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Chapter XIII
Ford City Borough
NATURAL GAS – CAPTAIN JOHN B. FORD – PITTSBURGH PLATE GLASS WORKS – EARLY
HISTORY – GROWTH AND INDUSTRIES – BANKS HOTELS, STORES, ETC. – PROFESSIONAL –
SCHOOLS -CHURCHES – MUNICIPAL – MiscellaneousNatural gas was the foundation of Ford City, and this abundant and clean
fuel, together with admirable natural advantages and a supply of suitable
materials, caused the late Capt. John B. Ford to select the site for the present
immense plate glass works, around which the city has grown.Captain Ford’s first venture in the plate glass industry was at New Albany,
Ind., where he became financially embarrassed, but although an old man then, he
again established himself at Creighton, Pa. As there were no plate glass
polishers in this country, he persuaded Matthias R. Pepper to come from England
to take the position of chief of the polishing department, and with his help the
business was put upon a firm foundation.In 1888 he visited the portion of Manor township south of Kittanning and at
once took steps to purchase the land on which Ford City now stands. With him
were interested Hon. John H. Painter, Marcus D. Wayman and Matthias R. Pepper,
and jointly they started the Ford Plate Glass Company. Mr. Pepper, who was the
first plate glass polisher in America, was made superintendent of the works,
while the machinery was designed and installed by Wayman. From this start arose
the thriving and populous city which bears the name of its founder.On Nov. 17, 1891, a statue of Captain Ford was unveiled in the park at Ford
City, in honor of his birthday, by the contributions of 3,000 workmen connected
with the plate glass works. Captain Ford, although eighty years of age, was able
to attend the unveiling and deliver an address to his grateful employees. His
death occurred in 1893, at the age of eighty-two, after a life of many ups and
downs, finally crowned with success.The works started to operate in 1889 with a few workmen and a moderate
equipment, and now the plant is the largest in the world, covering twenty acres
of ground and employing over 2,000 men. The sand for the manufacture of the
glass is secured from Kemmerton, Pa., and the rock in the quarries across the
Allegheny from the town is transferred by wire rope transmission to the main
plant, after being crushed to sand, and used for grinding the plate glass.
Thirteen and one half million square feet of the finest grade of plate glass is
produced here in one year and marketed in all parts of the world. The heart and
life of Ford City is the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company. The local manager is R.
C. Beatty, and the superintendents are G. C. Taylor and H. A. Reynolds.
HOW PLATE GLASS IS MADE
In view of the fact that the largest plant for the manufacture of plate glass
in the world is located in Ford City it is not inappropriate to give a
description of the methods of manufacture, as there will probably be many a
reader of this history who has never been in a plate glass factory.Plate glass, although of the same composition in the main as ordinary window
glass, is made by an altogether different process. The surface of window glass
is wave-like in appearance, owing to having been blown like a soap bubble, while
plate glass is ground to a level surface by machinery.Glass was known to the Egyptians 4,000 years ago, but plate glass was first
made in France about 200 years ago. The principal ingredients of modern plate
glass are white sand, carbonate of soda, arsenic, and charcoal, the proportions
being variable, and the formulas are prized secrets of the different firms. To
make the glass and grind it brings into use a number of materials, such as
fireclay for the crucibles, sand for the mixture, coarse sand for grinding,
limestone for fluxing, felt and peroxide of iron for polishing, and coal and
natural gas for melting. Were it not for the cheapness and nearness of the coal
and natural gas there would not be a glass factory in Armstrong county.
POTS A COSTLY ITEM
Pots of fire clay take so important a part in the successful manufacture of
plate glass that the subject deserves especial notice. The different clays after
being mined are exposed to the weather for some time to bring about
disintegration. At the proper stage finely sifted raw clay is mixed with coarse,
burned clay, and water. This reduces liability of shrinkage and cracking. It
then is “pugged,” or kneaded in a mill; kept a long time (sometimes a
year) in storage bins to ripen, and afterwards goes through the laborious
process of “treading.” Nothing has thus far been found in machinery by
which the right kind of plasticity can be developed as does this primitive
treading by the bare feet of men. The clay must be treated, not once or twice,
but many times. The building of the pots is low, tedious, and time killing
affair, but this is most essential.Without extreme care, some elements used in the making of the pots might be
fused into glass while undergoing the intense heat of the furnace; or they might
break in the handling. The average pot must hold about a ton of molten glass,
and the average furnace heat necessary is about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The
work is not continuous. Each workman has several pots in hand at a time and
passes from one to another, adding only a few inches a day to each pot, so that
a proper interval for seasoning be given. After completion, comes the proper
drying out of the pots; and this is another feature in which the greatest
scientific care is required. No pot may be used until it has been left to season
for at least three months, and even a year is desirable. And after all this
trouble, the pot has but twenty-five days’ of usefulness. The pots form one of
the heavy items of expense in plate glass manufacture, and upon their safety
great things depend.The pot, having first been brought to the necessary high temperature, is
filled with its mixed “batch” of ground silica, soda, lime, etc.
Melting reduces the bulk so much that the pot is filled three times before it
contains a sufficient charge of metal. When the proper molten stage is reached
the pot is lifted out of the furnace by a crane, is first carefully skimmed to
remove surface impurities, and then carried overhead by an electric tramway to
the casting table. This is a massive, flat table of iron, having as an
attachment a heavy iron roller which covers the full width, and arranged so as
to roll the entire length of the table. The sides of the table are fitted with
adjustable strips which permit the producing of plates of different thicknesses.
The pasty, or half fluid glass metal, now is poured upon the table from the
melting pot, and the roller quickly passes over it, leaving a layer of uniform
thickness. The heavy roller then is moved out of the way, and by means of a
stowing tool the red hot plate is shoved into an annealing oven.
SKILL AND SPEED ESSENTIAL
All of these stages of the work have to be performed with remarkable speed,
and by men of long training and experience. The plates remain for several days
in the annealing oven, where the temperature is gradually reduced from an
intense heat at first, until at the end of the required period it is no hotter
than an ordinary room.When the plate is taken from the annealing oven it has a rough, opaque,
almost undulating appearance on the surface. It is only the surface, however,
for within it is as clear as crystal. First, it is submitted for careful
inspection, so that bubbles or other defects may be marked for cutting out. It
then goes to the cutter, who takes off the rough edges and squares it into the
right dimensions, and thence to the grinding room.The grinding table is a large, flat, revolving platform made of iron, 25 feet
or more in diameter. The plate must be carried from the annealing oven to the
grinding machines, and thence to the racks, by men skilled in the art. Twenty
men are required to carry the large plates of glass, ten on each side, using
leather straps and stepping together in perfect time. The lockstep is absolutely
essential to prevent accident as the top of the glass waves like a sheet of
cardboard.The grinding table is prepared by being flooded with plaster of paris and
water; then the glass is carefully lowered and a number of men mount upon the
plate and tramp it into place until it is set. After this greater security is
obtained by pegging around the edges with prepared wooden pins; and then the
table is set in motion. The grinding is done by revolving runners which pass
over every part of the table in concentric circles. Sharp sand is fed upon the
table and a stream of water constantly flows over it. After the first cutting by
the sand, emery is used in a similar manner.
BIG WASTE IN MANUFACTURE
The plates are inspected after leaving the grinding room, and if any
scratches or defects or any kind are found they are marked. Some of these can be
rubbed down by hand. There also are not infrequently nicks and fractures found
at this stage, and in such case the plate must again be cut and squared.
Afterward comes the polishing, which is done on another special table. The
polishing material is rouge or iron peroxide, applied with water, and the
rubbing is done by blocks of felt. Reciprocating machinery is so arranged that
every part of the plate is brought underneath the rubbing surface.The grinding and polishing has taken away from the original plate half of its
thickness, sometimes more. There is no saving of the material; it has all been
washed away. When to this waste is added the fact that fully half of the
original weight of lime and soda has been released by the heat of the surface,
escaping into the atmosphere in fumes and acids, one may begin to understand
something of the cost of converting the rough materials of sand, limestone, and
soda into beautiful plate glass.One of the serious questions in the manufacture and handling of plate glass
is that of transportation, the greatest single item of carrying expense being
that of the finished product. The carrying of large finished plates constitutes
a difficult problem and a tremendous one. They must be packed and crated with
the utmost care; the trucks for hauling them must be of special construction,
and even special cranes are found necessary where an unusual amount of plate
glass traffic exists.To what extent the plate glass industry of the county has grown may be
understood when it is stated that the Ford City works in the course of a single
year will use 47,000 tons of white sand, 300,000 tons of grinding sand, 287,000
pounds of polishing felt, and 180,000 tons of coal.The cost of the finished plate glass is explained when it is stated that at
least ten cars of raw materials are used to make one car of the finished
product.
EARLY HISTORY OF THE CITY
On the site of Ford City many stirring scenes were enacted in the days of the
settlement of this county. Here was situated the Claypoole blockhouse in 1790-5,
built upon a still more ancient fortification of the prehistoric mound builders.
George Cook, a famous scout and soldier, was a resident of this section of the
Manor, and others at that and subsequent dates were Richard Bailey, James
McFarland, Jeremiah Cook, James Barr, John Monroe, Joel Monroe, Jonathan Mason
and Parker Truitt.The owners of the land on which-the city was laid out were, in 1876, J.
Fowler, D. S. Herrold, J. C. Herrold, C. Bailey, E. Herrold, A.B. Starr, George
Shoup, J. Iseman and E. S. Golden.The first house built on the site of the city was the brick store of Sam
Nelson, in 1880. One of the first storekeepers was A. M. Mateer, who now
conducts one of the most complete establishments in the city.
GROWTH AND INDUSTRIES
Ford City was incorporated in 1889 and in the space of less than twenty-five
years has grown to greater numerical strength than any other borough in the
county. Not only is it the largest borough in Armstrong, but it is also the most
modern in construction and arrangement; everything necessary to keep it in the
front rank of cities of its size in the State being carried out by the various
successive burgesses and commissioners. With such a vast foreign population, it
is wonderful how much has been done to improve the appearance and condition of
the city.The population of Ford City in 1890 was 1,255; in 1900, 2,870; in 1910,
4,850, and at present over 5,000.The Ford City Potteries were started in 1898 by John Wick, Jr., of Wickboro,
and Captain Ford, and in a short time became the greatest plant in the United
States. Later on they came into the hands of the Pennsylvania China Co., who at
the time of their suspension were manufacturing only insulators for all kinds of
electric transmission lines, and fixtures. Formerly the product was chinaware
and decorative tableware. The plant is valued at $240,000.The Fawcus Machine Company, with offices in Pittsburgh, are manufacturers of
mill machinery, special gear wheels and general foundrymen. Their number of
employes is usually 100 and the industry is of importance to the industrial life
of the city.The Ford City Brick Company, A. La Verne Ivory, president; E. D. Ivory,
secretary and treasurer, have a large and growing plant here. The proprietors
are Kittanning men.The Hileman Distilling Company is a development of the old Hileman works in
Kittanning township, and does a good business with other States.
BANKING FACILITIES
The First National Bank was organized in July, 1898, with a capital of
$50,000. Business has greatly increased in the years that have intervened since
that date and the present and this institution is now one of the strongest in
the county. The officers are: D. B. Heiner, president; H. McD. McCue, vice
president; Daniel D. Core, cashier; Calvin E. Miller, assistant cashier; A. W.
Mellon, W. G. Heiner, H. McD. McCue, G. W. Larkins, D. B. Heiner, William
Hileman and J. R. Christy, directors.The People’s State Bank of Ford City came into being in 1913, with a capital
of $50,000. The officers elected at the first meeting were: A. M. Mateer,
president; N. L. Strong, I. T. Campbell, John Fox, William Jack, Abe Greenbaum,
and Harrison Walker, directors.
HOTELS, STORES AND SMALL INDUSTRIES
The hotels of the city are: American, M. Paffrath; Ford City, F. J. Bellamy;
Teddy, E. A. Burns; Commercial, W. H. Morrow, Joseph Schubert; Fifth Avenue, C.
Stenger; Park, D. A. Goldman.Adolph Heymers operates a wagon factory; H. F. Berndt & Son are the
principal liverymen; Abe Greenbaum is the leading furniture dealer; the
Plumbers’ Supply Company are all their name implies; Geo. Hassinger and C. F.
Huth are the bakers for the town; Frank Aschrel, Nick Keener and Schall Bros.
carry on the meat markets; and Frank Gablas, Kavolsky Bros., Fritz Reitler, H.
Shoemaker, and George Szafran are the wholesale liquor dealers.George E. Kettle, McClelland Bros. and E. J. Rihn are the leading druggists,
and the storekeepers who carry various necessary commodities in stock are: A. P.
Allen, Artman & Heilman, John S. Bryan, Nick Cieply, Thomas Flynn Company,
Ford City Merchandise Company, I. Friedman, George Criss, T. A. Heilman, Conrad
Krahe & Son, G. W. Larkins, I. Lefkowsky, N. Liberto, A. M. Mateer, Moore
& McCutcheon, P. R. McGrann, H. Horowitz, David Pollock, W. S. Schrader,
Mrs. C. M. Thiry, Zentis & Krahe.
PROFESSIONAL
The resident physicians are Drs. Jesse E. Ambler, Albert E. Bower, David I.
Giarth, Carl H. Robensteen, Orin C. Campbell, D. S. Grant. The dentists are Drs.
J. K. Beatty and W. A. Frederick.A. L. Ivory & Sons are the leading real estate agents, August Klose is
the justice of the peace, and J. F. McNutt is the city notary. The only
photographer in the city is Walter G. Campbell.
SCHOOLS
Ford City is well supplied in the way of educational facilities, having a
fine brick grammar school and a large high school. The principal of the grammar
school is Prof. W. W. Irwin, and of the high school, Prof. C. D. Cook.In 1913 the number of schools was 12; months taught, 9; male teachers, 3;
female teachers, 14; average salaries, male, $84.44; female, $62.70; male
scholars, 220; female scholars, 235; average attendance, 407; cost per month of
each scholar, $3.44; amount tax levied, $26,130.40; received from State,
$3,477.50; from other sources, $26,788.63; value of schoolhouses, $13,500;
teachers’ wages, $11,720; other expenses, $19,111.76.The school commissioners for that year were: John G. Shearer, president; F.
Reisgen, secretary; E. E. Morrison, treasurer; John Seckinger, Dr. A. E. Bower.
RELIGIOUS MATTERS
Ford City is well supplied with churches, almost all of the principal
denominations being represented here. All of the buildings are new, and some of
them are of the finest order of architecture and furnishing. When St. Mary’s
Catholic Church is completed it will be the largest and most artistic religious
edifice in this part of Pennsylvania, outside of Pittsburgh and the other large
cities.Ford Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1889, the first services
being held in the Opera House by Rev. William Hall of the Oakland circuit. The
present handsome brick building was erected in 1890, at a cost of $12,000, the
parsonage being valued at $5,000. The membership is now 250, with 375 in the
Sunday school. The present pastor is Rev. M. R. Hackman. The trustees are:
William Gregg, Daniel Core, A. B. Mooney, Dr. R. G. Giarth, Noah Beatty, James
Speakman and John Miller.The First Presbyterian Church was organized May 3, 1891, with 52 members, and
Rev. J. H. Sutherland as pastor. This building was erected in 1891-2 at a cost
of $20,000. The successive pastors have been Revs. S. R. Frazier, 1895-98; H. F.
Kerr, 1899-1901, H. U. Davis, 1901-6; A. B. Mimmager, 1906-7; M. H. Bush,
1907-11. The present pastor is Rev. Clarke Hoon, who came in October, 1912. The
membership of the church is 212 and of the Sunday school, 210.St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church was organized soon after the beginning of
the city’s settlement, and has a large membership of the English Catholics. A
parochial school and convent are connected with the church, of which Father
Benedict Baldauf is pastor. He is engaged in the great work of erecting the
beautiful stone structure, of Gothic design, mentioned above, the cost of which
cannot now be computed, but will be above $160,000.The Baptist congregation occupy a handsome pressed brick edifice, near the
schoolhouse, the value of which is $20,000. The present pastor is Rev. T. A.
Lloyd.The German Lutherans occupy the oldest church building in the city, opposite
the schoolhouse, but are contemplating the erection of a larger and more modern
building in the near future. The pastor in charge is Rev. Johannes E. Burgdorf.Holy Trinity Slavic Catholic congregation are served by Father Marsalec, and
have a neat and convenient church building.St. Francis Polish Catholic congregation have Rev. Father Siatecki as pastor.
Their home is a fine brick building in the centre of the town, dedicated in
1913.A Greek Catholic congregation has been organized for some time, the present
pastor being Rev. Stephen Waszlyshger.
CITY OFFICIALS AND MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS
The borough officials are: Amos T. Fair, burgess; A. B. Mohney, assessor;
David Reynolds, Jr., tax collector; Amos A. Schaffer, auditor; Harry Drury,
Walter J. Legg, Charles Stewart, Joseph Thery and Charles Vencel, councilmen.
The present postmaster is W. J. Boggs.The city is well supplied with water for fire protection and domestic use by
the municipally owned plant, which takes its supply from the Allegheny. A
reservoir is located on the lofty hill east of the town, and the pressure is
ample without the use of engines to extinguish any fire.The fire department is composed of one fire company of thirty members, who
volunteer their services. The officers are: J. B. Weaver, president; John F.
Bower, secretary; Frank McNutt, treasurer. The fire chief is D.A. Duff. In
addition to this protection the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company have a paid fire
department and a hose truck, on duty night and day, which responds to all alarms
in the city. They have frequently been the means of saving the town from
disastrous conflagrations.The fire alarm system, just installed, is the Star Electric and similar to
those in most large cities. Boxes are located at convenient points and the
pulling down of a hook automatically sounds the alarm.Besides the waterworks, the city operates its own electric light plant,
lighting the streets and public buildings and supplying the citizens with light
and power also. It has been found necessary to increase the capacity of the
plant, and the coming year the borough authorities will probably rebuild it
entirely on a larger scale. Both the water and lighting rates are much lower
than those of Kittanning.The assessment returns for 1913 show: Number of acres, 249, valued at,
$74,925; houses and lots, 824, value, $572,602, average, $694.90; horses, 79,
value, $2,665, average, $33-73; cows, 33, value, $500, average, $15.15; taxable
occupations, 1,862, amount, $100,105; total valuation, $1,224,197. Money at
interest, $62,069.87.
MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS
The State Highways Commission has surveyed a road from Kittanning to the
lower limits of the city, which will cut the distance considerably and permit
closer communication with the former borough. For years this road has been much
needed, as the approach of winter almost cut off communication between the towns
over the country roads, which were usually seas of mud.A bond issue of $50,000 has been authorized for the construction of a bridge
across the Allegheny, at the lower end of town, below the glass works, and there
is a controversy between the Pennsylvania, the glass company and the county
commissioners regarding the height and span of the structure. The city proposes
to build the approaches over the Pennsylvania tracks, in order to avoid the high
water. The railroad objects. The span of the bridge is to be 400 feet in width.Ford City has the distinction of having the only public park possessed by any
borough in Armstrong county. This does not speak well for the other towns.
However, the forests and rivers surround all of the municipalities of the county
and are of easy access to the tired workers.
SOCIETIES
Fraternal orders are well represented in Ford City. Among the prominent
orders are: Masons, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias,
Fraternal Order of Eagles, Modern Woodmen, Elks, Moose, Knights of the Maccabees,
Order of Owls, Independent Order of Americans, Knights of St. George and Red
Men.
POPULATION
The population of Ford City in 1900, the first enumeration since its
incorporation as a borough, was 2,870. In 1910 the total population was 4,850.
Of this 2,536 persons were native whites and 2,314 were of foreign birth and
unnaturalized. This explains the many points of difference between this borough
and those of the county whose history runs from the early days of settlement.
Given years and opportunity Ford City will present an interesting history for
record by future chroniclers.Source: Page(s) 103-135, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and Present,
J. H. Beers & Co., 19114.
Transcribed September 1999 by Sara Stewart for the Armstrong County Smith
Project.
Contributed by Sara Stewart for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project
(http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)Armstrong County Genealogy Project Notice:
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