The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1892-02-11
STORY OF A PITHOLE.
SOME or ITS STRIKING PASSAGES
RECALLED BY A VISIT.

ANO NipJ lAA aAlllNllNhs anu lew III biN
world, have had so wonderful history as
Pithole, which lies in little valley some
five hours journey from Pittsburg and
about as distant from Buffalo. Early in
December, 1864, the site Of this town was
occupied by two farms, and its inhabitants
could be numbered on ones fingers.
At that time the oil regions were in the
most terrific throes Of the initial petroleum
excitement. Fortunes were flying by on
the wings of the wind in the Titusville
field, and those who were quick enough
reached out and grasped them.
Wildcatters were prospecting in every
direction for new territory, and early in
the last month Of 1864 we'll was begun
here, in what has since been the Mystic
City. Work was continued until Jan. Z,
when oil was struck. No pumps were
needed. The well, No. 4, u. s., proved to
be q gusher. Great streams of fluid gold
burst from the bowels of the earth and
rose high in the air, overrunning all the
surrounding land. Oil sold at five dollars
per barrel and this well was making 500
barrels per day.
Those were the days of Goal Oil
Johnny" and other famous characters:
days when all were on the alert for news
from the field, ready to move Mt an hours
warning. So when q horseman dashed
over the wild road from Pithole TO Titus
vile with the word that No. 4, U. S.. had
proved q gushcr, excitement knew no
bounds Hundreds started at once for the
new fields, on horses, in wagons, on foot,
WITH baggage and without.
In six weeks from the time the first well
was struck the population of Pithole
reached 5000. BY midsummer this had
| trebled BY October the Magic City had
reached its most astounding stage Of dc
velopment At that time two theaters
were in full blast, one Of which CMurphy's)
cost $4,000.
TRADE BOOMING.
In tho town were a dozen hotels, among
them the Chase House, the st. Cloud, the
Danforth, the st. Nicholas and the Morey,
some of which had been built at q cost of
| $4,000 each. A Roman Catholic and
Methodist church were completed, and a
| Presbyterian church, built just for fun"
was under way. Two railroads were fin
ished and others were being surveyed.
The postoflice handled more mail mat
ter than any other in the state Of Pennsyl-
vania except those at Philadelphia and
Pittsburg. Residences, barrooms dance
| law offices and other buildings covered
what few months previous had been titled
| fields. Rattling old Dick Longwell (since
then of the Oil City DerriclI) burst into
town one day ready to start daily news
| paper, but he couldn't get a building for
| love nor money Longwell, however, was
| a newspaper man.
"pll issue the first number of the Pit
| hole Daily Record" he roared, before day
| light tomorrow, If we have to work in
balloon"
And he did, but his compositors stood
| knee deep in mud while working at their
| cases.
At this time, October, 1865, Pithole was
a seat of trade employing millions of dol
lars in money, city with the third largest
postoGice in the state; a city with water
works, efficient fire and police departments,
magnificent hotels and theaters, teeming
| with a busy, Industrious, enterprising gen
eral population, and with artisans, mer-
chants, speculators, agents and profes-
sional men; a city with railroads, express
and telegraph offices, and the ordinary ac-
cessories to populous municipalities.
| A COMPARISON OF PRICES.
| A party of Philadelphia capitalists found
an old farmer named Copeland, who
owned 200 acres of land three-fourths of q
mile south of Pithole. They offered him
| 100000 for the property, but he refused it,
saying he wouldn't hev no home ef tn
old house wuz sold"
| Another man, living two miles north of
| the city, was offered $780, OO0 for his farm
of 2G0 acres, but he swore that it would
not be sold for less than 81, 100000. Both
Of these farms were tested, and not enough
oil was found to pay for pumping the
| wells.
When the correspondent came to Pit
hole short time since he had to let down
| bars of a fence to get in. Not soul lives
there. A farmer in the valley four years
ago purchased the entire city, buildings
and all, for 81 200, which was paid to the
collector Of taxes. Your correspondent
drove to the renowned postoiIice. Two
calves thrust their heads through an
empty window frame and gazed at him.
| Three or four sheep scampered out of what
was once the 100000 Dauforth House.
Graded embankments of the railroads re
main, but the rails and ties are gone.
A poplar tree twenty feet high is grow
ing in the cellar of the National hotel, on
First street. The Metropolitan theater is
gone. Grass, stones and underbrush cover
the site of Murphy's theater The Morey
hotel, the Patterson, the st. Cloud, the st.
Nicholas and the Hubbs House have van
ished. The sites Of Delmonico's cafe and
of the johnson House can be located only
by half filed cellars, overgrown with weeds
and branbles.
| A SCENE OF DEsoLATIoN
DIR. Christie's residence, on First street,
and the banking house of Prather & Wads-
worth on Holmden street, remain in a fair
state of preservation. Our correspondent
climbed through the broken glass door of
a large drug store on First street and
| brought away from the shelves several
| fancy phials as souvenirs. In Main street,
where millions of dollars once daily
changed hands, are stacked cornstalks.
The avenues erstwhile lined with resi-
dences are titled fields.
Today Pithole is u scene of desolation.
Upon the hill overlooking the ruin stands
the Presbyterian church. Its bell still
hangs, its pews remain, and on the pulpit
desk rests the clergyman's Bible. One OF
the builders of this editice was Scotch,
| man, who amassed great wealth, and left
Pithole in its glory to go to his home
across the water A few years since he
died, leaving large sum to the church
away out there in Pennsylvania. But the
society had long before disbanded, and the
money could not be disposed as directed,
The decline of the Magic City com,
menced within year of its wonderful
rise. Oil gave out in 1885, and a terrible
| fire swept the town. All the oldtimers
These quietly sleep among the briars and
bushes that run riot over the little grave
yard where they were laid away when tht
/ osX n II