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Milesburg
History of Centre and Clinton Counties, John B. Linn, p 367
The village of Milesburg was founded in 1793, and in 1813 received a borough charter. The survey of town lots was made in 1793, and covered at first that part of the present borough included within the boundaries of Limestone, Creek, Mill, and Catharine Streets. A good many town lots mere sold, but numbers of them returned, by default of non-payment, to the Mileses, as unsatisfied notes now held by the Miles descendants bear witness.
Roland Curtin came to Milesburg from Philipsburg in 1799, and opened a store, and Joseph Miles had already built a grist and saw-mill on Spring Creek, and had established a store, but the latter was located at the iron-works. Curtin closed his Milesburg store, and transferred his field of operations to Bellefonte in 1800. The next storekeeper was Peter Kincaid (in 1809), and the third one doubtless Samuel Patton. The old log house in which he traded was burned, but his log residence still stands.
In 1809 the county bridge was built at Milesburg. About 1825, Franklin B. Smith, of Bellefonte, opened a store in a log building owned by James Foster, and standing on a corner opposite the Franklin House. Squire James Foster was a weaver and a property-holder of some consequence. He owned the building now known as the Franklin House, which was one of the dozen or so houses boasted by Milesburg in 1819, and one of the only two that at that time were not log houses. The other was a building part frame and part stone, now owned and occupied by Caroline Watson. In that house a tavern had been kept previous to l819. In the Foster house Henry R. Brolasky, who came from Poland in 1793, kept a store before Mr. Foster. The Franklin House was kept in 1819 by John Lucas, and successively thereafter by Samuel Lipton, William & Mason, and Thomas M. Hall. The house now kept by Daniel Boilleau was built by Robert Lipton, who opened it as a tavern at an early day. Since 1859, Boilleau has been the landlord.
The Black Horse tavern, at the corner of Water and Limestone Streets, was at various times presided over by Hannah Green, Robert Lipton, and John Lucas. George Facklin had a brewery on the Bald Eagle in 1819, but it was burned soon afterwards. The old Miles mill was replaced by a stone structure, and upon the death of Col. Samuel Miles, in 1805, came into possession of Thomas Potts under the will. Upon the death of Thomas Potts the mill was carried on by Frank Potts and Joseph Miles, who built a fine brick mill upon the site of the present mill, which latter is a counterpart of the brick first erected there, burned in 1875, and at once replaced. J. Miles Green took possession in 1873, and still continues the business. The mill is a three-story structure, contains three runs of stone, and is perfectly appointed throughout. David Ryman came from Montgomery County in 1809 to take charge of the stone mill. He remained some years, and left to carry on the Evans mill at Julian Furnace, -a mill that was remarkably small, but boasted of a remarkably large wheel measuring twenty-two feet in diameter. After milling at Julian four years and at Curtin's three years, he returned to Milesburg and re-entered the mill there. He and his son, Henry T., were for nineteen years millers together in the brick mill. David Ryman died in Milesburg in 1860, in his eighty-first year. His children numbered four. The living are Elizabeth, in Ohio, and Henry T., of Milesburg. The latter, now the miller at the Green mill, has been a miller since his boyhood, having received his first lessons upon the very spot of his present labors.
Franklin B. Smith disposed of his store business to Smith, Gregg & Co., and they to Samuel Lipton, with whom became associated John Irvin, Jr., now a resident of Bellefonte. Samuel Lipton had for years been a shoemaker in Milesburg. He put up a store-house on the opposite corner after a while, and was for many years a village merchant. He died about 1850. Samuel Patton kept store near the mill, and after him Miles & Potts. Enos Miles was perhaps the first village tailor. He came from Chester County in 1810, and opened a shop on the creek. After a stay of six years he moved to Howard, and in 1830 returned. He died in Milesburg in 1850. His son Zachariah is still a resident of the village. In 1819, Daniel Hildridge and Anthony Peters made shoes for the villagers. Archie Mc,Mullin was blacksmith and wagon-maker, and had his shop on the present site of Miles' store. James McMasters was also a wagonmaker and blacksmith on Main Street, where Joseph Rogers now lived. Later he kept tavern in Snow Shoe, on the pike. He resides now in Iowa. In 1819, Joseph Shirk carried on a tannery on the creek. His bark he ground by means of a rough mill-stone, which was turned by horse-power. George I. Miles had a tannery on the property now owned by William Baird, and when he entered the ministry leased it to Shirk, who tanned there about twenty years. In l845, Miles sold the property to Samuel McKean, whereupon Shirk built the tannery now operated by Joseph Shirk (his son), and tanned there until his death, in 1865. Among the early industries of Milesburg mention may also be made of Ephraim Williams, who built a fulling-mill at an early day, and lost it subsequently by fire.
In 1794 Robert Fleming moved to Milesburg, where he died in 1796. One of his daughters married Judge Thomas Burnside."
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