The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-09-20
FIRE CLAY AND COAL.


er OF the John Fox farm just east
OF this place, vein of excellent
hre clay was exposed. The ex-
istence of this clay has been
known for several years, but it
was never suspected that the
quality vas so good nor the guam
tity so great.
Few localities are so favored
with such fine deposits of clay as
our own.
About eighty years ago, Jacob
Hoke, father of the late George
Hoke, deceased, operated apottery
in this place. The plant was on
the lot now owned by Henry w.
Scott between Mr.. Scott's res.
idence, and that Of Samuel Kelley.
The business was carried on here
for several years, Mr.. Hoke's
son Bob succeeding his father in
its management. Here were man
ufactured full line of pottery
ware; such as crooks, jars, jugs,
&c. The clay was brought from
one of the back fields on the DR..
Trout farm west of town then
owned by William,Duffield, father
of DR.. S. E. Duffield, and grand
father of DR.. John Duffield. Old
Billy Duffield, as he is now re-
membered, built and owned the
stone house, now the property
of Thomas Patterson in this
place, as well as the Trout farm
just referred to, and the Mrs.
Pittman farm just north of the
pike lately purchased by Frank
Mason.
No better brick clay is found
anywhere, than in this commu-
nifty, as is shown by those placed
in buildings here years ago.
The brick for the court house
were burnt almost fifty years ago
in the lot up by Paul Wagner's
tannery; John Sipe's residence
was built by Jacob Reed about
the same time out of brick made
from clay taken from the lot on
which the residence of M. r.
Shaffner stands; the Washington
House brick were made back of
Jimmy Cooper's, where Harvey
Cooper now lives, and the brick
for the Mace building, now occu-
pied by Geo. w. Reisner & Bro,
was burned in Wilson's meadow,
just across from the Uncle Jake
Runyan property.
Judge Morton is getting ready
for the fire his second kiln of
brick this summer, just at the
northeast edge Of town, and bet
ter brick than he is burning are
not found anywhere.
Thus it is seen that fine clay
exists all around the town.
Just few rods above the reser-
voir in the run, may be seen the
outcropping of the coal vein which
has attracted more or less atten-
ton for many years. This vein
shows itself for miles along the
base of the mountain east of the
Cove, but it has never been open
ed sufficiently to show whether
coal exists in paying quantities
or not.
More than three-quarters Of a
century ago there lived in Nc
Connellsburg poor shoemaker
and his wife. The shoemaker's
name was Golf. He finally be-
lieved that there was a wealth Of
coal in the Cove mountain; and
near the Fox Spring referred TO
above, are the remains of an eX-
cavation in the bank made by him
and his wife. 1t is said that he
worked on his bench in the shop
through the day; and, at night, he
and his wife by the light of burn
ing fagots, dug in the mountain
for coal. He also attempted to
open a mine on the farm now
owned by j. Walker Johnston,
five or six miles south of McCon-
nellsburg.
In the light of modern knowl-
edge of mining engineering, and
the skill and machinery used in
extracting the black diamond
from the bosom of Mother Earth,