Judges, of the ----- * Mountaineer, August, 1842, --------------------------------------------------------------------- 74 THE HISTORY OF Court of Oyer and Terminer of this county. The trial continued daily, except Sunday, until the night of Saturday, the 15th. More than seventy witnesses were examined. The prosecution was conducted by Thomas C. M'Dowell, Esq., the Attorney for the Commonwealth, and Messrs. John G. Miles, George Taylor, and John Fenlon, Esqs. The defense was sustained by Messrs. Michael Dan Magehan, Joshua F. Cox, John S. Rhey, and Michael Hasson, Esqs. The evidence was closed on the evening of Thursday, the 13th, when the addresses to the jury were opened by Mr. Taylor. The greater part of Friday was occupied by Mr. Rhey and Mr. Magehan on the part of the prisoners, and Mr. McDowell on the part of the Commonwealth. On the evening of Friday Mr. Cox commenced his speech for the accused, which be finished at noon on Saturday. In the afternoon Mr. Miles summed up for the Commonwealth, and Judge White delivered the charge to the jury. The jury retired about eight o'clock the same evening, and after a short absence returned a verdict that the prisoners were guilty of murder in the first degree. Thus ended the most important and most exciting trial that has ever taken place in our county. --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CONEMAUGH. 75 The Flanagans were never hung. Efforts were made to secure a new trial, and the Legislature and the Supreme Court were importuned on the subject, but a new trial was not granted. After a long delay, Governor Porter finally signed the death warrant, but on the evening before it was received in Ebensburg the Flanagans escaped from jail! They have never since been heard of by the public.* ----- * Johnstown Tribune, July 28th, 1865.