Crawford Messenger

Dr. Alexander McLeod’s 1834 Letter on Vaccines in the Crawford Messenger [Guest Submission]

2021-06-09T18:39:00.007-04:00

At a time when vaccines against the coronavirus are being produced by multiple companies, an interesting bit of Meadville history comes to our attention. First, it is important to remember why and how “immunization” and "vaccination" came about. It was to combat the scourge of smallpox. In the 1700’s people, including the Continental Army, were given a mild dose of smallpox by putting a small amount of live virus under the skin. This occasionally would be deadly, and the person inoculated had to be quarantined while the infection was present. In the late 1700s, Jenner discovered that inoculating a person with cowpox matter from a cow pustule was equally effective and safer. The term "vaccination" actually implies that the matter came from a cow. The term has come to have a much broader meaning today.

Smallpox in Crawford County and Dr. Alexander McLeod

In 1834 smallpox was present in several parts of Crawford County. This is where the remarkable story of Dr. Alexander McLeod comes in. Although he was a physician in Meadville for only about 10 years, Dr. Alexander McLeod deserves special recognition. He first came to Meadville as a physician in 1833. He left Meadville in 1843 and returned in 1872; not as a physician but as a retired Army chaplain. He had already been a physician of some distinction when he came to Meadville in 1833. He was born in Canada in 1799 where his father was an Anglican priest. He was sent to New York City to live with his uncle while receiving his education.

In 1817, he went to Philadelphia to study medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. During his third year at the university, he accepted an appointment as ship’s surgeon on a ship headed for China. This adventure of a lifetime took him to Europe initially where he would spend time in London as well as Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam. During the delay in London Dr. McLeod, as an American student, attended lectures and witnessed advanced surgeries by the leading surgeons there. On his return to Philadelphia, he became acquainted with the distinguished English gentleman Hardeman Phillips Esq. Mr. Phillips asked Dr. McLeod to accompany him to Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania, and practice his profession there.

Although living in Phillipsburg, he also began to practice in Clearfield in 1824. A dysentery epidemic was raging in the region. It destroyed entire families. The epidemic was so severe that everyone was alarmed and threatened by the disease. At that time Dr. McLeod made his headquarters in a local tavern. The untiring efforts of Dr. McLeod and another local physician, Dr. John Hoyt, involved both informing the community about the disease and administering relief to those afflicted. During the height of the epidemic, these physicians were on the go day and night. For four weeks Dr. McLeod did not return home. Because of fatigue, at times he would sleep in the saddle. At other times he would tie his horse out of sight so he could catch a quick nap in a barn by the roadside. For a whole month, he was so involved that he did not have time to shave.

Dr. McLeod Comes to Meadville

Dr. McLeod remained there for several years and then moved to Lewiston in Mifflin County. He then moved to Pittsburgh where he opened an office briefly and then was recruited by some gentleman from Meadville to move to Meadville. He practiced in Meadville for almost 10 years. During that time, he married Matilda, the daughter of Jared Shattuck. He was actively involved in the practice of medicine.

His interest in preventative medicine was quite clear. Vaccination was the best approach to fighting smallpox. This had been known since the time of Jenner almost 35 years before. For various reasons, the vaccinations were not always successful. However, the impact on preventing smallpox was extremely significant. At that time, one way of getting the word out to the public about important matters was to publish a letter addressed to a specific individual. Dr. McLeod published a letter in the Crawford Messenger to John Reynolds, a leading citizen. He had a private conversation with Mr. Reynolds and may have been encouraged to publicize the information that he shared with Mr. Reynolds. The letter pointed out several reasons why vaccination might not be successful. One of the concerns was that the “matter” used for the vaccination may not be fresh or powerful enough. Dr. McLeod emphasized the overall importance and effectiveness of the procedure. The best way to get an effective inoculum was to make his own. The letter makes this argument at some length. As a conclusion to the letter, he stated,

It has been computed that of every six persons to take smallpox in the natural way, one dies— in the inoculated smallpox population, it is 1 to 500. Now it is alleged on behalf of the vaccination that, provided the matter is genuine, it destroys entirely the susceptibility to smallpox contagion, or so modifies it that it disarms it of all its dangers, so that one, however well acquainted with the appearance of natural smallpox, would scarcely recognize it under the triumphant protection of the vaccine aegis. I need not remind you of the interest in which our community must feel on the subject, and in the enterprise of obtaining new and genuine matter. I’ve only to express to you my acknowledgment for your liberal kindness in allowing me to use, for this purpose, one of your cows and am most truly yours.

ALEX McLEOD

Meadville, May 8, 1834

Dr. McLeod was clearly involved in obtaining the most effective inoculum that he could. This letter gives an interesting insight into medicine in 1834.

Personal Tragedy and Later Life

A turning point came in the doctor’s life in early 1843. In January of that year, he lost two infant children to disease. In April of that year, he lost his wife. This had a profound effect on him. Certainly, his family background may have had a role to play in his changing occupation. A new Episcopal seminary had just started in Ohio. There he studied to become a priest in the Protestant Episcopal Church in the diocese of Ohio.

After serving a parish in Ohio, he went south and served as a priest, establishing churches in the south. After several years in the south, he returned to Meadville and Pittsburgh where his two surviving children had been in school. He was then assigned parishes at Clearfield, Pennington, Columbia, and back to Clearfield. While appointed to Huntington in 1854, he married the daughter of Col. Fenwick of St. Mary’s County, MD. They had four children.

The Rev. McLeod was likely in the Huntington parish when the Civil War broke out. He was appointed by Gov. Curtin to be chaplain of the 85th Pennsylvania volunteers. In late 1862 Pres. Lincoln commissioned him to be an army hospital chaplain. He served in the large hospitals in Philadelphia and then in Wilmington, Delaware.

In August 1865, at the end of the war, he was reappointed by Pres. Johnson to be a chaplain in the regular army. He served initially at Fort Delaware, Delaware. Then he served at various other places. His last orders would have taken him to Camp Douglas, Salt Lake City, Utah. But because of his health, he resigned and moved to Meadville to spend the rest of his days. He died in 1877 and is buried in Greendale Cemetery.

One can only imagine what his reaction would be to the current pandemic and vaccines. With his own personal family experience with illness, he would be amazed at the miraculous progress in preventing disease. He would probably wonder why anybody would put themselves and others at risk by not getting vaccinated.

REFERENCES

Obituary from the Evening Republican, February 14, 1877, page 3, column 5.

The History of Clearfield County. ed by Lewis Cass Aldrich, D. Mason & Co. Syracuse, N.Y. 1887. pp 256-7.

Crawford Messenger, May 9, 1834.

About the Author

Donald Rezek (M.D, Ph.D.) is a retired neurologist with an interest in early medicine in the county. Originally, he was from La Crosse, Wisconsin. After his training, he became part of the Department of Neurology at the University of Pittsburgh. He moved to Meadville to practice in 1995 and retired at the end of 2014. He is married to Ellen who was the chaplain at Wesbury until she retired in 2012. Since he retired, he has had an interest in studying the earliest physicians in Meadville.

A Brief History of Politics in Crawford County

2020-04-13T17:30:00.000-04:00

Crawford County has rarely stifled its opinions regarding national politics. The tone was set by residents in 1807 who burned an effigy of Federalist, Aaron Burr outside the courthouse. And this was hardly the county’s last political riot. While training to fight the British in 1812, the theft of an onion split local militiamen along party lines leading to a clash between Federalists troopers and their Democratic comrades who were hellbent on torching downtown Meadville.

Eventually, less rioting (and alcohol) gave way to civilized debate which yielded more constructive outcomes such as the nation’s first direct primary system in 1842. As ideologies gradually distilled into the two-party system we recognize today, critical thinking and political discourse morphed too, which sometimes meant local election results were not always a byproduct of one party’s control.

This begins in 1855 with the Republican Party’s formation in Crawford County and a prediction of its early demise by the Democrat’s local party boss. The prediction couldn’t have been more wrong. While Democratic presidential candidate, James Buchanan (whose sister Maria lived in Meadville) did win the 1856 election, the fledgling opposition party in under a year swayed the county to vote for Republican John C. Fremont.

By 1860, local political clubs like the Meadville Wide-Awakes helped propel Abraham Lincoln to the presidency, launching 24 years of Republican incumbency that Grover Cleveland ended in 1884. After Benjamin Harrison’s controversial 1888 election reasserted party control, Meadville Republicans celebrated with a parade of torchbearers that extended from Walnut Street to Park Avenue. Not to be outdone, over 1,000 Democrats ignored the rain to cheer on political clubs, floats, and marching bands filing up Chestnut Street to mark Cleveland’s return as president in 1892.

The 1890s, though, found a nation in transition. As local historian, Robert Ilisevich, put it, "Industrial expansion, imperialism, financial panic, increased immigration, and other problems jolted Americans into sensing that their country was changing and not necessarily for the better." Crawford County was no exception. For Titusville’s oil workers, Meadville’s immigrant railroaders, and the county’s frustrated farmers the issue was summed up best by local populist candidate, Philip Willet. "Party lines are obliterated!” he bellowed from the courthouse steps. “The contest is of masses against the classes!"

In 1896 the area’s masses joined with Democrats, forming a hybrid party Republicans mockingly called the "Popocracy" while labeling members as socialists. Although Republican William McKinley would ultimately win, 668 members of Meadville’s Columbia Republicans Club who, earlier had traveled to McKinley’s home to personally pledge a party victory in Crawford County, were later chagrinned, learning that the county’s masses had, instead, chosen Populist, William Jennings Bryan.

Prior to McKinley’s assassination, though, Crawford County did help him win reelection in 1900, and later rewarded his successor, Theodore Roosevelt, with their vote in 1904. Under Roosevelt’s leadership, Meadville, like the rest of the country, enjoyed unprecedented prosperity, marking the city’s heyday. Such stability assured Roosevelt’s protégée, William Howard Taft the presidency in 1908. Taft, however, abandoned his mentor's progressive reforms, favoring business-centric policies instead which led to an intra-party rift and subsequent three-way election showdown in 1912 between Taft Republicans, Democrat Woodrow Wilson, and Roosevelt's Bull Moose Progressives.

Monopolies, tariffs, and women's suffrage dominated political debate. County Republicans naturally loathed Wilson's free-trade stance, but, fearing party defections, reserved even greater rancor for "that third-termer,” Roosevelt. “It looks as if the Bull Moose party was to be the dumping ground of disgruntled, soreheads and worn-out politicians," wrote the Conneautville Courier.

Local papers attacked Roosevelt daily, often falsely. Still, many residents, including leading Republicans jumped to the Bull Moose party. Candidates were selected at conventions in Cambridge Springs and Meadville, adding to what The Tribune-Republican claimed was a “political fight unequaled in intensity.”

As election day approached, 25,000 eager onlookers watched as the official train of the President of the United States slowed to a stop at the Meadville depot in October 1912. Emerging to great fanfare, President Taft embarked on a one-hour car tour around town which he concluded with a speech atop the courthouse steps. "You have a very beautiful little city,” the President said through his wide smile. Minutes after he was speeding north for an appearance in Cambridge Springs.

Eleven days later Taft would lose to Wilson. The President’s appearance seemingly had little effect on county voters. Roosevelt finished first ahead of Wilson, leaving Taft in third place only 1,400 votes ahead of Socialist, Eugene Debs.

By keeping us out of the War Wilson would, in 1916 oddly find favor with Crawford County’s majority even though Republicans carried Pennsylvania. Not until Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 would the county support another Democrat for president, and he would be the last. Since then, Crawford County has dutifully voted Republican regardless of shifts in the party’s platform or national sentiment.

What then should we interpret from our history? Simply put, from the start, Crawford County’s citizens have voted according to their view of the world, reality or not, backing the candidate they believed would either preserve or change that world according to their individual circumstances.

In the process, heated contests were not unusual, and often the county voted contrary to the Commonwealth and nation. Regardless, it’s worth noting the reaction of Meadville’s, A.G. Richmond. As Democrats celebrated Benjamin Harrison’s defeat in 1892, Richmond, a prominent Republican, placed a sign outside his home. "I'm glad I was licked by an American," it read. According to the paper, the unifying sentiment prompted wild cheers from crowds of both parties as they passed by.

Disclaimer: A version of this article was originally posted in The Meadville Tribune

About the Author

Ron Mattocks was born and raised in Guys Mills, Pennsylvania. Following high school he joined the Army to see the world (which he did) before a career as a construction executive in Texas. Eventually Ron switched to Internet marketing, consulting for companies such as GMC, ConAgra, Mattel, and others. During this time he also began writing regularly for the Huffington Post, Disney's Babble, and the TODAY Show. On a summer visit to Conneaut Lake Park, Ron became suddenly fascinated with the park's origins, a fascination that lead to a passion for the county's extensive history. Today Ron is Co-owner of Bull Moose Progressive Marketing. He graduated from St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas with a degree in English Literature, and is the board VP of the Crawford County.

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Life and Customs in Meadville, 1842

2019-10-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

Meadville's Diamond Park as it may have looked in the early 1800s

In the central part of a letter headed Meadville, Dec 18th, 1842, my great, great grandmother Agnes Kennedy (née Craig), described her life in Meadville for her sister Elizabeth, back in their birthplace of New Cumnock in Ayrshire, Scotland.[1] In May 1842, aged 17, she had eloped with John Kennedy, a 27-year-old merchant (also from New Cumnock), and been married in Edinburgh.[2] Shortly afterward they were at the port in Glasgow, where they boarded the ship Congress, which arrived in New York on July 1.[3]

… My dear Elizabeth since I saw you, I have seen many strange sights and no doubt some difficulties but when they are past, they all appear as nothing. I am at present living in the town of Meadville; I like this place very well, it is something like the old country much more hilly and very well-watered; there are very few Scotch people here for they are mostly Dutch and Irish, but there are all kinds.

Agnes's Daughter Margaret Kennedy

The Sabbath here to appearance is very well kept and the appearance of the town would do credit to many in Scotland. There is no Established churches here, but in this town, we have got two Presbyterian church, 1 Episcopalian and 1 Unitarian and 1 Methodist, 1 Cumberland and there are Sabbath schools connected almost with all these churches.

I have seen but one funeral since I have been here. The custom is very far from what it is in the old country: they don’t put on mourning here and women all go to the funeral here.

It is now almost a month since the first snow came, and it is now nothing but sleigh bells ringing all the time. I was out a sleigh riding yesterday sixteen miles, it is very pleasant it goes so smoothly you can scarcely feel yourself moving at all, they are very plentiful.

I felt it rather difficult to become acquainted with their way of cooking at first, it is quite different, the houses here are not built with fireplaces; they cook all with stoves which keeps the house much warmer, they burn wood mostly in them and it is a great deal easier to work with than a fire; when you take a house here you have to provide your own stove.

There is no such thing as oatmeal, here it is all flour. Flour is very cheap. I had a letter from my brother James and I have been just writing to him, so I think it is needless to tell you anything about the prices of things here as I have just stated them to him. You would be astonished to see how quick I have learned to bake bread, I think I can beat any of the Cumnock bakers. We can bake, boil 4 or 5 kinds of dishes at a time, the stove is very handy I assure you.

The letter continues with a reference to a proposed trip to Canada.

John Kennedy

We have had a young man, a Mr. Parker from Ayrshire, he has been in company with John for some time, he came out in the same vessel with us.[4] John and he start for Canada tomorrow, they go to see the country and perhaps we must go there to settle yet and I thought it best to write while they were going there as the postage is so much cheaper, it only costs the half every letter … 60 cents when we get an answer back and if … an envelope it is double. I feel sometimes a little lonely but not so much as I thought I would have done.

I have never been alone but one week when John was away at Pittsburgh, but doubt I will feel it worse this time as they will be gone three weeks or a month; and now my dear Elizabeth, I never enjoyed better health in my life, which I have every reason to be thankful, and happier I could not wish to be, far more than I ever anticipated. …

The letter ends:

Be sure and write me a long letter as there is nothing in this world gives me more pleasure than to hear from home, write soon. Excuse this scroll.

I remain, my Dear Elizabeth,

Your ever-affectionate sister

Agnes Kennedy

They went to Toronto in the new year and their daughter Margaret was born there in March 1843.[5] Two years later Agnes bore a son. John recorded in his bible that in February 1845 ‘my beloved wife and little son died in Toronto North America and were buried in the Potters Field there’. Agnes was only 20 when she died; John and his daughter returned to Britain, living in Liverpool by 1848.[6]

The original of this letter is lost but the text comes from a transcription made for me by an aunt who possessed the letter up to her death in 1988. I wanted to share Agnes’ vibrant description of living in Meadville in 1842 with historians of Crawford County and would be interested to hear how they rate this information.

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Author Biography

Sue Hirst, M Phil, FSA, is a British Archaeologist, currently joint Managing Editor at Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), responsible for editing MOLA monographs and popular books. Prior to this role, Sue directed archaeological excavations in the UK and worked on writing and editing archaeological publications. She is the co-author of monographs on Cistercian Bordesley Abbey and a number of early medieval cemetery excavations, including most recently the Anglo-Saxon princely burial at Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea.

Family history provides a useful foil to her work as an archaeologist – the insights of archaeology produce fascinating information on social history and demography from earlier times, but it remains impersonal. Knowledge of the individual is for those who work on more recent and/or better-documented times. By studying her family history, she hoped to breathe life into the biographies of the shadowy individuals in the family archive, and to understand them in terms of a democratized version of recent history – ordinary people living their lives in different times and places.

Sources

[1] 1841 census Scotland.

[2] The elopement was attested by family tradition; the marriage recorded in John Kennedy’s bible (extant).

[3] New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957; New York, Passenger and Immigration Lists, 1820-1850; consulted at www.Ancestry.co.uk. John is listed as ‘merchant’.

[4] John Parker’s presence on the same ship is confirmed by the Passenger list (note 3); it is recorded that he established a business in Toronto and was for a time in partnership there with John Kennedy (Past years in Pickering: sketches of the history of the community, by W R Wood, Toronto, 1911, p 57; available online at http:// http://contentdm.ucalgary.ca/digital/collection/p22007coll8/id/326024)

[5] Birth recorded in John Kennedy’s bible (extant).

[6] Recorded in John Kennedy’s bible and confirmed in 1851 census as living in Liverpool and working as a draper.

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John Brown: an Abolitionist from Crawford County

2018-03-08T09:46:00.003-05:00

John Brown was one of the most radical abolitionists, an impressive man bound under the convictions of the church, who truly lived and died for his beliefs. As Hon. G.B. Delamater states in the Centennial Edition Tribune-Republican, “John Brown, who became distinguished for radical sentiments, firm will, brave actions and his tragic end on a Virginia scaffold, was a pioneer citizen of Crawford county, and for many years aided in its settlement and improvement during an important period of its history.”

Brown came to Crawford County in 1826 and remained there for about ten years as a pioneer. He bought land, built a house, made a farm, and started a tannery. Brown derived his education from schools, books, and tutors. He was a devout Calvinist, believing that it was his mission from God to eradicate the institution of slavery. His character was resolute and utterly convinced of his mission, making it difficult to doubt a man of such strong character. “Brown so impressed his associates and others that they believed that if he had been asked for his authority to act, he would have pulled from his pocket a commission from God Almighty.” 

Brown's convictions and actions helped to convince others that “his part was to undo heavy burdens, and let the oppressed go free - to remember those in bonds as bound with them.”

He was clerk of a small Congregational church while he lived in Richmond Township in Crawford County. Brown became the first postmaster in Richmond, although he resigned when Andrew Jackson was elected president.

Brown encouraged early rising, family worship, athletic exercises, mental exercises such as debating and discouraged the use of tobacco or alcohol. Debating was a particular strength of his, and “his knowledge and power to present an argument skillfully was probably exercised with delicacy, not to mortify, but to encourage his opponents and develop his powers. He always seemed to speak anywhere, to any one or more, without embarrassment, and with the ease of a professional speaker.”

However, Brown's charisma did not serve to hide his true feelings, and “being a man of integrity, and decided in his conviction and manners, though modest and unassuming, he abhorred all shams or pretense in others…”

”He seemed to practice his theory, that everyone should have an object in life, and sometimes in death… when presenting to certain persons his scheme for operating against slavery, he said life was short at the longest; it was more important how one died, than when; that they should consider whether an early death, in a good cause, was not better than to rust out life in inaction for a longer period to no purpose.” This philosophy would spur him on to his final moments. 

“He [John Brown] took deep interest in the very able and heated discussions, and final action on the question of restricting slavery in the admission of Missouri.”

In 1787, the Northwest Ordinance was passed by Congress, creating the Northwest Territory, encompassing modern day Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Slavery was prohibited in this new territory, making the Ohio River the western boundary of slavery in the United States at that time. Crawford County lies on the eastern border of this line. 

In 1821, Missouri was admitted into the Union as a slave state through the Missouri Compromise. This contradicted the absolute restriction of the expansion of slavery established in 1787. This redaction of the prohibition of slavery in new territories caused great distress throughout the North, both because the balance of slave and free states was now thrown off, and because many people believed that “slavery was not only ‘the sum of all villainies’ but an institution that would, unless promptly checked, become so powerful that trouble would come and the nation involved in bloody results.”

His sense of injustice boiling over, Brown led an armed slave rebellion and took over the United States arsenal in the town of Harper's Ferry, Virginia. Although the odds were greatly stacked against him (so much that Frederick Douglass pronounced his mission a death wish), Brown believed that once his group struck at the arsenal, slaves all across Virginia would join them in revolt. Brown's group at the arsenal was overpowered by General Robert E. Lee and Brown was summarily executed.

After Brown's death, a gold medal was presented to his widow and family by Victor Hugo. Brown is now memorialized by a statue in the Capitol of Kansas, where he also fought against slavery before moving to Virginia.

“Whether controlled by intelligence or impulse, sanity or insanity, wisdom and prudence, or folly and imprudence, his character and conduct have given him prominence in the recent history of his country.”

Timothy Alden and the Founding of Allegheny College

2018-02-13T11:38:00.001-05:00

Timothy Alden Jr., the founder of Allegheny College, was by all accounts a charismatic and motivated man who pursued opportunities to expand education throughout his life. He was descended from John Alden, who landed on Plymouth Rock on November 15, 1620. Like his father, Timothy Alden, he was a Harvard educated pastor and was ordained in 1799. He was the principal of three different academies in Portsmouth, Boston, and Newark, after which he moved to Meadville in 1815. “[Alden’s] goal was to serve God by serving Man, and to service his young county by strengthening its unity through inculcation of a community of ethics and morality through the education of ministers, teachers and others in the newly settled regions”.

Although Meadville only had 666 residents, “the paucity of numbers… had no discouraging effect on Mr. Alden. The outlook did not appear to dampen his ardor. Noteworthy as to his zeal and ability in infusing encouragement into all around him, is the fact that a meeting was at once called for the purpose of discussing the feasibility of the undertaking” . He enlisted John Reynolds to help him in his efforts. Reynolds was described as “a man of ability and character, who was always known to be ready and willing to enter upon and assist in any good work”. The two men prioritized religion and the advancement of learning as work progressed on planning a college. At the first meeting about a potential college in Meadville, Alden’s speech and defense were so dynamic and sound that everyone there supported his idea. At that very meeting, they drafted a preamble, a set of resolutions, a plan for operations, and Allegheny College got its name.

While Reynolds took on the task of getting the college a charter, Alden was charged to travel around to the Eastern and Central states to solicit donations of money, books for the small library, and land. When Alden returned, thanks to his efforts and the generosity of the donors, Allegheny College had the most valuable library existing at that time in the United States. Bentley Hall was named after Reverend William Bentley, who donated a great number of books to the college and left his cabinet and library to the college in his will. Alden’s enthusiasm and charisma are likely the impetus for many of the donations. His friends were great scholars and assisted him in his pursuit of higher education for his community through these donations. Alden’s contributions to the college cannot be emphasized enough; moreover, “the history of Mr. Alden is so intimately blended and united with Allegheny College that for all those years they are one and inseparable. Of necessity the history of one is the history of the other”.

In the college’s early years, some classes were held on the Diamond, in an old frame courthouse above the place that prisoners were kept. Other times, classes were held at Alden’s residence.“Always active in everything that pertained to its interests and the good of the community - the advancement of the young and rising generation lay close to his heart”, Alden would go to great lengths to make sure students had a place to learn”. Many of the prominent and important founding members of Meadville contributed money to the college in order to ensure a good education for their children and for their posterity: John B. Wallace, Samuel Lord, Daniel Lefevre, David Mead, and John Reynolds, among many others. While living in Meadville, Alden also preached frequently at a Presbyterian church.

Despite Alden’s motivations, Allegheny College faced a few obstacles in its beginning years. There were already two colleges in Western Pennsylvania at the time, located in Washington and in Jefferson. Later, these two schools would merge to become the Washington and Jefferson College of today, but at this time, there was great competition between the two schools and a new college in the region was not well received. After being forced to close for two years, the Methodist Episcopal church conference took charge of the college and reopened it in order to establish a Methodist presence in that region. Alden’s optimistic spirit had finally given out, and he later retired to Pittsburgh and died there in 1839. Timothy Alden did not live to see the great success of Allegheny College, but credit is due to him and his founding enthusiasm for education, allowing Allegheny College to send “ ...forth a host of worthy, intelligent, well educated men, who are spreading science and religion in almost every land and clime; whose influence no man can compute, and will not be understood until the final consummation of all things”.

Works Cited

Hayes, J. C. “The Story of the Labors of Dr. Alden and His Associates in the Founding of Allegheny College.” The Tribune-Republican, May 12, 1888.

About the Author

Erin Hartwiger is a freshman at Allegheny College. She is a double French and International Studies major and works with the Crawford County Historical Society through the Davies Community Service Leadership Program. She is from Birmingham, Alabama, and is interested in the way that history can inform the future. Given the rich history of both the South and western Pennsylvania, she hopes to learn more about historical perspectives and get to know Crawford County by reading and recording new sources. Her project through the Davies Program is focused on recording oral histories of Crawford County residents.

The Amazing Story of the Exposition Park Fire of 1908

2017-12-09T13:34:00.000-05:00

The morning after - charred remains of the fire's path. The Hotel Conneaut stands untouched in the background.

As the morning darkness of December 2, 1908, dissolved into daylight, a scene of utter destruction revealed itself along the shores of Conneaut Lake. Wisps of smoke twisted feebly from the charred debris of Exposition Park. The sight of such amusement for so many just months earlier now offered only sooty outlines and blackened, smoldering heaps made all the more pronounced by thin, ragged patches of snow.

Exhausted firemen and volunteers shuffled along gathering their buckets and hoses in preparation for the return to their stations. They had just battled what, for some, would be the biggest blaze they would ever witness, and certainly the most destructive in the park’s history. Had the fire occurred during the height of the summer season, the disaster would likely have been catastrophic. Instead, despite the loss of over forty structures, thankfully no one perished.

A Quiet Evening

Like the majority of summer resorts, Exposition Park was mostly deserted save for the Lawrence and Reed families as well as C. W. Meyer, the operator of the Miniature Railroad, and Allison Fouce who oversaw the park during the winter months. At the Hotel Bismark 20 people were staying as fulltime boarders which included a small custodial staff and employees of the Meadville and Conneaut Lake Traction Company, there to run the trolley lines.

The evening of December 1st faded into quiet convention as the residents and hotel guests settled into their nightly routine of reading, playing cards, or turning in early. That Wednesday had been a balmy 63 degrees, but a late afternoon front had moved through rapidly dropping the temperature into the 20’s, and a rambunctious wind now chased the spitting snow outside the hotel’s darkened windows.

The Hotel Bismark was owned by Julius Fohrman of Erie some forty miles to the north. Upon its construction in 1906, the ample structure’s design bore the Victorian features common to turn-of-the-century architecture. The Bismark appeared right at home in the park offering, like most of the resort’s hotels, a splendid wrap-around porch with gingerbread details highlighted in a dark colored trim. The flat rooftop was angled on the sides allowing gabled windows to protrude from the fourth story rooms. Displayed efficiently above the largest of these gables was the building’s moniker, “Hotel Bismark,” painted in two-foot-tall letters.

The Hotel Bismark as it looked in 1908

From the hotel’s location along Comstock Street near Reed Avenue which was a good distance from the lake, it’s doubtful the Bismark could boast the save marvelous views offered by the Hotel Conneaut or the Lakeside Inn, but it was conveniently situated a short walk from the trolley station which granted the hotel its own advantages.

By the late evening hour, the Bismark’s tenants were already snug in bed. At midnight a group of young people returning from roller skating passed by and recalled later that all was quiet. This would not last. Shortly after 1 AM, the hotel’s residents were roused from their sleep by a fateful announcement—the hotel was on fire. The cause for the mishap was unknown, perhaps a frayed electrical wire or an errant ember from a warming fire. Lingering rumors claimed it may have even been "incendiary in nature," a charge that would attract further attention in the ensuing months. Whatever the origin, the conflagration would prove disastrous.

Fires have rarely been benign, especially for amusement parks, and this one was no different. The harsh northwest winds scattered the flames and carried menacing cinders high into the air. Within an hour the enormous Dance Pavilion, the Old Mill ride, the Log Cabin, and all buildings in between had already been consumed by the inferno. By 2 AM the bowling alley on the southwest corner of Park Avenue and Center Street was lost along with Reed’s Palace of Amusements off to the south.

Mobilizing Fire Crews

A bucket brigade of local citizens assembled under the direction of Henry Ringwold, an African American man installed a few years earlier as the town's fire chief by park owner and Ringwold’s former employer, Major A.C. Huidekoper. The volunteers put up a valiant effort drenching adjacent buildings in order to stem the fire’s advance, yet despite saving the McCafferty cottage it was not enough. As one of the witnesses remarked, “The wind blew so strongly the fire appeared to walk right through the buildings.”

The alarm soon reached Meadville where Howard Dowdell, who had been appointed fire chief a little over a year before, mustered a sizable force. The firemen retrieved their teams of horses stabled at City Hall and rapidly fitted them with the quick-hitch harnesses in preparation for pulling the steam engine, J.D. Gill, as well as a ladder truck, and one of the hose carriages. A number of fireman along with city residents concerned about damages to property they owned at the park, boarded a trolley car hastily put into service at 2:45 AM. A special flat car was then attached to carry the Gill in the hopes it would arrive quicker.

Eighteen miles away from the park, in Greenville, the city’s fire brigade hurriedly ran the same drill in their attempt to reach the fire as fast as possible. Shortly after 3 AM, Chief Matt Keck along with eight firemen and three volunteers hauled an engine and 700 feet of hose to the railroad station where they planned to commandeer a special train of the Bessemer Railroad driven by Trainmaster Cutter. The plan fell apart, however, as the men struggled to load the train. Forty precious minutes were lost in what the Record Argus newspaper deemed an “unromantic” effort. Chief Keck would later lament that a simple apparatus costing $25 could have made all the difference.

Charging off into the night, Meadville crew following the same route as the trolley. The supports propped under the Mead Avenue Bridge so it could bear the weight of the larger interurban cars had recently been removed for winter, and the hooves and wheels hammered and rattled as they crossed over French Creek on their way through Fredricksburg, then west along the Harmonsburg Road. Their flight was made all the more treacherous by the weak light of the headlamps which barely extended beyond the front of their carriages.

As the Meadville contingent of firefighters and citizens rounded Conneaut Lake, a soft orange glow loomed ever larger on the horizon, and the faint smell of acrid smoke grew stronger in their nostrils. Flames reflected with brazen mockery across the lake’s surface where normally the park’s electric lights shimmered on the rippling water from May to September.

A Hellish Scene

Upon their arrival, the fire crew was met by a hellish scene. The entire Midway along Park Avenue had already been engulfed while indiscriminating sparks had ignited the Boat Pavilion near the lake’s edge. Between Center Street and Comstock flames also lapped at whatever stood in its path. Soon it became apparent that the fifth story cupolas and sweeping veranda of the Hotel Virginia would fall prey in short order if something wasn’t done.

Despite their labors, the crews from Meadville and bucket brigade had little success in bringing the blazes under control as their steamers pumped innumerable gallons of water into the holocaust. The heat’s searing intensity pushed the men farther and farther back until it was clear the only hope lay in protecting the park’s remaining structures.

The Hotel Virginia

At 4:05 AM the train carrying the Greenville men arrived, but Chief Keck was again stymied by the logistics of unloading their equipment. Several men thought given the hopeless state of things it wasn’t worth the effort, and an argument erupted. The citizens of Greenville contended it was too risky to employ such resources and therefore, leave their city unprotected. Chief Keck disagreed. He assured everyone he could be pumping water in less than an hour, but Trainmaster Cutter ultimately prevailed. “It was pointless,” he said. The equipment remained on the train.

Finally, with the situation beyond desperate, a decision was made to dynamite the row of cottages and buildings on Brown Avenue that formed the last line between the menacing fire and the Virginia. It was their lone alternative if they wanted to save the second largest hotel on the grounds. Fifteen minutes later the charges were set, and the adjacent structures were blown. The Reeds who were living at the park watched as their cottage was reduced to splinters with a deafening explosion that left their ears ringing. Extreme as this was, the measure ultimately proved successful, sparing the Virginia from its demise.

The remains of the original midway along Park Avenue

The Fire's Devistation

By dawn the fire had been tamed, eventually burning itself out but not before laying waste to over half the park. Along with the Bismark, the park lost the Colonial and Puritan Hotels, and the four-story Park House as well as two other hotels owned by John Miller and Sons. Gone too were six restaurants, four novelty stands, three cottages, two shooting galleries, the poolroom, the Tea Garden, and the Penny Arcade. Among the rides, the fire had completely destroyed the Old Mill while damaging the Ferris Wheel, the Miniature Railroad, and the Three-Way Figure 8 Toboggan which lost its cars and passenger loading platform. The park’s grocery store, drug store, and bakery were also in ashes as was photographer W.W. Wilt’s studio. Collectively the value of the loss totaled $34.7 million by current standards.

The Park Amusement Company suffered a major financial setback too as the fire claimed the Dancing Pavilion which also housed the park’s rental boats for winter. The Bowling Alley was lost as was the Boat Pavilion, Larry Palmer’s Cozy Corner souvenir shop, the moving picture theatre, and several smaller structures which together amounted to $37,500 in property damage, a sum equal to $6.2 million in today’s currency. According to the following day’s edition of the Indiana Gazette, the company’s losses were reported to be only partially insured.

The fire's destruction outlined in red

Such devastation could have been the end of Exposition Park. This had certainly been the case for many similar parks of the day, but no so for the park that had once been a simple boat dock and picnicking spot. Along with the Virginia, the Hotel Conneaut still stood triumphant as did the Lakeside Inn, and the Elephant, Aldine, and Victoria Cottages. Spared too were the Auditorium, the Circle Swing, and the Carousel.

A Plan to Rebuild

More importantly, the fire failed to damper the park’s collective spirit. The following morning the stockholders assembled among the ruins and made a unanimous decision. As Billboard reported in its December 19 account of the fire, “Work on rebuilding will begin at once.” And it did. The Warren Mirror noted that a hundred or more men from Greenville had already been employed in the cleanup and that architects were in the process of designing new "buildings on more substantial lines and of greater beauty."

The following week the shareholders, led by Henry Holcomb, met again in Pittsburgh. Cement they decided would be the material of choice, not only because it didn’t burn, but because it was also cheaper. The lake offered a seemingly limitless amount of sand and gravel, and the only remaining requirement was a cement plant which they eventually built on the park grounds.

Henry Holcomb

An efficient plan for responding to future fires was also a topic on the shareholders’ minds, and several ideas were discussed. One called for a massive pump that could draw water from the lake. Another included a series of strategically located cisterns that would use gravity and a series of connected pipes to remain full throughout the year.

On January 1st, a charismatic Holcomb, formally revealed plans for a bigger, more ambitious Exposition Park, galvanizing the park’s various businessmen. In addition to the use of cement blocks, streets would widen and buildings re-plotted, most notably at Park Avenue and Center Street where the park’s crown jewel, a massive dance pavilion, would require Aldine Cottage be moved to an adjacent intersection.

Concessions owners such as John Miller and R.C. Jackson quickly committed to reinvesting in the popular Miller’s Café and longstanding Log Cabin respectively. Repairs would likewise be made to C.W. Moyer’s Northwestern Line of the miniature railroad and T. M. Horton’s Figure 8 roller coaster, while new rides and attractions would also be added.

The Fire's Origins

With preparations set in motion for reconstruction questions still remained, however, concerning the destructive fire’s origin. A reward leading to the arrest of anyone responsible was immediately issued, but the move aroused the suspicions of the insurance companies who refused to issue settlements until a thorough investigation could be conducted.

In February the Middle Division of the Fire Underwriters Association sent a detective to find answers. What he discovered confirmed the suspicions. The Bismark Hotel was flailing financially, and not only did it have coverage by a Meadville agency, but it also had a number of smaller policies scattered around the country that together totaled more than the property’s value. However, if the detective expected to root out a culprit he was mistaken even after offering immunity to any guilty party. Local police and investigators soon involved themselves only to be thwarted by the same lack of evidence. No arrests were ever made.

Park's Reopening

The new cement-block midway along Park Ave. in 1909. The structure would remain until the early 1990's

The reconstruction of Exposition Park, astoundingly, didn't begin until after the 1st of April, making the appearance of a new cement block midway, dancing hall, and bowling alley in time for opening day on May 30th an incredible feat in the park’s storied history. These new buildings along with the survivors would become landmarks, most lasting into the later part of the century and beyond before eventually succumbing to age, redevelopment, or other calamitous fires.

As the Bessemer Railroad’s 1909 annual booklet heralded, “Out of the ashes of the old has risen the new—a New Exposition Park has been created on the shores of Conneaut Lake…” Indeed it had, and would main so over a century to come.

Sources

Castello, Michael E. Images of America: Conneaut Lake Park. Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2005.

Luty, Bronson B. The Lake as is Was: An Informal History and Memoir of Conneaut Lake. Meadville: Crawford County Historical Society, 1994.

Stewart, Anne W., Moore, William B. Images of America: Meadville. Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2001

Siebert, C.L., Northwestern Pennsylvania Railway. 1976

“Destructive Fire,” Alexandria Gazette, December 2, 1908.

“Exposition Park at Conneaut Lake Near Meadville Damaged by Fire,” Harrisburg Telegraph, December 2, 1908.

“Fire at Summer Resort,” Beminiji Pioneer, December 2, 1908.

“Resort in Ruins: Exposition Park at Meadville a Prey to Flames—Stopped by Dynamite,” The Marion Daily Mirror, December 2, 1908.

“Exposition Park in Ruins,” Record Argus, December 2, 1908.

“Conneaut Fire Losses: Forty Buildings Destroyed at Amusement Grounds,” The Oil City Derrick, December 3, 1908. (Courtesy Dave Brown)

“Meadville, PA Suffered Heavy Loss by Fire,” The Pensacola Journal, December 3, 1908.

“Forty Buildings at Exposition Park Go Up in Smoke,” Indiana Gazette, December 3, 1908.

"Conneaut Park to be Reconstructed," Warren Mirror, December 7, 1908.

“Big Losses by Fire,” Indiana Democrat, December 9, 1908.

“Loss by Fire at Resort,” Valentine Democrat, December 10, 1908.

“Exposition Park: Fireproof Buildings May be Erected to Replace the Burned District,” Record Argus December 12, 1908.

“Disastrous Fire at Exposition Park, Conneaut Lake PA,” Billboard, Vol. 20, December 19, 1908.

“Detectives to Probe Fire,” Record Argus, March 11, 1909.

“Nearing Completion,” Record Argus, May, 17, 1909.

Record of Climatological Observations, U.S. Department of Commerce, December 1908.

About the Author

Ron Mattocks was born and raised in Guys Mills, Pennsylvania. Following high school he joined the Army to see the world (which he did) before a career as a construction executive in Texas. Eventually Ron switched to Internet marketing, working with companies such as GMC, ConAgra, Mattel, and others. During this time he also began writing regularly for the Huffington Post, Disney's Babble, and the TODAY Show. On a summer visit to Conneaut Lake Park, Ron became suddenly fascinated with the park's origins, a fascination that lead to a passion for the county's extensive history. Today, Ron is the co-owener of Historia Inspired, LLC, and President of Client Strategy at Bull Moose Marketing in Meadville, PA. He graduated from St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas with a degree in English Literature, and is board VP of the Crawford County and board member of Northwestern PA Railroad and Tooling Museum.

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Baldwin-Reynolds Reflects Shared Dickens Era Past

2017-12-07T06:00:00.002-05:00

One of John Leech's Original Illustrations for A Christmas Carol

With the Baldwin-Reynolds House Museum hosting their annual "Fezziwig’s Christmas Dinner" in just a few short days, some readers might be curious “what’s in a name” for this nearly sold out event. Charles Dickens’ famous novella, A Christmas Carol holds special meaning to all of us at the Crawford County Historical Society.

During the fall and winter of 1843, Henry and Sally Baldwin moved into Mount Hope, the original name of the Baldwin-Reynolds House Museum. The sixty-four-year-old United States Supreme Court Justice was well known in social and political circles at home and abroad, where he was not only connected to Andrew Jackson and other national political figures, but event to Napoleon Bonaparte and his brother Joseph, throughout the early 19th century. By 1843, the Baldwins divided their time between Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and their newly completed home in Meadville. Charles Dickens spent the latter half of the same year penning what would arguably become his most famous work.

Dickens had two primary motivations for writing for A Christmas Carol. By this time, Oliver Twist was common reading throughout Britain and the United States and Dickens was celebrating his role as one of the most famous living authors of the day. He was not, however, without financial difficulties.

By mid-1843, Dickens’ work, Martin Chuzzlewit, was in publication as a monthly serial, however, sales were lagging terribly at the same time he and his wife were expecting their fifth child. It was at this time Dickens became painfully aware of the plight of poor children in England after witnessing child labor in Cornish tin mines.

The growing urge to use his next book as an effort to better expose the suffering of disadvantaged youth was not completely cemented, however, until the fall of 1843. After representing a wealthy friend, Angela Burdett-Coutts, on an exploratory visit to the Field Lane Ragged School in London, Dickens witnessed conditions that he couldn't erase from his mind. “Ragged Schools” were charitable institutions set up to offer at least a basic education (as well as food and shelter) to children otherwise homeless, malnourished, or both. These schools were often in deplorable condition themselves, with little supplies due to the lack of donated funds. Dickens found “a sickening atmosphere…of taint and dirt and pestilence” and begin writing A Christmas Carol within weeks of his visit, finishing the book six weeks later.

Dickens’ major Christmas work was released on December 19th, 1843, selling out the entire first run of 6,000 copies by Christmas Eve- just five days later. Although we have no idea what Henry and Sally were reading on their first, and what was to become the only Christmas celebrated by the Baldwins at Mount Hope, there is a good chance Dickens’ new novella was at least a topic of dinner table conversation on Terrace Street that year!

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About the Author

Josh Sherretts is Executive Director at the Crawford County Historical Society and the Baldwin-Reynolds House Museum. A lifelong resident of the area, Josh is also the author of Around Saegertown and co-author of Oil Boom Architecture: Titusville, Pithole, and Petroleum Center. His other writings can be found in the Meadville Tribune and Erie Times. In addition to his duties at the museum and Historical Society, Josh is the Co-Owner and President of Business Development at Bull Moose Progressive Marketing and Historia Inspired, LLC. He is involved with a number of community organizations dedicated to preserving and improving the local area. He is a graduate of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania where he holds degrees in History and Secondary Education. Josh lives with his wife in Meadville.

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Settler Disputes with Land Companies and the Burr Conspiracy

2017-11-03T15:19:00.001-04:00

Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton Duel

Crawford County does not have much of a history of domestic strife. The county was largely unsettled during the time of the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 never touched the county, and political conflict never erupted into violence as Bleeding Kansas did. There is, however, one instance of a domestic dispute that divided the region for nearly thirty years toward the end of the 1800s.

Land as Payment

In the aftermath of the Revolution, our fledgling nation suffered from a great deal of economic misery. The continental currency had suffered so much depreciation that it was worthless, and the same could be said for the bills of credit which were used by both the state and federal government to pay the soldiers of the continental army. Congress knew that they had to pay their debt to the soldier to prevent a rebellion starting for the same reason as the Newburgh Conspiracy which General Washington had prevented in 1783 at the conclusion of the war. Congress only had one thing to offer, and that was federal land in the newly acquired Northwest Territory, comprising what are now the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Even this vast amount of territory was not enough for the newly formed federal government to pay what was promised. Soldiers had been promised land in varying amounts determined by a man’s rank. Tracks of land between 2000 acres and 200 acres were paid to the individual, in the hopes that these soldiers would move to these fertile frontier lands. The government even removed parcels of land that were known to be infertile from being used as payment, surveyed the land, and made every attempt to assist soldiers in resettling on their new land. There was only one small problem, however. The land promised to the soldiers also happened to be land owned by over a dozen different native american tribes, all of which responded to what was effectively a foreign invasion with expected force.

The Soldiers and Speculators

Though what is now known as the Northwest Indian War had no official battles within the borders of Pennsylvania, the natives of the area still defended their land with vigor. In addition, the area was practically wilderness. This made the land unappealing to many soldiers, and so those many sold their land to speculators. The speculators were then subject to taxes which were greater than the value of what little the land produced, so the speculators chose to give up the useless land tin payment for taxes owed.

The Company Land Grab

With much of the land now back in the hands of the state, it was decided that these lands would be put up for sale for about seven pounds sterling per 100 acres. Land companies were organized by wealthy men and were given permission to purchase large swaths of the territory if these companies also funded and oversaw the construction of mills, roads, and other infrastructure needed in this frontier region. Such companies were the North American Land Company, the Pennsylvania Population Company, and the Holland Land Company. Those who ran and owned the companies became known as land barons.

Conflict and Political Division

The settlers of the region saw these large purchases of land as an infringement upon their land, though much of it was not legally theirs. The settlers still used this land, farmed it, and had developed parts long before the land had any official owner. Conflict between these two groups was inevitable. When it did occur, the battlelines were drawn between the Federalist elite who owned the best land and ran the land companies, and the settlers and Democratic-Republicans on the other. The settlers, who came to be called the ‘intruders’ by the land companies, published slanderous articles about mistreatment the settlers experienced at the hands of the agents of the land company. Graphic depictions of women and children being evicted in the dead of night were spread in local papers, which the supporters of the land companies boycotted in response.

The duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr which sparked the idea of the Burr Conspiracy

Mobs, Accusations, and Conspiracies

This conflict truly split the community. The companies and those associated with them saw the intruders as nothing more than squatters refusing to obey the law. The settlers saw the companies as villains who treated the honest people of the frontier unfairly and cruelly. Mobs were led, effigies were hung or beaten in front of the family members of the effigy’s model. Accusations of conspiracy, whether in a plot to blow up buildings containing land ownership documents by the settlers or of local Federalists being involved in the so-called Burr Conspiracy. These accusations were aimed at the leadership of the two groups, with David Mead and Henry Hurst being accused of the gunpowder plot, and both several companies as a whole as well as their agents were accused of entertaining suspected emissaries from Burr. Nothing came of these accusations, no trials or otherwise. It would take until the end of the War of 1812 for these issues to be settled.

The Dying of the Conflict and the Subject of Blame

At the end of the War of 1812, social stratification remained, but no longer did a fire burn in the settlers to resist the companies. Though there were abuses of power by the land barons, they did contribute a great amount to the settlers of the region. At the same time, these abuses often came at the expense of their assigned mission, to accommodate and assist settlers in the development of the region. Even after conflict had reached its end, the politics of the region and the land itself was divided between the rich and poor, with the best land being owned by the wealthy. The settlers had violated the law by settling in the region, as it was declared that no one was to settle in the area until the area was free from natives and thus no longer constituted native land. In addition, others truly were squatters. Such conflicts are inevitable, but it can be hoped that the lessons of such times can teach the necessities of both equity and respect for the law.

Sources

1885. History of Crawford County Pennsylvania. Chicago: Warner, Beers, & Co.

Ilisevich, Robert, D. 2008. Remembering Crawford County: Pennsylvania's Last Frontier. Charleston: The History Press.

bout the Author

Kyle Dilts is a rising senior at Allegheny College. He is majoring in history and environmental science, and is also a member of the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society. Kyle is a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh, and has always been fascinated by the history of western Pennsylvania. He is currently an intern at the Crawford County Historical Society where he helps manage the organization’s social media. He hopes that this experience will further his education on the history of western Pennsylvania, and that he will prove to be an asset to the Historical Society.

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John Mathers -Photographer of the Early Oil Region

2017-09-17T19:15:00.000-04:00

Cherry Run, Taken in 1864

A Passion for a New Art

Much of the world’s first oil boom was captured in the photography of one John A. Mather, an English immigrant whose love for his art allowed such a vivid picture of Crawford County’s history to be preserved. Though Mather did not travel to the US to pursue photography initially, he was enthralled by the prospects of the budding practice when he met a traveling daguerreotypist. This early photography was a dangerous art, with corrosive and hazardous chemicals needed to develop even a single photograph. But such is the burden of the artist, and Mr. Mathers bore the potential dangers of his trade well.

The 1860's in Titusville

He traveled Titusville throughout the 1860s, capturing the people, machinery, and filth that made the oil boom such an interesting time in history. He recorded everything, traveling the oil choked fields and dangerous areas to capture his little snapshots of reality. To facilitate his trade, he created two mobile studios; one in a wagon pulled by oxen, and the other a flat boat which paddled up and down Oil Creek. He would sell prints to the residents of Titusville, and well owners and other oilmen would hire him to photograph their equipment. These pictures would then be used to encourage potential investors to support the business. It could even be said that his photographs assisted in bringing wealth to the region, as visual evidence of the region's oil wealth and industry certainly served to encourage investment in the region.

Drake's Well

Purely by Luck

John Mather’s passion for photography is one of those rare events in history where everything went perfectly, as the oil boom would barely last past the end of the 1860s. A single decade was plenty of time for Mather to immortalize the oil boom period in chemicals and paper. Without his diligence and ingenuity, it is likely the period would have faded from the annals of history. The Civil War raged as Mather plied his trade, in the wake of such a colossal event, it is miraculous that such a large record of the first oil boom exists.

Benninghoff Run

Saved for Posterity

Mather must have recognized this, as later in life he worked with journalist Edwin C. Bell to annotate his many photographs. While this was likely Mathers trying to alleviate financial stress, the work these two did together allows for the situation of the oil boom to be accurately remembered. There are no unrealistic assumptions about the time period or area, as so much was recorded. Sadly, much of Mather’s work was lost before the end of the century to the various floods and fires that plagued Crawford County during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Still, enough of his work remains. One of the few happy instances where the truth is known, speculation is not needed, and Crawford County can take comfort that such an important and interesting piece of its history has been preserved.

Sources

Bell, Edwin C., and John A. Mather. Mather’s Historic Oil Regions of Western

Pennsylvania. Titusville, 1895.

Black, Brian. Recasting the Unalterable Order of Nature: Photography and the First Oil

Boom. Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies, 64, 2. Spring 1997.

David, Stephanie, and Brennen French. “John A. Mather’s Photographic Studio.” NW

PA Heritage, accessed March 2, 2017.

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The 150th Pennsylvania

2017-09-10T23:36:00.001-04:00

The colors of the 150th, on display at the state capitol

The year is 1862. The War of the Southern Rebellion has flooded field after field with blood and the dead. Though volunteers had already been sent from western Pennsylvania, being largely absorbed into the Erie Regiment, they were not the last. President Lincoln had, in May of the previous year, called for additional volunteers to be mustered and organized by their various state governments. One such regiment was the 150th Pennsylvania. The regiment itself was made up of men from across Pennsylvania, but companies C, H, I, and K all hailed from Crawford County. Their commanding officer, Henry S. Huidekoper was also from Crawford County. Though new, this regiment would serve with distinction in some of the most difficult battles of the last years of the war.

General Roy Stone

Both the 150th and the 149th were organized by General Roy Stone. General Stone had already successfully raised and led the famous 13th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment, otherwise known as the ‘Bucktails’. This name would stick with his new muster, gaining the name the ‘Bucktail Brigade’. The 150th, and the 149th would be joined together in the Second Brigade for most of the war.

Company K

Company K had a special post in that they served as the guard to President Lincoln throughout the war. He enjoyed their company, and even requested that the company remain at this post throughout the war. While Company K defended the president, the rest of the regiment was sent away from manning defenses at Washington to the Pennsylvania Campaign, though they only participated in the last battle of the campaign, Gettysburg.

The 150th Pennsylvania volunteers at 4 P. M., July 1st, 1863, resisting the combined attack of scales's brigade (Hill's Corps), from the west, and Daniel's brigade (Ewell's Corps), from the north.

The Battle of Gettysburg

The first day of the Battle of Gettysburg was a day of valor, loss, and heroism of every kind. The Bucktail Brigade had never seen a true battle before Gettysburg, and even so they matched even the most veteran brigades with their incredible ability and courage. As the afternoon fell on Gettysburg, the Union line had been pushed back, but it was not broken. This is in no small part due to the actions of the Bucktail Brigade and how they steadfastly held the McPherson Farm. The brigade commanders had refused to retreat until the order was given from higher up, and so had held firm under sustained Confederate assault for hours. The brigade defeated several Confederate units so badly that they routed from the field. They even managed to recapture the fallen colors of their sister regiment the 149th Pennsylvania. Even retreat was not free from their heroics, as after finally being ordered to retreat, the regiment saved an artillery battery from being captured and allowed them time to escape. But as the morning turned to afternoon, the regiment began to pay the price for valor.

Courage did not spare the soldiers of the 150th. Of the 400 men, 43 had been killed, 138 wounded, and 69 captured. Of 17 officers, 12 had been killed, and four captured. Of the two officers remaining, one had been wounded, and thus could not command. Only one officer remained. Even Lieut-Col Huidekoper had been severy wounded, losing an arm due to cannon fire. In addition, the retreat gave the enemy the opportunity to capture the 150th’s colors. The flag of the 150th would be presented to Jefferson Davis and later be returned to Pennsylvania after end of the war.

The Remainder of the War

After Gettysburg, the regiment was a shade of its former self. Over half the regiment’s men were lost in just one day of battle. Their sacrifice had been worth it, as the victory at Gettysburg signaled the beginning of the end for the rebellious South. The 150th would suffer defeats and enjoy victories as the capitulation of the South drew closer and closer. Still, the heroic and harrowing history of the 150th was as colorful as any old regiment, nearly being destroyed after charging through a burning forest, capturing multiple enemy colors and 500 Rebel troops in the last few months of war. Their service to the United States was short, but this country would be remiss if we do not remember such a courageous group of young men that did so much for the preservation of the Union. The regiment was mustered out in June of 1865, though the guards assigned as guards to the president would not be mustered out until after the president’s assassination.

Sources

1885. History of Crawford County Pennsylvania. Chicago: Warner, Beers, & Co.

Bates, Samuel, P. History of Pennsylvania volunteers. 1870. 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature. B. Singerly, State Printer.

About the Author

Kyle Dilts is a rising senior at Allegheny College. He is majoring in history and environmental science, and is also a member of the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society. Kyle is a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh, and has always been fascinated by the history of western Pennsylvania. He is currently an intern at the Crawford County Historical Society where he helps manage the organization’s social media. He hopes that this experience will further his education on the history of western Pennsylvania, and that he will prove to be an asset to the Historical Society.

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Origins of The Pymatuning Resevoir

2017-07-16T08:04:00.000-04:00

Gate House at the Pymatuning Reservior - 1930's

While in recent times the imposition of man’s power over nature has come under much needed scrutiny, there are situations where the total destruction of one area can lead to much better life for the residents of many others. An example of this is the creation of the Pymatuning Reservoir, which was necessary both for the economic development of the region and to prevent future seasonal floods and droughts.

The Swamp

For centuries Pymatuning was a swamp at the mouth of the Shenango River, and annual flooding was kept in check through its spongy soil. While plans were made in 1868 by the PA General Assembly to drain the swamp and convert it into farmland, the water provided by the swamp to the various industries downstream was more valuable than another few farms.

Sadly, the swamp’s capacity for water management was greatly lowered as pioneer and later landowners logged the area in and around the swamp. Without trees, soil was washing into the various channels and streams, clogging them and disrupting regular water flow into the Shenango River. The abnormal water flow increased the severity of both spring floods and summer droughts.

The creation of a reservoir would solve both these issues. The construction of one was also greatly desired by local manufacturers, who lobbied for its construction. Regardless of intent, it was not until 1911 that the serious discussion of a dam on the Shenango began. Little was accomplished during these early talks, but the necessity of this project was revealed when a flood devastated the area in 1913.

The Disaster

The flood of 1913 began in late March, around the time when ice no longer clogged the Shenango River, but the ground was still too saturated to absorb much rainfall. The rain began on the 23rd and stretched for four days. In some areas the floodwaters reached heights of nearly 17 feet, and in all devastated the infrastructure. Over 60,000 buildings were flooded, 415 lives lost, and 419 bridges were destroyed throughout eastern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania.

The cost in both destruction caused and lost wages totaled $3,328,000, which is about $82,000,000 in today’s dollars. The state report on the flood also indicated that the deaths listed were only deaths from drowning, with deaths from unsanitary and dangerous conditions left after the flood unknown. The cost of building a dam was still very high at $2,983,000, but this is still less than the damages that this one flood had caused.

The Bureaucracy

Unfortunately, the slow nature of bureaucracy, the slashing of the reservoir project’s budget, the difficulty of public works projects that span state lines, combined with the US joining World War I, made it so that proponents of the dam,both private and public, spent 18 years acquiring sufficient funding, achieving that goal in 1931.

The dam and reservoir was completed only three years later, in August of 1934. Its construction was perfectly timed, as a steady water supply assisted businesses throughout Crawford County, which lessened some of the impacts of the Great Depression.

While the reservoir was not the result of President Roosevelt’s New Deal, the park was. The Civilian Conservation Corp built buildings, paved roads, and turned the land around the reservoir into one of the largest state parks around the largest lake in Pennsylvania. The reservoir prevented future floods and future droughts, accomplishing its original purpose.

Sources

PA Department of Forests and Waters Water and Power Resources Board. 1926.
Pymatuning Reservoir Project. Harrisburg.

The Manufacturer’s Association of Beaver County PA. Pymatuning, A Conservation
Necessity. Pittsburgh: Republic Bank Note Company, 1911.

Zavinski, John. “1913: The flood of the century; 100 years ago this week, the rains
came and the waters rose.” The Herald, March 24, 2013.

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Salt and Mud: Early Roads and the First Turnpike in Western Pennsylvania

2017-06-18T19:38:00.001-04:00

A turnpike being raised

Today, a trip from Meadville to Pittsburgh takes about an hour and half. The worst travelers have to deal with today are the occasional storm, constant road repairs, and the terror of witnessing a driver attempting to merge while texting. Two-hundred years ago, the story was quite different. Obviously 79 did not exist, but neither did many other roads save for the one carved out of the woodlands by the French prior to their expulsion by the British or the many trails left by the native Americans. These same paths became the roads of the pioneers that would settle the area fifty years later until, due to pressure from trade, the first turnpike in Western Pennsylvania was built.

To describe the old roads as terrible would be an understatement. Not only were the French roads dirt and mud, decades of neglect led to them being even more difficult to traverse as new trees began to block the path and underbrush clogged the road. In addition, the extensive hills and valleys of western Pennsylvania made travel of any kind difficult. The French path were still better than the Native American ones, as the native paths were cut along high terrain to watch for enemies. They were also often only several feet wide, making wagon travel either incredibly difficult or altogether impossible along many routes.

This would not have been a problem for the small farming communities that dotted the landscape between Erie and Pittsburgh, had a growing salt shipping industry not begun to thrive during the first two decades of the 19th century. The salt traders mostly relied on water transportation, with the initial journey from New York being across Lake Erie, and the destination being Waterford and French Creek where the barrels could be floated south to Meadville, and from there to Pittsburgh. By the 1810’s, Meadville and the other villages and farms along French Creek relied on the salt trade, as the traders frequently made supply stops in these towns, provided much of the trade that the area experienced.

The trade was heavily relied on by some families, as they could barely grow enough crops to support themselves, and the excess was turned into whiskey which could only be shipped south. The salt trade became so ubiquitous throughout the region that barrels of salt served as a form of currency for a time, with livestock, land, and slaves being traded for barrels of salt. There was only one small wrench in the whole system: the only way from Erie to Waterford, and thus French Creek, was via the old mud lanes carved through the forest a half-century before by the French. Often, entire salt shipments had to be abandoned in the mud, and another trip had to made to haul the wagon out during drier weather. This added precious days to what was already a three month journey from the salt wells of Salina, New York to Pittsburgh, and an even longer journey south on the Mississippi to the markets of Dixie.

While the golden age of W. PA pioneers makes for good stories, the slow speed and general unpleasantness of travel along the old routes was unacceptable to the merchants that used them. The easiest solution was to build a turnpike. Turnpikes were originally private toll roads, often owned in shares by nearby communities. Barricades, the ‘pike’, blocked the entrance to the road until payment was received, at which point the barricade would be raised, allowing passage. What made them better than the old dirt roads were that they were paved with wooden planks. It was not a comfortable ride, but was better than losing a shipment in the mud or becoming stranded attempting to navigate the overgrown native paths. It also guaranteed that a capsized or otherwise in distress wagon would be able to wait for help, knowing other travelers would come. A successful turnpike already existed between Philadelphia and Lancaster, having been built in 1794, but no turnpikes had been established away from the East Coast. The natural conclusion was therefore to build one in Crawford County.

The high society of Crawford County, especially landowners like David Mead, were highly interested in the construction of a local turnpike. It was estimated a turnpike would save over $10000 to the area annually. In today's dollars, that is nearly $300,000 a year. The cost of a barrel of salt would be reduced by ¾ its original price, from $2 to $3 all the way down to $.50 a barrel. The pike would also open up trade to Canada, allowing what few goods Crawford County produced to be sold not only south along French Creek, but also north on Lake Erie. There was still one minor issue.

Stock Certificate for the Mercer & Waterford Turnpike Company

Turnpikes were created by private businesses, and therefore could not look to the government for funding. Not only that, but the cost was monumental. While the road would save money in the long run, it would still cost $1200 per mile to build, often intersecting with the already monstrous condition of the old French road. That would be $36,000 a mile today. To raise the money, locals were solicited to purchase stock in the road. Persuasion was not difficult, luckily. The benefits the road would provide for the entire community far outstripped the input cost. Still, a single share was out of reach of many of the normal residents of the area.

In response, it was recommended that neighbors pull together funds to purchase shares if they cannot on their own. The funding was found surprisingly quickly, with construction starting in 1806, only a year after the Erie & Waterford Turnpike Company was established. Construction was complete in 1809. The road was not a straight shot, and followed the old French path. This is because the shareholder did not wish for the road to pass through their property, nor did stock owning innkeepers wish to have their business ruined by being bypassed by a road they financially supported.

The road was a massive success, and created a drive for infrastructure building throughout Western Pennsylvania which led to new roads, bridges, and other private turnpikes being built that would end up connect Meadville, Waterford, Bellefonte, Erie, and rest of the region to the East Coast over the next few decades. Sadly, the era of the turnpike was cut short by the growing popularity of canals in the 1820’s, canals which were then overtaken by the popularity of the railroad in the 1830’s. With the toll roads no longer being profitable, almost all became public roads by the end of the 40’s. While profit dwindled, the motivation to build and improve upon infrastructure allowed the region to increase trade.

This is not a bad thing, as many of these roads are still in use today, some even making up pieces of the modern highways that connect Crawford County to the rest of Pennsylvania. Still, turnpikes paved the way for infrastructure improvements that we still use today, and a new age of turnpikes would begin only a half century later as the automobile began to take over America’s roads.

Sources:

1885. History of Crawford County Pennsylvania. Chicago: Warner, Beers, & Co.

Cupper, Dan. 1995. The Pennsylvania Turnpike, A History. Lebanon: Applied Art Publishers.

Stewart, Anne. 1993. A Concise History of Meadville. Meadville.

Wright, J E. 2014. Pioneer Life in Western Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh PA: University of Pittsburgh Press.

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Meadville's Other Major College

2017-04-30T15:06:00.000-04:00

The Unitarian College, 1908

From the mid 1800’s up through the early 1900’s Meadville had not just one college in the city, but two--Allegheny College and the Meadville Theological School. This was unique as most other cities in Pennsylvania at the time were lucky to boast one school of higher learning if any. While Allegheny College still exists and is flourishing within the community the same cannot be said about the Meadville Theological School it was closed here in 1926, but it lives on as part of the Meadville-Lombard Theological School of the University of Chicago.

Origins

Rev. Frederick Huidekoper

The Meadville Theological School originally opened its doors in 1844, and was founded by Harm Jan Huidekoper. Mr. Huidekoper had discovered and converted to Unitarianism and wanted to spread the doctrine. The principles held by the religion promoted equity, and justice in human relations, a desire for a world community promoting peace, liberty, and justice for all, acceptance of one another, and the use of democratic processes. The school was run by a combination of Unitarian and Liberal Christians, and did not require any sort of doctrinal test for entrance into the school only a divine belief in Christianity. This allowed for a wider range of people to be admitted.

The school rested between Alden and Arch Streets on a hill towards the eastern edge of the city. Rev. Frederick Huidekoper had donated four acres of land for use as the school grounds that would later house the buildings out of which the school operated. It operated out of a brick building that had been built for Cumberland Church, and was home to the chapel, library and classrooms.

Growth and Influence

Hunneywell Hall, 1910

In its earliest years the school was supported by, and survived off of donations made by three churches in New York City along with proceeds from the American Unitarian Association in Boston. By 1851 the school, through major fundraising efforts, was able to raise enough money for a $50,000 endowment. After this initial fundraiser the school began to grow and thrive. A formal building was erected in 1856 it housed classrooms and a chapel. A library was added in 1890 through the generous contributions of the Huidekoper family after whom the building was appropriately named. In 1903 Hunnywell Hall was added to the school, which housed the gymnasium as well as a dining hall for the students making the school a bit more modern and accommodating.

Unitarian College Library built in 1890

The Theological School’s first class of three students graduated in 1846. The graduating classes would continue to be small over the course of the following years, graduating at most up to twelve students in one year, and in other years no one at all. Despite it’s relatively small size the school played a prominent role in the beginning of Meadville’s history, and as the city grew so too did the school’s importance within the community and within religious circles around the country. (The school’s influence had a more personal impact for some as well. A 1902 publication heralded the fact that to date, 36 male students had all married Meadville women, as did 6 female students with their husbands.)

The area’s strong religious and educational foundation was further fortified by the extended efforts of the Theological School and its leadership beyond the campus. The school’s trustee’s not only served the school and it’s functions, but also operated a trust which aided inadequately paid ministers, improved the libraries of ministers, and assisted parishes in forming ministerial study resources. In this capacity the school’s influence extended beyond just Meadville, as it supported the efforts of the region’s larger religious base.

Relocation

The Meadville-Lombard School, Univ. of Chicago, 1960's

The school thrived and functioned as an important part of the community until the early nineteen hundreds when a push for the school’s movement to Chicago gained momentum. Relocating the school had been explored before in the 1880’s with Cleveland as a possible location. Simple economics necessitated such a consideration. Growth in the area couldn’t keep pace with the ever-growing centers of industry beyond its borders, and as more and more students began to travel to work in these larger cities, admission and financial support for the Theological School began to wane. This, combined with a shift in social consciousness had a debilitating effect on the school.

Ultimately, the decision to move the school was one of practicality to make the students studies easier. The Huidekoper family played a prominent role in keeping the school in Meadville as long as they did, and played a large part in the workings of the school itself. Despite their best efforts, and in the interest of the students the school was moved to Chicago and incorporated into the University of Chicago in 1926, where today, the Meadville Lombard offers a variety of advanced degrees in religious studies with an emphasis in Unitarian Universalist doctrine. Today, a number of publications from the early school can easily be found through online resources, further testament of the school’s lasting legacy.

Sources:

Bates, Samuel. Our County and its People. Ferguson and Company, 1899.
Moore, William, and Elizabeth Rekas. Meadville. Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2012.
Meadville Theological School website. www.meadville.edu.
History of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Meadville. www.uumeadville.org.

About the Author

Ariana Sabatini is a junior at Allegheny College studying History and English. She has grown up around history her entire life, and has deep connections to the Crawford County region and it’s colorful history. A native of Titusville Pennsylvania she has a strong background in the history of the oil region having come from a family that lived and worked in the oil industry. She is excited to be serve as an intern to the Crawford County Historical society this spring, and will be interning at Gettysburg this summer. She hopes to use her time with the historical society to broaden her knowledge of the area’s rich history, and share those findings with the public through her work on the Society’s social media pages.

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The World War 1 Artwork of Clarence Underwood

2017-04-16T15:50:00.002-04:00

Clarence F. Underwood - 1905

Clarence Frederick Underwood [1871-1929] was one of the leading illustrators and commercial artists of his generation, providing work to a range of books as well as highly circulated publications such as Harpers, McClure's, The Saturday Evening Post, LIFE, and The Ladies’ World. Although born in Jamestown, NY, he resided in Meadville after his parents opened a drug store on the corner of Chestnut and East Avenue. Here Clarence, along with his younger siblings, Alice, Ida, Belva, and Frederick (all born in Meadville) would grow up.

Training

Clarence attended both the public schools as well as Allegheny College, but art was his ticket to the larger world. Leaving Meadville he received formal training at the Art Students League in New York, then London, and later at the Julian Academy in Paris as a pupil of Jean-Paul Laurens, Benjamin Constant and William Bouguereau, in 1896. Soon after leaving the Academy, Clarence would choose for himself a career as an illustrator.

Marriage and Family

Serenading Grace

Paris is also where the 25 year-old, Clarence would meet and soon marry Grace Gilbert Curtis of New York City, on May 9, 1897. The couple would return to New York where their daughter Valerie Gladys was born on December 22, 1898; however, any joy Clarence felt was soon erased by the death of Grace who passed away a month later on January 27, 1899. She was only 25. Grace’s death had a profound impact on Clarence. Later he would commemorate his late wife in an illustration depicting him playing his violin in front of her portrait while a young Valerie played at his feet.

Eventually Clarence found love again at age 33, marrying 22 year-old, Katherine Ann Spotswood Whitehead. of Erie, PA on February 23, 1905. They would have two children together, a son, Clarence Frederick and a daughter, Katherine Page, both born in New York.

His Commercial Work

Many of his paintings and illustrations bore heavily romantic themes, many of which showed Edwardian couples courting, often with animals or in pastoral backdrops. Women it seems, however, were Clarence’s favorite subject matter. Whether this was due to commissions by publications or his own choosing, is not entirely clear, but it is rare to find any of his popular work devoid of the female figure.

Probably his most well-known accomplishment in the commercial field was his creation of the “Palmolive Girl,” a type of beauty girl that became popular throughout the country. Underwood was also credited for being the first to show women smoking in advertisements, when he painted model Suzanne Talbot, and supposedly coined the famous ad slogan, "I'd walk a mile for a Camel."

The Great War

As World War 1 effects loomed ever closer to the United States, Clarence, like many of his fellow illustrators, produced an ever-increasing number of propaganda material meant to arouse sympathy for those fighting the Germans and eventually to foster support of the country's entry into the Great War. In the years immediately before American involvement, Clarence’s work included magazine covers encouraging women’s participation in the Preparedness Movement, anti-German illustrations for short fiction articles, and even the cover art for the J. Stewart Barney novel, L.P.M. The End of the Great War (Putman, 1915), a tale in which a scientist aims to end the War early by means of a startling invention.

After the U.S. declared war, Clarence worked directly for the War Department and the Red Cross, and his material naturally became more overt in supporting the war effort. He illustrated a Marine Corps recruiting poster, and innumerable pro-war, public service advertisements. Clarence's most recognized poster is likely, "Back Our Girls Over There," (1918) which called upon citizens to donate money to the Young Women's Christian Association in support of women serving overseas.

Death

Underwood in his NY studio

Clarence was a well-respected member of the Society of Illustrators in New York City while also holding a regular staff position at the New York Press. No doubt because of its proximity to his many clients, he maintained a permanent studio in Manhattan up until his death. It was in his studio that Clarence collapsed and later died on June 11, 1929, at Flowers Hospital. His obituary would run in papers across the country. He was 58. His wife Katherine would pass away nearly one year later, on April 12, 1930, in Stamford, Connecticut, at the age of 47.

Find more of Underwood's work on our Pinterest page where we have a dedicated board.

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John Heisman - Football Legend from Titusville

2017-03-12T10:00:00.000-04:00

Coach John Heisman (center) with his 1909 Georgia Tech team.

The name Heisman has become synonymous with the best in college football, however it is often forgotten that the man behind the trophy found his start right here in Crawford County. John Heisman grew up during the 1870s and 80s in Titusville, PA during the height of the oil boom. The family had originally settled in Cleveland, Ohio, but soon after John was born moved to Titusville to allow Heisman’s father, a cooper, to seek work thanks to the high demand for barrels the oil boom provided. Heisman attended Titusville High School, and graduated a member of the class of 1887 at the age of 17, before attending Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania to study law.

Early Years

Heisman's now famous pose

Football came to Titusville in 1884, and it was then that Heisman was first introduced to the game. There is little surviving information about the beginnings of the football team in Titusville, other than Heisman’s later recollections. From the very beginning, he devoted himself to learning the game, but actual play at this early stage was little more than organized roughhousing. He played on the same field that now houses Carter Field in Titusville where the high school football team plays today.

College

After his early interactions with football, he developed a love of the game that followed him to Brown, playing both football and baseball while studying there. After three years at Brown, the school temporarily discontinued their football program, prompting him to transfer to the University of Pennsylvania. However, when an accident left him with impaired eyesight and an end his prospective law career, he turned to coaching football.

Coaching Career

Coach Heisman (back row) with Clemson 1903

Undeniably talented as a coach, he led the vast majority of teams he coached to great success. Heisman started as the first head coach for Oberlin College (1892, 1894). From this beginning he moved to a number of different schools, coaching at Auburn (1895-99), Clemson (1900-03), Georgia Tech (1904-19), University of Pennsylvania (1920-22), Washington and Jefferson (1923), and Rice (1924-27). At every stop, Heisman gained a reputation for his discipline and unorthodox means for gaining whatever edges he could over opponents.

During his time at Georgia Tech his coaching career reached a new height as he led the team to an astounding three undefeated seasons in 1915, 1916, and 1917 which would be the year the team would be recognized as National Champs. His incredible coaching career would last another decade until 1927 when he retired at the age of 60. He was indeed legendary, but that was just one segment of all that Heisman brought to football as a sport.

Heisman coached college football's largest defeat, 222 - 0 over Cumberland

Heisman essentially revolutionized the game, and in many ways is a huge part of the reason we have the modern game of football that we know and love. It was Heisman who invented the forward pass, divided the game into quarters, and developed the “hike” vocal command used by quarterbacks among a number of other innovations to game play. While he retired from coaching, that was certainly not the end of his football career, as he continued to have a tremendous impact on the sport for years to come.

Retirement

Heisman in 1925

Heisman spent much of his retirement working to organize the Downtown Athletic Club in New York City, even becoming its first director. He also developed their touchdown club after visits to other similar athletic organizations.

It was during his time with the athletic club that the modern day Heisman trophy got its start. It was to be awarded to the best college football player in the United States east of the Mississippi river.

After Heisman’s death the trophy was renamed in his honor, and changed to allow players from across the country to be considered. Heisman’s humble beginnings in Crawford County served him well as he went on to leave his impressive mark on football, creating a legacy of hard work and passion for the sport.

Over the course of his football college coaching career, Heisman compiled a record of 187-70-18. He would be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.

Heisman at Georgia Tech, 1917

Sources

DiMatteo, Adrienne. “John William Heisman.” Pennsylvania Center for the Book Penn State. pabook2.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Heisman_John.

Weber, David. “The John Heisman Story: ‘Father of the Forward Pass,’ Titusville’s most noted sports figure.” The Titusville Herald. titusvilleherald.com/sports/article.

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The Magnificent McHenry House Part 2 - Departures and Demises

2017-03-05T09:24:00.001-05:00

A & GW Depot with McHenry House to the left in 1869

As with most establishments in the hospitality industry, success could not have been attained without competent management. The same holds true for the McHenry House, which appears to owe much of its heralded reputation to Superintendent, R. M. N. Taylor. (Mentioned in Part 1 of this series) Taylor had previously managed the Angier House in Cleveland, Ohio before being recruited away to Meadville. Given the accolades he would earn during his tenure at the McHenry, it proved to be a fortuitous move for all parties.

Under Taylor’s direction, the McHenry House more than delivered on its heralded reputation, and Taylor himself earned the respect of the city’s residents. Aside from the exceptional level of service Taylor provided, both he and his wife were cited for the care they provided to hundreds of “sick and destitute soldiers of the War of Rebellion.” One reporter later went so far as to say of the Taylors, “the exit of such character from our community is a public misfortune.”

Meadville, being no stranger to misfortune, would have to endure another when Taylor announced he would be returning to manage the Angier House, now fully remodeled and renamed the Kennard House after its owner, engineer Henry Kennard. While the departure was announced in December of 1865, Taylor and his wife would be on hand in April of 1866 to receive a gift of appreciation from the people of Meadville, an inscribed silver vase worth $800 and specially ordered from one of the country's top jewelers at the time, Messrs, Ball, Black, and Co. of New York City.

The sentiment touched Taylor who would respond by saying:

"It may be expected that I should say something in reply but this is so unexpected and at the same time so gratifying that I assure you we have no words to express properly our acknowledgement. We are indeed overwhelmed by the mark of confidence and esteem. We can never outlive the remembrance of this occasion, and can only say--we thank you."

John Wilkes Booth

Taylor also played a part in one of the McHenry House’s more peculiar tales, this one involving the assassin, John Wilkes Booth. Booth’s presence in Meadville would have been by no means an oddity. In early 1864, Booth, along with partners from Cleveland, formed the Dramatic Oil Company and purchased land near Franklin in the hopes of striking it rich. While the venture would ultimately prove to be a failure, Booth made several trips to the area from January to September which included confirmed stays at the McHenry House on June 10^th and 20^th.

Not much was made of Booth’s activities until his assassination of President Lincoln in April 1865, after which nearly every rumor and encounter fueled an unending string of sensationalized tales, making it difficult to sort fact from fiction. On April 25^th, the Crawford Democrat relayed the tale told by, “a prominent citizen of Pittsburgh, Mr. Duncun, who alleged that Booth had stayed at the McHenry on June 4^th and left a chilling prophesy for future guests to read using a diamond ring.

Etched in the window of room 22, read the words,

Abe Lincoln Departed This Life August 13th, 1864 By The Effects of Poison.

A maid noticed the message the following morning, but little attention was given to it at the time. Days after Lincoln’s murder, however, Talyor removed the pane and sent it, framed with a black velvet backing and Booth’s signature from the register, to James McHenry’s daughter in Philadelphia, Mary McHenry. In 1880, Mary passed the memento on to the Judge Advocate General in Washington DC along with an explanation of the circumstance behind its origin. In time, the dubious artifact would end up on display next to Booth’s pistol and fatal bullet at Ford’s Theater.

The inscription on the window

The truth of Booth’s culpability regarding the window has never been substantiated, leaving the matter open for speculation. A comparison of Booth’s handwriting and that on the window was deemed a consistent match, while the mention of poison merits credibility with many given Booth’s close association with David Herold, a druggist's clerk with easy access to such means. A previous attempt to kill the President using poison can further be supported based on a letter by one of the conspirators referencing how “the cup had failed us and could again.”

On the other hand, Booth’s alleged stays at the McHenry both on June 4^th or in August have been proven false. In a written statement to Secretary of War, Edward Stanton, the McHenry House cashier, S.D. Page, testifies to Booth’s presence on only June 10^th and 29^th, not the 4^th, and furthermore, he asserts that Booth had never been assigned to room 22 on any occasion. As far as Booth’s whereabouts during August, records show Booth to be in New York City, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, all well beyond a stay at the McHenry or anywhere close by.

If not Booth, who then scratched such a message? Page, in his statement, mentions the names of the room’s occupants on that day in August and offers to provide Stanton with a list of all guests registered to room 22 throughout the summer. He further dismisses the notion of conspiracy, attributing it instead to drunkenness. Someone did eventually claim they and a companion were behind scratching the death wish for the President, a not uncommon sentiment in light of the county’s overall disdain for Lincoln. Even so, the confession was never proven to true.

Fire and Demise

A McHenry House chair at the Baldwin Reynolds

The rising number of travelers following the Civil War combined with the McHenry House’s success, demanded expansion, and a new, three-story wing measuring 125 x 30 feet was constructed in December of 1865 just in time for Taylor’s return to Cleveland. The popular manager’s departure at the height of the McHenry House’s popularity seemed an odd contrast of circumstances, and may have been an indicator of the hotel’s future.

An advertisement from January 1876 heralds the first-class accommodations and steam-heated rooms offered by the McHenry House, now under the management of A.J. Dobbins. Two months later the McHenry closed, with Dobbins named as the culprit for failing to pay expenses, and management was passed to John Harding. Any success by Harding was short lived. On a Saturday morning in May, a kitchen fire caused by a faulty chimney destroyed a portion of the McHenry.

Insurance coverage proved sufficient to repair the hotel’s damage, and by February 1877, a newspaper ad announced that, in response to the large public demand, the McHenry had re-opened under the direction of Col. John M. Clark. It seems, however, that Clark’s oversight failed in changing the hotel’s declining course when, less than three years later, the doors were closed for good in December of 1880. The following spring, the New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio Railroad gutted and dismantled the McHenry House and its landscaped grounds to make way for a new railway station.

Conclusion

The magnificence of the A & GW Depot and adjoining McHenry House, along with many other important structures before and after in our local history, demonstrates the area’s success and significance beyond the borders of our and county, our state, and even our country. While the demands of progress and the forces of natural decay make it impossible to save every one of these buildings, preserving the memory of their existence serves as evidence of what our community is capable of.

Miss Part 1 of this series? Go Here.

Sources

Published Works

Stewart, Anne. Moore, William. Images of America: Meadville, Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC. 2001
Ilisevich, Robert. Remembering Crawford County, Pennsylvania's Last Frontier. The History Press. Charleston, SC. 2008
Reynolds, William. (editors) Gifford, Peter. Ilisevich, Robert. European Capital, British Iron, and American Dream: The Story of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad. University of Akron Press, Akron, OH. 2002
Reynolds, John Earle. In French Creek Valley. The Tribune Publishing Company, Meadville, PA. 1938
Miller, Ernest C. John Wilkes Booth, Oilman. Exposition Press, New York, NY. 1947

Newspapers
Cleveland Daily Leader, 1863 - 1866
The Crawford Democrat, 1863 - 1865
New York Tribune, 1864
Democrat and Chronicle, 1880
Pittsburgh Daily Post, 1879
Syracuse Daily Courier and Union, 1865
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1864
The Record Argus, 1876 - 1881
Western Reserve Chronicle, 1866

About the Author

Ron Mattocks was born and raised in Guys Mills, Pennsylvania. Following high school he joined the Army to see the world (which he did) before a career as a construction executive in Texas. Eventually Ron switched to Internet marketing, consulting for companies such as GMC, ConAgra, Mattel, and others. During this time he also began writing regularly for the Huffington Post, Disney's Babble, and the TODAY Show. On a summer visit to Conneaut Lake Park, Ron became suddenly fascinated with the park's origins, a fascination that lead to a passion for the county's extensive history. Today Ron is the VP of Digital Strategy Development with an agency in Indiana where he lives with his three sons. He graduated from St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas with a degree in English Literature, and is a member of both the Crawford County and Conneaut Lake Area Historical Societies.

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The Magnificent McHenry House Part 1: A City Arrives

2017-02-26T12:05:00.001-05:00

A crowd gathered to greet one of the inaugural A & GW trains. Note the Depot in the background.

As time progresses forward it becomes increasingly difficult to imagine the grand structures that once dominated the landscapes of our community. While a long list of such buildings could be compiled for Crawford County, few would compare to the magnitude and grandeur of the McHenry House and the adjoining depot of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad in Meadville.

The McHenry House was a premier dining hall and hotel, named in honor of James McHenry, Esquire, the London financial agent sent in 1859 to ensure the successful construction of the Atlantic and Great Western (A & GW) Railroad. McHenry couldn’t have imagined the challenges that awaited him, but even so, he managed to secure needed resources, albeit controversially, despite labor shortages, political infighting, and the Civil War.

The Railroad Comes to Town

On October 28, 1862, the tracks of the A & GW reached Meadville; a month later the first passenger train arrived to great fanfare. The crowd of onlookers was so large the train was forced to stop at Race Street until the tracks could cleared. But the curious crowd wasn’t the only thing waiting to greet passengers, who were immediately awed as their train was swallowed whole by the depot’s full-length awning, covering the entirety of the tracks.

The McHenry House extending off the west side of the Depot

In its entirety, the Meadville Depot extended from Center to Chestnut Streets. Officially it was listed as 327 feet long and 127 feet wide, encompassing and area of 41,520 square feet of space. Inside the depot, aside from ticketing stations and passenger waiting areas, were well-lit offices, tenements for employees, and large machine shops. Impressive in its own right, the Depot still did not account for the splendor of the McHenry House which adjoined the Depot on the western side.

During that period, railroad dinning cars were a rarity, meaning trains needed to account for stops along the route to allow passengers a chance to eat and refresh themselves before embarking on the next leg of their trip. This, then, was the main purpose of the McHenry House. It is unclear as to whom the credit for the McHenry’s House should be attributed, but given that A & GW board president, William Reynolds resided in Meadville, it is logical to believe he was a proponent of its construction given all the potential upside for the community.

Whatever the case, the McHenry House did indeed put Meadville on the map not only literally, but also in terms of luxury and style on par with only New York City. Such grandeur may have been the plan from the start as the officers of the A & GW instructed the McHenry House’s Superintendent, R. M. N. Taylor, Esquire, to spare no expense in making it the finest dining hall in all the West. Taylor did just that.

Guests enjoyed beautifully decorated rooms and could step out onto the ten-foot balcony porches to a view of neatly arranged flower beds and ornamental shrubbery accenting the structure’s exterior. Inside, hungry passengers were immediately taken aback by the cavernous, two-story banquet hall with seating for 600, its stained-glass windows, dark walnut finish, and a cuisine that matched such splendor.

As one passenger described it in the February 9^th, 1864 Crawford Democrat:

“Arriving at Meadville you are conducted into the splendid dining-hall, which but for the numerous tables loaded with good things, would remind you of some Gothic church, with the open roof and chancel in the [center]… I comprehend why passengers are allowed fifteen minutes beyond the time for refreshments—there is a feast for the eyes, which are [scarcely] satisfied when the stomach is full.”

The Dinning Hall at the McHenry House

Taylor’s menu routinely comprised of 4 types of cold meats, 6 varieties of game meat, 5 entrees, 5 roasts, 8 relishes, 5 pastries, and 8 desserts. Such a fine spread earned comparisons with establishments in New York City. Famed newspaper editor, Horace Greeley took such claims a step further in a January 19^th, 1864 expose of the A & GW in the New York Tribune:

“At Meadville is the great Hotel and Dining Hall of the road—the Dining Hall among the best in America. …Meadville, formerly one of the most secluded and out-of-the-way county seats in the West, is henceforth as accessible and eligibly located as any town in Pennsylvania west of Pittsburg[h]. It was always a beautiful spot, situated in a fertile and delightful region. Henceforth, its trade must be large and its growth rapid.”

This quite literally was William Reynolds’ intent in building a railroad through Meadville, and the notoriety of the McHenry House aided in that pursuit. Despite whatever differences Reynolds may have had with McHenry and the English contingent, he still recognized McHenry’s crucial influence in making the railroad a reality.

Celebrating McHenry

In early September 1864, a grand ovation was thrown at the McHenry House both in James McHenry’s honor and to celebrate line’s completion to St. Louis, Missouri. The already manicured gardens and grounds were decorated with miniature flags and ornamental wreaths for the event. At the top of the building, the flags representing the countries of the A & GW’s biggest investors, England, and Spain were flown along with the U.S. flag, while a large sign at the south entrance greeted the guest of honor with “Welcome McHenry” in large letters.

The Depot decorated to receive McHenry and the European dignitaries

The forces of nature, however, would delay the event after strong storms washed out bridges east of Corning, New York, forcing the European guests of honor to wait for a special train to continue their journey to Meadville. Upon their eventual arrival, Reynolds and other town officials greeted McHenry at the train and escorted him to the dining hall for a large feast followed by a firework display later that evening. The moment, however, likely meant more to Reynolds than it did anyone. It was his vision and persistence that prevailed despite a number of difficulties, not the least of which was the ongoing friction between him and these same European partners.

Soon after work had started on the rail line, Reynolds accused McHenry of seriously mismanaging the company’s finances, a fact evidenced through the ignoring regular audits and later, failing to account for $4 million in expenditures. This, while at the same time, having to constantly prod English engineer, Thomas Kennard, to keep up with the construction schedule while withstanding the pressure of Jose de Salamanca, Spain’s principal investor, to make up for delays.

William Reynolds

Reynolds' feelings seem apparent in the cordial yet tepid tone by which he introduced McHenry and the European contingent that evening. In the end, however, his objective had been met, and whether the McHenry House had been named so out of obligatory courtesy or the insistence of the European contingent is unknown. To the residents of Meadville, such turbulent political undercurrents were irrelevant in comparison to the resulting prosperity the railroad brought to the area.

A report in The Crawford Democrat best summed up the community’s sentiment.

“This great road, one of the most wonderful and successful enterprises of modern times is of course the great feature of Meadville. To it Meadville owes its recent life and bustle, its influx of population, business and riches. Its big depot, its huge machine shops, its numberless tenement houses for its employees, and last but not least, its magnificent hotel, the McHenry House, are the most prominent and important building in the city.”

Indeed, the McHenry House and depot were more than a mere building. Meadville was now recognized as the most important stop along the A & GW line, and as the Cleveland Daily Leader remarked, “few inland towns [have] so steady and substantial trade,” as Meadville. Such economic stability was further buoyed by its increasing population which surged from 3,000 to over 5,000 in only a few short years, a period referred to as the “material second growth” of Meadville.

COMING NEXT - The Magnificent McHenry House Part 2: Departures and Demise
The future of the McHenry House would flourish under the direction of a beloved manager, and it would become a source of speculation in the wake of a president's assassination. Read it Here.

Sources:

Published Works
Stewart, Anne. Moore, William. Images of America: Meadville, Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC. 2001
Ilisevich, Robert. Remembering Crawford County, Pennsylvania's Last Frontier. The History Press. Charleston, SC. 2008
Reynolds, William. (editors) Gifford, Peter. Ilisevich, Robert. European Capital, British Iron, and American Dream: The Story of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad. University of Akron Press, Akron, OH. 2002
Reynolds, John Earle. In French Creek Valley. The Tribune Publishing Company, Meadville, PA. 1938
Miller, Ernest C. John Wilkes Booth, Oilman. Exposition Press, New York, NY. 1947

About the Author

Ron Mattocks was born and raised in Guys Mills, Pennsylvania. Following high school he joined the Army to see the world (which he did) before a career as a construction executive in Texas. Eventually Ron switched to Internet marketing, consulting for companies such as GMC, ConAgra, Mattel, and others. During this time he also began writing regularly for the Huffington Post, Disney's Babble, and the TODAY Show. On a summer visit to Conneaut Lake Park, Ron became suddenly fascinated with the park's origins, a fascination that lead to a passion for the county's extensive history. Today Ron is the VP of Digital Strategy Development with an agency in Indiana where he lives with his three sons. He graduated from St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas with a degree in English Literature, and is a member of both the Crawford County and Conneaut Lake Area Historical Societies.

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Famous Allegheny - Big Names from a Small School

2017-02-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

Bentley Hall, Allegheny College

Nestled away at the top of the hill overlooking Meadville, Pennsylvania is Allegheny College which holds the title of 32nd oldest in the United States, having just celebrated it’s 200 th birthday in 2015. The college came into being when Timothy Alden, a Harvard graduate, traveled to Meadville with hopes of founding an institution of higher education. He, along with other gentlemen of the town, took on the momentous effort of securing the school’s first trustees and petitioning the state for a charter for their institution. Alden would become the first president, as well as professor of Oriental Languages and Ecclesiastical History. The first freshman class was admitted on July 4, 1816, although at this point the college only really existed in name, as there was no set building for another four years. Bentley Hall, the school’s oldest and most iconic building, was not built until 1820. By this time, a number of major contributions had been made to the school allowing the project to be possible, including a generous land grant by Samuel Lord Esq. (part of the original estate connected to the Baldwin-Reynolds House Museum). From these humble beginnings came a school that soon flourished and served to educate a number famous faces from the last two centuries.

Ida Tarbell

Ida Tarbell in her study

One of the most famous of these students is Ida Tarbell, renowned for her hard hitting, muckraking, journalism that brought about the fall of John D. Rockefeller’s monopoly through her work The History of the Standard Oil Company, published in 1904. She matriculated in 1876, and spent the next four years devoted to the study of the sciences and history. She graduated from Allegheny College in 1880- the only female member of her class. She began her national career at McClure’s Magazine in 1894. It was at McClure’s that she was first exposed to the style of writing that would later be characterized as her famous “muckraking”. To this day Tarbell is admired for the thoroughness of her work, and dedication to her craft, which earned her immense respect in the journalistic community during her lifetime. She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2000.

William McKinley

McKinley as a Civil War officer

William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States, briefly studied at Allegheny College. There is some debate over the dates he attended, being either 1859-1860 or 1860-1861. He was generally regarded as a good student, but didn’t return to school and enlisted in June 1861 after the outbreak of the Civil War. The College later awarded him an honorary Doctor of Law degree. Despite the short time he attended Allegheny, one of the greatest college legends, living on today, comes from his time at the school. It is said McKinley and his roommate led a cow to the top of the bell tower of Bentley Hall. Some even say attribute this incident to the reason his stay here was so short, claiming he was dismissed after this prank. However, no record exists of any such prank or punishment, just the persistent rumor of his college antics.

Clarence Darrow

Clarence Darrow, the famed lawyer who faced William Jennings Bryan during the Scopes Trial, also attended Allegheny College. Arguably one of the most famous trials in the history of the United States, Darrow defended John Scopes and his right to teach evolution in the classroom. Darrow had long since made his name as a lawyer willing to take on radical and unconventional cases, this one being was no exception. He attended Allegheny College in the 1870s but did not graduate from the school.

Ben Burtt

Ben Burtt with R2-D2

Allegheny continues to educate national notables, including Ben Burrt a four-time academy award winner for his work in sound editing. He graduated from the college in 1970 after obtaining a degree in Physics. A favorite among students today, he won an Academy Award for his work on “Star Wars.” Other notable contributions to film include his work on “E.T.”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, and even “WALL-E.” He received an honorary degree from the College in 2004 and made a trip back in 2014 to speak about his experiences with faculty and students.

Raymond P. Shafer

Gov. Shafer with Ronald Reagan

Finally, no Allegheny history would be complete without Pennsylvania Governor, Raymond P. Shafer. Shafer excelled at Allegheny College, where he studied history and political science, was an avid athlete in basketball, soccer, and track and field, and was his class president all four years. Shafer later became student body president and a member of the Penn Beta chapter of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. He was a long time trustee of the college and would serve as college president from 1985-86. Shafer spent his life serving in the public interest as District Attorney and even served as Governor from 1967-1971. He was awarded an honorary degree from Allegheny, and his legacy is honored through the naming of Shafer auditorium on campus.

Sources

“Clarence Darrow Digital Collection.” University of Minnesota – Law Library. 2016.
“Ida Tarbell.” National Women’s Hall of Fame. 2000.
Larson, Edward. Summer for the Gods. New York: Basic Books, 1997.
Long, Katelynn. “Ben Burtt Brings the Force to Him.” The Campus. 2014.
“Raymond P. Shafer: 1917-2006.” Allegheny Magazine.
Smith, Ernest. Allegheny – A Century of Education. Meadville: Allegheny College History Company.
“William McKinley.” The White House.
"William McKinley at Allegheny College.” Allegheny College.

About the Author

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Healing and Luxury: A History of the Saegertown Inn

2017-01-22T12:44:00.001-05:00

Front view of the Saegertown Inn with French Creek along left side.

With the overwhelming interest in photographs of the Saegertown Inn recently posted on the Crawford County Historical Society's social media pages, what better time to "get away from it all" for a while and discuss the history of this grand hotel and vacation venue.

Of Water and Hotels

The Saegertown Inn, originally named the Eureka Springs Hotel and Sanitarium, was built in 1888 as an accessory to the Eureka Springs Bottling Works. Owned by the Benner family, the bottling works and hotel were intended to create the ideal vacation spot- both therapeutic mineral waters for healing and revitalization and elegant full service accommodations for those taking advantage of these "treatments."

In 1885, the Benner's begin including an anonymously written poem in their pamphlets and advertising. It reads:

"Eureka! Yes 'tis true we found it-
Life's elixir let us sound it, to the world that all may try it, and be relieved from suffering by it. It will cure dyspepsia, salt rheum, sick headache, and constipation, neuralgia, rheumatism, gout, and ills accomp'ing these throughout. All these we have name, all skin diseases just the same, yield to this water, we're assured by the scores of people who've been cured."

New Ownership and Expansion

In 1898, father and son duo Horace and Frank Fox purchased the Eureka from the Benners for $20,000, renaming it the Saegertown Inn. The entrance was located on the opposite side of and behind the current PNC Bank on Erie Street in Saegertown and the property, with both land and French Creek access, filled the entire block up to and including the current location of St Bernadette's R.C. Church. The inn offered 90 bedrooms, a formal dining room, sun porches, boat docks, and more. It was built to rival any resort hotel of its day, with local tradition even claiming John D. Rockefeller spent time at the Inn while visiting nearby Meadville.

1907 Postcard of Saegertown Inn

The Fox's turned a classy, yet local establishment into a resort known throughout the eastern United States. When father and son decided the need arose for local golfing facilities to entertain their guests, a dinner was held at the Inn to discuss the possibility of a country club for golf and polo. Their recommendation created the Meadville Country Club, organized shortly after by a meeting at the Chamber of Commerce on June 16, 1905. The club still operates today.

This ad, from the April 1906 edition of "The Chautauquan" magazine, is an excellent example of what

one would find picking up newspapers or magazines from Washington, D.C. to New England.

Upon his father's death in 1907 and his mother's in 1909, Frank Fox ran the thriving hotel until his own death in 1919. The mineral springs were renamed after Horace's death to be called Frank M. Fox and Company. Upon Frank's death, his wife maintained the business for a time, remarrying and running the operation with her new husband before it eventually changed hands and faced a steady decline as the appeal of its "healing waters" faded.

The Saegertown Inn and French Creek were made for each other.
The inn created a dock and boat use area for guests for relaxation and enjoying the scenery.

Demise

After the Fox family, the Inn was sold and partially demolished in 1934. The remainder of the Inn was razed in 1949, ending the era of big hotels in Saegertown.

More Photographs of the Inn

Grand Entrance

The grand entrance court at the Inn covered most of a city block.
This two-story structure gave every room access to the open court or the grounds.

Winter View of the Inn

This turn of the century view of the Saegertown Inn is looking towards the Grand Entrance and Courtyard from Erie Street. The photographer would be standing approximately where the houses behind PNC Bank are located today, shooting the photo from across the street.

Courtyard with Octagonal Garden

This attractive octagonal garden was one of the first views taken in by guests to the hotel.
The base of this structure still survives today and was recently found when a local resident was digging on their property.

Living Room

Large, homey, and guest friendly, the living room featured a huge fireplace and seating for chatting with new friends. The infamous sign above the fireplace read, "I am an old man and I've had many troubles, but most of them never happened."

Formal Dining Room

The formal dining room at the Saegertown Inn hosted the Meadville High School class of 1912 on January 12, 1912, with 75 students present. This gracious space served guests and community alike, with private dining rooms were also available for guests.

"Spring Room"

The famous DeProfundis Springs, located inside the spring room, flowed into a beautiful fountain along one wall.
The water from the spring was served throughout the inn.

Sun Room

The Sun Parlor was an inviting room for guests to enjoy, especially in the winter months.
Activities could take place here for guests, or just lounging in the wicker chairs enjoying the sunlight.

Bobsledding

The Saegertown Inn as the host to a bobsledding outing in roughly 1907.

Sources

Advertisement for Saegertown Inn. The Chautauquan, April 1906.

Saegertown Beverages. "The History and Growth of Saegertown Beverages." Accessed January 19, 2017. http://saegertownbeverages.com/history.html.

Sherretts, Joshua F. Around Saegertown. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub., 2007.

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About the Author

Joshua Sherretts is President of the Board of Directors at the Crawford County Historical Society and Executive Director at the Baldwin-Reynolds House Museum. A lifelong resident of the area, Joshua is also the author of Around Saegertown and co-author of Oil Boom Architecture: Titusville, Pithole, and Petroleum Center. His other writings can be found in the Meadville Tribune, GoCrawfordCounty.com and Erie Times. In addition to his duties at the museum and historical society, Joshua is the Finance Director at the Meadville-Western Crawford County Chamber of Commerce and involved with a number of community organizations dedicated to preserving and improving the local area. He is a graduate of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania where he earned degrees in History and Secondary Education. Joshua lives with his wife in Meadville.

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Mary Jane Tryon’s Intriguing Quilt

2017-01-14T11:45:00.001-05:00

Mary Jane Tryon

Somewhere in the 1840's, Mary Jane Tryon made a quilt. As she sat piecing together the small, intricate blocks, she could never have imagined the impact her quilt would have 168 years later.

Mary Jane Tryon married late in life, she was 27. She married Warner Waid, had two little girls and was dead by 36. She rests peacefully in the Waid family plot in the little cemetery in Tryonville. Her husband lived another nine years, leaving their two daughters, Christina and Alice, to be raised by maiden aunts. While this is an interesting bit of family history, our tale doesn't start here. It does not begin until 2008.

Meadville is a quaint town nestled among the rolling hills of Pennsylvania. Like most of Pennsylvania, it has long historical roots that date back to early settlements in the 1700's. The Crawford County Historical Society takes an active role in the community, part of which is preserving and protecting one of its most valuable assets, the Baldwin Reynolds House Museum. This three-story, 23 room mansion was built in 1843 by US Supreme Court Justice, Henry Baldwin. Our story starts in a closet within this stately home.

In 1986 a quilt was found, rolled up in the deep recesses of a bedroom closet during an inventory of the house. Inside the quilt was a photo of a young woman, its maker, Mary Jane Tryon. The quilt was interesting. Made entirely of 3" blocks, each executed in a pieced basket with appliquéd handle and constructed from pinks and madders scraps.

However, the really unique aspect was its orientation. Two thirds of the quilt blocks went one direction while the other third went another. The quilt was appropriately placed with the museum's quilt collection. Except for a weekend furlough in 1992 when it was presented with the rest of the collection at a show it resumed its quiet rest for another 22 years.

In February of 2008, a small, fledgling group, the NW Pennsylvania Quilt Study Group, decided it was time to expand beyond its current contingency of three members. They printed up some flyers and left them at quilt shops announcing their next meeting. My friend Jill and I decided to attend that meeting. It was held at a local quilt shop that was displaying a collection of antique quilts made by the owner's aunt. The plan was for the group to study each quilt and then the following weekend conduct two "bed turnings" for the public. The quilts would be stacked on a large table and then each would be discussed and then "turned" to display the next. Peg Weymer, antique quilt dealer and textile curator for the Baldwin Reynolds House would assist with the discussion. It was a perfect moment. Quilts and quilters surrounded by enormous amounts of fabric. What could be better?

The Tryon Quilt

The bed turning was a huge success and afterwards Peg remarked that the Baldwin Reynolds House would love to do a quilt show of their collection of quilts and would the group be willing to assist? A date was set for everyone to meet at the museum and bring out the collection to begin the planning process. The museum was still closed for the season and the quiet made the house seem more like a home rather than open to public domain.

The quilts are housed upstairs in a huge closet sandwiched between two bedrooms in archival boxes. Peg gingerly pulled each box from their dark sanctuary and brought it to one of the beds. As the tissue covering each was turned back revealing the boxes occupant, the quilt seemed to come alive. Gloved hands gently unfolded each and spread it across the bed. Every quilt had a distinct personality and character permeated into it by their maker which was instantly channeled through mere touch. All the women soon had their own favorites until the last box was opened. Out came the Mary Jane Tryon quilt. It spread across the bed in a wave. Peg remarked that she thought this should be the "flagship" quilt of our show. Everyone readily agreed.

It was decided that a pattern of Mary Jane's quilt would be created and would be offered for sale for additional revenue for the historical society. I volunteered to make a raffle quilt. A number of "quilt chats" would be presented during the run of the show, and my friend, Jill volunteered to talk about Mary Jane and her quilt.

Jill needed to do research for her "chat" on Mary Jane, so it was natural to decide to travel to Tryonville where the family home is still standing and is occupied and I asked to tag along. Tryonville is a very remote small town at a crossroads in the middle of miles of bucolic countryside. The Tryon family home sits on the corner of the north/east section of the crossroads.

Mary Jane Tryon's home as it is today

Pulling up to the front of the house was like stepping back in time. A pristine white Federal style home presented itself exactly as it would have been in Mary Jane's lifetime. A three-car garage, that looked like a carriage shed, was the only sense of the modern. Tall trees shaded the corner lot interspersed among several outbuildings and interesting gardens.

Kathryn Brady, the current mistress of the manor, was gracious and helpful. Her knowledge of the Tryon family was informative. Kathryn conducted a house tour through the living quarters. Stepping into the library, a small paneled room with a fireplace, you could almost feel the former occupants passing by you as gentle wisps of cool air. It was easy to picture Mary Jane, sitting in a chair by the fire, piecing away on her basket quilt with it spread around her on the floor like a train. Did she make it for a reason? Was it for her hope chest? So many questions most would remain unanswered.

As we exited the library into the adjacent room we made a discovery. The small room was filled with the most wondrous works of art; sculptures, each crafted from wire and metal, all varying in size, making each unique and original. Their maker, Bill Brady, Jr., is the 68-year-old step son of the 83-year-old young Kathryn.

Katheryn Brady and son Bill Brady Jr.

BM Brady, Jr. is a very interesting man. Small in stature with long hair and equally long beard, his appearance is magical and he could easily have stepped from the pages of a storybook. His manner is gentle and shy. He explained that he had started out life making reproduction colonial lighting and that the sculptors were just a natural evolution of that medium for him. He remarked, if we liked these, he had more out in his garage. Jill and I were mesmerized and asked if we could see the others.

BM led the way to his shop. On the wall, on rows of shelving, were uncountable amounts of whimsical creations. The ceiling was resplendid in hanging sculptors, the next more ingenious than the last. It was an amazing experience, like finding a treasure.

It was getting dark and we still wanted to visit the Tryonville cemetery to see if they could locate Mary Jane's grave. We all piled into my Jeep and drove to the small cemetery nestled next to a stream. As we got out, Jill and Kathryn headed right towards the Tryon family plot. As I followed, something tugged at my attention and I diverted my path to a headstone which seemed to be somewhat luminous in the fading sunlight.

Mary Jane Tryon. Wife of Warren H. Waid. Born April 24, 1829 Died April 6, 1865 was faithfully inscribed on the stone. "Here she is," I called to my companions. As the twilight descended on us, we all felt a connection that was not severed by time and space.

Mary Jane Tryon's final resting place

Mary Jane Tryon came into our lives because we knew her as the maker of a quilt. We were able to connect with her in a way only quilters could identify with. She was a daughter, a wife, and a mother. She had hopes and dreams like we all do. All quilts absorb the energy of their maker. If quilts are signed or the maker is known, then the experience is so much the better. Through this scrappy basket quilt we were able to communicate with Mary Jane and for a time, she lived again through us, with us, around us.

A side bar to all of this is that I could not get Bill Brady's work out of my mind. I called the gallery director of the Stonewall Gallery which is part of the Campbell Pottery Store in Cambridge Springs, PA. and asked if she would entertain having a show of some new work. I had shot pictures of Bill's work and the director was as taken with Bill's sculptors as we were. Bill's sculptors and the watercolors of another artist opened the gallery's 2009 season in April. It was not lost on us that April was a significant month for Mary Jane, both for her birth and that of her passing. The show was a huge success for Bill Brady. Bill's work would have remained undiscovered if it were not for Mary Jane.

Months later, I was visiting Kathryn and as we walked the grounds of hers and Mary Jane's home, I commented, "If we never knew that Mary Jane had made that quilt none of this would have happened. Bill would not have had his show, we would have never known you, it was as if she was orchestrating the whole thing." Kathryn smiled sweetly and said, "Why Judith, she will always be with us. We are linked through time by a thread that is wrapped in hopes and dreams" Kathryn is so very right.

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About the author:

Judith Stoll is the Sales Coordinator at Campbell Pottery in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania. She is a board member at the Crawford County Historical Society, and actively participates in community events centered on the history of Cambridge Springs. Judith has a passionate love for the art of quilting, and she derives great happiness in sharing her passion with others in the area.

The History of "Merry Christmas" vs. "Happy Holidays" in Crawford County

2016-12-04T16:19:00.000-05:00

"Hold up there, Santa. How should we greet you?"

Not so long ago I was admonished for wishing somebody a "Happy Holiday" instead of a "Happy Thanksgiving."

"I don't celebrate 'holidays,'" the person told me. "I celebrate Thanksgiving and then I celebrate Christmas. I hate it when people like you wish me 'Happy Holidays.' It's a made-up, politically-correct phrase that you should stop using!"

After promising myself that a person like me might never bother wishing a person like that a happy anything, ever again, I got to thinking about the two phrases: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I wondered if there might be a way to track their use over time within Crawford County.

Turns out you can. Sort of.

One of the on-line research tools I use is the Newspaper Archive. It allows me to do text searches within newspapers across the world. As such, it's useful for all kinds of things, from looking up birth announcements and obituaries to figuring out more obscure information like the first time the phrase "microwave oven" was used in a newspaper (The Freeport (IL) Journal Standard, Mar 17, 1955, pg 18, col. 5, "Magazine Predicts Microwave Oven is Just Around the Corner.").

But the Newspaper Archive isn't perfect. It's database does not include all newspapers. Looking up information in Crawford County can be problematic because it contains only The Titusville Herald. Don't get me wrong, The Herald's a great source, but it can be inadequate, particularly through periods in the 1880's when Herald editors sometimes completely ignored what was happening in the rest of the county, and especially what was happening in Meadville. The lack of any other county newspapers makes the archive a crippled tool. Still, it's 'way better than nothing.

The start of our data set is 1865, when The Herald began. The end is early 2013, the last edition that's in the archive. I did separate searches for "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Holidays" through each decade and the numbers plot like this:

The vertical axis is the number of times the phrase was used. The horizontal axis is the start of each decade. Over the years, The Titusville Herald used "Merry Christmas" far more often when compared to "Happy Holidays" (3,993 v 827 times), but it's very easy to see that "Happy Holidays," in red, has grown significantly more popular over the past few decades.

The early 2000's saw the first protests over the use of "Happy Holidays." In 2005, The Catholic League announced a national boycott of Wal-Mart. Seems a customer emailed the store complaining that she was greeted with "Happy Holidays." One of the company's employees replied with a message stating that Christmas wasn't a really a Christian holiday, but instead, "a mix of world religions." The boycott was called off once Wal-Mart apologized and got rid of the employee in question.

It appears true that "Happy Holidays" is used far more often than it used to be. Does that make it "a made-up, politically-correct phrase" that people like me should stop using?

The first Crawford County use of "Happy Holidays" that I can find is in the "Brevities" section on page 2 of the December 22, 1884, Titusville Morning Herald: "Miss Lena, oldest daughter of [the] Hon. D. Emory, of this city, returned Friday evening from school at Buffalo, to spend happy holidays at home." The family was fairly well known in Titusville. Captain David Emory commanded the battery there.

"Happy Holidays" then begins cropping up in articles describing fond memories of Christmases past. In the 1950's it starts being included in end-of-the-year national-brand advertisements for items such as Camel Cigarettes and General Electric Appliances.

Bigger companies seemed to adopt "Happy Holidays" with gusto, probably because they knew that large numbers of their customers never celebrated Christmas, merry, or not. It was the banking industry that really hopped on the holiday bandwagon once they began merging into regional entities, but small businesses, like local car dealer Jeff Stroup, ran ads proclaiming "Happy Holidays!" In point of fact, either accidentally or on purpose, Mr. Stroup ran the same, exact ad for nearly 100 days in a row, thus throwing off the numbers for that decade.

So, what does all this mean? To start, "Happy Holidays" didn't begin its life as "a made-up, politically-correct phrase." Instead, it was in general use for more than a half-century before being usurped by advertisers. In Crawford County, it did come close to eclipsing newspaper use of "Merry Christmas," but it looks as if that trend is broken.

Let's step outside of the realm of newspapers, whose unfortunate decline is so eloquently illustrated by the graph above. In the digital world, a Google search of "Happy Holidays" yields more than 25-million results. "Merry Christmas" returns over 48-million hits. It's not even close.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Sources:

The Titusville Herald, Nov 12, 2005, p7, "Catholic League call off boycott of Wal-Mart."

The Titusville Herald, Jun 15, 2001, p15, advertisement, "Jeff Stroup Auto."

About the Author

Don Hilton is the second of three sons raised in Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania. After graduating from Conneaut Lake High School, he attended Thiel College, majoring in both Philosophy and Geology, and later earned a Master of Science in Geology from Kent State University. Over the course of his life, Don’s broad mix of experiences have included: passenger boat pilot, gravel pit lab technician, sweetheart, husband, post-graduate research fellow, geologist, statistician, teacher, stand-up comedian, computer support analyst, father, martial arts instructor, freelance writer, and published author. Don has published several works of local history such as Murders, Mysteries, and History of Crawford County, Pennsylvania 1800 to 1956 and Conneaut Lake Ferry Tails. His most recent book, Trumpets in the East, is a must read for any enthusiast of historical fiction. More of Don’s books and writing can be found at www.dhiltonbooks.net.

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Origins of the Crawford County Fair

2016-10-10T15:35:00.000-04:00

Ohio race horses helped bring about the county fair

With the excitement of the Crawford County Fair upon us, it’s worth taking a belated look at the origins of the what arguably is the county’s largest and most popular annual event. The fair of as we know it today is nearing 75 years of continuous operation, but in actuality, the county fair—or fairs as it turns out—traces back much farther than this, and not without a little drama along the way either.

For the Love of Horse Racing

The fair’s story begins in the 1820’s with horse racing, and one horse in particular—Zib. Zib was a particularly fast steed with a penchant for winning handily. Its owner, a Mr. Chambers, would hire the town tailor, Elipalet Betts, a onetime successful jockey on the east coast racing circuit, to ride Zib. The combination of Betts’s experience and Zib’s speed made them virtually unbeatable, and over a considerable period the pair racked up a streak of wins (and purses) before a controversial defeat in Brookville to a horse named Robin. Even so, Zib’s popularity (spurred on, no doubt, by the steady winnings of betters) had solidified the permanence of the sport’s popularity in the area.

In time wagons and sulkies were hitched to racers, giving birth to the harness racing, and Crawford County’s trotters (not to be confused with pacers) dominated the regional scene until the earl 1850’s when the horses of eastern Ohio seemed to take over. This did not sit well with local owners, who agreed the answer was to improve the quality of their breeds. To this end several initiatives were suggested including the formation of an agricultural exposition for owners to show off their stock for judging.

The County’s First Fair

In 1852 the Crawford County Agricultural Society, established in Conneautville, organized the county’s first fair. For its location, the Society selected a spot on the borough’s south side between Prospect and Mill Streets (today RT 198 and RT 18) known as Lowry’s Grove. Here barns and concession stands were constructed on the high ground where visitors could either watch races taking place at the track built on the lower ground or enjoy a picnic along the banks of nearby Wormald’s Pond.

The site of Crawford County's first fair south of Conneautville can be seen in the lower corner in this 1865 map

The dates of subsequent fairs varied between mid-September and mid-October, but they all featured premiums paid to winners in a variety of categories. Women’s entries included quilts, needlework, millinery, rugs, dressmaking (to include drawers and chemises!), cheese, butter, and houseplants. Men could win for cabinet making, implement making and design, hide tanning, milling, plowing, team driving (horse, ox, and mule), leather products, and livestock of which, horses for carriages, riding, and field work took prominence.

The Home Show building at the Conneautville Fair

The fair’s success and popularity naturally lead to its continued growth. For the 1857 season, 430 head of cattle and 510 horses were recorded for entry in various related categories, and in the years to follow thousands would attend the three-day spectacle. In 1887 the property lease expired, and the Agricultural Society moved all the buildings to a location in Spring Township north of Conneautville where the event continued without fail for over a decade. However, in 1898, the Agricultural Society announced it would be going out of business, and responsibility for the fair would be transferred to a Stock Company who maintained continuity of the event with an exhibition in 1899. It would be Conneautville’s last until 1931. Heavily in debt, the owners sold the fair’s property to the Shenango Valley Holiness Association, who would use the grounds and its buildings for a camp retreat.

The County’s Second Fair

While the horse breeders and owners agreed on the idea of a fair, those from Meadville were not exactly thrilled with the Crawford County Agricultural Society’s initiative in establishing the first fair. That the men of Conneautville had gone so far as to represent themselves as the county’s official agricultural organization, chaffed at the dignity (and pocketbooks) of the county seat’s prominent citizens all the more. This did not, however, preclude their participation, tepid though it may have been, in the annual event.

Then in 1856, the Crawford County Agricultural Association was formed in Meadville. Among its top priorities—the organization of its own fair. Initially, members of the fair committee intended to select a spot east of the Theological School at the head of Arch Street for the location, but later settled on Meadville Island, an area at the foot of Chestnut Street across what was then a large tributary of French Creek that flowed roughly parallel to Water Street.

The 16 acres of land, all enclosed with a board fence, was large enough to accommodate numerous concessions, stables, and exhibition buildings, along with a racing track. Over the course of October 7^th through the 9^th, several thousand people, it was reported, crossed the bridge from Chestnut Street to take in the fair’s exhibits, livestock, and horse racing.

The Railroad occupied the spot of the Meadville fair by 1865, but it can still be seen at the end of Chestnut St.

The fair proved to be a huge success and continued on Meadville Island for the next seven years. When the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad’s purchased Meadvillle Island to construct their railyard in, the fair relocated to Kerrtown in 1863 along a flat parcel of land between what is today, PENDOT and Ainsworth Pet Nutrition. However, as patronage declined in the five years that followed, it became apparent how much location factored into the equation, and the fair was again moved, this time to 40 acres in Vallonia (today Fifth Ward).

Vallonia proved to be no better at attracting crowds, and the fair disbanded after 1871. Future fairs were a hit or miss proposition. In 1873 the Farmers’ and Stock Breeders’ Association organized the event until it fell apart again 3 years later. The Crawford County Central Agricultural Association tried to revive the fair in 1879, but their efforts were only able to keep it alive for two years. After this fairs in Vallonia lapsed entirely, and it is doubtful fairs would have been held there in the future were it not for the popularity of the horse racing track which continued until the American Viscoes Company bought the area for a plant in 1929.

Friction Among County Fairs

Some fairs like the one in Titusville continued into the 1910's

Meanwhile the Conneautville fair, often billed as “the best county fair in the state” continued to thrive, but by no means was it lone agrarian event in Crawford County. At the time the of last year of operation for the Meadville fair, the French Creek Valley Agriculture Society* in Cochranton and the Oil Creek Agriculture Society in Titusville had established successful fairs of their own. By decade’s end, the Central Agriculture Society in Cambridge Springs and Exposition Park at Conneaut Lake had joined the list.

This growth in the number of fairs was not restricted to just the Crawford County region. By 1883 Pennsylvania had 106 registered fairs across the state, not including the State Agriculture Society which had been formed in January of 1851. The State’s Society had the power to obtain annual statements from county agricultural societies which it recognized and which were, by that recognition, eligible for financial aid from county funds in the form of the Bounty System.

In simple terms, the state’s Bounty System allowed each county to pay out a one hundred-dollar grant to registered agriculture societies within that county. This proved problematic, however, for counties with more than one registered society, Crawford being among them.

The Conneaut Lake Fair at Expo Park was held near Camperland.

In fact, the mere issue of county representation at the State Convention of Agricultural Societies became a source of friction when in 1880, representatives of the Crawford County Ag. Society (Conneautville), The French Creek Valley Ag. Society (Cochranton), and Oil Creek Ag. Society (Titusville) all claimed membership to the state’s society. After a day of deliberation, the state society announced only one society, that of Conneautville, would represent Crawford County. As a reconciliatory gesture, the county’s duly selected representative motioned that the men of Titusville and Cochranton be admitted since they had journeyed so far to attend. The motion was, however, overruled by the state board, and the men sent home.

The fair in Cambridge Springs was held near the Grant St. Bridge

The next year proved equally controversial. In November 1881, the Crawford County Central Agricultural Association (Meadville) brought a lawsuit against the county commissioners for failure to award them the $100 bounty. Given that 1881 marked the last year for fairs in Meadville, speculation leads one to believe the bounty, which at the time was given at the discretion of the county commissioners office, was of dire importance in keeping the fair operational for another year. The case went to the Supreme Court, but to no avail.

The contentious nature of these issues eventually lead to a change in how the state bounty would be awarded. When representatives met at the State Convention of Agricultural Societies in 1883, a motion was put forth proposing that the oldest agricultural society in each county would be the lone recipient of the bounty. A heated debate ensued, one side arguing for the proposal, the other demanding the bounty be pro-rated evenly among all the societies within that county. After voting, the resolution passed 29 to 27 without amendment, and once again, the Ag. Society in Conneautville found themselves beneficiaries due to their initiative in 1852.

The 1894 State Fair in Meadville

Fair goers at Conneaut Lake view the stock barns

After 13 years the fair would return to Meadville and in a big way at that as the city was selected to host the State Fair of Pennsylvania. It should be mentioned that the decision by state officials was influenced in part by Meadville’s offer to pay a $1,000 subsidy which, given the anticipated revenue likely to be generated, made for a sound financial decision on the city’s part. Over the course of September 3^rd through the 8^th, an estimated 40, 000 people paid admission to observe bicycle races, home show and stock exhibits, baseball games, midway shows, and balloon ascensions by Professor Alec Thurston.

Reports conflict concerning the financial success of the fair. Rain, it was reported, kept attendance lower than expected and caused the cancellation of several events. According to The Pittsburg Press, “Meadville merchants want no more state fairs here,” but then brief also noted that a movement was already under way to establish a permanent fair association. This came in the form of the Meadville Fair and Exposition Company which staged its fair in 1898 and kept up the annual event until 1902. In 1906 the fair moved to Conneaut Lake where it continued until 1916, and after a seven-year absence, the fair picked up again, running from 1923 to 1932.

When the Great Depression struck, interest in fairs understandably declined given the harsh economic circumstances. In early 40’s, though, rural county fairs across the commonwealth staged something of a comeback. Sixteen years after its last fair, Crawford County would re-establish the event for good in late September of 1946, and as with the county's very first fair, horse racing was featured prominently on the schedule of events.

*In 1894 the French Creek Valley Ag. Association became the Cochranton Agriculture Society.

Author's note: This article was written in 2016 and things may have changed since its original publication.

Sources

The Pittsburgh Daily Post – 1892

The Pittsburgh Dispatch – 1890

The Pittsburgh Press – 1894

The Pittsburgh Daily Commercial – 1863, 1873

Reading Times - 1880, 1883

Shenango Valley News – 1886, 1889, 1894, 1895

The Kane Republican – 1946

The Kane Weekly Blade – 1881

The New Castle News – 1894

The Record Argus – 1876

The Titusville Herald – 1871

Mattera, Tyler – Images of America: Around Conneautville, Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC, 2011

“Meadville… Its Past and Present” Sesqui-Centennial Edition of The Tribune-Republican, May 12, 1938

“The Crawford County Agricultural Society,” Conneaut Valley Area Historical Society Newsletter, Issue 19, Vol. 10, Winter 1998/99, P1.

About the Author

Ron Mattocks was born and raised in Guys Mills, Pennsylvania. Following high school he joined the Army to see the world (which he did) before a career as a construction executive in Texas. Eventually Ron switched to marketing, consulting for companies such as GMC, ConAgra, Mattel, and others. During this time he also published the book, Sugar Milk: What One Dad Drinks When He Can't Afford Vodka and began writing regularly for the Huffington Post, Disney's Babble, and the TODAY Show. On a summer visit to Conneaut Lake Park, Ron became suddenly fascinated with the park's origins, a fascination that lead to his current book project, and later would evolve into a passion for the county's extensive history. Today Ron is the owner and President of Client Strategy at Bull Moose Progressive Marketing in Cambridge Springs, PA. He graduated from St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas with a degree in English Literature, and is the board VP of the Crawford County Historical Society.

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Shadows of the Past

2016-08-07T18:55:00.000-04:00

On December 7, 2015, the Crawford County Historical Society took ownership of the James and Elizabeth Tarr Mansion, thus saving it from planned demolition. In that moment, thanks largely to the support of the community, the society took a major step towards both preserving our past and building a new future.

This gorgeous Italianate building, designed by Francis Marion Ellis and paid for with the Tarr Family's $2 million (over $35 million today) in revenue from the Oil Boom, was a testament to oil's influence in our region and the nation as a whole. The Tarrs were one of our country's first oil barons and their home of over 12,000 square feet will stand the test of time to become the self-sustaining Crawford County Historical Society's headquarters and history center!

Since then we have wasted no time in restoring this beautiful building. Volunteers have work tirelessly to return the north wing of the first floor to its original 1867 footprint, and in doing so, have made some incredible discoveries—large doors trapped within the walls, ornate wood trim hiding above suspended ceilings, and many, many relics from decades before. You can see many of these findings as well as the Tarr Mansion’s story in Jeremy Loewer’s eight-minute documentary, Shadows of the Past.

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Fire Rode the Flood: Disaster in the Oil Region

2016-07-30T12:40:00.000-04:00

A boy sits among the debris in Titusville

For most of May and the early part of June in 1892, Northwestern Pennsylvania was soaked in a seemingly endless period of rain which culminated in four days of torrential downpours that devastated the entire region. This unprecedented act of nature wreaked havoc for area residents making roads and bridges impassable. In the early morning hours of June 5th, however, the situation turned catastrophic for those in Titusville and Oil City, and the aftermath would produce scenes reminiscent of the great tragedy in Johnstown just a few years earlier. The following dispatch filed on the 6th of June captures the highlights of this horrific event.

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The oil regions of Pennsylvania have been visited by a disaster of fire and water that is only eclipsed in the history of that country by the memorable flood at Johnstown just three years ago. On the day after the calamity it was known that at least eighty persons were drowned or burned to death. Estimates of the loss of life increased, hour by hour, and it was thought that the death roll might swell to from 150 to 200, if not more.

A dam seven miles above Titusville gave way in the night. Oil tanks were swept away, the stream leaped its banks, and bearing on its back a widespread layer of oil, dashed into Titusville a roaring, tumbling mass of flame. There was a terrible stampede. Scores of persons were swept away in an effort to find safety. One-third of the town was burned, and at 10 o'clock that night forty bodies had been recovered. The scenes of the night in Titusville were repeated on perhaps even a larger scale at Oil City, eighteen miles below. The damage to property in Titusville and Oil City, and the towns along the creek between those cities, amounted to millions of dollars, and appeals for help have been made to the country at large.

For nearly a month it had been raining throughout Western and Northern Pennsylvania almost incessantly, and for the three or four days before the disaster the downpour in the devastated regions had been very heavy. The constant rains had converted all the small streams into raging torrents, so that when the cloudburst came the streams were soon beyond their boundaries and the great body of water came sweeping down Oil Creek to Titusville, which is eighteen miles south of its source.

A dispatch from Titusville tells the following pitiful story: Flood and fire have wiped out fully one-third of this town, and at least two score of human lives have been miserably lost amidst horror and destruction.

A rendition of the Spartansburg dam after it broke

The bursting of the huge dam of Thompson & Eldred at Spartansburg, seven miles from Titusville, at midnight, loosed a lake one and a half miles in length by one-quarter in breadth, the waters of which came rushing down, swelling the historic Oil Creek to a raging torrent, which overran nearly half this town with resistless force, sweeping many of the smaller buildings and scores of people away down the valley. Many of the latter reached the shore farther down, but at least seventy-five were undoubtedly lost.

The waters of Oil Creek rushed through the streets in the lower part of the city with resistless force. From housetops, windows and driftwood piles came wails and screams of anguish and distress from the helpless victims, all imploring aid. Brave men with boats and ropes battled against the terrific current, and hundreds of the captives were brought safely to land.

Fully 100 persons of all ages were carried down with the flood. Five persons, all males, were seen to perish while grasping a piece of timber. Just as the thousands of spectators who were looking on with bated breath, unable to render the slightest assistance, were led to believe that the sufferers would reach land, a neighboring tank of burning oil exploded in close proximity, and in a moment the men were enveloped in flames, and death came speedily to relieve their sufferings. Their bodies were at once swallowed in the raging waters.

Immediately a streak of flame fully 200 feet high pierced the inky darkness and threw a glaring light over the angry waters. At once the cry rang out that the Crescent Oil Refinery Company, owned by Schwartz & Co., close to the north bank of the east end was on fire.

Woods Refinery in ruins after the flood's passing

Never before did a fire seem to spread so rapidly, and in less than three minutes from the time the explosion was heard the vast plant was aflame. Then it was that pandemonium seemed to break loose and terror reigned. Thousands of persons rushed pell mell through the streets, tumbling over and knocking each other down in their endeavors to escape from what they appeared to imagine was the crack of doom. The bright light thrown on the surroundings revealed a truly appalling sight. On the roofs and in the windows of the upper stories of most of the houses in the flooded districts appeared men, women and children dressed mostly in night clothes, and all piteously appealing for aid.

Clinging to the driftwood, timbers and other debris they were borne onward down the stream were scores of human beings, their white and terror stricken faces and desperate struggles and cries for aid combining to create impressions never to be forgotten. About one hour from the time the Crescent Works took fire another alarm was sounded. Oil on the creek, spilled by the water overturning a tank located some distance up stream, had taken fire, and the expanse of creek for a number of acres square was all a solid blaze, and the sky was filled with dense and pitchy clouds of smoke arising from the smoldering ruins of refineries, cooper shops, furniture factories, radiator works, hotels, railroad warehouses, cars and dwellings.

The illuminating gas works, the electric light plant, the water works are all under water, while the natural gas mains had been turned off at Oil City. This leaves Titusville without water, fuel, or light, at least from the sources from which those necessities have been accustomed to come.

Parents and children stood by without the power to aid one another's struggles against the clutches of the flood until eventually they went down to rise no more. As sad and as sickening scenes as occurred in the valley of the Conemaugh three years ago were repeated, while thousands looked on unable to avert them.

One father is a maniac over the loss of his whole family, a wife and seven children, one a babe three days old. A brother was rescued from a burning building, where he was forced to leave a sister, her husband, and two children to perish.

Titusville street gullies created by the flood's force

Fully one-third of the business and residence portion of Titusville is in ruins. The terrible flood rushed through the streets. Brave men with ropes tied about their waists breasted the terrible current rescuing the unfortunates who patiently awaited their return. A little four year-old boy, just brought to shore from the wreck of a handsome residence was placed in the hands of friends. When asked where his parents were he replied with a sob, “Papa and mamma both drowned.”

Oil Creek was swollen to 500 times its natural size and reached from one hillside to the other, presenting an appalling picture. Floating swiftly by on its bosom were all sorts, manners, and kinds of animate and inanimate objects -- tanks, stills with the steam in them and blowing-off house, barns, horses, cows, chickens â€“ everything almost being borne onward with a rush.

Clinging to various objects, such as driftwood, pieces of boards, timbers and any other object they could lay hands on, were scores of human beings, their white and terror stricken countenances, desperate struggles, and plaintive soul piercing cries for aid all combined to create impressions in the minds of the beholders never to be forgotten.

The undertaking establishments of Davidson and McNitt have been turned into temporary morgues. With the exception of the bodies of seven Hebrews and two children, all the bodies were taken there as fast as they were brought from the water.

Most of the bodies bear evidence of having met death from burning oil, many of them burned almost beyond recognition and several of them in such a terrible manner as to leave the bodies nothing but blackened crisps, entirely without the least semblance of the human form. One woman, with a babe closely clasped to her breast, was burnt to a crisp. Another woman found burned had a prematurely-born babe by her side.

No sooner was the true state of affairs apparent to the citizens than a meeting was called and over $2,500 in cash contributed for the immediate relief of the sufferers. Committees were formed and the Rouse Armory turned into a vast hospital and sleeping and eating house. No less than 100 homeless people were cared for. The loss in the country by washouts and loss of bridges will be enormous. There is not a county or township bridge for many miles that is not washed away, and the roads in every direction are nearly impassable.

Washington Street after the flood in Titusville

The above harrowing scenes were repeated on an even more dreadful scale at Oil City, eighteen miles below Titusville, as told by the following dispatches from the ill-fated city: At 11:30 o'clock in the forenoon a large proportion of the population of the city was distributed along the banks and bridges of the Allegheny River and Oil Creek watching the rise of the flood in both streams, the chief cause of the rise of the latter being due to the cloudburst above Titusville, which resulted in the loss of many lives in that city.

At the time mentioned an ominous covering of oil made its appearance on the crest of the flood pouring down the Oil Creek Valley, and the dangerous foreboding waves of gas from distillate and benzene could be seen above the surface of the stream, which, at the bridge, is about 100 yards wide. People began slowly to fall back from the bridges and the creek.

Hardly had they began to do so when an explosion was heard up the stream, which was rapidly followed by two others, and quick as a flash of lightning the creek for a distance of two miles was filled with an awful mass of roaring flames and billows of smoke that rolled high above the creek and river hills.

Oil City if bounded on all sides by steep hills. Oil Creek comes down the valley from the north, and just before its junction here with the Allegheny is crossed by a bridge to the portion of the city embraced in the Third Ward, which lies along the west bank of the creek and the north bank of the river. Almost all that portion of the town was on fire within three minutes from the time of the explosion, and at the time this dispatch was sent no one knows how many of the inhabitants were lying dead in the ruins of their homes.

Painting depicting the raging fire in the water at Oil City

An eye witness at the time of the first explosion stood at the east end of the bridge. Almost as quickly as the words can be written fully 5000 persons in that portion of the town were on the streets, wild with terror, rushing to the hills. Men forgot that they were men, and scores of men, women, and children were knocked down and trampled upon both by horses and persons in the mad flight for safety.

Just as this frantic throng had started up Centre street a second explosion occurred, knocking many people down, shattering the windows in the main part of the town, and almost transforming the day to night with an immense covering of smoke. Hundreds thought the day of judgment had come and many prayers were heard mingled with moans and lamentations. The heat was intense, and the awful spectacle presented to the panic stricken people was that of a cloudburst of fire, bordered and over-capped by a great canopy of dense black smoke.

It was no wonder that people wept and fainted, leaving everything behind them and ran or were helped to the hills. And after they were out of danger, and even before it, came the anxiety and suspense regarding relatives and friends who had been along the creek watching the flood when the avalanche of flame came. The flood in the Oil Creek Valley had inundated the upper portion of the town, flooding from fifty to seventy-five houses on North Seneca Street. Most of the inmates reached places of safety by the use of boats or by swimming and wading, but some of them were yet in the upper stories or in the water when the fire came, and their fate was quickly sealed. Some of them were seen to jump into the water to escape death in the flames. From the remnants of the only building remaining in the waste after the flood was over three persons were removed in a boat severely burned, but alive, namely Mrs. Hawk and daughter and Mr. Hassenfritz.

The distillate and benzene on the creek came from a tank lifted by the flood, and is supposed to have been ignited by a spark from an engine on the Lake Shore road, just above the tunnel at the northern part of the city. The fire shot up the creek as well as down, and several tanks were set on fire up the creek. The Bellevue Hotel, the Petroleum House, the Oil City barrel factory, the new building of the Oil City tube works, the big furniture and undertaking establishment of G. Paul & Sons, and probably 100 other dwelling house have been totally destroyed.

Meadville, Penn., was swept by the worst flood in its history. A midday rain of great volume swelled every stream bank full, and the storm which followed in the evening brought the flood. In Meadville, Mill Run overflowed its banks and swept the whole business portion of the city, demolishing a dozen or more buildings and entailing a total loss of $150,000, of which $50,000 is to the streets. The loss throughout the country cannot be estimated now. Bridges were washed away in every direction, leaving scarcely passable roads in the country. The damage to growing crops is heavy.

Crew of men pose next to Titusville's steam-powered fire hose pumper

Sidewalks are carried away and the roads in places gullied from four to six feet deep. Nearly every basement in the business part of the city was flooded and also many of the stores. The loss on stock to merchants is heavy. It is safe to say that the loss throughout the city will reach $50,000. The storm was general throughout that locality.

The property loss will reach far into the millions. At Titusville the loss is estimated at $1,500,000: Oil City, $1,500,000; Corry, $60,000; Meadville, $150,000, and surrounding country probably a million more. Of the devastated cities Titusville has a population of 10,000 and Oil City 12,000. Oil Creek rises in the north part of Crawford County and flows in a general southerly direction to Titusville, and from there almost due north to the Allegheny River at Oil City. Just below Titusville it is joined by East Oil or Pine Creek. Between Titusville and Oil City there are nine little hamlets where oil wells have been sunk which have attained the dignity of Post Offices. Altogether these hamlets have a population of about 2,000. The eighteen miles between Titusville and Oil City probably represent a population of from 40,000 to 45,000.

Later Details

The loss of life and destruction of property in Oil Creek Valley, Penn., were far greater than was stated in the first reports. At Oil City sixty-seven bodies were recovered in one day, and it was believed that not less than 150 persons perished by flood and fire. At Titusville fifty-five bodies were found in the ruins, and there was every reason to believe that many were washed away and will be recovered when the water recedes. The latest estimate of the total loss of life placed the number at 350.

Calls for financial help are made by both cities, and a generous response has already been received. Several hundred thousand dollars at least will be needed. One-third of Titusville has been destroyed by the combined horrors of fire and flood, and $1,000,000 will not cover the property loss. It was impossible at the time this dispatch was received to estimate the loss of life and property in the Oil Creek Valley, outside of Titusville and Oil City. Twenty-nine miles of the creek banks on either side were laid waste.

Originally published in The Cranbury Press, New Jersey, June 10, 1892

For a Map and more Photos, CLICK HERE

Photos Credits:

- Drake's Well Museum
- Venango County Historical Society
- Pittsburgh Gazette (drawings)
- New York Public Library

Note: More on the 1892 flood will be published in the coming months.

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Eleanor Davies and Recollections of Life at the Baldwin-Reynolds House

2016-07-17T11:23:00.002-04:00

The Baldwin-Reynolds visible from the pond in the spring months

Eleanor Davies is one of Meadville's oldest residents and was a personal friend of John and Katherine Reynolds. She was the speaker at the museum's 50th anniversary gala where she presented these remarks on the life of the last individuals to reside in the Baldwin-Reynolds House as a private home.

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In 1936 John Reynolds, then President of Merchants National Bank, had conducted a search for what was called a "cashier" of the bank. He located and hired John David Bainer of the National City Bank in Cleveland and a resident of Lakewood, Ohio. John and his lovely wife, Otelia, packed up and moved to Meadville where they were welcomed by Kathryn and John Reynolds and members of the bank board families.

In 1939 when I was living in Shaker Heights, [Ohio] and dating Joseph Bainer of Cleveland, I was invited to come to Meadville and meet his parents and his sister, Mary and niece, Nancy. I was 19 and we went to see Gone with the Wind.

Lieutenant Joseph Bainer and I were married in Cleveland Heights in July of 1942 with the Bainers and large contingent from Meadville attending. For a year Joe moved from army post to post while I was a "camp follower." From Camp St. Luis Obispo, California, we learned the 6th Division was shipping out to the Pacific. It was decided since both my parents had died, I would take our three-month old baby, David, to Meadville to spend "the duration" with the enthusiastic grandparents.

John and Katherine Reynolds

After getting me settled, my in-laws were eager for me to meet John and Katherine Reynolds [last residents of the Baldwin-Reynolds House Museum] with whom they had become very close. We were invited to dinner and my first impression was what a charming and pleasant couple they were, welcoming me to that gorgeous house.

John Reynolds appeared to be outgoing and friendly, where Katherine was inclined to be a bit quiet and properly lady-like. They were obviously very fond of each other.

We were ushered into their living room (parlor) where awaited a tray cocktails and Katherine's brother, James Ray Shryock. He was five years younger than Katherine, slight of build (like Katherine) and a delightful gentleman.

James Ray was a retired architect who had lived in New York City. Actually, family lore tells us James' and Katherine's father went bankrupt in the early 1900s after a failed business deal. However, as often in those days, the personal estate was placed in the wife's name while the business was in the husband's. After her husband died "penniless," Katherine's mother, Anna, lived with her daughter and son in a posh apartment overlooking Central Park in New York City until Katherine was married. So much for a sad tale of bankruptcy!

Here seems a good place to insert Katherine's and John's love story. John's parents (William and Julia Reynolds) wanted emphatically for him to marry a young woman from their Meadville church but Katherine (Episcopalian) was his sweetheart. They waited patiently until four months after his parents died (in their late 80s and early 90s), were wed in NYC, taking and extended honeymoon to Europe and Asia "to let tempers die down" at home since his parents' friends didn't think he waited long enough to mourn.

The dining room

The newlyweds returned to Meadville to this magnificent house John Reynolds had inherited after his parents' deaths--it I was being invited to tour: admiring the marvelous sun porch, the floor in the library and the sweeping staircase in the hall. The dining room looks much as it does today with a silver tea set of the buffet. The meal was served by a maid while we conversed largely about the war with our gracious host and hostess. John Bainer was head of the local draft board, John Reynolds was mayor, and both Otelia Bainer and Katherine Reynolds were involved in the Red Cross, as was I.

Otelia Bainer and Katherine shared a love of flowers and gardens so belonging to the Garden Club had been one of Meadville's attractions. Katherine had been one of twelve ladies who had founded the club back in 1925. Their purpose was to "study gardening and allied subjects and to stimulate in the community an interest in better gardening and city improvement." This latter had been heartily endorsed by John Reynolds who was very active in civic pursuits, eventually serving three terms as mayor of Meadville. Katherine was the 2nd President of the club when the project was landscaping the newly built library. They had raised funds by garden parties, teas, card parties, and a flower show [in Katherine's home].

John and Katherine Reynolds at their home

The Reynolds had a gardener named Sam who took meticulous care of their gardens. When the Garden Club ladies met at the Reynolds House, Katherine had Sam put a chain across the driveway to prevent some of them from parking on the grass back there.

The Reynolds were not a socially inclined couple but they enjoyed the company of the Bainers at Sunday dinners at the Iroquois Club and never missed their two-some dinners at the Cottage Restaurant on Saturday Nights. My neighbor, Bobbi Thomas, was kind enough to write me a note describing Isabella, a "rolly-polly" woman with a heart of gold who worked for the Reynolds by day and she and Frank Roth did dishes during dinner hours [at the Cottage Restaurant].

Nina and Nicholas Filatoff

The Reynolds had always had help, most outstanding being a Russian couple before my time: Nicholas and Nina Filatoff worked there from 1926 through the mid 1930s. Even well-to-do families had to tighten their belts during the Depression. In addition to the lovely flower gardens, Nicholas had tended to extensive vegetable gardens and a few chickens and cows while Nina was the housekeeper. John and Katherine helped them gain citizenship and a farm where they left to start a life of their own in East Mead Township, remaining close friends with the Reynolds.

For someone who was petite, Katherine Reynolds had a strong "presence." I, in my 20's and 5'11" felt slightly gauche and awkward around her. At their house I could relax somewhat after a Sazarac or two- the New Orleans drink to which the Bainers had introduced the Reynolds. It was the 1940s when the cocktail hours were the norm, but these were STRONG! Nonetheless, Katherine remained the perfect lady.

One year the Bainers were invited to have Thanksgiving Dinner at the Reynolds house. Eight year old Nancy (my niece) was bribed beyond words to behave. Otelia Bainer remarked afterwards that high-class John Reynolds carved the turkey so thin you could see through it!

Christmas at the Baldwin-Reynolds House

My most memorable event with the Reynolds was Christmastime, 1942, when the whole Bainer family (including Nancy) went caroling at the Reynolds' stately mansion. We entered by the back door and stood in that space under the stairs for our renditions. Little did Joe's [Ellie's husband and the Bainer's son] parents know what the future would bring, it was the last time they would ever be with their son.

John Reynolds was Chairman of the Board of the Bank and John Bainer was President when Mr. Reynolds died in 1947. Katherine was inconsolable and became almost reclusive except for comforting visits from Otelia Bainer. When she was roughly 90, she entered the hospital where she died in 1963 at 91. A year or so later, James Ray was admitted to the hospital and passed away in 1965.

John and Otelia Bainer were appointed executors of the Reynolds estate. Theirs was a mind-boggling task which preceded the establishment of the museum. Although we can restore and admire the extraordinary house they lived in, the Reynolds are the likes of which we will never see again.

Eleanor Davies today

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