Excursion To Bedford Part 3: Return Thriough Somerset

     In Part Two the items purchased at the Fort Bedford Museum and Hoke-E-Geez were shown. Here in Part 3, I will offer a brief synopsis of the trip home to Fayette County via Somerset County. Maybe you'll be satisfied to learn that, yes we did make it back in one piece and didn't get too lost!

     The Return Through Somerset

    We needed a fair amount of daylight to find a place where my maternal great grandfather once called home. His name was Israel Hoover, and my family's traditions claimed he was a brave man, in fact, fearless.
    
   The second part of my travels involved getting through a few townships in Somerset County and Berlin, then Garrett (named for John Garrett, one time President of the B&O Railroad) a borough on the Great Allegheny Passage. Then, over to Forge Road, (there are technically two Forge Roads, by the way, one is much further toward the southeast of our  destination), where my great grandfather once lived. This became a quest to see the place special to him and his family.

   This little adventure was taken from Garrett by way of Berlin St. and crossing the Casselman Gorge. This direction becomes Johnson Road heading west then south, there's a part of the distance covered on Old Mule Road as well and then a right onto Laurel Falls Road. And finally taking the right at the sign onto Forge Road with the intimidating name of Spook Run to the north-northeast. An interesting addition to my earlier plans; keep in mind we were traveling the route fairly late in the afternoon. This was bound to be a dirt road and we didn't come prepared enough with a four-wheel drive or off-road vehicle, therefore could only go a half mile or so before the conditions became too rough. According to the maps, there is no real outlet to the north. It would be nice to get back there some day and really explore the Spook Run region...during daylight hours, preferably - lol. Still, I enjoyed the accomplishment of getting that much closer to where my ancestor, Israel Hoover, spent a part of his lifetime.

   Here are a few photos on the circuitous meandering route to this sparsely populated region:

                                                  
                               

The high hills of Somerset.

                                            

                                                   

                                    
                 Below are a few maps to help pinpoint the areas of Somerset County I was heading through and then retracing the miles back home:           

Map showing the route from Garrett to Forge Road.

                    

                                            

                                        

The sign for Berlin.

                                               

A day overcast with drizzle early became pleasant and sunny.

                                                      

                                            

South on the old Forge Road

                                     

                                       

Yet another joyous construction site.

                                                     

                                              

An old roadside tree in Somerset County

    If you follow the blog monthly, then you might of noticed this post appeared due with a bit of a finale a while ago, "back around  the bend." I think there was a small hint that Part Two did not end the whole story. Well, it wasn't forgotten like so much of our old regional history rends to be, it only needed to be written up with a few photos and maps.

   This completes Part Three of the round trip we took from northwestern Fayette County on through Somerset and into Bedford and returning by evening into Fayette.

   Fayette County Again

   I won't go into detail about getting back into the more familiar territory into Bullskin westward and back home toward Upper Tyrone township. Much of the route is referred to elsewhere in one way or another. This took the usual course through Springfield Township and a stretch of Rt. 381 to Jones Mill and old Rt. 31 which includes a slice of Donegal Township, which approaches southwestern Westmoreland County, though the Jones Mill area. By the way, the township is separate from the Borough of Donegal. Also, a brief post on Fayette County's Springfield and Saltlick townships was posted in June of 2014, the same month as the Excursion to  Somerset article which provides a story on Bakersville. Well, this was a nice day for a jaunt in late 2016, fondly remembered and, all in all, an enjoyable experience.

    Join me on the next post for another exciting interview. This time, we will examine the thoughts of a knowledgeable local fellow that should prove informative and entertaining.

Brief History of Springfield and Saltlick Townships

   Springfield

    Located beside each other in the northeast corner of Fayette County, the township includes the villages of Pleasant Hill, Normalville, Rodger's Mill and (Skinner's), Mill Run and has always been a fairly rural place. Clearly, an area also known for it's saw, flour and grist mills. Bordered on the southwest by the Youghiogheny River, the west Connellsville and Bullskin townships, Saltlick on the north, Stewart on the south and Laurel Ridge State Park and thereby, Somerset County on the east. By action of the court it came into existence in 1848 and constituted with what was left of the old Youghiogheny township in 1855.
   It is traversed by the Laurel Hill and Chestnut Ridge mountains making it a steep and hilly place in much of the lay of the land. It contains the Indian Creek valley, so called on account of Native American artifact d found near to it. It certainly does appear the old designation of the township was 'Youghiogheny' long ago, but was not found satisfactory as the re-naming would seem to prove.

 The clay pike ran through here by 1810. Many of the early travelers to these townships, as with Bullskin, were German Lutherans.

 Saltlick 

 

   The later of the two townships for this article, is the farthest east and the most northeasterly as well. The main villages are Indian Head, Melcroft, Champion, Maple Grove, Clinton, Millertown and White. It has the fishing and boating area of Lake Donegal, a popular destination.

   Most settlers came here from the east in Somerset and Bedford and from Maryland as early as the late 1700's. Many of these gathered near Indian Creek which flows from the northeast to the southwest, once better known as Salt Lick Creek. Benjamin Davis was one of these who had a tavern in 1795. Andrew Trapp was another early settler with many children. He died in 1824. Also George Poe and John Martin should be mentioned as early residents. The Dumbauld family came quite early too with a blockhouse on Four Mile run in the Loyallhanna, or Ligonier valley.. The township is bordered by Springfield on the south, Westmoreland on the northern side, Somerset to the east and the Chestnut Ridge and Bullskin  bounds it on the west.

   Late in 1797, the residents successfully petitioned for a new township separate from the mother township of Bullskin. the old traditional name in use was either Yough or more probablyYoung, maybe from a usage connected with Maryland and Virginia, but this is speculation. It ia very hilly with deep valleys and does have more of a plateau area in the west that helped with agriculture. There was much coal and limestone taken from here. There were also many types of mill here high in importance before the coming of the railroads. A post office was established at Champion, near Jone's Mill in 1875, though the oldest was at Spark's store in Indian Head and Indian Head was first called Dawson, then finally Indian Creek.

   The area of Salt Lick was much larger once, but by 1848 the new township of Springfield had then limited the scope of Salt Lick in the size it presently holds. I noticed that one of the oldest road was petitioned from Broadford to a Christain Perkey's Mill and to Redstone in 1784.Schools were started by 1803.

(taken partly from Ellis' "History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania", in the public domain). 

   Anyone with more historical information or genealogical material for you family, please e-mail me or you can easily leave a comment, anonymously if you wish.