Elk County PA News Articles From the Past
Republican Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)
June 19 1854
It appears that the court of Elk county is held in "the office of the Advocate". The editor says he will, as soon as he gets able, build a house expressly for the use of judges, lawyers and their clients, so that he may have undistrubed possession of his own domicile.
Morning Herald (Titusville, Pennsylvania)
October 29 1867
A large and enthusisastic meeting of the citizens of St. Mary's and Centreville, Elk county, was recently held for the purpose of awakening the people to the importance of immediate action upon the question of a proposed railroad to connect the most bituminous coal region of Pennsylvania with Buffalo, Rochester, and Northwestern New York, and the continuation of the same southerly down the Little Toby to an intersection with the Allegheny Valley R. R.
The Wellsboro Agitator (Wellsboro, Pennsylvania)
May 8 1877
Eighteen thousand acres of land have been leased in Elk county preparatory to testin it for oil purposes. A well will be put down at once near Ridgway.
Daily Gazette and Bulletin (Williamsport, Pennsylvania)
April 13 1874
Post Office Changes in Pennsylvania - Washington, April 12
The following postal changes have been ordered for Pennsylvania .....Office discontinued: Hellen, Elk county..........Name and site changed: Little Toby, Clearfield county to Brockport, Elk county and Clark A. Wilcox appointed.
Indiana Progress (Indiana, Pennsylvania)
July 24 1879
The corner stone of the new Court house, Ridgeway, Elk county, was laid last week.
Daily Gazette and Bulletin (Williamsport, Pennsylvania)
February 28 1884
Sawing Ship Spars
The Elk county Democrat says: Gillingham, Garrison & Co., at their Brockport mill, have sawed out the first ship spars that have ever been turned out in Elk county. They sawed seven in all, the dimensions of two we give as follows: One was 98 feet 9 inches long, 33 ½ inches in diameter, 12 feet from the butt, and 25 inches in diameter, 12 feet from the top. The other one was 88 feet long, 38 inches in diameter 12 feet from the butt, and 30 ½ inches in diameter, 12 feet from the top. They will be shipped to Philadelphia via the Ridgway and Clearfiled and Philadelphia and Erie railroads. Three spars will be loaded on three gondola cars and securely fastened, and no trouble is apprehended in transporting them to that city.
The Indiana Weekly Progress (Indiana, Pennsylvania)
February 26 1885
Messrs Robert Park and Wm. Earl, have gone into the drug business at Ridgeway, Elk county. Success boys.
Indiana Weekly Messenger (Indiana, Pennsylvania)
May 19 1886
Philip Bush, who killed his brother at Wilcox, Elk county, ten days ago, was captured in the woods near Cloudersport by a fisherman on Wednesday morning, and is now safely lodged in Ridgeway jail. He was almost dead when captured, having spent the days and nights in the woods with but little food, which he had managed to steal while others slept.
Daily Gazette and Bulletin (Williamsport, Pennsylvania)
March 3 1890
Sale of the Caledonia Lumber Property
The Caledonia lumber property, comprising many hundreds of acres located in Benzinger township, Elk county, on the line of the Allegheny Valley low grade railroad, has been sold to Attorney Charles H. Dill, of Clearfiled, for $6,745, subject to a $43,000 mortgage. Mr. Dill is the agent of purchases residing in Williamsport, Du Bois and Clearfield. This property was formerly owned by J. E. Putnam and is known as the Putnam estate. The assignee put in charge when Mr. Putnam failed was Colonel Corcoran, of this city.
The land has been largely divested of the timber upon it and is now valuable for the coal and fire clay veins running all through it. At Caledonia village is a large saw mill located at the confluence of Trout run with Bennett's Branch. It has been idle since last October and there is now some prospects that the costly machinery beneath the roofs will soon whirl again. The village has been practically dead since the mill stopped. Very little work has been done in the woods this winter. The Caledonia Land And Improvement Company, said to own form 12,000 to 32,000 acres in the valley running from Driftwood to DuBois, is alleged to be back of the Putnam property sale, and if it is they mean business in the near future.
The success of the 100 coke ovenes of the Elk Coal and Coke Company, at Glen Fisher, just a mile beyond Caledonia, has been a strong temptation to the statement of the part of the Caledonia stockholders, among whom young John E. DuBois, the multi millionaire lumber king, stand prominent, and it is doubtless true that they mean business. Mr. Dill is their attorney, and he has in all probability acted for them.
If there's to be development of this rich prize the Bennett's Branch Valley will blossom like the rose this year, and there will be a breaking out of industrial enterprises bound to create a series of booms in a section of country where booms are very much needed. There are some sprightly villages along the Allegheny low grade - Penfield (Clearfield County) with that big Woodward tannery employing 170 men and Hoover and Co.'s saw mills, lead them all. The Alycia springs on Colonel Scofield's property have entered in such a reputation that plans are out for a four story $75,000 stock company summer hotel. Mr. Bird, one of the leading citizens, believes Penfield has a rousing future, a future that the Sentinel's editor thinks cannot be realized on too quickly. Next comes Benezette with that oil well. Bradford experts fully believe has the right land. And Winterburn (Clearfield county), Meadville and Sabula (Clearfield county) complete the list. Head centre of all is DuBois, a thriving borough of 8,000 population, rushing ahead with young men back of everything laike a western breeze.
The sale of the Putnam property has a significant meaning to it and we think that meaning has been narrated above.
Daily Gazette and Bulletin (Williamsport, Pennsylvania)
March 21 1890
Out Bennett's Branch - Cherry Run's Lumber Product and the Putnam Mill
at Caledonia
From the DuBois Daily Courier
F. A. Tozier, of Caledonia, came up yesterday afternoon and stayed over night to embrace the opportunity of hearing Robert J. Burdetts. F. A. and O. W. Tozier are engaged in lumbering just over the lien dividing Clearfield and Elk counties, and have been about as successful as any of the lumbermen this adverse season. They put in 1 (..?..) feet of pine and hemlock legs on Cherry run, which are to be driven to Williamsport. Some of the same contract remain in the woods and perhaps can not be taken cut this season. The same partied have a mill on the stream which they hoped to provide with some stock in the winter also. They will have to do that in the summer if they run the mill.
The large mill at Caledonia, built by J. E. Putnam, has prospects of a good season's run even though it has recently been the object of much instigation. Robert Cochran has cut 9,000,000 feet of lumber in the woods and succeeded in getting about 7,000,000 of that amount into the streams, a portion of which has already been driven to the mill. The amount is sufficient to furnish a good Summer's work, well calculated to give Caledonia nearly its usual volume of business for the season.
Daily Gazette and Bulletin (Williamsport, Pennsylvania)
May 28 1890
The Caledonia mill on Bennett's Branch has started for the season. There are now 8,000,000 feet of hemlock at the mill and the sawing of this lumber will give employment to sixty men. The French Brothers, who are practical mill men, have the sawing and shipping. They have made many improvements and put in machinery of their own invention.
The Wellsboro Gazette (Wellsboro, Pennsylvania)
December 10 1891
The final details of one of the largest transactions in Pennsylvania timber and coal lands that has lately occurred, were consummated in Olean last Friday. It was the sale of 18,000 acres in Elk county, in the vicinity of Glen Hazel, the purchaser being the Cartwright Lumber Company of Ridgway, pa. This tract, which is one of the most valuable in Pennsylvania, is remarkably rich, not only in lumber, but in deposits of coal, fire clay and gas.
Indiana Evening Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania)
Septembr 29 1894
Erdman-Park
Mr. Harry H. Erdman and Miss Mary Edith Park, of Ridgeway, Elk coutny, were married at the home of the bride's parents on Thursday, August 16. Miss Park is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R. A. Park, formerly well known to Indiana people.
New Oxford Item (New Oxford, Pennsylvania)
Ju;y 2 1897
Brockwayville, Pa., June 26
Adam Leck, aged 62, and his son William, aged 25, were instantly killed yesterday by the explosion of the boiler in a small machine shop at Brockport, Elk county. The building was owned by Leck, and was demolished by the force of the explosion. Both bodies were blown about a hundred feet and were terribly mangled. Frank Leck, another son was working but a few feet from his father and escaped without a scratch. The explosion is thought to have been caused by carrying too much steam.
The Wellsboro Agitator (Wellsboro, Pennsylvania)
February 22 1899
Four children named Carlson were burned to death last Friday morning at their home near Medix Run, Elk county. The father was away from home at the time. Mrs. Carlson was aroused by the smoke, and taking her babe in her arms, she jumped from a second-story window, leaving the other four children in their beds. Three boys aged 12, 5 and 2 years respectively and a girl aged 7, perished in the flames.
Daily Gazette and Bulletin (Williamsport, Pennsylvania)
April 26 1900
Died While Fishing - District Attorney of Elk County Passes Away
Ridgeway, April 25 - E. J. Wimmer, District Attorney of Elk county, died suddenly today, while on a fishing trip near Brockport.
The Evening Democrat (Warren, Pennsylvania)
April 27 1900
Attorney Wimmer Dead - He Was a Well Known Elk County Lawyer
Ridgway, April 26
The astounding report reached Ridgway last night that District Attorney D. J. Wimmer of St. Marys was dead. Inquiry at St. Marys brought out the fact that while on a fishing excursion near Brockport, Mr. Wimmer suddenly dropped dead. This was about 3 o'clock pm Wednesday. The body was taken to St. Marys on a special train over the P.S &N. R.R. The cause was probably heart disease.
Harry English and the Shooting of Frank Warnith and Phillip Vollmer
Chester Daily Times (Chester, Pennsylvania)
April 19 1880
A constable, named Wrenth (Warnith), was shot dead, and another, named Volmer, dangerously, if not fatally wounded by Henry English, a notorious forger and rough, whom they were trying to arrest at his house at Caledonia, Elk County, Pa., on Saturday evening. English escaped.
The Wellsboro Agitator (Wellsboro, Pennsylvania)
April 27 1880
A terrible murder was committed at Caledonia, Elk county, Saturday morning, the 17th instant.
A party consisting of Justice Burke, Philip Vollmer, Constable Kreig, District Attorney Wurzell and Constable Frank Warnith went to Caledonia for the purpose of arresting a desperate forger named Harry English. They reached the house where English was stopping about day-break, and waited for him to come out. He soon made his appearance at the door, when the party leveled their guns at him and ordered him to surrender.
English turned and ran into the house and up stairs, Burke and Warnith following him. While going up English kicked Warnith part way down stairs, and Warnith shot English in the leg. English went into the chamber and Burke and Warnith followed him. When they attempted to open the door English fired through the door with a Winchester rifle, hitting Warnith in the stomach, the ball passing entirely through his body and grazing Burke's leg. The two officers then retreated from the house.
English afterwards fired from the house, hitting Vollmer in the lower part of his body. Warnith died the same day; but Vollmer is now expected to recover. English escaped to the woods, well armed and with plenty of ammunitiion, and at the last advices he had not been arrested, although a reward of $1,000 had been offered for his capture. It is reported that he was seen near Bradford, McKean county, one day last week. English is a blacksmith, and was considered a good citizen until he went to the oil region and fell into dissolute habits. He entered upon his career as a forger about a year ago.
Indiana Weekly Messenger (Indiana, Pennsylvania)
August 4 1880
English, the outlaw, who shot Constable Warnith, while resisting arrest at Caledonia, Elk county, Pa., in April, has been arrested at Sheboygan, Michigan. A reward of $1,200 had been offered for his capture.
The Keystone Courier (Connellsville, Pennsylvania)
October 1 1880
The acquittal of the noted outlaw Harry English in Elk county, of murder has caused considerable surprise. English, who had won some previous notoriety as a criminal, killed a constable who attempted to arrest him, and so badly wounded another man that he died two weeks afterward. He made his escape, but was recaptured in Michigan and brought back. On the trial it was in proof that his would-be captors threatened to take English's life and opened fire upon him first.
Daily Gazette and Bulletin (Williamsport, Pennsylvania)
February 1 1881
Harry English - His Second Trial and Escape from the Gallows - Convicted of Forgery
Ridgway, Jan. 31.
In April last when Constable Frank Warneth of Bensinger township, and Constable Vollmer, of St. Mary's, Elk county, with several others went to Caledonia in said county to arrest Harry English on the charge of forgery, he fatally shot Warneth and wounded Vollmer so that he died some days after. English was tried for the murder of Warneth about a month ago at Ridgway and was acquitted. Saturday he was also acquitted of the charge of the felonious shooting of Vollmer but was convicted of forgery, sentence being deterred until March. It will be remembered that the constables and posse were accused by the defendant of surprising him in his house and firing upon him without warning. The fatal shots he returned the defendant claimed were in self defense.