Crawford County, Pennsylvania

1876 ATLAS ¹
"HISTORY OF THE VILLAGES AND TOWNSHIPS OF CRAWFORD COUNTY."

SUMMIT TOWNSHIP.
Summit was formed from Sadsbury and Summer Hill in 1841. The elections had been held below Conneaut Lake, and the new township was organized as a convenience in this respect. The first township election was held in a school-house in the village of The first death in the township was of Mrs. Bright, wife of Henry Bright, Sr. As was the rude, but necessary custom of the time, her remains were buried on the farm. One of the artifices of the pioneers to obtain a href to their lands, which were to become valuable eventually, was that of William McFadden, who nominally settled on a tract of land about half a mile west of Harmonsburg, put up a small log cabin, deadened a small piece of timber, and cleared a patch of ground. It is observable that almost all the early settlers planted out orchards on their arrival, guarded them carefully, and enjoyed in quantity what they lacked in quality of the fruit. The first raising in the township was of a hewed-log barn for Brown; it was of immense size, being sixty feet long and thirty-two feet wide. People came to the raising from a distance of twelve miles, and two days were occupied at the work. The first framed barn was put up by John McClure, and soon after a second was raised by John Smith, son of the old settler. The first grist-mill was built by Henry Bright, on Prairie Run, just south of Harmonsburg; a saw-mill was put up near by some time later. In about 1806, a man named Swartz, who had come out with Gehr, built a small tannery on Bright's farm, and followed tanning a few years. Gehr & Brown had the next. Many of the old settlers had stills and manufactured their own liquors, which were comparatively harmless and positively pure. The first religious meeting was held at Gehr's by Swartz, who was class-leader and exhorter. Medical attendance was obtained at Evansburg [now Conneaut Lake]. Harmonsburg is the only village in the township. Bright laid out the village in 1816. The first house built in the place was constructed by Joseph McMoultrie, a solider of 1812. This primitive log structure was used for several years as a tavern. The next building was a frame, built by Ephraim Chitister, and used for a tavern; it is still standing. One Whately Barrett, a school-teacher from Vermont, kept the first store in McMoultrie's tavern stand. Luper put up the second house, a log, on the present site of Luper's store. Nathaniel Jones was the village smith for a score of years. The first school was undertaken by Mrs. Knox in her own home, while her husband was out finding employment by days' work. Carson Sloan, who taught during the winter of 1815-16 in the humblest of school-houses of early days, was the first male teacher. "Barring out the master" was a pastime remembered by the aged when many other events had passed from the mind. Such is an example of the power and importance of youthful impressions.

1. Combination Atlas Map of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, Compiled, Drawn and Published From Personal Examinations and Surveys (Philadephia: Everts, Ensign & Everts, 1876), 24½.