History of Southampton Township

Village of Chaneysville

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~~Southampton Twp.~~Bedford County~~Pennsylvania~~
The 21st century finds Chaneysville a sleeping little village full of history... It all began in the mid 1830's when Thomas Chaney Jr. built the first house in what was once known as Watertown. This house doubled as a tavern/hotel, it has seen many owners come and go. Unfortunately on a sub-zero night in January 2004, fire destroyed over half of this old hotel.

In those early days the flourishing village of took care of it's own with two stores,two grist mills, two blacksmiths, two wagon makers, a sawmill, a tannery, a shoemaker shop, a public hall,hotel it's very own post office (1855-1938), a few churches and a doctor's office. Most of these building are gone now. Even our store is closed and the mail comes from the post office in Clearville. Today you'll find three active churches and a volunteer fire company taking care of our 1010 households.

~~~~~~~~~TIMELINE OF CHANEYSVILLE~~~~~~~~~
* SOUTHAMPTON TWP.* BEDFORD CO.* PENNSYLVANIA *

1625-Thomas Powell's Expedition arrived from Jamestown, Virginia, where they saw the first Indians near the Warrior's Path

1728-The first 13 settlers moved into this area

1737-Joseph Powell built a Trading Post on Little Sweet Root, about the same time his cousin Robert Ray opened his Trading Post near Bedford

1737-Huff discovered Saltpetre Cave in Sweet Root Gap

1764-Mason and Dixon were commissioned to survey and mark the boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania

1758- Indians invaded Chaneysville

1758-Fort Bedford was constructed

1766-Village of Bedford was surveyed, Bedford was named for the Duke of Bedford, before that time it was known as Raystown, probably because of Robert Ray's Trading Post

1771-Bedford County was formed on March 9th of that year

1784-Two Methodist Preachers arrived in Beans Cove, Southampton Twp.

1787-Pennsylvania became the 2nd state, eventually it was divided into 67 counties

1799-Southampton Twp. was organized

1806-First log school was built

1830-Thomas Chaney Jr. built his house in Chaneysville, his family had moved here in 1786 from Washington Co. MD.

1840-Monroe Twp. seceded from Southampton Twp. and Providence Twp.

1840-William Perdew a Revolutionary War Veteran died

1862-Confederate cavalry scouts entered Black Valley from Flintstone, Md. and camped near Chaneysville

1869-New framed schools were built

1876-Mann Twp. was erected from Southampton Twp.

1879-Hewitt Covered Bridge was approved for use

1921-Forester W. Byers had the Martin Hill Fire Tower built

1930-Someone started a fire on Tussey Mt. that burned 1150 acres on May 4

1935-CCC camps were set up in Sweet Root and Blankley Parks

1949-P.T.A. was organized

1957-Sweet Root Park opened in July

1960-Chaneysville Volunteer Fire Company received their charter in January

1981-David Bradley wrote the novel "The Chaneysville Incident" a story of 13 runaway slaves who passed through Chaneysville

1986-Sponsored by the Chaneysville Seniors, Mabel Hoffman was crowned "Ms. Senior Pa." (honoring women 60 and over) in Nov. at Hershey, Pa.

1987-April 1st in Atlantic City, Mabel Hoffman won the title of "Ms. Senior America"

1989-"In late 1980s, a BLACK panther paid visits to Chaneysville Cove School grounds, witnessed by law enforcement, 6 teachers & 30 students, who have never forgotten those events." (quoted cryptomundo.com)

1998-Trica Miller complied a list of Veterans buried in Southampton Twp.

2000-Hewitt Covered Bridge restored

2001-Dec. 17th UPMC-Bedford Memorial Hospital donated $1000.00 to each of the 13 local fire companies including Chaneysville

2002-On March 16th the Martin Hill Fire Tower(built in 1921) was quietly removed. It is no longer the icon for Southampton Township that could be seen from miles around on a clear day.

2002-Chaneysville and Hewitt are included (with photos) in an article written about the Mason-Dixon Line by Anna & Lou Leopold for the June/August issue of the magazine "Westsylvania"

2004-Fire at the "hotel"

2007-Feb. 15th the Everett Area School Board voted to close Chaneysville-Cove Elementary School at the end of the school term

2007-March 14th Headlines from the Bedford Gazette read "Chaneysvlle parents file complaint; Group hires lawyer to review closing of elementary school"

2007-Friday, July 13 the Honorable Judge Howsare ruled the Everett school board's action was "an abuse of discretion" and Chaneysville-Cove Elementary will remain open

2007-The following week the school board put an automatic supersdeas on Judge Howsare's July 13th ruling, thus the school will be closed and the children will be bused over Tussey Mountain, unless...

2007- August 17th Save Small Schools won once again against the school board when the Honorable Judge Howsare ordered the automatic supersedeas would be lifted and Chaneysville-Cove Elementary would be opened August 29th

2007-August 29th the doors of Chaneysville-Cove Elementary opened as they had since 1954, the only difference is the bus routes

2008- March-DSL has finally arrived in Chaneysville

2010- Southampton Historical Society was formed... 1st project...restore Point Pleasant 2-room School.

2010- OCT. 24th- History Hike to Salt Peter Cave leaving Sweet Root Park at 1:00,
2-2 1/2 hr. hike then meal provided by Southampton Historical Society for a donation.

Hotel

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Before:

During the Fire:

The Day After:

Copied from "History of Bedford, Somerset, and Fulton Counties, Pa. 1884"

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Southampton, now part of Bedford county, was erected by order of the court of quarter sessions during the April term in 1799. Its boundaries were then described as follows: "Beginning at the province line near the house of Joshua Lewman, thence along the top of Evitt's mountain to the dividing ridge between the waters of Flintstone and the Cove creek about nine miles, thence along the top of the said ridge to Terrace mountain about two miles, thence along the top of said mountain to the dividing ridge between the waters of Town creek and Sideling hill creek and the waters of Juaniata about six miles, thence along the top of said ridge to the top of Town hill about ten miles, thence along the top of said hill to the province line about ten miles, thence by said line to place of beginning."

At that time Southampton included Mann and Monroe townships.

Early Chaneysville

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In this early photo of Chaneysville on the right you can pick out the Perdew house and the old mill. In the background is a covered bridge(326S). The building in the foreground that looks like a covered bridge was actually a wagon shed. Note the orchard on the hill.

This is a close-up of the beautiful Perdew house that once stood near where the DCNR building is today. Note the German Reformed Church on the hill in the background.

This photo was taken in the 60's.

FACTS OF SOUTHAMPTON TOWNSHIP

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According to our Southampton Twp. Newsletter...

*There are 25 townships in Bedford County. Southampton Township is the second largest in square miles, but the least populated with only about 12 people per square mile.

*Southampton Twp. is 80 square miles.

*One third of that land is State Forest and State Game Land.

*There is 39 miles of township roads.

*The 2000 Census show 1010 people living in Southampton Twp.

*There are 435 registered voters in Southampton Twp.

*Pennsylvania stands for Penns Woods(because of William Penn) and sylvan, meaning "a forested region".

The Log of Thomas Powell

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As copied from "The Kernel of Greatness"...The first white men on record to set foot in what is now Bedford County, Pennsylvania, were those of the Thomas Powell expedition in 1625. Thomas Powell was the brother of John Powell, who as captain of the "Seafoam" came into the James River (VA.) country in 1620.

Thomas fitted out an expedition to explore the western part of Virginia. His report was made to the ancestor of Martin L. Cresap, as follows: "I have the pleasure of reporting to your Highness, that after going many days, a little northwest through the wilderness we came to a high plateau of land, which abounds in all kinds of game. We camped and killed and ate our fill: when rested, we continued about the same direction, when we came upon water that drained north-ward; we followed it, and it got bigger, when to our great chagrin we heard thunder noise. We were then close to a great mountain when all of a sudden it disappeared and from all of its noise I think it fell through the earth. I know not what to name it unless "Lost Water." as it can never get on top of ye earth. (This could be "Lost River," West Vir.) We then went towards the setting sun for two days when we came to other waters going towards the North Star. We continued along its bank till it got larger. We found it not so good traveling, and crossed to the other side. In doing these things we lost one of our men, George South, which I much regret. We got him and of course buried him in his clothes near a big pine tree, that we marked. We came on down this water two days travel when we came to a large water. By making log rafts all got over safe, then we rested and fished two days. We took our course towards the North Star one day's journey and came to (1) another water as though it came from the North Star; we followed it three days travel; we came to where three waters came together, one was near the star. (2) This water had a sweetish taste; was full of the most beautiful speckled fish we have ever seen. There were lots of Indians here; they showed us all the friendship they could; we continued up this till we came to (3) high ground; we went beyond that, where the water runs towards the North Star; then we turned." Powell ended, "I assign myself your humble servant": Captain Thomas Powell, October 25th day 1625.

Indians around Jamestown had told the white men that there was silver and lead to the north, but that north of the great waters, where other waters ran toward the North Star, the natives were not friendly. Having no previous knowledge of this county, when this expedition crossed the Potomac River, they believed it to be the Indians' "Great Waters," so that when they found the stream running north (in what is believed to be Friend's Cove), they went only a short distance, then turned back toward Jamestown.
It is believed by several exploring groups that followed Powell's directions (1) that the stream with three forks is Town Creek, (2) the stream with sweet-tasting water is Little Sweet Root Creek, (3) the high ground is Martin Hill: and the place where Powell turned around is near Ashcom of today. None of Powell's group ever settled in Pennsylvania, but Joseph, a grand-son of Powell, led a group to this section over one hundred years later. They settled in the area south of Chaneysville.

The Powell's

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As you enter Sweet Root Park you will be amazed at the history that is surrounding you. The first explorers led by Thomas Powell made the dangerous 300 mile expedition from Jamestown, Virginia into this area as early as 1625. This was 50 years before William Penn received the charter for his colony.

Another Powell, Joseph led the first thirteen settlers into this area before he went back to Virginia. In 1737, he returned to the Sweet Root area with his brother George. Joseph, built a trading post situated near the Old Iroquois Indian Trail, on Little Sweet Root Creek at the foot of Tussey mountain.

On the path that leads to the broken down bridge is the "rabbit rock" which got it's name because of the giant rabbit track imprinted in the flat rock.

In the early 1900's this sawmill owned by the Greguss Kormierkowski family was located further upstream from the trading post.

Joseph Powell's 1st cousin was Robert Ray, who had a trading post near what is now Bedford. In Sept. 1756, Robert Ray got sick at his post and four men, Joseph Powell, John Perrin, Michael Huff, and a Mr. Vogan carried him to the Sweet Root area to the "Powell Trading Post". Ray stayed there until he felt better, he then walked 6 miles south of the post to his sister's home, Mrs. John Perrin. A few days later he died and was buried on the Perrin farm.

According to Mrs. Henry Nicum...

***Capt. John Powell came to Jamestown in command of a frigate, he brought with him, the first slave into the colony. (VA. history gives her name as Brass). John was Burgess in 1657-58 and in 1666 he was an Assemblyman of Elizabeth City,
***Capt. John Powell married a sister of Governor Argel, they had a son George in 1660.
***George Powell had two sons who settled in Southampton Twp., Joseph (who had the trading post) and George (who found the salt petre cave).
***Nathaniel Powell was governor and member of the Virginia Council in 1619 of Jamestown.
***Nathaniel had a son Thomas who arrived in Jamestown in the fall of 1620 commanding the "Seafoam", Five years later, Thomas led the expedition here.
***Joseph Powell was the son of George, grandson of John and a grand-nephew of Thomas Powell who led the expedition here in 1625.

The First Thirteen Settlers

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The year was 1728 when Thomas Powell's grandson, Joseph Powell led a group of thirteen settlers into the valley surrounding Town Creek, south of Chaneysville. They included John Spergen, Thomas Prather, Richard Iames, Robert Fleehart, George Painter, Heredius Blue. Philip Broadwater, Ignatius Rock, John Still, Archer Worley, Michael Huff, Joseph Johnson, George Tunis. Only Joseph Powell went back to Virginia before returning here in 1737.
John Spergen, built the first mill on Town Creek abt. 1730. In 1889 it was destroyed during the Johnstown Flood. The old mill dam was then washed out in the St. Patrick's Day flood of 1936.

Richard Iames, was the ancestor of the Iames familes from this area, he died Jan. 26, 1758 and was buried on his property. His gravestone is the second oldest in Bedford County with a date.

Joseph Johnson, was the first settler to die, he was buried in the Shawnee Graveyard in 1731.

Thomas Prather, Robert Fleethart, Philip Broadwater and George Painter all drowned while trapping.

Heredius Blue and Ignatius Rock also met their maker by drowning in Town Creek and have a "deep hole" named after them. Records show that Rock was drawn onto thin ice by a beaver and was drowned in the icy water.

John Still, married an Indian maiden and fathered three children. He built a mill on Big Sweet Root Creek and operated it until his death in 1770.

Archer Worley, built the first saw mill on Big Sweet Root Creek, he also bought "Indian Orchard" from the Indians. He went back to Virginia and returned with his wife and died here in 1775.

Michael Huff, was a trapper and hunter who also returned to Virginia to get his wife and daughter and two sons.

George Tunis was an unmarried Indian Trader. That is all that is known about him.

note: by 1758, most of these family men had at least one child.

Warrior's Path

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One of the important Indian trails in central Pennsylvania went through Southampton Twp. This war path of the "5 Nations" ran from central N.Y. to the Carolina mountains, it was one of the longest Indian Trails in America.

The "Warriors Path" crossed the Juniata River at Bloody Run (Everett) then ran between Warrior Ridge and Tussey Mountain southwest through the Black Valley (named that because of the dense forest). About six miles into the valley the Indians picked up Clear Creek and followed it to it's source. Three miles later it came to Sweet Root Creek that flowed southward, they followed it for four and a half miles, hugging Warrior Ridge's steep slopes for the next five miles. Just before it reached the mouth of the Black Valley Gap it turned and for the next five miles the Indians kept close to Iron Ore Ridge going into Maryland. Then at the Flintstone Gap it turned east into Murley's Gap and the path ascended to the top of Warrior Mountain and for the next ten miles the path ran along the summit, before it descended toward the Potomac River at Opessah's Town (Old Town, Md). Members of the Iroquios war parties liked to visit Colonel Thomas Cresap at his trading post, so there were always a lot of Indians near Opessah's Town.

Since this path ran through the Sweet Root area, that might explain why the first expedition led by Thomas Powell encountered Indians near Chaneysville. Today, as you travel along the lower Black Valley road you can still see traces of the "Warriors Path".

Saltpetre Cave

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Saltpetre Cave is located in the Sweet Root Gap.

A saltpetre cave was discovered near the top of Tussey Mountain. Michael Huff mined the saltpetre for Jacob Rowland who made gun powder for the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.
Black powder consists of potassium nitrate (saltpetre), sulfur and charcoal.

Entrance to the cave

Looking into the cave

According to Joseph Leconte (1832-1901):

"The general conditions necessary to the formation of saltpetre are: 1st, the presence of decaying organic matter, animal or vegetable, especially the former; 2nd, an alkaline or earthy base, as potash or lime; 3rd, sufficient moisture; 4th, free exposure to the oxygen of the air; and 5th, shelter from sun and rain."

Billy Knee sitting on a ledge deep into Sweet Root Gap, near the saltpetre cave.

The same area at least 60 years later.

Indian Will

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Robert Ray's sister, who lived south of Chaneysville was married to John Perrin. She was captured along with Mrs. Clark, Mrs. Vogan, Mrs. Davis, and Mrs. Thimbleson by a large band of Indians led by Chief Wills. Unfortunately, with a small child in her arms Mrs. Perrin couldn't keep up the pace as they started to ascend Tussey Mountain. So near two white rocks (Perrin's Rock) the Indians killed and scalped Mrs. Perrin and her child.
When the alarm was sounded Mr. Perrin, Mr. Davis, Mr. Vogan, Mr. Clark, Michael Huff and George and Joseph Powell went in hot pursuit after the murderers. When they caught up to the savages, the Indians had been joined by one hundred more warriors near the top of Will's Mountain. The next morning the Indians split into two groups, the large band of Indians headed west with the women, the others with the exception of Chief Wills went north.

History tells us that George Powell snuck up behind the resting chief and at the distance of seventy steps he fired his flintlock and killed him. He then scalped and buried the chief on top of Wills Mountain less than 2 miles west of Bedford, a short distance from the Old Forks Inn (Jean Bonnet). Miraculously the women were returned from Montreal, Canada after living six years in captivity.

note:In 1825 somebody removed his body from his burial place.

The C.C.C. Camps

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note: This is a typical C.C.C.Camp photo, so far I haven't found any photos of either the Sweet Root or Blankley Park Camps.

The (CCC) Civilian Corservation Corps was created in 1933 by the Emergency Conservation Act. Under President Roosevelt's "New Deal Program", single men between 18 and 25 would be housed, fed, paid, and would receive medical care from six months to two years. In return they would do road construction, flood control, reforestation and landscaping to help with soil erosion or work on park projects. Even though enrollees were paid $30.00 a month, $25.00 was sent directly home to their families at home, who were on relief. A typical camp could house 200 men, with 24 building including a kitchen, mess hall,barracks for the men and officer quarters.

The men who were selected, spent about two weeks at an Army base going through an orientation program to prepare them for camp life. From there they were sent directly to a camp. We had two such camps near Chaneysville, one at Sweet Root the other one at Blankley on top of Tussey Mountain.

Life in the camp began at 6:30 with reveille, then exercise before breakfast. After roll-call, the men went out on work detail, some planted pine trees on top of "Worley", known as Pine Ridge, others layed up stone culverts along our roads. One of the most important projects was to cut out fire trails all over our forests that could also be used as fire breaks. Blankley and Sweet Root Parks were also constructed by these hard workers. At the end of the day, there were plenty of activites for the men to get involved in like: football, basketball, baseball, track, even boxing. They participated in intramural competition. For the less athletic men, there was even a camp newsletter to be published.

The camp at Sweet Root (S-142) was originally erected to provide housing and work detail for WWI Veterans and itinerants, it was established July 10, 1933 and closed Oct. 31, 1935. Another camp in the Buchanan State Forest was on Martin Hill, this housed all the black enrollees near Blankley Park (S-154). Today if you take a walk into Sweet Root Gap, you'll see stone foundations of the CCC garage. Going further into the gap you can make out where some of the barracks and the mess hall stood.

The following is copied from the Everett newspaper...
Chaneysville C.C.C. Camp Holds Halloween Party

Over five hundred people attended the Halloween Party at the Chaneysville Camp of the Civilian Conservation Corps on Friday night. The personnel of the camp acted as hosts for the evening and provided several hours of pleasant entertainment for their guests.

Trucks of the camp were dispatched to nearby towns during the early part of the evening to transport to the party, and return transportation was also provided for these guests. Many folks traveled to the camp in their own automobiles.

The activities of the evening were held in the camp mess hall. The room was attractively decorated with autumn leaves, evergreens and Halloween novelties.

The entire evening was one of gayety and fun. A lively and entertaining program was presented and plenty of music was furnished for dancing. Appetizing refreshments were distributed in generous quantities to the hundreds of guests.

FACTS
***All CCC Camps were officially closed on July 2, 1942.
***By 1940, more than 160,000 young men of Pa. had once belonged to a camp.
***These men planted 50,000,000 trees and built over 6,300 miles of trails and roads, also 98 dams, 86 lookout towers and many more improvements to our parks and forests.

Sweet Root Park

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It was said that Sweet Root Creek at one time was so full of fish that you could catch enough in two hours to feed your family for a week. After the drought of 1911-1913, everything changed, today in some of the deepest holes (if you're lucky) you may find a few native brown trout. There is 69 acres of virgin Hemlock still standing at the foot of Tussey Mountain, because it is deep inside the Sweet Root Gap it is impossible to harvest.
In the 1940's there was a plan to build a 35-40 acre artificial lake in this area. Instead, in July 1957 the Sweet Root Park was officially opened. The park covers about two acres of the 256 acre track that Albert Adams sold to the state in the mid-thirties. At the cost of approximately $1000.00 the park was equipped with 16 picnic tables, cement and metal fireplaces, a hand pump and rest room facilities. Some of this work had been started by the C.C.C. enrollees who lived in the park in the mid 30's.

Since then, the State Forest Commission designated 1400 acres of the "Sweet Root Natural Area" in 1970 to be "preserved for scientific, scenic, and educational values" (no motorized activities are allowed). Then in 1979, the natural area was also designated for amphibian and reptile protection (no killing or taking of).

Covered Bridges

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The Hewitt Bridge is the only covered bridge remaining in Southampton Township. It spans Town Creek at a length of 88 ft. and it is 13 ft. 10 in. wide. This county-owned bridge has a medium-gable-roof high vertical-plank sidewalls, it's abutment is made of cut stone. This "Burr Truss" bridge was inspected on December 1, 1879 and approved for use on Dec. 5, 1879. Just to the west of it is the ruins of a gristmill that belonged to the McElfish family.

There was also a 60 ft. covered bridge that crossed Town Creek near Chaneysville (Rt326) which was still standing in the late 50's, it had been built in 1892. Because of the weight of a school bus, the children had to get off the bus and walk across the bridge on foot, then reload to continue on their way to school. Replaced earlier was a short 34 ft. bridge (no photo) that spanned Sweet Root Creek near Point Pleasant and the Adams Mill that was built in 1878.

The fourteen covered-bridges remaining in Bedford County are: Hewitt, Colvin, Herline, Turner, Cuppett, Snook, Hall's Mill, Fitchner, Jackson's Mill, Ryot, Dr. Knisely, Felton's Mill, Bowser, and Claycomb.
"Burr Truss" was a patented wooden-span trussing system designed in 1804 by Theodore Burr, from Torringford, Connecticut. The Burr arch truss, combined great reinforced arches with multiple kingpost trusses. The arches tie directly into the bridge's abutments, permitting wider streams to be spanned. Of the remaining covered bridges, twelve are burr trusses. The shortest Burr-arch bridge remaining in Pa. is the Cupperts Bridge here in Bedford County, measuring in at 60 feet. The longest in our county is the Herline Covered Bridge.

Hewitt Covered Bridge

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Work began in Dec. 1999 on the Hewitt Covered Bridge. It was completely removed by P. Joseph Lehman, Inc. of Hollidaysburg who was hired by the county to restore it at the cost of $617,000. The engineers were able to retain 40 percent of the original bridge. As of Oct. 2000, it was once again opened to traffic.

Area Churches

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METHODIST
As early as 1784, two Methodist preachers arrived in Beans Cove, they were Rev. Thomas Leakins and Rev. John Leasure. Their small congregation gathered in a log church at the foot of the mountain. In 1816 another Methodist church was built on that site.

Then in 1838 Rev. Thomas Leakins traveled over the mountain to Chaneysville to preach at the home of Joseph Powell. As the congregation grew it began to gather in the Adams schoolhouse until 1860 when the Methodist Church on the hill overlooking Chaneysville was built.

East View Cemetery
The building committee of the Methodist Church were: Barnard O'Neal, Jared Hanks, and Jason Hanks. This new church was organized with nine members, and it belonged to the Cumberland MD. circuit. Jason Hanks, Nathan Evans and Owen Ash were the first trustees. This church is no longer in the Methodist Conference, today it is the Chaneysville Community Church.

MOUNT ZION CHRISTIAN

Church was first held in the Buxton Meeting House, then in 1824 Elder Lewis Comer organized the Christian Church, where the Rev. B.A. Cooper preached.

BUXTON MEETING HOUSE/School.

PROSPERITY CHRISTIAN

The original church, organized by Elder John Ramsey in 1843 stands about 1 mile south of the Prosperity Church that is being used today. This newer church which stands at the foot of the Warrior Path on Route 326 was built in 1940.

MOUNT HOPE CHRISTIAN

This church was built in 1845, you can look in the windows and see how the church was divided in half, the women and men used separate doors and the center pew is divided in half with a wooden railing to them separated, there is also a potbelly stove in the center of the room.

ASSEMBLY OF GOD

When Rev. Walter Long brought his traveling revival to town, he stirred up the people so much that within that year of 1921 a church was built. Some people in Chaneysville didn't like this new religion, and although arson was never proven the church burned down. Another church was built on land donated by Hezekiah Walters, where it remains today.

GERMAN REFORMED CHURCH

In 1948 this once beautiful stone church was slated to be torn down and the stones sold because of the excessive repairs necessary to restore it.

OUR LADY OF THE SEVEN DOLORS IN BEANS COVE
This Catholic Church under the Capuchin order was built on land donated by the Donahoe family in 1878. Before that, because of the many Catholics in the area the Donahoe family set aside a large room in their house for church purposes whenever Father Heyden visited in the early 1800's.

OAK DALE ON FLINTSTONE CREEK
This church just celebrated its 100th birthday. On Jan. 18, 1900 the membership met at Simon Oster's and decided to accept a piece of ground owned by Moses Wigfield to build a church. John B. Wigfield was elected treasurer, and Howard Hendrickson was the secretary. "A resolution was adopted that the building be held in trust by duly appointed trustees for the use and membership of the M.E. Church South, with a provision in the deed that the said building shall not be sold in the event of its failure to be used by membership and ministry of said denomination. Further, in case of its failure to be used, it shall be held as a place of Divine Worship for any Bible Based denomination that shall be acceptable to the community."

BLACK VALLEY VICTORY BAPTIST

This church is the newest one built, but it is no longer in use at this time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Although the German Reformed Church has been torn down, the others are still standing. With the exception of Mount Hope and Mount Zion, the others are still in use every Sunday.

Schools of Southampton Twp.

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According to the writings of John H.P. Adams, dated 29 March 1907, a small log school stood about 1 mile west of Chaneysville on a stream of water known as Grubers Creek. The first school teacher was Mr. Ritchy. He also wrote that the next school was built near Shawnee Gap in 1806, on land that belonged to his grandfather, Jacob Adams. Mr. Richard Mood taught there, he married Jacob's daughter Nancy, and was a pioneer in fruit raising here in Bedford County. History tells us of two other log schools in our township; school was held in the Buxton Meeting House which stands beside of Mt. Zion Church. Meanwhile in Beans Cove, school was held in a log church at the foot of Martin Hill.
These first schools were made of chunked logs, with only one door and two windows. A desk was just a slab of wood attached to the wall and pupils ranging from ages 6-30 sat on backless benches. Teachers were hired for one year at a time, they usually "boarded out" among different homes in the area. Besides teaching they had to keep the fire burning and "fetch" water from the nearby spring. Even as late as 1856, "privies" were rarely found near the school house.

Schools were conducted on the tuition plan until 1834, then by state law, free schools were established with a "Common School Fund" of $200,000. Each district had to vote to receive its share in proportion to the number of its taxables, in turn the township had to raise taxes for school purposes. Southampton accepted the plan in 1838.

The school directors of this township in 1846 were...Truman Tewell, William Lashley, Abel Johnson, Asberry Perdew, Isacc Willson and Denton Stevens. When taxpayers in 1858 objected to the states "unreasonable demands" on taxation, teachers' salaries and the conditions of the school buildings the whole board of directors resigned and nobody could be found to replace them. For nine years all the schools in Southampton Twp. were closed. Then in compliance to a court order in 1867 the school doors were reopened. Appropriations retroactive to 1860 supplied the money needed to replace log schools with new frame buildings. With the resumption of school taxes, the children of Southampton were back in school again.

According to "The School Register", a small monthly journal published in Everett, Pa. stated with the school term ending June 5, 1882 there were eight male and three females teachers teaching in Southampton Twp. There was a total of 270 pupils attending school for four months. The cost of running all eleven schools that year was $1309.15.

Keep in mind that Southampton is divided into four imaginary sections, Chaneysville and Hewitt on one side of Tussey Mountain and Beans Cove and Flintstone Creek on the other side.
The schools on the Beans Cove side were:

District #1~~~Flintstone Creek~~~1871-1945

District #2~~~Walnut Grove~~~1872-1954

District #15~~~Pleasant Valley~~~?-1945

When Flintstone Creek and Pleasant Valley were closed the students were transferred to Walnut Grove until 1954.

The schools on the Chaneysville side of Tussey Mountain were:

District #3~~~Point Pleasant~~~1873-1955

District #4~~~Browning School~~~1870-1946

District #5~~~Stony Lick~~~1846-1941

District #6~~~Mt. Zion~~~?-1943

District #7~~~Collin~~~1874-1941

District #12~~~Prosperity~~~1869-1934

District #13~~~Blues Gap~~~?-?

District #14~~~Gordon School~~~1871-1934

When these schools were closed the students were bused to the two-room Point Pleasant School.

At a school board meeting held in the old Election House on May 18, 1934, the President and Secretary of the Tax League of Southampton demanded to the board "close the small schools and lower school taxes, REGARDLESS of the law"! A motion was made in 1938 to consolidate the schools and build a 7 room building, not over $40,000.00. At that meeting several citizens from Beans Cove objected to consolidating and bringing their children across Tussey Mountain, they proposed building a two-room school in Beans Cove and only a six-room school near Chaneysville. They took their plea to Harrisburg where they were told, they would have to send their children to the Chaneysville side.

After a few sites were examined, a piece of land across from the Point Pleasant School was selected for the new home of the Chaneysville Elementary School. It's doors opened on Aug. 30, 1954 with 64 students and three teachers. (Cove was added to the name on May 11, 1973). This school stands on 12.08 acres of land owned by Albert Adams, it faces Route 326 and is surrounded on the north, south, and west sides by U.S. govt. land, leased to Dept. of Forest & Waters now (D.E.R.) That first year the 7th and 8th graders and their teacher Rhoda H. Clingerman remained at Point Pleasant. They crossed the road each day to eat lunch in the new school. Point Pleasant was closed in 1955 when the older pupils were bused to Everett Area High School.

Chaneysville-Cove Elementary has three classrooms with two grades each for K thru 5th graders. A separate pre-fab library was added in the 80"s. Then in 1997, volunteers built another classroom freeing up space for a computer room. In the early 70's our district paid tuition to Allegany Co. Md. for the Beans Cove-Flintstone Creek 7-12th graders to attend school in Flintstone, Md. This was partly due to the time spent riding a school bus and because a school bus is not allowed to travel over the mountain loaded. Students in grades 7-12th on the Chaneysville-Hewitt side (along with a few students from the other side) of Tussey Mountain went to Everett Area High School.

Beginning with the school term of 2000-01, the students who live in Beans Cove now come over the mountain in vans to Chaneysville-Cove Elem. to catch the bus so they may attend Everett Area High School. Six graders are also bused to Everett Elementary.

Save Small Schools

2009-10-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

It's been said that there is strength in numbers. For the families of children in the Chaneysville-Cove Elementary School in the tiny rural community of Chaneysville, Pennsylvania, the term "strength in numbers" has taken on a brand new meaning.

On February 15, 2007, the Board of Directors of the Everett Area School District voted to close the small, yet well-respected Chaneysville-Cove school leaving the children in our rural farming community without a school and facing a very long and often dangerous bus ride to the Everett Elementary School, nearly 30 miles away.

But instead of giving in, the community banded together to form a group to fight the closing of the much-loved heart of the Chaneysville and Beans Cove areas. Our group members and supporters come from all areas of Bedford County with many families having roots dating back 300 years.

The group, Save Small Schools, a 501(c)4 organization, hired a Pittsburgh, PA-based attorney and took action. A lawsuit was filed in March of 2007 against the Everett Area School District and it's Board of Directors.

What happened next would make history for not only the close-knit rural community but for the state of Pennsylvania!

We Won!!! The Bedford County Trial Court ruled in favor of Save Small Schools!!! Our victory made Pennsylvania legal history as the first group to challenge a school board on a safety issue...and WIN!

UPDATE: The district took SSS to Harrisburg and two weeks before school was to open the ruling was overturned. Now our children are bused to Everett NOT OVER the mountain... but around it.

Chaneysville-Cove Elementary School

2009-10-15T20:17:00.000-07:00

In the early 1950’s the Everett Area School District had three elementary schools built; they had basically the same floor plan and they all opened their doors on Aug. 30, 1954. Breezewood and Mann-Monroe were both built with six classrooms, while Chaneysville only had three. The Chaneysville-Cove Elementary was built on 12.08 acres in Southampton Twp. on land once owned by Albert Adams, descendant of early settler, John Adams. Today it is surrounded on three sides by land leased to D.C.N.R. and it faces Route 326 and the old two room Point Pleasant School built in 1873. Point Pleasant School remained open that first school term, with 7th and 8th graders and their teacher Rhoda H. Clingerman, crossing the road each day to eat lunch in the new school. It was closed in 1955 when all the older pupils were bused to Everett Area High School.

In the 80’s a separate prefabricated library was added to all three schools. Then in 1997, the citizens of Southampton Township pulled together and built a 30 x 40 foot brick building addition on the one end of Chaneysville-Cove Elementary School. This addition was built completely by volunteers and the school district only had to pay $300.00 for the permit fees. In June of 1997 Harry Smith from CBS aired a report showing the extraordinary efforts of the parents, which prompted a technological improvement grant from R.K. Mellon Family Foundation. Fifteen computers were purchased with this grant.

Transportation has always been a BIG issue for the Beans Cove/Flintstone Creek students. Since a school bus wasn’t allowed to travel over the steep and windy Tussey Mountain loaded, some students from Beans Cove/Flintstone Creek were on the bus over 3 hours a day. In the early 1970’s those parents got the school district to pay tuition to Allegany Co. Md. for their 7-12th graders to attend school in Flintstone, Md. A couple students from Beans Cove, who wanted to remain in Everett to graduate provided their own transportation over the mountain to Chaneysville to catch the bus for Everett Area High School along with the rest of the students in grades 7th –12th on the Chaneysville/Hewitt side.

Twenty years later the district started to provide van (suburban) transportation for high school students from Beans Cove to cross Tussey Mountain in order to catch the bus to Everett. Then in 2000 Flintstone School no longer housed 7th-12th students, so all those living in Beans Cove/Flintstone Creek had to come over the mountain in 6 vans to Chaneysville-Cove Elem. to catch the bus for the high school. A few students wishing to graduate from Md. were bused (in vans) to Fort Hill School. Which was another deal the parents and students made with the district. Today, all of our students in Southampton Twp. attend school in Pa. In the fall of 2004, the school board removed the six graders from Chaneysville-Cove and bused them to Everett Elementary, thus the low enrollment of 47 students in 2006-07.

Although Chaneysville-Cove still has two grades per classroom, K-1st, 2nd-3rd, and 4th-5th, their test scores are the highest in the district and most are the highest in the state! Chaneysville-Cove the smallest school in the district scored a 90.3% Proficient Level on the Math PSSA and a 71% Proficient Level in Reading PSSA, while the largest school, Everett Elem. only scored a 70.3% in Math and a 63.2% in Reading. Proving the fact of smaller classroom size equals more individualized attention and a closer connection with students.

At a meeting on Feb. 15, 2007 the school board voted to close Chaneysville-Cove Elementary at the close of this school year. The citizens pleaded to hold off voting until after the upcoming testing, because their households are upset about the recent events, but the board wouldn’t hear of it. The reasons that were given for closing the school were the enrollment and the condition of the building. The district had already removed the 6th graders, which decreased our enrollment. The citizens project kindergarten registration as going up; while the board is saying it is decreasing. A lot of the numbers are coming from the census that don’t show the number of babies born in Allegheny County, Md. where most of Southampton doctor. Also if all three schools were built the same year and if all three were maintained equally how could the condition of Chaneysville-Cove Elementary be that much worse?

There is nowhere else in the district where students in a township are divided by such a steep mountain (it’s the 2nd highest in Pa. with an elevation of 2700 ft. above sea level). Now the district wants to run mini-school buses full of students over this mountain to cut down on time, because of the distant from the Maryland line to Everett Elementary. This act has been forbidden since the opening of Chaneysville-Cove Elementary in 1954.

The citizens of Southampton Twp. have always dug in their heels when it came to helping out the students. In the ‘80’s when the school board said they would no longer pay for field trips or even the gym class skating party, the P.T.O. held fundraisers to come up with the monies so our children wouldn’t loose out. When the teachers wanted a satellite dish and TV to watch the launch of the space shuttle or other historical events and wall mounted fans for their classroom…we paid for them. We also bought books for the library and large bulletin boards for outside of each classroom and the cafeteria to display the children’s artwork on. We beautified the outside of our school by buying and planting shrubs, flowers (the mulch was donated). We paid to air-condition the whole school. Our most recent and costly project was when we replaced the playground equipment, (the other schools also each paid to replaced their playgrounds). Our school has saved the school district A LOT of MONEY over the years. If the teachers suggested it for our children the community came together and did it! ANYTHING FOR OUR CHILDREN!

On March 14, 2007, the Bedford Gazette reported a parent group had contacted a lawyer to review the closing of Chaneysville-Cove Elementary School and Steven Petrikis, Esq. of Pittsburgh, Pa, had filed papers against the Everett Area School District and the Board of Directors.

Stony Lick School Souvenir

2009-10-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

Amanda Walters was my grandmother

Gordon School Souvenir from 1923

2009-10-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

Helen Knoll (Hammond) was my grandmother

1931 Bedford Newspaper on Southampton Schools

2009-10-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

The following was taken from the Bedford newspaper in June 19,1931:

BROWNING RURAL SCHOOL HAD 100% ATTENDANCE

On May 28th the Browning School of Southampton Township, Bedford County completed their school term for 1930-31, making 100% in attendance therefore having a perfect record. Pupils of the school were: Hilda McElfish, Dorothey McElfish, Elsie Ault, Evelyn Ault, Ruth Morral, Darwood Roland, Roy Morral, William Ault, Earnest Ault, Maxine Imes, Thelma Morral and Wade Morral. Miss I. Grace Bennett was the teacher.

Then on Dec. 4, 1931 the following appeared...

SOUTHAMPTON TOWNSHIP SCHOOL SETS RECORD
Harrisburg, December 1

The interest in perfect attendance in the public schools throughout the state is increasing, according to a statement today by Dr. James N. Rule, superintendent of public instruction. A number of schools are trying to establish perfect records.

During the past school year the twelve pupils enrolled in the Browning School, Southampton township, Bedford county, were neither absent nor tardy. This school is located in a sparcely settled community. Two children were required to walk one mile each way each day to attend school. All the others were required to walk one and seven eights miles or more each way each day. Six of them were required to travel two miles or more. The teacher of this school was Miss I. Grace Bennett.

Early Schools of Southampton

2009-10-14T17:22:00.000-07:00

Point Pleasant

The ground where the Point Pleasant School was built once belonged to Jacob Adams. He had willed it to his son William and wife Nancy (daughter of Joseph Powell). In 1873, the Adams' sold a piece of this land, consisting of 80 perches and fronting the public road to the Southampton School District for $1.00. The only two-room school in our township was built on this site. 1st-4th grades were taught in one room while 5th-8th were in the other. Point Pleasant was closed at the end of the 1954-1955 school term when the new Chaneysville Elementary School opened.

Walnut Grove

Francis Donahoe once owned the land where the Walnut Grove School stood until Dec. 2000 when it fell in during a windstorm. This land had been willed to Riley and Benton Bridges who sold 96 perches to the district for $10.00. When this school was erected in 1872 the students who previously went to the old log church/school at the foot of Tussey Mt. were transferred to Walnut Grove.

Gordon

The Gordon School once stood between two fields on the lower Black Valley Road. In 1871, John and Rebecca Gordon sold 80 perches of their land for $6.00. When it was closed in 1934 the children were bused to Point Pleasant by Herman Northcraft and Chris Brockey Sr.

Stony Lick

In 1846, Mr. James Walters leased the district a piece of ground for 99 years for the yearly rent of one half dime. The district was to build a public school, with the privilege of moving it at any time. But they never got the chance, somebody set it on fire. On the same triangular piece of ground another Stony Lick School was erected. It too was bordered on two sides by water and a slight knoll on the other, so it wasn't much a surprise for this school to be flooded from time to time. Even though Teacher Jessa Leasure and her 17 students had to be carried away to safety when the angry waters of the 1936 St. Patrick's Day Flood hit the school, it was arson again that destroyed it forever. According to school board minutes of May 16, 1941 a motion was made to use the Election house as a school for the remaining 14 days in that school term and to pay teacher Stella Bennett $1.80 per day to transport children there. The next two years the students were bused to the Mt. Zion School.

Prosperity

On Rt. 326 S. beside of the original Prosperity Church on 80 perches of ground that in 1869 belonged to Joseph and Margaret Bennett stands the Prosperity School. When it was closed in 1934, the children who once walked there were transported to the Browning School, near Hewitt, by Roy Wigfield and Ralph Fetters. Today, both the church and school are used as storage.

Browning

On Jan 1, 1870, Basil Browning agreed to lease 1/4 acre "for the establishment and support of Common schools for the consideration of fencing in the lot with post and rail fences". This school, which the district built, was known as the Browning School. In 1946 when the school was closed the district removed the building at their expense and the ground went back to the farm.

Blues Gap

Today this school is a hunting lodge.
Piney Lick
This school once stood on the land near the Chaneysville Fire Hall.
Flintstone Creek
In Nov. 1871, Henry and Nancy Ash leased 130 perches for $1.00 toward the Flintstone Creek School, located near the Mason-Dixon line, it was closed in 1945.

Collins

Amos and Nancy Collins sold 26 perches for $10.00 in 1874 so the district could build the Collin School. It was closed in 1942 and the children were bused to the Blues Gap School. Today this school has been converted into a house.

Please let me know if you have a photo of any of these old schools you'd like to share with the world. southamptonhistory@embarqmail.com

2009-10-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

Election Houses
When the Stony Lick School burned down, school students were taught at the election house just outside of Chaneysville for the few remaining days of school that term. Today the people on the Chaneysville side of the mountain vote at the Chaneysville-Cove Elementary School.

Martin Hill separates the polling places of Southampton 1 and Southampton 3, (I haven't found out what happened to #2). Although this election house is no longer in use, it still stands at the foot of Martin Hill in Beans Cove. Those citizens now use the Catholic Church to cast their vote.

Program

2009-10-13T17:37:00.000-07:00

P.T.A.

2009-10-13T16:37:00.000-07:00

The Southampton Parent, Teacher, Association of Bedford County, Pa. was organized March 4, 1949. The first P.T.A. meeting was held in the Methodist Church, Chaneysville, Pa.
The temporary officers were:

President: Wilbur E. Dicken
Vice President: Stella Bennett
Secretary: Mary Swartzwelder
Treasurer: Leila Trail

P.T.A. members had to pay the National P.T.A. .35 per person to join. On May 14, 1949 there were 46 members with a balance of $11.90 in the treasury.
The first P.T.A. officers for the 1954-55 school term of the new Chaneysville Elementary School with a balance of $67.24 in their treasury were:

President: Marvin Roberts
Vice President: M. Cooper
Secretary: Dorothy Hartsock
Treasurer: Kenneth Hartsock

Chaneysville-Cove Elementary School

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ATV Trails

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Martin Hill Fire Tower

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At 2700 ft. above sea level the Martin Hill Fire Tower was built on top of the southern point of Tussey Mountain. Measuring in at 68 ft. it overlooks appro. 11,500 acres of State Forest land. The forest lands in Maryland and West Virginia could also be monitored from this lofty perch. The number of fires reported in 1927 by "towerman" Irvin Ruby were only two, while the following year there were nineteen.
Forester, William Byers had this steel, aermotor tower built in the fall of 1921, at the cost of $610.03. The equipment inside the tower included an iron table stand with a wooden top, a U.S.G.S. map, binoculars, oil heater and a desk phone, but no chair. Near the 16 ft. base, there was a small cabin for the watchman to stay in and an outhouse nearby , but the nearest drinking water was one mile away. The fire tower has been closed since the 80's.

Martin Hill supports a variety of wildlife, some you might expect, like quail, rabbits, squirrels, whitetail deer and black bear. But don't be surprised to see porcupines, rattlesnakes, coyotes, flying squirrels, beavers and an occasional bald eagle

Fire on Martin Hill

2009-10-12T16:57:00.000-07:00

In 1930 high above Chaneysville on Martin Hill someone carelessly started a fire that destroyed 1150 acres on May 4th and 5th. (950 acres of timber and 200 acres of brush) The damage from this fire was set at $3000.00. This horrific fire covered 850 acres of state owned land and another 300 acres of private land. It was a very costly fire to put out, actual labor was set at $678.28, with $52.75 for transportation and another $42.37 for food. This information was reported to the Forestry Dept. by Fire Warden Harry E. Beck, who lived in Chaneysville. Evidentially 1930 was a very bad year for fires...in Bedford County there were 166 fires that burned a total of 15,370 acres.

Southampton Post Offices

2009-10-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

Once there were four widely scattered post offices here in Southampton Township: Beans Cove, Chaneysville, Hewitt, and Elbinsville.

The isolated community of Beans Cove is situated between Tussey Mountain on the east, Evitts mountain on the west and Martin Hill on the north. This post office was established May 27, 1872 as Bean's Cove with William Donahue as the postmaster. Thomas Donahue took over Dec. 1,1894 when the name was changed to Beans Cove. It was closed on May 31, 1906 when the mail went to Flintstone, Md.

The Chaneysville Post Office was opened on July 13,1855 with Alexander Fletcher as the postmaster, then it closed Sept. 6,1858. Only to reopen Sept. 24,1860 with John H P Adams as postmaster. It was closed forever Nov. 15, 1938 when the mail from our township was delivered by the post office in Flintstone, Md. This continued until the late 70's.

Elbinsville post office served this sparsely settled area which today borders Mann Township. William Lashley was postmaster from May 7,1852-Sept.1,1879, he sent the mail to Chaneysville. Later on Jan. 21, 1880 it was re-established by David Tewell until Dec. 30, 1922 when the mail was routed to went to Flintstone, today this area is serviced by Artemas, Pa.

About eight miles south of Chaneysville is the Hewitt post office/store which is still standing at the intersection. The Hewitt post office was established on May 28, 1897 and was opened until May 31, 1907 with Postmaster Arthur McElfish. An interesting note...between Feb. 9 and May 28, 1897 the post office was originally established as McElfish! So after three short months McElfish became Hewitt. Between the post office and the Hewitt covered bridge stood the McElfish's grist mill, the Mason/Dixon line is not far away.
The old grist mill in Hewitt.

Today with the exception of Elbinsville, our mail comes through the Clearville Post Office.

source: B.McKain and his book the Penna. Postal History The Post Office & First Postmasters from 1775-1994 by Smith & Kay

Grist Mills

2009-10-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

the O'Neal Mill near Chaneysville

Hewitt Mill

Near the Hewitt Covered Bridge stands the old McElfish home and some pieces of the grist mill.

Underground Railroad

2009-10-09T16:32:00.000-07:00

The underground railroad crossed the Mason Dixon line into Southampton Twp. near Town Creek then followed Black Valley until it crossed over the Bedford-Chambersburg Turnpike at Mt. Dallas. From there the runaways would hide out at the Stuckey Farm in the lower Snakes Spring Valley before continuing into Morrison's Cove. Once there, the Keagy family who would hide them until it was safe for them to venture northward.
Just off Route 326S beside of Town Creek you'll find 13 slave graves, slightly off to one side of the Iames family graveyard marked only with fieldstone. Here also lies, Richard Iames, one of the original thirteen settlers of Southampton Twp. who was buried there in Dec. 1758 (second oldest tombstone with a date in Bedford Co.)

According to David Bradley, who's novel "The Chaneysville Incident" says that when these 13 runaway slaves were discovered at the old mill by bounty hunters, they chose to take their own lives instead of being recaptured. They included Harriette Brewer and son, William and two girls, Cara and Mara. Lydia, Juda, and a baby that was born along the way, Jacob, Linda and her three sons, Daniel, Robert, and Francis and an old man, named Azacca. The last entry of C.K.'s journal was Dec. 23, 1859. The Iames family then buried the "freed" slaves in their own family graveyard, where you can see the stones today.

Caves and Hydrology of Martin Mountain, Beans Cove, PA.

2009-10-08T18:13:00.000-07:00

This detailed report of the existing physical conditions of Martin Mountain is submitted by Don Carns, Jr. It is reference to proposed housing developments and how these physical conditions could be affected by such developments.

I, Don Carns Jr., have been exploring and searching caves since I was 14 years old. I am now 53 years old. I am an acknowledge authority on tri-state caves. I am a National Speological Society member. I have been working on and exploring Martin Mountain in Beans Cove since 1973. I opened John Long’s Cave, Eby’s Cave No. 2 and New Years Cave. I have a list of 8 more caves to be opened. It is acknowledged in the caving community that Martin Mountain in Beans Cove probably has within it the largest cave system in the state of Pennsylvania.

There are numerous caves located on the ridge along with a large amount of sinks that receive surface water that quickly drains into the water table of Beans Cove. The known caves in the vicinity and on the property of Gladys Long (now deceased) are John Long’s Cave (1974), a hole along a fence on Long’s farm that is now temporarily closed and close to Lost Run, a sinkhole located in the field between Long’s barn and Keating’s farm (it is now filled by has been sinking for a number of years as reported by John Long prior to his death), Eby’s Cave No. 1 (formerly known as Donahoe Cave), Eby’s Cave No. 2. ( 1974), New Years Cave (1982), and the area on Donald Eby’s farm where Lost Run (the spot that gave the run its name) used to flow into (now by-passed by rerouting Lost Run). These two farms, Eby and Long, have many sinks on the properties, of which 90% receive water. There are closed caves on the properties opposite the Long and Keating farms such as Skull Cave, Sliding Rock Cave, a closed cave on the old “Morris” farm and active slumping (sinks). A cave is reported on the property line of the Covenant Village. Vernon Hendrikson took me to a closed sink on his property which, if cleaned out, would reveal cave passage. Developers could not close John Long’s Cave, a highly decorated and beautiful cave, because when it was surveyed in 1982, 18 rare bats were found in it! It must remain open for these bats to enter and leave. This is mandated by the Pennsylvania Cave Protection Act, No. 1990-133, SB 867, signed into law November 21, 1990.

In Chapter 3, Section 12 of the book, Tales of the Allegheny Foothills, the author, Vaughn Whisker of Everett, Pennsylvania, writes of Sinkholes and Springs. Beans Cove and Lost Run are cited with details.

In the late 70’s, a survey crew was sent out in the Beans Cove area to test for natural gas. The crew and John Long reported to me that on Long’s farm alone every hole drilled on that property had drilled through a cave. These holes were only 65 feet deep! On the adjacent farm, it was said that natural gas was hit on one test hole, again a hold 65 feet deep.

This ridge also has a fault line that runs its length. It was discovered when New Years Cave was opened and explored to its depth known thus far. It is known to the caving community as Kettermans Fault. Near Hidden Springs Camp Grounds is reported a place in the field where a person can hear water running under the ground’s surface. There are sinks located along Rice’s Road; they that are deep, but contain trash tossed in them since who knows when. A blow hole is also located on Rice’s farm. The blow hole indicates a large passage below the ridge. They, too, are inlets for ground water and one, if cleaned, would reveal a cave. In the summer of 2005, John Ganter, a government map maker and professional caver, did a brief one day “ground survey” of this mountain from Rice’s Road to the end of Eby’s farm. He mapped the sinks and sink holes that he saw in his walk. There are a lot of them; most are natural inlets for our drinking water. He did not see all of them.

My point is this: Martin Mountain is solid limestone with a sandstone cap from Maryland into Pennsylvania. The limestone is severely eroded; thus, there are caves and sinks in and on it. These caves and sinks receive water. All the caves receive water and 90% of the sinks drain water into the water table. If any housing were to occur on that ridge, the septic systems would drain into the water table quickly through these natural conduits and the eroded limestone below. Well contamination would normally take 50 to 100 years to occur, but with the existing natural conditions, would occur in a matter of a few years. After all, water and sewage drain downward into the ground, not upward like a geyser! The eroded limestone accelerates the process. These conduits include caves located just below the surface without an opening to the surface. I am sure there are many. The risk here is our wells being contaminated by these proposed housing developments. It is not actually a risk; it would be a sure thing! Any housing development may cause collapse of the passage below (due to the weight of structures on a weak cave roof) or the drilling of wells may cause sinkholes when an underground water cavity is drained. This could lead to property loss of a collapsing house or even injury or death. It happens in Florida and even in nearby Frederick County in Maryland. The hole by the fence near Lost Run on Long’s farm is an example. It just appeared one day with no warning! Two other sinks on the adjoining farm appeared suddenly; they were 15-20 feet across and 10 + feet deep! The area in dispute at this moment is Long’s farm. Interestingly enough, it and the areas adjoining it are also the sites of the most cave activity. This ridge is great for farming but not for housing.

Mason Dixon Line

2009-10-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

Mason and Dixon used a crown stone to mark the boundary every five miles. This marker has the family crest of the Penn family on one side and the Baltimore crest on the other.

Shawnee Graveyard

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MY ANCESTORS WERE

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Trail, Walters, Bennett, Wilkinson, Buxton
Hammond, Nightingale, Hoover

Knoll, McKenzie, Humberston, Brockey

Williams, Layton, Winck, Clark, McDaniels

Donivan, Ward, Burton, Dean

William Perdew 1755-1840

2009-10-03T17:57:00.000-07:00

According to "Mother Bedford & the American Revolution" by Larry D. Smith...
William Perdew (1755-1840) Buried: Wilbur Cessna farm, Southampton Twp. (old Perdew farm) Pri. (in) Capt. Evan Cessna's Co., Bedford Militia, 3rd Co. 1st Battalion.
5 Pa. Arch. 5 at 110.
Other men in his battalion were: Isaac Bowman, John Elder, Jacob Fox,
John Lazier Sr. and Jacob Valintine.

Archibald Perdew son of William built the first brick house (Wilbur Cessna)
in 1858. William is buried nearby in an unmarked grave

Veterans Buried in Southampton Township

2009-10-03T16:29:00.000-07:00

BEANS COVE METHODIST CEMETERY

1.) Vernard Wilbur Ruby / 1916-1967 / WW II

2.) Roy C. Howsare / 1897-1920 / WW I

3.) Emory S. Howsare / 1910-1975 / WW II

4.) Marvin L. Perdew / 1923-1969 / WW II

5.) Ezra S. Geiselman, Jr. / 1923-1995 / WW II

6.) Grant L. Ruby, Sr. / 1935-1999 / Korea

CASTEEL FARM CEMETERY (Beans Cove--Tuckers)

1.) Job Fetters / Died 1862 / GAR

CHANEYSVILLE CEMETERY (East View)

1.) Nicholas Wertz / --- / War of 1812

2.) Samuel Bartholow / Died 1919 / GAR

3.) John Hast / Died 1889 / GAR

4.) Philip Knee / Died 1892 / GAR

5.) Christion Rice / Died 1911 / GAR

6.) John Leasure / 1829-1913 / GAR

7.) Jacob Deffibaugh / --- / GAR

8.) Enos Bennett / Died 1914 / GAR

9.) Walter Collins / 1898-1986 / WW I

10.) Charles B. Logeston / 1885-1967 / WW I

11.) Charles J. Keel / 1932-1952 KIA / KOREA

12.) Donald Bartholow / 1928-1995 / WW II

13.) Robert E. Black / 1923-1982/ WW II

14.) A. Roy Swartzwelder/ 1888-1964 / WW I

15.) William P. Perrin/ 1891-1960 / WW I

16.) Henry Ruby / 1824-1917 / GAR

17.) Abel Johnson / 1824-1910 / GAR

18.) John Hamilton / Died 1865 / GAR

19.) George M. Cooper / Died 1900 / GAR

20.) Oscar Imes / 1892-1979 / WW I

21.) Edgar R. O'Neal / 1888-1960 / WW I

22.) Hezekiah O'Neal / Died 1863 / GAR

23.) Solomon Wilkison / Died 1903 / GAR

24.) Louis H. Beck, Jr. / 1899-1986 / WW II

25.) Jasper Robinette / 1834-1916 / GAR

26.) Emanuel Wilkison / 1832-1925 / GAR

27.) Henry Clay Lashley / Died / GAR

28.) James Aaron / 1841-1916 / GAR

29.) George W. Barthalow / 1883-1942 / WW I

30.) Kenneth H. Tewell / 1916-1944 / WW II

31.) Chris F. Brockey / 1897-1975 / WW I

32.) Herman E. Redinger, Jr. / 1927-1986 / WW II

33.) George O'Neal / 1920-1988 / WW II

34.) Herman McFarland / 1915-1985 / WW II

35.) Simon Elwood Ruby / 1894-1951 / WW I

36.) Martin Miller/ 1893-1987 / WW I

37.) Delbert L. Walters / 1917-1974 / WW II

38.) Charles E. Harlow / 1841-/ GAR

40.) Isaiah Rice [In an unmarked grave] / GAR

GOLDIZEN CEMETERY

1.) David Roland / Died 1880 / GAR

PROSPERITY CEMETERY(Hewitt)

2.) Guy Herron / 1887-1978 / WW I

3.) Gerald Kifer / 1943-1970 / VIETNAM

4.) Helen (Ault) Alexander / 1924-1984 / WW II

5.) Marshall Trail / 1927-1977 / WW II

6.) Jesse Robinette / 1846-1868 / GAR

7.) William Dicken / Died 1906 / GAR

8.) Aaron Perdew / 1832-1921 / GAR

9.) Ralph Trail / 1924-1974 / WW II

10.) William Holler / 1893-1978 / WW I

11.) Harry L. Kifer / 1918-1991 / WW II

12.) Chester Blaine Kifer/ 1892-1964 / WW I

13.) Leonard Leasure / 1920-1989 WW II

IAMES FARM CEMETERY

1.) David Iames / --- / GAR

LASHLEY (Jacob)

1.) Espy J. Bennett / GAR

2.) Charles Koontz / GAR

MT. HOPE CEMETERY

1.) Emanuel Johnson / Died 1896 / GAR

2.) William J. Johnson / 1933-1960 / KOREA

3.) NO NAME / GAR

Could be George Smith buried in unmarked grave./

4.) William Earl Troutman / Died 1919 / WW I

5.) Oliver Hymes/ Died 1922 / GAR

6.) Amos Stewart Hymes / 1904-1945 / WW II

MT. ZION CEMETERY

1.) David Iams / --- / GAR

2.) John Trail / 1820-1888 / GAR

3.) Edward Northcraft / --- / War of 1812

4.) Joseph Tewell/ Died 1864 / GAR

5.) George Tewell / Died 1899 / GAR

6.) Zack Shafer / --- / GAR

7.) Edward Sowers / 1889-1920 / WW I

8.) Thornton Sowers / 1895-1920 / WW I

9.) William P. Johnson / Died 1903/ GAR

10.) Joseph Bennett / 1827-1895 / GAR

11.) Thomas Lawhead / Died 1882 / GAR

12.) Denton Stevens / Died 1890 / GAR

13.) John Imes / 1898-1965 / WW I

14.) Aaron Imes / 1841-1910 / GAR

15.) Abraham Bennett / 1829-1907 / GAR

16.) Herman R. Northcraft / 1895-1957 / WW I

17.) John T. Collins / Died 1865 / GAR

18.) Isaiah Collins / Died 1867 / GAR

19.) David Bennett / Died 1891 / GAR

20.) Roy Imes / 1896-1983 / WW I

21.) Earl Howser / 1895-1918 / KIA / WW I

22.) Percy Trail / 1922-1973 / WW II

23.) Percy Leroy Ruby 1922-1973 / WW II

24.) Claude Trail / 1896-1943 / WW I

25.) George T. Trail / Died 1915 / GAR

26.) Alvah Roy Leasure / 1890-1919 / KIA/ WW I

27.) Wilmer Ritchey / 1896-1959 / WW I

28.) Earnest Browning / 1891-1952 / WW I

29.) Elmer Northcraft / 1896-1964 / WW I

30.) Arthur Walters / 1919-1976 / WW II

31.) Abner Imes / 1893-1953 / WW I

32.) Allen Cooper 1920-1994 / WW II

33.) Marvin Elbin / 1921-1988 / WW II

34.) Randy Northcraft / 1957-1992 / U. S.

35.) Leo Keefer / 1921-1944 / WW II

36.) Thomas Rollins / Died 1913 / GAR

37.) Kelly Northcraft / 1894-1976 / WW I

38.) Charles Sipes / 1892-1964 / WW I

39.) Merle Trail / 1920-1995/ WW II

40.) Verle Northcraft / 1931-1996/ KOREA

41.) Joseph Ruby / 1923-1998/ WW II

42.) Ernest A. Northcraft / 1922-2000 / WW II

OAKDALE CEMETERY

1.) Moses Wigfield / ???

PERDEW FARM (Beans Cove--Cessna's)

1.) John Gordon/ --- / GAR

Also William Perdew/ Rev. War veteran/ is buried in an unmarked grave here.

BENNETT FARM CEMETERY(Old Prosperity Church)

1.) George Bennett/ 1832-1919 / GAR

2.) John Rowland / Died 1865 GAR

RUBY FARM GRAVEYARD (Flintstone Creek pole #94)

1.) John Ruby / 1829-1912 / GAR

SHIRLEY FARM GRAVEYARD

1.) Phillip or Peter Studor / GAR

OUR LADY OF SEVEN DOLLARS CATHOLIC CHURCH BEANS COVE

1.) Edgar E. Beck/ 1895-1944 / WW I

2.) Augustus T. Barrett/ 1897-1970 / WW I

3.) Robert W. Ambrose / 1919-1996 / WW II

4.) Irvin R. Ruby / 1892-1981 / WW I

5.) James J. Keating / 1919-1984 / WW II

6.) Gary L. Becker / 1949-1988 / VIETNAM

7.) Lawrence A. / 1916-1976 / WW II

8.) Robert Harry Charnock / 1917-1987 / WW II

9.) Frank A. Zaladonis / 1917-1971 / WW II

10.) Robert William Fell / 1942-1992 / VIETNAM

11.) Richard Halle

To SEARCH For YOUR ANCESTORS

2009-10-02T18:15:00.000-07:00

www.familytreemaker.com

www.ancestry.com

www.genealogy.com

www.searches.rootsweb.com

www.familysearch.org

www.surnameweb.org.

www.genforum.com.

www.rootsweb.com.

Some of my Favorite Links

2009-10-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

www.epodunk.com - Everything you want to know about Southampton Twp.

www.rootsweb.com/~paphsbc - Pioneer Historical Society in Bedford Pa.

www.bedfordcounty.net

www.motherbedford.com

www.jamestown.org - site on Jamestown. VA.

www.apva.org - another site on Jamestown, VA.

www.findagrave.com

"3-DAY PERSONAL/FAMILY PREPAREDNESS GO-KIT SUGGESTIONS"

2009-10-01T20:39:00.000-07:00

We must have our family prepared for all types of emergencies, from just being without electricity for a few days to that unimaginable disaster!
Choose an "out of the area" phone number for your family to call to check in if anyone is seperated. Then pack the following...

* Water (1 gallon per person per day)

* Food (ready to eat, non-perishable)

* Can opener

* Cups, plates, utensils

* Flashlight & extra batteries

* Battery powered radio

* Matches/ candles

* Pliers

* Blankets/sleeping bags

* Change of clothes

* Toilet paper/paper towels/kleenex

* Toothbrushes/toothpaste/soap/shampoo/deodorant

* Brush/ Comb/ feminine supplies/ baby needs

* Tablet/ pen/ entertainment items (books, puzzles, etc.)

* First Aid Kit

* Medications (prescription and over-the-counter)

* Family health records

* Emergency contact numbers

All kits should be personalized to your family needs, pack & store in a way that can be easily transported if needed.

IF YOU LOVE YOUR PETS
Add vet records and photos of your pet(s) to your "to go kit", if they end up in a shelter, you'll be able to prove they are yours. Also put that "out of the area" phone number on their ID, then you'll know your pet has been found too.

History of Southampton Township

Village of Chaneysville

Hotel

Copied from "History of Bedford, Somerset, and Fulton Counties, Pa. 1884"

Early Chaneysville

~~FACTS OF SOUTHAMPTON TOWNSHIP~~

The Log of Thomas Powell

The Powell's

The First Thirteen Settlers

Warrior's Path

Saltpetre Cave

Indian Will

The C.C.C. Camps

Sweet Root Park

Covered Bridges

Hewitt Covered Bridge

Area Churches

Schools of Southampton Twp.

Save Small Schools

Chaneysville-Cove Elementary School

Stony Lick School Souvenir

Gordon School Souvenir from 1923

1931 Bedford Newspaper on Southampton Schools

Early Schools of Southampton

Program

P.T.A.

Chaneysville-Cove Elementary School

ATV Trails

Martin Hill Fire Tower

Fire on Martin Hill

Southampton Post Offices

Grist Mills

Underground Railroad

Caves and Hydrology of Martin Mountain, Beans Cove, PA.

Mason Dixon Line

Shawnee Graveyard

~~~~MY ANCESTORS WERE~~~~

William Perdew 1755-1840

Veterans Buried in Southampton Township

~~~~To SEARCH For YOUR ANCESTORS~~~~

~~~~Some of my Favorite Links~~~~

"3-DAY PERSONAL/FAMILY PREPAREDNESS GO-KIT SUGGESTIONS"

FACTS OF SOUTHAMPTON TOWNSHIP

MY ANCESTORS WERE

To SEARCH For YOUR ANCESTORS

Some of my Favorite Links