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Franklin Township
General Manufacturing and Business Interests
One
of the first powers improved was at the mouth of Spruce Creek, and was made to
operate the Bebault mill, built around 1775, and being of the same type as the
Minor mill, described in the history of Porter township. It was here that
Levi Hicks, the miller, was massacred by Indians, May 12, 1778. Next the
mill property became widely known as belonging to Abraham Sells, who had also a
distillery and public-house. Jacob Beigle was the next owner, and improved
the Bebault mill. The property passing into the hands of John S. Isett, in
1828 he built the mill which is a present in operation there. It is a
four-story frame, fifty by sixty feet, and is supplied with four runs of stones.
the motor is a fourteen foot overshot-wheel, and the power has also operated a
plaster-mill since 1870. The mills have been the property of Edward B.
Isett since 1864. In 1836, John S. Isett built a bloom forge of two fires
opposite the mill, which was kept in
operation pretty generally until 1861.
It was called “Stockdale” from the family name of tile proprietor's
mother, and this title was applied to all the manufacturing interests on Spruce
Creek at this point and to that part of the village lying in Franklin, but
which is now embraced in the village of Spruce Creek. In 1868 the forge was displaced by a foundry and machine-shop,
which was operated a number of years.
In 1875 additions were made to the building and the whole converted into
the Stockdale Woolen-Factory, by John B. and William D. Isett, and the
water-power supplemented by steam. The
factory contained one set of machinery and was operated chiefly on jeans, but
after a few years was discontinued. The
building yet remains, but most of the equipments have been removed, Stockdale's
manufacturing interests being limited to the grinding-mills before named.
The building of Huntingdon
Furnace was the beginning of the most important era in the industrial history
of Franklin township. In 1792, George
Anshutz, a native of Alsace, France, erected the first blast-furnace in the
neighborhood of Pittsburgh, which was abandoned after two years' operation, on
account of the mistake made in locating it there, being too remote from the
ore-mines. Returning to the East, Mr.
Anshutz had his attention directed to the rich ore-fields of Franklin, and was
not slow to see that water-power, wood for charcoal, and all the elements for
carrying on a successful business were close at hand. He at once conceived the idea that there a blast-furnace could be
easily maintained which might be made the nucleus of an immense iron
trade. Filled with this idea he
succeeded in enlisting in his enterprise Mordecai Massey, afterwards, Judge
John Gloninger, of Lebanon, and Martin Dobbs, of Philadelphia, who formed
themselves into the firm of John Gloninger & Co., for the purpose of
establishing a charcoal blast-furnace, and carrying on mining at some point in
Northwestern Huntingdon County.
Although some of the partners had ample means, their faith in the
enterprise does not seem to have been very strong, so that the beginning was
made on a very small scale. Fifteen acres of land were purchased near the
present Warrior's Mark line in 1796, upon which was built a small furnace, and
one horse and a yoke of cattle were provided as a working outfit. George Anshutz was a practical ironmaster,
and he managed the business with so much care and thrift that from the first it
became profitable. The proceeds were
invested in the purchase of mineral lands, so that in 1819 the company owned a
tract of forty thousand acres, besides having several new furnaces and the
celebrated Tyrone Iron-Works, which consisted of forges, rolling- and
slitting-mills, and a nail-factory. Besides
these there were grist- and sawmills, stores, and well-tilled farms in such
numbers that the company ranked as one of the richest in the State before a
score of years had passed around.
Meantime it was found that
the water-power of the "old seat" was not sufficient to work the
furnace up to the capacity required, and a "new seat" was found about
two miles further down Warrior's Mark Run, at Armitage's mill, where a furnace
of large capacity was erected about 1805.
This locality is yet known as Huntingdon Furnace, and is one of the most
beautiful furnace seats in the country.
The Armitage mill, which this interest displaced, was one of the oldest in the township. It was built by Caleb Armitage before
Franklin became a separate organization, The company maintained its mill at the
"old seat" a number of years, but erected, in due time, a good mill
near the new furnace which is yet in operation. The furnace has also been rebuilt, and when last in blast
produced forty-five tons of excellent iron per week. About 1835 all the partners except Shoenberger sold their
interests in Huntingdon County to the firm of Short, Stewart & Co., rival
iron manufacturers and proprietors of the Pennsylvania Furnace. Under this
arrangement one of the new owners, John Lyon, took up his residence at
Huntingdon Furnace, and other partners lived at the different iron-works
controlled by the company, which now carried on its business on a scale never
before attained. In the course of a few
years a division of property was made, whereby Peter Shoenberger became the
owner of Huntingdon Furnace and a large tract of land adjoining, rich in
mineral wealth or affording good farms.
This in time passed into the hands of the present owners, George and
John H. Shoenberger. Since the depression
of the charcoal-iron trade the furnace has been out of blast, but the dozen or
more farms connected with tile property are kept in a high state of
cultivation. Among the managers
connected with the furnace property have been John Maguire, Hays Hamilton,
James Shultz, and the present George D. Blair.
The first forge in the
township was built by Phineas Massey about 1798, and in 1800 became the
property of John Gloninger & Co. It was on Spruce Creek, above
Franklinville. In 1826 the forge was rebuilt
by James Russell & Co., and was last carried on by Christopher Wigton, and
was discontinued many years ago.
On the creek above this
power John Gloninger & Co. built a forge about 1830, which received the
name of "Elizabeth." After the lapse of years Martin Gates became the
owner, and on the 14th of July, 1849, was drowned in the head-waters of his
dam. After being carried on some time
by his heirs, tbe forge was discontinued about 1853. Below Franklinville was a forge, built about 1810 by William Patton
and Edward B. Roach, which received the name of "Upper Sligo." Three
years later he built another forge below that point which received the name of
"Lower Sligo." About the same time Samuel Marshall built a forge in
the same locality, already having a mill in operation there. In 1814 the two Sligo forges were sold to
Edward B. Patton and David R. Porter, who
failed in 1819 on account of the depression in the iron trade, and the
forges were for a time inoperative. Prior to that time, about 1811, William
McDermitt, a Scotchman, came to the Spruce Creek and established the pioneer
steel-works in America at the head of the Upper Sligo dam, just below the month
of Warrior's Mark Run. The works were
called “Millington” on account of the excellent reputation of the steel made at
Millington in Europe. Various articles
of steel were made, such as shovels, scythes, etc., the goods having a fine
reputation. Soon after the War of 1812
the works were discontinued and the power used to operate a forge of two fires
called “Clabunk.” This forge was
owned, after the McDermitts, by Gilbert Lloyd, Samuel Steel, William Hopkins,
William Beigle, and lastly became a part of the Coleraine property. In 1820, David R. Porter married a daughter
of William McDermitt, and removed from the township about that time to the
borough of Huntingdon. His subsequent
career as a public man and Governor of the State is a matter of general
history. The Sligo Forges became the
property of David McMurtrie about 1820, and later of John Lyon and Robert T.
Stewart, who also purchased the Marshall's Mills forge and property,
consolidating them under the name of "Coleraine Forges," which name
has been retained to the present. In 1828, Lyon & Stewart sold the
Coleraine property to Joseph and James Barnett and Anthony Shorb, of the
Pennsylvania Furnace, and associated David Stewart with them under the
firm-name of Shorb, Stewart & Co., Mr. Stewart being for many years the
manager. The forges were operated on
blooms, of which the product from Feb. 28, 1828, till Feb. 28, 1860, was
twenty-nine thousand six hundred and sixty-one tons. Up to the last-named period there were three forges at Coleraine,
but that year the present large forge was built, which was kept in operation
until Dec. 4, 1874, being last managed by Thomas S. Lyon. Its capacity is twelve hundred tons of
blooms per year, and twenty-five men were employed in carrying it on. The grist-mill connected with the property
on Warrior's Mark Run was built in 1868 on the site of one destroyed by fire,
and which had been built by Shorb, Stewart & Go. The property is managed by D. M. Thompson for the owners, the
Misses Stewart. At Coleraine Forges a
store has been almost continuously maintained, and when the foregoing interests
were carried on it was one of the busiest places in the county.
Farther down the creek
Robert Moore built a forge about 1830, which he called "Elizabeth No.
2." This he sold to Samuel Caldwell, and he to Samuel Isett, when it was
operated some time by Hileman & Hammond.
Subsequently G. & J. H. Shoenberger became the proprietors. At a yet later period John Q. Adams became
the owner, making blooms about ten years.
In 1873 he employed the power to operate the machinery of an
axe-factory, producing three hundred dozen per year. The capacity has since been greatly increased, and the manufacture
of the “Forest King,” “W. Park,” and other favorite brands is extensively
carried on. Ten men are employed. Immediately below Adams' axe-factory, Lingle
& Harvey established a foundry, which bad a number of owners, and was the
property of Israel C. Caldwell when it was destroyed by fire about 1876. It was devoted to the manufacture of plows,
farm machinery, and heavy castings.
At Franklinville the
water-power was first improved by Samuel Mattern, who also built most of the
houses in the hamlet. The first building,
was a small stone house for a hat-shop, in which he carried on the hatter's
trade a number of years. The water-power
was first used to operate carding machinery, and later a fulling-mill and machinery
for making woolen goods were added. The factory has been kept in operation many
years; Matthew D. Keatley succeeding Mr.
Mattern, and Zachariah and Edward
Keatley being the present owners. The
products are satinets, blankets, and flannels.
In the hamlet, John M. Mattern, John Conrad, Matthew D.
Keatley, and others formerly merchandised.
Since 1866, Alexander G. Ewing has been in trade, also being postmaster
of the Franklinville office. This
office was established more recently than the Coleraine Forges office. The latter was first known by the name of
Marshall's Mills, Samuel Marshall postmaster, and was the first in the lower
part of the valley. In 1830, Joseph
Barnett was the postmaster of tile office, which now bore the name of Coleraine
Forges, by which it is yet known. The
present postmaster is D. M. Thompson.
Intermediate officials have been David Stewart and John C. Stevenson. The hamlet of Franklinville contains besides
a dozen houses, a Methodist Church, and a public hall. Above this place is a water-power, which was
improved by Charles Montgomery in the early history of the township, and has
been made to operate a saw-mill almost continuously since. The proprietor in 1881 was William B.
Johnston.
On Spruce Creek, several
miles from the Centre County line, is the small hamlet of Graysville, so called
for John Gray, an early settler at that place, whose family removed at his
death. John Fowler, another early
settler, lived at the mouth of the brook which still bears his name. His farm is now owned by James Oliver. Alexander Ewing built the gristmill which is
still in operation at this point about 1788.
Internally it has been somewhat changed, but in the main it remains as
built nearly a hundred years ago. It
has had numerous owners, and in 1881 was the property of Isaac Woomer. Stores have been kept at the hamlet by a
number of parties, among them being John Ewing, Martin Gates, H. A. Bathurst,
and the present Johnson Archer. Small
public-houses were also maintained by John Gray, Samuel Jacobs, and others, and the
foregoing usually served as postmasters of the Graysville office, of which Mary
Archy was the postmistress in 1881. A
daily mail is supplied by the stage line from Spruce Creek to Centre Hall.
Three-quarters of a mile
above Graysville was a fulling-mill, in 1800.
Among its owners were Stephen Davis and William Curry. While owned by William S. and James W. Curry
it was destroyed by fire. Yet farther
above, on the Centre County line, are the interests connected with the Pennsylvania
Furnace, the hamlet extending into Centre County, and being but a short
distance from
Baileyville, in that county:
a furnace, gristmill, store, the mansion of the resident partner of the furnace
company, George W. Lyon. The
Post-office is Graysville.' One of the first physicians in this locality was
Dr. Hugh Montgomery. Dr. Lemuel Kenslow
was a subsequent practitioner. Dr. John
McDonald was the resident physician at Baileyville for twenty years. Dr. T. C. Van Tries, the present physician,
was born in Bedford in 1840. In 1865 he
graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, and then established himself in
practice at Pennsylvania Furnace, his residence being, at Baileyville.
It is to be regretted that a
sketch of the Pennsylvania Furnace, promised for this work, was not received by
the publisher.
Prominently connected with
the business interests of this locality was Jacob Isett. He was born of German Lutheran parents in
Bucks County, Pa., Feb.16, 1760. In 1787 he came to Sinking Valley, and
at the Lead-Mine Fort worked
at his trade of shoemaking. There was
no money to be had for work, and he took his pay in wheat at fifty cents per
bushel. It advanced in price, and he
sold the two hundred bushels he had accumulated at one dollar and fifty cents per
bushel, which was his start in life. He
then bought the Arch Spring property, and in 1789 built a saw- and
grist-mill. The gristmill had but one
run of stones, which were obtained in the neighboring mountains while the
bolter was turned by hand and by those who wished their flour bolted. He afterwards bought what is known now as
the Union Furnace power, intending to, build a merchant and grist-mill. In 1798, Mr. Isett built on the Little
Juniata River the foundation for a dam, dug part of a headrace, put in
head-gates, all of which were washed away by a flood the next spring. He then sent his millwright to the Arch
Spring Mill, who reported that power could be obtained to drive a fourteen-foot
overshot-wheel, and the following spring (1799) he built a stone gristmill
which was forty by forty-five feet and three stories high, and was for that
time a very large mill.
