Girard Township History Submitted by Chris McClelland

From Nelson's Biographical Dictionary and Historical Reference Book on
Erie County,  Vol I, pp302-305

Girard township was carved out of Elk Creek, Fairview and Springfield in 1832, receiving its name from Stephen Girard, the Philadelphia millionaire, who held a large body of land on the adjoining township of Conneaut. The old line between Fairview and Springfield ran through the township parallel with the present line dividing Elk Creek and Conneaut. Girard township is bounded on the north by Lake Erie, on the east by Fairview and Franklin, on the south by Conneaut and Elk Creek and on the west by Springfield. In the widest part it is six and a quarter miles from east to west by seven and three-eighths from north to south. The population was 2,060, in 1840, 2,443 in 1850, 2,453 in 1860, 2,018 in 1870, 2,338 in 1880 and 2,280 in 1890, inclusive of Miles Grove in the latter year, which was credited with 570 inhabitants. The villages are Miles Grove and West Girard, and the postoffices are Miles Grove, Francis, and Fairplain. The township is divided on the line of the "Nickel Plate" R.R. into two election districts-the north one being known as Miles Grove and the south one as Girard.

The first settlers within the limits of the township were William Silverthorn and his son, Capt. Abraham Silverthorn, who came in 1798 from Fayette county. About 1799 Robert Brown located at the mouth of Elk creek, but in 1804 he moved to Weigleville, and from there to Erie. These parties were followed in 1800 by Robert Porter, Isaac Miller and John Kelly. Mr. Kelly moved to West Mill Creek in 1802. In 1801 Jacob Coffman came from Somerset county and located on the site of Lockport; and about the same time Patrick Ward settled on the Lake road. Mr. Coffman, who was from Somerset county, was accompanied by his four sons. Conrad, one of the boys, went back to Somerset county about 1814, married there and did not return until 1836, when his son J. C. was a young man of 17. William and Samuel McClelland and William Crane, natives of Ireland, took up lands in 1812; John Miller, from Fayette county, the same year; George Kelley, from Mifflin county, in 1803;

Joel Bradish and brothers, from Saratoga county, New York, and James Blair, from Fayette county, in 1804; Martin Taylor, from Chautauqua county, New York, in 1813; William Webber, from Genessee county, New York, in 1814; Cornelius Haggerty, in 1815; Samuel Jenner and his son Peach, from Vermont, Justus Osborn and his son Philip, from Fredonia, N. Y., Abner Boder, from Connecticut, and Scott Keith and wife, from Pittsford, Vt,. in 1816; Elijah Drury, from Genesee county, New York, in 1817; Ethan Loveridge and Nathan Sherman, from Oneida county, New York, in 1818; Joseph Long, from Massachusetts, in 1825; Matthew Anderson, from Chenango county, New York, in 1830; George Traut, from Columbia county, New York, in 1831; James Miles, from Union township, and Titus Pettibone, from Wyoming county, New York, in 1832; William Kirkland, in 1833, and Joshua Evans and family from Summit township in 1837. Among other early settlers, the date of whose arrival in not ascertained, were Messrs. Taggart, Pickett, Badger, Martin, Wells, Clark, Laughlin and Wolverton. The last four were the earliest who located on the site of Girard borough, Mr. Wells having owned most of the land embraced within the corporate limits. James, Isaac and Abraham Silverthorn located among the first, and Thomas Miles about 1801. John Ralph kept a tavern at the mouth of Elk creek in 1804.

John R. Ward was the first male child, and a daughter of Robert Brown, who married Geo. A. Eliot, of Erie, the first female child born in the township. The country does not appear to have been cleared up very rapidly, as, according to Mr. Long, there was no road along Elk creek when he reached there in 1825. Girard township claims the honor of having had the second oldest living person in the county- Patrick Ward, who died at the age of 105.

For a sketch of the William Miles, the pioneer of the Miles family, see Union City.

It is generally agreed that the land between Walnut creek, in Fairview, and Crooked creek, in Springfield, is the best along Lake Erie, and of this choice section Girard township is claimed by its citizens to be the very cream. The lake plain in from three to four miles wide, running back by a succession of steps which give a pleasing variety to the country. Near the lake the soil is sandy, but in the ridge it becomes gravelly. Back of Girard borough the land continues to rise, is much broken, and, except along Elk and Crooked creeks, where there are some fine valley farms, is better adapted to grazing than grain, though this is to be stated with some notable exceptions. The whole township is a splendid fruit, grape and berry country. Land is valued at from $100 to $125 per acre along the Ridge road, from sixty to $100 along the Lake road, and from twenty-five to sixty dollars in the south part of the township.

The main thoroughfares are the Lake road, the Ridge road, the two roads between Miles Grove and the borough, the road through Lockport and Cranesville to Meadville, and the Lexington road into Conneaut township. The Ridge and the Lake roads are thickly settled, and the first named is one of the finest in the county, having a whole row of shade trees on both sides almost the entire distance from Girard to Fairview. The stage company had extensive stables at West Girard, which were burned in January, 1832, with the loss of fifteen horses. After the opening of the railroad in 1852, few persons cared to travel by coach, and the stage line was soon abandoned.

The Lake Shore R.R. traverses the township from east to west, crossing Elk creek a short distance west of Miles Grove. The old wooden viaduct over this stream, built for the use of the railroad in 1852, was 115 feet high and 1,400 feet long. It was replaced in 1858 with a culvert and filling. The only station of this road is at Miles Grove, or Girard Station, as it is more commonly known to travelers.

The Erie and Pittsburg R.R. intersects the Lake Shore almost a mile west of Miles Grove, running north and south across the township, parallel to and not far from the Springfield line. Aside from Miles Grove, it has but a single station in the township, the one known as Cross’s, at the north end of Crooked creek bridge. This station is the depot for the village of East Springfield, from which it is a mile and a half distant. 

The New York, Chicago and St. Louis R. R.("Nickel Plate") passes through the township from east to west, crossing the Elk creek valley by an iron bridge, within sight from Girard borough. Its station is between the borough and Miles Grove, a little east of the latter place.

The Pittsburg, Shenango and Lake Erie R.R. ("Peasley") comes in from the south and connects with the "Nickel Plate" north of Girard borough, through which it passes and which is its station.

The old Erie canal entered Girard on the east from Fairview, along the foot of the first rise, cut through the ridge to Elk creek, crossed that stream by an aqueduct ninety-six feet above the water, and 500 long, and followed the valley of Hall’s run southward. Its route; in the main, is followed by the "Peasley" road from the Lake Shore plain southward.

The chief stream of Girard is Elk creek, which comes in from Fairview, flows nearly through the center of the township from east to northwest, and empties into the lake about a mile and a quarter beyond Miles Grove, after a length of thirty to thirty-five miles. The Little Elk rises in Elk Creek township, runs north eight or ten miles and unites with the main stream near the Fairview line. Hall’s run flows through Lockport and falls in a little south of Girard borough. Brandy run heads in Fairview township; and Spring run empties into Elk creek southwest of Miles Grove. The valley of the chief stream is narrow and precipitous in the western portion of the township, but further west and north it widens out with steep bluffs on both sides. At the junction of the Little Elk there is a high peak, resembling part of a Roman profile, with its base at the water’s edge, which has received the title of "The Devil’s Nose." A short distance south is the natural curiosity, famous over the western portion of the county as "The Devil’s Backbone." The Little Elk runs along the base of an almost perpendicular hill for a quarter of a mile, then rounds the bluff and comes back to a point opposite the one which it left, forming a sort of loop. At the narrowest place, the crest or backbone is not more than two feet across, and the height is over 100 feet. The other streams of the township are Crooked creek and several rivulets flowing into the lake in the northeast. Crooked creek rises near Lockport, runs through the southwestern portion of Girard and the northeastern part of Springfield, and empties into Lake Erie about three-fourths of a mile beyond the village of North Springfield. It has a course of some ten miles.

The mouth of Elk creek figured extensively in the early plans of public improvement, as well a in the Courts of the county and State. When the canal was under discussion, there was a bitter strife as to the adoption of the eastern route by way of Waterford, or the western one by way of Girard. The Legislature, by recommendation of the chief engineer in charge, adopted the western route. Next came a dispute as to whether the terminus of the canal should be at Erie or at the mouth of Elk creek, which was settled in favor of the former. On the third of March. 1837, pending the decision in regard to the terminus, a contract was entered into between James Miles, Thaddeus Stevens, and Charles Ogle, a Congressman from this State, looking to the building of a city at the mouth of the creek. Miles was to dispose of 200 acres of land on both sides of the stream to Stevens and Ogle, in consideration of $5,000, and $95000 from the sale of lots; Stevens was to work for the adoption of the site as the terminus of the canal; and Ogle was to obtain an appropriation from Congress for the improvement of the harbor. The project failing, Miles sued Stevens and Ogle for the $5,000. The case was carried to the Supreme Court and decided in favor of the defendants. Some curious testimony came out in the course of the trial.

While the country was being cleared, the mouth of Elk creek was considerable of a shipping place for staves and lumber. A warehouse formerly stood on the lake shore for the convenience of trade. Quite a fishery is now maintained at the outlet of the stream.

The mills and factories of the township—not naming for the present those of Miles Grove—are as follows: On Elk creek—Nason’s gristmill, at the mouth of Spring run; the West Girard grist, saw and cider mills, and a planing-mill, sash and blond factory at the same place. On Spring run, Thornton’s woolen-mill and Brown Bros.’ hand rake factory and cider-mill. A gristmill is said to have been established on this stream by Mr. Silverthorn, as early as 1799. On Brandy run, Rossiter’s tannery; on one of the lake streams, Godfrey’s sawmill. The first mill on Elk creek, within Girard township, was built at West Girard in 1814, by Peter Wolverton. It burned down while owned by Mr. Rowley and was rebuilt.

Southwest of Girard borough, the remains of an ancient mound are or were lately to be seen, which was one of a chain of four, extending in a southwesterly direction through East Springfield toward Ohio. These mounds are exactly alike, consisting of round earthwork inclosing a space of about three-fourths of an acre, with apertures at regular intervals. Similar remains are to be found in Conneaut, Harbor Creek, Wayne and Concord townships. On a hill between Girard and Lockport was an Indian burial ground.

In 1882 the bones of a mastodon were plowed up on the farm of W. H. Palmer, some of which were in an excellent state of preservation. The animal was estimated to have been fifteen feet long, exclusive of tusks, and about thirteen feet high.

The churches of the township, outside of Miles Grove, are two Methodist, one United Brethren and one Christian.

The Methodist Episcopal Church at Fair Haven, in the southwest part of the township, was organized January 7, 1815, at the house of Mr. Webber, and reorganized in 1860. The building was put up in 1861.

The church of the same denomination as Fairplain, on the Lake road, was organized in 1840 and erected its building in 1841.

The Church of the United Brethren , on State road, near the Elk Creek township line, was organized on 1870.

The Christian Church building is on the Population road, on the line between Girard and Franklin.

The cemetery at Girard is the common burial place of the township, but a number of small graveyards exist in various sections.

A loghouse stood in the southwestern part of the township, in which school was taught in 1819 or 1820. This building was destroyed by fire and another was erected in the same locality. Many years ago there was a log schoolhouse about three quarters of a mile south of the village of Lockport. About 1822 school was taught in a frame building on the Ridge road at the foot of Girard Hill. Another was held in a private house, one mile east of Girard about 1823.

This page was last updated on  Sunday, November 05, 2000 .

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