Dicksonburg is a little village located in the southern part of the
township and containing about fifteen dwellings, a store, school,
blacksmith shop, Methodist Church and a large grist-mill owned
by J. B. McDowell. The place was on the old Beaver & Erie Canal
and in early times was known as McDowells Postoffice. John
Thompson and Thomas Proctor were early merchants. George
Dickson built the first grist-mill. Joseph McCray erected the present
one.
The Dicksonburg. Methodist Episcopal Church is the oldest in the
northwestern part of the county. In May, 1801, the Baltimore
Methodist Episcopal Conference sent Rev. James Quinn as circuit
preacher to the Pittsburgh District to form a circuit extending from
Lake Erie to the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers, to be known as Erie
Circuit. Mr. Quinn entered upon his itineracy [sic] with zeal, but for
some reason was removed and Rev. Joseph Shackelford sent to fill
out the remainder of the year. In the spring of 1802 he organized a
class at the house of James McDowell in what is now Summerhill
Township. James McDowell and wife, George Nelson and wife and
Mrs. Johnson were its earliest members. Erie Circuit soon contained
twenty appointments, requiring the minister to travel 400 miles every
four weeks to fill them. The ministers of Erie Circuit until 1825 were
as follows: James Quinn and J. A. Shackelford, 1801; J. Cullison,
1802; Noah Fidler, 1803; A. Hemphill, 1804; David Best and J. A.
Shackelford, 1805; R R. Roberts and J. Watts, 1806; C. Reynolds,
A. Daniels and T. Divers, 1807; Job Guest and W. Butler, 1808; J.
Charles, J. Hanson and J. Decellum, 1809; J. Monroe, 1810; J. Watts
and J. Ewing, 1811; J. Watts, .J. Gorwell and J. Graham, 1812; A.
Robinson, 1813; J. Solomon and J. Graham, 1814; R. C. Hatton, 1815;
C. Godard and J. P. Kent, 1816; J. P. Kent and Ira Eddy, 1817; D. D.
Davidson and S. Adams, 1818; P. Green, 1819; Ira Eddy and Charles
Elliott, 1820; Ezra Booth and C. Trescott, 1821; W. H. Collins, 1822;
J. Summerville, 1823; J. P. Kent, 1824; N. Reeder and Z. Ragen, 1825.
McDowells Class was probably attached to Meadville Circuit formed in
1826. In July, 1833, Summerhill Circuit, of Meadville District, was
formed. This circuit comprised the following classes: Conneautville,
McDowells, Harmonsburg, Spring, Pierpont, Huntleys, Penn Line,
Freys, Moorehouse, Cussewago, Hickernells, Thomas, Holtons and
Smiths. Theodore Stowe and Reuben Peck were the ministers. Each
minister held service at each appointment once in four weeks, many
of the services being held on week days. The distance traveled in
making the round was about 150 miles. The journey was performed
on horseback, the Bible, hymn-book and other volumes were carried
in the saddle bags, and much of the study and preparation for services
was made at places of entertainment and while going from one
appointment to another. In 1834 the name of Summerhill Circuit was
changed to Harmonsburg, and to that circuit McDowells or Dicksonburg
Class now belongs. Meetings were held for many years in the cabins
of the members; afterward in schoolhouses until the church was built.
The membership is now about sixty.
In the extreme northeast corner of the township is the Smith Methodist
Episcopal Church. A class was organized here as early as 1825, and
its leading members were: Nelson Smith, a local preacher, Edmund
Greenlee, Andreas Bagley, Daniel Bagley and Elisha Curtis. For many
years and until the erection of the present frame building about thirty
years ago, meetings were held in an old log schoolhouse. This was
formerly a large society. It is now a part of Harmonsburg Circuit and
has a membership of about forty.
Close to the western line of Summerhill, in the western part of Tract 713,
is an Evangelical Association Church, erected in 1871 at a cost of
$1,800. The class was organized with twenty-five members by Rev.
James Crossman, the first pastor, in 1863. Meetings were held in a
schoolhouse situated in the eastern part of Conneaut Township, until
the erection of the present church edifice. Among the first members
were: Minor Walton, Balser Gehr, Mrs. Lawrence, E. Stevens and
Nathan Stevens. The membership is now about forty and Rev. Vogt is
the Pastor. The class constitutes a part of Crawford Circuit.
Dicksonburg Council, No. 14, B. T. of T., organized October 7, 1878,
with sixteen members and the following officers: F. L. Lord, S. C.;
J. R. Barnes, V. C.; Horace Hammon, P. C.; Volney Johnson, Chaplain;
George Procter, Secretary; William Shaw, Treasurer; Miss Libbie Barnes,
Herald; R. C. Proctor, Guard; Mr. Gevin, Sentinel; Dr. Frazier, Medical
Examiner. The membership is now forty-five and meetings are held each
alternate Friday evening.
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