Washington High School - Little Prexie Yearbook (Washington, PA)

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typical gas drilling rig. The oil and gas boom played an iportant part in the economy of Washington prior to 900. Interior view of Jessop Steel Mill under construction in 1902. Atlas, noted for its glass containers. Necessary for glass making are moulds and colors. Two new industries provided these-B. F. Draken- feld furnished the colors and Washington Mould supplied the forms. Tylerdale was named for the Tyler Tube and Pipe Company. Later industries included Ty- gart Valley Glass, jessop Steel, Federal Paper Board, and Washington Steel. The latter plant is the worldis second largest producer of stainless steel and furnishes the steel used in the Atlas missiles. 'There are other industries equal in impor- tance to the ones mentioned, this, however, does give a glimpse of the great strides Washington has made in industry. From the quaint general store to the huge supermarkets, from the mills to the factories, from once having the finest wool in the world to giving the finest of manufactured prod- ucts, Washington can be proud to be able to say we hadi' and now, we havef,

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The first press on which the Reporter was printed. This press was brought over the mountains by William Sample. The pioneer family was a complete little World, supplying its every demand by its own ef- forts. But it was not long until this frontier familyis concern broadened to include the com- munity. What had been wilderness became civ- ilization. Cristmills and sawmills, iron Works and tanneries developed from the small industries of the settlers. Conveniences of trades brought organization of town life, with markets, news- pap-ers, courthouses, and libraries. The news- paper began its long history in Washington on August 17, 1795 when john Colerick, William Hunter, and W. H. Beaumont published the iirst issue of The Western Telegraphe and Washing- ton Advertiser. In 1808, the Washington Reporter was founded-first as a weekly, and in 1876, as a daily. By 1800, NVashington had many trades. The streets echoed with the sounds of hammers on anvils, and of saws in cabinetmakers, shops. There were bootmakers, blacksmiths, stocking Weavers, tanners, hatters, and gunsmiths. One of the oldest businesses in Washington was the drugstore owned by Dr. Samuel Murdoch. In December of 1884, shouts of oil,' echoed through the streets, as a Mr. Cantz brought in a gusher well. Soon after, a gas well was drilled in the Tylerdale area. This news spread afar, at- tracting manv industries, the most famous of which were the Duncan Miller, world renowned for its perfection of fine glassware, and the Hazel A Centennial Arch, built across Main Street, at the Centennial Celebration in 1910. 8

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The Union School was the center of common school education in NVashington for 44 years. When built in 1853, the cost VVRIS 316,000 Q at-v ,ff X . 5pl A ,z Q N111 X . A XM ' ,'!,Y,,,.f- flow could the advancement of XVashington have been possible Without reading, writing, and arithmetic? The earliest records revealed the first school west of the Alleghenies was started in 1778. This was a church school, affiliated with the Protestant religion. Next came the Reverend Thaddeus Doddis select school in 1780 to train young men for the ministry. However, the first information of a school in Washington Was the VVashington Academy, founded in 1787. This building was of logs, with the courthouse and jail located on the Hrst floor and the school on the second. The benches and Writing desks were made of slabs. hewn out of logs with the broad ax. The famous old Red School which stood for many years on the VV 811 College campus, dates back to 1796 and possibly earlier. This building. later moved to a lot now occupied by the First Presbyterian Church, was used as a public school by the local district until the Union School was completed in 1855. Early in the 180014 schools were conducted on a subscription plan. Most of the teaching was done by anyone who knew reading, writing, and ol , msn U pun I I , I Xxokil Xxx X lfcfvlhl , 'W U' 1 . 6,119 . LVN , XVXAAXA 1 5 l X l el-'rw r'f TlUN' nF ' ., '- :IN X Q K 'MK 1 w'rNYV'lll't li .tv X-'Nt' t . 54 gn 5' . X b X ,. x Nts-U' .X . .s l. l k'U,. Birthplace William Holmes MeGuffey, famous author of the Eclectic Readers and Spellers. l 10 fOWned by Henry Ford Musclnnl