THE GEOCACHE
This is one of 20 historical caches along the Butler Freeport Community Trail, formerly the Butler Branch of the Western Pennsylvania Railroad. You will be looking for one of our Butler Freeport Historic Geotrail (BFTHGT) Ammo Cans.
THE GEOCOIN
Inside each BFTHGT cache container is a QR CODE and trackable number. Scanning the code will open a trackable page. Visitors discovering AT LEAST 15 of the 20 trackables are eligible to claim a BFTHGT commemorative trackable geocoin. To get your coin, visit:
http://www.butlerfreeporttrail.org/on-the-butler-freeport-community-trail/geocaching/
Summit Township, organized in 1854, was principally created from Butler and Clearfield Townships but also included portions of Donegal and Centre Townships. The names of the first cabin builders within the townships are unknown. Early in 1796 when the Ray family located on what is now known as the Robert Gilliland farm there were some unused log cabins showing evidence of an earlier occupation on the Allegheny slope. On the Beaver slope there were a few occupied cabins. William Ray was here in April or May 1796. He followed an Indian trail which led from the river at Freeport into the wilderness. He selected his lands and built his cabin. When the county was organized, in 1803, he owned 150 acres. William Scott and James Mitchell arrived shortly after.
Herman Station succeeded Bonnie Brook as the principal village of the township. It was incorporated in 1880. When the railroad was completed on January 12, 1871, Herman Station was known as Summit. The first to buy a lot in the place was Charles F. Smith, who was also the first merchant. Herman Post Office was established in 1876, Charles Smith the first Postmaster. In 1880 Albert Smith was appointed to the office. In 1877 Albert Smith purchased the Herman House Hotel built in 1875 by Charles Garlach. The great wells of the Herman field did not increase the population or mercantile interests of the village. The few buildings in Herman have been built since the advent of the railroad. There is now a store, hotel, post office, blacksmith shop and a shoemaker’s shop. In addition, five producing oil wells are situated near the station including the celebrated Eichenlaub and Wolfe farms as well as other oil producing tracts. In February 1894, the Dittmer Store and railroad depot, and the old Herman House, with a few other buildings, made up the town. Between Herman and Great Belt there was a city of derricks that move day in and day out.
John Oesterling a native of Hesse Darmstadt, Germany was long a leading man among the Germans, and his descendants are still very numerous in this township. He emigrated from Germany to Butler County in 1831. He married Elizabeth Ripper of Germany, and they had 14 children. He bought land and sold lots near Herman Station. He then bought a huge farm in Summit Township and died there in 1864 at age 67.
Francis Eichenlaub and his brothers, Michael and William and sisters, Barbara and Catherine, and their father, Jacob, arrived from France in 1832, and settled on the old Duffy farm. Francis died in 1877.Two sons of Francis Eichenlaub live in Herman. William lives on the old homestead and Matthias, who is engaged in the oil business at Herman Station. William Eichenlaub’s farm is at the summit of Summit Township, and on it are the headwaters of Thorn Creek, Rough Run and Bonnie Brook. It is here that the “oil excitement” began in Summit Township. About 1835, Philip Cluse came from France and settled on a two-hundred-acre tract.
At the time Cluse lived in Herman, money was very rare, and farmers often went to Pittsburgh to sell their produce. Cluse started one day on foot with a knapsack full of butter. Before he reached his destination, it had nearly all melted and his best coat was an oily mess. Peter Schnur on whose property the first “wild cat” oil well was drilled in Summit Township was born in Prussia, Germany January 20, 1824. He was a son of George and Anna (Kupple) Schnur who came to the United States in 1836 and settled in Louisville, Kentucky. George died at the age of sixty-six, leaving three children: Catherine, wife of Nicholas Leech; Peter, and John. Peter was reared in Pittsburgh where he attended parochial and public schools. Afterwards he worked at the rolling mills of Mr. Schonenberger for ten years later working on a farm for four years. He then spent 17 years in the Morningside section of Pittsburgh as a gardener. In 1876 he moved to Summit Township, Butler County and settled on a farm which he had purchased in 1870. Mr. Schnur married Elizabeth Fry of Pittsburgh to whom have been born fifteen children. Six sons and one daughter survive George W. of the Schnur Greenhouse, Peter J., Charles F., Frank J., David A., Gertrude M., and Lawrence A.
Dittmer was born in Bavaria, Germany, May 12, 1856, a son of Benedict and Margaret (Snyder) Dittmer. He was reared and educated in his native country learning the tailor's trade. In 1873 he immigrated to Pennsylvania and located in Butler County. He worked his trade in various towns until 1882 when he purchased a merchandising store at Herman Station. In August 1881, he married Catherine Bayer a daughter of Frank and Mary (Schrozenstaler) Bayer of Armstrong County and has six children: Frank; Albert; Ludwig; Katie; Margaret, and Anna Regine. Since 1887 Mr. Dittmer has been passenger and express agent at Herman Station, and in June 1894 he was became postmaster at Herman.