Crawford County, Pennsylvania
History
1876 ATLAS 1
"HISTORY OF THE VILLAGES AND TOWNSHIPS OF CRAWFORD COUNTY."
FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP.
This township was formed in 1811; it contains ten thousand seven hundred and fifty-six acres. The soil is a gravelly loam. It contains no villages save the hamlets of Custard's Post-Office and Calvin's Corners. The first township election was held at the house of Abram Kightlinger. The first Justice appointed was Alexander Dunn, and the next was James Herrington. Aaron Wright was a resident in April, 1792, and Barney McCormick and John Hulings in August, 1793. Each took possession of a four-hundred-acre tract, which bore the name of the settler. Shortly after, Kightlinger settled on a tract lying between Wright and Huling. Joseph Dickson followed, and settled southeast of McCormick. Archibald Hill, Hays, and N. Hancock, were settlers prior to 1800. Near Cochranton, Buchanon settled on a large tract of land.
The three first-named settlers went energetically to work and put up cabins, planted fruit-seed, and cleared out the light growth of wood and deadened the heavy timber. Wright is reputed to have set out the first nursery. The first frame barn was built on land settled by Patrick Dunn. Archibald Hill built a stone house in 1816. It was torn down in 1868 and a frame erected on the old foundation. The first road from Pittsburgh to Erie, and known as a State road, traversed the township. Along this route munitions of war were carried to the fort at Erie, and the discharged soldiers returned from the campaign. On the lands of Mrs. Nelson and the heirs of John Waters sandstone and flagstone have been, and still are, quarried. The first grist-mill was erected by James Herrington in 1803, near the mouth of Conneaut Creek, and the pioneer saw-mill by James Mumford in 1814. It was worn out, replaced, and this worn out; the site is shown by the remains of the old dam. The first place for barter in goods was on Conneaut Outlet, near the Canal, and was kept by Ferrill and Powers in 1830. A man named John Marsh had the first blacksmith-shop in Fairfield. Alexander Dunn kept the first tavern, in the house now occupied by James Nelson. Conrad was the second inn-keeper, and Samuel Powers the third. The first meeting-house was erected by the "Seceders," near the mouth of Conneaut; it was built of hewed logs in about 1811. The Rev. Daniel McLean was the first to preach in it. The first regular stated preacher was Samuel Smith, of the "Union" sect. John Brooks and Elizabeth Wright were united in marriage in 1808. The reputed first birth in the township among the settlers was that of Margaret Dickson, in 1795. Drs. Kennedy and Bemus were the first to practice in Fairfield. The primitive log school-house was built in 1801, and stood at the roadside opposite the present residence of A.W. Mumford; it was of the well-known backwoods type, and what little was taught by its master was taught well. Although the teacher was master, he could be kind, and he did require attention to lessons. The first fine stock imported into Fairfield was brought in by G. Merryman, John Lynch, and A. W. Mumford. As illustrative of early zeal in literary culture, a public library was originated in Fairfield in 1816 by Aaron Wright, James Herrington, and others; and was the first enterprise of its kind in Crawford County. A Town Hall was built in 1856. It has been in constant use to the present as a room for a select school during the week and a Sabbath-school on Sunday. The first school-teacher in the school above referred to was James Douglass; his successor was named Gray. On one occasion in the early day John Minniss was called to Meadville to attend a training, leaving his wife Sarah, now Mrs. Dr. Taylor, of Meadville, alone in an unfinished, roofless cabin. As evening came on, supper was laid on the table, and finally, about midnight, Mrs. Minniss went to bed. She soon heard a scratching upon the logs outside, and hastened to hide herself in a large zinc-lined, spring-closed chest. To avoid the fate of Ginevra, she kept her fingers under the lid, and presently a panther leaped upon the chest and nearly crushed them by his weight; thence it sprang upon the table, ate to suit its fancy, devoured a ham and some fish, jumped down and departed. The poor woman stayed in her retreat till morning and then hastened over the frozen ground to a neighbor's, where she fell exhausted. The incident illustrates one of the many perils encountered by the women of the backwoods in that day.
