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Osceola
Mills, PA
By Lee Wastler
History Of The Town
Back when the United States
was founded the Americans were either fighting or trading with the Indians.
Americans were trading with the Seminole Indians tribe. The Americans
would meet the Indians along the Anderson river bank in Clearfield, which gave
the birth to the name Clearfield. The Americans liked the area for the
good population of trees and fertile farming grounds in the area. The
Americans started settling in the area and fought off the Indians for the
land. Hardman Phillips took hundreds of acres south east of the new
Clearfield town and used it for milling wood.
George Goss, born 1729 in Germany found his wife Elizabeth; she was born Germany
1735. George and Elizabeth wanted a new life and left for the America.
Settling in York, CO for a year, George and his wife moved to Clearfield to find
work and had five children, 4 boys and a little girl that was named after her
mother Elizabeth. One of his boys Abraham Goss was born in Wyoming valley
in 1762. During the years working with his father in the mills and
farming. Abraham found a wife Elizabeth Emenhiser. He then
bought land from Hardman Phillips in 1792, which he built a farm in now Stumps
town: a suburb of Osceola Mills. He and his wife had 13 children.
During his stay at his farm, the Indians were causing a uprising for the land
back. During a trick by the US army claiming a truce talk, the Seminole
Indian war leader Osceola was captured by the army and died in their custody.
The area in which the the Indian was buried, Clearfield County honored the
fighting spirit by naming the area after him. As did many other towns in
the US at that time. Abraham sold a few acres of property to Jude Winters
which was with in the Osceola land.
The first settler within what is now the borough limits is Jude Winters, for the
timbers in the land. To set aside the town from the other Osceola in York
county they added the mills on the end on count of the mill work in Osceola.
The town started to grow with the number of mills and farming jobs and with the
Moshannon Creek bordering the town the population of timber grew. Mill
owners started seeing profits and built new mills and created new jobs.
In 1780, Abraham and his father George were sent off to fight in the
Revolutionary War. Abraham's father was killed in 1780, in a battle.
The area of Osceola Mills in the history of all the wars had the most number of
men sent off to the Revolutionary war and was killed in action. When the
war was over Abraham took his mother to live with them on his farm.
Abrahams mother died in Wyoming Valley in 1810. His wife died while giving
birth to there 13th child in 1821. Abraham himself died in 1847 at his
home. All are buried in the family cemetery.
In 1857, the town of Osceola Mills was deemed a borough. The town thrived
so much that even the railroad built tracks to it and made it a regular stop.
In the 1860's the towns man were preparing for the civil war, not much action
was seen with the men of the 5th infantry of that town.
On May 20, 1875 a huge forest fire started. With hurricane winds the fire
spread fast and just about the whole town was destroyed. The wood mills
fueled the fire and everyone was homeless. If it wasn't for the connecting
towns helping out, the town may have been deserted. Hope was restored into
the town's people and they rebuilt better homes for themselves. Just after
they rebuilt there town on May 2, 1884, Woodward Township of Clearfield County
the town of Brisbin PA, a forest fire started. The lumber mills of
Brisbin caught on fire and fueled the fire. The fire was heading west at a
high rate of speed straight for Osceola Mills. The town began to panic
once again, doinf what they could to prepare. The fire was contained one
mile from the town with the new incorporation of 1898.
History Of Baughman's
Cemetery
Just outside of town of
Osceola Mills, PA in Clearfield County PA, is a small Cemetery Named Baughman's
Cemetery Est. 1848. The cemetery started out as a family grave named after
the Henry H. Baughman family. When the cemetery was opened it only
consisted of the Baughman family children and possibly the grand parents.
Two infant sons, his three month old son and his 2 year old daughter were placed
in this cemetery. By 1852, the cemetery was opened to the town people.
In 1861, the cemetery became a township cemetery. In 1861, Henry
Baughman's wife died and was placed there at the age of 37. Henry died at
the age of 82 in 1907 and was placed at the cemetery with his family.
The Baughman Cemetery today consists of about 132 graves. Over 1/2 of the
population in this cemetery are kids and babies. The grave yard is very
small and most of the stones were broken or moved by vandalism.
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