The Townships

 

By Christopher Miller

I wrote about West Keating Township a few months ago. This little location in western Clinton County is one of the most remote and sparsely populated townships in the state, if not the entire country. However before the division the entire population of the single township was nearly 500 people.

It was in January 1875 that the division of Keating Township was recommended. “An election is to be held in that township on the 19th of January, 1875…” and then it began to mention and lay out the proposed division lines at specific places on the West Branch, specific land tracts, and county lines.

According to the book Historical View of Clinton County, on April 25, 1875 one of the oldest settlers and pioneers of the West Branch, John Kryder, passed away. It was reported that he was born near Chatham’s Run in 1800 and moved to the township at the age of 19 and was “somewhat of a genius carpenter and worker in wood.” “Indeed there is scarcely an old house or mill between Lock Haven and Keating but that was partly built by his hands.”

Floods came in 1847 and swept away people and property. “The river and creek both raised so rapidly that none of the family had time to escape before the house was surrounded with water,” read the chapter on East Keating Township, but the family was saved as the homestead was carried away by the raging waters.
Another interesting story of the rising flood waters was this interesting bit:

“A small log house in which Mr. Robert Lusk, “kept bachelor’s hall” was also swept away, and in which he had concealed in one of the logs a large sum of money in gold…he followed the house for miles and miles down the river, searching in vain for the log which contained his wealth, and which he declared he could tell among a thousand.”

In the early days of the township there was very little business of any kind except hunting and farming. “First class pine timber in those days was sold for three to five cents per cubic foot…the settler, having disposed of his raft, would quickly start homeward (after selling the wood) and with the proceeds, lay in a supply of necessaries for the coming year.” A very good part of the cargo was known to be rye whiskey, “of excellent quality.”
A flood in 1861 was known to have “given up the dead of the graveyard at the first fork (Sinnemahoning), clad in their last garments and pine coffins, and were swept swiftly by” the raging waters.
Other interesting things were found in East Keating Township such as when an engineer of the Pennsylvania

Railroad found a very curious stone, on which was cut some very singular characters. “The stone was flat, and was found under the ledge of the rocks nearly opposite the Keating hotel…on it were many images of various birds and animals, but the most conspicuous carving was a rough draft of the Sinnemahoning creek, and the West Branch river.”

Other treasures were reported to have been found in East Keating Township including the discovery or knowledge of silver mines in the township.

The Keating Hotel is probably one of the most well-known buildings that no longer exists in the township. It was a handsome building on the Philadelphia & Erie Railroad and was heavily advertised in newspapers in the Philadelphia area as being a resort. “It is a great resort for trout fisherman and hunters, for the streams near this point are well stocked with the beautiful members of the finny tribe, and is not far distant from the best hunting grounds in this county.”

In recent years, electricity came to East (and West) Keating Townships in 1922; 100 years ago. Unfortunately, it is believed that electricity sparked a fire in the Keating Hotel which burned in April 1965.

“The flames broke out in the rear of the third floor of the big frame structure, built in 1870. The cause of the fire was not established but there was an electric wire lead-in near the point where the flames were first noticed.”
Emerald Hose Company arrived on the scene of the fire, as they were charged with answering out of town calls in the first half of the year. “The firemen were on the job for about three hours…they pumped water from a pond about 300 feet from the building.” Remarkably, firemen and others carried furniture from the first floor of the hotel, saving virtually everything there, but nothing was removed from the upper floors.

Today, no remnants of the hotel remain. Most of the buildings in the area appear to be private camps, and there is a very popular kayak and small boat launch under the bridge into town. Unfortunately, an old log schoolhouse which existed five or so years ago up Keating Mountain Road was destroyed more recently by fire and unknown actors.

The total population of East Keating Township, according to a 2010 census record, is 11 and is the second small municipality in Pennsylvania behind Centralia.