Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1857-09-09
B e u l. A r.:
A Desc RTED WILL AGE 1.

There is no more singular fact in the his
tory of Cambria county-and indeed we might
say in the history of Penusylvania-th that
presented in the founding and subsequent
abandonment of the Welsh settlement Of Beu-
lab. In 1877. just sixty years ago, num-
Der of hardy Welshmen, seeking new home
among the Alleghenies, similar in its physi
cal characteristics and surroundings to the
one they had left among the rocks of old
Wales, found the realization of their desire in
an exceedingly small valley or "hollow," up
on the banks of the B!acklick, in the township
of Cambria, county of Somerset, Cambria
county was not then on the maps.) And there
they pitched their tents and founded village
and the name of that village was "Beulah."
Trees were fclled Beulah was surveyed into
streets, and alleys, and town lots; roads to
and from the village were constructed dwell
ling houses and workshops were erected re-
ligious societies and associations for mutual
improvement were organized; and q newsra-
per established All the elements of heal
thy growth appear to have been called into
requisition in behalf of Beulah. The location
seemed to be most favorable one: the cli-
mate was healthful the soil in the vicinity
productive; iron ore, limestone, coal and pot
ter's clay had been discovered in the neigh
borhood; the water in the springs and streams
was pure and abundant, and good timber was
only too plenty. The woods were alive with
game and the streams with finny "beauties."
The settlers we're honest, h.rd-fsted, energet-
10. Why should not Beulah grow. flourish.
and become great city! But. alas! it did
neither Founded in 1897, it grew to its
full stature in 1898. and inl 1903 or 1904,
when it entered the lists with its young rival
and neighbor, Ebcnsburg, for the honor of
being named the capital of the new county of
Cambria. it had commenced to take a very
large step backwards. That unfortunate tilt
with Ebensburg fixed" beyond peradven-
ture the destiny of Beulah. Its Welsh bur-
ghers soon commenced to turn longing look
upon the county-seat /; the implements of bus
bandry and the tools of the cunning workmen
were laid away to rust, and the price of real
estate rapidly declined. Ere long, Beulah
was deserted, and it remains deserted to this
day. Where once stood the bustling little
village, now only can be seen single old
fashioned and very shaky wooden dwelling
a fitting relic and sorry monument of the
departed greatness of Beulah. All else is
gone. Even the streets. the busy streets"
of Beulah-where are they?
The main fact stated above will only be new
to tie stranger and newcomer among Cam
brians, but we have no doubt that many an
old settler, and probably the "oldest inhabi-
tant," will learn with astonishment that a
uerspaper was published at Beulah, and that.
too, during the last century. But such is the
fact. We have before us the first number Of
that paper. and therefore speak only of that
which We do know and have seen. This copy
has been handed US by Major Moses Canaan,
the pioneer lawyer of Cambria county. who,
in 1905, attended the first Court held in the
county We purpose briefly to give the rea-
der an idea of what this pioneer newspaper Of
Little Cambria" contains. ~
The name of the paper is ''The Western
Sky;" it was printed by Ephraim Conrad in
1898; it's size is small quarto-aght pages !;
and its typographical execution is rather neat
than otherwise. Its columns do not contain
single advertisement, but are mainly filled
with original articles upon various local top
los. Some of these we will notice. 1t ap-
pears that Circulating Library was estab-
iished at Beulah, as the claws for the Regu-
lation of the Beulah Library" are published
in full in the "Sky." 1t also contains the
Constitution, Bylaws and Act of Incorpora-
ton Of the '.Beulnh Seminary"-an institu-
ton founded by citizens of Beulah for the pur-
nose. ss the preamble to the Constitution sets
forth, Of disseminating knowledge and vir-
tue" Several professorships Of the higher