The Old Mill Dam

Here is my latest family-related eBay grab: a postcard featuring a photo of a mill dam, located (either presently or in the past) somewhere in Mehoopany, Pennsylvania -- the epicenter of my family's history. After I saw I won, I called Ken, my source for all things Mehoopany. He lives in a house built on the site of The Hotel, and if anyone knew the location of the mill dam, he would:

"Around that time, there was really only two mills that could have belonged to: one was the sawmill, but that couldn't have been it...it probably was for the Jennings (later Kintner) Mill."

I have been to the place where a small part of the structure of the mill still exists, but I hadn't thought of trying to find the source of the mill's power. So back in Ohio, I powered up Google Earth to try to find it. My best guess is shown in the photo below. Another view shows a faint image of a fairly straight earth or stone structure across the width of the stream bed:

The fact that the dam is seemingly distant is not really problematic, since the stream and the mill would be liked by a "sluice". According to an account written by the WPA (discussed in an earlier blog post), 


"A covered sluice way, repaired several times, but still the original design, runs direct from mill to dam, about an eighth of a mile north-east. It is constructed of wood with supports approximately every few feet."

As it turns out, the distance between the locations marked by pushpins (above) is 728 feet, just a little more than 1/8 of a mile -- confirming the approximate location of the mill. Not bad, eh? In any event, the next time I'm there I'll see if there is anything left of the dam. At least, thanks to Ken, I'll know where I can start looking.

Thank you, WPA

It turns out that the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey includes at least two structures that had significance to my family's history. Accessible through the Library of Congress are photographs and architectural plans of  "The Old Brick Church", which still stands in Wysox, Pennsylvania and the Kintner Mill, only a portion of which exists today.


William Jennings and Harriet Strope (my 3rd great-grandparents) were married in the Wysox Church in the 1850's (the exact date is not in front of me presently). The Kintner Mill which operated in North Mehoopany, Pennsylvania was owned by the Jennings Family for many years. I have been to both sites, but never inside.

Old Brick Church, State Road 187, Wysox, Pennsylvania

More information about the church can be found starting here.

Kintner Mill, North Mehoopany, Pennsylvania

More information about the mill can be found starting here.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

In honor of the 89th anniversary (plus one day) of the birth of my father, Robert Chambers Jennings:

As I pass through the great and wonderful mystery that is life, I pause to remember you and the wonderful gift to the world...which was your life. You touched so many people in so many ways; undoubtedly, there are people alive today -- strangers -- that continue to benefit from your love of humanity. As time passes, though your acts of loving-kindness may be long forgotton, no one can deny that the world benefitted from the years you graced the earth. And although there were times when -- as we all do -- you may have felt adrift, I am sure that you are now anchored by the eternal love that someday, we will all share.

Happy Birthday. Thanks for still being here.

William Did Windows

This is the First Presbyterian Church of Mehoopany...actually, it was First Presbyterian Church of Mehoopany. The building was purchased by the Baptist congregation in town in 1967. They added an extra room to the building but shortly outgrew the building and as of 1991, the building was not being used.

Subsequently -- unfortunately -- it was torn down (I'm guessing sometime in the early 1990's). But not before Ron Miller bought two of the church's stained glass windows. Ron is a pretty handy guy. He framed the two windows, which now hang in his house.

What interest did Ron have in the windows? Primarily, because Ron lives in the completely remodeled house where William, Harriet and family lived!

My son Rick and I visited Ron at his house just a couple days ago (March 31) on a whirlwind sweep through PA. I'll write a more detailed blog entry about the visit with Ron in a little while...but here's a link to the portion of a map that lists William's properties as of the 1860's. Ron's house (Wm.'s house) is located right above the compass rose's NORTH arrow. Look here.

The discovery of this window puts a couple puzzle pieces in place. William and Harriet were married in the First presbyterian Church in Wysox, Pennsylvania. They lived in Wysox before coming to Mehoopany. I've always wondered what church his family attended, and now I have a better clue. The window could have been paid for by William during his lifetime, or may have meant as a memorial, paid for by his family.

Another View of Old Mehoopany

I'll tell you straight: I'm not quite sure how ethical this is, but every once in a while a postcard or photo of Mehoopany will appear on eBay, and I'll bid on it (naturally) -- but I'll also copy the image if it's good enough, especially if I don't win it. This is one of them I lost out on....sort of.

I also try to locate the position of the photo on a map. I believe it's Main Street, looking south.

A New Account of an Old Story

Thanks to Mehoopany Public Library librarian Ina Hunter for sending me a clipping from the Wednesday, February 10, 2010 Wyoming County Press Examiner. Here is the text, taken from their website (follow this link to read it from their site):

"Mehoopany was visited by a disastrous fire on Sunday night, which the citizens had to fight with buckets in below zero temperature and a strong wind blowing. The fire started in the Gaylord House, owned by a Pole named Laborinski and run by his son-in-law, a man named Blazes. Before the fire was checked it had spread to the residence of John Gaylord and thence to the store of Charles E. Jennings, with Odd Fellows hall overhead, then to two dwelling houses owned by Frank Jennings and occupied by Frank Hobbs and Henry June: next to a house belonging to F. C. Denison, estate and occupied by Grant Krewson, a Liveryman. A two story wash house at the rear of the hotel, a wagon shed, the hotel barn and a barn belonging to Frank Jennings were also burned. The total loss will reach nearly $20,000."

Commemoration

We remember the family of my Great-Grandparents, Charles Jennings and Mary Grist Jennings, and the frigid night their world caught on fire -- one hundred years ago this weekend.

Two in a Valley

by Frederic Brush

(from Songs of the Susquehanna)

We toiled for years together by the streams

That wear and shift the glittering sands of gain.

I called him friend, thinking I knew him, well --

His pleasure and his pain.

So like the variant seasons we passed on

Through vales of gloom and radiant avatars;

Wed, buried, quarreled, fell and rose again

With the abiding scars.

Till, in one hour of flame-lit flood and fear,

Where chance and choice and destiny had part,

I broke through all that I had known to feel,

The red bands of his heart.