The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1898-03-02
WEST HICKORY HISTORY.
Paper Read by Miss Justina Siggins
Before the Schools Of West Hickory.

viii be Interesting W you :
To begin with-You must imagine all
this beautiful valley one thick, unbroken
forest, where thousands of deer broused
among the trees, where many bears
roamed about, and where wolves howled
by night, and which was visited by tribes
of Indians who travelled up and down
the river in their canoes on hunting ex
paditions, or on their friendly or hostile
visits to other nations, and who camped
here in large numbers during the winter.
There were then no open fields, no hous-
es and no villages anywhere in all this
valley Of the Allegheny river. There
were no settlements even where Frank
lin or Warren or Oil City are uow. All
was an unbroken forest.
And now you may imagine the first
white man that we know OF coming here,
which was in IVA. His name was Zes-
burger and he came from a Moravian
settlement down near Philadelphia. lie
was a missionary and went all over the
country from one Indian tribe to an
other, teaching them the gentle ways of
christianity and trying TO break up their
savage customs. Now, when the Indians
were sober, they always treated the mis-
sionary very kindly, but sometimes
they would get whisky from the settlers
in far away places and then tho brave
| missionery had to look out for his safety,
| for whiskey is as bad for Indians as white
were like demons, forgetting all the
kindnesses their good friend had shown
| them. Ziesburger came to Hickory
from visiting the tribes up the river, and
here he built a log house, where he
preached to the peaceable Indians who
lived here. Some day we hope to know
just where this first church of Hickory
stood.
The earliest surveying in Warren and
Forest counties was done in 1794.6, over
one hundred years ago. The surveyors
who go out through our woods nova
days often find big old trees with the
records Of this early surveying still upon
them. The year that the trees are
blazed a thin growth grows over the
scar and this is repeated for every year
and so by continuing these layers, we
can tell exactly when the blaze was made
1t was probably forty years after tho
missionary Zeisburger left, before any
other white men came here. And it was
by these first settlers of about 1915, tina
the first clearing was done, so it was no
quite all forest when my grandfather, il
1918 George Siggins, came here to live. He
was of Scotch-Irish family and cam,
from the north of Ireland with his fathei
in 1898, when he was about twelve yeari
old, and they settled in Center countv
this State. When about twenty-one year.
old he married and came to this part o
Pennsylvania, going first to Pithole, ther
to place on the river below Tidioute
then over on West Hickory Creek, above
White Farm, where he had saw mill
then in 1918 he came to this place. Herr
he owned all the land comprising my
brothers. farm and the adjoining farms
Of w. p. Siggins and A. j. Siggins, his
'arm having been divided by his sons
On the river bank, just in front of w. P
Siggins' home, my grandfather built hin
a two-story log house, which was con
sidered very fine; and later, when HI
built frame addition to this, it wa!
looked upon as the most elegant resi-
dence in all this country. This frame
addition is still standing, though moved
from the old foundation.
Grandfather was an ambitious and in
dustrious man, and did all he could t.
improve his farm and the little settle
} ment which had been started. There arr
apple trees still living which were plant
ed by him. They are now crooked anC
gnarled and long since fruitless. Amoni
; other improvements was the digging o
E an irrigating canal to water the dry hill
fields of his farm. This was quite an un
= dertaking, for the water was brough
from long distance up Sggins run
:. You all know this old canal, where ever
, spring you go to gather arbutus, just a
S the little boys and girls did in the spring
: times long ago. A green old trough car
4 ried the water across the little vale
L there. This trough was made of hOl
a lowed out logs and was held uplby steu
derricks built OF smaller logs. 1t too
the trunks of several tall trees TO reac
2 across the valley.
Later, as the settlement grew, grand
. father had little meeting house bui
which stood about where the gasomete
of the Forest Gas Co. stands now. Ant
) many vicisitudes, it now forms part of IL
house in which Mrs. Riker lives.
Is course there was school house, and
y stood on the little rise Of ground acroI
the run from my fathers old blaeksmit
n shop which many of you boys have visi
% ed. This first schOolhouse was built
logs, and the windows had oiled paper
rs place of glass, and it was furnished viii
b slab benches. An educated Mulat
10 named George Sand was hired to teach
81 the little schoolhouse. And it was Il
" custom for the men of the community
a. gather there often to debate on variol
i. questions you see in those days whe
,e schooling was so hard 10 get, they mac
ir the very best of every chance. Th
: schoolhouse was after while replaced |
. another, and by and by a third was bul
just across the road from this last on
While l am telling you about our schoo
"a l may as well finish the subject. l b
er lieve the next schoolhouse built was ii
il red and white one on the King Farm, no
L. used as barn; but for several terms q
!