HISTORY: Twentieth Century History of Clearfield County, PA, Roland D. Swoope, 1911, Chapter 24 Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Judy Banja and Sally Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/clearfield/ NOTE: Use this web address to access other chapters: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/clearfield/1picts/swoope/swoope.htm ________________________________________________ TWENTIETH CENTURY HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS BY ROLAND D. SWOOPE, JR. PUBLISHED BY RICHMOND-ARNOLD PUBLISHING CO. F. J. Richmond, President C. R. Arnold, Secretary and Treasurer CHICAGO, ILL. CHAPTER XXIV THE BOROUGHS HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY 318 Historical Sketches of the Boroughs of Brisbin, Burnside, Chester Hill, Clearfield, Coalport, Curwensville, DuBois, Glen Hope, Grampian, Houtzdale, Irvona, Lumber City, Mahaffey, Newburg, New Washington, Osceola Mills, Ramey, Troutville, Wallaceton and Westover. Borough of Brisbin The Borough of Brisbin is situated on lands formerly owned by Dr. Daniel Houtz of Alexanderia, Pa., and was named in honor of George M. Brisbin, Esq., of Osceola Mills, a son-in-law of Dr. Houtz. Mr. Brisbin had charge of what are known as the Houtz lands for Dr. Houtz, and located where the town of Brisbin now is in 1854 and erected a saw-mill, which was operated until 1869. In 1874 the Moshannon Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad was extended to Brisbin and in 1880, Hoover, Hughes & Company having purchased a large quantity of timber in the neighborhood, erected a steam saw-mill at Brisbin and operated it until May 27, 1881, when it was burned and was immediately rebuilt and continued to be operated until the timber was manufactured. The borough was incorporated on January 8, 1883, and on June 20th of the same year, a postoffice was established, John E. Vaughn was appointed postmaster. The coal operations in the neighborhood of the town were rapidly developed after the building of the railroad and the population continued to increase and the town prospered and was a thriving place until on the 2nd of May, 1884, it was totally destroyed by fire. The fire first started in the woods, west of the town, and spread so rapidly that the inhabitants were not able to save any of their property or personal belongings, but were forced to flee for their lives. One aged lady, who after reaching a place of safety, returned to try to save her cow, lost her life. Although greatly discouraged by the destruction of their town, the people of Brisbin went bravely to work to rebuild their homes and soon a new Brisbin sprang up and prospered until the timber on the adjoining lands was cut and manufactured and the coal underneath exhausted, since which time Brisbin has not increased much in population or business. The present population is about five hundred. The town has three churches, good public schools and is supplied with water and electric light from the neighboring town of Houtzdale. Borough of Burnside The Borough of Burnside was incorporated October 5, 1874, and is situated in Burnside township, in the southwestern corner of the AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 319 county, on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. The town is located on high table land and surrounded by a beautiful farming country. It is reached by the Cambria & Clearfield division of the Pennsylvania Railroad. In the lumbering days of Clearfield county, Burnside was a thriving and prosperous community, but since the cutting out of the timber in that section of the county, the borough of Burnside has been dependent for its prosperity upon the trade from the surrounding territory. The town has three churches, and a good schoolhouse. The present population of the borough is four hundred and ninety-three (493). Borough of Chester Hill The Borough of Chester Hill is situated in Decatur township, on the western bank of the Moshannon Creek, which stream in one of the boundaries between the counties of Clearfield and Centre. The town was laid out by the late Jacob F. Steiner, who located there in 1849 and engaged in the lumber business. The borough was incorporated in the year 1883. Although Chester Hill is in Clearfield county, it is practically a part of the borough of Philipsburg in Centre county, Pa., and many of its citizens are engaged in business in that town. The principal industry upon which the town is dependent, is the Fire Brick Works of the Harbison-Walker Refractories Company, which gives employment to a large number of men. There are also several coal operations in the neighborhood. The borough is on the line of the Altoona & Philipsburg Connecting Railroad and it is also reached by the Tyrone Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad at Steiner's Station and by the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, which latter company has a branch line from Munson to Chester Hill, but calls its station Philipsburg. The borough has two churches, water and electric lights, good schools, a number of business places and the present population is about five hundred. Borough of Clearfield The early history of Clearfield is contained in a former chapter and in this article we will refer only to the history of the town since its incorporation as a borough, by an Act of Assembly approved the 21st day of April, A. D. 1840, which may be found in the Pamphlet Laws of Pennsylvania for the year 1840, at page 734. The boundaries of the borough, as given in said Act, are as follows: "Beginning at a point on the Susquehanna river about sixty feet south of Walnut street, thence east until it strikes the West line of Hugh Levy's out-lot so as to include the houses and lots now occupied by Dr. H. Lorain and John Powell, thence north along said lot of Hugh Levy until it again strikes Walnut street, thence east along the southern edge of Walnut street to Fourth street, thence north along the eastern edge of Fourth street to Pine street, thence west along the northern edge of Pine street to the Susquehanna river, and along said river by its several courses to the place of beginning, to include the town of Clearfield, as at first laid out, according to the plan thereof, and the two lots south of said town now occupied by said Dr. H. Lorain and John Powell, as above described." The boundaries of the borough have been enlarged from time to time, and it now contains four wards and includes the former borough of West Clearfield and the borough limits now cover a territory nearly two miles long by one mile wide on both sides of the West HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY 320 Branch of the Susquehanna River. When the town was originally laid out, Abraham Witmer donated certain lands for public buildings, and also two triangular pieces of land bordering on the river to be used as public parks. These parks have been beautified by the planting of shade trees and add greatly to the appearance of the town. Having the advantage of being the county seat, Clearfield has rapidly grown in population and wealth, and many fine business blocks and beautiful private residences have been erected. Aside from the public buildings belonging to the county to which reference has been made in a former chapter, the Dimeling Hotel, Clearfield National Bank block, the County National Bank building, the Clearfield Trust Company building, the Keystone block and Leitzinger Brothers store building are the principal business buildings in the town and are all of modern architecture and fully up- to-date in every respect. The town has eight churches, a Young Men's Christian Association building and organization, several fine school buildings, two daily and four weekly newspapers, several miles of brick paved streets, gas and electric light, a public steam heating plant and a splendid supply of pure mountain water. Next to DuBois, Clearfield is the most populous town in the county, it having, according to the census of 1910, 6,851 inhabitants. The railroad facilities are of the very best, the town being reached by three, to-wit: - The Tyrone division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Beech Creek division of the new York Central & Hudson River Railroad, and the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburg Railway, over which latter road, trains of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad are also transported. By means of these railroad connections, Clearfield is within three hundred miles by rail of Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Buffalo, Rochester, Baltimore and Washington. The principal manufacturing establishments are the two large fire brick plants of the Harbison-Walker Refractories Co., the large sole leather tannery of the Elk Tanning Company, the Clearfield Toy Works, the Clearfield Manufacturing Company, the Clearfield Machine Shops, and the Clearfield Clay Working Company. The social side of life is not neglected by the people of Clearfield. The Dimeling Hotel contains a fine ball room and the citizens of Clearfield and Curwensville maintain the Clearfield-Curwensville Country Club, whose grounds, club house, and golf links are situated at Centre, half way between Clearfield and Curwensville. The citizens of the town are progressive and awake to all the interests of their community, and Clearfield is in many respects typical of the results of the best efforts of American citizenship. Borough of Coalport Nearly all of the towns in Clearfield county are situated at points where the natural advantages are such as to draw population or business to the locality. The situation of the Borough of Coalport is a good illustration of this fact. It is located on Clearfield Creek, in the southern part of the county and near the division line between Clearfield and Cambria counties, twenty-three miles from Altoona, and twenty-five miles from Clearfield. It is on the line of the Pennsylvania and Northwestern AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 323 division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, which connects with the main line at Bellwood, and is also on the Cresson and Coalport division, which connects with the main line at Cresson, Pa., thus giving the town good railroad facilities. Valuable deposits of bituminous coal are found in the neighborhood and the various coal operations make Coalport the center for a large amount of business. The town was originally laid out by James Haines and S. M. and J. D. Spangle and was incorporated as a borough in 1883. It has five churches, one weekly newspaper, a National bank, and fine public schools. The present population of the borough is about fifteen hundred. Curwensville Borough On December 10, 1798, John Curwen, Sr., of Montgomery county, Pa., obtained from the Commonwealth a patent for three hundred and fifty-one acres of land on the banks of the Susquehanna River, at the mouth of Anderson Creek, in what was at that time part of Lycoming county. On this property Curwen laid out a town, consisting of forty-eight lots, lying between what are now known as Thompson and Locust streets, which he named Curwensville. John Curwen, Sr., bequeathed this property to his son, George Curwen, from whom the greater portion of it was subsequently purchased by John and Wm. Irvin. Up to the year 1812, not a single building had been erected on the town plot, although from the best information now obtainable, it seems that there were at that time two dwellings on the Curwen lands. One of these was erected by Job England, near where the Patton homestead now stands, and the other by a Mr. Weld, near the dwelling no owned by the Misses Nannie and Alice Irvin. In 1813 Daniel Dale built the first house in the town proper, upon the lot corner of State and Filbert streets, where the Owens block is now located; James Moore, James Young, Mark Jordon and Josiah Evans, Esq., built the next dwellings in about the order named. During the year 1818 William Irvin, Sr., the father of Colonel E. A. Irvin and John Irvin, Sr., the father of Colonel John Irvin, came to Curwensville. John Irvin erected a saw-mill, and a grist-mill near the present site of the Irvin flouring-mill. After the completion of the Erie turnpike, in 1824, the progress of the town was rapid, and by an act of the Legislature, approved the 3rd day of February, 1851, it was incorporated as a borough. The limits of the borough have been enlarged several times, first by an act of the Legislature, approved the 21st day of March, 1856, and again by an act approved the 24th of April, 1869, and the third time, in 1884, on application of the inhabitants of the adjacent territory, the boundaries were extended by the court so as to include what was known as South Curwensville, and all property as far north as Hogback Run, and east as far as the eastern line of the Irvin farm, and west to near Roaring Run. In 1871, through the efforts of the citizens, subscriptions amounting to over $60,000 were obtained, and the extension of the T. and C. Railroad to the town, was secured. The road was finished and opened for traffic in 1874. The Clearfield & Mahoning Branch of the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburg Railroad, which passes through Curwensville, was open for traffic in 1893 and the Curwensville & Bower Railroad, a branch of the New York HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY 324 Central & Hudson River Railroad was constructed in 1903-4, so that the town is well supplied with railroad facilities. Curwensville has seven churches, a weekly newspaper, a national bank, fine system of graded public schools, good water supply, paved streets and electric lights, and is one of the most thriving and progressive, as well as the most beautiful town in the county. The principal industries are two large tanneries, the largest fire brick plant in the county, two stone quarries, besides other smaller industries. The present population of the borough is about three thousand (3,000). Borough of Du Bois The Borough of Du Bois is situated in the extreme northwestern part of the county, two miles east from the Jefferson county line. It is located on a part of what is known as the "Great Beaver Meadow." This "Beaver Meadow" is from five to six miles long and from one-half to three-fourths of a mile wide and Sandy Lick Creek flows through the center of it. The land for a distance of five miles along Sandy Lick Creek flows through the center of it. The land for a distance of five miles along Sandy Lick Creek, is almost level, there being only a fall of twenty-one feet in the five miles. The town has extended far beyond the width of the Meadow and occupies a large portion of the adjacent hills. The site of Du Bois was settled as early as 1812 by the Stoebers, who came from Dauphin county, Pa., but there was no indication of a town being located there until the opening of the low grade division of the Allegheny Valley Railroad in 1872, when John Rumbarger surveyed a plot of lots and called the same Rumbarger. About this time John Du Bois appeared upon the scene and proceeded to erect large saw-mills for the purpose of manufacturing into lumber the many thousands of acres of timber in the neighborhood, of which he was the owner. He also constructed iron works and laid out a town plot on the opposite side of the creek from Rumbarger and called his town Du Bois. The railroad station was also called Du Bois and in 1876 the name of the postoffice was changed to Du Bois. The borough was incorporated in 1881 and has frown rapidly in population until it is now the largest town in the county, having a population of about 12,000, and being the center of the bituminous coal industry of that section of the county, and, also of the mines in Jefferson county that are tributary to Du Bois. The building of the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburg Railroad to Du Bois in 1883 and the opening up of the large coal operations in Jefferson county, belonging to Bell, Lewis and Gates, and now owned by the Rochester & Pittsburg Coal & Iron Company, furnished a large amount of business to the town and more than made up for the loss of business caused by the closing of the Du Bois saw mills on account of the exhaustion of the lumber supply. This railroad was extended to Clearfield in 1893, thus giving the first railroad communication with the county seat. The Buffalo & Susquehanna Railroad was constructed to Du Bois in the year 1904. The industries of the town consist of saw mills, large tannery, glass works, iron works, coal mines and many other smaller industrial plants. The town has ten churches, three daily newspapers, two national banks, one trust company, paved streets, electric lights, water supply and an electric street railway system. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 325 The business part of the town was almost totally destroyed by fire in the year 1889, but with characteristic pluck, the business men of the town rebuilt on a larger scale than before. Du Bois is the metropolis of the county. Its people are energetic and progressive, and the steady growth in population and prosperity are the results of their enterprise. Borough of Glen Hope The Borough of Glen Hope is situated near the northern end of Beccaria township, on Clearfield Creek. The borough was incorporated in the year of 1878, but the settlement known as Glen Hope had existed for many years before that time, having been one of the earliest improvements in that part of the county. The town is well located and it has substantial buildings. The borough has three churches, good public schools and the population at the present time is about four hundred. It has no manufacturing industries, but is the center of good farming country, and its business men are prosperous and progressive. For many years the town had no railroad facilities, but it is now reached by the Clearfield Southern Branch of the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad. Borough of Grampian The Borough of Grampian was originally known as "Pennville" and was incorporated December 6, 1885, but on account of the confusion arising by reason of the similarity of the name with that of Penfield, another town in the county, the name of the borough was changed to Grampian by a decree of the court, dated May 6, 1895. The town lies among what are known as the "Grampian Hills" five miles from Curwensville, and is the present terminus of the Tyrone & Clearfield Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The town has three churches, a fine schoolhouse and an electric light plant, and is a prosperous and progressive community. There are several bituminous coal operations near the town, and also a large fire brick plant, located at Stronach, about two miles from Grampian. These industries give employment to a large number of men. Grampian has long been known for the attention that its inhabitants have given to educational and literary affairs. The present population of the town is six hundred and sixty-six (666). Houtzdale Borough The town was named in honor of Dr. Daniel Houtz, of Alexandria, Pa., so often named in this history as owning a vast number of acres of land in this vicinity, and upon a portion of whose lands the town was portion of whose lands the town was projected, and is situated on the Moshannon Branch Railroad, six miles from Osceola Mills. It was made a borough on the 20th day of March, 1872. The borough is surrounded with numerous smaller towns, which join up to her limits, so that a stranger cannot tell where the town begins or ends. For three miles along the railroad the traveler is continuously passing through towns and villages - Stirling on the east, West Houtzdale on the west, Loraine joining West Houtzdale further west, and Atlantic joining Loraine still further west, while Brisbin borough's south line is Houtzdale's north line. The town grew very rapidly from the beginning. The coal surrounding the borough HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY 326 was proven to be the best then, or now, known, and therefore capital rushed in to secure the prize. As the collieries multiplied, the population increased and houses went up as if by magic. A postoffice was granted the borough in 1870, John Brisbin being the first postmaster. The first church building erected was on the corner of Charles and Clara streets, a union church, but it afterwards passed into the hands of the Methodist Episcopal society. At present Houtzdale depends altogether for its business on the mining industry. The timber is all cut in and around the town, therefore the saw-mills are abandoned. The old mill on the eastern side of the borough, near the Eureka No. 1 colliery, and which was built by E. N. Conn & Co., in 1868, afterwards sold to Frank, Liveright & Co., and which cut the major portion of the timber on Dr. Houtz's land, was destroyed by fire in the summer of 1876. The site of the mill pond is now covered by residences, the Presbyterian church, the railroad repot and business places. Houtzdale has seven churches, a national bank, paved streets, a fine water supply, electric plant, a weekly newspaper, and although the hustling town of Madera is pushing it hard as the center of the coal industry of the county, Houtzdale still does a large business in connection with the various coal operations in the neighborhood. The people of the town are energetic, and progressive. The present population is about fifteen hundred. Borough of Irvona The Borough of Irvona is situated in Beccaria township, about two miles from Coalport. It is located on the eastern side of Clearfield Creek. The town was laid out by the Witmer Land & Coal Company and was named in honor of Col. E. A. Irvin, of Curwensville, Pa., who was largely interested in that company. The borough was incorporated September 2, 1890. The town is reached by the Pennsylvania & Northwestern division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and by the Clearfield Southern Branch of the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad. The borough is well laid out, with wide streets and the buildings are modern and substantial. It has three churches, good public schools, and it has a hustling and wide awake population. There are several large coal operations in the neighborhood of the town, and also a large tannery. Irvona is also the trading center for a considerable section of Clearfield and Cambria counties. The present population is about five hundred. Borough of Lumber City Lumber City is a pleasantly situated borough on the north side of the West Branch River. It contains a number of fine residences of brick and frame material. On the south side of the river is a steep bluff, or mountain, several hundred feet high; but the beauty of its slope is somewhat marred by the cutting out of its best timber. On the north and to the east of the town is a gradual ascent leading back to and approaching the famous Grampian Hills. Fine farms surround the borough on all sides, save the south. Agricultural pursuits are the leading industry of the vicinity. Lumber City was the third borough to be incorporated in Clearfield county and it was AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 329 erected out of part of Penn township. The court records of this incorporation are so incomplete that the date does not appear thereon, but the borough was incorporated in the year 1858. During the lumbering days the town grew rapidly, and on account of its location was an important point for the raftsmen. Although comparatively small in point of population, Lumber City is large so far as relates to area. When the borough was laid out, the school district from which it was taken was divided, leaving a considerable area without any established school district. To remedy this the borough limits were extended so that it is now very large in area, and includes, in whole or in part, several farms in the neighborhood. The borough has two churches, fine school buildings, and is on the Curwensville & Bower Branch of the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad, six miles up the river from Curwensville. The forward movement in education in the borough dates from May, 1873, when the Rev. J. C. Greer established the Academy. The first public school building in the borough was, however, erected prior to 1857, and the grammar school building built in 1879 and 1880. A new public school building has recently been erected and was dedicated November 30, 1910, when appropriate exercises were held in the Methodist Episcopal church. This is a thoroughly modern, brick- cased building, 63 x 72 feet, single story, four rooms. It is steam heated, has ample halls and cloak rooms, and individual seatings, and is well lighted. The faculty consists of S. LeRoy Bossard, principal; Bessie J. Lehman, grammar school; Elizabeth Hile, primary school. The principal industry of Lumber City, in addition to farming, is a large fire brick plant. The population of the borough is about three hundred. Borough of Mahaffey The Borough of Mahaffey is situated on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, near the mouth of Chest Creek. The town was named in honor of the late Robert Mahaffey, who was its founder, having located on the site of the town and made an improvement there in the year 1841. Mr. Mahaffey called the place "Franklin," and it was so designated for many years. Mahaffey was incorporated as a borough in the year 1889. It has four churches, fine public schools and its industries consist of a large tannery and a grist-mill. Mahaffey is a junction of the Pennsylvania & Northwestern division of the Pennsylvania Railroad with the Beech Creek division of the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad, both roads having branches leading to the different coal operations in the neighborhood. Mahaffey is a prosperous and growing town and its people are wide awake and progressive. The present population of the borough is about five hundred. Borough of Newburg The Borough of Newburg is situated in the northern end of Chest township and is one of the oldest towns in the county. The town is located on the banks of Chest Creek and on the line of the Pennsylvania & Northwestern Railroad, and also on the line of the Clearfield & Cambria Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The village was first called Hurd postoffice, after Henry Hurd, Esq., one of the oldest citi- HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY 330 zens of the locality, who erected the first dwelling on the site of the present town of Newburg. After the construction of the Pennsylvania & Northwestern Railroad in 1887, the town grew very rapidly and became quite a center of business for that section of the county. The town was incorporated as a borough in 1885. The name of the postoffice was changed from Hurd to La Jose in honor of George Jose, Esq., who is one of the prominent citizens. Near the town are several coal operations that materially assist its business prosperity. The population of the borough at the present time is about three hundred. It has good churches, good public schools, and the people are enterprising and progressive. Borough of New Washington The Borough of New Washington was incorporated in the year 1859, and is situated on Chest Creek, one and one-half miles from La Jose. In 1835 the Methodist Protestants built the first church known as the "Mount Zion;" this church was built out of hewed logs, and about two years later the Methodist Episcopal denomination built a hewed log church near the location of their present building. Both of these old log churches have geen succeeded by handsome new buildings. In the New Washington cemetery are the graves of John Ludwig Snyder and his wife, Anna Maria, believed to have been the oldest people who ever lived in Clearfield county. John Ludwig Snyder was born in Ludwig, Germany, March, 1746, and died in November, 1860, at the remarkable age of one hundred and fourteen years, and his wife, Anna Maria, was born in Philadelphia, in May, 1752, and died in August, 1857 aged over one hundred and five years. In the lumbering days of Clearfield county, New Washington was an important point and a large business was transacted there, but it is now principally dependent upon the surrounding farms for business. On account of its high altitude, a number of people from other places are in the habit of spending the summer months in this town. The present population is about four hundred. Borough of Osceola Mills Osceola Mills was laid out in 1857 and was incorporated as a borough in 1864. It is located on the banks of the Moshannon Creek, four miles south of Philipsburg, and six miles east of Houtzdale. The town faces towards the south and is at the foot of the heavy mountain grade on the Tyrone & Clearfield Railroad. It is the junction of the Moshannon Branch Railroad with the Tyrone & Clearfield Railroad. The Tyrone & Clearfield Railroad was extended to the town in 1863, but was not opened for business until January 1, 1864. The railroad station of the Tyrone & Clearfield Railroad is in Centre county, the Moshannon Creek being the line between the counties of Centre and Clearfield. On May 20, 1875, the town was almost wholly destroyed by fire. One and one- half million dollars worth of property was burned up and nearly all of the inhabitants were rendered homeless. With the aid of contributions by other communities and their own energy, the people of Osceola Mills soon recovered from the effects of this conflagration and on AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 331 the ruins left by the fire there sprang a new town more beautiful than the old one. The town has five churches, a weekly newspaper, a national bank, paved streets and electric lights. The industries consist of two foundaries and machine shops, planing-mills and many other smaller industries. There are about fifteen coal operations in the vicinity of Osceola Mills and on account of its situation at the junction of the Moshannon Branch with the main line of the Tyrone & Clearfield Railroad a large railroad yard is located near the town, giving employment to many of the inhabitants of the place. The Altoona & Philipsburg Connecting Railroad also passes through the town and connects at Philipsburg with the Beech Creek Railroad. Osceola Mills is a thriving and progressive town and has a population of about two thousand. Borough of Ramey The Borough of Ramey is situated in the northern part of Gulich township and is reached by the Moshannon Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and also by the Philipsburg Railroad. The borough was incorporated in the year 1878. D. K. Ramey & Company of Altoona, who were the owners of a large amount of timber land in the neighborhood, erected a large mill at this place for the purpose of sawing their lumber, and the town rapidly increased in population and business. After the timber was cut away, a number of coal operations were started in the neighborhood and upon these the town is largely dependent for its present business. Ramey has four churches, good public schools, a fine water supply and is a thriving place. A few years ago the town suffered a disastrous fire, which wiped out many of its best buildings, but better structures have been erected in their places, and Ramey is now one of the most progressive towns in the county. Its present population is about five hundred. Borough of Troutville Troutville was laid out as a town in 1854. It was named after Jacob Troutwein. It is situated in Brady township in the northwest corner of the county. It was incorporated as a borough in 1890. Jacob Troutwein, after whom the town was named, had located there and built a building used as a hotel about the year 1845. As a sign for this hotel, he had a large painting of a trout and many people called the place "Fish-Town" and it is commonly supposed that the town was named on account of this sign, but as stated above this is an error. The land on which the town is located is nearly two thousand feet above the sea level and the surface gently slopes to the westward. There are many fine farms in the neighborhood and large coal operations have been opened up a few miles from the town. Troutville has two churches and good public schools. It is principally dependent upon the mining and agricultural interests, as it has no manufacturing industries. The present population of the borough is about two hundred. Borough of Wallaceton The Borough of Wallaceton is situated in the northeast corner of Boggs township and contains about four hundred and twenty-six square acres of land. It was incorporated as HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY 332 a borough in 1873. The town is located on an elevated plateau about fifteen hundred feet above the sea level. The land on either side is rolling, giving the town good drainage. It is on the line of the Tyrone & Clearfield Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and also on the line of the Beech Creek division of the New York Central Railroad. The town has three churches and the principal industry is the large brick manufacturing plant of the Wallaceton Fire Brick Company now owned by the Harbison-Walker Refractories Company. The town was named in honor of the late Senator Wm. A. Wallace of Clearfield, Pa., and has a population of about five hundred. Although the people of Wallaceton, as a general rule, are law abiding citizens, the little borough has the unfortunate distinction of having been the scene of three homicides, which gave the town a rather unenviable notoriety. The first of these was the killing of Maria Waple, November 3, 1876. Martin V. Turner, who was accused of this murder, was arrested and after a hotly contested trial, was convicted in the courts of murder in the first degree, but a new trial was granted by the Supreme Court and the place of trial was changed to Lock Haven, in Clinton county. On the second trial, Turner was acquitted. The second was the death of Ida Douglas, July 1, 1882. For this crime the perpetrator was arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced to five years in the penitentiary. The third tragedy was the murder of Ella Davis, who was shot by James McClain on August 6, 1886, the murderer immediately killed himself in the presence of the victim of his crime. Borough of Westover The borough of Westover was incorporated September 6, 1895. The town is situated in Chest township, in the southern part of the county; it is reached by the Cambria and Clearfield division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and also by trains of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, which use the same tracks as the Pennsylvania. The principal industry of Westover is the large tannery of the William F. Mosser Company. The town has two churches, a fine schoolhouse and has a large trade from the surrounding territory. The present population is five hundred and sixty-nine (569).