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Clay Township Information
A description of the township from the History of Huntingdon and Blair Counties, Pennsylvania by J. Simpson Africa published by Louis H. Everts of Philadelphia, PA in 1883. The township information starts on page 245.
Clay is one of the south border townships of this county, formed from Springfield township, April 15, 1845, and named in honor of Henry Clay, of Kentucky. It is bounded on the northeast by Cass and Cromwell townships, on the southeast by Springfield, on the southwest by Fulton County, and on the northwest by Carbon and Tod townships. In form it is nearly oblong square, lying northeast and southwest. Its entire length is two thousand five hundred perches, with an average width of fourteen hundred perches. The face of the township is quite uneven, there being but very little of what would be termed level land within its boundaries.
Sideling Hill Mountain runs along the entire length of the northwest line of the township, and Clear Ridge runs from Hubbelsville school-house, in the south end of the township, in a northeasterly direction across the line into Cass township. Jack's Mountain terminates between Three Springs borough and Saltillo, while Cave Hill is immediately south of Three Springs, and a series of ridges or mountains form the southeast boundary along the Springfield line. Between these mountains and ridges are narrow valleys, through which are laid several public highways of the township. The principal stream in the south part of the township is the Sideling Hill Creek, which flows through Sideling Hill Gap at New Granada in a northeasterly direction to near W. Corbin's residence, where it turns to the southeast, passing into Fulton County. Its principal tributary in thsi township is Shore Creek, rising near S. Ruppert's, in the Sideling Hill Valley, flowing southerly into Sideling Hill Creek. Lick Branch and North Branch are the head-waters of Mountain Branch, flowing easterly through the north part of the township, and Three Springs Creek, rising in the central portion of the township, flow northeasterly and receives the Mountain Branch at Three Springs borough.
There are several mineral springs in the township, and through the central portion of the township are several outcrops and indications of hematite and fossil ores.
The East Broad Top Railroad runs across the northeast end of the township, following the valleys of Mountain and Lick Branches as they wind around the base of mountains and ridges, passing through Three Springs and Saltillo boroughs and Clear Ridge Gap, in the extreme north part of the township, and out through a tunnel under Sideling Hill Mountain near P. Hoffman's.
Early Settlers and Pioneer Beginnings
Among the pioneers of what is now
Clay township we find Col. George Ashman, who came hear about 1779, and purchased the land
called "The Three Springs Tract" containing over eighteen hundred acres, still
known as the Three Springs farm. He built a house thereon, which became his future
residence, and is still standing. He brought with him his "human chattels" as at
that early day slavery had not been abolished in the Keystone State. The plantation was
subsequently divided into eight or nine farms, but the original homestead is still in
possession of his heirs, of whom Richard Ashman, of Three Springs borough, is principal.
Benjamin Long settled at the same time on what was then known as an "improvement right." His tract was located southwest from what is now Three Springs borough.
Henry Hubbell was also one of the pioneers of this territory, locating here as early as 1794, taking up a tract of land in the north part of the township, on which a portion of the borough of Saltillo is situated. He also brought with him his slaves, and it is but recently that the last of them died.
George Hudson "warranted" a tract of land instead of by improvement. Rev. Samuel Lane, a Baptist preacher, Thomas Green, Richard Bradley, Daniel Stain, Thomas Hooper, John Kyler, Miles Bunn, William Bunn, George Stain, William Hudson, Tobias Moore, John Hudson, and Daniel Heck were all here previous to 1800. Mr. David Heck, now a resident of Three Springs borough, and son of Daniel Heck, remembers all of thes persons as beeing middle-aged and old men when he was a boy. He was born in this township, September 14, 1802. His father came from Maryland.
The pioneer grist-mill of this township was built before 1785 by George Ashman, nearly half a mile up Mountain Branch from what is now Three Springs borough, and in 1827 was taken down and rebuilt where it now stands, a few rods west from the railroad depot, and now owned by Richard Ashman. Ashman also built a saw-mill above where the grist-mill now stands in 1825 or 1826, which went to decay, and a second saw-mill was built by George Ashman, Jr., and is now nearly abandoned. A saw-mill was built in 1825 or 1830 half a mile below the borough, on Mountain Branch, by William Hudson, which went to decay many years ago, and the present mill was built by George D. Hudson, present owner.
Educational
Clay township has seven school
districts, in which school was taught five months each in 1881. There were employed during
the term six male and one female teacher, at twenty-three dollars each per month. The
average number attending school during the term was one hundred and forty-seven. Total
expenditures for school purposes during the year, $1,316.94.
