Austin Pa (Pennsylvania) Potter County - Gods Country
Austin Pa (Pennsylvania) is a borough in Potter County.
Austin is in the Eastern Standard time zone.
Community Type: Rural
Local weather forecast for Austin, PA
Estimated population: 620 residents
Austin Pa average household income $28,846
National Average $41,994
Average resident age: 31.0 years
Source: 2000 census, U.S. Census Bureau
Elevation: 1352 feet
County: Potter
State: Pennsylvania
Land area: 4.0 square miles
Latitude: 41.63 N, Longitude: 78.09 W
Zip code: 16720
Area Code: 814 Exchange: 647
Austin Area School District
138 Costello Avenue
Austin, PA 16720
Phone: (814) 647-8603
Average Students per teacher 11
Austin Area Elementary School
138 Costello Avenue, Austin, PA 16720
Phone: (814) 647-8603
Level: K-6
Students: about 130
Austin Area Junior/Senior High School
138 Costello Avenue, Austin, PA 16720
Phone: (814) 647-8603
Principal: David W White
Level: 7-12
Students: about 135
Hospitals/medical centers near Austin:
Charles Cole Memorial Hospital (about 12 miles; Coudersport, Pa)
Bucktail Medical Center (about 29 miles; Renovo, Pa)
Jones Memorial Hospital (about 40 miles; Wellsville, Ny)
Certified Airports For Carrier Operations Serving Austin Pa:
Bradford Regional (about 50 miles; Bradford, Pa; ID: BFD)
University Park (about 60 miles; State College, Pa; ID: UNV)
Du Bois-Jefferson County (about 60 miles; Du Bois, Pa; ID: DUJ)
Public-Use Airports Nearest To Austin:
St Marys Muni (about 35 miles; St Marys, Pa; ID: OYM)
Wellsville Muni Arpt,Tarantine Fld (about 40 miles; Wellsville, Ny; ID: ELZ)
Communities Near Austin Pa
Coudersport (borough), Potter County, PA
Emporium (borough), Cameron County, PA
Homer (township), Potter County, PA
Keating (township), Potter County, PA
Lumber (township), Cameron County, PA
Shippen (township), Cameron County, PA
Summit (township), Potter County, PA
Sylvania (township), Potter County, PA
Wharton (township), Potter County, PA
Cemeteries Near Austin Pa
Ayers Hill Cemetery, Potter County, PA
Brooks Cemetery, Potter County, PA
Card Creek Cemetery, Potter County, PA
Costello Cemetery, Potter County, PA
Eulalia Cemetery, Potter County, PA
Fairview Cemetery, McKean County, PA
Forksville, Potter County, PA
Gilmore Cemetery, Cameron County, PA
Hill Cemetery, Potter County, PA
Ianson Cemetery, Potter County, PA
Jackson Cemetery, Potter County, PA
Laurel Hill Cemetery, Clinton County, PA
Lewis Hill Cemetery, McKean County, PA
Lyman Cemetery, Potter County, PA
McFall Cemetery, Potter County, PA
Moores Run Cemetery, Potter County, PA
Newton Cemetery, Cameron County, PA
Reed Cemetery, Potter County, PA
Rees Cemetery, Potter County, PA
Saint Eulalias Cemetery, Potter County, PA
Saint Gabriels Cemetery, McKean County, PA
Saint Joseph Cemetery, Potter County, PA
Saint Marks Cemetery, Cameron County, PA
Sweden Hill Cemetery, Potter County, PA
Wharton Cemetery, Potter County, PA
Movie Theaters Within 20 Miles Of Austin Pa
Coudersport Theatre - (814)274-8580
Lake View Cinema -
Some Austin Pa History
On December 1884, Hamlin, Hamlin & Forest sold to F. H. Goodyear between 14,000 and 15,000 acres, being the tract embraced in the Freeman's Run Valley.
Mr. Goodyear was interested in mills at Keating Summit and other points along the Buffalo road and in 1885 commenced building a first-rate standard gauge railroad into the nearest portion of his purchase of December before.
During the summer of 1885, while the railroad was being built and the building of lumber mills talked of, Oliver S. Garretson of Buffalo, N.Y., who owned extensive furniture and foundry works, were visiting in the vicinity when the question arose as to the expediency of utilizing the hardwood on this tract in his works in Buffalo.
Mr. Garretson, a thorough sportsman, handling gun and fishing rod with equal facility, climbed the hills and looked over the timber.
The result was the purchase of all the hardwood timber on this tract and the project of building a sort of double-mill was made, sawing the hardwood for himself and the hemlock for Mr. Goodyear.
To carry out these ideas, the line of the railroad was somewhat altered. The plans for a mill were drawn and in September work on the dam was commenced and soon after on the mill.
In September 1885, it was completed to the Austin farm which owned most of the land in the area which is now the town of Austin.
Austin was founded by the lumber company in 1886. Austin was named for F.P. Austin, Mr. Austin owned most of the land on which the town was located and it was determined to name the town after him.
At this time the post office, named Freeman's Run after the stream running through the town, was also changed to Austin.
In the spring of 1887 the real work of building the town of Austin started. The first mill was built, sawing some 300,000 feet a day, which had not near the capacity required to take care of the timber.
It was soon discovered that the plans for the mill would have to be considerably enlarged to meet the demands upon it, so the plans were extended, greatly. As the circumstances were studied, ideas grew and were built upon, until the present work resulted.
The town, of course, grew with the rest, but so slowly at first that its projectors could have but little knowledge of its ultimate requirements, consequently some mistakes were made, chiefly that the Main Street being only 50 feet wide is too narrow.
The plans for one of the mills had by this time been perfected and active operations commenced. A portable saw mill was employed to cut the necessary lumber for the big mill with the supposition that 200,000 feet would be required.
This would have filled the bill had the original plans been carried out. However, logging by rail and stream and building a mill to correspond was being invented and plans had to be extended.
While the little portable sawmill cut about 1,000,000 feet before it was drowned out by water in the new mill pond, nearly 2,000,000 more were sawed at and shipped from Keating Summit and the Four Mile Mills, to go into this structure.
The plan of the rail line, as ultimately developed, was a superior main road with laterals of the same gauge running up all valleys and ravines with roadbed sufficient for even the heaviest engines.
The spring of 1886 saw renewed activity both on the mills and the railroad. The previously perfected plans were found to be altogether too contracted. A 200 hp engine had been shipped in for the mill.
In August of 1886 the railroad was completed to Costello, thus making the main line about 13 miles long, but the aggregate above Austin was about four miles for one of the main line.
Perhaps I ought to speak now of the inception and origin of the village of Austin. In March 1886 more hands were employed on the mills and more railroad employees required shelter.
The old farmhouse was very inadequate and there being no other houses nearby, large plans were begun.
Hackenburg, Olmstead and Company bought the first lot in the new town on the corner of Goodyear and Main streets and began erection of a store building.
The lumber for all these buildings was shipped in on the railroad.
Then came a lull for a short time. The railroad had been completed to Costello and the plans for the mill were still being enlarged. The engine that had been brought in was laid aside and one nearly four times as large was ordered.
The mill was started in September 1886, a year after it was commenced, but with such a vast amount of machinery to test and re-adjust, it was some months before a full day's sawing resulted.
Of logs there are 100,000,000 feet put out to the mills yearly and as the ponds will not hold more than one day's sawing, they are moved from their storage ground or skidways in the woods daily from eight to ten or more miles away.
For a year there has been great activity in building mills and railroad, but as more men were employed and necessities showed themselves, dwellings and places of business caused an unprecedented building boom.
Mr. Austin laid out the town in the best manner possible to conform to streets, constructed buildings and the shape of the valley, opened up walks, and by liberal inducements invited those who wished homes or to do business to settle down in the city.
At the same time, O. S. Garreston bought other lands adjoining, built largely himself, and offered liberal inducements to settlers.
Also, F. H. Goodyear bought lands in the town, built himself a residence and apportioned the balance among his permanent employees, which was soon built upon in a handsome and substantial manner.
Thus the fall of 1887 saw a town of some 1500 resident people where only a year and a half before there was but one farm house.
In 1888 the town was very much enlarged in population and buildings. Many handsome residences were built, many more of the year before were duly finished and painted. Sidewalks were built and yards enclosed and shrubbery planted and the business portion of the town took on the appearance of older towns.
Blaisdell Bros. had put up a kindling wood factory employing some 200 men. The Chemical Co. had their works in operation, called the "Austin Chemical Works," employing 15 men besides the wood cutters. The Round House and Machine Shop were also built.
By a liberal subscription of the citizens to a committee, composed of F. L. Blaisdell, George Hellwig, J. P. Rooth, O. S. Garreston and E. O. Austin, appointed by the subscribers to oversee the construction, (a water work was constructed).
These works are deemed sufficient to quell any ordinary fire in the main part of the town. The sewerage of the place was also considered and a fine system was agreed upon and constructed through the main part of the town.
It now became apparent that improved municipal regulations were required. At the September term of court, 1888, the town was erected into a borough to be called Austin and the first election for borough officers was held on October 18, 1888.
The following were elected: Burgess, James W. Thorne; Councilmen, John P. Rooth, J. W. Yennie, Frank P. Austin, F. L. Blaisdell, Aaron Elliott and J. F. Carson; S. C. Bush was elected constable and collector.
The same officers were re-elected at the next election except constable and collector which changed to J. F. Higgins. About this time a fine graded school building was erected.
Now that the mills were in working order, it was evident that there was too must waste of wood which could be utilized by other industries.
This resulted in the erection of the Kindling Wood Factory and the Austin Chemical Works. First, they used the waste of the saw mills, then the un-merchantable hardwood in the forests.
The Chemical works, under the supervision of R. J. Gaffney, was built in 1888. Here they manufactured wood alcohol, acetate of lime and charcoal made from hardwood such as beech, maple, birch, etc., consuming some ten cords of four-foot wood each day, or about 3,500 cords a year.
The railroad was commenced in 1885 at Keating Summit, finished to Austin in September the same year, continued to Costello by August 1886, besides the laying of many miles of lateral track in the woods.
In May 1887, Charles W. Goodyear joined his brother as a partner. Their total purchase of timber land is 72,000 acres and the annual output of tan bark is 60,000 tons.
Logs sawed and shipped from the Austin mill now run 100,000,000 feet. There are 15 log cars and 185 flat cars belonging to the railroad. The pay roll of this company amounts to $70,000 per month.
Today is the 8th of April, 1890, and there have been but four days in which sleighs could be run at all the past winter, yet the mills have not been shut down because logs were always brought in by railroad cars each day.
Work was commenced on the hemlock mill September 1, 1885, and finished and started September 20, 1886. The mill cuts an average of 280,000 feet each 22 hours. The average cut per month is 7,000,000.
There are 175 men employed at this mill whose average wages are $1.90 per day. The pay roll amounts to $8,000 per month.
The other, or No. 2 mill, was begun in April 1887 and finished and started in February 1888. It cuts 70,000 feet in 11 hours and 1,700,000 feet in a month. 3,000,000 feet are manufactured here each year for Mr. Garretson's own use in his works in Buffalo.
The mills are both lighted by electricity and have a fine system for protection from fires, both automatic and hose, aside from that afforded by the Borough water system, which is admirable.
Mill No. 2 employees 60 men at an average wage of $1.90 per day, the monthly payroll being $2,600. Every month $11,000 in cash is paid the employees of the two mills.
To use the seemingly endless supply of hemlock bark and because It was easier to transport the hides than the bark, immense tanneries were built across northern Pennsylvania. This tannery was at Costello in Potter County. It could handle 1100 hides a day and was the largest in Pennsylvania. Today, nothing but the foundations of the buildings remain.
The owners of the lands in Austin, Mr. Garreston, E. O. Austin, F. P. Austin and F. H. Goodyear, have been liberal with the people desiring to purchase and many a man who could scarcely afford the dollar payment he made on his contract two or three years ago, now owns his house and lot worth hundreds of dollars.
Early mercantile establishments in Austin are flourishing. Included are: Hackenberg & Thomas, general merchandise; Weisert, Nelson and Thorne, grocers; Patterson & Williams, hardware; Borowsky, Friedman and Deiches, clothiers; Taylor, Watkins, Corbett, Parks, Walsh, McLaughlin & Gustwick, Ireland, Bupp, Clark, Hastings & Yennie, Pearce, Sharp, Hellwig and others in various enterprises.
This very nearly completes the story of Austin and Costello, two of the youngest towns in Potter County. All together is has been estimated that over a million and a half dollars has been invested in this area in just a few years.
Over one hundred years ago, Austin was a giant among the lumber towns in the United States. With bustling mills and allied industries, the town grew at a feverish pace, and was recognized as the "Lumber City."
Few towns experienced more growing pains or downright bad luck than Austin. From the beginning: fire, flood, and disease haunted the "Lumber Metropolis." The first natural disaster came in the spring of 1889 when flood water inundated the valley where the town was built. Little over a year later on August 14th, 1890 the town was ravaged by fire destroying 43 businesses, and again 7 years later in October 1897, the town was turned into a raging inferno. In 1900 bad water at the reservoir caused a typhoid epidemic taking several lives.
Over 3,000 people lived in the Austin-Costello area before the bursting of the Austin Dam in 1911. After the flood, many people moved away firmly believing the town would never be rebuilt. However, Mr. Bayless decided to rebuild the paper mill and, the Austin townspeople began rebuilding, with improvements, to the water and sewage works, concrete sidewalks, and a brick main street.
The Bayless Pulp & Paper Mill continued operations until Bayless went bankrupt in 1933. It then continued under various owners until damaged again by a flood in 1942 and permanently closed when the buildings were destroyed by fire on December 23, 1943.
Today, the area is less populated, although many tourists come to enjoy the beauty of the country-side, hunt, fish, snowmobile, and pursue other outdoor recreational opportunities. Many also visit the Austin Dam Ruins in awe of the terrible loss of lives and widespread destruction that it caused on September 30th, 1911.
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