The Washington herald., 1913-01-12
PENNSYLVANIA DESERTED TOWN
Falls Creek, Once Busy and Pros
porous, Fallen Into Decay.

E"As SfccAs ohcS DesS nm A&~
porous, Fallen Into Decay.
Du Bois Correspondence North American.
There have been many towns Of the
mushroom variety In the West Branch
Country, but they have always been
erected for n purpose. then been torn
down and thought OF again only when
recollections OF bygone days have been
revived. The first instance OF a real de-
serted village in this numbering and min
ing country is furnished by Falls Creek.
a part of which town Is in Jefferson and
a part in Cleveland County.
Falls Creek was the child of a day.
Back in 1880 the late Sidney Fuller and
Joseph p. Taylor, the last named having
been on the spot to see the rise and fall
OF the village, conceived the idea of
building a town, Thomas r. Proctor of
Boston. the greatest Of all the sole leath-
er manufacturers before the formation
of the trust, had begun the erection OF a
tannery. and Mr.. Taylor took advantage
of the industry to convert his farm and
that of Sidney Fuller into a town site.
The tannery and the building Of the
town itself furnished employment for
the men who were buying town lots.
50 by $50. for from $50 to $500, and for a
years Il dilb SItth hohIisuto-
A brickyard was located just west of
the town, and that helped some. Then
there was a .luIl for a few years, and
-afterward a rough plate glass factory
and later a window glass factory were
built in the village. Ralph Gray and his
son George made a permanent success
of the plate glass factory. but the win
dow glass factory boosted the town up
higher into the air, only to give 1t a
greater distance from which to fall The
latter factory had been abandoned for
a term Of years. and Is going to decay.
The Gray plant has been idle for many,
many months, except for an occasional
run OF a short period. and the people
have moved away from Falls Creek.
leaving their empty houses with grass
growing over the walks and the town
a deserted village in fact. The churches
erected during the prosperous days of
the village have mostly been deserted,
nearly all its store rooms are empty,
and the floors and roofs of some Of Its
most expensive buildings have fallen In.
A few people live there. because they
own their own homes. and have no rent
to pay. As a rule, these people work at
Du Bots, Prockwayville. Harveys Run.
and surrounding towns, which are more
prosperous.
save Tor a pain WHICH Ine men nave
worn to the station in going TO and from
their work. and the occasional trail Of
a COW caused by its vending to and from
its pasture. there is little to indicate that
there were streets in the village once
upon a time. II hurries the few people
remaining in the deserted village to find
men enough to fill its borough Offices
A few unsuccessful efforts have been
made by the dying town to regain its
foothold, but without success. A number
of boards of trade have passed away.
The ninth effort to keep a newspaper
going has failed. and Goldsmith never
had a more perfect picture from which
TO take inspiration for his Deserted
Village"
While there are many sites OF former
towns. which have been torn down be-
cause they have served their purpose.
Falls Creek furnishes the only real de-
serted village.