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Crow's Run Valley, beginning in 1880 and for the next four decades, became a busy industrial region, for the production of clay, coal, oil, building stone, brickmaking and building railroads. The creation of these enterprises was due to the foresight and endeavors of the Park Brothers of Crow's Run who gave their share to the development of Beaver County.
William Park, born in Cookstown, County Tyrone, Ireland, immigrated to Philadelphia on May 1791, learned to be a stone mason and located in Wilkinsburg, Allegheny County, 1796 where- he instituted the first masonic lodge in that region. He was a member of 479 F. & A.M. at Tullaghage, County Tyrone, Ireland. He died at the age of 88, his wife, Mary McGahey died at the age of 94. They had the following children: John, James, David, Jane, William, Robert and Thomas. David Park, son of William Park became a wagon maker, married and settled in Wilkinsburg in about 1844, then moved to Beaver County and purchased a farm in New Sewickley Township about one mile from Freedom. He married Ann Hamilton, and had the following children: James, George, William, John, David, Theodore, Elizabeth and Mary.
James I. Park, son of David Park, learned to be a wagon maker like his father, then engaged in the lumber business in Freedom for thirty years. He married Emily McDonald and had the following children: William A., John H., George I. and Ann.
The members of the Park family who were to establish their various enterprises in Crow's Run were James I. Park (Father) and his sons, William A., John H. and George 1. Park. John H. assisted his father in the lumber business and later entered into business on his own account. He opened a general store in 1880 in the name of J. H. Park & Company. He also opened a stone quarry there and in 1882 established another quarry at New Galilee, Pennsylvania. From these quarries he shipped fine building stone to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and surrounding areas. Some notable buildings erected from his stone were the Pittsburgh Post Office, Pennsylvania Railroad Station at Pittsburgh, PA, the First Presbyterian Church in 1890, Beaver, PA, Carnegie Library in 1902, Beaver Falls, PA and much of the stone used in and about the Court House in Beaver, PA.
A post office was established at the Park Quarries where John H. Park was Post Master and General Store. In 1885 the Park Fire Clay Company was organized at Park Quarries with J. I. Park, President; W. A. Park, Treasurer; and John H. Park, Superintendent. There were two brickyards known as #1 and #2 works, situated on the west side of Crow's Run. The capacity of the works was 250,000 bricks daily. These were a paving brick, burned hard and sized 4" x 4" x 9" and weighing 9 pounds. The employees numbered 350 men. These bricks were shipped to all points in the United States and Canada.
In 1884, John H. Park built a Railroad from Park Quarries to connect with the Pennsylvania Railroad at Conway, PA, a distance over three miles to serve their industries. It was called the North Shore Railroad. It was later sold to the Ohio River Junction Railroad Company of which William A. Park was treasurer.
The clay mines were opened daily to supply clay for the brickyards and also was shipped as one of their products. A scarceness of labor became a problem and they built over twenty-five houses and a negro church for their employees.
In May 19, 1902, the peace and tranquility of the village was disturbed by a murder, the second ever to occur in Beaver County, by two of the negro employees in a dispute over a woman of dissolute character. William A. Payne shot and killed Allen Austin in June of 1902. Payne was tried, convicted and hung on June 9, 1904, in the jail yard at Beaver by Sheriff Howard Bliss.
At the place called Wallace City, situated at the crossroads of now Route 989 and the Freedom-Freeport Road near the headwaters of Crow's Run, an oil boom started in 1900. The first well drilled on the Robert Wallace farm produced 1400 barrels per day and before it was brought under control, thousands of gallons flowed down Crow's Run to the Ohio River. The well, with the largest production 2600 barrels per day, was drilled on the Whipple Farm. Thirty wells were drilled on the Stewart Farm, seventeen on the Whipple Farm, twenty-two on the Kramer Farm and seventeen on the Wallace Farm. Others were Morgan, McElhaney, Stewart, Bock and Landis Farms.
Three pipelines were laid and 500 barrel storage tanks were built to market the oil. Natural gas was found on several farms, the one on the Kline farm was still producing in 1950. Wallace City took its name from the first well drilled on the Robert Wallace Farm, and although it was made up of the usual service buildings such as boarding houses, blacksmiith shops, livery stables and other temporary buildings associated with industry, no permanent residences were ever erected. It never even became a village or hamlet.
In 1898, the Ohio Street and Tin Plate Company was formed and began operations on the banks on the river. In 1910 the entire plant was moved to New Castle. Before 1902, Graham Torpedo Company was located in the village, but was soon asked to leave because it was storing nitroglycerine.
On January 29, 1902, a petition was drawn up and signed by forty people living in the village of Conway in the township of Economy. On June 3; 1902, the court decreed that the village of Conway be incorporated into a borough and be called the Borough of Conway. The petition established the borough boundaries. On August 19, 1902, a Health ordinance was passed. It provided for the preservation of the public health and to prevent the spread of communicable diseases within the borough. Also, a peddling ordinance was passed which provided for the regulation of hawking and peddling.
On August 25, 1902, an ordinance was passed to allow the People's Electric Street Railway Company to construct a single track railway on the Beaver and Pittsburgh Road. On March 13, 1903, the Agnew Water Company was given a franchise. The Fort Pitt Gas Company was given permission to lay gas lines and fixtures on the streets of the borough. This permission was granted on April 4, 1903. On May 4, 1903, the Agnew Water Company was permitted to build a water plant in Conway.
In 1908, Mr. Bock and Mr. Bruce started the Bock and Bruce Lumber Company. These two men, with the help of the Powell Brothers, built the first homes in Conway.