|
|
|
|
| Rossiter, Canoe Twp., Indiana Co., PA [A coal company Patch Town in Indiana Co., Pennsylvania.] [Rossiter was named for William Rossiter who was a chief stockholder in the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corp.] [Located three miles southeast of Punxsutawney, in Canoe Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania.] [USGS 7 1/2 min Quad: Punxsutawney (1:24000) UTM: 17 E.674700 - N.4528800] [Construction date: ca.1900.] See: Frances Mine, Rossiter, Canoe Twp., Indiana Co., PA Rossiter No. 1 Mine, Rossiter, Canoe Twp., Indiana Co., PA Rossiter No. 2 Mine, Rossiter, Canoe Twp., Indiana Co., PA Rossiter No. 3 Mine, Rossiter, Canoe Twp., Indiana Co., PA Rossiter No. 4 Mine, Rossiter, Canoe Twp., Indiana Co., PA Rossiter No. 5 Mine, Rossiter, Canoe Twp., Indiana Co., PA
Smyerstown, Rossiter, Canoe Twp., Indiana Co.,
PA
Rossiter No. 1 Mine
Rossiter No. 2 Mine
Rossiter No. 3 Mine
Rossiter No. 4 Mine
Rossiter No. 5 Mine
Frances No. 1 Mine (ca.1907-
? ),
Frances No. 2 Mine (ca.1919-
? ),
Frances No. 3 Mine (ca.1919-
? ),
Frances No. 4 Mine (ca.1919-
? ), |
|
| A portion of the U.S.G.S. 15 min. Punxsutawney,
PA quad map ca.1906, showing Rossiter, Canoe Twp., Indiana Co., PA and the
surrounding area. (Courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey, Washington D.C.) |
|
| A portion of the U.S.G.S. 15 min. Punxsutawney,
PA quad map ca.1942, showing Rossiter, Canoe Twp., Indiana Co., PA and the
surrounding area. (Courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey, Washington D.C.) |
|
| A portion of the U.S.G.S. 7 1/2 min.
Punxsutawney, PA quad map showing Rossiter, Canoe Twp., Indiana Co., PA and
the surrounding area of Canoe Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania.
(Courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey, Washington D.C.) |
| DESCRIPTION: Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation: Rossiter, Coal Company Patch Town. [Located three miles southeast of Punxsutawney, in Canoe Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania.] [USGS 7 1/2 min Quad: Punxsutawney (1:24000) UTM: 17 E.674700 - N.4528800] [Construction date: ca.1900.] Rossiter in Canoe Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania is built on a southward branch of Canoe Creek, a tributary of Mahoning Creek. The town is three miles southeast of Punxsutawney, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania. Rossiter is laid out on three main streets running northwest-southeast and several cross-streets. The main Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation Rossiter Mine complex, which was the reason for the coal company patch town's existence, was located up a valley to the southwest of the town; more recent surface strip mies surround the town on the other sides. About ninety houses, two churches, a school, and a row of commercial buiuldings were located in the community ca.1993. The commercial row is dominated by the large former coal company store, the Clearfield Supply Company. Another twenty-five or thirty houses are located just north of Rossiter at Smyerstown, a development of private houses on individual lots, built for the Frances Mine. Several house types can be observed in Rossiter. A common double-house plan is a two-story frame structure, with the six bays divided equally into two units. The shingled frame houses are built on concrete block foundations, are topped by side-gable roofs, have one-story half-hipped porches across the front, and one-story shed wings across the rear. Another comon type us a two-story single-family house, with six rooms. A one-story shed porch crosses this facade. This type of house rests on a block foundation and is topped by a front-gable roof with a central chimney. A number of smaller one-story bungalows are located on the hill on the northern side of the town. Most of the houses have been altered. |
 |
| The coal company patch town of Rossiter, Canoe Township, Indiana Co., Pennsylvania, ca.1914. |
 |
| Another view of the coal company patch town of Rossiter, Canoe Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania ca.1914. |
| HISTORY: Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation: Rossiter, Coal Company Patch Town. The Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation opened its first Indiana County, Pennsylvania operations on a 5,000-acre reservation in northern Canoe Township in ca.1900. The new operations were called the 'Canor Ridge Mines." By the end of the years 200 houses and a company store had been erected, and the new town was named "Rossiter" after E. W. Rossiter, treasurer of the New York Central Railorad. Lumber for some of the houses came from dismantled houses from the company town of Gazzam in Clearfield Couty. By 1901, the population was almost 1,000. In 1908, 937 men were employed at the mines, and they produced nearly 606,000 tons of coal. The town of Rossiter was the largest in the north end of Indiana County for some time. In 1913, it had two hotels, "The Brandon" and "The Rossiter," two schools, three stores, and a post office. In 1917, thirty-five brick bungalows were built. The Frances Mine The houses north of Rossiter, at Smyerstown were built beginning in ca.1901 by miners who wished to ow their own houses on private lots. The land and town was named for its developer, Benjamin Smyers. The independent Frances Mine opened at Smyerstown in ca.1907. Eventually it came under the control of the Rochester & Pittsburg Coal & Iron Company. An incline plane railway was used to transport the coal to the railroad tipple. There were 160 employees here in ca.1914, under C. J. Waber, superintendent of the Frances Mine. During the coal miners strike of 1927 - 1928 the union responded to this emergency by placing miners and their families in Symerstown, a suburb of Rossiter, and beginning the construction of barracks to house the homeless. The barracks were 20 feet wide and 120 feet long and were constructed of single boards lined with tar paper. Each unit contained 20 rooms 10 feet by 12 feet. The occupants obtained water from wells and springs located near each unit and used toilets built alongside the barracks. During the coal miners strike residents of Symerstown not only experienced unsanitary housing conditions, but faced harassment and violence from mine guards, deputies and the state police. In testimony before a congressional committee, A J. Phillips, a strike leader, described several instances of harassment. In one instance " . . . nine state constabulary or coal and iron police, two on horses and seven walking on foot, chased our people right down on the side of the road, and crowded the people off the road...." In another case when the children were coming from Bible reading, "the coal and iron police drove them back." In his testimony before the committee and in an affidavit of complaint, Steve Naggy described being arrested, hit with a blackjack and having his jaw broken as a result of being mistreated by deputy sheriffs. Mining continued at the Frances Mine under Rochester & Pittsburg Coal & Iron Company until ca.1928, when Rochester & Pittsburg sold this operation to A. C. Light Company. No surface remains associated with the Frances Mine were located in ca.1993, when the historical survey of the area was done. By the 1940s, all deep mining in the Rossiter Mines area had been replaced by surface strip mining. The last load of Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corp coal left Rossiter in ca.1946. Some small operators are again mining in the vicinity and in ca.1993 P & N Coal Company leased the former Clearfield Bituminous Coal Company mine buildings. |
| DESCRIPTION: Clearfield Supply Company, Rossiter Coal Company Store. [Located in Rossiter, Canoe Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania.] [USGS 7 1/2 min. Quad: Punxsutawney, PA (1:24000) UTM: 17 E.674025 - N.4528805] The Clearfield Supply Company was the coal company store for the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corp. The Clearfield Supply Company erected a frame company store son after 1901, this building is not extent. The present Clearfield Supply Company store at the coal company patch town of Rossiter was built ca.1924. The massive two-story buildimg is of common-bond brick construction, built on a concrete-block foudation, and is covered with a sloping built-up roof behind a brick parapet wall. The five-bay front has large plate-glass display windows, recessed entrances, and a parapeted front. On the long sides, twn windows are spaced at even intervals; a door is located on the southeast side, and a large exterior brick chimney on the northwest. A one-story shed section at the rear has partially collapsed ca.1993, with only the southwest wall remaining in place. |
| HISTORY: The Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corp. began mining operations in Canoe Township, Indiana Couty, Pennsylvania in ca.1901 and formed the coal company patch town of Rossiter, which at its peak had more than 2,000 inhabitants. The Clearfield Supply Company erected a frame company store on the site that the Clontz Garage stood, soon afterwards. The store company was called the "Clearfield Supply Company," like other of the corporation's stores at Clymer, Barr Slope, and Commodore in Indiana Co., PA. I ca.1924 the company erected a much larger brick structure in downtown Rossiter, moving a company house to make room for the building. The Rossiter store closed soon after the Second World War. |
| DESCRIPTION: Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation: Rossiter Mines Complex [Located 1/4 mile southwest of Rossiter, Canoe Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania.] [USGS 71/2 min. Quad: Punxsutawney, PA (1:24000) UTM: 17 E.673600 - N.4528740.] Construction Date: ca.1900's Only the powerhouse, wash house and a machine shop building remained at the site ca.1993 of the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corp. Canoe Ridge Mines complex at Rossiter in northern Indiana Couty, Pennsylvania. The ca.1915 Powerhouse, the second on the spot, is a large, one-story buff brick building with a full basement, measuring roughly 150 ft. x 70 ft.. The structure is built on a reinforced concrete foundation and was topped by a flat roof set behind parapet walls with concrete coping; the roof has collapsed in recent years, ca.1993. Windows and entries are topped with segmental arches with three courses of arch radiating voussoirs. A massive brick chimney, approximately 20 ft. in diameter and 150 ft. high, stands next to the power plant. In the flat below was the "Spraze," a pond in which the water from the boilers was aerated and cooled. Original equipment was a 400 horsepower water tube boiler, and two 600-kilowatt turbines driving 2,300-volt AC generators, all of this equipment has been removed. The former wash house is located a short distance to the south of the power house. This small one-story brick building is built on a concrete foundation, is covered by a shallow-gabled composition shingle roof, and has an interior brick chimney near the rear. North of the Powerhouse is the former blacksmith shop, another buff brick structure measuring approximately 160 ft. x 50 ft. The building is topped by a low gabled roof and has metal framed windows running along the sides, in ca.1993 the P & N Coal Company was utilizing this structure as offices and repair facilities. Other small structures in ruins and foundations from other buildings, are present on the site, but tipples, washers, etc, and the other mines buildings have been removed. A dam located near the site, probably was used to provide water for the powerhouse, this dam burst in the 1936 flood, killing four persons. |
| HISTORY: The Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corp. purchased 5,000 acres in Canoe Township, Idiana County, Pennsylvania from Jacob Smith ca.1900, and opened the Rossiter Mines and built the coal company patch town of Rossiter. The mies were captive mines, producing solely for the New York Central Railroad system, whose coal mining department has a long-term contract with the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corp. Coal was taken from the Upper Freeport "D" and "E" seams. By ca.1914 the three drift mines at Rossiter, Canoe Ridge No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4, employed 700 men and boys and produced over 573,000 tons of coal in 1914. Canoe Ridge No. 1 and No. 3 mines were electrified; Canoe Ridge No. 4 Mine used steam for haulage. Stine and Robinson fans were used for ventilation. Late in 1914, the large power house was built, and all Rossiter operations were electrified. In later years, the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corp.'s central power plant at Sample Run supplied power to the Rossiter Operations. The coal company renamed the mines Rossiter No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4 Mines in 1917, and a new mine, Rossiter No. 5 Mine, opened soon afterwards. Production of the four mines in 1930 was a combined 519,000 tons, but the number of employees had dropped to 417 due to more efficient mining practices. The Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corp. took out much coal through World War II, by which time it was involved in strip mining operations. The deep-mine coal ran out in ca.1942, and the Rossiter Mines shut down afterwards. The last load of coal was taken out in ca.1946. The wash house was later acquired by the Loree Footwear Corp., which operated a shoe factory there. The shoe plant had an annual capacity of 100,000 pairs of shoes and employed 125 persons. Later, the Rossiter plant was closed and moved to Big Run, in Jefferson County. In ca.1993, the buildings and the machine shop were used by the P & N Coal Company, a small operation. |
| (from the "Punxsutaney Spirit," dated Tuesday, May
7, 1907:
First Fatal Accident in the Rossiter Mines The first fatal accident in the history of the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation's mines in Rossiter, occurred last night at 8:45 o'clock, May 7, 1907, when Michael Maloney and David Pittsley, two of the oldest and most valued employees in that mine, were instantly killed by a fall of rock. Maloney and Pittsley and five other men who were working about a mile and a half from the entrance, were widening a heading for another track. The coal had been removed and Maloney started to remove a prop, when the rock surface overhead began to "creep." David Strahan, who was working nearest to Maloney, warned him of the danger, but the miner continued. When the prop was released, instantly a large flat rock fell, crushing Maloney into a mass of flesh and broken bones. David Pittsley hastened to the spot, but just as he reached it another huge rock fell and he was also killed instantly. Strahan started to rescue his comrades, but a third boulder came down, grazing his head and shoulder. The men, undaunted by the fate of Maloney and Pittsley, rushed to the scene, and in a remarkably short time recovered the mangled remains of the two unfortunate men. The bodies were then brought to the surface and in a short time almost the entire population of Rossiter had assembled at the opening to learn the details of the accident. The men were all experienced miners and the fate of Maloney and Pittsley, who were highly esteemed by all of the employees and officers of the company, cast a deep gloom over the citizens of Rossiter. Maloney, who was forty years old, leaves a widow and six children. Pittsley was twenty-eight years old and is survived by a widow and two children. Maloney's remains will be buried in the Catholic Cemetery in this place Thursday, but the arrangements for Pittsley's funeral have not yet been completed. According to official documents Michael died in Rossiter, PA at 9:00 PM on May 6, 1907, his "skull crushed from fall of rock in mine." Later documents show him buried in St. Cosma's Roman Catholic Cemetery near Punxatawney, PA. His death certificate states that he was buried in Lindsey Cemetery. Michael was actually buried in the grounds maintained by SS Cosmas & Damian Roman Catholic Church near Punxsutawney, Jefferson County, PA. At the time of Mike's death the cemetery was known as the West End Cemetery. Today it is known as Calvary Cemetery. (from the "Punxsutaney Spirit," Punxsutawney, PA, Tuesday, May 7, 1907.) |
| Rossiter, Pennsylvania Flood
March 1936 RAGING FLOODS [The flood could have been near the Frances Mine, Smyerstown, Rossiter, PA.] Tuesday 's flood, which caused untold damage and suffering in many sections of Indiana county took its heaviest toll a Rossiter, where an entire family perished when the home was swept away by the swirling waters following the bursting of the dam at Frances Mine late that afternoon. The victims were Mr. and Mrs. Russell Saye and their two little daughters Ethel Mae, aged 6 and Dora, aged 4. The bodies of Saye, aged 35, and daughter Dora were found late last night while the bodies of Mrs. Saye and her daughter, Mae, swept two miles away were recovered this morning. Kostic Oshenic, who lived with the Saye family and who escaped a similar fate when he clutched a limb of the tree told the following story of the tragedy to County Coroner John Woods today: "Russ and I had worked all night," Oshenic said, "came home together and slept until around four o'clock when I was awakened by shouts of alarm. We all gathered together on the first floor but before we could do anything, the water had reached our knees and Russ and his wife picked up the two girls and we hurried to the second floor. The water came right up after us. I climbed through a window and up on the roof and pulled the others up after me. "But the houses was on posts and it was not long until we felt it break away. It was terrible. We whirled around unsteadily on the roof for just a short second, it seemed, when there was a crash as the house hit a large tree and went to pieces. That was the last I saw of Russ, his wife and their children," (from: "Indiana Weekly Messenger," Indiana, PA 19 Mar 1936.);(Article courtesy of Lori Boggs.) |
| Fire destroys 12 buildings in
Rossiter April, 1910 Fire of unknown origin visited Rossiter early this morning, and before it burned itself out destroyed 12 buildings and caused heavy damage to the Hotel Brandon, owned by M. S. Murray. The flames originated in Nathan's clothing store on Central street in the heart of the business section of the town. Workmen passing along the street about 2:30 o'clock discovered the fire and gave an alarm. Whistles were blown and bells ere rung, and soon practically the entire population of 2,000 people were on the scene. Rossiter is without adequate fire protection. There is no organized fire-fighting department, so that the only method of fighting the flames was by the forming of bucket lines. The citizens went to work with a will, but it was soon found that the water supply was not sufficient to cope with the devouring flames. The Nathan building burned fiercely and the adjoining structures were soon ablaze. Frank Farro's building, Berkenstein's clothing store and Sanders' confectionary store were speedily destroyed with all their contents. Berkenstein and Sanders lived in apartments over their stores and all their household goods were burned. Paul Miller's grocery store was the next to go, including household effects as Miller and his family lived in the building. Farro's dwelling, across the street from his store, caught fire and was burned, as was also the dwelling of Thomas Lynch adjoining. Lynch saved part of his furniture. Peter Fellen's bakery was next to go, the flames communicated with three dwellings owned by some Italians and these were destroyed. A barber shop and a racket store in this block were wiped out. Working valiantly, despite the great odds against them, the volunteer firemen, choked and blinded with smoke, seemed fired with new zeal when it was announced that the Hotel Brandon, owned by M. S. Murray, was on fire. Ladders were raised to the roof and men with axes soon made an opening through to the attic. Water was poured in, several daring souls ventured under the roof thinking they could work to better the purpose there. The smoke was so dense that three of these were overcome and were taken out apparently suffocated. They were: Jacob Frantz, Peter Jeager and Harry Frantz. They were rolled on the ground and other restorative measures were resorted to. Jeager was hit on the head by a falling bucket and sustaining and ugly scalp would. Both he and Harry Frantz responded to treatment and recovered consciousness, but at 11 o'clock this morning Jacob Frantz was still unconscious. The hotel building was saved but is seriously damaged, the flames, water and smoke having wrought havoc with the interior. At 6 o'clock the fire had reached a street corner where it was checked, and the smouldering ruins are slowly burning themselves out.
No estimate of the amount of the loss or the insurance had
been made at last reports but the loss will be very heavy.
Buildings Destroyed by Fire There Early in the Spring Were
Rebuilt - In a short time not a sign of the recent fire that devastated the business section of Rossiter, this county, will remain. The fire occurred on April 2 [April 29], of this year, and the ruins had scarcely cooled before the work of rebuilding many of the places of business was commenced. The fire broke out in the Hopkins block and destroyed a number of buildings. The following have either been rebuilt or are in the process of construction: Peter Fullen, Joe Bouondgionio, Charles Glass, John Hopkins, business block and dwelling in the rear, Frank Fera's dwelling and business block, John Miller, B. Breckstein, S. P. Wiley, Paul Miller. The damage to the Bandon [Brandon] Hotel was repaired immediately after the fire. The only one of the above that has not yet been replaced is the building owned by S. P. Wiley. Mr. Wiley has not decided whether he will move another building to the site or erect a new one. Frank Fera erected a handsome business block, constructed of brick and stone, and almost every one of the buildings has been built in a more substantial manner than before the fire, quite a number of them being brick or some other fireproof material.
All in all it appears that Rossiter will derive considerable
benefit from the fire, in that the appearance of the town has been improved
materially by the replacing of many of the flimsy structures that had be
erected in its first boom days.
|
| To Select another Index to Indiana County Coal Mines Click on the Larry cars for Index Page or on a Letter below |
 |
| Select another Index to Coal Mines of
Indiana County, Pennsylvania [Click on a letter to take you to that Index]
|
| Return to the Main County Index for Southwest Pennsylvania Coal Mines |
| Local History
Sites Links to other coal mining sites |
Reference Sources for Southwestern Pennsylvania Coal Mines | The New Message Boards have not worked, Use our guestbook. Email the Editor. | Have
information to add on Indiana County Coal Mines? E-Mail the Editor |
|
View the "Old Miner's" Guestbook |
Let the Old Miner know you've been here. Sign the "Old Miner's" Guestbook |
 FastCounter by LinkExchange |
If you have additional information or pictures on the Coal
Mines of Indiana County, PA Contact: Ray Washlaski, Editor Copyright 2010, All rights reserved, by Raymond A. Washlaski, Ryan P. Washlaski & The 20th Century Society of Western Pennsylvania. Web site Design by "Mercers, an Undertakers" Web Design Company |
