History of the Beech Creek Area of Clinton County, Pennsylvania
This history was prepared to provide an interesting and enlightening account of the early Beech Creek area and its development to the pre- sent day. In order to give as complete a story as possible census, assessment and legal records were searched, old newspapers were reviewed, and "old timers" were queried. To add to the attractiveness of this publication old pictures, particularly of large groups and interesting sights or objects, were sought. Despite all this effort it is realized that what appears on the following pages does not represent the total history of the area. This book, therefore, leaves a challenge to its readers to find and record some of the missing data.
It is expected that even the most intense and thorough research has resulted in some erroneous data. Errors may have come not only from information gathered by personal interview, but also from data that had been incorrectly printed or recorded previously. Much difficulty was encountered in trying to obtain maiden names of early wives, and, in many cases, especially in the very early days, the given names of many of the women have not been established. On several occasions newspaper publicity revealed that this undertaking was in progress and information, such as may be found in attics, old Bibles, or merely stored in peoples' minds, was being solicited. Unfortunately responses to these appeals were not very gratifying.
To better identify persons, particularly those of previous generations, who are singled out for one reason or another, the names of parents, or spouses, or sometimes descendants, were included, when available, to aid the reader. Such identification was included in only one reference to the same individual, usually the first.
This project was not undertaken for a profit. The cost per copy will be based on actual printing and distribution, with no reimbursement for the large expenses involved in years of research, mostly out of town.
Table of Contents
Introduction II
The Authors III
I. Historical, Geographical and Factual Background 1
II. Churches and Cemeteries 11
III. Schools 18
IV. Occupations and Professions 26
V. Development of Industry and Transportation 45
VI. Commercial Enterprises 59
VII. Events, Disasters and Anecdotes 68
VIII. Success Cases Among Our People 86
IX. Lodges, Organizations and Activities 95
X. Early Settlers More Fully Identified 105
XI. Afterthoughts and Supplemental Notes 119
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On June 21, 1839 our county of Clinton was formed from parts of Centre and Lycoming Counties. In May, 1850 Bald Eagle Township, in this relatively new county, was divided by a line running northeasterly from about the middle of its southern border. The eastern section retained the Bald Eagle name. The western part was given the same name as the stream that flowed along its western edge and the town that was built along this stream — a name that had come down from the Delaware Indians — Beech Creek. However, the Indians did not use the words beech and creek. Their term was "Schauweminsch-Hanne," which meant beech stream.
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