The Villages

By Christopher Miller

Few know that there were once at least four thriving villages of workers and families living on the mountain above Beech Creek. The only remnants that remain are road sign names: Eagleton Road, Boiler Maker Trail, Revelton Road, Furnace Hollow Road, Peacock Road, just to name a few.

The subject of this article will be on the two lesser-known villages of Peacock and Rock Cabin in Beech Creek Township.

So why were there villages out on the mountain? What were they looking for?

An article published on January 22, 1891 had this headline: “The Coming Industry – the Greatest Clay Works in the World on the ‘Scootac.”

“The Peacock Coal and Fireclay Manufacturing Company on the Scootac lands are now an assured fact,” the article read. The founders of the company saw their original building in Lock Haven double, and then triple, in size, but were still unable to supply the amount of clay goods that they could readily sell.

Four large veins of clay suitable for the manufacture of all kinds of clay work were found in the mountains and over 5,000 acres of land with clay and coal was secured. “Lands reached from the river opposite Farrandsville to the Beech Creek railroad.”

Coal. Coal and clay were the big resources that attracted the workers and families to the would-be villages of Peacock and Rock Cabin.

Now most of the village of Peacock I (because when you have two villages by the same name, one has to be older than the other) has been completely lost to strip mining, but rumor has it that the name of it came from the color of the coal found in the Scootac area “as it shines like a Peacock’s tail feather.” It was also reported that this village had about 60 dwellings and a large boarding house capable of housing 100 people.

Now, Peacock II was formed around 1925 and was the result of opening a mine nearby. There were very few homes that shared one central well for water because these homes had no indoor bathrooms.

And now to move on to Rock Cabin.

Ironically on the same date 17 years into the future (1908) this headline appeared in print: To Open Coal Mines Very Near This City – Operations Have Now Begun At Rock Cabin in the Scootac Regions. What does not make the most sense to me, when it comes to this article, is that this area was already being developed at one point in the late 1840s. John and Christopher Fallon were spending the Queen of Spain’s money left and right in Clinton County. Okay, well, maybe I should rather say “investing” her money.

“This work was started Monday of last week at Rock Cabin, in the Scootac region” where houses are being built on the lands of the company for the convenience of the men and their families, who will be employed on the advance work.

The Rock Cabin Coal Company was formed for the mining of coal in the future, but more so fire clay. “Coke ovens are to be erected on the lands, as well as a brick works, as the location is particularly well located in regard to railroad facilities.”

According to a County Historic Site Survey form filled out in the 1980s, Rock Cabin was believed to be the largest of the mining towns in the Scootac region, once comprising 100 homes. A newspaper article gave indication of the village size when it stated that 42 students attended the Rock Cabin school house, and that the students there had access to a village library of over 500 books.

Ruins of the foundation for a coal tipple were also found in Rock Cabin.