The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1860-07-12
Cambria County.
CHAPTER XVIII.
EtackIick township.

BiackHck township - pouauSN ~
Carroll on the North, Cambria on the
East, Jackson on the South, and Indiana
County on the West; containing Popu-
lation of about $50 inhabitants.
The Township is broken. The Laurel
Hill, which runs parallel with the ALE
ghany Mountain, in an unbroken chain,
for some hundreds Of miles, and which IS
nearly OF equal altitude, loses itself, or to
use a more homely expression, dies out,
in this Township On the Southern line
Of the Township, this hill still retains
considerable elevation-on the Northern
line no traces of it are distinguishable.
It is waterad 10y the several branches Of
BIacklick Greek, which flow through tho
Township, in a Southwesterly direction,
afIordiEg an abundance Of water-power.
The soil along the streams is very bro
ken, and not generally susceptible Of cul-
tivation. There are a few good farms
in the Township, though the land is much
better adapted to pasturage than grain
growing.
Perhaps no portion of Cambria County
is richer in undcyeIo0ed mineral resources
than BlackIick Township. It abounds in
immense veins firon ore, which the iucon-
vcnience of market, and the want Of ad-
equate protection, have prevented from
being operated. Besides, she has ex-
haustlcss beds Of bituminous coal. One
half the coal consumed in Ebens5urg, IS
mined in this Township.
The village of Belsano, situated on the
Turnpike Road near the centre Of the
Township, contains population Of some
fifty inhabitants. It has store, a jus
tees Office, and fortunately, no tavern
The Post Office is here and here the
elections are held Eliza Furnace, situa-
ted partly in Indiana County, on the wa
tcrs Of the BlackIick Greek, at one time
gave home market 70 the neighborhood
but it has, for several years, been entirely
abandoned, and is fast going to desuuc-
ton.
The principal public road Is the Ebcns-
burg aad Indiana Turnpike Road, which
vas viewed as great '.institution' in It's
day, but has lately been deprived of It's
privilege to take tolls, and reduced to the
character Of common Township road
There are besides, public roads from
Duncan's Mill to Mechanicsburg; from
the Turnpike to Eliza Furnace; from
near Belsano to he lower Duncan's Mil :; !
from Bethel to GilIau's and other pub
lie roads
That portion of Blacklick adjoining
Cambria Township is principally settled |
by the Welsh and their descendants |
few Irish families are settled in the Nor
thern portion but the great bulk of the |
population is original Pennsylvanians.
The Methodist and United Brethren |
persuasions seem to prevail yet there
are many Baptists, and some Disciple |
families in the Eastern portion of the
Township. The regular 1lethodists have |
a fine church near Belsano, while the Bap- |
lists have venerable log building, known
the Bethel Meeting House.
Blacklick Township was not settled at
quite so early date as some other portions |
Of Cambria County Griffith Rowland /
was perhaps the earliest settler of the Eas-
tern portion of the Township while the |
Duncan's made the first opening on the |
Western side. William Reed, one of
Harrison's soldiers during the war OF
1872, Immediately after its close, settled |
in the wilderness, and opened the fine
farm on which his aged relict still re-
sides
L once trayelled on horseback over an
old, abandoned road leading from near the |
dividing line on the Reed and George ,
farms, to the Stone Turnpike" at Dillon's
Tavern. / found an old, delapidated /
bridge over the Blackick, so rieketty in
It's appearance that | was fain to cscane
Its dangers By fording the stream. Not
far from this bridge, the road passes thro'
a defle of a very rugged character; but
what struck me as most singular, an i'm
mcnse rock, which had been cloven in
twain by some convulsion, arose on either
side OF the road perpendicular, and some
fifteen feet high, barely leaving space for
wagon to pass through the fssure. The
dow hot, -