My first submission to this column which appeared in September, 2000 brought a number of responses. This suggested that for all the time I had spent to research the subject, there was more to it then I realized.
I had set out to discover why the creek which divides Fayette from Westmoreland counties is called "Jacobs Creek." The search led me to a stone carving labeled "Chief Jacob" which is located near the creek not far from the Mennonite Church Center at Laurelville. As I reported in October 2000, Larry Galley informed me that this carving was done by his great grandfather, William C. Galley. A photo of him beside the carving appears in "History of the Galley Family." But Larry did not know why his great-grandfather made the carving.
To connect Chief Jacob to the creek, I relied on George F. Lee's "Westmoreland County History" which includes two accounts of the Chief s death, one of them having him shot on top of his cabin near Laurelville. But some have challenged the assumption that the creek was named after Chief Jacob. Carol Westerman of Scottdale wrote, "I don't believe there was a very significant settlement of (Laurelville) until after the Revolutionary War and robbing stage coaches and cattle drovers could hardly have been a full-time occupation for a highwayman in the years that the captain would have been young enough to pursue this. " A good point there.
Linda Paul of Greensburg perceives that the creek has been named after her ancestor, Jacob Hough. She sent me copies of a number of pages from "The Hough Genealogy." According to this source the following approximate dates account for the life of Jacob Hough: born 1747, died 1812; married to Charlotte Smith, who died 1826.
The genealogy is sometimes forced to depend on tradition or hearsay. "About 1779 Jacob Hough and Charlotte Smith, with their family, are said by good authority to have left Frederick Co., Md., and just as good authority says the family migrated from Bucks Co., Pa." But later the account asserts that "all agree they settled in South Huntington Township., Westmoreland Co., Pa., on the watershed of a stream that bears his name (Jacobs Creek, formerly known as Salt Creek). They reported to be the first Hough family settling west of the Allegheny Mountains. It adds that "Following mostly the road made by Braddock's Army in 1755, leaving it at or near where Jacobs Cabin was on the south side of Jacobs Creek, at a big bend in Jacobs Creek, a mile or so upstream from the present site of Scottdale. Chief Jacob of the Delaware Indians once lived there." So we can't seem to get completely rid of Chief Jacob!
One thing seems clear. Jacob and Charlotte Hough left a sizable clan in our area. To get a quick check on them, I looked in a phone book and found 60 listings with that name. (Of course there are probably families other than descendants of Jacob and Charlotte. Also, many of their descendants will have other surnames).
In the end, perhaps we cannot be sure where the name of our creek came from. Maybe this is not as important as how we care for the creek today. The health of a watercourse is a sign of the health of a community. A polluted stream indicates that some are borrowing from long-term health for the sake of short-term profit or convenience.
Jacobs Creek has had its share of pollution from mines and households. If I remember correctly, a former neighbor of mine once reported that as mine acid came into the creek, fish tried to get away from it. But there was no hiding place for them. More recently, I hear kingfishers along the creek. Where there are kingfishers there must be fish, so evidently the quality of the water has improved.
I have also read about the efforts of the Jacobs Creek Watershed Association to test the quality of the water. According to a "Courier" article some time ago, they received a grant to test the water "for mine drainage and sewage." What came of their efforts I have not heard. An e-mail query I sent to the headquarters was not answered. But any effort to improve the water of our creek should be commended.
Work toward flood prevention has also been done in recent years. North Scottdale used to be subject to flooding. I hope they are now protected. We ourselves have seen the creek flood, especially on the Fayette County side. On our side the only real flood I remember was from Hurricane Agnes in 1972. Our road was covered with water and once or twice we went to town by another route.
As we see it today, Jacobs Creek waxes and wanes in tune with the seasons and the amount of rainfall received on the mountain. Once, I'm sure, the level of the creek was more stable. But when trees are removed, the mountain is less able to retain water and there is more runoff from heavy rains.
On occasion I have seen Jacobs Creek frozen and even skated on it. But that was a little dangerous. When skating on a creek one must beware of coming to riffles where the water is swifter and the ice less durable.
Mainly I walk by the creek with the dog and observe its moods: swift and riotous after a heavy rain, peaceful and smooth following most of the time. It is just a creek. There is no point in getting sentimental about it. But, as I say, its health is an indication of community resolve. It says something about how serious we are in caring for our environment.
Hertzler is a Scottdale resident.
