MEETINGS
The next two meetings are February 13 and March 13. Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: The Freeport Community Center. We will continue to go through pictures for the picture book to be published.
Please come, and bring a friend who might like to join. Find out what is happening at our Society.
NEXT NEWSLETTER
The deadline for articles for the next Newsletter is March 30. We appreciate some articles recently shared with us and would like to have more. Contact us - Don at 295-4635 or Carol at pchale@salsgiver.com or 353-2527.
WEB SITE
Go to www.fahs-pa.org and check it out. Some of the previous newsletters have been posted and more will appear in time. Merchandise is also listed and pictured there. Visit the site today.
HENRY A. WEAVER
Born April 1, 1820, in Freeport, Henry went on to become the first Republican mayor of Pittsburgh, serving from January, 1857, until January, 1860. He was brought to Pittsburgh at the age of 10 by his father Benjamin Weaver who operated the Mansion House at 5th and Wood and also served as sheriff.
Henry was quite a businessman. At a mere 18 he went into the retail dry goods trade, then became a wholesaler. In 1841 he and a brother opened a river and canal boat supply house. By 1854 he had left that business and went into coal. Soon politics became a part of his life; in 1855 he was elected to Pittsburgh's Select Council. As an early supporter of the new party, he was a delegate to the 1856 GOP convention in Philadelphia where John C. Fremont was nominated for President.
The Republican Party didn't do well nationally, but it became strong in Pittsburgh. In 1857 Weaver received 2,749 votes against 2,323 for Capt. J. D. White, a clerk of the Federal District Court. The last Know Nothing candidate for mayor got a whopping 241 votes.
Weaver was a strong and active mayor. He gathered a large amount of food to send to Cincinnati during the panic of 1857. He also began reorganizing the police department and launched a very successful state fair in the city.
After serving as mayor he went on to become a strong backer of Abraham Lincoln at the 1860 convention in Chicago. He also continued as a merchant by entering the oil refining business.
During the Civil War he was a commissary with the PA Reserve and was named Assessor of Revenue.
In later years he was in banking and gas and oil production and was one of the backers of the Monongahela Incline.
Weaver died on September 28, 1890, and is buried in Allegheny Cemetery.
FROM JOHN SHOOP'S WEATHER
BOOK
1848 - 1870
There was from 1 to 2 inches of snow on the ground on Easter Sunday morning April 24 1859 & it froze hard ice in tubs...there was hevy thunder & lightning on the Night of 26 Apr 1859 in the South...Dutch Jake was Drowned on the night of 26 Apr 1859 in Canel…We had tremendious hevy rain Apr 27th 1859 The snow lay on Millers hill Apr 27 1859…Sally Camp moved hir flitten dome & com with it May 3 1859 …the first Whippowill holowed May 6 1859 it was plesent wether…on the 9 of May 1859 there was ten Steam Boats burned on the Monongala warf at Pittsburgh I was there a day or 2 afterwards I was a good deal surprised at the distruction the loss 2000…I built my pailing fence May 16th 1859 by Casline & J. Ralston & coal house…James Armstrong Died May 17th 1859 aged 86 years…We had very hevy rain on the 21 May 1859 & hard thunder wine & lightning at 6 in Evn…we planted cabbish May 23 1859…the Surces was here May 30 1859…It was so cold on the 4 of June 1859 we put fire in our shop that day. There was a little Snow June 3 1859…it was cold June 4, 1859, & som sleet bad wether…There was hard white frost & frose our flowers in the garden therm stood at 30 it froze beens corn grapevines coucumbers & almost every thing in our garden this was on Sunday morning June 5th 1859 frain in the contry was som frozen…there was a hevy rain & hail on the 8 June 1859 from Northwest…there was a hard white frost June 11 1859…the River raised 3 feet June 10 1859…The River raised 7 feet June 15 & 16 & cool…Ember Day June 15 it was clear & warm but hevy rain at 6 in Evin.
Editor's note: Spelling, punctuation and grammar are as written by John Shoop.
HEIRLOOM RECIPES
The following recipe was packed into 5 and 10 pound bags of Valley Mills Flour. Vernis M. Pike, daughter of Mirl C. Mickey gave the recipe to the Historical Society.
Bread
32 cups of flour
2 quarts plus 1 C. warm water
1 C sugar
3 full T. of salt
1 large cake of Baker's yeast (5 cent size)
Sift flour the night before you wish to bake, and sit it in a warm place overnight. In the morning measure water, add sugar, salt and yeast; stir well and let stand about 10 minutes. Then add flour, a little at a time, using a spoon to stir in all the water. Knead well with hands until thoroughly mixed, cover to keep from draft and let rise to double in size. Now work down and make or weigh into seven 2 pound loaves. Place in bread pans and let raise until light. It's advisable to grease dough with butter while rising into loaves. Bake at 350° until nicely browned.
What a recipe - enough for all of Laneville. And 5 cent yeast? Was it really ever that cheap?
ROWLEY ALBUM
More research done by Irene Rowley of Petaluma, CA, and shared by our member, Dave Rowley:
Asa Rowley was the first of the family to purchase land in Freeport, in 1831. Daniel was the investor in the family - he bought Outlot 10 from James Armstrong, divided it up into sublots and sold most of them, along with a lot of salt wells, through his attorney, Robert Lowrey. In 1845 he purchased 50 acres of land previously known as "Mount Joy." for $1,000; it included a mill. This land was on the northern border of Freeport on the Armstrong-Butler County line and the mill operated on Buffalo Creek. It was technically a part of South Buffalo Township. The old Pittsburgh and Kittanning Road crossed the creek a short distance above the mill.
"Rowley's Mill" was a sizable investment, worthy of recognition as a town historic site. He moved to Freeport from Natrona at this time, with his family, to settle on the 50 acres. Asa died in 1849. His niece-wife, Adaline, remarried a shoemaker, Isaac Kiebler, a few years later. She settled on Second Street with her second husband - she died there in 1890.
Her children lived on at "Rowley's Mill" and then moved in with their uncle, Dr. David Alter, in the 1860's, before migrating to Second Street. They lived there through the 1920's, led by Asa's bachelor son, John Rowley. John became a central figure in the Freeport Baptist Church and single-handedly raised many nieces and nephews.
TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Plans are moving along to have a wooden replica of this building (similar to Cat's Meow collectibles) produced soon to use as a fundraiser.
WINTER FUN IN FREEPORT
IN DAYS GONE BY
Flip back the calendar about 60 odd years - to the period of 1936 - 1941. Yes, we had radio, telephones and movies. No, we did not have television, computers or VCR's.
A fellow from Laneville would come to school and say, "Buffalo Creek is frozen and smooth as glass." After school, snow shovels and brooms appeared to clean the snow off the ice. Soon bonfires burned under the bridge; there were always a few planks there to sit on to put on your skates. Even adults enjoyed skating on a Sunday afternoon. After all, there was no pro football on Sunday in those years and no TV's to watch it toboggan.
Winter was cold and snowy but we all enjoyed it even if it was only a couple hours. Then we had to go home and warm up. In those days we didn't have insulated jackets or parkas, but we did have "long johns."
Thanks, Rod Chapman, for a look back at earlier snowy times.
ONE-LEGGED MAN IDENTIFIED
In our last issue an article excerpted from one written by Vernon Ross in about 1956 was included ("Freeport Men seek gold in California".) Vernon thought the gentleman might have been a Weaver, but Reid W. Stewart has volunteered some information about the gentleman and it turns out he was Alexander Beale - another familiar Freeport name. Alexander (January 12, 1819 to February 15, 1867) was the son of Washington and Jane Given Beale; he was also a brother of Dr. Stewart's great grandmother, Priscilla Beale Stewart. Dr. Stewart has shared some writing from the journal of Dr. Thomas Galbreath, a Tarentum physician, and brother of Rev. William Galbreath, former pastor of the Freeport Associate Presbyterian Church. This is the passage: Thursday, 6/12/1849: Our train left the river to pass over the Bluffs. I took my gun and went on a hunting excursion along with our guide, Graves. We hunted without success until about noon when coming into where the train had stopped to graze, we saw Mr. Miller coming towards us on horse back urging the animal to it's utmost speed. When he came within haling distance, he called to me to come on, that Alex Beale was shot. I immediately mounted the guide's horse and rode into camp. I found him lying with a wound in the right knee immediately below and a little to the right of the patella. On examining with the probe, I found that the ½ half oz. ball had passed between graze, we saw Mr. Miller coming towards us on horse back urging the animal to it's utmost speed. When he came within haling distance, he called to me to come on, that Alex Beale was shot. I immediately mounted the guide's horse and rode into camp. I found him lying with a wound in the right knee immediately below and a little to the right of the patella. On examining with the probe, I found that the ½ half oz. ball had passed between the head of the tibia and the coudyles of the femur, shattering both bones very much. The Synovial was escaping from the wound and in a short time hemorrhages supervened, which could with great difficulty be controlled. Under these circumstances, believing that amputation was absolutely necessary, I thought best to send for the Army Surgeon, who was but a short distance behind. He came up shortly and after a minute examination found the ball near the posterior part of the leg, behind the joint, lodged in a portion of the femur which it had broken off and carried with it. He wished to cut down and remove the ball; I objected for the reason that I considered amputation necessary. I should have stated however that he was not certain at that time that he had found the ball yet. The result proved the accuracy of the diagnosis. His opinion, as expressed to me, was that there was a possibility of saving the limb. He accordingly dressed it and left and as we had very little grass and no wood where we were, we found it necessary to proceed 4 miles further. We made as comfortable a place as possible for him and drove slowly, yet he suffered considerably.
The manner in which he received
the injury, as near as I could gather was as follows: Capt. Taylor
rode forward and selected, as usual, a grazing spot. He laid his
loaded State Rifle on
a sage hillock, about 21 rods to the right of the spot on which
Alex Beale drove our wagon which was the foremost of the train.
Mr. Miller ungeared the wheel mules. Alex was in the act of ungearing
one of the middle mules when the right wheel mule started off
at full speed in the direction of the loaded rifle. After she
passed it, her trail rope caught the cock of the gun, raised it
up and discharged it. The ball passed through to large hillocks,
glanced upwards and entered the knee joint as before stated.
Friday, June 29: This morning Dr. Dorsey of Newark, New Jersey, came along whose acquaintance I had the pleasure of making on the morning after we crossed the North Fork of the Platte. I gave him a history of the case as correctly as I could and the answer he made to me was, that no Surgeon of standing in the United States would risk his reputation by attempting to save the limb, even at home where every convenience could be procured. I then requested him to remain and assist in the operation which he consented to do, and sent immediately for the Army Surgeon, Dr. Edgar, who came about 2 p.m. We had everything in readiness for him by the time he came with his amputation instruments. After consulting for a few minutes, it was agreed that the operation was necessary in order to save the life of the patient. It was also agreed that Dr. Edgar should operate while Dr. Dorsey would take charge of the tourniquet and I should administer the chloroform, which was kindly furnished by Dr. Edgar, and retract the flaps. Dr. Edgar performed the operation very well. Alex was insensible to the operation, consciousness returned immediately after the operation. After the wound was dressed, he was put into the best bed we could afford, viz: a gun blanket spread on the ground in the tent and over this two flannel blankets folded double with a sack of clothing for a pillow. He suffered considerable pain after the operation but not as much as before. We made use of the cold water dressings Saturday and Sabbath. He did as well as could be expected.
Monday, July 2: I dressed the wound for the first time. Supperation had commenced and it looked very well. Made use of tepid water dressing. Today, we made a mattress of dried grass on which he laid much easier.
Wednesday, July 4: Alex appears to do very well. Miller and Thomas are very anxious to leave on Friday or Saturday. I am opposed to moving a cot swing in the wagon for Alex. His stump pains him more than usual.
Sabbath, July 8: Stump still painful. Some degree of inflammation.
Monday, July 9: The wound is less painful today. We finished our cot and placed Alex on it in the wagon and left our encampment about 2 o'clock.
DUES
Yep - it's that time of year again - time to give the IRS what
they claim is theirs…and time to renew your membership in
the Freeport Area Historical Society. Dues are $10/year per member.
Or, cough up $100 for a lifetime membership. Please send your
check to the Freeport Area Historical Society, P. O. Box 107,
Freeport, PA 16229, along with the following:
Name_________________________
Address__________________________________________Telephone No.______________