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Two salt dealers founded Hookstown in the late 1700's. Matthias Hook, for whom the town was named, obviously had the adventurous spirit of men of his era in forsaking Maryland to carve out a home for himself in the wilderness of new country along the Ohio River.
According to history, Hook was one of the first settlers in the Hookstown area and claimed land there very early with a brother, Benjamin.
Hookstown was incorporated as a borough by special act of the legislature, April 18, 1843. The papers were signed by Gov. David Porter. It then had a population of 350.
IN ITS infancy, Hookstown was a flourishing village, listing two tanneries, two blacksmith shops, a wagon maker, two tailors, a couple of hatters, a woolen mill, grist mill and other small businesses.
Hookstown was a stopping place for many, especially drovers moving livestock from Pittsburgh to market.
The town in early days was noted for its doctors, typhoid and whisky.
It was known officially by several names, including "Newton," "Ninevah," and "Moscow," but retained its original name after Matthias Hook through the years.
The early Scotch-Irish settlers founded the busy community on the keystones of religion and education, school and church.
HOOKSTOWN is perhaps best known for its annual summer fairs sponsored by the Grange, hub of the community life. The fairs seem as old as the community itself and always attract large crowds.
The first exposition was held in the summer of 1885 by the Greene Township Farmers Club, organized in 1883. The program, held on the Nickle Farm near the Mill Creek Cemetery, featured a dinner, exhibitions of livestock, debates, speeches, and discussions on farming and performances by the Hookstown Band.
The Mill Creek Valley Agriculture Association was chartered in 1886. In July 1905, a new charter was obtained under the name of the Hookstown Fair Association. In 1910 a three-day rain resulted in a financial disaster to stockholders. Fairs were discontinued until about 37 years later.
In 1924 from Aug. 18-23, the community held a homecoming week and various former residents told of their remembrances of the community.
Miss Julia Reed said Andrew and Adam Poe settled in the area about 1789 and figured very conspicuously in Indian fights. The fierce encounter of Andrew and Big Foot at the mouth of Tomlinson Run in 1781 placed his name in history books. The first miller in Hookstown was Andrew McClure, who operated the mill until he accumulated $5,000 with which he purchased land in Indiana. When the deed proved defective he returned to Hookstown and operated the mill.
During the Homecoming, Hookstown youth proved their skill in baseball, winning every game during the week, including a 17-16 triumph over a team led by the great Honus Wagner of Pittsburgh. More than 5,000 people saw one game.
DREAMS of reviving the fairs became a reality when 1-1/4 acres of land was purchased on Route 168, the present grange site, in 1947. A well was drilled and tents and temporary pens were built for livestock. On Sept. 18, 1947, an estimated 20,000 attended the event. As the years passed, many new additions were built and additional land was acquired. In 1950, a new building was construction as a Grange Hall.
A permanent structure for animals was built in 1968. The present Hookstown Grange was chartered in 1931.
The settlers were very religious. As early as 1784, persons gathered at the Mill Creek Church, the oldest congregation in BeaverCounty. In the War of 1812, two companies were recruited from the South Side, including Hookstown. Both were assigned to the 138th PennRylvania Militia which marched to Erie.
Somc 100 men of the area gathered at the Hookstown Church to enlist in the Civil War for the Union. They joined the 140th Pennsylvania Volunteers recruited in 1862. Twenty eight were killed in battle.
The borough's first church was built in 1854 at a cost of $2,000, but burned a year later. The present Hookstown Presbyterian Church was erected in 1886.
Early Hookstown had an unusual place in Pennsylvania Medical history.
One historian wrote, "To a remarkable extent, Hookstown has been connected with the medical history of Beaver County. No other town in the region perhaps, has had so many physicians who were either born, educated, or resided there.
DR. Milton Lawrence was probably the most eminent. Born in 1801, he studied medicine with Dr. Milo Adams and practiced in Hookstown from 1826 to 1839, when he was elected prothonotary of the county.
He returned to Hookstown in 1849 and practiced until 1862 when he was named a judge. A son, Dr. Joseph Lawrence, studied medicine and entered practice in Beaver.
Dr. Samuel Adams, probably the first doctor in the county, moved to near Beaver Falls before 1800 from Chartiers Creek. He and his eldest son, Milo, were the only physicians on this side of Pittsburgh and served a broad area.
Many other physicians were born or served in Hookstown. The borough had three in 1845 when an epidemic of a disease which became known as "Hookstown Fever" broke out. There were 86 cases of the disease, and eight deaths, the victims including Dr. Alexander Coburn and Dr. Samuel Wallace.
A HOOKSTOWN cabinet maker played a part in East Liverpool's rise to prominence in the pottery industry.
Isaac Knowles left the village in the middle of the 19th Century, and with a brother in law, Harvey, started a small pottery in East Liverpool making yellow ware, and grinding clay. He later changed to making white porcelain ware, and his pottery plant became one of the largest in the country.
The manner of educating township youngsters has changed considerably since the era of the Little Red School House and the Hookstown Academy many years ago.
Schools were established by pioneer settlers before the Public Free School System in Pennsylvania was established in 1854.
Several distinguished ministers, teachers and doctors received their pre-college training there. Later summer sessions were held for those wishing teacher's certificates. At that time, one could go into teaching from eighth grade if he obtained a certificate.
Thomas Nicholson was the first superintendent of schools and was regarded as the "father" of today's public free school system.
In the mid fifties, the Southern Beaver County Joint School Board purchased 130 acres of land along Route 151 and 30 and erected a new secondary and elementary school. The district has approximately 4,600 people, which includes the Frankfort Springs, Georgetown, Hookstown, Shippingport, Greene Township and Hanover Township areas.
An addition was constructed in the secondary school in 1963. In 1972, an open space addition to the elementary school was occupied. Presently a $4 million addition and renovation is being completed. In the 1976 graduating class there were two graduates whose parents graduated in the first class 20 years ago.
IN MANY WAYS, Hookstown is typical of any other settlement that started small and never grew very big or very fast.
Town residents still lead quiet lives uncluttered by many of the problems that plague larger steadily growing communities like traffic jams and zoning ordinances.
Many of the homes in the borough are red brick spacious two story buildings that date back more than 100 years.
The Hookstown area is probably one of the most sparsely populated areas of Beaver County and borough residents are among the most heavily taxed, obviously because of little industry and a "live here, work elsewhere" practice in Greene Township.
The Volunteer Fire Department was organized in 1959. The fire hall was also constructed that year. There are presently 45 volunteers with Thomas Wright as fire chief. They answer about 50 calls a year through the Monaca department, which receives calls. Firefighters receive no pay.
The first Boy Scout Troop was organized in 1936 with Joseph Mercer as scout master. The troop was sponsored by the former Hookstown Presbyterian Church. There are now two troops and two Cub packs.
The South Side Athletic Association was organized in 1960 by Paul Verzella. when a group of men met at the Hookstown Borough Building.
The area included those in the school district and Lawrenceville.
The first year 194 boys signed up for baseball. In 1962, 312 boys signed up. In 1975, Hookstown won both the junior and senior divisions. Several boys have gone on to star in high school and college sports. Lack of interest has resulted in the dissolution of the league; however, several districts have entered teams in the Raccoon Township League.
In the few short years of its existence, South Side High School has produced several outstanding athletes, among them Dan Frasier, son of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Frasier. He was a college baseball star and was a rookie catcher with the Houston Colts prior to suffering an arm injury. He then returned to become assistant football and basketball coach at the high school.
The school district showed the only growth in the 15 school Beaver County area in 1976, mainly due to the influx of persons whose homes were purchased in the expansion of the Greater Pittsburgh Airport.
THE POST office was established March 20, 1818 with Joseph McFerran as the first postmaster. A new post office was dedicated in July 29, 1961. Olive Floyd was postmaster. She retired June 30, 1972. Mrs. Audrey Hall was appointed in 1972. In 1975 the post office was advanced from a third class to second class post office.
There are still several large farms in the area, but many of the men are employed in area mills.
The Little Blue Run sludge disposal system, operated by Dravo Corp., is located near the borough. It is owned by Penn Power operators of the Bruce Mansfield coalfired power plant at Shippingport. The disposal lake will be used to deposit waste from the plant for approximately the next 30 years.
This article originally appeared in The Midland News, (published by The Review, East Liverpool, Ohio) July 1, 1976. Our goal originally was to find information on the Hookstown Fair. But the wealth of information on the community in general was so extensive in this article that permission was sought, and graciously given, by John Phillips, Managing Editor of The Review to reprint all of "Hookstown Carved From Wilderness" in Milestones.