| |
The
village [of Milledgeville] lies upon
donation lot 1,063, and was laid out in 1851, the land belonging, at
that time, to William Etaburn, Andrew Williams,
and William R. Cooper. John Farver was the
surveyor, and the lots were sold at auction, the highest price,
forty-four dollars, being paid for one purchased by O.
P. Shirk, and now occupied by G. E.
Hamilton’s store.
The
First Log Dwelling-house was built by Arthur
Scott, in the same year, but previous to this, an old
school-house had stood near by, and after being abandoned for the
purpose for which it was designed, was occupied as a dwelling by C.
Long.
The
little log house is still standing west of the village, near a fine
sugar camp, formerly worked by the Indians, who tapped the trees by
cutting a large gash in them with a tomahawk, and driving a gouge below
the notches for the sap to run into the wooden troughs placed below. Not
many years have elapsed since some of these gashes were plainly visible
in the bark, and many of the trees died from them.
The
First Frame Building was put up by William
McCabe. Many of the principal buildings in the village were built
in the first and second year of its existence.
Among those may be mentioned the frame store, built by J.
I. Lind, say in 1851, about six rods from the one now owned by
Hamilton; the frame dwelling built by Dr. Lewis,
the |
first
physician in the place; and frame dwellings built by I.M.
Rice, and others. A
steam mill was started in the winter of 1868, by W.
H. and J. W. Cooper, the present [1877] proprietors, and has been
worked regularly since its establishment, cutting lumber, shingles and
staves.
In
the winter of 1874, John Fulk built the
cheese factory now in operation in the village; the fixtures were put in
by Nodine, Pumey & Co., who manufactured
the cheese during the following summer.
J. W. M’Connell [McConnell]
was treasurer of the establishment.
The
first (and only) Brick Dwelling in [French Creek] township [in 1877] was
built in the summer of 1852, by William R. Cooper,
and is still standing near Milledgeville. The bricks were manufactured on
the place, and Thomas White was the mason.
In
1870, John Fulk opened a drift of coal upon
his place, and a considerable quantity was mined during the following
winters, until 1876, when it was abandoned, being of inferior quality.
History
of Mercer County,
1877, pages 40-41
Return
to Milledgeville |