The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-04-17
WILLIAM FiNDLAY,
JOHN BADOLET,
JAMES CHAMBERS,
THOMAS CAMPBELL.
A. J. DALLAS.
- D..


A. j. DALLAS, THOMAS CAMPBELL.
Secretary.
On the same day the town of Somerset !
was plottod-or perhaps it might as well
he said re-plotted. Adam Schneider, one
of the proprietors, donated the square
now occupied by the court house and
Jail.
II goes without saying The people of
Berlin were greatly disappointed over this
conclusion OF the commissioners. Some
even going so far as to insiBuatc that the
handsome manner in which the Bran
nerstown folks had dined and wined the
commissioners had a good bit to do with
their final decision.
Governor Miffiin appointed Abraham
Cable, Of Brothersvalley, Ehenezer Grif-
nth, of Elk Lick, and James Wells, as
Associate Judges, and Josiah Espy, Pro-
thonotary, Register q Recorder and Clerk
Of the Courts.
The first term of the court vase owen
ed on Monday, 18th day Of December,
1875. Hon. Alexander Addison, Presi-
dent Judge of the 9th district, presided,
and continued 10 do - until 1919. 1t Is
no; known where the first session OF the
cour; was held. but i'm 1890 court was held
up stairs in a house owned by Adam
Schneider lit was on the lot where Parkers'
store now is.) The other officers We're.
Sheriff, Thomas Kennedy; Commission
ers John Fletcher, John Read and John
Leech. with Abraham Morrison as Clerk;
County Treasurer, Joseph Espy; and Cor
oner, David King.
The county commissioners held their
first meeting on 36th Of October, 1875.
They appointed David Wright, Of one
mahoning, John Hendricks, of Elk Lick,
John Niclslo, of Turkeyfoot, james
Black, OF Stonycreek, and John Groner,
of Brothersvaiiey. as assessors. The
county was thus fully organized.
On March Il. 1850, an act was passed di-
recting that all that part OF Bedford coun-
ty in Londonderry township, lying west
ward of the top OF Little Allegheny
mountain and from the break OF the
mountair in q straight line 10 the breast
works where the original line would be
intsrsec;ed, shogld be annexed to Somer-
set county. This territory embraces the
present townships of Southampton,
Northampton, Greenville, Allegheny,
Larimer and Fairhope.
By'act of 25ih Of March, 1904. Cambria
county was formed. and Cambria town.
ship, which had been formed in 1873, was
made part of Cambria county and SOM
erset county was red uced to its present
limits.
As the county began to be settled roads
had to be laid ont and established. Of
course the Forbes road, made in l75S, was
the first and for a long time the only one
that traversed the entire county from east
70 west, for the Braddock road only
touched the southwest corner OF the
county, although it passed for many
miles OF its length within a couple of
miles of the southern border OF the coun-
ty. 1t is probable that the first road to
pass through anything near the centre Of
the county was the old Cumberland road;
it was made at a very early day, aud
there was also a good road, for the times,
from Bedford, long prior to 1899. These
roads, however, were in time superseded
by turnpikes. The Somerset IL Bedford
turnpike was chartered in ISIS The Som
erset K Mt. Pleasant turnpike about the
same time, while the Stoyestown Il
GreensbUrg turnpike is of an earlier
date.
There can be no doubt bat that General
Washington himself was familiar with
Somerset county. He had been in il
when the Braddock road was made. He
was also with General Forbes column
when il passed over the '.great road in the
north in l75s. He afterwards had extern
sive interests in lands west of the noun
tains, and was deeply Interested in the
means of communication between tide
water in the east and the head waters of
the Ohio in the west, and had looked over
the entire field.
Railroads were then unknown and to his
vision thes solution of the problem was
water way between the east and the west,
and it is 10 he believed that he found it
through Somerset county. That is that
a feasible line for a canal might be locat-
ed. Ii is understood that he was one of
the early promoters of the Chesapeake
and Ohio canal, which at a later day
was completed as far rs Cumberland.
Nd. Il was never intended that the work
shoald stop there. Ii was TO be carried
to the Ohio river, and the writer believes
that ne is within the bounds ortruth in
saying that if this work had ever been
pushed to completion il woald have been
through Somerset coanty-and that IN Dre
or less surveys looking to that end had
been made-and it was so understood.
The writer, at one time possess ed a map
that showed its continuation through
Somerset ccunty-and following the pres
ent line of the Il. & o. Railroad But the
introduction of steam and railroads
put such plans aside-and they, and not
water ways. were destined to be our
means of communication with the outer
world, and even these were a long time
coming.
Ia the early days enterprises of that
k n generally moved slow aud there were
usually as many delays as the law is said
TO have.
Oar first railroad, the Pittsburgh &
Coaneilsyille, was completed in 1859.
Benjamin Latrobe, was the chief engin-
eer. He was then gray-headed man.
with bat few years of life before Ii i'm,
We; he had rs a young man made the sur
veys nearly or quite forty years before
Alter the formation of the county, its
growth was not 50 rapid as one would have