Industries Of Yesteryear

Bedford County has considered farming as its major industry through the past 175 years. However, a review of the county's history of this period reveals many industries that are no longer in existence. Many have been forgotten. In fact, the actual locations of some of them have been lost.

Throughout the county there were literally dozens of blacksmith shops, shoemakers, cabinetmakers, carpenters, and many other trades in which men were gainfully em-ployed. Many times these craftsmen took on a young boy to work as an apprentice. After working for a number of years under the watchful eye of the master, they were able to set up their own place of business.

Often the head of the house would leave home on Sunday evening and walk for several miles over the hills and sometimes over a mountain to reach his place of employment so that he would be ready to work Monday morning. Wages by the day or week were quite low, but they had a job and were able to provide for their family.

Nearly every man had to be a 'jack of all trades'. He had to depend upon his own ability to repair or make his own tools. Otherwise he might have to walk miles to find some one who had the ability to do the necessary work. Too, it would have required payment of money that many times he did not have.

Many small industries were operated with family members, father and sons. Most small sawmills and gristmills were built along small streams. In the summer during long dry spells these places had to cease operation because of lack of sufficient quantities of water to run the mills.

In researching the Civil Subdivisions of the county, we tried to pick out some of the in-dustries that existed a hundred years or more.

In Bedford Borough, Shires and Jordan purchased a foundry business in 1858. Their main products were farm machinery, stoves and general repairs. There were two sawmills: Horn's Bedford Planing Mill and Nycum's sawmill. This business was destroyed by fire in 1880. Hedding and Covalt also had a mill. It was located in 1882 on the north side. In 1881 the Bedford Keg works was established. Its capacity was 100,000 kegs per year. Hartley's gristmill in 1865 was the first steam-operated mill in the Borough with a capacity of 50 barrels per day.

In the Township, John Nelson operated a gristmill called the 'poorhouse mill' in 1859. In one newspaper of that year he offered to buy one thousand bushels of rye, wheat, oats and buckwheat. Michael Sprankle operated a stone gristmill in Wolfsburg in 1800. Four years prior to this Soloman Adams operated a sawmill, Conrad Atley had a gristmill and John Graham owned both types of mills.

Up in Bloomfield Township, two brothers, Samuel and Milachi Snyder operated a distillery in 1879. The capacity was 80 barrels in six months. In 1845 the Bloomfield Fur-nace was erected from parts which had been removed from the Woodberry Furnace.

The most important industry in Broad Top Township was the coal mine. The first coal mine opening took place about 1850, however the Hopewell Furnace, one of the oldest in this part of the state, was built in 1800 by William King and Thomas Davis.

The Keystone Foundry and machine shops were erected in 1857 while in 1868 the Kemble Coal & Iron Company erected two blast furnaces in Riddlesburg. It was capable of making sixty tons of iron per day and a total average of 5500 tons of coal were mined.

Anthony Smith was one of the very early settlers in Friends Cove, he built the first gristmill here. Adam Zembower was also a millwright and miller until his death in 1810. James Donaho obtained a water right in 18M to operate a tannery where Rainsburg is now., Through the years it made many changes until 1881. A number of local people had to be employed because it had a capacity of tanning 5,000 hides per year. A second tannery operated in 1843.

William Growden operated a gristmill in Cumberland Valley until 1830. Henry Simons owned an earlier mill on Evitts Creek, as early as 1826. A second gristmill was also in operation until 1882. It was owned by a Zembower family. In the 1830's two sawmills were in operation near Centerville. They were owned by Zembower and Bruner. A William Boor built a tannery in 1869 in the valley.

Josiah and Jeremiah Baughman started a foundry in Bloody Run in 1854. It was a very important industry in the community. A blast furnace owned by the Everett Iron Company began about 1871. Henry Sheeder's Cigar Factory made 400,000 cigars per year. At one time there were 26 other cigar houses working within the Borough. All failed by 1884.

George Mullin operated a gristmill and saw mill in Harrison Township. The mills were built by a man named Sutton prior to 1818. John Moser, another very early settler, operated one of the earliest sawmills in the cove (Milligans). Another early settler -George Wertz operated a distillery. John Gump began a tannery in 1845. By 1868 the tan-nery in Manns Choice began. In full operation they were able to process 10.000 hides an-nually. As many as 30 men were working. Also, at the Borough the Union mill began in 1882. A gristmill was built at Buffalo Mills around 1850. In 1868, M.C. Miller also built a three story grist mill capable of making 15 barrels of flour per day. Boyd Taylor built a tannery near Bard in the 1860's.

In Hopewell Township we found that the Hopewell Furnace was erected by William Lane about 1801. Later it became the Lemnos forge. About 1827 Lane erected a gristmill. A family by the name of Livingston built the first gristmill on Yellow Creek. Hall's mill was later erected at the same place. Nearby was a sawmill. The Bedford Forge in 1812 was operated by Swope & King until 1849, when the Kings took possession, but in 1859 it was sold at Sheriff's sale. The Cambria Iron Company obtained it from a Philadelphia group. About a year later it again closed.

Jacob Chamberlin operated an old log mill near Woy's mill. The former was considered an old mill in 1815. Woy's mill was built in 1830 near Tatesville. Some local residents called this old mill the 'dry mill' due to the lack of water to operate it. It was later destroyed by fire. The Eichelbergers were active in the furnace business for years. The Kemble Coal & Iron Company operated ore mines near Tatesville. At Steeltown, Adam Steel operated a gristmill in 1855.

The first gristmill in King Township was built in 1807 by Samuel Way. Josiah Blackburn also built a gristmill in 1828. Later, John Ake took over its operation. The old mill at Mowry's Mill was started in 1868 by Simon Hershman.

In the northwest corner of Juniata Township James Burns erected a gristmill about 1800. He also operated a sawmill. L.N. Fyan, in 1857 erected a distillery near the county line, east of New Baltimore. Its capacity was 50 barrels of whiskey per day. A small tombstone quarry was in operation near Kegg. It was owned and operated by Alvie Boyland.

In what is now Liberty Township, Sebastian Shoup erected a gristmill in the late 1790's. It was located where Saxton is now. George Rhodes also erected a gristmill near Stonerstown. A third mill was in operation in 1873. I.K. Little was the owner. Withrow & Gordon built a furnace in 1879. It was the most important industry in this part of the county. It used one hundred tons of ore per day. Ore was mined in Tussey Mountain. Also six miles from the Huntingdon County line were 105 coke ovens. Jacob Steel was a well -known boat-man. He had a large business of operating large flat bottom boats down the Juniata to the Susquehanna, carrying grain and flour for the farmers of Woodbury area.

Cornelius Devore operated one of the first gristmills in Londonderry Township. This township also had a boat building industry in the county. Rafts of lumber were built by lumbermen at Bridgeport (now Hyndman) and by these they shipped their products down Wills Creek to the Potomac and then to Washington or Georgetown. This had to be carried out when the streams were high. Mr. Devore, not only owned a gristmill but a sawmill and distillery as did John Fait. In the northwest corner of this township, S. William Lafferty operated a tombstone cutting industry in the 1815's. His plantation was called 'Pimlico'. A number of iron ore mines were in operation by the Cumberland Iron Company in the mid 1800's. Another important industry in this area was making lime. After the Pennsylvania and Connelsville Railroads completed their lines through Bridgeport, a large brick making plant operated here. The Williametto Limestone Company shipped ten car loads of limestone per day and the Savage Fire Brick works employed a large number of men.

The remote and sparsely settled Township of Mann had several small industries. Curtis Carpenter operated a small tannery and a grist mill was operated by James Morse.

Monroe Township was established in 1840. Most of its area was a wilderness. Farming was the main industry here. It, too, was sparsely settled. There were at least a half dozen sawmills scattered throughout the township. Clearville had a wagon shop in the 1870's.

William Blackburn operated a gristmill at New Paris. Gideon Rowser and son, Andrew operated a mill near the base of the mountain. The first gristmill in Napier Township was built by John Schell about 1800. Henry Schell also built a gristmill near, Schellsburg. In the ,830's Abraham Blackburn owned a woolen mill near New Paris. In 1872 J.J. Hughes bought a gristmill located south of Schellsburg. He then began operating a distillery. Seven years later Patrick Hughes purchased it. Its capacity was 75 gallons of whiskey per day. A mall tannery was operated by Philip Hoover, and John Statler had a gristmill in operation )y the 1850's.

The oldest sawmill in East Providence Township was a primitive type called a 'tubmill'. It was probably built in the late 1790's. Also about the same time Daniel Davis had a mill on 3rush Creek. A second mill, owned by Henry Whilt was operating on Brush creek. Endow's gristmill at Gapsville was in operation during the early 1800's. A three story mill on Brush Creek was built in 1852 by Henry and Frederick Felton Jackson's mill was built in [839 by John Nycum. Also he operated a tannery, using a horse-powered machine in the [830's. In 1862 John Williams built a gristmill as an addition to the original structure which had been used as a chopping mill from 1819. J.B. Hoyt & Company had a branch tannery at Rays Hill. Adam Shuss and sons operated two steam sawmills. In 1881, they sawed over tree million feet of lumber.

In the late 1700's and early 1800's the area around Rays Hill and White Hall (now Breezewood) was a very active community. Records in the local Court House show many taverns were issued liquor licenses. These many taverns provided shelter, rest, food and refreshments to the weary travelers coming over the mountains. This was a big industry.

West Providence also had many taverns located along the old Chambersburg-Bedford turnpike. Even though most of the taverns had been granted liquor licenses, we were unable to locate any distilleries in this township. At one time the residents claimed this honor. Michael Barndollar built the first tannery in the township. In 1852 Thomas and Jacob Ritchey built a tannery. The largest tannery in the county was the Tecumseh. It was owned by J.B. Hoyt & Company. A hundred or more men were employed. Their monthly payroll was around $2.500 per month. The tannery used over ten thousand cords of bark yearly. The bark was purchased at $7.50 per cord. At one time there were 325 vats in use. The company shipped over 1.800.000 pounds of leather worth more than $3.752.352 annually. The tannery was located outside the old Borough limits.

Josiah and Jeremiah Baughman started a foundry in 1854. The building of the railroad to Everett in 1862-3 led to the success of the industries in the community.

In East St. Clair Township, William Griffith Sr. operated a tannery as early as the 1830's. It was destroyed in 1864. In or about 1800 Joseph Blackburn built a gristmill at Spring Hope. The first gristmill was built in 1798 at Osterburg. The present mill was erected in 1852. Samuel Sill established a tannery in 1812 at St. Clairsville. Also at this place Isaac Kenworthy built a gristmill at an early date. Pheasant and McLellan operated the old min at Spring Meadow.

The first gristmill in what is now West St. Clair Township was built on the Lick branch of Dunnings creek near the foot of the mountain. About 1800 William Hancock built a grist mill in Pleasantville in 1833. John Bateman had a tannery in the area of what is now Pleasantville in 1790. In 1840 Samuel Dubbs began a tannery, and James Barefoot had a sawmill on Gordon's Creek in 1842. Samuel Beckley had a distillery and sawmill in the township in 1871. A.L. Hinch owned a second tannery in 1872. This industry used 1400 cords of bark and 12,000 sides of leather was tanned annually. The leather was shipped to Philadelphia.

Over in Snakespring Township John Lutz operated a carding and cloth fulling mill. Later it became known as the Lutz woolen factory. Adam Ritchey built the Arnold mill in 1825, and in 1850 Lewis Triplett built a mill on the Valley road.

The earliest sawmill in Southampton Township, and perhaps the county was erected by William Williams in 1774 and the earliest gristmill in the township was erected prior to 1780. Another was in existence in the 1820's. In 1825 a third mill was in operation on Sweet Root branch. William Adams was the miller. J.H. Adams was miller and millwright until 1851. Two years later Bernard O'Neal erected a grist mill near Chaneysville. Its capacity was 25 barrels per day. Leonard Tewell in 1873 brought the first steam powered sawmill into the area.

John Allison erected a sawmill in Union Township in 1841. Two years later George Bowser built a gristmill near Pavia. John Shaffer was a miller until his death in 1841.

David Holsinger started a gristmill in Woodberry Borough in a small log cabin about 1800. John Potter erected a woolen mill in 1837. John Keagy later purchased it. He also owned a gristmill. In 1827 an Iron furnace called Elizabeth Furnace began to manufacture an average of 40 tons of iron per week. It was closed in 1843. All equipment was moved to the Bloomfield furnace.

In South Woodberry Township, John Snyder erected a gristmill prior to 1796. About the same year Martin Loy operated a gristmill at Pattonville. Also near this village John Weaver operated a distillery. John Haderman, in 1843 operated a tannery near New En-terprise. There were many stone quarries and lime kilns hiring a number of local men, J.B. Nobel bought an old woolen mill at Waterside in 1860. It was rebuilt in 1867. Mr. Nobel died that same year.

We are certain we have missed many names of those who operated or owned small industries. We tried to stay within the limits of 1774 and 1875. We know that many industries only operated with one or two employees.

The old gristmills located throughout the county had to be rather busy due to the f act that many families had to travel miles, at first by horseback, later as the roads became more passable, by wagons or sleds to have their grain ground into flour. Many mills had to operate long hours to meet their customer's demands. Some mills hired local help, others were operated by members of one family.

Both gristmills and sawmills were operated on or near a stream where water could be channeled into the mill from the stream bed. These were called 'mill races'. In many places one can still find them even though they have been inactive for over a century.

The same thing might be said of the sawmills. Families needed homes. The frame of most homes was made of hand hewn logs. With the coming of sawmills the houses were covered by clapboards and cut rafters rather than long slender poles. The logs were cut on the farms and hauled to the mill where they were cut to the specifications of the farmer or homeowner.

The distilleries in the county afforded the farmers an opportunity to sell his excess grain. However one of the main industries appears to have been the tanneries. These afforded work, not only for the men who operated the vats, fleshing of the leather, but to the farmer also for the hides of the animals he slaughtered on the farm and to the farmers each spring for the bark from rock oak trees which was cut from the hills and ridges. Many oldsters can still remember the large number of heavy wagons hauling bark, piled high, to the tanneries.

Selling this bark was almost free money for the landowners. Many times this money carried the family through the summer until he could sell his grain in the fall. We are certain that the animal hides had to be obtained from long distances because we are cer-tain that Bedford County could not supply enough hides to make a million - eight hundred thousand pounds of leather per year as one tannery produced.