Summit Township

Byadmin

Sep 14, 2015

<center>HISTORY OF THE TOWNSHIP</center>
Summit township was organized in 1843 from adjoining portions of Elk Lick and Brother\’s Valley townships. Its territory contains much excellent land for agricultural purposes, besides abounding in minerals and timber.

Jacob Castleman, a hunter who lived where Meyersdale is now located, was perhaps the first settler in the Casselman Valley, and the Casselman River is named for him. Stephen Yoder emigrated from Germany, and settled in this township quite early. His sons were John, Daniel, Joseph and Solomon. John was born on the old homestead in 1799. He was a blacksmith and axmaker. It is said that he made as many as four thousand axes, by hand, in his lifetime. He died in 1863. Other early settlers of Summit township were Jacob Saylor, John Saylor, Christian Knaigey, Peter Forney, Christian Berkey, Michael Buechley, John Olinger, John Miller, John Burger and Hugh Robinson, Sr.

Meyersdale has the largest population of any borough in Somerset County. Other principal towns and villages of Summit township are Summit Mills, Romania, Keystone and Berkley\’s Mill.

The area of Summit Township is 24,015 acres or about thirty seven and one-half square miles. In 1930, it contained 193 farms and had a population of 2089 persons.

<center>BIOGRAPHIES</center>
<a href=”http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?720,571580″>John J. Beachly</a> — <a href=”http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?720,604788″>Flickinger Family</a> — <a href=”http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?720,363858,363858#msg-363858″>J. J. Hoblitzell</a> — <a href=”http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?720,363758,363758#msg-363758″>John Klingaman</a> — <a href=”http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?720,571582″>Christian Meyers</a> — <a href=”http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?720,363892,363892#msg-363892″>Dr. William H. Meyers</a> 
<a href=”http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?720,571581″>Abraham A. Miller</a> — <a href=”http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?720,571583″>Peter Miller</a> — <a href=”http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?720,571596″>Rev. J. Milton Snyder</a>

<center>CHURCHES</center>
<a href=”articles.php?article_id=140″>Amity Reformed Church</a> — <a href=”articles.php?article_id=145″>Garrett Churches</a> — <a href=”articles.php?article_id=143″>Methodist Episcopal</a> — <a href=”articles.php?article_id=146″>Meyersdale Church of the Brethren</a> 
<a href=”articles.php?article_id=144″>Meyersdale Roman Catholic Church</a> — <a href=”articles.php?article_id=142″>Protestant Episcopal</a> — <a href=”articles.php?article_id=141″>Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church</a>

<center>INDUSTRIES</center>
<a href=”articles.php?article_id=172″>Baltimore & Cumberland Coal Company</a> — <a href=”articles.php?article_id=175″>Casselman Coal Company</a> — <a href=”articles.php?article_id=174″>Cumberland & Elk Lick Coal Company</a> 
<a href=”articles.php?article_id=173″>Keystone Coal & Manufacturing Company</a> — <a href=”articles.php?article_id=171″>Savage Brick Works</a>

<center>LISTS</center>
<a href=”articles.php?article_id=178″>Businessmen of Meyersdale -1884</a>

<center>ORGANIZATIONS & CLUBS</center>
<a href=”articles.php?article_id=152″>American Legion of Honor</a> — <a href=”articles.php?article_id=149″>G.A.R. Post #214, M. C. Lowry</a> — <a href=”articles.php?article_id=148″>I.O.O.F.</a> — <a href=”articles.php?article_id=153″>Knights of Pythias</a> — <a href=”articles.php?article_id=150″>Masons</a> 
<a href=”articles.php?article_id=147″>Royal Arcanum</a> — <a href=”articles.php?article_id=151″>Shooting Club</a>

WOMEN\’S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION
Organized in 1883. President: Mrs. Dr. U. M. Beachley; Vice-president: Mrs. Johnson Collins; Secretary: Mrs. Geo. H. Suhrie; Treasurer: Mrs. A.D. Gnagey. Membership, about twenty-five. (1884)

<center>TAX LISTS</center>
<a href=”articles.php?article_id=137″>1843</a>

<center>TOWNS & VILLAGES</center>
<a href=”articles.php?article_id=170″>Meyersdale</a> — <a href=”articles.php?article_id=160″>Garrett</a>

BERKLEY\’S MILL
Situated in the northeast part of the township, Berkley\’s Mill is a small hamlet. It was founded by John Berkley in 1820.

KEYSTONE
Keystone, in the eastern part of the township, was laid out by the Keystone Coal and Manufacturing Company in 1872. It is the oldest mining town in Somerset County.

ROMANIA
Romania is a small village in the southern part of the township. It is near the Shaw Mines on the Salisbury Branch Railroad. Romania was laid out by Peter Meyers before this railroad was built.

SUMMIT MILLS
A small village in the southern part of the township, Summit Mills was laid out by Joseph J. Yoder in 1830. He wished to call the village “Mechanicsburg”, but when the post office was established, it took the name of Summit Mills. Joseph J. Yoder (Axie Yoder) was the best axe maker who ever lived in western Pennsylvania. He made 4,550 axes and tempered 7,805 axes for other axe makers during his lifetime.