Clymer Historic Facts
George Clymer born in Philadelphia in 1739 played an important role in the founding and organization of the United States. He served as a colonel in the Revolutionary War and signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, one of only eight men to hold this distinction. During the Revolution he was elected to the First Congress of the United States and served as the continental treasurer. Clymer was also a member of the convention which framed the constitution of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania General Assembly. While serving in the Continental Convention he contributed large sums of money to secure provisions for Washington’s army and performed many other services for his country. George Clymer’s ties with Indiana County and Clymer began in 1776 when he bought ten parcels of land, totaling 3050 acres from Samuel Pleasants of Philadelphia paying 1800 pounds of lawful current money of Pennsylvania. Some years before the formation of Indiana County in 1803. Clymer had appropriated Colonial Alexander Craig of Westmoreland County as his agent to negotiate with Indiana County trustees regarding the granting of land for the county seat. The act of March 25, 1805 authorized the county trustees to accept Clymer’s offer of 250 acres for the County seat and to name the new town “Indiana”.
With the exception of some notable incident of kidnapping of fugitive slaves in 1845, on the farm of Dr. Robert Mitchell, there was little activity in the Clymer area before 1900. The following families owned some of the land upon which Clymer is located: the Weimers, Lydicks, McGuires, Rhoades, Creswells, Kepharts, O’Neils and Siverds. On March 17, 1905, 100 years after Clymer’s gift of 250 acres for the county seat, officials of New York Central Railroad decided upon the present location of Clymer for the new town. Clymer was thus situated over a tract of rich coal reserve known as “Dixonville Field”. Attorney John S. Fisher of Indiana, acting for the railroad, secured options in that part of Clymer owned by Mrs. Nancy O’Neil and Mr. J.B. Siverd and their deeds were transformed to the Land Company by May 3,1905. Formation of the Dixon Run Land Company was established by the New York Central Railroad to set up and develop the new coal town and the sale of lots that established a population necessary for the Coal industry. On October 11 and 12 of 1905, 103 lots were sold at an average price of $306. John S. Fisher who later became governor of Pennsylvania suggested a name for this new town which was finally adopted – Clymer, honoring the great revolutionary Patriot George Clymer. The Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation a subsidiary of the New York Central Railroad was then formed to produce coal exclusively for the railroad.
The town of Clymer grew very rapidly and was incorporated as a borough in 1908 with streets named after signers of the Declaration of Independence. The first family in Clymer was the John Dillen family, which came here September 25, 1905 and started a boarding house on Hancock Street between third and fourth streets. The fifty to sixty boarders were engineers and officials of Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation who were overlooking the building of the new town. The first store in Clymer was the Clearfield Supply Company store located on Adams Street and later rebuilt on Sixth Street now occupied by Mr. B’s Furniture Store. The town of Clymer grew very rapidly and by October 30, 1907 there were about 400 buildings and a population of 1500 on February 29, 1908, Clymer was incorporated as a borough with an area of 304.78 acres. The first chief executive official of Clymer, Burgess J.A. Deaolph had the power to veto actions of the Borough Council. The law making body of the borough is the Borough Council – the body that makes the rules and regulations of the borough with the power to over-ride a veto by the Burgess.
By 1910 the population was 1753 and in 1914 the town boundaries were enlarged by the extensive addition because of rapid growth. In 1920 there were 2867 people living in Clymer. Clymer reached its highest population in 1940 when 3082 people was recorded in the census. Since then, the population of Clymer has declined to approximately 1547 according to the 2000 census.
The first schoolhouse in Clymer was built in 1906 by Cherryhill Township since the town was not yet a borough. It was a four-room frame structure located on Hancock Street. In 1909 it was enlarged by the addition of 4 more rooms and encased in brick and was known to many students as the Primary Building. In 1912 a 2 room structure was erected in Sample Run as a school which later became the Boston family residence. Mr Gladstone Christie was the first and only graduate of Clymer in 1913. In 1916 the new four-room high school was built on Hancock Street opposite the Primary Building. In 1923 a new 8-room building was built in Morris Street to house high school classes until 1926 when 8 more rooms were added to the original high school building on Hancock Street. A beautiful and spacious lawn adjoining the high school building was built sometime in the 1930’s by the Workers Progress Administration and it included the only outdoor high school stage in the county. Clymer’s educational system was so good that during the 1930’s-1950’s any graduate was automatically accepted to the Pennsylvania State College (now University) upon presentation of his/her Clymer diploma.
Although the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation was the main employer of Clymer, a second corporation, the Clymer Brick and Fire Clay Company, incorporated on April 9, 1907 and was also a major contributor to the Clymer employment scene. The president of this company was the Honorable John S. Fisher, later Governor of Pennsylvania. The Clay deposit that supplied the plant was of excellent composition about 17 inches thick underlying a 3 ½ foot coal vein. The brickyard was later sold to Swank Refractories in 1917, which then produced materials for the steel industry. By the mid 1950’s the Clearfield Bituminous Company at Sample Run closed down. With Swank Refractories following suit in 1977.
One of the early events that shaped the history of Clymer was the terrible fire, which began in the “Opera House” located on Franklin Street, across from the American Legion Building, it spread to adjoining buildings including Neeley’s Livery Stable even though there were fire hydrants near by, the problem being there was no hose to hook up the hydrants, so volunteers resorted to the “bucket brigade”. The total fire loss amounted to about $20,000 and would have been much greater, had the Indiana Fire Company not brought the much needed hose to bring the fire under control. The Borough Council came under severe criticism for not buying the needed fire hose. As a result of the public uproar over the disaster the Clymer Volunteer Fire Company was organized in 1909. The Clymer Volunteer Fire Company referred to in the Pittsburgh Press as “one of most efficient fire fighting outfits in the state”. Presently the Fire Company has 37 members and 7 trucks that respond to fires and emergencies.
Another event the worst disaster of Clymer’s history was the explosion on August 26 of 1926 at the Number 1 mine of the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Company, at Sample Run. Of the 57 men working in the mines that day, 44 men ranging in age from 17 to 52 were killed. Rescue workers saved four men and 9 working by the mine opening were able to escape uninjured. A memorial displaying the names of the 44 victims of the accident is located on the front lawn of the Borough Building on Sixth Street.
Floods were another regular event that helped shape our towns lore. Almost every spring, there would be a flood caused by the spring melt which caused the ice to break up and jam up under the old iron bridge at Sherman Street or at the curves in Two Lick Creek. During these times Lee, Adams and Sherman Street were nearly flooded with ice everywhere. In fact, Lee Street is now considered a flood zone with the houses removed and the playground occupying the former house sites. One of the worst floods occurred in 1919 in which dynamite was used to break up the ice jams, followed by the flood of 1924 in which rowboats were used to get around. Many areas of Western Pennsylvania were severely damaged by the great flood of March 1936 and Clymer was not exception. An item in the “Indiana Evening Gazette” stated: “North end and flat section towards Dixonville under 6 to 7 inches of water 200 homes damaged. Main Street and through highway flooded. The Clymer – Cherryhill story states “Floods are a thing of the past because the recent dredging of the Two Lick Creek. We can only be sorry the work was not done sooner. However another flood occurred in 1972, followed by a really dangerous one in 1977 and a minor flood in 1996.
The first streetcar arrived in Clymer from Indiana in 1908. Round trips to Indiana were scheduled with a one way fare of $30 being charged. Shortly thereafter a station was built to accommodate passengers, which still stands, located at the intersection of Sixth Street and Dixon Run and is now a private residence. The increased use of the automobile caused the decline in the use of the streetcar and the last car to Clymer ran November of 1927. Before this last run to Clymer though, one of the most daring robberies to Clymer occurred. On January 17, 1924 between Clymer and Indiana at the Rising Siding, 5 unmasked bandits on the streetcar relieved Police Chief Tony Askey and Alexander Caldwell, Paymaster of the Russell Coal Company, of $28,750.00 in coins and currency. They didn’t rob the passengers and to this day the bandits have never been found. The first street in the borough to be paved was Franklin Street, which was part of Route 80 followed by Second and First Streets as far as the brickyard in 1922. By November of 1924 Route 80 between Clymer and Indiana was paved and the streetcar traffic to Indiana began to decline. The last passenger train left Clymer on October 4, 1947 leaving cars and trucks to be the principal means of transportation in the Clymer area. With the demise of the brick and coal industries in Clymer hopefully we will be able to build on this legacy left to us by our parents and develop a new one for the 21st century.
John Busovicki
December 24, 1998
