|
History of Tioga County, PennsylvaniaIf You Have Photos of People Mentioned on the Page, Send Them In For Inclusion Return to 1883 Table of Contents |
WESTFIELD BOROUGH.
By Butler B. Strang.
It was about the year 1840, that Westfield began to take on the aspect of a village. In that year the Rev. Francis Strang came into the town from Lawrenceville and built a store, which is still standing and was the first regular store building in what is now the borough. Soon afterward David Close came from Chatham, and provided a hotel by enlarging and improving a building in which entertainment for travelers had been furnished by James Turner and George Hunter. A year or two later Richard Krusen, who is still living and engaged in business, came from Andover, N.Y., and commenced the mercantile business, in which he has been for many years engaged and has contributed largely to the growth and prosperity of the town. Richard Phillips came from Pine Creek and built a substantial flouring-mill; his son Samuel Phillips built a saw-mill; his son-in-law, Hollister Baker, built a foundry, plow factory, and general manufacturing shop. A doctor, a blacksmith, a shoemaker, a tailor, etc., dropped in around the corners, and thence forward the people began to reckon themselves villages.
Since then the growth of the village has been slow but substantial, and for several years Westfield has been the leading village in point of business of the beautiful valley in which it lies. Twice since 1870, a destructive fire has swept away the business part of the town, but the people have rallied from its effects; and, while the borough contains no large capitalists, there have been fewer business failures and less financial disturbance in it than in most towns of its size. It is the point at which the local business and trade of the townships of Westfield and Clymer, part of Gaines and Chatham and most of Brookfield, in the county of Tioga, and very much of the business of the townships of Hector and Harrison, and part of Ulysses and Bingham, in the county of Potter, are done; thus making the business of a population of nine or ten thousand people tributary to it, and it only lacks proper railroad facilities to make it one of the principal towns in the county.
THE BOROUGH ORGANIZATION.
Westfield borough was formed from Westfield township, in 1867. It is about one and one-fourth miles square, lying across the valley of the Cowanesque at its junction with mill Creek. Its population in 1880, was 579. Following is a list of borough officers since its organization.
Burgess.--Butler B. Strang, Ambrose Close, Hollister Baker, S.B. Lewis, B.S. Lewis, J.W. Hancock, T.C. Sanders, Elijah Thompson, Charles Bliss.
Borough Council.--Richard Krusen, Simon Wilcox, T.C. Sanders, E.G. Hill, N.P. Close, Nelson Gardner, Nelson Burdic, S.D. Phillips, Eugene Baker, Isaac Plank, I.O. Thompson, James Masten, S.B. Lewis, Hollister Baker, Jacob Keltz, S.S. Begell, Erastus Hoose, Augustus Streeter, K.B. Hill, J.V. Leach, A. Wetherbee, William Simmons, B.S. Lewis, Charles Bliss, I.W. Hancock, O.P. Mintonye, James Dodge, E.G. Davidge, A.L.S. Leach, Albert Baker, Theodore Rood, Elijah Thompson, Hiram Hunter, S.W. Shirley.
Justices of the Peace.--Zaccheus Malloroy, Daniel McNaughton, Miles White, William H. Parsons, Charlton Phillips, Thomas C. Sanders, Orren Tremain, Charles Williams.
School Directors.--Charlton Phillips, J.O. Thompson, Frank Buck, Erastus Hoose, Nelson Burdic, J.C. Strang, Nelson Doty, George Close, Charles Bliss, N.W. McNaughton, Albert Barker, T.C. Sanders, W.O. Bristol, Miles White, L.V. Leach, James Horton, Hollister Baker, Richard Krusen, William Simmons, Andrew Mallory, A.K. Sayles, Charles Gardner, E.G. Davidge, I.P. Simmons, Nelson Gardner, Job Rexford, W.H. Parsons, Hiram Hunter, William F. Everett, E. Tucker.
Constables.--Alonzo Ellis, G.H. Tremain, J. Calkins.
 |
The last vote for borough officers (February 21st 1882) was as follows:
Burgess--Albert Wetherbee, 59; Frank Eberle, 45. Council--Frank Eberle, 53; Frank V. Leach, 98; Alonzo Ellis, 73; J.W. Hancock, 53; T.C. Sanders, 53; W.F. Everett, 48; Charles Gardner, 49; Beri Lewis, 48; William C. Trim, 54; W.H. Baker, 18; A. Close, I; Jed. Hoose, 46. School Director--Nelson Gardner, 54; W.H. Parsons, 51; A.K. Sayles, 28; A.J. Tubbs, 28; E.A. Eggleston, I; Justice of the Peace--J.O. Thompson, 46; M.L. Foster, 52. Constable--G.H. Tremin, 104. Assessor--William H. Fuller, 61; Elijah Thompson, 41; J.W. Hancock, I. Assistant Assessors--George Close, 103; S.W. Jennings, 49; W.H. Parsons, 51; F.D. McNaughton, I; W.H. Fuller, I; Judge of election--Frank Strang, 104; M.T. Osborn, I. Inspectors of election--C.E. Bernauer, 52; Clarence Hancock, 49. Auditor--W.H. Shorley, 48; Albert Baker, 56. Virginia Newton sent in the Clarence Bernauer photo at left. He is mentioned in this article |
SECRET SOCIETIES.
Westfield Lodge, No. 477, F. and A.M. was organized in the borough December 28th 1870, by R.W. Robert, C. Simpson, D.D.G.M., and the following officers were installed: Thomas C. Sanders, W.M.; Norman J. Krusen, S.W.; Edwin B. Bulkley, J.W.
The first stated meeting of the lodge was held January 7th 1871, with the following officers: T.C. Sanders, W.M.; N.J. Krusen, S.W.; Edwin B. Bulkley, J.W.; A.D. Ashcroft, S.D.; Nelson Doty, J.D.; E.H. Stebbins, secretary; Isaac Plank, treasurer; A.K. Sayles, tiler.
The following were the Charter members: Thomas C. Sanders, Edwin B. Bulkley, Sylvester D. Phillips, James Masten, Isaac Plank, E.H. Stebbins, John Davis, Philetus L. Corbin, E.P. Fish, Nelson Doty, Charles Bliss, Levi Skinner, N.J.Drusen, Norman Buck, A.D. Ashcroft, A.K. Sayles.
The lodge has since been maintained and is now in a flourishing condition.
Knights of Honor.--There is also a lodge of the Knights of Honor, organized September 16th 1878, known as Westfield Lodge K. of H., No. 1,206, with the following officers and charter members: D., Williams H. Fuller; V.D., Charles Krouse; A.D., Benjamin F. Mulford; G., James H. Metcalf; R.J. B. Tubbs; T.R.E. H. Ashcroft; treasurer, William A. Omans; chaplain, A.S. Mintoyne; guardian, Seth W. Harris; sentinel, E.V. Eaton; medical examiner, A.L. Bottum, W.A. Omans, E.V. Eaton, A.S. Mintoyne.
THE WESTFIELD CHURCHES.
Methodist Episcopal.--The principal churches are the Methodist Episcopal and the Wesleyan Methodist. There is no local record to show the exact date of the organization of the former, but it was organized about 1830, under the ministrations of the Revs. Marshall St. John, David Fellows and Samuel Conant, the last of whom was first preacher stationed at Westfield was the Rev. Theodore McElhenney, and subsequent ones have been Samuel Nichols, William H. Armstrong (under whose ministration the church was built), Henry Brown, Vernus Brownell, Rev.----- Tutton, O.B. Weaver, Isaac Everett, W. Peck, Charles Rowley, F.W. Connable, H. B. Turk, W. Duncan, G.H. Transue, H. Roberts and G. D. Howland, the present minister.
The Wesleyan Methodist Church was organized in 1850, by Revs. Francis Strang and Stephen A. Leonard, by whose exertions a church was built; since which the ministers have been Revs. Benjamin Luckey, Ludovic Saulsbury, P.S. Slauson, S. W. Jennings, M. J. Owen and J. S. Fansey, the present minister.
The Baptists and Adventists have a considerable membership in and about Westfield, but neither denomination has a settled minister or a church building.
MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS.
The principal manufactory in Westfield borough is the sole leather tannery owned and operated H. H. Crarey & Co. It was built in 1875-6, and has been in constant operation since. The capital invested is about $450,000. The firm disburse about $25,000 monthly, employ about 80 hands, and bought during the last year 8,500 cords of hemlock bark, thus contributing largely to the prosperity of the town and the country about. The total length of the tannery building 1,100 feet, the average width 40 feet, and it has a capacity for tanning 1,800 sides per week.
There is another large sole tannery, just erected a short distance west of the borough by H.H. Crarey & Co., which is intended to be nearly equal in capacity to the one just mentioned.
F. Eberlee & Co., are the proprietors of a large upper leather tannery within the borough limits, which furnishes a market for slaughter hides, and the proprietors are enterprising, reliable business men.
Westfield is also the point at which a large portion of the bark is purchased to supply the tannery of J. Hammond & Co., at Osceola, by E. Tucker, who is their agent for that purpose.
An establishment owned by the Parkhurst chemical Company, for the manufacture of acetic acid, alcohol and charcoal from wood is located just west of the borough; so that as a market for bark, lumber, wood, etc., it is perhaps second to no town in the county.
Other manufacturing establishments are: a flouring mill owned by Crandell & Richardson, a steam saw-mill owned by Walker & Lathrop, a saw-mill, sash and door factory and planing-mill owned by Lawrence & Co., a wagon manufactory with steam power owned by Theodore Rood, and another by Albert Wetherbee, and a furniture factory with steam power, by Shirley & Son, all of which are in active operation an doing a good business.
BUSINESS MEN.
The principal merchants and business places in the borough are as follows: H. H. Crarey & Co., general merchandise; L. Plank and F.D. Strang, general merchandise, wagons, and agricultural implements; J. P. Simons, Bliss & Everett, W. B. Murdock, E. E. & W. Simmons and Esterson Brothers, general merchandise; Gardner & Briggs, groceries and provisions; D. McNaughton and A. L. Bottum, druggist; Sherman & Krusen and E. D. Wescott, hardware; Clarence Hancock, furniture; A. K. Sayles and D. Van Dusen, black smithing; W. Smith, hotel; Villia Thompson and A. Akley, millinery. The attorneys are A. Streeter, M. L. Foster, T. C. Sanders, and B. B. Strang, and the physicians James Masten and A. L. Bottum.
THE GRADED SCHOOL.
There is in the borough a graded school, with a comfortable and convenient
school building, divided into three departments. It is at present under the
charge of J. Edwards, assisted by his wife and Miss Lillias Scott. The school is
and has been for some years in a flourishing condition. Among those who have
been instrumental in building up and sustaining it may be mentioned Professor J.
C. Ward, who had charge of it for several years, and Miss S. I. Lewis, who was
the first female county superintendent of common schools elected in this
State--if not in the Union. She served two terms of three years with great
credit capacity, and ranks high among the educators of the country.