Area Lore – Somerset County

Probably the most remarkable manner ever used to extinguish a fire occurred at the mining town of Boswell, Pennsylvania in the early morning hours of January 16, 1908. Ten buildings were ablaze and the flames, which had practically destroyed one building, were making rapid headway toward another in which was stored a large quantity of … Read more

John Hyatt, one of the early settlers of this township, was a native of Maryland. He came with several others, accompanied by a number of slaves, to Turkey-Foot soon after the settlement began. While crossing the Negro mountain, a party of Indians fired upon them and mortally wounded one of the negroes, the strongest man … Read more

The first blacksmith shop in Berlin that is remembered by the old residents of that place was conducted by one Schmidtbarndt. This old shop stood on Main street at about the center of the second square east of the lower diamond. and opposite the graveyard of the Reformed Church. The people of that day were … Read more

Fort Hill is one of the many peculiar natural mounds belonging to the terrace formation, which are found in various parts of the United States. It is a hill of considerable altitude, having an area of about one hundred acres, of which seven acres, nearly level, but sloping toward the center, from the top. Its … Read more

One of the original settlers of the township, Joseph Markley, became the owner of a tract of land along the Casselman River. He also claimed a portion of the land on the opposite side of the river which a man named Judy also laid claim to. One day the two claimants met on the hill … Read more

While Judge Henry S. Picking was engaged in hotel-keeping, like every other landlord, he occasionally had some very queer customers. Once a stranger arrived, carrying a heavy bag, which he placed upon the bar, informing Mr. Picking that it contained nails. He stayed over night, and when he paid his bill in the morning the … Read more

Among the curious characters who used to travel the pike was a wagoner named John Carr, best known as “Devil” Carr, who was very much of a bully. Once, while driving over Laurel ridge, about a mile from Picking’s hotel, Carr met a peddler on a large flat rock, which covers the road for some … Read more

The most interesting spot in Addison township is the old graveyard at the Six Poplars, on the bottom-land of the Casselman river. There are fully one hundred graves in this old cemetery, and the names of the greater portion of those buried here are now lost in oblivion. Few of the headstones have inscriptions upon … Read more

William Oldham moved to Shade township in 1827. At that time every aspect of the surrounding country was exceedingly wild; there were no public roads; the nearest neighbor lived six miles distant; school and church were eight miles away. Mr. Oldham was an expert hunter and captured many bears and wolves. He once shot seven … Read more

The city of Germany, a paper town, was laid out by Dr. Samuel F. Conover, of Philadelphia, in 1810. Its site is about six miles northeast of Buckstown, in the Sand Spring school district, somewhere about the junction of the two streams that form the Beaver dam run. The locality is sometimes also referred to … Read more