HISTORY: Warner Beers, 1886, Part 2, Chapter 36, Cumberland County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Judy Bookwalter Copyright 2009. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cumberland/ ______________________________________________________________________ History of Cumberland and Adams Counties, Pennsylvania. Containing History of the Counties, Their Townships, Towns, Villages, Schools, Churches, Industries, Etc.; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; Biographies; History of Pennsylvania; Statistical and Miscellaneous Matter, Etc., Etc. Illustrated. Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co., 1886. http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cumberland/beers/beers.htm ______________________________________________________________________ PART II. HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY. PENNSYLVANIA. CHAPTER XXXVI. UPPER ALLEN TOWNSHIP. ALLEN TOWNSHIP was formed from East Pennsborough in 1766. It then embraced what is now Monroe, Upper and Lower Allen Townships. Monroe was taken from Allen first in 1825, and in 1850 the remainder was divided into Upper and Lower Allen. Upper Allen is bounded on the north by portions of Silver Spring and Hampden; on the east by Lower Allen; on the south, where the Yellow Breeches Creek is the dividing line, by York County; and on the west by Monroe Township. EARLY SETTLERS, MILLS, MINES, ETC. The earliest settlers were Scotch-Irish, principally from Lancaster County, of which this, then, was the frontier, although the Germans began to come into this lower portion of the county about 1760. Among the earlier Scotch-Irish who settled here before the year 1762 were the Quigleys, Dunlaps, Rosebarys, Brysons, Trindles, McCues, Gregorys, and others. The names of other early settlers were the Hunters, Musselmans, Switzers, Taylors, Harknesses, Brysons, Longneckers, Brenizers, Mohlers, Shelleys, Bitners, Rupps, Hecks, the Gorgas family, Cochrans, Coovers, Beelmans, Eberlys, the Eckels family, Browns, Myers, Lambs, and others. The Pattersons were an old family, and lived on land since owned by Moses C. Eberly. The Grahams settled where James Graham owns; the Wertzes on the farm since owned by Milton Stayman; the Dunlaps on land since owned by Mrs. Coover, on the Lisburn road; and the Coovers, originally from Switzerland, on a place in the possession of their descendants. The Mohlers, Daniel and his uncle, Christian Mohler, purchased their land in Cumberland County in 1800. The Cocklin farm, known as "Spring Dale," was purchased from the Penns in 1742 by Andrew Miller, who sold it in 1772 to Jacob Cocklin, who came in 1733 from the western part of Germany, and settled first in Lancaster, but afterward in Cumberland County. The Yellow Breeches Creek forms the southern boundary of the two Allen Townships. The first mill, it is said, was built of logs, and was owned by Richard Peters until 1746. It was town down, and other mills (the last now owned, or lately owned, by Levi Lautz) have been successively erected upon its site. The farm on which this mill is located, 295 acres, including the mill, was once purchased by John Anderson from Richard Peters for 50l. The Quigleys located close to what is now Bowmansdale and built a mill there, which was known as Quigley's mill. This 357 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY. was owned by Henry Quigley before 1818. The Bryson estate came in on the east, and on the west the Niesleys, who also erected a mill, now known as Hertzler's mill. About a mile and a half east of the Quigleys was the Switzers, and they also owned a mill on the site of what is now Gingrick's mill. The present one was erected in 1837. This mill (also known as Underwood's) was purchased from Richard Peters, between 1740 and 1750, by Frederick Switzer, who joined the army, and was absent during the Revolutionary war, and bequeathed it to his son, from whom it has passed through various hands. Three prominent families which came into this section at a very early period were the Grahams, the Harknesses, and the Browns. The two latter estates reached almost from Mechanicsburg to the Yellow Breeches Creek. The Graham estate lay east of the Harknesses, and the Browns south. Of this Harkness family, as we have material from a sketch of one of the Lamberton family, and as it contains points of general interest, we will here give an account. William Harkness was born October 1, 1739, in the North of Ireland, and when quite a boy immigrated with his father, William Harkness, Sr., and settled among the Presbyterians of Donegal, in Lancaster. He married, in 1771, Priscilla Lytle, of the same Scotch-Irish stock, and living in the same settlement. After the close of the harassing Indian wars (by the treaty of Col. Bouquet) which ravaged the Cumberland Valley until 1764, William Harkness, Jr., bought of the proprietaries, on August 1, 1766, land now in Allen Township. The Indian titles having been extinguished, and the boundary difficulties with Maryland adjusted, the proprietary advertised that the office for the sale of lands west of the Susquehanna would be opened on August 1, 1766, the settlers prior to that holding their lands under license certificates. Judge Huston says the number of applications issued on that day was 669. The application of William Harkness was number thirty-eight. The survey was on January 24, 1767, and patent issued subsequently. Prior to this he and his neighboring settlers were often engaged in defending their homes against a savage enemy, and in the work of the harvest-fields there, and in the Sherman's Valley, carried their rifles with them. They were armed agriculturists. The name of William Harkness is found on the list of taxables of Cumberland County as early as 1753. Later, in 1776, he entered the colonial service as an ensign, and together with Mr. Lytle, his brother-in-law, was amongst the conflicts at Brandywine and Germantown. At the latter place Mr. Lytle was killed by his side. After the war Mr. Harkness, by purchase, added to his property until he possessed a large estate of some 700 or 800 acres. On it he erected a large stone dwelling house, among the first of that kind in the valley, and other buildings, and devoted himself to agriculture and other business pursuits. His house was famous for its hospitality. At this time there was slavery in Pennsylvania. In the registry of the last 297 slaves registered under the requirements of an act to explain and amend a former "Act for the gradual abolition of slavery, etc., in Pennsylvania," passed the 1st of March, 1780, among the records of Cumberland County we find the well-known names of Armstrong, Buchanan, Butler, Carothers, Crawford, Clarke, Craighead, Bryson, Duncan, Blaine, Dunlap, Irvine, Galbreath, Gibson and others, and that William Harkness returns those born on his estate. Some who desired it he afterward manumitted at the age of twenty-one, seven years before the time fixed by law, having previously sent them to school and in other ways given them preparation for self-dependence. Others lived long afterward on his estate - the children of some until the death of his son, William Harkness, in 1851. 358 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY. William Harkness died May 4, 1822; Priscilla, his wife, October 31, 1831. Both are buried in the old grave-yard at Silver Spring. Their daughter, Mary, became the wife of Major Robert Lamberton, of Carlisle. Another family, the McCues, dating back of 1762, lived a short distance south of the Graham estate, and between them lay the large estate of the Poormans. Another family who were large land-owners were the Gregorys - also dating beyond 1762, and the last of whom (so far as we know), Walter Gregory, was buried in the Silver Spring grave-yard in 1730. They owned the estate part of which is now owned by Harry McCormick, where the bridge crosses the Yellow Breeches Creek, on the line of the State road leading from Harrisburg to Gettysburg. One Rosebary (probably Robert Rosebary) married one of the daughters, and built a mill, which for more than a century has been known as Roseberry's Mill. The bridge at that point was also known as Roseberry's Bridge. Another family who owned large landed estate was the Myers family, on the Trindle Spring, just above Mechanicsburg. Here, also, were the Trindles and the Lambs. The Trindles lived at Trindle Spring and, adjoining them on the southwest, the Lambs. Samuel Eckels settled in the township about 1809. He erected a house not far from what is known as Winding Hill, near the Mennonite Church, on the state road. Besides the mills which we have incidently mentioned there were a number of carding and fulling-mills, a number of which are still in existence, and the business of raising wool was once an extensive industry in the Allen Townships. The oldest buildings, according to an account given by Henry S. Mohler, are a log house and barn on the farm belonging to the Garrett heirs. They are supposed to be more than a hundred and thirty years old. On this farm, nearly sixty years ago, there were over 200 cherry trees, under which, in the season, used to be celebrated what was called "cherry fairs," when "cherry bounce" circulated freely, and when the owner derived more profit from the sale of his fruit than from his crops of grain. The first stone house in the township was on the farm now owned by H. G. Mosser, but it has since been replaced by a more imposing brick structure. The first stone house which is still in existence, was built on the farm now owned by Joseph Bosler, near the close of the Revolutionary war. Another was built in 1790 on the farm of H. M. Cocklin. The first stone barn was built in 1801, on J. W. Byer's farm, and the first of brick was in 1812, on the farm of Jacob Gehr, near Lisburn, but was destroyed by lightning in 1837. Nearly half a century ago, a mine of hematite ore was discovered in Upper Allen Township, a short distance west of Shepherdstown, from which several thousand tons were taken, about 1848, for the iron works at Boiling Springs and for the Dauphin Furnace. Boulders containing iron ore have been found in other portions of the township. Rich deposits of magnetic ore were discovered in 1853, on several farms on the Yellow Breeches Creek south of Shepherdstown, while men were digging the foundation for a barn. There is little doubt that there are a number of places where iron ore can be found, and that they will be worked in the future, if the time arrives when it will prove remunerative. There s also much lime burned in Upper Allen, sometimes as many as fifty kilns being kept in constant operation. The distilling of whisky was also, at one time, a prominent industry. When the railroads and canals were unknown most farmers converted their grain into this form, in order that it might be conveyed to market at the least possible expense. At this time such goods were sent to the large cities by means of the great Conestoga wagons, which traveled often in company and took a week or 359 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY. more to make their trip. At night the drivers would stop to rest and build their camp-fire on the road. Now that the reason has ceased, there is no distillery in operation in the township, although the remains of former ones can be seen at several places. VILLAGES. Of the villages in the township the first was known as Stumpstown, but it never had more than six houses, and, in 1810, a store, which has been abandoned. Shepherdstown, near the center of the township, is a post village of about 175 inhabitants, three miles south of Mechanicsburg, on the State road. It was called after William Shepherd. Kohlerstown. - In 1867 a small cluster of houses was built on the State road, half a mile from Mechanicsburg, which was called "Kohlerstown," after the family by whom it was originally settled. Bowmansdale is another small village in the southern portion of the township, called after Jacob Bowman, a former sheriff of Cumberland County, and the principal proprietor. CHURCHES, BURIAL PLACES, ETC. The oldest church in the township, known as the "Western Union Church," on the Lisburn road, was erected in 1835, but the grave-yard connected with it has been used as a place of interment for more than a hundred years. Another Union Church was built at the eastern end of Shepherdstown in 1844, which was also used for school purposes. The Reformed Mennonites have a church, erected in 1851, on Winding Hill, so called because of the road which winds around it. Near it are the water works which supply Mechanicsburg. The "Mohler Meeting-House" is a large structure built by the German Baptists in 1861. On the farm of John Dunlap is a grove which has long been used for Methodist camp- meeting purposes, from 1820 until 1862, and twenty acres of which grove, at his death, were bequeathed to them for such purposes forever. The grounds are elevated, sloping toward the east. Of the graveyards besides the one which we have mentioned, the oldest is on the farm of Henry Yost, and there are, at different points, three private ones, for the Zug, Lautz and Mohler families. The Chestnut Hill Cemetery, on a beautiful rounded elevation in this township, for the use of the people of Mechanicsburg and vicinity, is under the control of an association which was incorporated in 1852. SCHOOLS. The first schools of which we have any knowledge were taught in private houses. The first building erected for school purposes was built at a date unknown, but before 1800, on the farm now owned by David Coover. It was of logs, covered with thatched straw, with slabs or three-legged stools for seats, and no desk, save for the teacher. In 1805 another was built upon the same farm; in 1809, another on the farm of John Beelman, near Shepherdstown; and two years later, another on the farm of the late Judge Moser. These were the earliest schools of which we have any record. For the following recollections of his school-boy days we are indebted to William Eckels, of Mechanicsburg, who was born in Upper Allen Township. It throws a gleam of light upon the primitive methods of education which were in vogue at the beginning of the century. "Of the places remembered most distinctly," says he, "beyond the home domicile, are the two schoolhouses situated about equal distance from the place of my birth and childhood days. 360 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY. These structures were known as Bryson's and Taylor's schoolhouses. The former stood in a large piece of woodland, not far from the new barn recently erected by William M. Watts on the north side of his farm. It was a rude structure in every way, being lighted only by windows inserted between the logs on each side, ten inches high. But, with all its apparent discomforts, it served the double purpose of a place for preaching and school for many years, until accidentally burned down about fifty years ago. "The other schoolhouse stood on the Taylor farm, now owned by Judge Moser, and is still standing and is used as a place of shelter for farming implements. This house was considered quite modern in its day, with its pyramid roof and its two square windows in front, with twelve lights, 8x10. Its present dilapidated condition is a sad and forcible reminder of the flight of time to those who, long years ago, came there to enjoy the benefits of the rude system of education which then prevailed in the county, and who often made the surrounding forest ring with the boisterous play and the merry laugh of childhood. Like the former, this, too, was a place for preaching, as well as for "school;" and of the ministers whom my earliest recollection recalls as being at the former place, was the eccentric Lorenzo Dow and the grave old Scotchman, Dr. Pringle, who was pastor of the Seceder Church, of Carlisle. Many quaint stories were related of Lorenzo Dow, which interested children and kept him in their memory at an early age. Dr. Pringle was noted mainly for the gravity of his manner of conducting the services of the house of worship, and his severe dignity at all times. Perhaps no two men were more unlike, in the same calling, than were Dow and Pringle." To such worthies (whose names, to the older inhabitants, are still "household words") these school boys, at the beginning of the present century, listened; characters whose severe earnestness and sinew - grit - made amends for culture, and was more fitting for the comparative wilderness in which they worked. There are at present nine school buildings in the township, of which eight are of brick or stone, and all more or less fitted, according to our modern ideas, for their purpose. MISCELLANEOUS. The Cumberland Valley Railroad runs across the northern border of the township. The postoffices are Shepherdstown and Bowmansdale.