William B. Dunlap, a prominent citizen of Bridgewater, was born in Darlington in 1836, the son of Samuel Rutherford Dunlap, who was born in 1799 and died in 1890. Samuel was a grandson of Wiliam Clarke, a member of the first Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, over which Benjamin Franklin presided.
William Dunlap was a graduate of Jefferson College, now W. & J., and had intended to become a lawyer. Poor health forced him to give up this ambition. For two years he served as principal of a public school in Covington, Kentucky, but continuing health problems dictated that he turn to an outdoor life. He achieved this purpose by becoming a river-boat captain, and for many years he served in that capacity on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
While William was away from Beaver County, his father Samuel moved to Bridgewater and operated a hotel at the corner of Bridge and Water Streets during the canal days. He built a beautiful home at the top of Market Street Hill, which you undoubtedly have all seen. It is very reminiscent of a southern mansion, with huge columns in front and a fine view of the Beaver River from the rear. Samuel had three sons and two daughters, only one of whom, Walter, married and moved to another mansion just a block away. It is assumed that all of the unmarried children lived in the Market Street house with their father, but William was often away on the rivers.
In 1890, the same year that his father died, William Dunlap was elected to the Pennsylvania Senate, representing Beaver and Washington Counties. Upon the expiration of his Senate term, he became a newspaper publisher and editor. In 1895, with others, he formed the Star Publishing Company in Beaver, also serving as editor of the "Daily Star" and the "Semi-Weekly Star" newspapers published by the new company.
Several years before getting involved in politics and publishing, in returning from one of his trips down river, William brought back to Bridgewater a young black girl, Lena Keller, who was the daughter of a former slave. Lena lived with the Dunlaps as almost a member of the family, and went with them on Sundays to the Bridgewater Presbyterian Church for worship.
William died in 1922 and when Anna Dunlap, Sam's last surviving child, died in 1924, she bequeathed the mansion and all of its furnishings to Lena, who continued to live there for many years, renting out apartments in a portion of the building. Lena died in 1949 and is also buried here in the Dunlap family plot at Beaver Cemetery.