Q ~ What borough besides Tyrone Borough is situated within the geographical purview of the Tyrone Area Historical Society?

 
  A ~ The Borough of Birmingham, Huntingdon County. Sam Winters, popular Birmingham native, has an ardent interest in the history of the town in which he was raised. His mother, Laura (Flood), came from Sandy Ridge to Birmingham to work at the Mountain Seminary (Grier School), as did a lot of young women back in the 1920s. Her sisters also came to work at the school. One of Sam’s aunts worked as a cook, and another of his aunts was a baker for many years. His dad, Samuel W. Winters Sr., worked there for a number of years, during which time he met Laura. Even Sam himself worked at the school for a while between jobs. Sam says, “I worked at the stables one winter after we were married. My wife, Susy [the former Susanne Getz], being a big-city girl from Tyrone, would hold her nose when I came home!”
    When Sam’s mother, Laura, arrived to work at the school, she was only thirteen years old. She lived in the help’s quarters and wore a uniform. Students also wore uniforms. Sam says it was like a military regiment.
    The school had a working farm located within the Borough, where beef cattle, hogs, and sheep were raised, along with a herd of milk cows. The farm was worked with a team of horses (white foot and ballast). Workers from the school did the butchering at the stable. Sam says, “For a dollar a day, a boy had the job of driving a flock of sheep down the street through town and herding them around the school grounds. Of course, the rest of us would gather around and play ball and do whatever. Every once in a while, one of us would run off and bring the sheep back together.
    “They’d move cattle from one pasture to another right through the streets, where at times, we’d have runaways. When I was a boy, there were eight stables, full-size barns with standing stalls, and hay mows. These buildings lined the two crossing alleys that bisect the town. During the time of World War II, Henry Kimberling would drive a team of horses from Tyrone Forge to Birmingham and plow vegetable gardens. He’d bed his team in one of the stables.
    “Prior to that time, there was a common pasture on the hill behind Birmingham. In the morning, the owners took their cattle to the common pasture and brought them back in the evening.”
    To see photos of one of the livestock watering troughs still in existence today on Market St., click here.

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    Sam has served as Street Commissioner for Birmingham Borough for thirty-five years. He’s currently working as a member of the Birmingham Cemetery Association, whose goal is to provide additional burial plots. New plots in the old Methodist and Presbyterian cemeteries have been unavailable for several years.
    In April 2000, Sam guided a walking tour of Birmingham for members of the Huntingdon County Historical Society. Later that day, Andrew Wilson led the group through the Grier campus.
    Sam gave a talk on the history of Birmingham for the Tyrone Area Historical Society. Much of his presentation, made in March 2004 at the Tyrone History Museum, follows. Reference books that he used as an aid in preparing the talk are History of Huntingdon County by Milton Scott Lytle (1876) and History of Huntingdon and Blair Counties by J. Simpson Africa (1883). His other sources of information were the Juniata College Library and the Huntingdon County Historical Society.

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    Birmingham formerly had been a mill-seat that was improved by Andrew Porter as early as 1786. He operated a gristmill and a sawmill there on the Little Juniata River. The brothers, John and Charles Cadwallader, acquired the mills prior to 1800 and operated them until they were removed. Some of the flour made there was carried to Baltimore by teams of horses going by way of Burnt Cabins. The dam across the Juniata River proved hard to maintain, however, so the mills were removed in 1808.
    In about 1795, the Cadwalladers purchased a 1300-acre tract of land at Birmingham — including Laurel Springs (Hundred Springs) — and erected a paper mill, which was the first in this part of the state. John was the first manager, but after his death in 1807, Charles became the proprietor.
    Paper produced by this mill was used to print the pioneer newspapers of the Upper Juniata Valley. The first newspaper in Huntingdon County, The Huntingdon Courier and Weekly Advertiser, was printed on this paper. The Huntingdon County Historical Society possesses some watermarked paper manufactured at this first mill.

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    John Cadwallader, who stemmed from a prominent family in Philadelphia, arrived in Huntingdon County in the early 1790s. He laid out an ambitious plan for a “manufacturing town at the head of navigation” on the Little Juniata River. The town was called Birmingham, after the city of the same name in England. He sold building lots located on hillsides and in ravines to people in Philadelphia by misrepresentation.
    Prior to 1800, Cadwallader was very involved in business in Huntingdon. Admitted to the bar in 1789, he was the first attorney in Huntingdon and practiced law there until his death in 1807. He also was active outside his profession in that he was elected county commissioner in 1790 and served a three-year term. In 1799, he again was elected to this post for another three years. Between terms, he served as clerk to the commissioners and served as auditor along with two other gentlemen.
    Cadwallader also was the first postmaster in Huntingdon. And he was commissioned brigade inspector for the Huntingdon County Militia. The training site for the Fourteenth Regiment was near Birmingham, thought by some to be the old shooting-range pit between Birmingham and Hundred Springs.
    The Cadwalladers’ mansion was located on the courthouse lots in Huntingdon. The lots were bought by the county commissioners at a sheriff’s sale. In 1842, the courthouse was built in the rear of the mansion, which was used as a workshop. During construction of the courthouse, Cadwallader’s wife and daughter occupied the homestead until a short time before it was removed.
    Cadwallader’s obituary, in September 1807, reads: “It is most unfortunate that so little is known of him previous to his coming to Huntingdon, as his activities would place him among the most progressive citizens of pioneer times. When one takes into consideration Cadwallader’s effort in the development of the town he had laid out, every indication points to his sincerity. With the erection of the first paper mill in central Pennsylvania, as well as other personal investments, give added proof as well. Cadwallader can be listed among those pioneers who were overtaken by misfortune and deserving of a better fate.”

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    Charles Cadwallader sold the paper mill to Michael Wallace in about 1820. Wallace built the second paper mill of stone and converted the old log mill into a clover mill. Linseed oil also was made in the same building. In addition, he operated a plaster mill, a store, and a public house — making this one of the busiest spots on the river.
    Around 1830, John McCahan acquired these interests. All the businesses eventually closed except for the grist mill, which was successfully operated by the McCahan family.
    In about 1800, Andrew Robeson operated a sawmill and fulling mill on the river where the town of Birmingham was evolving. By this time, homes had been built along with a log schoolhouse built around 1790.
    Alexander Stewart, born in 1794, was one of the pupils at the Birmingham School for only fourteen and a half days. Alexander was a son of Robert E. Stewart, the first settler of Eden Farm. Robert Stewart came from Big Valley, Huntingdon County at a time when Indians were still “troublesome.” He purchased from the State 640 acres on which he built a log house and developed a farm, calling it Eden Farm (now known as Eden Hill).
    During the early development of Birmingham from John Cadwallader’s plan of 1797, there was still industry on the river at Birmingham. Andrew Robeson’s fulling mill was the basis of a cotton factory. For a period of years, the factory operated quite extensively, serving Huntingdon County and adjoining counties. The charge for carding cotton was a shilling per pound.
    The factory was managed by John Copley until his death, after which his daughters continued the work. Woolen goods also were manufactured there. (To see a photo of the Copley family home during its restoration in 2003, click here.)
    A flood in 1838 damaged the factory, and another completely destroyed the building in 1847.
    There also were small distilleries in this area, at times operating at full capacity.

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    While John Cadwallader was working his enterprises at Laurel Springs, he laid the plan for Birmingham on December 13, 1797. He was generous in donating ground for public use. Several “spring lots,” two “school lots,” one for “Library Hall,” four for “religious,” four for “burial places,” and several large lots marked “Publick.” On the river was a park and a public landing that he took care to mention as the head of navigation.
    The plan included about 300 acres of land that presented an attractive appearance on paper. Cadwallader sold lots by lottery ticket at $5 each. He advertised the lottery tickets and succeeded in selling many. A ticket, signed by him, contained the statement: BIRMINGHAM, in the County of Huntingdon and State of Pennsylvania. No. _____. THIS TICKET, on payment of five dollars, will entitle the Bearer to receive a Deed for such TOWN LOT as may be drawn to its number (But if not paid on or before the first Monday in May 1799, interest will be charged thereon) subject to the annual Ground-Rent of one dollar to commence on the first Monday in May next. December 13, 1797.” Signed, “John Cadwallader.”
    Numerous purchasers, however, who subsequently learned that their lots “were set up edge-wise, or perched on some lofty pinnacle, or down in a deep ravine,” did not take possession, but forfeited what they paid.
    Nonetheless, the earnest Cadwallader built himself a mansion that he occupied. There were several owners of the property after Cadwallader: his two brothers, Joseph and Charles; Thomas Owens, who acquired the property in 1824 and worked a farm from this site; and the Grier family. The building was removed in about 1970.
    A small number of those who had purchased lots actually did build. But John Cadwallader never got to see a large, industrial town to the proportions he had plotted — some 300 acres. The village did flourish, however, and the first store was opened in the George Owens house in 1811 by Dr. Burt, who also was the first physician. During the most prosperous period, there were six stores and several hotels.

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    In about 1818, a stone school was build to replace the log building that was built around 1790. The school was built by public contributions. James Thompson Esq., the then oldest resident said that “the stone schoolhouse cost a drink of whiskey for every stone in it.” The teachers of the first school were John Tussey and Anderson [given name unknown]. Pupils were children of the Comly, Robeson, Dixon, Green, Pool, Rawhead, Johnston, and McMillan families.
    When the stone building was taken down, the directors were careful to have the old, worn stepping stone at the door remain in its place as a memento of the alma mater of many of the prominent businessmen of that community. The stone still stands on Furnace St. Sam says, “When we were kids, we climbed on this stone as our fathers did before us.”
    The third (and last) school was built in 1860, replacing the stone school. The last school was typical of all the one-room schoolhouses that dotted the country: one room, eight grades, and one teacher.
    Sam says, “I started school in 1939, with Miss Tussey (Yocum) as my first teacher. The furnace stood in one front corner and the piano in the other, with Miss Tussey’s desk in between. Like most homes in Birmingham at the time, the school had no plumbing. Boys carried water buckets to fill a crock that stood on a stand in the cloakroom. I remember that the boys would play hooky when Grier or the Kimberling family was butchering. We also were truants when Bill Kimberling made apple butter. The Kimberling home could be seen from the school, so we’d have to hide from the teacher.”
    The last teachers at the school were Miss Tussey until 1940 and Helen G. Young, who taught until the school closed in 1954.

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    Birmingham was incorporated as a borough on April 14, 1828. In 1833, a supplemental plat was made to which the village was to conform. The plat contained forty-three lots running parallel with the river, on streets named Furnace and Tyrone. The traverse streets were South (now Market) and Juniata. From this time until the advent of the Pennsylvania Railroad through Tyrone in 1850, the Borough enjoyed its greatest prosperity. (Click here to see a photo of the “Mickey gang” in the early 1900s.) Proprietors during that period were John Lyon, Peter Shoenberger, Anthony Short, John Foster, and David Stewart. The population then was about 400.
    As previously mentioned, there were a half dozen stores and several hotels. The streets were crowded by teams — Birmingham being the chief market for Bald Eagle Valley, Logan Valley, Clearfield Valley, and Sinking Valley. The staple articles of trade were iron, lumber, shingles, hoop-poles, hides, and whiskey. The cotton and woolen factory produced until 1838. Some of the produce brought in from Centre and Clearfield Counties by teams was shipped down the river on arks or flat-bottomed boats while the remainder was conveyed to the canal at Water Street and found its way to the eastern markets.
    Tradesmen included John M. Stonerod, who is credited with building many of the houses. Others consisted of cabinet makers, chair makers (David Cree), wagon makers, blacksmiths, gunsmiths, shoemakers, tinners, and tailors.
    Sara Jane (Trimble) Parks, a longtime Birmingham resident, says her granddad was a wagon master.
    Eight doctors are listed as serving the Borough over a period from about 1810 until Tyrone was developed in the early 1850s.

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    It was during Birmingham’s most prosperous years that the churches were organized. First were the Baptists in 1830, with a place of worship and a cemetery. After flourishing for a number of years, the church was taken down. About 1911, the contents of the graves were moved to the Presbyterian cemetery.
    The Methodists organized about 1830, with their church building constructed in 1835. A new church was built in 1874, which still stands.
    The Presbyterian Church was organized in 1835. The building was erected in 1836 and replaced with another in 1868. The second building (click here to see a photo of the interior) stood until it burned in 1952. In 1953, the present church was built and accommodates the only remaining congregation in Birmingham.
    The Birmingham United Brethren Church was organized March 13, 1870. A building was erected in 1871 with a seating capacity for 250 people. The church was located on the north side of Furnace St. halfway between Market and Juniata Streets. Members were active into the 1900s.
    Two lodges organized in Birmingham. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) organized and erected a hall in 1846 that stood until it was razed in 1994. The next year, Randy and Amy Case built a house on the site. (Amy is the current Borough Secretary, having replaced Mary Lou Keith, who had served in this position for forty-two years ( ! ) — retiring in 2004.)
    A division of the Sons of Temperance was organized in 1846, after which a hall was built in 1850. The group’s goal to build up a population abstaining from the consumption of alcohol was not met, however, and the organization was disbanded. The future well-being of the people was given over to the Christian church. The site of the bygone building is unknown.
    Along with the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Mountain Seminary came into its being, and at a later date, a limestone quarry. There also was the use of charcoal in the local iron industry. Plenty of labor was needed at the coal hearths and in the transporting of the product. These various industries and the seminary provided jobs.
    The Mountain Seminary was incorporated in 1851 — the buildings erected by a stock company burdened with debt and inefficient management. The property was sold in 1855 at a sheriff’s sale Prof. L.G. Grier in 1857. With the assistance of Miss N.J. Davis, a graduate of Mount Holyoke Seminary, along with a full corps of teachers in music and other branches, the seminary achieved a marked success.
    The seminary furnished living quarters for the women who worked there. Many who came here to work married local men and remained.

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    When Sam was a teenager, Birmingham’s inbound and outbound postal mail was dropped and picked up on the fly from passing trains. David M. Keith, a friend of Sam’s, was the carrier for the post office. “We’d run to the railroad,” Sam says, “to hang the outgoing mail and pick up the drop-off bag. Occasionally, the train would be coming around the bend as we were hanging up the mail bag. And there were times when the kicked-off bag would miss our chute.”
    Chester Woodring was the iceman. Chet delivered block ice from the Tyrone plant. Sam says, “As kids, we’d follow the truck on hot days and pick up chunks of ice.”
    The Waple Dairy and the Hagg Dairy, both of Tyrone, delivered bottles of milk door-to-door. “In order to get to the Wilson or El Patio theaters in Tyrone,” Sam says, “we’d help the driver deliver milk, and in return, the driver would give a bunch of kids sitting on milk cartons a ride to Tyrone on Saturday afternoons. Lou and Fred Sellers’ dad and Fred ‘Poke’ Root were drivers. After the movie, Uncle Al Nixon, who worked at the J.R. Wald defense plant, in Tyrone, would load his car with six or more kids and give us a ride home.”
    Birmingham had a Memorial Day parade every year that terminated at the cemeteries for a commemorative service. A drill team made up of girls from the Grier School marched in uniform along with girls on saddle horses led by riding instructor James La Rosa (who had been a member of the U.S. Cavalry when it was disbanded after World War II). Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Tyrone Gardner Guards participated regularly in the parade.
    Some pertinent notes from the Borough’s record book include:

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    From its incorporation in 1828 to the building of the Pennsylvania Railroad across the river in 1850, Birmingham Borough had the distinction of being the most important business point of any other village of the same size in the Juniata Valley. But after 1850, Birmingham began to decline.
    Sam says, “Our Borough remains unique today because growth is restricted due to the fact that the Borough is surrounded by state gameland and due to the competent guidance of the five-member Birmingham Borough Council, David L. Pryor, President.