Borough of Etna - Centennial Festivities Yearbook (Etna, PA)

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tv ,f-e'T 'i' W ' ' ak. . , N p wma ,gp by 3 --, 99426 Freeport Street. Duane lll,'f'lxH11tIl has produced deeds for three lots extending from Freeport Road back to Strawberry Alley. Owners in order of purchase are: Wilkins. David D. Anderson. Jabez Williams. Robert Chessman. John Campbell. Jacob Keil and Peter Heck- man. Heckman purchased the lots. April 9. 1861- for seven hundred dollars. Born 1816. in Kurkessen. he came to Etna in 1854. and worked at Spangs Chalfant Company. The original accounts showing services rendered are in good condition. An account of April 1855. shows that he worked for thirty days at eighty- seven cents per day for a total of 526.2-1. In 1858 the account lists TOM days at seventy-five cents per day for a total of 552.68 The Civil War had an inflationary effect. ln April 1863, wages rose to 951.16 and in June of the same year to 51.25 per day. Emerson F. Heckman lives at 424 Freeport and Mrs. Nicholas Trdina at 45526 Freeport, on the original property. Robert Chessman proved to be a wise developer of the old Stewart holdings. He was born in New Hamp- shire in 1820 and lived until 1889. Members of his family came to Pittsburgh in 1835 and he and his brother. Samuel. learned to cut nails. By 1838 he was employed at Henry S. Spangis Iron Works and was married to Maria Stewart. He became owner of the 'SBlue Housew property and laid out plans of lots in addition to running an omnibus service to Pittsburgh. He built a brick cottage at Union Street near Bridge. Their daughter. Harriet. recalled as a child hearing the swearing of the mule 'drivers on the tow path of the Pennsylvania Canal. She also told of the yells of the carousing Indians returning from the sale of furs and rafts. Rafts were broken up at Slabtown located about where Butler Street connects with Route 79528. Harriet married Alex Smith and told these stories to her granddaughter. Marguerite Agnew Sandrock, CMrs. Charles Sandrockl. I8 NUR NEW BY-PASS PETER HECKMAN lttt Ill III ll tl In , !. PETER HECKMAN PROPERTY 1.1-4.01 .... 777 .-Y---,

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'lfttlt 'WV' QQ, , f The nine 'acres must have included the area where the two Creeks join. It was sold by Thomas Bradford for six hundred dollars. The Spang family had its origin in France. They came to Philadelphia and later had an Etna Furnacev in Catherine Township of Blair County from which they sold the famous Juniata iron which was pack saddled over the Alleghenies to Pittsburgh. Partial completion of the Pennsylvania Canal by 1828 and completion by 1334 facilitated their industry. Farmers and road and canal builders created a demand for iron products. An important member of the Spang family was Catherine, wife of the mill superintendent, Cyrus Cries- mere. Her picture was made in Philadelphia, September 20, 1859. This lovely ambrotype was made available by her lineal descendant, Mrs. Alfretta Tomlinson Ruff. The Griesmere property was located west of Kittanning road at Catherine Street which was named for her. The adjacent area and hill above were laid out as the Cyrus Criesmere Plan, Locust Hill. The original home of the Griesmeres was on Kittanning at Catherine Street, which was named for Catherine Spang, daughter of Henry. 1 -wiv 52? 53 CATHERINE SPANG Daughter of Henry S. Spang tMrs. Cyrus Criesmerel THE BLUE HOUSE The Blue House owned by John Wilkins was for many years regarded as the oldest house in Etna. Located east of Butler Street and in the top of the tri- angle between Bridge and Freeport it was torn down to make way for the Etna Bowling Lanes. It was a large rectangular frame structure with a center hallway. ln its later years it served as a tenement house for as many as four families. Belknap, Bean and Butler were involved in the operation of a sickle and scythe factory at the time of the visit of Lafayette in 1825. ,lames Richard Butleris father, General Richard Butler had commanded the right wing of the expedition of General Arthur St. Clair. Washington had sent St. Clair to subdue the lndians in southern Ohio. in 1791. He had been annihilated and Butler was killed. His son would likely be hospitable to his fatheris comrade-in-amis when iend, Dr. Felix Brunot who had been a doctor at Brandywine, Annapolis and Philadelphia. ln the course of the trip from Pittsburgh to Meadville, Lafayette is said to have spent the night at the Blue House. On the deed at that time, Belknap WHS l1SlCd . P' as a resident of lndlana Township and Butler of itts- he visited his fr burgh. - , The British lsles furnished many pioneers to 11115 district, Irish from Ulster and Scotch-Irish who had -ft X. been forced out of the Lowlands of Scotland made their way to the cheaper land of Western Pennsylvania. Most of them were Protestant and many of their names are on the records of the Methodist, Presbyterian and Covenenter churches of the area. One of these early settlers was David Anderson who laid out the first plan of lots in what he called Center- ville. Starting at High Street it embraced the Butler Turnpike to Locust. It was drawn for him by James Stewart on ,luly 15, 1833. His only child, Mrs. Nancy A. Richey registered it and had it recorded in Allegheny County Plan Book, Volume 5, page 310 on June 4, 1874-. David Stewart obtained land from Anderson. Some of it lay along t.he Kittanning Road but most of it was the area from Bridge to Centre and down to the river. He operated a road house at Peach and Butler Streets and at one time was located at Fairview, out the Kittan- ning Road. Maria, his daughter married Robert McCaw Chessman, a native of Braintree. Massachusetts who proved invaluable in management of the land. Stewart died at an early age and was buried in Pine Creek Cemetery. One of the Chessman real estate transactions can be traced by lineal descent to the present residents on 995241-, X I

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.Ile ..,, r J'-y a - 4' ,,,.Y .. Y-r-ul 91- - ' , -id L 5' V- - ., s I are Lf 5.5. .fi .. , .in-' ' ' - 8 V- lg: , VF, , nm . 5- - H -rv s- -f-Sffaggr-sf-vi'-'vi ' ' , ' ,,, .Q-f'-vfrj, . ?ii?.t1fff 8 1 ll ' 1 . W,-1.7 -.,.. .. , .ea . 'l 2 -,..---1 , .. mt' A - . -, .. 'V' -v,.,-... ........r- -V ix Jacob L. Elsesser and daughter, Mrs. Anton Mell, next door to Hieber Wagon Shop. Dominant among the early nationalities were the Germans. This exodus from the Rhine Valley followed the terrible Napoleonic Wars. They desired land and political and religous freedom as well as escape from l long years of compulsory military service. They had to find homes where land was cheap and undeveloped. Among them were: the Hiebers from Wurtemburgg s i Bavaria. A few Swiss also became residents, such as members of the Zeh and Andres families. lThe Morlock Plain was developed back of Locust Street and a ceme- tery plot set aside on the hill. A leader of the German settlers was Daniel Hieber. Born in Wurtemburg, Germany in 1788, he emigrated to Philadelphia first in 1833 and then to Etna, 1835. ...annou- nee:--1 S.. Jacob Elsesser a native of Brumath in the rovince of He opened a waffon and blacksmith sho on the ro - , P n P P P Alsaceg Henry Ochse, the first burgess of Etna was erty where Ogrodnick's Funeral Home is located. It born in 1820 in the province of Hesse Cassel and the was then called Centerville. present mayor, Clarence Metzger, had progenitors from 1 . - , ,. . A. . wp Y Kg 'J1 . r -- r- ' , xxx 'al N , . , ,. ' at LT- -f V f ' Y 4 -d,,,,.,,f ..g...:L.w-,..f . xl 3 tt. ,V A i J, ...Y v l it , ' , ..-.F-T--' : .ii .1714 l i 2 x X X. ,.1 .... 8 r .W .. 1 h-at Q +P-Q1 1 c - 1 , I -. 3199 .1-ff is 1- . H V ' 1 N X f-sf N---0 7 f. gi ,. A V I I I X :Em--. -..f ..T.....-.-.,,. ,..., '--- 1' . lg. ' T ' . .V 'fli Q -- 'N . l fm 1 fi l ' hi. til ' . -ff so A L. 2 1 was ..-4 .,, E 1 r M X . g 1 fa-The . Q '7 -f' , , '. ' F 'A ' t ' -1 ' LX 'l xg 1 ga ' 1 - ' yi N- .1 ' V - K4 i 1 'l as . - . 1- ip -aa its 5 , gstaf A ,J , . -. V-L 1 . ,L 'rf ' ' . ' .1 , ,Q ff: . -4 an .1 4 4 'J-J 1? ' i 'Y l V, 1 N if V VA 1 A, I' I - ' V 1 1 A ' 1 ' Q. ' 5'f'lLT'i , 'f2+, jf-f - 'fa t f U ' ' ' .-14 - -I V 'u -fm. 5... . . A l , '-if Y f r Vp-si, P-' Wagon shop of Dgu1ie'l'HT6IlEl'.- boy second from left is John Sandrock f1881J. hrsight was Otto Schultz, former Prussian mercenary, married to Loretta Hieher. S - K. .,,V . mall I9