More Maps
A map of Georgetown dated 1860 with a list of subscribers followed by a map of Greene Township property owners also dated 1860.
Georgetown 1860
Geene Township 1860 Property Owners
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I have a deep interest in maps. “My Genealogy Hound” produced a portion of an 1911 map by Rand McNally. The portion is Beaver Co. Note the missing names, like Midland. Note the town names listed that are no longer, like Bellowsville and Shousetown.
Beaver Co 1911 Rand McNally.
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Georgetown Ferry Ramp 1949
Today, motorists hardly give a thought to whether the Ohio River is high or low, blue or muddy, filled with ice or thick with fog. Back in the day of ferries, those details mattered. Navigational charts now show three railroad bridges and thirteen highway bridges between mile marker zero and the Ohio state border.
During the summers of the 1800s, the Ohio River ran only about 1 foot deep between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. Winter could freeze boat traffic but allowed pedestrians to cross the frozen waterway, even after the first series of dams were completed in 1929. .At that time the channel was “guaranteed” by the Army Corp of Engineers to be a depth of at least nine feet.
Before there were bridges, people were attracted to the other side of the Ohio River. So ferries systems developed up and down the Ohio River: Sewickley to Coraopolis and Moon Township, Ambridge to the South Heights, Rochester and Beaver to Monaca and Vanport Township to Bellowsville , Industry to Shippingport before the Shippingport Bridge was opened in 1964.
Georgetown had a ferry operating to Smiths Ferry opposite. The first evidence of a ferry was when troops from Burgettstown marched to Georgetown where they crossed the river to join Gen “Mad Anthony” Wayne in the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794. The first ferry was a large raft that could carry horses and buggies. A cable and strong arms pulled it across one way, and the current helped to pull it across the other direction. In more modern ferry days, a gas-powered “yacht” was attached to the side of the flat boat deck by a swivel so it could push the ferry in either direction. Pedestrians were welcome in the cabin of the “yacht,” but most simply stood on the deck.
When Crucible Steel ruled Midland, the ferry carried commuters from Georgetown and southside Beaver Co as far as Pittsburgh to work at the steel mill. The ferry moved up to eight cars at a time on its 10-minute crossing. Driving to the bridges, in Rochester or East Liverpool, meant at least a 45-minute drive into Midland.
The ferry, whether owned by Dawsons or Smiths, operated continuously until 1950 when a tragic accident forced it to cease operations.
The steps to the ferry at Georgetown Landing are long gone. The cobblestone end of Market St is in disrepair. Once upon a time, the Georgetown Ferry was part of daily life.
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Dear Uncle Thomas
Not much of a paper trail. No photo.
This will be a long quiet weekend and I bought snacks.
Your researching nephew
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Newspapers.com is a hugh time suck – a futile game and a waste of time, played by futile people with time to waste. Then, a gem of information is sifted from the common drivel.
Samuel Lyon lived his entire life in Georgetown, PA. He began his career in the 1850′s and became a trusted engineer on boats owned by the Poe family. He served in the “war of rebellion” and was the engineer of the str Nick Wall when it met a tragic end in Dec 1870. His sons followed his path. His daughter married Charlie Poe.
From the Pitt Post Gazette on 11 Jul 1898, a death notice was posted in the River News column.
NewsPapers and Ancestry
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