William Goodall, Eureka hotel, Dagus Mines; William Conners, Conners' hotel, Coal Hollow; William Kierr, Kierr's hotel, Kersey; John Collins, Collins' house, Kersey; Lewis Thomas, Exchange hotel, Kersey; John Koch, Koch's hotel, Kersey, and George Spuller, Spuller house, Kersey..... The assessment of 1889 shows 3,598 acres, and 2,000 acres of mineral lands credited to the Hyde estate, and 3,425 to Earley, Brickell & Co. The manufacturing interests assessed were: B. J. Boutzer, saw-mill; Joseph Reburo, saw-mill and lime kiln; E. F. Johnson, saw-mill; John Koch, saw-mill; Charles Miller, tannery; Meredith's saw-mill; John Spillane, new and old mill, and Urmann's brewery.

CHAPTER XIII.

HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP-HORTON TOWNSHIP-JAY TOWNSHIP.

HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP -ITS CONFORMATION-GROWTH-BUSINESS-ELECTIONS.
HORTON TOWNSHIP GENERAL
MINERALS - VILLAGES

CHURCHES-ELECTIONS, ETC.

DESCRIPTION

JAY TOWNSHIP STREAMS-ELEVATIONS, ETC.-RESIDENT TAX-PAYERS IN 1844-BUSINESS IN 1850-COAL AND OIL COMPANIES-CENSUS STATISTICSELECTIONS-CALEDONIA-MISCELLANEOUS.

HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP is the name given to the broad, flat hills of

Elk county.

The Big Level ridge, extending from Tylersburg, in Clarion, to Howard hill, in McKean, crosses the northern part of Highland, its elevation along the railroad varying from 1,912 feet on the line of Forest county to 2,071 feet on Spring creek summit. On the line between Warrants 3776 and 2005, the elevation is 2,005; old school-house on Warrant 3776, 1,850 feet, and the point where Bear creek crosses the Warren Ridgway turnpike, 1,825 feet. In Revolutionary days, and indeed up to 1880, the "Big Level" was the only sure guide for the traveler in this region. The pine and hemlock forests of Highland appear to have been more dense than in any other section, and this, added to the fact that the streams run in all directions and the grades of the plateau slopes are so easy, made exploration very difficult. Evidences of the old military road of Revolutionary days are said to exist on the "Big Level" both here and in McKean county. This ridge is comparatively level all the way to Howard hill, the elevation being gradual. Tionesta creek forms in the northern part of the township within the angle formed by the Ridgway turnpike and Kane road. Spring creek heads on the divide north by west of Highland, with southern feeder flowing from Spring creek summit. Bear creek is found everywhere south of Highland village and east of a line drawn south from Spring creek summit, while Big, West Pigeon and Hunter runs, with numerous feeders, are found in the southwestern quarter. The Pittsburgh & Western Railroad almost parallels the Ridgway and Warren turnpike. Little had been accomplished up to 1884 toward developing the coal deposits of this township, except a digging on the Stubbs farm, although coal was known to exist on warrant 3776 and other places.

In 1850, in Highland township (opened that year) were four dwellings, four families, thirty-three persons and two farms. The population in 1880

was 261. In 1888 there were thirty-seven Republican, eighteen Democratic and nine Prohibitionist votes cast, representing 320 inhabitants.

New Highland post-office was established in December, 1853, with Charles Stubbs postmaster. The first mercantile house in Highland township was opened in 1880 by H. O. Ellithorp. To-day there are only two hotels in the township: George C. Ricker's Jamestown House, at Jamestown Mills, and Anthony Deet's Jack Waite Road House, at Chaffee Siding. In the northern part of the township, on Tionesta creek, is James City, the site of James Brothers' saw mill. It is connected with the owner's office at Kane by telephone and with the Tionesta Valley Railroad by a siding.

The officers of Highland township chosen in February, 1890, are H. R. Van Orman, justice; A. Maxwell and J. C. Ricker, supervisors; E. Havencamp, Jr., clerk; H. O. Ellithorp, collector; H. Gorton, treasurer; A. W. Irwin and C. A. Ellithorp, school directors.

HORTON TOWNSHIP.

Horton township lies mostly within the fourth bituminous coal basin, and with the exception of a part of the northern sections, is drained by Toby creek. Many of the hilltops reach an elevation of over 2,100 feet, one summit at George Faust's house was found to be 1,960 feet, and the lowest point, where the Toby flows into Jefferson county, 1,463.8 feet. The population in 1880 was 688. In 1888 there were 116 Republican, 102 Democratic and 10 Prohibitionist votes cast, representing 1,140 inhabitants. In 1864-65 mining operations were regularly commenced in this township. The location is about half a mile northeast of the Shawmut Company's store, at Shawmut, or three-fourths of a mile northeast of Mine No. 7, opened in. 1867, to take its place as a producer. The elevation of the first is 1,725, and of the last-named 1,685 feet. Near the former, No. 15 mine was developed in 1864, but closed down in 1865-66, owing to the difficulty of shipping the product. About 3,600 feet west of No. 7, was the water vein opening.

East of Brockport, 1,685 to 1,695 feet above tide, a great exposure of limestone occurs, and has been quarried for years. Limestone outcrops in rear of the old hotel on the Hyde faim, on Toby creek, at an elevation of 1,980 feet, in the bed of the creek, near the county line and at many other places.

The village of Hellen is located on Little Toby creek, near where Brandy Camp creek joins it. It is on the road from Ridgway to Brookville. Daniel Oyster, the Brockways and Clarks were early settlers. George Nulf, an old hunter of Hellen, fell from his look out in a tree, while watching a deer lick, and died May 29, 1871.

Shawmut is a town of about seventy-five houses, thirty of which are already occupied. It contains one large store, by Brinker & Jones, besides offices and other necessary buildings which go to make up a general mining town. The coal works of Brinker & Jones are situated down Mead's run, about two miles, and are now being superintended by George Young, of Red Bank, Penn., who pushes business along much to the satisfaction of employees and employer.

The Vineyard Run Mills, owned by J. S. and W. H. Hyde, J. K. P. Hall, and A. Kaul, fourteen miles south of Ridgway, were built in 1883, with a ca pacity of 40,000 feet of bill lumber per day. The company owned 13,000 acres of pine land in that neighborhood.

Brandy Camp may be termed the mother of settlements in the southwestern townships. In 1818 Isaac Horton settled here, and around this pioneer other settlers located, such as the Brockways. In 1826 the first school-house

was erected, and in it Olive Brockway presided over a small number of pupils. In 1829 Minerva Horton, one of Miss Brockway's first pupils, was the second teacher. She also presided over the school established that year on the Little Toby. In 1867 the township was established, and the year following it was established a school township. Charles A. Brown, a native of the county, is superintendent of the Hyde farm and hotel at this point.

Brockport is a progressive village, on the Little Toby, above the mouth of Mead's run. Years ago the manufacture of lumber was commenced in this neighborhood by Chauncey Brockway, Sr. In 1884 Nulf & Chamberlin established their grocery store; ten years before this John Cuneo's general store was established; William H. and Alonzo S. Horton's store dates back to 1885. In 1889 C. L. Chamberlin purchased W. H. Horton's interest in this store. There are other general stores, grocery stores and hotels, with the lumber manufacturing concerns of James Curry & Son, Gillingham, Garrison & Co. (1883-Richard Torpin, Jr., resident partner and manager)—and others. Clintons settled in this vicinity in 1843 and H. A. Parson in 1869.

The

The corner-stone of the Methodist church building at Brockport was placed July 4, 1889, and the church was dedicated October 27, by Mr. J. A. Hovis, the pastor.... The Iddings House, at Brockport, was built in 1886-87.

Horton City is the name given to a new manufacturing center on Mead run, near the old Mead Run school-house. Here is the large general store of Burr E. Cartwright, and his shingle and planing-mills. Here too, are the large saw-mills and lath-mills. The standard gauge railroad system, connected with the works, is seventeen miles in length, equipped with five locomotives and fifty logging cars. The name was given in honor of W. H. Horton, who, in 1885, commenced the true development of this section.

Mead Run claims a general store in connection with the Cartwright lumber industries. In 1889 the contract for building 100 dwellings for the employes of the Northwestern Mining and Exchange Company, was entered into, and the development of this section was entered upon.

Bradford I. Taylor, born at Brandy Camp, near Ridgway in 1844, died in August, 1885. About the time of the war, he was superintendent of the coal mines at Shawmut, and in 1875 made a purchase on the Quintuple tract.... In October, 1879, the Shawmut Coal Company awarded the contract for taking up their railroad track to Hyde, Kline & Co.

The Messiah's Church of Toby was organized for incorporation in June, 1869, with the following-named members: Elias Moyer, Adolph Kepler, W. Gibson, H. M. Gross, George Dills, H. Thompson, J. Coleman, Jacob Moyer, I. W. Hungerford, J. L. Taylor, J. W. Rogers, J. H. Graybill and Solomon Bachert.

The Horton Township Grange (Coloma) was organized January 19, 1876, with twenty-five members. W. H. Horton was elected master; J. G. Harris, secretary; Mrs. J. Burchfield, Ceres, and Mrs. A. D. Alden, Pomona, and Miss Lilly Alden, assistant steward.

Brockwayville was, in early days, what it is now, the center of a great coal and lumber industry, but it was not until recently that the great coal fields developed to any extent. The town has a very good location, and the white pine, which grows abundantly, is another scource of health. The population is about 1,200. The town contains three churches, two graded schools, a fine opera house and numerous stores of all kinds, a brick bank building (erected by the late John G. Hall, of Ridgway), three or four first-class hotels and one newspaper (edited by Butler & Niver). In fact it has all the interests which make a prosperous town. Although in Jefferson county, it is connected with this section of Elk county in commercial and social life.