From Handprints To Footprints
The Corry Building That Wouldn’t Stay Put. By Beverley Bittner. It was built by William Brightman in Wayne Township before the Civil War. Brightman’s father was a Methodist preacher and the 32 by 45 foot building was to be a Methodist church. It was located about one mile northwest of Corry beyond Macadam Hill at
Vene Potter’s Trip to Dixie. By Beverley Bttner. Vene Potter left Bloomfield Township with two horses, a dog, and a loaded wagon weighing 2,735 pounds. He was bound for a farm in Virginia and a new start in life. His letters home indicate the hardships of the journey and the indomitable pioneer spirit that makes
Spartansburg: An Historic Village. By Beverley Bittner, From Steppin’ Out, August 1971. About thirty miles west of Warren and ten miles south of Corry, in Crawford County, lies the historic village of Spartansburg. About 1837 Andrew Aiken and his brother Aron built a dam across the creek for power, then built a grist mill on
Corry’s First Mayor. By Beverley Bittner, From the autumn, 1979 issue of Reminiscence. Many men and women walked across the pages of our history in the early days, leaving footprints for historians to ponder over for all time. Familiar names include: Michael Hare, Call and Rihue. Nothing is known of Call and Rihue, while Hare
Union and the War of 1812. By Beverley Bittner, From Brown-Thompson Newspapers, January 1974. It was a time of western expansion. Many who settled in our area soon pushed further westward. By 1811, more than half of the original settlers had left the county, believing that all who did not leave must starve. While their
Union Township: How the Pioneers Lived. By Beverley Bittner, From the spring, 1978 issue of Reminisence. By the 1790s the great western migration that followed the Revolutionary War had begun in earnest. The Indians had been pacified. The deep forests, game, clear rushing streams and rivers and the opportunity to live free, away from the
Lowville. By Beverley Bittner, From the Erie Times-News, August 28, 1988. Lowville is a small settlement just north of Wattsburg at the intersection of Routes 8 and 89. “It used to be quite an active stagecoach stop,” a former resident said. ‘‘My mother told how they used to drive cattle up Route 8 – it
William Crawford. By Beverley Bittner. Michael Hare claimed to have witnessed the horrible death of famed frontier soldier Col. William Crawford. The colonel was a personal friend of George Washington. From Fort Pitt, he led many raids against hostile Indians. In 1782, the fifty-year-old colonel led a major expedition into Ohio to put down an
Michael Hare. By Beverley Bittner, From Steppin’ Out, 1973. The full title is “Olden Times, or a History of the Settlement of Union Township and Vicinity.” The writer is David Wilson. His parents, Hugh and Hannah Wilson, settled in the Union area in 1797. David’s book was published in 1881 by the Times Steam Printing
Waterford: No Castles or Brick Houses in 1795. By Beverley Bittner, From the autumn, 1980 issue of Reminiscence. By the mid-1700’s, the French had built several forts along Lake Erie. They did not seize the land from the Indians, but only traded there and by gifts and promises made friends of the Indians. The forts
From Beverley Bittner: Readers: From 1977 to 1979, I co-edited and wrote for the Reminiscence magazine, a popular 12-page publication of local history. I also wrote on history for Steppin’ Out magazine and newspapers. I found a box of clippings from these writings recently in an unused closet. What fun I had reading those old
