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History of New Sewickley Township

Milestones Vol 24. No 4

What is now New Sewickley Township was Indian land in 1780. By Act of Assembly on March 12, 1783, depreciation lands were set aside to be given to those in service in the Revolutionary War. New Sewickley Township is a part of those lands. In 1800, a township called Sewickley was formed out of a portion of the depreciation lands. In 1801, New Sewickley Township was formed out of a part of Sewickley Township. In 1826, New Sewickley Township was reduced in size by forming Economy Township, and in 1840, by forming Rochester Township, and again in 1854, forming Pulaski Township.

Brush Creek and Crow's Run and their tributaries drain the township.

The soil is fertile and raises good crops where it is properly cultivated, limed, and fertilized.

New Sewickley Township lies in the eastern part of Beaver County and is bounded on the north by Marion and North Sewickley, on the west by Daugherty Township and also by Rochester, and on the north by Economy Township. All these in Beaver County, and it is also bounded on the east by Jackson and Cranberry Townships in Butler County. It is the largest township east of Beaver, and was formed in 1901 out of the territory of Sewicidey Township.

The streams heading within the township are small. Brush Creek enters it from the east, near the center of the county line, and flowing diagonally across it, leaves the township in its northwestern corner. Crow's Run drains the southern portions of the township and empties into the Ohio River near Conway Station. The soil of this township is very good, and has been well-cultivated by a class of thrifty German farmers. The surface of the county is very much broken and hilly. A good quality of coal is found in several parts of the township with excellent limestone and sandstone, and the soil is in many portions, very rich. Extensive quarries of the Mahoning sandstone have been operated by the Parks brothers on Crow's Run. This is fine building stone, and vast quantities of it have been shipped to Pittsburgh and other places.

The highest of the hills is "Big Knob" near the center of the township. It is about 1450 feet above sea level and reaches the other high points around it above 300 feet.

POST OFFICES

Today, New Sewickley Township doesn't have a post office, but there were five different post offices at different times. In Unionville, the post office was called Brush Creek. It was established in 1872, discontinued in 1873, and re-established in 1873. The post office was torn down several years later. The following people served as

post masters: Robert Porter, Abraham Hunter, George Rauscher, P. H. Baker, Samuel Burns, John A. Auld, John Snyder, Henderson J. Neely, and Charles W Bentel. The Knob post office was discontinued in 1872 and reestablished four months later. John McCullough, Mary J. Powell, James B. Peirsol, and Henry G. Alstadt were the post masters for the Knob post office.

The Levi post office was established in 1881. The post masters were: John Robinson, Maggie Cochra, Annie J. Robinson, Charles Schweinsberg, Lewis J. Freshcorn, Justin E. Bogs, Simon Otto, Daniel St. Clair, and George H. Kircher. The Park Quarries post office was established in 1890. Thomas E. McCumpsey,John H. Park, and William H. Park were the post masters here. The Sunflower post office, in 1900, had its first and only post master, Charles A. Shlimer.