Allegheny River Headwaters Watershed Conservation Plan

Allegheny River Headwaters Conservation Plan
Chapter 5. Cultural Resources
The earliest settler in the Oswayo valley is believed to have been Jaundrie, a Frenchman who
established residence along Oswayo Creek near Shinglehouse in 1806. He built a log cabin covered in
hand-made, wooden shingles, for which the town was named. Lumbering was the early occupation among
settlers in Shinglehouse, mostly due to the vast amount of white pine forests in the area. Prior to 1830,
three saw mills were established. Lumber remained the major industry until mid-century, when
agricultural practices were engaged. The growth of the town was slow until the New York Pennsylvania
Railroad extended into town. This brought manufacturing into the valley, including the establishment of
the Palmer Window Glass Plant in the 1900s and Shinglehouse Bottle Plant in 1904.
Smethport, located at the confluence of Marvin and Potato Creek, was first surveyed by Dutch
surveyors in 1807. The vast resources of the timber, oil, and railroad industries throughout McKean
County increased monetary flow into Smethport, the governmental headquarters and financial center of
the county. In 1811, William A. Williams built one of the earliest homes in Smethport along what is now
East Main Street. The current structure replaced the original structure in 1828. Many of the early
structures within Smethport remain today as part of the Historic Smethport Mansion District.
A well-known resource, Hamlin Lake, was originally created in 1823 by John Applebee to power an
up and down saw. Once a mill pond, it stored logs waiting to be cut at the Gifford Sawmill. Currently, the
lake is the centerpiece of the recreational complex at Hamlin Lake Park.
The Underground Railroad—a series of routes and safe houses that helped escaped slaves in route to
freedom in Canada—was active throughout this portion of Pennsylvania. Many citizens harbored or
guided escaped slaves through the rugged terrain of north central Pennsylvania into New York. The
Medbury House, built in 1828 near McCoy’s corners in Smethport, was just one of many stations along
the Underground Railroad.
Attracted to the region for the vast forestlands, pioneer settlers first arrived in Bradford between
1823 and1827 to engage in lumbering and agriculture activities. John Melvin, who established here in
1826, and the Hart family in 1827, were among those early settlers. In 1837, Col. Levitt Little, an agent
for the U.S. Land Company, purchased 250,000 acres in and around Bradford, where he established a
residence in what was then called Littleton. Littleton remained a rural village, with the larger villages of
Tarport establishing to the north, and DeGolier to the south. In 1858, the name Littleton was changed to
Bradford. Growth within Bradford was slow until 1871, but the village developed rapidly after successful
oil drilling. Bradford was incorporated as a borough in 1873, and within three years, the once quiet forest
village was transformed into a bustling city full of people, houses, and oil wells.
Industrialization
The region’s early industries were typical of early settlements within vast wilderness. Scattered over
the landscape were several mills, tanneries, blacksmiths, cabinet makers, and wagon shops. Logging and
agriculture were the primary occupations of early settlers, and these were daunting jobs.
The Oswayo valley was fortunate to have one of the
best and most extensive stands of white pine in
Pennsylvania. The trees grew so close together that
underbrush was rarely seen. These massive trees grew
100–150 feet high, with the lowest branches
approximately 50 feet from the forest floor. The lumber
and logs were rafted down the Allegheny River to
Pittsburgh or banked and rolled into the water during
spring floods, then transported to the mills downstream.
Hamlin Lake Park in 2009
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