Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1901-02-23

! bank Washington refers TO here is prob
ably the old entrance to the Penny
royal mine in the borough of Connclls-
vile. This opening was directly across
the river from CraWfOrd'S cabin. and
in sight of his home. The coal is al
| ways known to have had an outcrOp
there. and in the early days of Con
ncllSvillc the mine supplied much of
the coal for home consumption. Some
trampS lit fire in the mine 80 years
ago and it has been burning ever since,
having eaten out much of the bed I'M
der the Second ward of ConncllSville
itself
In his diary Washington speaks OF
on Oct. Il. 40. to see some lands II
miles distant from Crawford's home,
in the following manner:
Went to view some land which Captain Craw-
ford located for m" near the You .hioghcny. dis
tant about y miles. This tract. which contains
about l,GOO acres includes line land as |
ever saw and great deal of rich meadow. 1t is
well watcrcd and has a valuable mill scat except
that the stream Is rather slight and, il is said,
not constant than seven or eight months in
| the year. The lands which | passed today
/ were generally NlIIN ana Inc growth thlcUN Wnltc
oak, but very good notwithstanding, and what is
extraordinary and contrary to the property of all
other lands ever before the hills are the
richest land, the soil upon the sides and submits
of them being black coal and the growth
walnut and cherry
Washington was Il man of deeds, and
when he made the entry concerning
the mill seat he was not long in pro-
cccding to erect one. Soon after his
visit he scEt Gilbert Simpson to begin
work upon the plant The mill was
erected on the seat spoken of, on WASH
ington run. not far from the present
village of PrrTyopoliS. which Wash
ington himself laid out. Between the
years of 1110 and 1774 Valentine Craw-
ford succeeded his brother in managing
WaShingtOn'S estate in this section OF
the country near CunncllSvillc. Simp-
son retaining control of the mill and
other buildings near Pcrryopolis. The
Indians gave the workmcn sent out
much trouble and the ovcrsccrS had
difficulty in Keeping hands because of
their fright at the redskins. Writing
letter regarding the erecting of the mill
, Crawford says that he will he obliged
to erect Il fort near the mill until the
"Indian eruption is over" and men
tons the fact that Simpson seemed
very much scared
Because OF the Indian troubles it was
two years from the time the mill was
started till completed. In the mean
time Crawford's letters show that he
thought Washington had made Il bad
job of it in attempting to build the
! mill. Washington was apprised of the
mills completion while he was in camp
before New York after the battle of
Long Island. and history is usually 81
lent to the fact that during the whole
campaign he paid some attention to
his lands in Fayettc county while di-
rccting also the operations of the Rev
olutioniSts in all parts of the land.
Washington himself tired of his mill
and tried to sell it in 1TSJ when lie
wrote to Thomas Freeman. who had
succeeded Valentine Crawford as his
agent. "If | could get fl 300 for the
mill and 100 acres of land most con-
venicnt thereto. ! would let it go for
that money" But it was not till 1889
that Washington was able to make any
arrangement. when the property was
leased to Colonel Israel Shreve, who
had been one of Washington's faithful
subordinatcs in the Revolution. The
deeds conveying the property were new
er executed by Washington as he died
Mt Mount Vernon in 1I99 before the
transaction was completed. Colonel
Shrevc dying the same year also. The
mill property passed later to Powell
Hough and through a succession to
Samuel Smith. The old mill is known
to few because il is isolated and sell
dom mentioned in song or story. 1t is
picturesque. the illustration being trnG