Pitcairn High School - Retrospect Yearbook (Pitcairn, PA)

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days of the township down through the past fifty years, from our Boroughs of yesterday until today. To many of us, it seems as though the name of Pitcairn has been always with us, but, in fact, the word Pitcairn was unheard of as a name of this community prior to 1894. As proof of this we note that our first rail- road station appeared on the schedules as Vllalurba, our first newspaper was the Walurba Express, all of our earlier churches were giv- en the name Walurba, and, to all intents and purposes, Walurba was our permanent name. However, as the town grew it demanded its own form of government, independent of Pat- ton Township, as well as a name that did not label us as a mere suburb of Wall. lt was in 1893 when the first agitation began. lt was but natural that the older residents, who had been born and reared in the valley, had 'political and sentimental attachments for the township and were content there to re- main. But a large majority of the 11ew citizens thought otherwise. A petition for the incor- poration of the borough was circulated and signed first in the fall of 1893, and took legal form in the spring of 1894. It was in this petition that the name of Pit- cairn first appeared. The name of Pitcairn came about because we were then, as now, a P.R.R. town and Rob- ert Pitcairn was in 1894, and for many years prior thereto, the Superintendent of the Pitts- burgh Division. Robert Pitcairn came llp from poverty the hard way. He attended school principally at night. Ilis first job was that of a clerk in a variety store. Later he obtained a position with the old Atlantic and Ohio Telegraph Company, learn- ed telegraphy and then obtained work with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. His rise with the railroad was rapid until he be- came Division Superintendent. in locating the railroad center in the Turtle Creek Valley, Superintendent Pitcairn played an important part. It seemed proper to give his name to the town made possible by him. And so it was that the town-after 150 years, had at last a permanent name. The law required that a majority of all the residents should sign the petition for the Borough Charter. The list of names attached to this applica- tion will recall those citizens who fifty years ago demanded a free and independent govern- ment Lfor this community. From the original charter on file in the Court House in Charter Book 21, Page 50, we find these names who represented more than a majority of all who lived here in 189-L: J. G. Stewart, J. F. Tilbrook, C. M. Liggett, J. A. Haverstick, Robert Vllallar, Lewis V. Brickel, W. E. Darrow, A. V. Tomlinson, J. M. Lesher, Norris Cameron, George S. Miller, A. T. Simpson, John H. Mattox, Robert Elliott, Ada G. Sadler, O. M. Tilbrook, Fred Seibert, Edward Gross, D. H. Winebrenner. Mrs. VV. G. Miller, John F. Flack, John Box. J. C. Liggett, J. A. Liggett, Milton M. Flack, H. E. Jones, A. R. Wible. H. Y. Nott, J. H. Murphy, J. P. Trout, Sarah J. Bebout, VV. L. Markell. Mrs. M. L. Keck, Alex Heasley, Charles Koch, E. E. Til- brook, R. D. McElroy, Jolm F. Simpson, F. 'W. Liggett, E. W. Miller, W. H. Brendlinger, Keys S. Miller, George VV. Elliott, Elmer L. Miller, A. W. McClain, Thomas Ogden, James L. Rowe, P. A. Gardner, J. J. Keller, J. W. Graham, John G. O'Neill, Joseph S. Lichten- fels, G. S. Roland, Frank Lesher, Louis C. Shafer. J. VV. McCune, J. J. McCabe, Fred Elwing- er, J. B. Jordan, Lizzie D. Gardner, J. Li11gel- baugh, W. N. Barnhart, VV. B. Tenney, S. E. Jones, J. B. McDowell, H. Fritchman, VV. J. Stiefel, VV. VV. Reed, YV. H. Hugus, Alfred Elliott, John B. Paul, John J. Ogden, John C. McElroy, Joseph Swonger, J. D. Kunkel. Jr.. E. T. Ludwick, John A. Frank, Norman Jor- don, Thomas Jordon, J. M. Graham, O. E. Lig- gett, I. J. Vlfallace, C. M. Howell, Robert Campbell, George VV. Pfeil, Louis VVass, B. S. Rhine, M. Dean, Rebecca T. Young. These names naturally fall i11to three groupsg first, those who have since died or moved from the town, leaving no descendants here to keep alive their names or memories, second, those who have passed on but have left children and grandchildren still in our midst who carry on their names and family traditions, and third, those signers of fifty years ago whose living presence we are still privileged to honor. So far as we know but three persons belong to this third group, our well-known fellow citizens: VV. N. Barnhart, B. S. Rhine and Mrs. VV. G. Miller. The charter being granted on June 9, 1894, the Borough government began to function through an elected Burgess and Council. tContinued on page 27D tfwenty-fifue

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A FEW PIONEERS 53? QR -if E31 4 ? Ii I ? ,1,-7 MRS. RACHEL LICFEATERS MR. Sa HIRS. LENTZ MR. and AIRS. HARRY MRs. MARc:ARm' Bm JOHN C. TOOHILL MARTIN XVONDERS ORERMIER and Family MRS. ANNA PARICKI, M ' ' ' ' ' ' CUWW7' T029 R070 MR. XVILIAIAM JAR Mus. XX M. 1m,L1.m 8. bON NIRS. ELIZABETH RICKABY Seated MRS. PENROD MR. Sz MRS. J. H. GRAHAM and Family tfwenry-four

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