Category Archives: Genealogy

The Timeless Face of Howard Falls

Part One For the past 200 years, Howard Falls has been visited by many scientists, geologists and ecologists, drawn there by its unique geological features and the ecologically important Gorge below it. As we detailed in our earlier blog, “The Portage Escarpment“, these features were created from the melt-waters of the Laurentide ice sheet asContinue reading “The Timeless Face of Howard Falls”

Albert Perry Howard and the Legacy of the Cottage at Howard Falls

If you read our previous blog post, Mayhem at the Cottage, you have already been introduced to Albert Perry (A.P.) Howard and his summer cottage at Howard Falls. Today, we are taking a closer look at the man behind the cottage and sharing some exciting news about the cottage’s future. The Man Behind the NameContinue reading “Albert Perry Howard and the Legacy of the Cottage at Howard Falls”

Ringing the Bell: The Lost One-Room Schools of Franklin Township

Long before the consolidated regional schools serving a broad area of today, there were small schools dotting the landscape. These “One-Room Schoolhouses” were located so children could walk or be taken by horse and carriage to school each day. In Franklin Township in the mid-1800s, there were nine schoolhouses shown on the 1855 township map,Continue reading “Ringing the Bell: The Lost One-Room Schools of Franklin Township”

Coming to America

Here at Howard Falls, we work to document historical events in Northwestern PA, which over the past 200 years have collectively contributed to shaping both our natural environment and the people who call this area ‘home.’ Invariably, much of that work involves research into the genealogical roots of those who have settled here. While manyContinue reading “Coming to America”

Mayhem at the Cottage

We recently came across a poignant statistic: Only a small percentage of Americans can readily name all eight of their great-grandparents. According to a 2019 survey by Ancestry®: – About 21 percent of Americans don’t know which city any of their grandparents were born in.– 14 percent don’t know what any of their grandparents doContinue reading “Mayhem at the Cottage”

Hillside

Prologue: Last week the Girl Scouts of America received a record donation of $84.5 million from Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Among other uses, the grant is meant to “create more equitable membership opportunities in communities that have been under-engaged” and “foster meaningful program innovation informed by the current interests and needs of girls to prepare themContinue reading “Hillside”

Moses and Philena (Whiting) Baker

Prologue: In an earlier blog, Howard Falls vs. Suburban Sprawl, we discussed how the population of Franklin Township grew exponentially in the latter half of the 1800s, peaking at about 1,000 citizens by 1880. Even in the most remote parts of the township, such as where Henry and Levi Howard lived, neighbors began to settleContinue reading “Moses and Philena (Whiting) Baker”