Guy's Mills, the only village of the township, is located in the
western part. It is surrounded by a rich agricultural region, and
is the chief trading-point of the farming community for many
miles around. Its population in 1880 was only 150, increased
now to about 200, yet the village contains four general stores,
filled with a much greater and more varied stock of goods than
is usually found in places of its size. Jacob Guy made the first
settlement here in 1815, the region about it being then an
unbroken wilderness. A year or two later he built a saw-mill, and
one has ever since been in operation. About 1828 Noah Hall
offered a small stock of goods for sale, and for several years
supplied the neighboring citizens with a few commodities. Jacob
Guy opened a store of much greater magnitude about 1833, and
maintained it many years. James Foreman about 1838 opened
the first tavern. A postoffice was secured. About 1860 the village
consisted only of perhaps a half a dozen houses, a store and a
saw-mill. A few years later it began to increase in size, and has
been slowly and steadily growing since. Besides its general
stores it contains a tin-shop, a harness shop, two blacksmith
shops, two carriage shops, two furniture stores, an excellent
hotel, a feed and grain store, a new steam and water grist-mill,
a saw-mill, a fine school building of two apartments, erected
about 1872 at a cost of $1,600, two physicians, three societies
and three handsome frame churches.
Randolph Grange, No. 190, P. of H., which meets here, was
organized in 1875 with P. M. Cutshall as Master. It meets the
second and fourth Saturdays of each month, and has a
membership of about fifty.
Harmony Lodge, No. 863, K. of H., was instituted January 26,
1878, with nine charter members, as follows: D. S. Cutler, E. S.
Cutler, H. E. Hatch, J. A. Graham, W. N. Gilbert, A. N. Curtis,
G. Bentley, D. C. Blanchard and C. Hatch. The membership is
now forty-seven. Meetings are held every Saturday night.
Loyal Council, No. 26, R. T. of T., was instituted with twenty-five
members, January 21, 1879. Its first officers were: E. S. Cutler,
S. C.; Lewis Oaks, V. C.; Samuel Ford, P. C.; S. S. Sikes,
Chaplain; A. J. Hanks, Secretary; M. W. Hall, Treasurer; C. L.
Hall, Herald; James W. Braymer, Guard; George Lemmon,
Sentinel. Meetings are held each alternate Tuesday. The
membership is twenty-nine.
The Baptist Church of Guy's Mills was organized as "Mead Baptist
Church" at Dewey's Corners, Mead Township, in 1820, with the
following ten members: Joel Jones and his wife Rhoda, Mrs. Lovey
Wood, Benjamin Sweney and his wife Mehitable, John Pratt and
Rebecca, his wife, Russell Matteson and wife Phebe, and Levi
Dewey. Large accessions were soon after made, including Jacob
Jenins, Samuel Hatch, Andrew Braymer, Moses H. Pike, Alfred
Curtis, John Chapman, Ezra Carpenter, Calvin Hatch, Samuel Hall
and others. For a year meetings were held in Mead Township, then
in the schoolhouse at Guy's Mills until 1826, when a frame meeting-
house, the first religious structure in the township, was erected on
the site of the present structure, which was completed in 1868 at a
cost of $1,800. Rev. Oliver Alfred was the first pastor. The following
have succeeded him: Elders George Miller, Adrian Foot, Enos
Stewart, Thomas R. Clark, Norman Thomas, Levi Howard, Zabina
Leavitt, George A. Hubbard, George Snyder, Edward H. Hovey, Elder
Adams and others. Elder Alcott Thomas is the present pastor. The
membership is thirty-seven. This was the first Baptist Church
organized in Crawford County east of French Creek, and several
other congregations in adjoining townships have been formed from
its membership.
The Methodist society at Guy's Mills had its origin in a small class
organized about 1822, at the house of Daniel Hunt, in Richmond
Township. Worship was continued in that township until about 1848,
when a frame structure, called Pisgah Church, was built at "Hickory
Corners," in the northern part of Randolph. Delos Crouch, Daniel and
Luther Hunt were at that time leading members. Services were
conducted here until 1871, when a society was formed at Guy's Mills
from the membership of Pisgah Church and a few members from
Mount Hope. In 1871 the handsome frame edifice was reared at a
cost of $3,500. Since then this congregation has been a part of
Townvile Circuit, except from 1881 to 1883, when it was attached to
Meadville Circuit. The membership is about seventy.
The First Congregational Church of Randolph was organized as a
Presbyterian and Congregational society October 31, 1825, and as a
Congregational Church in 1839. Rev. Amos Chase, of Titusville, and
Rev. Timothy Alden, of Meadville, held early Presbyterian services in
this locality before the church was formed. Its leading early members
were: Jacob Guy and wife, Archie Stewart and wife, Ichabod Parker
and wife, John Kane and wife, Mrs. James Brawley, Warner Waid,
Seth Waid and wife, James McLaughlin and wife, Mrs. Hugh Brawley,
and Joshua Barlow and wife. Meetings were held at the schoolhouse
until 1845, when a frame church was erected at Guy's Mills. Rev.
L. L. Radcliff was an early minister for many years. The church was in
1871 remodeled and enlarged at a cost of about $5,000. Since then
the Pastors have been: Revs. Sexton, Samuel Walker, R. F. Markham,
Irons, Roseboro and S. H. Thompson. The membership is 140.
Methodist meetings were held at the cabins of the Daniels in the
southwest part of the township as early as 1812. They were continued
regularly until about 1825, when a powerful revival swelled the membership,
and a frame church, known as "Guy's," was built about a half mile south
from Guy's Mills. Leading members then were: John Smith, David Jones,
David Hanks, Reuben Smith, Thomas Wilder and William Waid. The
society was regularly maintained here until 1858, when, the building
having become dilapidated, Mount Hope Church was built at a cost of
$900, on a lot donated by Levi Oaks, on Oil Creek road, in the southern
part of the township, the society erecting it consisting of the congregations
of the old Guy's Church, and the members of a class which had been
organized aboat a year before a mile further south in Wayne Township.
Prominent members at that time were: D. W. Bannister, Joel Smith,
Stephen Reese, John Oaks and Smith Byham. The membership is fifty-
eight. The society is a part of Townville Circuit.
Near the southeast corner of the township stands East Randolph Church,
erected in 1866 at a cost of $1,275. The society was formed in 1850 by Rev.
Edwin Hull, the first Pastor, and, until the erection of the church, worshiped
in the schoolhouse on the opposite side of the road. Mark Bogardus and wife,
Nicholas Bogardus and wife and Mr. Loveless were early members. The
society now numbers about thirty members, and is attached to Sunville Circuit,
composed of five appointments, four of which are in Venango County.
|
