Histories & Mysteries: Freedom is little town packed with big stories

With a bevy of free time at my disposal over the past few months, I took the opportunity to go back and review most of the 250-plus editions of Histories & Mysteries. My goal in this assignment was to tally up how many times I’ve written about each community.

What I discovered wasn’t really surprising. The towns with the most columns were Beaver Falls, Rochester, New Brighton, and of course, Aliquippa. Rounding out the top five was Monaca, which also has been profiled in several pieces written on the glass industry.

I was surprised to learn that Freedom has only been the focal point of a column three times, one of which was a history of the Freedom Oil Co. So, in the interest of fairness, today we will give Freedom some love.

On another note, I sometimes forget just how long Histories & Mysteries has been running. We have a ton of readers who missed out on many of the early editions, so I plan to incorporate some of that research into future columns beginning today.

With that said, let’s jump into some history on that little river town, the borough of Freedom. We will begin with a short review of how the community got its start.

At the beginning

If we were to go back in time to 1830 and stand on the riverbank at Monaca, we would see a vastly different view than we do today.

First off, Monaca itself would be practically unrecognizable to us. Dirt streets and small frame buildings would be the most prominent features. These would be clustered nearest to the river, with nothing but fields pushing back toward the hillside before transforming into the virgin forest of what was then Moon Township.

Most importantly, we would be standing in the middle of one of the largest boatyards in the state. Hundreds of workers would be busy sawing timber and hammering away on the hulls of future steamboats. The river transportation industry was at its absolute height, and the Ohio River in particular was filled to capacity with steamboats and other boats daily. It would be another two decades before the railroad would make an appearance in the Ohio Valley.

The boatyard in Phillipsburg (now Monaca) was owned by Phillips & Betz, who had set up shop there in 1822 and by 1830 were the largest single employer in the valley. Their yard was the first true “industry” to call Beaver County home. Over a decade, Phillips & Betz constructed 41 boats, many of which were still being used during the Civil War era.

Two years later, something would happen to disrupt this flourishing enterprise. A rift occurred in Economy, home of the true power brokers in the region — the Harmony Society. A rogue group of Harmonists broke away from the society under the leadership of Count Maximillian DeLeon. In February 1832, 250 members pledged to follow the DeLeon out of Economy. An agreement was made where these Harmonists would be permitted to leave immediately, while also granting a $105,000 payment to DeLeon to be used in securing a new home for his flock.

They didn’t have to go far to find that home. A month later, DeLeon and his followers floated down the river to Phillipsburg and offered Phillips & Betz an offer they could not refuse. Now calling themselves the New Philadelphia Society, the group purchased all of the land that now makes up downtown Monaca, from the river to the hill. Their endeavor would be short-lived, failing within one calendar year.

Meanwhile, Phillips & Betz — flush with their land sale money — took a short canoe ride across the river to see the aged Gen. Abner Lacock, the second-largest landholder in Beaver County. Lacock sold the boatbuilders a 101-acre plot in what was then referred to as Crow’s Bottom for the small sum of just $2,000. By the following week, a new boatyard was built, and 14 homes had been erected. They called this new town Freedom.

When Freedom was established in 1832, the original land only went as far south as Dutchman’s Run. On the other side of the run was another large tract owned by Capt. William Vicary. Vicary had built his massive stone mansion in 1826, the same one that stands to this day. On the remaining land, he laid out a village that he named after himself, Vicary. In 1837, he attempted to merge his village into Freedom by advertising lots for sale in Freedom Extension. Another borough, St. Clair, developed in between Vicary and Freedom during the 1870s, eventually growing to merge all three communities geographically into one. In 1896, St. Clair Borough and Vicary village consolidated with Freedom to accomplish that feat officially.

The merging of Freedom and St. Clair created a first-class borough of more than 1,700 residents. A bevy of manufacturers began to locate there, including the Craig Manufacturing Co., which produced caskets and other burial implements. In 1901, Craig Manufacturing incorporated as the Freedom Casket Co. The firm would do business in Freedom for more than 60 years.

The Freedom Oil Co., incorporated in 1889, became a giant in the refining industry during the last decade of the 19th century. Under the guidance of men such as August Minke and Joseph W. Craig, Freedom Oil’s well-paying jobs lured many families to the town. The company merged with Valvoline Oil during World War II, then became part of the Ashland Oil and Refining Co. in 1949.

Greater Freedom, 1898

On July 30, 1898, the Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette published a story detailing the growth and promising future of Freedom. This glowing review of the community was meant to establish Freedom as a major player in western Pennsylvania’s industrial economy. I have summarized the important points in this section.

Following the consolidation of Vicary, St. Clair, and Freedom in 1896, many began to refer to the town as Greater Freedom, although the official title has always just been simply Freedom. The merging of the communities created a large borough government, which then began to make improvements for its citizens.

The first improvement was construction of a waterworks to supply the town with clean drinking water. Residential water service began in 1897, pre-dating several of the neighboring boroughs. The main street, Third Avenue, was paved with brick that same year, creating a 1.5-mile business area sandwiched between the residential and industrial districts. River access was always important to Freedom, and that was improved greatly with construction of the new Ohio River dams by the federal government in 1898. A new wharf was built to allow for freight transfers to and from Freedom Oil and the other manufacturers in town.

Freedom was one of the first towns in the county to develop a citizen’s committee for the purpose of ensuring the safety and prosperity of its people. Since most of the town’s residents had called Freedom home their entire lives, the community was very invested in civic improvements. The council was led by Samuel Morgan, a real estate broker who was responsible for major residential growth in the town.

Like most valley towns, Freedom’s business district was filled with dozens of family-owned businesses. The longest-tenured business in Freedom in 1898 was A. Blatt’s Shoes & Boots. Blatt had arrived in Freedom in 1848 from Strasbourg, Germany, where he had apprenticed for his father in a similar establishment. J.P. Brandt operated a grocery store, P.F. Lewis owned the Hotel Freedom, and H.M. Dunlap ran one of the largest livery stables in the county. All were important citizens who worked toward the betterment of Freedom.

In 1881, Philip Bentel chartered the first bank in Freedom. Known as P. Bentel & Co., it operated as the sole financial institution in town until merging with the newly opened Freedom National Bank in 1900. Many local people will recall Freedom National Bank, which operated into the 1970s and had several offices in the county.

Bentel’s bank was a driving force in Freedom, offering loans that helped residents open businesses and build homes to expand the town during its formative years. As the only bank in town, however, it was also a target for thieves. In fact, it was the site of one of the most daring bank robberies in Beaver County history.

A Bank, boat and blown-up safe, 1885

Throughout the country, 1885 was still a year “in the dark.” Widespread use of electricity in homes and businesses was still a decade away, although Pittsburgh and other large cities were ahead of that curve. In Freedom, once the sun went down, the community sat in darkness until dawn. Add to this the fact that Freedom was a small town with only two police officers, and it created a perfect opportunity for five of the most brazen bank robbers in local history.

In the early morning hours of Dec. 4, 1885, the shutters of the Bentel & Co. Bank were pried open. A group of burglars made its way inside so quietly that they didn’t even wake the dog that lived with the bank owners on the second floor. The robbers made their way to the safe, which was brand-new and seemingly impenetrable.

Suddenly, a massive boom was heard up and down Third Avenue. The robbers had built an explosive out of gunpowder, attached it to the safe, and hid behind the counter as the device went off. Open sesame.

As two of the men cleaned out the safe, the others stood outside the building with their pistols at the ready. Within two minutes, their fellow thieves joined them with the booty — $8,000 in cash, another $5,000 in gold and silver, and several hundred dollars in jewelry. Neighbors who came out into the street to investigate were promptly met with gunfire. Then, as quickly as they arrived, the thieves were gone.

As the sun rose over Freedom, the police began a manhunt for the men. Witnesses stated that the robbers had run toward the river, and sure enough, footprints were found leading to the water. There, the trail went cold. It was determined that the men had come ashore in a boat, robbed the bank, then escaped back down the river. The case was cold, the robbery would never be solved.

Over the next few weeks, similar robberies occurred up and down the Ohio River. One, in East Liverpool, Ohio, resulted in a staggering robbery of more than $120,000 in cash and gold. Today, that would be worth more than $3.1 million. None of the robberies was ever solved.

Bentel & Co. Bank survived being cleaned out, although the establishment would employ a night watchman from that day forward. The dog, as it seems, was furloughed.

Remembering Gen. Abner Lacock

To finish this week’s edition, we go backwards in time to 1832, the same year that Gen. Abner Lacock sold the land for Freedom to Phillips & Betz’s boat-building enterprise. I feel it’s important to include this here, since Lacock was such a huge part of Freedom’s history.

In 1832, Lacock was nearing the end of his life. For the majority of that life, he resided in the vicinity of Freedom and East Rochester, where he owned the second-largest tract of land in the county. In retirement, Lacock began to sell off large lots for the purpose of town-building. Today, parts of Rochester, East Rochester, Freedom and Conway sit on land once owned by the revered general.

Lacock was born in Virginia in 1770, six years prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In 1796, his father moved them to what was then called McIntosh in Washington County. This would become Beaver upon the formation of our county in 1800. That same year, Gov. Thomas Mifflin appointed Lacock as the first justice of the peace for Beaver County. He also opened the first inn and tavern in Beaver, which would be the site of our county’s very first court. Yes, there are a lot of “firsts” when discussing Lacock.

Lacock’s list of accolades grew from there. He served in the Pennsylvania Legislature twice, the state Senate once, and served as brigadier general of the Pennsylvania militia all between 1801 and 1810. Next, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served until 1813. During this time, Lacock became a friend and trusted ally of founding fathers James Madison, James Monroe, and former president Thomas Jefferson. Once his term in the House was complete, Lacock ran for the position of U.S. senator. He was elected in 1813, serving until 1819.

Throughout his entire political career, Lacock remained a resident of Beaver County. His farm was one of the largest in the region, tilled and plowed to perfection by the general himself. In 1808, he built his large house near what is now Ninth Street in Freedom. It would stand for nearly a century, home to three generations of Lacocks. In his post-political life, Lacock became heavily invested in the future of our region. He was appointed as a state commissioner to the railroad and canal industries in 1820, becoming a major player in the financing and construction of the Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal.

Since he was unable to obtain an education as a child, Lacock spent his entire life as a collector of books and documents. He self-educated himself into expert knowledge of engineering, surveying, political science and real estate. He also spoke four languages, including Latin. His home library was said to include hand-signed books by John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and virtually every important figure in early American history. His love of education led him to become an early supporter of common schools in Pennsylvania.

In 1832, one of the worst floods in local history ravaged Beaver County. Lacock’s entire library was lost, as were most of his personal journals. Had the library survived, its contents would be absolutely priceless. Gen. Lacock died in his Freedom home on April 22, 1837.

If you love history, you would probably enjoy visiting the final resting place of the incredible Gen. Abner Lacock. Luckily, you wouldn’t have to travel to Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, or some far-off celebrity cemetery to do so. Lacock is buried in East Rochester, on land he once owned — a little tract of land called Lacock Cemetery. If you want to pay your respects to a true American hero, you don’t need to go far.

Jeffrey Snedden writes a regular history column for Gannett sister paper The Beaver County Times.