Back in the Country… (1 of 6) Bell Acres...
Transcript of Back in the Country… (1 of 6) Bell Acres...
Back in the Country… (1of6) Bell Acres Stories ByDebbyRabold
BEGINNINGS
TheCreeksBell Acres is framed by the Big Sewickley and Little Sewickley creekswatersheds. At forty-six square miles, the Big Sewickley watershed flowsthroughtenmunicipalitiesandthreecounties,markingtheboundarybetweenBeaver and Allegheny counties, Bell Acres and Economy boroughs beforeemptyingintotheOhioRiveratAmbridge.CoveringnearlytensquaremilesofsevenAlleghenyCountymunicipalities,theLittleSewickleyCreekflowsintotheOhioRivertwomilesaboveBigSewickleyCreekinEdgeworth.Inthelate1800s,achannelwascutforthecreektoemptydirectly into the river rather than taking a circuitous path throughEdgeworth.NativeAmericanpathsoncecrisscrossedWesternPennsylvaniaaspartofanetworkthatcoveredeasternNorthAmerica.LongbeforethearrivalofEuropeansettlers,anunnamedpathconnectingtheAlleghenyRiveratEtnawiththeOhioatAmbridgewasusedashortcutbetweenthetworivers.FromtheAllegheny,thepathfollowedPine Creek throughwhat is nowNorth Park, leading travelers to the headwaters of Big Sewickley Creek inFranklinPark.Fromthere,thepathmadeitswaythroughtheBigSewickleyCreekValleytotheOhioandthepathrunningalongitsnorthshorethatledintotheOhiocountry.
Early settlersentered the“hillsbackofSewickley”throughthesevalleys.Itwas wilderness, but in time,farmsteadsdottedthehillsides.DavidDuff’s grist mill began operating onthe East Branch of Big SewickleyCreek in 1812 with the first crudeschool house opening a few yearslater. Mitchell’s grist and saw millswerebuiltonLittleSewickleyCreekin1835. Though sparsely populatedthroughouttheirhistory,theBigandLittle Sewickley Creek valleys andsurrounding hillsides have beenhometogenerationsoffamilieswhohavealwaysappreciatedtheirnatural
LittleSewickleyCreekinAcornPark.beauty.
(2of6)TheRiver...hassomeuglyriftsandshoalswhichwefoundsomewhatdifficulttopass...Thewaterisrapidinsomeplaces,glidinggentlyinothers,andquitestillinothers.(GeorgeWashington1770)ItwasnotuntiltheArmyCorpofEngineerscompleteditslocksanddamprojectsinthe1920s,thattheOhioRiverappearedasitdoestoday;abroad,deepchannelthatallowsforyearroundnavigation.Throughoutmuchofitshistory,therockandsandbarfilledriverbedwasnotnavigationalduringdrysummermonthswhenitwassometimespossibletowalkfromoneshoretotheother,norduringwintermonthswhencoveredinice.Therewasalwaysthedangerofshipsstrikingoneofthemanysandbarsormoundsofdriftwoodanddebrisdepositedby floodwaters. In time, sandandgravelwere removed, channelsdeepened, islands coveredand currentsslowed,makingrivertraveleasierandsafer.
SongsofEveryDaybyArthurBurgoyne(1900)
[Merriman’ssandbarwaslocatedintheOhioRivernearHaysville.]
Merriman’sBar--Whohasnotheardtelloftheill-omenedspotwithitsevilspell?Whenthewaterislow,itswhitesandsgleam‘midthewatersswiftofOhio’sstream.Whenthewaterishigh‘tislosttosight,likeathiefthat’shidintheshadesofnight.AndthenneithersunshinenorfriendlystarbetraysthelocationofMerriman’sBar.‘TisagallantsightwhenthecoalboatsgayfromthePittsburglandingssailaway.Mothersandwives,withafurtivetear,watchthelordlyvesselsdisappear.Andwithquiveringlipsandlong-drawnsighthosedearonesmurmuralast“Good-bye!”WelldotheyknowthattheboldJackTarmaygodowntohisruinatMerriman’sBar.
UndatedpostcardshowingtheOhioRiveratSewickleybeforelocksanddamswerebuilt.
(3of6)Inherdelightful1893bookLightsandShadowsofSewickleyLife,AgnesL.EllissharesastoryaboutthefirststeamshipstoarriveintheSewickleyValley.
Steamboats were used in 1817. The first one that came to this place from Cincinnati was the“Constitution,”butitneverreachedPIttsburg,asitranagroundonthebarat“DeadMan.”Twoyearsafterwardsthemachinerywashauledaway. ThefirstboatwithawhistlepassedSewickleyin1837.Itwascalledthe“UncleSam”andtherearestillsomeoftheearlyresidentsleftwhoremembertheexcitementinSewickleyandvicinitywhenitsshrilltoneswerefirstheard. Mr.CadwalladerEvans…hadworkedforyearsandatlastreceivedapatentforthesteam-whistle.Itwasarrangedabovetheboiler,sothattheengineercouldcontrolit. Theboatranagroundin“White’sRiffle,”neartheoldTracyLanding,andthewhistlewasblownagainandagain.Throughthevalleyandoverthehilltopitechoedandre-echoed,causingafeelingofterrorandalarm.Mr. JacobFryannounced tohis familyandneighbors that theendof theworldhadcome,andGabrielwasblowinghistrumpet,tellingthemtofallontheirkneesandimprovetheshorttimeleftinprayer. Ageneralbeliefwasthatitwasthecryofawildcat,sosomeofthemenlefttheirsugarmakingandranhereandtherewithpitchforks,whileMosesHendricks,accompaniedbyafriend,tookhisgunandwentasfaras“Crow’sRun”toshoottheanimal.Atlastwordwasbroughtfromtheneighborsneartheriverwhatwasthecauseoftheoutcry,andquietandpeacewererestored.
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Duringhis1842Americantour,EnglishnovelistCharlesDickensspentthreedaysinPittsburghbeforetravelingtoCincinnationthesteamboat“Messenger”.ThefollowingishisdescriptionoftheOhioRiver.A fine broad river always, but insomepartsmuchwiderthanothers,and then there is usually a greenislandcoveredwithtrees,dividingitinto two streams. Occasionally westoppedforafewminutes,maybetotakeinwood,maybeforpassengersat some small town or village, butthebanksareforthemostpartdeepsolitude,overgrownwithtreeswhichare already in leaf and very green.Formilesandmilesandmiles,thesesolitudesareunbrokenbyanysignofhuman life or a trace of humanfootsteps,norisanythingseentohoveraboutthembutthebluejay,whosecolorissobrightandyetsodelicatethatitlookslikeaflyingflower.Atlengthenedintervals,alogcabinwithitslittlespaceofclearedlandaboutit,nestlesunderarisinggroundandsendsitsthreadofbluesmokecurlingupintothesky…Sometimesthegroundisonlyjustnowcleared,thefelledtreeslyinguponthesoil,andtheloghouseonlythismorningbegun…Theriverhaswashedawayitsbanksandstatelytreeshavefallendownintothestream.Somehavebeentheresolongthattheyaremeredry,grislyskeletons.Somehavejusttoppledoverand,havingearthyetabouttheirroots,arebathingtheirgreenheadsintheriverandputtingforthnewshootsandbranches.Somearealmostslidingdown,asyoulookatthem,andsomeweredrownedsolongagothattheirbleachedarmsstartoutfromthemiddleofthecurrent,andseentotrytograsptheboatanddragitunderwater.
(4of6)TheLandTheSewickleyValleyisanarrowstretchofbottomlandbetweenGlenfieldandBigSewickleyCreekbackedbysteephillsanddeepravines.LiketherestoftheUpperOhioRiverValley,thehillsandvalleyofSewickleywereonceheavilywoodedwithstandsofhardwoods,hemlocksandpinewhosethickcanopies,entangledwithwildgrapevines,blockedsunlightfromreachingthegroundbelow.Oneearlyvisitorwrotethevinestwinearoundthetreestotheverytopandthebranchesofthosetreesaresocoveredwithgrapesthatonewouldtakethegrapetobethefruitofthetree.Withoutsunlight,forestsweredeepinshadowsandbareofvegetation.Earlytravelerswerestruckbythesolitude.HenryBrackenridgesharedachildhoodmemoryoffloatingdowntheOhio in1793: IhavenodistinctrecollectionoftheappearanceoftheOhioRiverinthe course of our descent, except that instead ofbeingenlivenedbytownsandfarmsalongitsbanks,it was a woodywilderness shut in to the water’sedge…thebankspresentedanunbrokenwilderness,the solitudewasnot disturbedbya single humanvoice…”Theforests,however,werenotdevoidoflife.Likemuch of Western Pennsylvania, the Ohio RiverValley supported a large variety of wildlife. There were elk, bears, panthers and deer, as well as wolves.Waterwayswerefilledwithbeaversandavarietyoffish.Buzzards,eaglesandravenswerecommonplace,aswereducks,geeseandwildturkeys.Arrivinginthemid-1700s,theearliestexplorersandtradersoftenfollowedBuffaloroads,laidbygreatherdsthatonceroamedtheregion.In clearings,where sunlightwasable to reach theground, theregrewavarietyofwild fruits: strawberries,blackberries,raspberries,gooseberries,plums,grapes,cherries,crabapplesandpawpaws.Therewerenutsofeverykind:hickory,walnut,chestnutandhazel.Apple,peachandpeartreesarrivedlaterwiththefirstfarmers.
(Photo:Ifleftunchecked,wildgrapevinesentangletreesandothervegetation.Beforefellingtreesfor
loghouseconstruction,boyswouldclimbhighintothebranchestocutthevines,thusfreeingthetrees.)
*****17.-ThursdayThewoodswereclearfromunderbrush,&theoaks&blackwalnut&othertimberdonot
growverycompact,&thereisscarcelyanythingtoincommodeatravelerinriding,almostinanydirection,inthewoodsoftheOhio.
TheIndianshavebeeninthepracticeofburningovertheground,thattheymayhavetheadvantageofseeinggameatadistanceamongthetrees.Wesawthisdayseveraldeer&flocksofTurkies.AboutanhourbeforesunsettingwearrivedatLittleBeaverCreek.
Onthebankofthisstream,whichwasfordable,wehadawonderfulprospectofgame.InthemiddleoftheCreek,asmallflockofwildgeesewereswimming,onthebanksatalargeflockofTurkies,&thewildpigeonscoveredoneortwotrees;&allbeingwithinmusketshot,wehadourchoiceforasupper.MyInterpreterchosetheTurkies,&killedthreeatoneshot.
(5of6)Fridaymorningwewerereadytoleaveourencampmentabout8
O’Clock,&travelledthroughanexcellentcountryofland,about18miles&comingtoasmall&pleasantriver,wepitchedourtentaboutanhourbeforesunsetting.
Saturday19–Ourpathhad ledusalong theNorthbankof thepleasantriverOhio,almostthewholewayfromPittsburgh,&frequentlywithinsightoftheriver.Thesoilisluxuriant,thegrowthprincipallywhiteand black oak, Chestnut, BlackWalnut, Hickory &c. The sweetest redplums grow in great abundance in this country, & were then in greatperfection.Grapesgrowspontaneouslyhere,andwindaroundthetrees.Wehavebeenfavoredwithdelightfulweather.
At the requestofhispresbytery,ReverendDavidMcClureundertookaspiritualtourofsettlementswestoftheAlleghenymountains,arrivinginPittsburgh in September 1772. The above are excerpts from his traveldiary in which he describes his journey along the Ohio River betweenPittsburghandNewcomersTownontheMuskingum,havingcrossedbothLittleandBigSewickleycreeksontheway.(ReverendDavidMcClure1748-1820)
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ThePeopleAsearlyas1,000BC,theAdenapeoples followed by theHopewell, inhabited the OhioRiver Valley, leaving behindceremonial and burialmoundsof differing shapes and sizes.The largest in WesternPennsylvania was the McKeesRocks mound near Pittsburgh.Constructed on a rockoutcropping above the OhioRiver, the sixteen-foot highmound was the site of thirty-three burials. Five smallermounds once stood in theLeetsdale–Edgewortharea.LittleisknownoftheseearliestSewickley Valley inhabitantswhovanishedlongbeforethelaterarrivalofNativepeoplesfromtheEast.PushedwestwardbyanunrelentingwaveofEuropeancolonists,DelawaresfromEasternPennsylvaniaandShawneesfromtheSoutheastarrivedinWesternPennsylvaniaintheearly1700swheretheywouldremainuntilcentury’sendwhenagainforcedtoleave.OtherthanLogstown,whichoverlookedtheOhioatapointbelowAmbridge,therewerenopermanentNativesettlementsontheriver.ItwasatLogstownthatFrenchandEnglishtradersaswellasrepresentativesofthecolonialgovernmentsmetwithNativepeoplestoconductbusiness.ItwaswhereGeorgeWashingtonvisitedin1753whileonhisill-fatedmissionthatresultedinthefirstshotsoftheFrenchandIndianWar.Duringmuch of their history, the “hills back of Sewickley”wereNative American hunting groundswith nosettlements,onlycampsites.Coveredinlayersofsoil,stoneartifactsleftbehindbytheirmakerswould,inlateryears,beunearthedbythefarmer’splowandcollectedbychildrenascuriosities.WiththeremovalofNativepeoplesfromWesternPennsylvaniaduringthe1790s,settlersbeganventuringintothewildernessnorthoftheOhio,althoughasmallgroupofNativeAmericansremainedonBigSewickleyCreek,
livinginwhatwasdescribedasfourteenmudhuts.An early engraving (above) shows the McKees Rocksoutcroppingonwhichaburialmoundwasconstructed(shownleft).Western Penitentiary atWoods Run is also seen in theengraving.