On almost the last
page of Miss Sanford's history of Erie County, published in 1862, appears
the following modest paragraph: "At Junction, in Concord Township,
where the Atlantic & Great Western Railroad intersects the
Philadelphia & Erie, quite a cluster of building has arisen in the
woods within the last three months." Few persons at that date could
have been made to believe that the humble backwoods settlement thus
described would, in less than ten years, become a bustling city of nearly
7,000 inhabitants, the name of which would be as familiar to a large part
of the business world as hundreds of places that had been in existence
since the beginning of the century. Looking down upon Corry from the high
hills which overshadow it, three valleys are seen extending in as many
separate directions, the one to the west being that of the South Branch of
French creek, the one to the north that of Hare Creek, and the one to the
east, which is the widest and most important, that of the Brokenstraw. The
central portion of Corry is built on the summit land between these
streams, but the residence and manufacturing sections have spread out
east, north and west, until they reach into each of the valleys. The South
Branch of French Creek almost touches the southwestern edge of the city,
while the Brokenstraw is two or three miles beyond its eastern boundary.
Bear Creek -- so named from the number of those animals that gathered in
the swamp on the northwestern verge of the city -- flows through it from
west to east, rising in Wayne Township, and emptying in Hare Creek. The
latter stream which cuts across the northeastern corner of the city, was
named from Michael Hare, who was one of the pioneers of Wayne Township,
and died at Waterford, at the most advanced age attained by any citizen of
the county. It rises in French Creek Township, Chautauqua County, N. Y.,
crosses Wayne Township, and joins the Brokenstraw in Columbus Township,
Warren County, about three miles east of the city. Hare Creek was once
navigable for rafts as far up as Corry.A smaller stream than any of the
above rises on the high land, in the south part of the city, and, flowing
through the depot grounds, enters Hare Creek on or near the northeastern
boundary.
How The City Started
Corry owes its origin and growth to the circumstance of its being adopted
as the point of junction for the Philadelphia & Erie, the Atlantic
& Great Western, the Oil Creek and the Cross Cut Railroads. The P.
& E. road (then Sunbury & Erie) was opened from Erie to this point
in 1858, and to Warren in 1859. In June, 1861, the A. & G. W. (now the
New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio) was completed from Jamestown to the
junction, and the next year it was continued through to Ohio. The Oil
Creek road, with a broad gauge track to correspond with the A. & G.
W., reached Corry from Titusville in 1862, and the Cross-Cut road was
built to Brocton in 1867. These two roads have since been consolidated
under the name of the Buffalo, Pittsburgh & Western. For awhile, in
1861, the little huddle of shanties that sprung up at the intersection of
the P. & E. and A. & g. W. roads was known as "Atlantic &
Erie Junction." In October of that year, a piece of land was
purchased by the A. & G. W. Railroad company, from Hiram Corry or
Cory, who owned the tract at the junction, and, in consideration of his
liberal dealing, Mr. Hill, General Superintendent of the road, changed the
name of the station to Corry.
The first building was a small, wedge-shaped ticket office and eating
house, directly in the angle between the P. & E. and A. & G. W.
Railroads, on the east side. Beginning at this point, the settlement
spread out during 1861 along Main street, and to some extent along Cross
street. There was little or no improved land in the immediate vicinity,
and a good part of the tract since covered by the city was a swamp,
covered with immense pine and hemlock trees. A less promising location for
a town than Corry was at that time, could not be conceived by the most
lively imagination.
Rapid Growth
Although the settlement grew with more than average rapidity in 1861, its
era of amazing energy did not fairly commence till 1862. Samuel Downer, a
wealthy Boston oil refiner, had conceived the shrewd notion that by
erecting a refinery at some point, at or adjacent to the oil fields, and
convenient for shipping, he would possess an immense advantage over his
rivals, who had to carry the crude oil over hundreds of miles of railroad.
With this end in view, W. H. L. Smith was sent from Boston in the summer
of 1861, to prospect for a favorable site. His choice fell upon the
junction, and he promptly purchased fifty acres from Mr. Corry, for what
would now seem a "mere song." This tract he laid out in town
lots, and it was cleared under the superintendence of Eugene Wright, of
Boston. By fall, a frame building had been put up, as the office of the
Downer Oil Company, a post office had been established, with C. S. Harris
as first Postmaster, and a small refinery, known as the
"Frenchman's," had been put in operation, in the rear of the
present Downer works. By this time the Oil Creek road was under contract,
and it had dawned upon the minds of a good many people that Corry was
destined to become a place of more than ordinary importance. The summer of
1862 witnessed the opening of the Oil Creek road, the erection of the
Downer & Kent Oil Works, several other factories, the Boston Hotel and
Gilson House, and a large number of store buildings and residences. People
from every section flocked in by the thousands, many of them men of
uncommon dash and fertility of resources. Money was plenty and real estate
sold readily. The founders of the town realized a fortune from the sale of
lots, and several parties who owned land adjoining the plot were also made
wealthy. From that period on to the panic of 1878, Corry continued to grow
at a rate that encouraged its citizens to think that it would some day be
a formidable competitor with Erie for the leading position in the
Northwest.
The town as laid out by Mr. Smith did not cover more than a third of its
present dimensions. Since then additions have been made which render the
city lines about two and a half miles in width from east to west, and
nearly three miles in length from north to south. The original owners of
the land, besides Mr. Corry, were Amos Heath, H. D. Francis, Mr. Crandall,
Anson Johnson, Hollis King, Lorenzo Dow and Mr. Dunham. In laying out the
place, a portion was taken from both Wayne and Concord Townships, the
straight portion of Smith street marking the old boundary between them.
Those who are curious to know something of the history of these townships
are referred to the sketches elsewhere.
Borough and City
Corry was organized as a borough in 1863, and the first election was held
on the 18th of August, of that year, a few less than 100 votes being cast.
The first borough officers were the following: Burgess, S. A. Bennett;
Treasurer, H. N. Ransom; Clerk, S. A. Beavis; High Constable, E. W. R.
Baker; Council, Eugene Wright, H. N. Ransom, F. H. Parkman, James Lewis
and O. B. Vincent. A city charter was obtained in 1866, which took off an
additional area from Concord Township and a strip about a mile wide by two
and a quarter in length from Wayne Township, making the Warren County line
the eastern boundary of the corporation. Two wards were created by the
charter, the dividing line being the track of the A. & G. W. Railroad.
The first city election was held in the spring of 1866. The Mayors of the
city with terms of service have been as follows: W. H. L. Smith 1866-67;
S. A. Bennett, 1867-68; R. H. Palmer, 1868-69; F. S. Barney, 1869-70; M.
Crosby, 1870-72; F. A. Phillips, 1872-73; A. F. Kent, 1878-74; B.
Ellsworth, 1874-75; T. A. Allen, 1875-79; F. Stanford, 1879-81; J. D.
Bentley, 1881-82; T. A. Allen, 1882-83; Isaac Colegrove, 1883-84.
The census of 1870 and 1880 showed the population to be as follows:
|
1870
|
|
1880
|
First Ward
|
3,559
|
|
2,758
|
Second Ward
|
3,250
|
|
2,519
|
|
------------
|
|
------------ |
Totals
|
6,809
|
|
5,277
|
The following were
the valuations of the two wards in 1883:
|
First
Ward
|
|
Second
Ward
|
Real estate
|
$500,740
|
|
$538,375
|
Personal
estate
|
5,841
|
|
11,115
|
Trades and
occupations
|
36,070
|
|
33,010
|
Money at
interest
|
16,200
|
|
34,642
|
|
----------------- |
|
------------------ |
|
$558,851
|
|
$617,142
|
|
------------- |
|
------------------ |
Total
|
|
|
$1,175,993
|
The City in General
Those who only know Corry by what they see at the depot or by passing
through in the cars have no proper conception of the place. Having sprung
up in the woods, as if by magic, it has always labored under some
disadvantages in appearance, which are not incident to old and regularly
developed communities. It is only recently that the main streets were
cleared from stumps, and the outside thoroughfares still contain frequent
remnants of the forest. Yet it is wonderful how much has been done in the
short space of twenty years to build up a snug and progressive city. Many
tasty private residences have been erected, and some of the public
buildings would be a credit to larger cities. The stores are generally
large, well stocked and apparently liberally patronized. A part of three
acres has been laid out and planted with trees, which gives promise of
being a real ornament. It is true that the sidewalks are still principally
of plank and that the streets remain unpaved, but improvement in these
regards will come in due season.
As a railroad center and shipping point, Corry has few equals and no
superiors among our inland cities. With three great railroads passing
through, giving direct connection with the oil regions, the anthracite and
bituminous coal fields and the markets east, west, north and south, the
city possesses rare advantages as a manufacturing point, and it is not
surprising that enterprising men have availed themselves of the fact to a
considerable extent. Freight trains go through every few minutes, and
twenty-one passenger trains leave daily in the winter and twenty-five in
the summer. As long as the railroad system exists, Corry must be an
important distributing point and a leading center of business. Property is
low compared with other places that are advantageously situated, and
choice sites are still to be had on reasonable terms. It is stated in the
report of the Board of Trade for 1881 that every manufactory started in
Corry has been "eminently successful."
Oil Works
As mentioned before, it was to the establishment of the Downer Oil Works
that the city owes its origin. The Downer Oil Works, located between
Washington street and the railroads, were erected in 1852. The owners are
the Downer Kerosene Oil Company of Boston, the members of the company
having remained unchanged since the works were built. W. H. L. Smith was
sent out from Boston as manager, which position he held until 1868. C. A.
Murdock succeeded, and, in 1872, T. A. Allen, the present manager, was
appointed to the position. Until about 1872, all grades of illuminating
and lubricating oils were refined from the crude petroleum, but of later
years the business has been directed to the production of "heavy
ends," which are then shipped to the Boston refinery. The Corry works
consist of a number of substantial brick buildings, the main one being
27x313 feet, two stories high, containing offices, ships, loading tanks,
etc. The still house is 52x200 feet, the pump room, 26x37 feet, the boiler
room, 27x76, and other buildings are of various dimensions. Fifteen tanks
have a combined capacity of 441,400 gallons, and the distilling capacity
is about 60,000 barrels of heavy oil annually. About twenty-five men are
employed.
One of the most successful and enterprising business firms of Western
Pennsylvania is Clark & Warren, of Corry, manufacturers of all the
finer products of petroleum. The members of the firm are R. C. Clark and
M. H. Warren. They commenced business as producers and refiners of oil at
Grafton, Ohio, in 1875. Two years later, they removed to this State, and
became one of the pioneer firms in producing oil in the Bradford field,
erecting works at Sawyer City, three miles from Bradford. Not content with
the old processes of refining, these energetic men instituted a series of
experiments on distillation and refining with the aim of obtaining better
results than the old methods afforded. Success crowned their efforts, and,
in 1881, they commenced the erection of works at Corry in accordance with
their new and improved plans of distillation. The complete success of
their operations is attested by the continued enlargement of the capacity
of the works. At present the firm use 500 barrels of crude petroleum
daily, and arrangements are now being made to increase the capacity to
1,000 barrels per day. The products of the works include all the finer
grades of lubricating oils, coal test filtered cylinder oils, filtered
cylinder stocks, illuminating oils of 120 degrees, 150 degrees and 300
degrees fire test, fine neutral oils and the various grades of petroleum,
formerly known as vasaline, cosmoline, etc. The products of the works are
sold through the Pennsylvania Oil Company (limited), of which Mr. Warren
is President, and Mr. Clark, Vice President. The products have almost a
world-wide reputation, and the sales are largely European. The Oil, Paint
and Drug Reporter, in a recent issue editorially, compliments the works of
Messrs. Clark & Warren as one of the best appointed oil refineries in
the United States, and speaks at length of their painstaking efforts and
in proved methods to manufacture superior oils. The firm holds patents
upon the construction of stills, the heating of stills, the construction
of filter, the heating of filters and for renewing bone black, all their
own inventions. The extensive works are located in the western part of the
city at the junction of the N. Y., P. & O., P. & E. and B., N. Y.
& P. Railroads, where employment is given to about sixty men.
Other Leading Industries
The Corry Wooden Ware Manufactory owes its origin to Wilder & Howe,
who in 1865-66, built a pail factory on East Main street. It burned down
in 1867, and was rebuilt on the present site, the corner of Washington and
East Wayne streets, in 1868. In 1869, the Corry Manufacturing and Lumber
Company was organized and operated the works until succeeded by D. H.
Wilder. A. M. Kent & Co., the present owners, assumed control in 1878.
Lard and butter packages, tubs and pails are manufactured, at the rate of
about 2,500 pieces per day. The lumber, mostly pine, is obtained from
Warren County, and about 3,000,000 feet are annually consumed. The wares
are shipped to all parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, to West
Virginia, Maryland and other States. Employment is given to 100 hands.
Harmon, Gibbs & Co., manufacturers of steam engines, erected their
shops on the west side of Center street, immediately north of the railroad
in 1877. The building is 50x105 feet and three stories high. Steam engines
and boilers of from 10 to 150 horse-power are manufactured, besides a
general line of machine and foundry work. Their Ajax oil engine is a
specialty, and the demand for it equal to the capacity to supply.
Employment is given to twenty-five skilled machinists. The firm is
composed of C. G. Harmon, L. L. Bliss, C. H. Bagley and the estate of
George H. Gibbs.
The Corry City Iron Works were established at the northwest corner of Main
and Concord streets in 1880, by P. I. Lynch. Soon after, he admitted G. D.
Gilbert into partnership, and the proprietors were successively Lynch
& Gilbert, P. I. Lynch and the Corry City Iron Company, of which
George N. Barnes is President, P. I. Lynch, Treasurer and manager and C.
B. Ely, Secretary. The engine shop is 45x65 feet, two stories high.
Boilers only were manufactured until June, 1882, since which date in
addition portable and stationary engines for agricultural purposes have
also been produced. When running at full force, about seventy-five men are
employed.
The Corry Novelty Works, located on East Pleasant street, were erected in
1870 by King, Shafer & Co. The main shop is a two-story brick
building, 32x62. Mr. Shafer retired in 1873, and the firm has since been
H. King & Sons, succeeded by H. King & Son, present proprietors.
For several years, a general machine and repair business was continued,
then the manufacture of King's patent portable engine was commenced, and
has ever since been continued with success.
An important manufacture, recently started at Corry, is that of the
caligraph, by the American Writing Machine Company, of which T. A. Allen
President; C. G. Harmon, Treasurer; G. W. N. Yost, Secretary, and A. A.
Aspinwall, Manager. Mr. Yost, having perfected the Remington Type Writer,
invented the caligraph. Its manufacture was commenced in New York, but in
the spring of 1883 the works were removed to Corry. The instrument is
meeting with a wide and extensive sale, and an increase in the capacity of
the shops has already been made; about 150 employees are usually at work
and sixty-five caligraphs are made per week.
George N. Barnes, in June, 1883, started the Corry Lounge Factory in the
basement and first floor of the Opera House building, where he gives
employment to from fifteen to eighteen workmen and manufactures about one
hundred lounges of various patterns per week.
In the same building Murray M. Raymond in January, 1883, commenced the
manufacture of the baby jumper and swing, of which he is the inventor.
This novel invention is meeting with wide and favorable reception, and the
business of Mr. Murray is increasing. At present 150 jumpers are
manufactured weekly.
One of the largest industrial establishments of Corry was the Gibbs
Sterrett Manufacturing Company recently suspended. The manufactures were
the Climax mowers and reapers, steam engines and boilers, mill machinery
etc. The buildings are large brick structures, and at one time about two
hundred men were employed. (These works have since resumed).
The large steam tannery of Emanuel Weisner, on East Wayne street, was
erected by C. A. Auer in 1862, and the present owner purchased it in 1871,
and has since greatly enlarged the buildings and capacity of the tannery.
About thirty men are employed, and 30,000 hides are annually tanned. Mr.
Auer in 1872 erected another tannery on Turnpike street, and still
operates it.
Other manufactories of the city include a bedstead factory, three planing
mills, four carriage shops, one cigar box factory, two cooper shops, one
brick yard, one broom factory, one mitten factory, one sucker-rod factory,
one oil cup factory, three flouring mills, one sausage factory, two
breweries, three bottling works, three patent medicine manufactories, nine
cigar factories, one saw and shingle factory, one saw mill, one candy
factory, one brush factory, one brush block factory, one handle factory,
one cider and vinegar factory, one feed mill, one wood pump factory, one
bedspring factory, one drain tile works, one foundry, one meat
refrigerator factory, one fruit cooler factory, and one nickel plating
works.
General Business Features
A special advantage that Corry possesses is the convenience for procuring
coal, lumber and stone. Bituminous coal reaches the city at a low charge
by way of the B., T. & W. and the N. Y., P. & O. roads from Mercer
and Butler counties, and the latter road and the P. & E. give it the
benefit of competition in securing anthracite from the Eastern
Pennsylvania fields. Large bodies of timber still stand near the city, and
a good quality of building stone in inexhaustible quantity is found a few
miles down the Brokenstraw. There is also plenty of good clay for making
brick, and sand for building purposes is found in ample quantities in the
vicinity.
The mercantile houses of the city embrace the following different lines of
business: Wholesale -- Groceries, 2; hardware, 2, confectioneries, 1;
tobacco and cigars, 9; oysters and fruits, 3; illuminating oil, 1; pork
packing, 1; drugs, 1; carriages, 2. Retail -- Groceries, 19; dry goods,
12; clothing, 5; millinery, 6; drugs, 7; meat markets, 7; variety stores,
4; leather, 1; fruits and confectionery, 3; boots and shoes, 7; furniture,
2; merchant tailors, 3; bakery and confectionery, 4; news depots, 3;
harness, 3; jewelry, 2; hardware, 5; stoves and tinware, 2; hats, 1; feed
stores, 2.
The city has intimate business relations with a wide scope of country,
embracing, besides Wayne and Concord Townships in our county, several town
slips each in Warren, Crawford and Chautauqua counties. The farming
population tributary to Corry is really more extensive than that which
helps to sustain Erie. The post office at Corry distributes mail matter
over a territory extending perhaps ten miles in every direction, the sale
of stamps and stamped envelopes alone amounting during the year 1880 to
some $10,000. The financial institutions of the city are the first
National Bank and the Corry National Bank, both established in 1864, with
a capital in each case of $100,000. A good index to the business of the
city is shown in its hotels, which number fourteen, of which four are
equal to the average in places of the size.
City Government
The city is governed by a Mayor, and Council of three members for each
ward. The latter body is presided over by the Mayor, who also appoints the
Committees. The expense for the year 1881 was a little over $17,000. The
city tax was thirteen and a half mills on the dollar. The Fire Department
consists of a Chief Engineer and two assistants, two engineers and fireman
for the two Silsby steamers, three hose companies and a hook and ladder
company. The value of the Department property is estimated at $11,840, and
the annual expense is between $2,000 and $3,000. For a place that is
largely built of wood, there has been a remarkable freedom from fires. The
school system is under the control of a Board of Directors, consisting of
three members for each ward. The schools are graded, and a superior high
school is maintained, which includes in its course a thorough training in
book-keeping. Including the Superintendent, there are nineteen teachers.
The school term is eight months. The schoolhouses are five in number,
three of them being capacious and handsome brick buildings, and two frame
buildings.
School Buildings
Directly after Corry was incorporated as a borough, an election was held
August 18, 1863, for a School Board, which resulted in the election of the
following Directors: For three years, G. E. coney and R. Morgan; for two
years, W. H. Doan and J. L. Hatch; for one year, L. J. Tibbals and L.
Rockwood. A schoolhouse which had been erected on Concord street, the year
previous by the School Board of Concord Township was transferred to the
borough, and the first schools under the dispensation of the Borough Board
were taught in the winter of 1863 by J. L. Hatch and Miss Mary Doud.
Commencing in 1864, the Catholic schools were under the control of the
Board for several years. In 1865, the rapidly increasing population
necessitated more accommodations. An acre of ground was purchased at the
corner of Washington and Essex streets for $1,350, and the schoolhouse
thereon was designated the Union Schoolhouse, completed by Henry Drake in
March, 1866. Vincent Moses, a theological student from Clymer, N. Y., was
its first Principal. In 1865, however, the Board leased a building on East
Main street, near the Philadelphia & Erie crossing, where school was
held until 1870. When Corry became a city in 1866, the schools were yet
ungraded, so rapid had been the increase. In that year the old red
schoolhouse on the Columbus pike became city property; it was re-named
Wayne School, No. 4, and used until the completion of the Hatch School. In
1869, a course of instruction, compiled by J. J. Manley, then President of
the School Board, was adopted, and the schools were regularly graded and
classified. The same year a school building was leased on Pleasant street.
This school was suddenly burnt down in March, 1869; but a room was engaged
on the corner of Main street and Second avenue and the school re-commenced
in a few days. It was continued until the completion of the Fairview
Schoolhouse. In 1869, a tax was levied to erect a new brick schoolhouse on
the corner of Second avenue and Fairview street, the lot having been
purchased two years previous. The contract was let to Henry Drake for
$14,580. The building was dedicated April 2, 1870. A new frame building
was erected in 1869 on Concord street for the accommodation of primary
pupils, and lots were purchased between Congress and Bond streets, east of
Wright, for the erection of a large brick edifice. The necessary
expenditure exceeding the amount that could be levied by tax, a special
act of Legislature was obtained in 1870 authorizing an additional tax of
seven mills. The contract was awarded to S. L. Leach for $21,500. The
building was completed in 1871, and, including heating, seating and
furnishing, cost $30,000. It was named in honor of J. L. Hatch, who had
been a member of the board since its first organization. The Union
Schoolhouse on Washington street was totally destroyed by fire December
12, 1871, having an insurance of $6,000. A temporary structure of three
apartments was forthwith constructed, and the schools continued in this
building until it was replaced in 1882 by a neat brick edifice of four
rooms, at a cost of $6,000.
The school property at present consists of three handsome brick
structures, known as the Hatch, Fairview and Washington Street Schools,
and two small frame buildings on Concord street. At the Concord Schools
are three teachers; at the Washington, three; at the Fairview, four; and
at the Hatch, including Superintendent, Principal and Assistant of high
school, nine. The schools are divided into primary, secondary
intermediate, junior and grammar grades of two years each, and high school
of three years. The high school permits the selection from three courses
-- Latin and English, German and English, and commercial. Ten classes,
aggregating 148 members, have completed the course. Frederick Hooker was
elected Principal of the schools in 1869; resigning the same year, he was
succeeded by James McNaughton, gave up the charge of the schools in May,
1871, and Miss G. M. Kent was appointed to act as Principal of the High
School. A. J. Crandall was elected Principal in 1871. The following year,
A. B. Crandall, a member of the Board, acted as District Superintendent.
In 1878, V. G. Curtis was elected Principal and Superintendent, remaining
ten years. His successor, A. D. Colgrove, is now serving his first year.
Newspapers
Corry sustains three newspapers, the weekly Telegraph and the daily
and weekly Herald. The Telegraph was established in 1865 by
Joseph A. Pain, who still owns and edits it. The earliest newspaper
venture in the place was by Stebbins & Larkins, who put forth No. 1 of
the Corry City News on the 22d of October, 1863. Within less than
two years, this journal changed managers four times and names twice,
finally appearing as the Telegraph, when it fell into the hands of
Mr. Pain. The latter gentleman published a daily edition of the Telegraph
for about a year after getting control of the establishment, again he
battled courageously for nine years, but unsuccessfully, in trying to keep
up the Daily Blade. The Herald is to a certain extent the
successor of the Union Mills Star, first issued in 1866, removed to
Corry in November, 1867, and the name changed to the Republican.
The editors and owners have been Horace G. Pratt, Dan Scott, W. B.
Gallegher, Henry C. Eddy, Pratt & Gail, S. Colegrove, W. A. Moore, and
others. The weekly, which received its present name in 1877, was purchased
by F. S. Heath December 1, 1880. The daily edition was started February 5,
1883. Among journals that have died out, after a lingering illness, as the
obituary writers say, were the daily and weekly Review, Commercial
Advertiser, Democratic Press, Democrat, Daily Itemizer, Daily Whetstone,
Temperance Vindicator, Daily Republican, and Enterprise.
Secret Societies
Probably no city of the same size in the United States equals Corry in the
number of its secret societies. Almost every secret organization in the
Union is represented, as will be seen by the following list:
Jonathan Lodge, No. 685, I. O. O. F., was instituted January 19, 1870,
with the following nine charter members: H. L.Wyman, A. P. Friesman, J. W.
Chipman, S. H. Johnson, Thomas Blackburn, J. H. Armstrong, T. P. Ober, A.
O. Watson and E. W. Buss. The present membership is 111. Meetings are held
each Wednesday evening.
Corry Encampment, No. 241, I. O. O. F., was instituted July 26, 1873. The
charter members were J. E. Stubbs, W. M. Arnold, H. O. Mackres, William
Mulkie, H. D. Clemons, H. O. Watson, D. W. Nutting and Charles Stricker.
Many others were initiated the evening of institution. The present
membership is about forty. The second and fourth Monday evenings of each
month are the appointed times for meeting.
Corry Lodge, No. 365, F. & A. M., was chartered March 12, 1866. The
membership is now 100, and meetings are held the first Tuesday of each
month.
Columbus Chapter, No. 200, R. A. M., was instituted at Columbus, Warren
County, May 16, 1866, and removed to Corry January 13, 1870. It has
fifty-five members, and meets Thursday evening, on or before the full
moon.
Clarence Commandery, No. 51, K. T., was instituted January 22, 1874, with
sixteen charter members. Forty-four is the present membership, and the
second Tuesday of each month the regular date of meeting.
Corry Union, No. 2, Equitable Aid Union, was organized May 2, 1879, with
about eighty members, now reduced to seventy-five. Meetings are held on
the first and third Monday evenings of each month.
J. J. Andrews Post, No. 70, G. A. R., was instituted in June, 1867, with
about twenty-five members. It now numbers 140, and meets every Friday
evening.
Corry Grange, No. 55, P. of H., was organized December 23, 1873. It meets
the first and third Saturdays of each month, and now has a membership of
about 140.
Corry City Lodge, No. 470, K. of P., was instituted October 16, 1880, with
forty charter members. The active membership is now ninety, and meetings
are held every Tuesday evening.
Lincoln Council, No. 75, Royal Arcanum, was instituted April 10, 1878,
with fourteen members. Sixty-one is the present membership, and the first
and third Wednesdays of each month the regular evenings for meetings.
Teutonia Lodge, No. 148, D. O. H., was organized August 17, 1867, with
twenty members, now reduced to nineteen. Meetings are held each alternate
Thursday.
St. Joseph's Branch, No. 4, c. M. B. A., was organized April 24, 1878,
with sixteen members. There are now about sixty members, and meetings are
held the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month.
Ahaveth Sholem Lodge, No. 160, B'nai Brith, was organized May 30, 1871,
and now has a membership of twenty-nine. Meetings are held each alternate
Sunday.
Bliss Council, No. 3, R. T. of T., was instituted in April, 1879, and now
has about 200 members. Meetings are held every Wednesday evening.
Hope Council, No. 55, R. T. of T., was instituted march 15, 1880, with
about twenty-two members, now increased to fifty. Tuesday evening is the
date of meeting.
Ely Lodge No. 45, K. of H., was instituted in November, 1874, and now has
a membership of sixty-one; meetings are held the first and third Mondays
of each month.
Humboldt Lodge (German), No. 51, K. of H., was instituted in February,
1874, with about twenty members. The membership has not materially
increased since. Meetings are held each alternate Tuesday.
Washington Lodge, No. 2, A. O. U. W., was organized in January, 1870, and
has 137 members. Meetings are held every Saturday evening.
La Fayette Council, No. 2, Guardian Knights, was instituted December 8,
1879, and now numbers sixteen in membership. The first Tuesday of each
month is the date for regular meetings.
Evening Star Lodge, No. 24, K. & L. of H., was instituted in March,
1878. It meets the second and fourth Fridays of each month, and has now a
membership of about fifty.
Germania Lodge, No. 26, K. & L. of H., was organized March 26, 1878,
with eighteen members. For a time the lodge met with Evening Star Lodge,
but it procured the old charter, and meets the first and third Saturdays
of each month. The membership is small.
Gas, Gas Wells, Public Halls
Gas is furnished by a company with a capital of $50,000. Several quite
extensive gas wells have been struck in the effort to find oil, but the
supply gave out too soon to enable them to be utilized to any extent worth
speaking of. There are two public halls, the Academy of Music, with a
seating capacity of 1,000, and the Harmon Opera House, estimated to
accommodate about 700.
Religious Societies
The city is well supplied with churches. They include two Methodist
Episcopal, two Catholic, one Presbyterian, one Baptist, one
Congregational, one Episcopal, one United Brethren, one German Lutheran
and one Jewish. There is a Universalist society, it has no building.
The first Methodist Episcopal congregation was organized in September,
1862, by Rev. George F. Reeser. The early meetings were held at private
houses and at the schoolhouse until the erection at the southeast corner
of Concord and Pleasant streets, during the summer of 1865, of a frame
meeting house at a cost of $10,000. The building was dedicated October 27,
1865, and is now in use. The pastors at Corry have been as follows: 1864
and 1865, J. W. Wilson and G. W. Staples; 1866 and 1867, J. S. Lytle;
1868-69 and 1870, J. C. Scofield; 1871 and 1872, W. F. Wilson; 1873, W. H.
Moseman; 1874 and 1875, A. S. Dobbs; 1876 and 1877, N. Norton; 1878, A. S.
Goodrich; 1879, J. W. Wilson; 1880-81 and 1882, A. G. Merchant; 1883,
James G. Townsend. The present membership of the church is about 290.
St. Thomas Catholic Church dates its origin back to 1860, in which year
Father Thomas Lonnergan came from Warren, Penn., and organized a small
society. The early meetings were held at private houses until 1862, when a
frame church was built on the southeast corner of Church street and Fourth
avenue. It was dedicated in September, 1862, by Bishop Joshua M. Young,
and has since been twice enlarged. Father Lonnergan has been the only
pastor; his assistants have been Revs. J. Delaroque, J. M. Dunn, B.
McGiveney, J. Brady, J. Maher and B. Donohue. The present membership
includes about 200 families. The congregation has almost completed a
handsome brick church structure, the cost of which will exceed $30,000.
Its cornerstone was laid in 1872, and five years later the foundation was
completed. It was placed under roof in 1883, and will be ready for
occupancy it is expected in 1884. The building stands on Washington street
near the foot of First avenue.
The first Baptist services at Corry were held in the unfinished second
story of a dwelling on the northwest corner of Washington and Wayne
streets November 28, 1862. The congregation was organized with seven
members October 18, 1863; Rev. J. R. Merriman became pastoral supply, and
services were held in a hall on Main street until February, 1865, when the
hall was rented to the Disciples. The Baptists were without a place of
worship till later in the same spring when their present church edifice on
the southwest corner of Second avenue and Pleasant street was built. It
was first used April 19, 1865, for the public memorial services of the
martyred President, and was dedicated April 26, 1865. Rev. A. D. Bush
became pastor in April, 1864; Rev. W. R. Connally succeeded in August,
1868; Rev. A. C. Williams in October, 1870; Rev. S. K. Boyer in March,
1872, remaining five months. The church was then without a pastor till
September, 1873, when Rev. John Trowbridge was elected. He was succeeded
in April, 1875, by Rev. J. B. Vrooman, who remained two years. Rev. E. F.
Crane then served about two years and his successor, Rev. M. W.
Dillingham, the present pastor, has officiated three years. The membership
of the church is about 225.
The First Presbyterian Church of Corry was organized January 18, 1864,
with the following nine members: Mr. and Mrs. E. S. Osgood, Charles Boyle,
Mrs.Martha Boyle, Asel M. Davis, Mrs. Mary A. Davis, Mrs. Ellen M.
Bennett, Mr. Elizabeth M.Gridley and Miss Nancy J. Knight. Rev. J. Odell
was engaged as temporary supply and served the church about one year;
increasing in the membership to twenty-one. Rev. Hutchens acted as
temporary supply for a few months, and in October, 1865, Rev. John C.
Taylor became stated supply, remaining until March, 1867; when he left,
the church membership was sixty-one. Rev. Alvan Nash then became stated
supply, and died at the expiration of one year's service. In November,
1868, Rev. S. G. Hopkins was installed the first pastor, resigning in
Mary, 1876, to accept a call to the Westminster Presbyterian Church of
Columbus, Ohio; Rev. D. V. Mays then served as pastor from June, 1876, to
November, 1877, and was succeeded in the following December by Rev. B. M.
Kerr, who remained two and a half years. Rev. W. N. Sloan, the present
pastor, entered upon his official relations in October, 1880. The first
Elders were E. S. Osgood and Charles Boyle; the present ones James Turner,
T. A. Allen, Lewis L. Bliss and George H. Humanson; the present Deacons
are C. H. Bracken and Levi P. Hard. The membership now numbers about 200.
Services were held in the Concord Street Schoolhouse, McKenzie's Hall and
Cook's Hall successively, until the winter of 1865-66, when the
congregation erected near the corner of Church and Center streets a neat,
frame edifice which was enlarged two years later. During the winter of
1883-84, a handsome skeleton brick structure was reared on the southwest
corner of Pleasant and Center streets at a cost of $10,000.
The first services of Emanuel Episcopal Church were held July 10, 1864, in
McKenzie's Hall. They were conducted by Rev. Calvin C. Parker, a
Missionary of the Board of Missions of the Diocese of Pennsylvania. The
first Vestrymen were James Foreman, H. L. Woman, O. S. Reynolds, F. A.
Phillips, George H. Coney, S. A. Bennett and E. W. R. Baker. During
1865-66, the church edifice was erected. It was 100x45 feet in size and
stands on the southwest corner of Center and Smith streets. The lot cost
$500, the building $4,000. When the corner-stone was laid in September,
1865, there were but twenty communicant members. Rev. Parker resigned June
1, 1866. He was succeeded by Rev. John T. Protheroe, who resigned in May,
1871. During that year the church was enlarged by the addition of side
aisles, organ chamber, etc., at an additional expense of $5,000.
Subsequent rectors have been Rev. Thomas Bell from October, 1871, to
August, 1872; Rev. Robert W. Grange, June, 1873, to November 16, 1874;
Rev. William G. W. Lewis, April, 1875, to August 31, 1877; Rev. Thomas A.
Stevenson, January, 1878, to August, 1881; John L. Taylor, the present
rector, who took charge in June, 1882. The present communicant membership
is 110. The present Vestrymen are O. C. Holden, Senior Warden; J. B.
Davis, Junior Warden; Charles Middleton, Augustus Harrington, Frederick
Stanford, R. C. Dawson and E. M. Bonnell.
In 1864, Rev. John W. Clark, preaching on the Bear Circuit, organized a
small United Brethren class at the Little Red Schoolhouse, and in 1865
commenced building on the corner of Pleasant and Lemon streets a frame
house of worship. The year following, during the pastorate of Rev. J.
Hill, the site of the building was changed and the unfinished structure
was taken down, removed to the turnpike, and there completed at a cost of
about $2,000. This building was destroyed by fire in 1872, and immediately
another was erected at an expense of $2,500, on North Center street, where
services are now held. The membership of this society is about fifty. Its
pastors since Rev. Clark have been J. Hill, 1865; W. Rittenhouse, 1866; O.
Badgley, 1867; W. Calman, 1868-69; I. Bennehoff, 1870-71; J. Holmes, 1872;
H. H. Barber, 1878; J. Hill, 1874; P. Butterfield, 1875; A. Peckham, 1876;
S. Evans, 1877; W. Cadman, 1878; N. R. Luce, 1879; J. P. Atkins, 1880; L.
L. Hager, 1881-82; D. C. Starkey, 1883. Corry is a mission station.
About forty years ago, a Methodist Episcopal class was organized, and held
meeting in a schoolhouse in Wayne Township; in 1860,it erected a
meeting-house about one and a half miles north of Corry, and in 1870 the
society was re-organized by Rev. J. W. Wilson, with about thirty-five
members, and the house of worship was removed to Pike street, Corry, and
has since been the home of the North Corry Methodist Episcopal
congregation. The society is attached to Columbus, Warren County, Circuit.
Among its pastors subsequent to 1870 have been A. A. Horton, A. S.
Goodrich, S. S. Burton, William Rice, Rev. Fordon and Rev. Adams; Rev. J.
W. Wilson is the present pastor. The membership is about sixty.
The first Congregational Church of Corry was organized in 1874. The early
meetings were held in the Christian Church, located on the northeast
corner of Fourth avenue and Pleasant street. This handsome building was
purchased by the Congregational society in 1878, and it has since remained
its place of worship. It is a brick structure, the dimensions of which are
about 50x100 feet, its original cost being about $15,000. It was repaired
in 1882 at an expense of $4,000. The Christian congregation, now defunct,
formerly owned a frame meeting-house on the site of the above brick
structure. It was destroyed by fire, and replaced, through the munificence
of G. W. N. Yost, by the brick church. The pastors of the Congregational
Church have been Rev. Joseph Adams, who remained two years; Rev. J. B.
Davidson, three years; Rev. E. A. Squier, eighteen months; a temporary
vacancy now exists. The membership is about 100.
St. Elizabeth (German) Catholic Church was established in April, 1875,
with about twenty-eight German families who had formerly been connected
with St. Thomas' Church. Under the management of a building committee,
consisting of H. L. Spiesman, J. Franz, J. Rehrich, Martin Huffman, Frank
Roeboch and Henry Heineman, the congregation at once proceeded to the
erection on Pleasant street of a fine brick church, which was completed in
1876 at a cost of $7,000. It was consecrated in September, 1876. The
society owns a parsonage, school and cemetery. Rev. F. Winters, the first
pastor, remained in charge till October, 1883, when Rev. Reck succeeded
him. The society numbers about forty families.
The German Lutheran Church, a skeleton brick structure, 26x40 feet in
size, located on the northeast corner of Concord and South streets, was
erected in 1876-77, at a total cost of $2,140. It was dedicated June 3,
1877. The society was organized several years previous, by Rev. M. Kugler,
the first pastor, and services had been held in various places. Rev.
Kugler was succeeded in the autumn of 1877 by Prof. Herman Gilbert, of
Thiel College, Greenville, who has since conducted services here each
alternate Sunday, and is present pastor. The church membership enrolls
about fifteen families.
The Hebrew congregation at Corry was organized about ten years ago and has
a small membership. Its first rabbi was Rev. Galen, who was succeeded by
Rev. Bernstein. Rev. S. Fielchenfield then took charge about seven years
ago, and still serves the congregation. Meetings have been held in various
buildings. In the autumn of 1883, the congregation purchased the old
Presbyterian Church.
The Universalist Church of Corry was organized with thirty-three members
March 7, 1877, by Rev. Aaron A. Thayer, who remained in charge about three
years. The first officers elected were A. A. Aspinwall, Moderator; W. Ed
Marsh, Clark; C. G. Harmon, Treasurer; L. Hammond, H. A. Baker and G. W.
Panlee, Standing Committee. The membership increased to about eighty-five,
but for a year past no services have been held. The congregation owned no
place of worship, and met last in the Congregational Church.
Miscellaneous
The city has three cemeteries -- Pine Grove, St. Thomas (Catholic) and the
Jewish. The first named embraces a tract of ten acres near the northern
terminus of Center street, purchased by a corporation of Amos Heath for
$2,000 in 1866. About $8,000 have since been expended by the company in
improvements. St. Thomas' Cemetery is in the southwestern part of the
city, and covers about two acres. The Jewish Cemetery is a small inclosure
in Wayne Township, near the north line of the city.
The following is a list of the citizens of Corry who have held elective
State and county offices: Associate Judge, Hollis King, November 8, 1866,
to November 17, 1871; Delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1873,
C. O. Bowman; Assembly, C. O. Bowman, 1869; W. W. Brown, 1872 to 1874;
Isaac B. Brown, 1881-82, and 1883-84; County Commissioner, W. T. Brown,
1872 to 1875; Mercantile Appraiser, L. E. Guignon, 1875; William T. Brown,
1880; Director of the Poor, S. A. Beavis, 1869 to 1872; Jury Commissioner,
D. L. Bracken, 1879 to 1882.
W. W. Brown moved to Bradford, and was elected to Congress from the McKean
District in 1882.
The following Corry physicians had registered at the Court House in Erie
in 1882: A. S. Bonsteel, Bellevue Hospital and Medical College, N. Y.,
1872; C. B. Kibler, University of Buffalo, 1870; H. O. Macres, University
of Buffalo, 1867; M. Pickett, University of Buffalo, 1869; D. Storer,
practice of medicine since 1844; G. A. Elston, Medical Department
University of New York, 1880; Emma L. Jordan, eclectic Medical College,
Philadelphia, 1879; John B. Chace, American Medical College, Cincinnati,
1855; S. R. Breed, practice of medicine since 1856; D. E. De Ross,
Eclectic Medical College, Cincinnati, 1875; J. E. Weeks, Michigan
University, Ann Arbor, Mich., 1881; B. H. Phelps, cleveland Medical
College, 1871; H. S. Tanner, Cincinnati Eclectic Medical College, 1859;
Mrs. F. H. Stanford, Boston University School of Medicine, 1878.
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