Borough History, 1885 Crawford County History

R iceville was incorporated at the August term of Sessions, 1859, and a
special election for first officers was held December 13, 1859, when the following
were chosen:  Joseph Knight, Burgess; A. H. Eby, Eli Farrington, Daniel Conner,
R. B. Westgate and F. G. King, Council; Stephen Bloomfield and R. B. Westgate,
Justices of the Peace; John Himebaugh, Constable; Myron Staring, Auditor;
George Metler, Judge of Election; Clark Rice and F. G. King, Inspectors; H. E.
Hendryx, Thomas Ferry, Hiram Oles, T. W. Winsor, D. D. Walker and A. J. Rice,
School Directors.  Subsequent Burgesses have been:  Daniel Conner, 1860;
Charles Irons, 1861; Nelson Waters, 1862; T. W. White, 1863; Moses Adams,
1864; Eli Griffith; 1865; G. W. Bloomfield, 1866; B. F. Ruggles, 1867; W. R.
Lindsey, 1868; Eli Griffith, 1869-70; Henry Thurston, 1871; W. R. Lindsey, 1872;
C. N. Smith, 1873-74; M. D. Rice, 1875; George Markham, 1876; E. M. Farrington,
1877; Eli Griffith, 1878; C. N. Smith, 1879; L. D. Davenport, 1880; A. M. Scranton,
1881; J. W. Rhodes, 1882; A. H. Langworthy, 1883; A. M. Scranton, 1884.

Samuel Rice, the first settler, about 1831 came to the unbroken forest here and
erected a cabin where the Cummings Hotel now stands.  He at once erected a
saw-mill on Oil Creek, at the site of Davenport's present mill, and for many years
was its proprietor.  Mr. Rice, about 1834, started the first store in a building now part
of the hotel.  He soon after sold it to Adonijah Fuller.  Simon Smith was an early settler.
He was a carpenter and joiner, and years afterward removed to Indiana.  Russell Bidwell
came about 1832, and for twenty years engaged in farming in the northern part of the
borough, then moved to Athens Township, where he died.  Newton Graves started the
first blacksmith-shop.  In 1847 about ten families resided here, including Benjamin
Westgate, who operated a sash factory, Moses Adams, a shoemaker, and Barnett B.
Cummings, the hotel proprietor.

The first school within the borough was taught about 1835 by Dorcas Taylor, daughter
of Dr. Silas Taylor, of Athens Township.  It was held in a deserted cabin, which stood
about a fourth of a mile northwest from the depot and which had been built and occupied
by Mr. Gunsley, who had contracted to clear forty acres of land for Mr. Rice.  The usual
price for clearing land was $5 per acre, including sawing into sixteen-foot logs.  Miss
Harriet Humphrey and Austin Mosier were early teachers in a plank house which had
been erected for the accommodation of the mill laborers.  Sidney Tracy taught in an
abandoned log-cabin east of the creek, and in 1847 the first schoolhouse, a frame, was
built on the hill east of the creek.  It was known as the red schoolhouse, and used until
the present two-story frame structure was reared about 1872.

Barnett B. Cummings became the first Postmaster in 1847, receiving the mail once a
week from Meadville.  The village grew gradually, and reached a population of 301 in
1870 and 314 in l880.  It now contains three general stores, one hardware and drug
store, two millinery stores, one meat market, a gristmill, one water and one steam
saw-mill, a planing-mill, a handle factory, a shingle-mill, one hotel, two physicians, two
churches, three blacksmith-shops, one cabinet shop and furniture store, one harness
shop, one cooper shop and one wagon and carriage shop.  The Union & Titusville
Railroad passes through the village.

The earliest religious services in the village were conducted by the Christians, Elder
Fish of  that denomination preaching as early as 1838.  The Presbyterians also
conducted early services, but congregations of neither were organized here.

The Riceville Methodist Episcopal Church was organized by Rev. Forest, in 1849, with
four members:  J. W. Gray and wife, Myrom S. Staring and Mrs. Lorena Austin.
Meetings were held for about five years in the old red schoolhouse, then in a hall and
afterward in the Congregational Church, until the present church edifice was erected in
1874.  It is a handsome frame structure and cost about $4,500.  The membership of
the church is about forty-five.  Riceville Circuit was formed in 1851 and appointments
were made up to 1872, as follows:  W. R. Johnson, 1851; J. Abbott, 1852; J. N. Henry,
1853; C. Irons, 1854; G. M. Eberman, 1855; A. Barris and F. W. Smith, 1856; W.
Hayes and W. Bush, 1860; J. K. Mendenhall, 1861; E. Hull, 1862; A. L. Miller,.1863;
J. Allen and G. W. Patterson, 1864; J. Crum, 1865; A. H. Bowers and E. Chace, 1866;
A. H. Bowers, 1867-68; E. Chace, 1869; G. M. Eberman, 1870-71; L. F. Merritt, 1872.
Since the last named date Riceville has been attached to Centreville Circuit.

The First Congregational Church of Riceville was organized March 27, 1858, with the
following members:  R. B. Westgate, Lorin Marsh, H. C. Conner, Thomas Ferry,
V. F. Hale, William Mallery, D. D. Walker, C. N. Smith and G. M. Anderson.  Rev.
U. T. Chamberlain was the first pastor.  He has been followed by Revs. J. B. Davidson,
J. D. Sammons and R. Morgan.  The last is now in charge.  The church building was
erected at a cost of $1,800 in 1859 and dedicated free of debt in 1863.  It is 42x42 in
size, and was remodeled and repaired in 1875 at an expense of $2,000.  The
membership of the congregation is about forty.

Charity Lodge, No. 489, K.of H., was instituted February 28, 1875, with thirty-three
members.  It has met with prosperity and now numbers fifty-three members.  Meetings
are held on the first and third Saturday evenings of each month.

John Fisher Post, No. 337, G. A. R., was organized May 29, 1883, with nineteen
members.  The first officers were:  Matthew Merchant, Commander; C. W. Todd,
V. C.; T. Zahniser, J. V. C.; T. L. Dobbins, Adj.; S. M. Lindsey, Q. M.; Franklin Davis,
Chaplain; D. B. Winton, Sergeant-Major; D. Shreve, Q. M. Serg't.  The membership is
now twenty-eight, and meetings are held on the second and fourth Saturdays of each
month.

Riceville Union, No. 304, E. A. U., was instituted April 23, 1883, with twenty-two
members.  Of the first officers, E. S. Beardsley was President; Joshua Bruner, Vice-
President; A. E. Jaques, Secretary; C. N. Smith, Treasurer; M. S. Staring, Accountant.
Meetings are held the first Friday of each month, and the membership is now eighteen.