Getting to know Halifax,
PA….
(A portion of an article
from the 100th Anniversary Edition of the)
Halifax Gazette
Halifax, Dauphin
County, PA: July 1894
A CENTURY OF
PROGRESS
---------------------
General History of
Halifax During the Past Hundred Years.
---------------------
THE STORY OF ITS
GROWTH
---------------------
Facts and Reminiscences
of the Town and the Men Who Helped to Make It Famous and Prosperous
---------------------
The Founders of Halifax, so far as we have been able to ascertain,
were not artists, but that they were men with a taste for the beautiful, is
plainly manifest in their selection of a site for the town. No more appropriate
spot could have been found on the shores of the river [the Susquehanna River]
for hundreds of miles, than the gently declining hillside upon which Messrs
Rise and Sheafer located their little city. The grade is just sufficient to secure
admirable drainage and prevent any accumulation of filth in in the streets,
while the Susquehanna, at this point, presents more charms than at any other
along its entire course. As a result of these natural advantages, the Halifax
of to-day is one of the most picturesque places in Pennsylvania, with a higher
morality and a lower death rate than any settlement of similar size in the Keystone
state.
The town was laid out July 18th, 1794, by Peter
Rise and George Sheafer, who had a survey and map made, upon which the lots,
streets and alleys of Halifax were designated substantially as they exist at
present.
The earlies deed executed for land in this vicinity was that
given by Thomas and John Penn, proprietors to Robert Armstrong. The warrant of
survey bears date the 17th of April 1764 and the deed, the 8th
of February 1775. While there is no authentic history of those early days, yet
inasmuch as the valley and creek bear his name, it is quite likely that Robert
Armstrong was the first white settler in this neighborhood, unless his coming was
antedated by that of Simon Girty. The ground included in this purchase lies
north of the Borough limits and the transaction is important in this article
only for the reason that, it was the beginning of the colonization of this
section of the county.
The site of the present town of Halifax was deeded to James Aston
September 28th 1778 and was called “Flat Bottom.” The significance of
this name does not appear at the present day, s the property transferred to
Aston, contained but a very small proportion of the “flat” land, being only the
open common or public ground along the river, through which the canal now runs.
About the same time or shortly thereafter Aston also became the purchaser of
the adjoining tract – now owned by George Singer and others – which was known
as “Scanderoon,” Which is a corruption of the ancient name of Alexandria. Whether
or not it was expected at that day that there would spring up on this site a
city rivaling the famous seat of ancient learning, on the Mediterranean, we cannot
say but it is not likely the nae was chosen without some plausible reason….
Here is where I will end the above article. As for other
points in early Halifax history: the pioneers of Halifax were mostly Scotch-Irish,
consisting of names such as: Perdue, Ferguson, Burrell, Johnson, Wood, Matchett
and Bowes. Along with a large portion of English and German settlers. This
latter group includes the names: Lomis, Sweigard, Leebrick, Kline, Rise, and
Landis. Halifax was officially founded in 1794.
Comments
Post a Comment