Fayette County's Perryopolis a living link to the past

It is almost impossible to travel through Perryopolis without seeing a historic landmark.

Significant sites dating back over three centuries are grouped within a two-mile of Town Square.

Street names in this Fayette County town reflect the historical impact of the Colonial era, with roads named Washington, Independence, Liberty, and Constitution.

The town's name - Perryopolis - was named in 1814 as a tribute to Oliver Hazard Perry and his victory on Lake Erie during the War of 1812.

The town's evolution began when George Washington purchased 1,644 acres of land in 1769.

Three-fourths of Perryopolis now sits on that land.

Records indicate that the Perryopolis acreage and an additional 300 acres of land at Fort Necessity were the only areas Washington purchased out of the 36,800 acres he owned on the frontier.

Washington received all of his the other land as a reward for his military accomplishments.

Washington designed Perryopolis as a replica of Washington, D.C., with the street map resembling a wagon wheel, with roads connected like spokes to a hub.

Rumors that Washington intended to transform the town into the nation's capital proved only a myth, but Washington did see promise in the area.

He rooted a major business operation there when he built a gristmill that still stands today, thanks to help from the Perryopolis Historical Society.

Unfortunately, Washington's flour-producing endeavor fell through, but his legacy did not, and is relevant throughout the town today.

Paintings of Washington's bust decorate roads running to Frazier High School.

The school has a history of its own. It was dedicated in honor of Mary Fuller Frazier, a patriotic resident who donated about $1.5 million to the town after she died in 1948.

The home that was her birthplace and residence for years is now open for tours.

In the heart of town lies the core of its historical preservation, the Old State Bank.

The aged, sandstone building, constructed on South Liberty Street in 1814, is now the headquarters of the historical society. The structure is documented as the first bank west of the Allegheny Mountain Range.

The historical society is active in the community, having gotten a boost in 1988 when it began work to raise money through small-scale fund-raising efforts.

A year later, the society formed the Pioneer Days Festival as a way to showcase the town's history.

During the festival, the townspeople dawn colonial outfits and they offer tours to important sites in the town.

That effort caught on quickly and it now draws thousands of people to town annually each fall.

Historical society President Eldo DiVirgilio said the historical society is now a vital cog in the town in the 21st Century.

"We have amassed close to $1 million in treasures in our community, so to speak," DiVirgilio said.

Proceeds and grant money collected by the historical society have assisted projects like the refurbishing of the Washington Grist Mill.

During the original construction of the mill, pioneers fended off Indians from inside a log cabin called Fort Trial, a space about the size of a modern living room.

Historical society member George Bubnash said resistance from Indians and pesky "black flies," probably horseflies, plagued the construction of the mill.

The project began in 1774 and was not completed until two years later.

Once up and running, the mill remained operational until 1918. Later, in 1930, a severe storm ripped the roof off the building.

A fund-raising effort in the community failed shortly after the building was damaged and the historical society launched a $190,000 project to fix the landmark in 1999.

A dozen Amish workers from Dayton came into town and rebuilt the mill by hand in two weeks, DiVirgilio said.

DiVirgilio said the old-fashioned craftsmanship of the Amish was impeccable, using no mechanical tools and few materials. DiVirgilio said the workers shaped massive beams now holding the mill together to fit each other like pieces in a puzzle.

"They notched all of their timbers - and without the use of heavy equipment," DiVirgilio said. "It was just phenomenal."

Although the mill has been rebuilt, its original granite grindstone remains at the site, DiVirgilio said.

A few feet from Washington's gristmill sits a distillery operated during the Whiskey Rebellion.

After Washington's business failed, he leased the mill property to Israel Shreve, who put up the distillery and began creating moonshine, known as "Monongahela Rye."

That business, unbeknownst to Washington, proved more profitable than the site's original flour production.

Ironically, Shreve and Washington died on the same historic date, Dec. 14, 1799, Bubnash said.

Just up a dirt road about 100 yards from the gristmill sits The Bake Shop, a bakery built in the early 1800s.

Bubnash said more than 200 loaves of bread used to be made in the bakery daily for settlers.

Other historical sites scattered through town and its outskirts have also kept tourists interested, DiVirgilio said.

The Gue House, a small wooden cabin on East Independence Street, was built in 1814. Local legend claims it was the first complete two-story log cabin in Pennsylvania.

The historical society had it rebuilt in 1976 using original materials.

Multiple families owned the building until the Gue family moved in for 76 years, from 1870 to 1946.

The house stands as a symbol of a conventional Colonial Era home. The Perryopolis Parks and Recreation Authority now owns the house and it is open as a gift shop.

On Laurel Street, a sign posted next to a vintage blacksmith shop states that it is the oldest one of its kind in the United States.

DiVirgilio said the original anvil and authentic tools used in the shop remain there today.

Near the blacksmith shop, gravestones bear the names of early settlers dating back to 1832.

On the outskirts of town stands the Searight Fulling Mill, believed to be the only facility of its kind standing in the United States today.

"It was a place where the ladies brought wool and cloth to dye and make into garments," DiVirgilio said of the building, constructed around 1815.

Perryopolis reflects many interests - from religion and politics to the booming coal-mining era.

The St. Nicholas Church was built in 1912 and it is found on East Columbia Street. It is known for its unique appearance, with bulb-shaped steeples jutting up from its body.

A Christian church on East Independence Street was built in 1885 and a Methodist church on West Independence Street has been used since 1888.

The Quaker Meeting House is located two miles west of Perryopolis. In 1789, the Quakers purchased the building, and later used it as a social hall.

Deceased Quakers and their descendants are buried on the land outside of the house.

A few politicians also have ties to Perryopolis.

Harry Truman and his wife Margaret supposedly stopped in Perryopolis on Nov. 2, 1944. Truman was in the area as part of his vice presidential campaign, Bubnash said.

Former Congressman J. Buell Snyder also resided in the community around that time.

He lived in a home now known as the Becky Bishop House, located near the center of Perryopolis.

"He was instrumental in getting the atom bomb perfected," DiVirgilio said.

William Crawford spent time in Perryopolis surveying the land with Washington.

Crawford lived in Connellsville and was honored for his work to protect that area against Indians in the late 1700s.

Crawford Avenue - a main street running through the business district of Connellsville - was named after him.

Another thing Perryopolis has in common with other local areas is its past reliance on the coal mining industry.

According to DiVirgilio, The Pittsburgh Coal Co. constructed a row of identical "company homes" along Independence Street for its employees. Bubnash said the homes sold originally for about $600.

DiVirgilio recalled living his childhood years in one of the cramped company homes split between two families.

"I grew up in half of a company house with 10 of us in four rooms," DiVirgilio said. "They weren't stylish or anything. It wasn't very cozy but we managed."

"That's what it's all about in Perry, learning to live together."

In the 21st Century, tourism has become a staple for the economic survival of the community, DiVirgilio said.

Visitors have noticed what the community has to offer, he added.

"The word they use is that you folks have a treasure here and we are very proud of it," he said. "That's the kind of feeling we have in Perry because they have seen what we've accomplished through the years and were not just shooting our gums off."

Nedra Lopez, another resident and a member of the historical society, attested to the magnetic quality of the region and its past.

She moved to Perryopolis from the Los Angeles area a decade ago.

Lopez said she and her husband, Raul, immediately felt at home in Perryopolis and were fascinated with the region, its history and the people.

"When we came here, we just fell in love with it," she said. "This was like heaven on Earth."

The historian commented on the bond between the people and the land in Perryopolis and the success of keeping its history alive.

"It's just like a big lovable dog," he said. "If you pat it on the back, it will wag its tail for you."