10-28-1682 William Penn first lands on Pennsylvania soil.
02-04-1771 Richard Penn, son of William and owner of ¼ of Pennsylvania, died leaving his interest to his oldest son, John Penn.
06-17-1775 General Joseph Warren killed at "Battle of Bunker Hill".
08-29-1787 N.Y.-PA boundary survey party has Indian trouble at Kiantone.
10-26-1805 Total levies on all taxable Warren Co. property, $441.12 ½.
07-14-1806 Warren Co. has 74 horses and 169 cows.
10-02-1808 Warren Co. taxables paid six mills, bachelors .75 apiece extra.
01-03-1810 Methodist Rev. Joshua Monrow preaches at Squire Jackson's in Warren "a very small village".
12-16-1811 Two severe earthquakes in Warren Co.
07-05-1816 Ice formed on Allegheny in year without a summer.
01-30-1817 First church established in Warren Co. (Brokenstraw Church, Presbyterian).
02-03-1818 22 inches of snow falls in Warren Co. in 19 hours.
03-25-1824 Warren mob attacks Jake Hook, unpopular lumber speculator, resulting in Warren Co.'s first murder trial.
07-24-1824 Conewango Immigrant", Warren Co.'s first paper.
11-13-1824 Beef in Warren, 3 ½ cents per pound.
05-24-1826 First 4 horse stage arrived in Warren from Dunkirk.
01-11-1827 Population of Jamestown, New York, 393.
05-01-1828 11 retailers in Warren Co.
05-01-1828 47 rafts of 100,000 to 200,000 ft. each, loaded with shingles pass Warren.
05-22-1828 Warren building boom! 13 dwellings and a courthouse under construction.
04-23-1830 "The Allegheny", first steamboat on upper Allegheny, built by Warren Capital, makes first trip.
07-22-1830 Venison hams 1 ½ cents per pound in Warren.
06-16-1832 Warren Boro Council votes $10 to improve Water St. (PA Ave. now)
10-05-1835 Warren Methodists first organized.
07-20-1836 Construction of Warren-Ridgway turnpike (railroad, Rt. 6 now).
01-25-1840 Six feet of snow fell in Warren Co.
07-17-1840 Warren hay scales moved to public square.
10-30-1840 Josiah Chandler, who gave his name to Chandlers Valley, died.
03-28-1844 Hogs and swine of any age prohibited on Warren Streets by council.
12-16-1848 Wave No. 2 steamboat from Pittsburgh arrives at Warren with flour in 60 hours.
02-05-1849 Company of California gold-rushers organized in Warren.
03-05-1849 First telegraph line into Warren Co. from Fredonia.
03-06-1849 Exchange building burned. Warren's first big fire.
03-08-1851 Sun darkened for a week by wild passenger pigeon flight over Warren and Forest Counties.
06-04-1859 The great June frost in Warren Co.
12-21-1859 First Erie to Warren passenger train.
04-17-1861 Henry R. Rouse, Warren Co. benefactor, and eight others lose lives in oil fire.
06-22-1861 Warren Guards mustered into Civil War service.
07-23-1861 George A. Cobham enlists for Civil War.
03-09-1862 Monitor defeats Merrimac. Monitor boiler made in Warren by Struthers-Wells predecessors (Brown Brothers).
07-20-1864 Warren's Col. George A. Cobham killed at Peach Tree Creek.
03-29-1865 Allegheny flood does $2 million damage in Warren. (This was the highest the river ever has been in Warren.)
03-17-1866 Last wolf killed in Warren Co. by James Irvine, Mead Twp.
07-20-1866 Mrs. Rachel Weatherby, Russell, buys lightning rod.
09-10-1874 Cornerstone of Warren State Hospital laid.
02-01-1875 David Beaty starts Warren's first oil well.
05-10-1876 Work on present Warren Co. courthouse started.
06-01-1876 Warren has three ice cream parlors and seven soda fountains.
06-01-1877 Warren Co. has 189 ½ schools; 56 male teachers at $46.27 per month, 230 women at $26.78 per month.
04-24-1879 Glade Run Tannery burns.
06-17-1879 Palace Picture Boat, anchored at Warren suspension bridge, offers four enlargements for 50 cents.
01-09-1882 Thomas Struthers proposes to erect a Library building if the town will buy the site.
02-23-1882 Warren public meeting accepts Thomas Struthers offer to build a library.
06-10-1882 Cherry Grove oil discovery sent market to 52 ½ cents per barrel, lowest in eight years. Warren speculators kept six Oil Exchange telegraphers busy executing orders.
06-20-1882 "Warren Mail" reports American Institute of Mining Engineers experts predict "exhaustion of PA oil fields in four years" when world will go back to sperm oil and candles.
06-20-1882 Warren has 21 passenger trains daily.
07-29-1882 Last timbers laid on Kinzua Bridge.
09-02-1882 Kinzua Bridge near Mt. Jewett, "once a world wonder" completed.
09-28-1882 P. T. Barnum & Jumbo Show in Warren near Oak St.
10-19-1882 Stone lock-up built on Warren's river bank.
02-10-1883 David Beaty starts Conewango Creek ferry after flood.
07-01-1883 Warren streets first lighted by gas.
09-30-1883 355 patients in Warren State Hospital, 2400 in 1940.
11-16-1883 General Grant visits the Kinzua Bridge near Mt. Jewett. Also while President, he was arrested near Kane, PA and fined $5.00 for fishing out of season.
02-07-1888 Warren Water Works pump house burned.
08-20-1888 J. T. Newell started printing apprenticeship on "Warren Mail" at $1.50 per 60 hr. week.
09-03-1891 Warren Y.M.C.A. pays $6,000 for lot near suspension bridge (on which it is later prevented from building).
01-22-1892 Warren preacher fired for kissing Bethany Home inmates.
03-20-1892 Fire destroyed Corydon business section.
05-20-1893 Last Warren Co. passenger pigeon seen.
07-02-1895 Warren Centennial celebration starts.
08-13-1900 S. E. Walker launches Warren Evening Times.
04-19-1901 Many loons, blinded by snowstorm, shot at Warren.
09-20-1902 Football score: Jamestown H. S. 0, Warren H.S. 0.
01-14-1905 Warren Auto Co. completes car for N.Y. auto show. Jamison car, one person steamer.
02-18-1909 "Todays Magazine" (published in Warren) mailing weighs six tons.
09-01-1914 Last known passenger pigeon died in Cincinnati Zoo.
03-02-1939 Chief of U. S. Engineers recommends to Congress building of Kinzua Dam at cost of $35,700,000. (Total cost was 108 million).

Ever wondered why they built covered bridges? It was to protect the wooden floors from the weather; however, in the winter they shoveled snow inside the bridge so sleighs could be pulled through.

First bridge to Russell across the Conewango was built in 1827 or 28 And again built in 1840 and replaced again in 1853 by F. E. Perkins, which was then torn down in 1937. All were covered. After the last bridge was built a tax was levied on all Pine Grove Township residents. At this time Lander was known as western Pine Grove and the people there said they were not going to pay for a bridge that will be no use to them so they seceded from Pine Grove and called themselves Farmington. ($5.00 fine for taking horse over bridge faster than a walk.)

Before bridges were built in Warren, one had to use a ferry to get to the other side. November 4, 1839, Warren's first bridge over the Allegheny was being built from Hazel Street on the north end to where Main Street on the south side is now. The covered bridge opened the day before Christmas in 1841, after considerable problems. Some time later a bad wind storm blew off the top and while no one fixed the roof the floor timers started to rot. Not receiving proper care, during the winter of 1854-55 it collapsed in pieces into the river. This put ferries back into operation. Even the deceased had to ferried to Oakland Cemetery. After a while the fellow running the ferry started charging to much. The cemetery got angry and bought the ferry and ran it until the very beautiful suspension bridge was opened in 1871. Original estimates for the cost of the suspension bridge was $26,450, but it ended up costing nearly $45,000. So things sure haven't changed much in 100 years. To pay for this bridge, tolls were established and in effect for about 25 years. Suspension bridge tolls were: 4 horse vehicle – 25 cents ox – 3 cents

2 horse vehicle – 12 cents sheep and goats – 2 cents

1 horse vehicle - 8 cents Persons – 2 cents (includes the bikes)

1 horse, mule-saddled – 5 cents round trip – 3 cents

Half rate for funerals

July 4, 1887 – Residents of Clarendon were enjoying a festive time watching a parade and later fireworks at dark. About 9:30 P.M. while the firework display was being set off, fire started in the engine room of the local water company. Sparks quickly leaped from building to building and 150 building were completely destroyed; including every hotel, restaurant and store. Forty acres in the very center of town were black. The fire was so hot, enough to burn wooden sewer pipes three feet underground to a point were they collapsed and the earth caved in. When word was received from Clarendon for help, Struthers Hose Co., Warren's Fire Dept. loaded their fire engine on a railroad car and took it to Clarendon, but arriving too late to do much good.

Melting snow from the St. Patrick's Day storm 3-17-36 that dumped 23 inches on Warren, another 12 or so inches on 3-21 and heavy rains on 3-27 caused the Conewango Creek to rise much above flood stage. A swinging foot bridge at North Warren erected in 1927 from private funds was posted at each approach (Private Property). This combination brought 13 young people to the bridge who were making merry; some prancing and dancing upon the bridge, the footboards of which were almost lapping the water. At each jump it sagged further and finally it dipped so far into the water the current caught it, snapping the poles anchoring the west approach, dumping 10 into the Creek. Two girls drowned. With surprising speed news of the tragedy spread through Warren in less than an hour. Conewango Avenue had to be closed due to a traffic jam.

Chautauqua Lake had many steamboats. The first was Chautauqua #1, built and launched in 1828 near the boat landing in Jamestown. The engine having been made in Pittsburgh was brought up the Allegheny on keelboats to Warren and by wagon to the boat landing. The Chautauqua ran a few years and then was dismantled. Most early steamboats were unprofitable. Aug. 14, 1872, Chautauqua #2 exploded with a terrific report killing 8 people. The whole bow was torn to splinters. The stern rent into fragments and the water and land for 20 rods around was covered with broken timbers. The mighty Jamestown was launched in 1875, could carry 3,000 passengers and the fare for the round trip was 25 cents with a stay of 4 hours at Bemis Point. The morning of 10-23-1892, the Jamestown burned to the waters edge at her pier at the boat landing. The steamer, City of Erie, tied alongside was nearly destroyed. Competition was intense as more boats were launched and many collisions and races between the rival steamboat lines occurred. After the City of Buffalo and City of New York were of no further use they were sold to the operators of Celoron Park and burned before a crowd of 25,000 people. Other steamers to run the Lake were the Chicago, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Cleveland.

To sell lumber, furniture and other wares down river, workmen would construct a trading boat or rafts to be floated down river during high water. An Allegheny raft could be three sections wide, measuring about 51 x 320 feet. three steering oars were required on each end and each raft was manned by a crew of 12 plus pilot and cook. When they reached their destination, Pittsburgh and points beyond, the wares were unloaded and the boats or rafts were broken up and the lumber was sold as well. Then the men would walk back home.

Trees were the cheapest things in Warren County. People held logging bees where thousands of trees were cut and burned three to five months later just to get rid of them. Pine Grove Township had some of the largest white pine trees in the world. Some would reach five feet across. Many pine trees were shipped to South Carolina to be use as ship masts. The logs had to be 80 feet long, no black knots and squared at least 16 x 18 inches at the top.

The heavy snow commenced thawing some days ago and on March 17, 1865, rain fell heavily nearly all day to cause the greatest flood in the history of Warren when the River crested at 19.4 feet. Nearly all the boards, logs and timber along the river bank were gone. Glade Landing was entirely cleared out. Many Warren men lost all their lumber; some losses valued at $12,000 and more and other lost more heavily in timber and shingles. Ballard & Co. on the Island lost several buildings and all of several thousand oil barrels worth some $3.00 each and a large quantity of staves. They recovered a good many barrels between here and Tidioute. Damage downstream was much worse in Oil City with damages over $5 million. 60,000 barrels of oil lost, 150 boats smashed, 200 buildings and homes destroyed and miles of railroad track gone. Other big Warren floods were 3-27-13, 3-27-36 and 3-8-56, river crested at 18.3 ft., second highest. 1-29-59, ice flood. However, in June 1972 when the Allegheny watershed received up to 12 inches of rain from hurricane Agnes, the river in Warren would have crested at 20.8 ft. without Kinzua Dam, causing more damage from Warren to Pittsburgh and beyond than the dam cost.

1816 (The Year without the Summer) – This was caused by the eruption of Mount Tambora, Indonesia in 1815, the most explosive volcano in the last 10,000 years. Cold and frost June 6 through 11, July 9, and August 21 and 30. Ice on the Conewango Creek and Allegheny River was 2 feet thick. People in this area had a very hard time and many in the New England area and Europe starved to death because frost every month killed all but the hardiest of plants. Small lakes north of the St. Lawrence River were still covered with ice in the middle of July. In places the ice was strong enough to bear the weight of Indians.

Kinzua Bridge, near Kane, PA was assembled in 1882 in 94 days by the Erie Railroad in order to connect coal mines in Elk and Jefferson Counties to the Erie mainline in southern New York. When completed, and at the time, it stood as the highest railroad viaduct ever built. The single, standard gauge railroad track was supported by 2 wrought iron towers which ranged in height from 16 to 278 feet. In 1900 a new bridge was built in 115 days to carry heavier locomotives and larger car capacity loads. The line was discontinued in 1959 and made a state park in 1963.

The passenger pigeon was unbelievable. There were billions and they were very prevalent in Warren County. The would fly over in flocks that sounded like thunder; so large it would block out the sun for hours. Slightly longer and slimmer than a domesticated pigeon they would fly about 50 miles an hour and while in flight, noise of the wings and of the cries would make it impossible for one to hear another even in shouting. To some certain spots in the forest they would return each night after flying perhaps 4 or 5 hundred miles foraging for food. At daybreak the next day they would be off again. These places in the forest appeared as though a storm had blown away most of the limbs. Thousands of birds would be killed nightly as even a large limb weighted too heavily would crash to the ground. All the undergrowth was destroyed. Thousands of acres of forest land became desolate waste. They always lived in flocks and one roosting place in Kentucky was several miles wide and 40 miles long. People killed them by the millions. Sometimes they would fly so close to the ground while a flock was going over they could be knocked down with a pole. Salt beds lured the birds to the ground, then they were netted. One could fire a gun in the air without sighting and bring down four or five. People would go into a roost and knock down nests. The young birds were a delicacy, and pigeon pot pie was delicious. Thousands of barrels of pigeons were shipped to New York markets where they were sold for 50 cents a dozen. Millions were killed to feed pigs. It's been thought many millions were killed in a storm while flying over the Great Lakes.

June 4, 1859 – 11 A.M., it began snowing. By 4 P.M. two inches of snow on ground. About 4:30 P.M. the snow began to melt and before dark it was gone. It cleared up and began to freeze. In the morning all crops were gone, every- thing was frozen stiff. At 9 A.M. it cleared off and everything steamed and wilted. The leaves fell off the trees and in a few days the woods were as bare as winter.

Warren-Jamestown Street Railway Company – Siggin Brothers of Warren, who owned the Warren City Lines, built the interurban from Warren to Jamestown in 1905. It entered Jamestown on the side of the street running on Foote Avenue from the city line to about Camp Street where it operated in the center of the street to about Harrison Street. At South Main it turned the corner on a curb side track to terminate in front of the Humphrey House Hotel. Originally, hourly service was given to Warren and a local car from Frewsburg came in just ahead of each Warren car. The 20 mile route was largely roadside and served the small villages in the Conewango Valley. The first cars were fine, heavy St. Louis interurbans but several of these cars were destroyed in an early car barn fire and second hand, less luxurious equipment was used until 1924. Three light weight cars were assigned the run after this year and the Frewsburg locals were discontinued. The Warren-Jamestown Railway Company line ceased operation on December 12, 1929.

If you lived in the area in 1950, think back! What were you doing Sunday afternoon, 3 P.M., Sept. 24, 1950? It got dark; as dark as any night ever was until about 5 P.M. when it began to get light again. There was no wind, rain or any smell of smoke. People were bewitched, bothered and bewildered as a cool, clear Sunday afternoon was turned into a cold pitch-black night. Others thought a new secret weapon was being tested to darken targets from enemy bombers. (This was before modern radar and guided missiles.) Thousands prayed for salvation, believing the end of the world was at hand. Drivers burned up the highways for their homes when the darkness came. State police stopped many speeding motorist but made no arrests. Airplanes flying over Erie reported intense heat could be felt at altitudes of 13,000 feet. The cause—immense smoke from forest fires burning over a 90 square mile thickly wooded area of northern Alberta sent the orange and black smoke pall sweeping over the 800 mile area of Canada and north eastern United States. An Ashtabula, Ohio minister that Sunday used the text "The End of the World". He stressed that the end would come with an orange glow and a flash of light. The impressed church-goers returned home to find the skies already a brilliant orange. Ashtabula police were flooded with calls, many from those who had listened to the sermon.

Once again, thank you to my cousin, Greg for this fascinating information. Apparently, he has even more time on his hands than I do.


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