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The township of
Girard was carved out of Elk Creek, Fairview and Springfield in 1832,
receiving its name from Stephen Girard, the Philadelphia millionaire, who
owned a large body of land in the adjoining township of Conneaut, on which
he had arranged just before his death to put up mills and make other
important improvements which were expected to benefit the whole country
around. The old line between Fairview and Springfield ran through the
township parallel with the present line dividing Elk Creek and Conneaut.
Girard Township is bounded on the north by Lake Erie, on the east by
Fairview and Franklin, on the south by Conneaut and Elk Creek, and on the
west by Springfield. In the widest part, it is six and a quarter miles
from east to west, by seven and three-eights from north to south. The
population was 2,060 in 1840, 2,443 in 1850, 2,453 in 1860, 2,018 in 1870,
2,338 in 1880, inclusive of Miles Grove and West Girard, and 1,732
exclusive of these villages. The only post office is Miles Grove. Most of
the trading is done in the latter place and Girard Borough.
The United States census of 1880, Jacob Bender enumerator, gave the
following results: With the exception of one person, a mulatto, the
population is all white. In sex it is singularly evenly divided, there
being 1,168 males against 1,170 females.
The acreage in tilled land is 13,845; permanent meadows, pasture,
orchards, etc., 2,920; woodland and forest, 3,582; total, 20,347 acres.
The principal crops are wheat, oats, barley, corn, buckwheat and potatoes.
Total value of farm productions of all kinds, $217,080, divided among 240
farms.
The appraisement of 1883 gave the following results: Value of real estate,
$1,354,587; of personal property, $47,523; money at interest, $51,355.
Early Settlers
The first settlers within the limits of the township were William
Silverthorn and his son, Capt. Abraham Silverthorn, who came in 1798 from
Fayette County. About 1799, Robert Brown, of Northumberland County,
located at the mouth of Elk Creek, but in 1804 he moved to Weigleville,
and from there to Erie. He was the father of William A. Brown and Mrs.
George A. Eliot, of Erie City. These parties were followed in 1800 by
Robert Porter, Isaac Miller and John Kelley. Mr. Kelley, who was from
Mifflin County, moved to West Mill Creek in 1802, and died there the next
year. In 1801, Jacob Coffman came from Somerset County, and located on the
site of Lockport; and about the same time Patrick Ward settled on the Lake
road. Mr. Coffman, who was from Somerset County, was accompanied by his
four sons. Conrad, one of the boys, went back to Somerset County about
1814, married there, and did not return until 1836, when his son J. C. was
a young man of seventeen. The family were intimate in Somerset County with
the famous Judge Jeremiah S. Black. William and Samuel McClelland and
William Crane, natives of Ireland, took up lands in the northeast part of
the township in 1802; John Miller, from Fayette County, and George Kelley,
from Mifflin County, in 1803; Joel Bradish and brothers, from Saratoga
County, N. Y., and James Blair, from Fayette County, Penn., in 1804;
Martin Taylor, from Chautauqua County, N. Y., in 1813; William Webber,
from Genesee County, N. Y., in 1814; Cornelius Haggerty, in 1815; Samuel
Jenner and his son Peach, from Vermont, Justus Osborn and his son Philip,
from Fredonia, N. Y., Abner Boder, from Connecticut, and Scott Keith and
wife, from Pittsford, Vt., in 1816; Elijah Drury, from Genesee County, N.
Y., in 1817; Ethan Loveridge and Nathan Sherman, from Oneida County, N.
Y., in 1818; Joseph Long, from Massachusetts, in 1825; Matthew Anderson,
from Chenango County, N. Y., in 1830; George Traut, from Columbia county,
N. Y., in 1831; James Miles, from Union Township, and Titus Pettibone,
from Wyoming County, N. Y., in 1832; and William Kirkland, in 1833. Among
other early settlers, the date of whose arrival is not ascertained, were
Messrs. Taggart, Pickett, Badger, Martin, Wells, Clark, Laughlin and
Wolverton. The last four were the earliest who located on the site of
Girard Borough, Mr. Wells having owned most of the land embraced within
the corporate limits. James Silverthorn located among the first, and
Thomas Miles about 1801. John Ralph kept a sort of tavern at the mouth of
Elk Creek in 1804. John R. Ward was the first male child, and the late
Mrs. George A. Eliot, of Erie, the first female child born in the
township. The country does not appear to have been cleared up very
rapidly, as, according to Mr. Long, there was no road along Elk Creek when
he reached there in 1825. The remains of William Miles and those of his
wife and oldest son Frederick are interred in the family graveyard, north
of Miles Grove. The old gentleman resided with his son James, near the
mouth of Elk Creek, from 1841, the year of his wife's death, until his own
demise in 1846. Girard Township can claim the honor of having had the
second oldest person in the county -- Patrick Ward, who died at the age of
one hundred and five. When one hundred and three years old, he walked from
his residence to Girard (three miles), for the purpose of voting.
Lands and Roads
It is a common remark that the land between Walnut Creek, in Fairview, and
Crooked Creek, in Springfield, is the best along Lake Erie, and of this
choice section Girard Township is claimed by its citizens to be the very
cream. The lake plain is from three to four miles wide, running back by a
succession of steps which give a pleasing variety to the country. Near the
lake the soil is sandy, both on the ridge it becomes gravelly, and is very
productive. Back of Girard Borough the land continues to rise, is much
broken, and, except along Elk and Crooked Creeks, where there are some
fine valley farms, is better adapted to grazing than grain, though this is
to be stated with some notable exceptions. The whole township is a
splendid fruit country, and many acres have been planted to grapes and
strawberries. The strawberry crop is to Girard what the grape crop is to
North East, vast quantities being raised annually and shipped to all
points of the compass. The farm improvements will average better than any
other part of the lake shore, and the taste shown in some instances would
be creditable to any locality. Land is valued at from $100 to $125 per
acre along the Ridge road, from $60 to $100 along the Lake road, and from
$35 to $60 in the south part of the township. During the construction of
the canal, there was a sandstone quarry -- novelty for Erie County -- at
Elisha Smith's east of Girard Borough, from which a quantity of stone was
taken for the locks of the canal.
The main thoroughfares of Girard Township are the Lake road, the Ridge
road -- both running direct to Erie -- the two roads between Miles Grove
and the borough, the road through Lockport and Cranesville to Meadville,
and the Lexington road into Conneaut Township. The Ridge and Lake roads
are thickly settled, and the first named especially is unquestionably the
finest in the county, having a fine row of shade trees on both sides
almost the entire distance from Girard to Fairview. The stage company had
extensive stables at West Girard, which were burned in January, 1832, with
the loss of fifteen out of sixteen horses. After the opening of the
railroad in 1852, few persons cared to travel by coach, and the state line
was soon abandoned.
Railroads and Canal
The Lake Shore Railroad traverses the whole township from east to
west, crossing Elk Creek a short distance west of Miles Grove. The old
wooden viaduct over this stream, built for the use of the railroad in
1852, was 115 feet high and 1,400 feet long. It was replaced in 1858 with
a splendid culvert and extensive filling. The only station of this road is
at Miles Grove, or Girard Station as it is more generally known to
travelers. The Erie & Pittsburgh Railroad intersects the Lake Shore
almost a mile west of Miles Grove, and runs southward across the township,
parallel to and not far from the Springfield line. Aside from Miles Grove,
it has but a single station in the township, the one known as Cross's, at
the north end of Crooked Creek bridge, a long and uncomfortable looking
piece of trestle work. This station is the depot for the village of East
Springfield, from which it is a mile and a half distant. The railroad
office is the only building at the station. Judge Cross, of Springfield,
from whom it received it name, once lived there, and still owns 800 acres
of land in the vicinity. The New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad
traverses the entire width of the township from east to west, crossing the
Elk Creek Valley by a splendid iron bridge, within sight from Girard
Borough. Its station is between the borough and Miles Grove, a little east
of the latter place. The old Erie Canal entered Girard on the east from
Fairview, along the foot of the first rise, cut through the ridge to Elk
Creek, crossed that stream by an aqueduct ninety-six feet above the water,
and 500 long, and followed the valley of the Lockport Branch southward.
Streams, etc.
The chief stream of Girard is Elk Creek, which comes in from Fairview,
flows nearly through the center of the township from east to northwest,
and empties into the lake about a mile and a quarter beyond Miles Grove,
after a length of thirty to thirty-five miles. The West Branch rises in
Elk Creek Township, runs north eight or ten miles and unites with the main
stream near the Fairview line. Hall's Run flows through Lockport and falls
in a little south of Girard Borough. Brandy Run heads in Fairview
Township, about a mile further south; and Spring Run west of Miles Grove
-- each of them being of sufficient size to furnish water-power for one or
two mills. The valley of the chief stream is narrow and precipitous in the
eastern portion of the township, but further west it widens out, with
steep, but beautiful bluffs on both sides. At the junction of the West
Branch there is a high peak, resembling part of a Roman profile, with its
base at the water's edge, which has received the peculiar title of
"The Devil's Backbone." The West Branch runs along the base of
an almost perpendicular hill for a quarter of a mile, then rounds the
bluff and comes back to a point opposite the one which it left, forming a
sort of a loop. At the narrowest place, the crest or backbone is not more
than two feet across, and the height being over a 100 feet, it is a severe
test of a person's nerves to walk along the lofty pathway. The spot is a
favorite resort of the people for miles around. Not far from the
"Devil's Backbone" is the fruit farm of Asa Battles, which
contains 6,000 apple, 1,000 peach, 600 or 700 pear and many quince trees,
besides fourteen acres of strawberries and five or six of grapes. The
other streams of the township are Crooked Creek and several rivulets
flowing into the lake in the northeast. Crooked Creek rises near Lockport,
runs through the southwestern portion of Girard and the northeastern of
Springfield, and empties into Lake Erie about three-fourths of a mile
beyond the village of North Springfield. It has a course of about ten
miles and there are some good lands in its valley.
Mouth of Elk Creek
The mouth of Elk Creek figured extensively in the early plans of
internal improvement, as well as in the courts of the county and State.
When the canal was under discussion, there was a bitter strife as to the
adoption of the eastern route by way of Waterford, or the western one by
way of Girard. The Legislature, at length, by recommendation of the chief
engineer in charge, adopted the western route. Next came a dispute as to
whether the terminus of the canal should be at Erie or at the mouth of Elk
Creek, which was finally settled in favor of the former. On the third of
March, 1837, pending the discussion of the proper terminus, a contract was
entered into between James Miles, of Girard, Thaddeus Stevens, then a
member of Gov. Rigner's "Kitchen Cabinet," and Charles Ogle, a
Congressman from this State, looking to the building of a city at the
mouth of the creek. Miles was to dispose of 200 acres of land on both
sides of the stream to Stevens and Ogle, in consideration of $5,000, on
the 1st of August ensuing, and $95,000 from the sale of lots, while
Stevens was to work for the adoption of the site as the terminus of the
canal, and Ogle was to obtain an appropriation from Congress for the
improvement of the harbor. The project failing, Miles sued Stevens and
Ogle for the $5,000. The case was carried to the Supreme Court and decided
in favor of the defendants. Some very curious testimony came out in the
course of the trial. While the country was being cleared, the mouth of the
creek was considerable of a shipping place for staves and lumber. A
warehouse formerly stood on the lake shore for the convenience of trade.
The water in the creek is probably deep enough at its mouth to float any
sailing vessel, but there is a wide bar in the lake, which will
effectually prevent its use as a harbor until removed, which can only be
done by a heavy expenditure of money. Quite a fishery is maintained there,
and hundreds of barrels of fish are put up for shipment. A limekiln has
also has been maintained for some years, receiving its stone from Kelly's
Island.
Mills and Churches
The mills and factories of the township -- not naming for the present
those of Girard Borough, Lockport and Miles Grove -- are as follows: On
Elk Creek -- Strickland & Nason's grist mill, at the mouth of Spring
Run; the West Girard Grist, Saw, Cider and Plaster Mills, and a planing
mill at the same place. On Spring Run, T. Thornton's woolen mill and Brown
Bros.; hand rake factory and cider mill. A grist mill is said to have been
established on this stream by Mr. Silverthorn, as early as 1799, being one
of the first in the county. On the West Branch, Pettis' saw mill; on
Brandy Run, Rossiter's tannery; on one of the lake streams, Herrick's and
Godfrey's saw mills. All of the above are run by water, but in some cases
steam is also employed in the dry season. Pettibone & Morehouse have a
limekiln on the lake road north of Girard. The first mill on Elk Creek,
within Girard Township, was built at Wet Girard in 1814, by Peter
Wolverton, and was owned successively by Dr. Rufus Hills, James C.
Marshall and his brother-in-law, Addison Weatherbee, George Rowley, L. S.
Wright, Loomis & Horton and W. C. Culbertson. During Mr. Rowley's
term, the mill burned down and was rebuilt.
The churches of the township are as follows: Methodist Episcopal, at Fair
Haven, on the Lexington road, in the southwest part of the township;
organized originally, January 7, 1815, at the house of Mr. Webber, and
reorganized by Rev. A. Hall in 1860; building erected in 1861, at a cost
of $3,000. Prior to its attachment to the Lockport Circuit, this charge
was an appointment with the church at Girard. Another of the same
denomination at Fairplain, upon the farm of C. Ziesenheim, on the Lake
road, organized by Rev. J. H. Whallon, its first pastor, in 1840; building
erected in 1841 at a cost of $800. Until quite recently, this congregation
was served by the pastors from Girard. It is now connected with Fairview
Circuit.
Church of the United Brethren on the State road, near the Elk Creek
Township line; organized in 1870 by Rev. D. Sprinkle, its first pastor;
building cost $1,700.
The cemetery at Girard is the common burial place of the township, but a
number of small graveyards occur in various sections.
Schools and Mounds
The schools are fifteen in number, as follows: Fairplain, on Lake road
east; Clark's, on Lake road, farther west; Miles' near railroad junction;
Cudney, on Ridge road west; Robertson, on Ridge road west; West Girard, in
that village; Girard Station, at Miles Grove; Osborne, on Ridge road east;
McClelland, two miles southeast of Girard Borough; Porter Bridge, one mile
south of West Girard; Anderson, on Lexington road; Fair Haven, on same
road further south; Blair, on Creek road three miles south of Girard
Borough; Miller, on Old State road near Lockport; South Hill. Besides
these there is a Union School on the Franklin Line, occupied jointly by
that and Girard Township. Among some of the early schools of the township
were the following: A log schoolhouse stood in the southwestern part of
the township, in which school was taught in 1819 or 1820 by Miles Bristol.
This schoolhouse was destroyed by fire and another erected in the same
locality. Fifty years ago, there stood a log schoolhouse about
three-quarters of a mile south of the village of Lockport. About 1822, a
school was taught in a frame building that stood on the Ridge road at the
foot of the Girard Hill, by Nancy Kelly. Another school was held in a
private house, situated one mile east of Girard, taught in about 1823 by
Desdemona Fuller.
Southeast of Girard Borough, the remains of an ancient mound are or were
lately to be seen, which was one of a chain of four, extending in a
southwesterly direction through East Springfield toward Conneaut Creek.
These mounds are exactly alike, consisting of high, round earthwork
inclosing a space of about three-fourths of an acre, with apertures at
regular intervals. Similar ruins are to be found in Conneaut, Harbor
Creek, Wayne and Concord Townships. On a hill between Girard and Lockport
was an Indian burial ground. In 1882, the bones of a mastodon were plowed
up on the farm of W. H. Palmer, many of which were in an excellent state
of preservation. The size of the animal was estimated to have been fifteen
feet long, exclusive of tusks, and about thirteen feet high.
Miles Grove
The pretty and growing village of Miles Grove, or Girard Station, as
it is known to the traveling public, is situated on the Lake Shore
Railroad, a little over a mile east of the intersection of the Erie &
Pittsburgh, one and three-quarter miles north of Girard, fifteen and a
half west of Erie and eighty east of Cleveland. It is four and a half
miles from the depot to Fairview Station, five to Fairview Borough, six to
Lockport, five to East springfield, four to North Springfield, ten to
Cranesville, eleven to Wellsburg, eleven and a half to Albion and twelve
to Franklin. The population of the village by the census of 1880 was 471.
The site of Miles Grove is one of the most suitable for a town in Erie
County. The country is extremely fine and closely settled -- so close,
indeed, between there and Girard that it will not be many years till they
are one town. The place was named after Judge Miles, who influenced the
erection of the depot, the ground for which was given by Austin H. Seeley,
who laid out the lots. It grew slowly for some years, but received a new
impetus by the completion of the Erie & Pittsburg road, which caused
it to be made a general stopping place for the trains. Another start was
given to it by the location of A. Denio's fork and agricultural works,
which furnish employment to about seventy persons. These works -- now
known as the Otsego Fork Mills -- were brought to Mile Grove, part in
1874, and the balance in 1876, the citizens subscribing $5,000 to $5,000
to induce their removal. This important industry was established at Albion
thirty years ago. The handle department burned down in the year of 1873,
when the entire business was transferred to Miles Grove, where a part of
it was already in operation. The village contains, besides a good many
fine residences, an Episcopal and a Methodist Episcopal Church, a fine
schoolhouse, with three teachers, an iron foundry, a hotel -- built by A.
M. Osborn in the spring of 1865 -- five or six stores, an express office,
two shoe shops and two blacksmith shops. The Methodist Episcopal Church
was built in 1867. It is used in part by the Presbyterians, according to a
condition in the subscription paper. James Sampson donated the land on
which the building stands. The Methodist Episcopal Congregation has
belonged to Girard charge ever since its organization.
The Episcopal Church was erected in 1877 (mainly with a sum of money left
by Mrs. Bell, a daughter of Judge Miles) on a tract of land donated by J.
Robert Hall, agent of the latter's estate. The first services of this
congregation were held in 1860, but no regular rector served the church
until 1862. Rev. E. D. Irvine has been rector since June, 1877. The Lake
Shore Railroad Company has valuable improvements at Miles Grove. These are
a fine depot building, with tasteful parks east and west of it, a freight
house, two water tanks, an engine house with four stalls, a turn-table and
an extensive truck yard for shifting freight trains. An enormous business
is done in shipping potatoes, in which Girard and Fairview Townships are
very fruitful, and great quantities of coal are sold from the line of the
E. & P. Railroad. The home of the Miles family, in the hollow of Elk
Creek, near its mouth, about a mile north of west from Miles Grove, is a
stately brick mansion. When Judge Miles died, he owned 1,600 acres in one
body, extending two miles or more along the lake. He was born in
Northumberland County February 16, 1792, and died March 27, 1868. For
seventy or eighty years there has been an eagle's nest on the farm of
Riley Pettibone, half a mile north of Miles Grove. It was there when the
country was cleared, and has not changed its position, except that the
original trees were blown down, and others near by were chosen.
Occasionally young eagles are captured, caged, and preserved as
curiosities.
West Girard
The ancient village of West Girard is in the valley of Elk Creek,
after which it was originally named, mostly on the west bank of the
stream, about half a mile from the borough of Girard. It was rather an
important place in early days, being the site of one of the stage
company's extensive stables, and a changing place for their teams. The
village then boasted a number of stores, four taverns, two tanneries, an
oil mill, distillery, and several smaller establishments, all of which
were allowed to run down. It received its worst blow by the building of
the canal on the opposite side of the creek, which caused a transfer of
the business to the present borough. Its principal establishments now are
a large grist mill, a planing mill and sash and blind factory, a saw mill,
a plaster mill and a brickyard. The village contains a schoolhouse, about
thirty houses, and 135 inhabitants. An iron bridge over Elk Creek marks
the site of two or three wooden structures which have been washed away by
the destructive floods of that stream.
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In the year 1814, at
the close of the war with Great Britain, the site of Girard Borough was
partly included in the farm of John Taylor, whose log house was the only
building there. At a later date, the land was owned by Daniel Sayre, Sr.,
who purchased from Mr. Taylor. Mr. Sayre sold to Joseph Wells, who erected
the first frame building within the borough limits. The original town was
on the other side of the creek, now known as West Girard. When the canal
was located on the east side of the stream, several far-seeing parties
commenced building on the present site, and it was not long until a town
was laid out. The name of Girard was given to it in honor of the township
of which it became -- so to speak -- the capital and center of trade. The
first buildings in the village were near the canal, and the first tavern
occupied a site a little west of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1846,
the village was incorporated as a borough. Its first officers were:
Burgess Mason Kellogg; Council, John McClure, Jr., Leffert Hart, H.
McConnell, George H. Cutler; Clerk, L. S. Jones. The corporation covers
250 acres. The United States census gave Girard a population of 400 in
1850, 616 in 1860, 704 in 1870, and 703 in 1880. The assessment for 1883
gave the following results: Value of real estate, $247,453; cows, 39;
value, $1,380; horses and mules, 73; value, $6,110; personal property,
$7,490; value of trades and occupations, $60,255; money at interest,
$11,377.
Girard occupies a pleasant site along the Ridge road, which constitutes
its Main street, on high ground overlooking the lake shore plain and the
lovely valley of Elk Creek, sixteen miles west by public road from Erie,
ten east from the Ohio line, two and a half south of the lake, and one and
three-quarters from the railroad station at Miles Grove, with which it is
connected by the old depot road and Rice avenue. The latter thoroughfare,
which was projected by Dan Rice while in the height of his prosperity, was
opened in the winter of 1867-68, and is well built up, giving a stranger
the idea of a continuous town. A charter for a street railroad on this
fine avenue was procured some years ago, but the enterprise was never
carried to completion. The old road is also rather closely built up, and
both thoroughfares are among the most pleasant in the county. The Erie
Canal passed through the borough by a deep cut, and two venerable
warehouses still stand upon its banks, showing that a large trade was done
there through the medium of that improvement. The town occupies the second
rise above the lake shore plain, in the midst of one of the most beautiful
and productive countries in the Union. It contains every variety of stores
incident to a community of the size, has many delightful residences,
especially along the east end of the main street, which is finely shaded,
and does an extensive trade with the farming region around.
Churches, Schools, Etc.
The borough numbers among its public institutions Presbyterian,
Methodist Episcopal, Catholic, Universalist and German Lutheran Churches.
The Methodist Church, which has few superiors in the county for beauty of
architecture and elegance of finish, was erected in 1868 at a cost of
$30,000. The congregation was organized in 1815, by Rev. Ira Eddy, its
first pastor, and built it first edifice in 1828. For many years the
appointment was a portion of the Springfield Circuit.
The Presbyterian Church is a substantial brick building erected in 1835,
to which an old graveyard is attached. Its congregation was organized May
16, 1835, by Rev. Pierce Chamberlain, the first Elders being Robert Porter
and Philip Bristol. It was at first supplied by Rev. Edson Hart, who was
stationed at Springfield. The present pastor, Rev. W. R. Moore, assumed
the pastorate of the church in 1871.
St. John's Catholic congregation was organized about the year 1858, and
soon thereafter put up a church building. The congregation was attended by
visiting priests for a number of years. Rev. Father F. Riordy has served
this charge in connection with the one at North East since July, 1870.
The Universalist society was organized some years previous to 1852, and in
that year erected their present church building; the pastor of this church
since 1864 has been Rev. C. L. Shipman; his predecessor was Rev. S. P.
Carrolton; Revs. E. Wood and C. B. Lombard has preceded Mr. Carrolton.
St. Johannis congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized
in 1866, and subsequently purchased the church building occupied by the
Methodist Episcopal society prior to the erection of their present
building in 1868. The pulpit of the church was filled for periods by the
pastors of the church of this denomination in Erie. For some years past,
this congregation and the one in Fairview Township have been under one
pastorate. Rev. Gavehling has been pastor of both these charges for the
past four years.
The Girard Cemetery, one of the handsomest burial grounds in the county,
is a tract of ten acres, neatly inclosed, laid out in walks and containing
many costly monuments. The organization was charged in Marcy, 1861, and
the property was laid out the same year.
The Girard Academy was built by subscription in 1850, and opened in 1851,
with 150 pupils. It had a students' boarding house attached, and for
awhile was very successful. The property was transferred to the school
board about twelve years ago, and has since been occupied by the common
schools of the borough. These consist of a series of graded schools,
managed by a Principal and three assistants. The schools opened in the
fall of 1883, with an enrollment of 160 pupils under the superintendency
of J. M. Morrison, who had three lady assistants. There are four
departments, each of which is in excellent condition. The schools were
graded in the winter of 1872-73, by F. W. Knapp. The latter was succeeded
by the present Principal, who is now (1883) beginning his fifth school
year at Girard.
The first school that was held in Girard Township was taught in what is
now Girard Borough, by J. Swan, in the year 1809. He was then in his
sixteenth year. The following year (1810) Mr. Swan taught a school in Mill
Creek Township.
In 1827, the village school was held in the lower floor of a log building
that stood a little to the rear of the site of the drug store of Smith
& Lowe on Main street; Tabitha Mashon was teaching about this time
(the second floor of the building was used as the Masonic Lodge room).
Hotels and Factories
The hotels of Girard Borough are the Avenue House, finished in 1879,
and owned and kept by Peter H. Nellis, and the Martin House, which has
been in operation thirty years, and is now kept by Alonzo White. Girard
has been rather unfortunate in the matter of hotel buildings, the old
Girard House, which occupied the site of the present Avenue House, and the
Central House of Joshua Evans, which stood on the east side of the public
square, having both been burned. In the days of stage coaching on the
Ridge road, the locality was a famous ne for taverns, there having been no
less than eight, within two miles, in 1835.
The most important manufacturing concern of the borough is the wrench
factory. This concern was built by a corporation under the State laws, and
erected in 1874, by the Walton Brothers, of Cleveland, Ohio, with a
capital of $8,000, the people of Girard subscribing half the stock. It
failed in 1875, and at Sheriff's sale was purchased by C. F. Rockwell, W.
C. Culbertson, C. F. Webster and R. S. Battles. This company is under a
limited partnership, but the business has been carried on successfully
under this firm. The concern employ about seventy-five men. In the fall of
1883, a well was sunk near the mill for the purpose of securing gas for
lighting purposes. After boring 1,310 feet, and receiving an insufficient
supply, the derrick was removed to a different locality and the second
well is under operation at this writing. Besides this establishment, H. H.
Waitman has a planing mill, and there is a small furniture factory. All of
these concerns are run by steam. There is also a small bedspring
manufactory owned by H. P. Malick.
Square, Monument, Etc.
The public square of Girard was a gift from Joseph Wells, one of the
owners of the land, when the village was laid out. It is surrounded by a
number of fine buildings, but its principal objects of interest are the
soldiers' monument, and the Dan Rice residence, which occupies, with
grounds, a full block on the north side. The monument is a splendid shaft
of marble, designed by the celebrated Chicago sculptor, Leonard Volk,
inclosed by an iron railing, and dedicated November 1, 1865. It cost
$6,000, the whole of which was paid by Dan Rice.
The Dan Rice property embraces two and a half acres, inclosed on three
sides by a heavy brick wall, and ornamented with statuary, walks, arbors,
and the choicest of trees, shrubbery and flowers. The mansion itself is a
large frame building. Within the inclosure is a fine conservatory, and a
brick barn which cost $26,000. The cost of the wall around the grounds was
$3,000. Dan Rice's first purchase in Girard was in 1853, when he bought a
piece of land with building on the northwest side of the square, from Col.
John McClure, for $18,000. In 1856 he moved there, and from that date
continued to add to his purchase until he had possession of the entire
square, at a total cost of about $60,000. Financial embarrassments lost to
Dan Rice this estate, and the present owners are the estate of Avery
Smith, John Nathans and Dr. G. R. Spalding.
Public Men
Girard Borough and Township have furnished a goodly proportion of the
public men of the county. Among the number have been George H. Cutler,
State Senator from 1873 to 1875, Speaker of the Senate, then the second
highest office in the Commonwealth, from the close of the session in 1874,
and President pro tem. during the session of 1875; Theodore Byman, member
of Assembly in 1848; Leffert Hart in 1849; Henry Teller in 1860 and 1861;
George P. Rea in 1868 and 1869; H. A. Traut, from 1883 to 1885; Myron
Hutchinson, Associate Judge, from 1841 to 1850; James Miles, from 1851 to
1856; S. E. Woodruff, District Attorney, from 1853 to 1856, and United
States Register in Bankruptcy for the Congressional District from 1867 to
1879; James C. Marshall, Prothonotary, from January 13, 1839, to November
16, 1839, and Samuel Perley, from 1851 to 1854; Jeremiah Davis, County
Treasurer, from December 1, 1856, to December 23, 1858; L. T. Fisk, County
Superintendent of Public Schools, from 1866 to 1869; Myron Hutchinson,
County Commissioner from 1828 to 1830, and James Miles, from 1835 to 1838;
D. W. Hutchinson, Mercantile Appraiser, in 1877; William Biggers, Jury
Commissioner, from January 1, 1880, to January 1, 1883; George Platt,
County Surveyor, from 1872 to date; John Hay, Director of the Poor, from
1853 to 1857; James Miles, County Auditor, from 1840 to 1843, and Philip
Osborn, from 1864 to 1867. Senator and Secretary of the Interior Teller,
of Colorado, was a resident of Girard Township while a boy. The Girard
members of the bar are James C. Marshall, D. W. Hutchinson, S. E. & T.
S. Woodruff, George H. Cutler and C. J. Hinds. Mr. Marshall moved to Erie
in April, 1844, and the Messrs. Woodruff about 1872. Capt. Hutchinson was
Chairman of the Democratic County Committee for several years, was a
Delegate to the Democratic National Convention of 1872, and has
represented the county frequently in State Conventions. In addition to the
above officers, T. C. Wheeler wa United State Assistant Assessor, being
appointed under President Lincoln, and holding the office nine years. Mr.
Osborn was keeper of the Marine Hospital at Erie, a State appointment, for
several years, ending in 1883.
Newspapers and Banks
The first newspaper was the Girard Free Press, started about
1845, by S. D. Carpenter, who took Horace Greeley's advice, went West, and
became a prominent politician, issuing a book at the commencement of the
war, which furnished the texts for numberless Democratic editorials. The Express,
its successor, was purchased by T. C. Wheeler and William S. Finch,
November 7, 1854, and the name was changed to the Republican. It
bore the novel motto, "Independent on all subjects, rabid on
none." In 1855, Samuel Perley moved to Girard from Erie, merged the
material of his city office with that of the Republican, and
conducted a paper for several years. From that date, several futile
efforts were made to establish a paper until 1868, when the Cosmopolite
entered the arena, as the successor of the Crisis, which had been
founded at Conneautville, by T. G. Fields, under the auspices of Dan Rice,
to advocate his election to the Presidency. Charles Stow became editor of
the Cosmopolite, and infused such a degree of vigor and ability
into it that it got a reputation the country over. After a brief
suspension, owing to commercial depression, it was purchased by Jacob
Bender & Bro. in the spring of 1872. In the spring of 1873, Charles
Bender went out of the concern, but returned in 1876, and in 1880 he
purchased the interest of his brother, who moved to Erie.
The first bank organized in Girard was in 1859, under the firm name of
Battles & Webster. This firm dissolved in 1876, since which time it
has been carried on by R. S. Battles, and C. F. Webster, Cashier. The
First National Bank was organized in 1863, by Henry McConnell, James
Webster, Henry M. Webster, R. S. Battles, John Gulliford and L. S. Wright.
Henry McConnell was elected President, which position he filled to the
close of his life, in 1871. James Webster succeeded him to this position,
which he filled until the charter expired in June, 1882. R. S. Battles was
elected Cashier, and occupied that position during the entire
administration of the concern. A. W. Course was elected Assistant Cashier,
and held the post till November, 1871. He was succeeded by C. F. Webster,
who filled the position to its close. Henry M. Webster was elected Vice
President at the retirement of James Webster, and occupied this post until
his death. During the panic of 1873, all other banks suspended payment in
currency, while the tow banks located in Girard paid all its demands in
currency on presentation. The First National Bank was in a prosperous
condition, and had passed successfully through all the periods of
financial distress. The charger having expired prior to the passage of
laws by Congress, it was necessarily closed. It paid off its stock-holders
120 cents on the dollar, and all its indebtedness inside of thirty days.
Miscellaneous
The secret societies of the borough are a Masonic Blue Lodge and
Chapter, and two lodges of the United Workmen. A Grange flourished awhile,
but has been disbanded. Exodus Lodge, I. O. of G. T., was in existence in
1855; the Girard Lyceum was founded in 1855; a Young Men's Literary
Association in 1859; and the Girard Guards, D. W. Hutchinson, Captain,
were organized in 1860. The Union Agricultural Society of Girard was
instituted as an auxiliary to the county society, July 25, 2856;had a fair
that year, and continued to give annual exhibitions till the war. It is
now defunct.
The old State line passes through the borough, running within six feet of
the northeast corner of the Avenue House.
The adoption of Girard as the residence of San Rice had the effect of
drawing other caterers to the public amusement there, and in course of
time it became known far and wide as a "show town." Among the
famous showmen who made it their residence were Dr. James L. Thayer, who
started as an employe of Rice's; Charles W. Noyes, one of his pupils; Abe
Henderson, Agrippa Martin and Seymour Pease, all at one period owners or
part owners of extensive circuses. No less than five shows have been
organized in the borough, viz., Dan Rice's, Thayer & Noyes', Rice
& Forepaugh's, Anderson & Co.'s and G. R. Spalding & Co.'s.
Dan Rice wintered his shows there from 1856 till the spring of 1875.
Denman Thompson, the popular comedian, is a native of Girard Township.
Frank Drew, Sr., the famous comedian, claims Girard as his home. Charles
Stow, the editor and poet, has been a resident of the borough since 1867,
and spends each winter there with his family.
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