[p. 45] Early Roads — New Castle and Wilmington Plank Road — Canal Traffic — Steamboats — Steam Railroads — Street Railway System.
At the time of the first white settlements in this region the only roads were Indian trails, which generally followed the course of larger streams, though they occasionally deviated from them to follow the "divides" or high land between the streams, as was the case with the trail leading from Moravia to Kush-kush-kee. All the principal trails in this region centered at Kush-kush-kee, which was for many years the most important Indian town in this region, being a large village and the capital of "King Beaver." A common means of locomotion was by canoe navigation on the Beaver and its branches, the Mahoning and the Shenango. For some years the white settlers made use of footpaths through the forest, along which they transported various goods, including household furniture, from Pittsburg on horseback, using the pack-saddle. In 1805, or thereabouts, the State of Pennsylvania appointed "viewers" to lay out and establish what are to this day known as the "State roads." "One of the earliest of these was laid out from the Scrub Grass Creek in Venango County, via New Castle, to Youngstown, Ohio. It passed through New Castle on North Street which at that time was the principal thoroughfare of the town. The Pittsburg Turnpike was opened at an early day, and a road to Mercer was among the first running north from New Castle. The Beaver River Road was opened as early as 1805. It followed the river as near as practicable. The oldest road between New Castle and Mercer passed through Fayett. Another was afterwards opened via Wilmington."
In 1850 a company organized to construct the above-mentioned road was chartered by the Legislature, its first officers being: A. L. Crawford, president; William Dickson, secretary and treasurer, and Shubael Wilder, G. W. Crawford, John M. Crawford, R. H. Peebles, Thomas Falls, Joseph Kissick and Frederick Rheinholdt, directors. The principal contractors were David Emery and John Moorehead. According to the charter a connection was to be made with New Wilmington, situated nine miles north of New Castle, but for some reason the road was only constructed as far as the coal banks, in Neshannock Township, about four miles from the city. It was completed and opened to the public in 1853. As described by a former historian, "Toll gates were erected, and Mr. A. Cubbison was appointed the first toll-keeper. One track, consisting of three-inch oak plank, eight feet in length, was laid, the loaded teams coming into New Castle, taking the plank, and all teams going north using the portion of the grade [p. 46] not planked. The road bed was handsomely graded and the track was so perfect that a common load for two horses was from three to four tons. It was an immense improvement over the old wagon road, and a very large traffic was constantly passing over it.
A. L. Crawford, the first president of the company, served three years, being succeeded in 1856 by Thomas Falls, who served four years. Then Frederick Rheinholdt was president two years, and was followed in 1863 by Henry C. Falls, who held the office subsequently until the dissolution of the company, in 1872, when the toll gates were removed and the charter surrendered. From 1863 until 1872 the following persons served as officers of the company: Henry C. Falls, president; William Patterson, secretary and treasurer; R. H. Peebles, G. W. Crawford, R. W. Cunningham, Shubael Wilder, Joseph Kissick, A. L. Crawford and Frederick Rheinholdt, directors. These years were both profitable and satisfactory to the stockholders, and pleasant to the officers of the company, a large amount of business being done and high dividends paid. The road was a great convenience to the public, especially to the owners of coal lands, and to coal dealers, and the farming community generally. But when the steam railroad came into competition in the transportation of coal the plank road was forced to succumb. The old bed is now used as a turnpike and makes the best wagon road in the county.
The Beaver Division of the Pennsylvania Canal was completed to the "Western Reserve Harbor, about five miles above New Castle, in November, 1833, and opened for business. The Ohio division, called the "Cross-Cut" canal, was finished and opened for traffic in 1838. From those dates down to about 1871, when the canals were abandoned for transportation purposes, a vast amount of business was transacted, and the canal system of navigation was considered the ideal one for the transportation of goods and passengers. The first canal boats were adapted to both freight and passenger business. Later "packets," which were constructed expressly for the accommodation of the traveling public, and which ran at a much greater rate of speed than the regular "liners," were put on by Captain Thomas Campbell, Bridgewater. The first of these was the "General Mercer," which began running in the spring of 1843, between New Castle and Bridgewater. Captain Campbell's packets were followed by another line, known as the "New Castle Packet Line," which were built for both freight and passengers. "The days of the canal were busy and jolly ones, and many a veteran 'captain' won his 'name and fame' by patient labor along the slack-water navigation of the Beaver Valley. But the 'boatman's horn' is heard no more, and the sailorless hulks lie here and there, slowly rotting in the sun."
For an inland town New Castle has at times put on quite a nautical air. The year 1840 witnessed the launching of a steamboat, which was built by Doctor Joseph Pollock, and put on to run between Pittsburg and New Castle. The boat was actually constructed by David Frisbie, a ship and steamboat builder from New York City, and was launched at the canal basin in July of the year mentioned. The doctor's son, Hiram, and his son-in-law, Captain William McMillen, each had an interest in the new venture. The steamboat was christened the "Isaphena," after the doctor's daughter, and was put in command of Capt. McMillen. It was soon found, however, that the new vessel was built too sharp at the bow and too deep for the waters of the Beaver River, and accordingly a new flat-bottomed hull was constructed and her upper works and engine were transferred to the new hull in October, 1840. It was provided with two very [p. 47] peculiar wheels constructed from an idea of Doctor Pollock's, which operated without producing any wake, thus avoiding the washing of the banks which an ordinary steamer produces. The new craft was very popular and took all the passenger business, until Messrs. Reed, Parks & Co., who were running the packet line, constructed two superior vessels fitted up with sleeping berths and other conveniences. These boats connected with a line of fine steamers at Beaver and the passengers were carried between New Castle and Pittsburg without delay. The competition of these new packets compelled the proprietors of the "Isaphena" to seek other channels for business, and the steamer was accordingly put on the Monongahela River, and ran for a number of months in 1841 between Pittsburg and Monongahela City. Afterwards it was enlarged and improved, and from 1842 was engaged in the Southern cotton trade on the lower Mississippi.
Dr. Pollock settled on a farm in Shenango Township, then in Beaver County, in 1826, coming from Williamsport, now Monongahela City. From 1835 until his death, in 1856, he was a resident of New Castle but practiced medicine only among a limited few after settling here. He was a member of the Legislature in 1831-2, and at one time served on the State Equalization Board. He was also superintendent of the Beaver division of the canal in 1841-42-43. He was remarkable for being an earnest and practically lifelong advocate of total abstinence at a time when drinking habits were all too prevalent. It is said that he was the only one of his college class who did not fill a drunkard's grave.
The first steam railroad within the limits of Lawrence County was the Ohio and Pennsylvania, which ran across one corner of the county with a station at Enon Valley. It is now a part of the Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne & Chicago operated by the Pennsylvania Company.
The next road completed was the New Castle & Beaver Valley railroad, which ran from New Castle to Homewood, a station on the Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne & Chicago. This was completed in 1863. It was leased to the Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne & Chicago railroad and by it to the Pennsylvania Company.
The next road was the Erie & Pittsburg, which was completed about the same time and ran from New Castle northward to Girard on the Lake Shore. Soon after its completion it was leased to the Pennsylvania Company, giving that company a continuous line between Pittsburg and Erie.
Some time in the '60's, soon after the completion of the Beaver Valley road, the Lawrence Railroad Company was organized and built from Lawrence Junction on the Beaver Valley to Youngstown up the Mahoning River on its south bank. Soon after its completion it was leased to the Pennsylvania Company. It was opened for traffic on January 22, 1867.
The Beaver Valley and the Erie & Pittsburg railroads formed a continuous line on the west side of the Beaver and Shenango rivers to Erie.
In 1872 the New Castle & Franklin Railroad was established. It connected with the Beaver Valley road south of New Castle on the west side of the Shenango river and ran northward through New Castle to Mercer and Stoneboro, following Neshannock Creek. The company was organized in 1864 with a stock subscription of $19,250. Surveys were made and a route in part adopted. For want of means the enterprise was suspended until the spring of 1872, when the prospects of the road brightened and stock subscriptions were received amounting to $339,000, which sum was spent in grading and bridging. In order to complete the road $550,000 in 7 per cent bonds were sold. When the road was completed the company found itself $200,000 in debt, and in April, 1881, the road was sold to Thomas P. Simpson, a contractor, [p. 48] who was then building the P., N. C. & L. E. Railroad. In May of the same year the name of the road was changed to the New Castle & Oil City Railroad. This road finally became a part of the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad, by which it was operated until 1901, when it was leased to the Pennsylvania Company.
The Pittsburg & Lake Erie road was the next to be built. It was built in 1877 from Pittsburg to Youngstown, going up the bank of the Beaver River to New Castle Junction; thence following the Mahoning River to Youngstown. At the same time a branch into the city of New Castle was completed.
We next have the Pittsburg, Youngstown & Chicago Railroad, which ran through New Castle Junction parallel with the Pittsburg & Lake Erie Railroad to Youngstown. Nearly contemporaneous with the completion of this was the building of the Pittsburg & Western Railroad from Pittsburg up the Allegheny River and across the country to New Castle Junction. This and the Pittsburg, Youngstown & Chicago formed a new through line from Pittsburg to the west. Afterwards both these roads became a part of the great B. & O. system. This road enters the county in the southeastern part and runs parallel with the Pittsburg & Lake Erie to New Castle Junction and to New Castle.
A road was built from Wilmington Junction through New Wilmington to Sharpsville in Mercer County.
What is called the New Brighton road was built from Wampum to New Brighton ten or twelve years ago. Immediately upon its completion it was leased to the Pennsylvania Company.
The New Castle & Shenango Valley Railroad was completed in 1889 from New Castle on the east bank of the Shenango River northward to Sharon, where it connected with the main line of the Erie Railroad, to which it was immediately leased.
The next and last steam railroad to be built in Lawrence County was completed in 1907 between New Castle and Queen's Junction, Pennsylvania. It is an independent road and its name is Western Allegheny Railroad. It starts from East New Castle. The stations on this line in Lawrence County are: Butler Road, Gibsondale, Princeton, Rose Point and Grant City.
The Mahoning & Shenango Railway & Light Company operates the lines of the New Castle Electric Street Railway Company and the New Castle & Mahoningtown Street Railway Company, known as the local companies, within the city; also The New Castle & Lowell Railway Company, a line extending from New Castle to Lowellville in the State of Ohio, where it connects with the Mahoning Valley system extending to Struthers, Haselton, Youngstown, Niles, Warren and Leavittsburg; and the Sharon & New Castle Street Railway Company extending from New Castle to Hubbard, Ohio, where it connects for Youngstown and Sharon with the Youngstown & Sharon Railway Company.
The New Castle Electric Street Railway Company was incorporated September 28, 1889, and lines were immediately constructed on Washington Street and South Mill Street. The New Castle & Mahoningtown Street Railway Company was incorporated August 4, 1896, and a line soon after built from Mahoningtown (then a borough) into the city. The New Castle Traction Company was incorporated January 12, 1897, and leased the tracks of the two street railway companies and in that and the following year extended other lines throughout the city. About the same time the land comprising Cascade Park, lying three miles from the central part of the city, was purchased by the company, improved and fitted up as a park and the street railway lines extended to it.
In 1902 the New Castle & Lowell Railway Company was incorporated and its [p. 49] line constructed. About the same time the Pennsylvania and Mahoning Valley Railway Company was incorporated for the purpose of operating the two street railway companies and the interurban company as a single system. Subsequently the present company, the Mahoning & Shenango Railway & Light Company, was incorporated and the lines of all the other companies, including the Sharon & New Castle Street Railway Company, were leased to it.
The rate of fare is five cents with universal transfers within the city. The local lines constitute practically a double track system throughout the city.
The officers of the company are: President, E. N. Sanderson, New York City; general manager, M. E. McCaskey, Youngstown; superintendent, W. C. Smith, New Castle.
The power plant of the Mahoning & Shenango Valley Railway & Light Company was built in 1895 on North Street by the New Castle Electric Company. Their equipment then was five 150-H.P. Buckeye engines, driving three 80-light Wood arc machines, two 75-K.W. single-phase alternations, one 75-K.W. D.C. power generator, and two 200-H.P. boilers. Since that time the plant has been enlarged by the installation of two 250-K.W. engine-driven railway generators; one 300-K.W. engine-driven railway generator; two 1,000-K.W. Parsons steam turbine; two 75-K.W. engine-driven exciters; one 500-K.W. railway motor generator set; one 200-K.W. railway motor generator set; one complete Albergen surface condensing plant; five 250-H.P. water tube boilers. To replace two 200-H.P. boilers, one 500-H.P. boiler has been installed with all the auxiliary machinery for boiler feeding, etc., together with all necessary switch equipment for handling all the machinery. The latter is now five hundred times larger than the original switchboard. The plant is installed in a brick building 150x95 feet in dimensions.
The Pittsburg, Harmony, Butler & New Castle Railway Company, an interurban line extending from New Castle to Pittsburg, was opened to regular travel July 23, 1908. This line extends from Pittsburg Street in New Castle to Ellwood City, Zelienople, Harmony and Butler, and will soon extend to Pittsburg. The president of this company is R. H. Boggs, Pittsburg.
20th Century History of New Castle and Lawrence County Pennsylvania and Representative Citizens Hon. Aaron L. Hazen Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company, Chicago, Ill., 1908
Chapter III | Table of Contents | Chapter V
Explanation/Caution | Lawrence Co. Maps | Lawrence Co. Histories
Updated: 5 Apr 2002