Curtin Village
Curtin Village
Curtin Village is located in the beautiful Bald Eagle Valley, Boggs Township, Centre County Pennsylvania.It came into being about 1810 when Roland Curtin, pioneer iron maker in the central part of the state founded the Eagle Iron Works. In honor of Roland Curtin, the village that grew around Eagle Iron Works was named Curtin and the Post Office that served the area became
Roland. At its peak, 3,500 tons of iron ore and 300,000 bushels of charcoal were used to produce 2,000 tons of pig iron a year.
Curtin Village was deemed a manufacturing village due to the fact that everyone who lived there was directly or indirectly tied to the Eagle Iron Works.
The Curtin family owned nearly 10,000 acres of land surrounding the furnace, of which about 7,000 was timbered with lumber suitable for making charcoal. Also on these lands were ore and limestone deposits that made the Eagle Iron Works at Curtin practically self-sustaining.
Because of new high-quality iron ore deposit discoveries, changes in technology, and rising costs of production, the Eagle Iron Works, which was one of the last active charcoal iron manufacturers"blew out" for the last time in 1921.
The entrance to Curtin Village is located on new U.S. Route 220, approximately three miles northeast of interchange 23 of Interstate 80 at U.S. 220, Milesburg, Pa.Bellefonte is southwest, about seven miles away, and Penn State University is southwest, approximately 18 miles away.
Curtin Village
1764-1970
The Eagle Iron Works at Curtin Village underwent a number of name changes throughout its history. For simplicity, it will be referred to as the Eagle Iron works.
1764
Roland Curtin was born in Dysert, County Clare, Ireland.He was the oldest of 12 children.
1793
Roland arrived in Philadelphia Pa. from Paris. History notes he then traveled to Philipsburg, Centre Co., Pa.
1797
Roland opened a mercantile business in Milesburg Pa. with Hardman Philips selling supplies to the new settlers.
1799
November – 35 year old Roland married Margery Gregg of Carlisle, Pa. and moved to Bellefonte.
1800
Roland closed the store in Milesburg, opened a store in Bellefonte and became the second merchant in town. His store was located on the corner of Allegheny and Cherry Alley.
1801
August 16- Roland and Margery Curtin’s first child, Austin, was born. The property tax listed Roland as owner of a house, 3 lots and a store in Bellefonte.
1802
Roland Curtin became a naturalized citizen.
1803
May – Roland and Margery’s second son, John was born.Roland was elected Coroner of Centre County.
1804
Roland was appointed Centre County Treasurer to fill a vacancy.
Roland purchased 3 lots in Milesburg from the Philips family.
1805
May – A third child, Constans was born but died 6 months later.
The Bellefonte Academy was incorporated and Roland was a founding trustee.
1806
May – The fourth child, James was born and 3-year old John died.Dr. Constans Curtin, Roland’s brother, arrived in Philadelphia from Ireland. He was a commissioned surgeon in the British Royal Navy. He spent the next 2 years at the University of Pennsylvania studying medicine under Dr. Benjamin Rush. (Signer of the Declaration of Independence)
Roland was elected County sheriff.
1808
September - Roland Curtin Jr. was born at the Curtin’s stone residence at the corner of Allegheny and Cherry Alley.
1810
September - Another son was born to Roland and Margery and he was named John.
June - Moses Boggs bought 78 acres in Centre Township for $1000. Roland entered into a partnership with him to build Eagle Forge. This was located about 1/2 mile from the present one.
This site was chosen because of the discovery of relatively high quality iron ore deposits in nearby Nittany valley. Wood was also abundant for the making of charcoal. The Bald Eagle Creek, which runs into the Susquehanna River at Lock Haven, furnished transportation for the manufactured iron, supplies, and power for the furnace.
Hammered iron was marketed mostly in Pittsburgh, sent there by wagons from the forge. It was valued about 5 cents a pound. The Barnhart, Antes and the Holt families are nearby neighbors at the Eagle Iron Works.
Dr. Constans Curtin finished training in Philadelphia and relocated to Bellefonte.He marries Martha Potter Gregg.
1811
June - Roland bought a total of 11, 954 acres in Howard Township from Dr. Benjamin Rush and 212 acres from Benedict Lewis.
1813
January- Roland Sr.’s wife Margery Gregg and newborn daughter, Margery died. Roland's four sons are sent to live with Mrs. Boileau who resided at the toll gate midway between Bellefonte and Milesburg.
Bellefonte’s first bank opened and Roland Sr. was the first customer.
November- Roland Sr. was elected one of the 24 directors of the Centre Bank. The first tax was levied on Boggs and Curtin’s forge. (Eagle Iron Works)
1814
At age 50, Roland Sr. married Jane Gregg who is age 23.Jane was Margery Gregg Curtin’s first cousin.
Jane becomes the stepmother to Austin, age 13, James, age 8, Roland Jr. age 6, and John, age 3.
1815
April - Roland Sr. and Jane Curtin's first son, Andrew Gregg Curtin is born in Bellefonte.
A road was laid out from Milesburg to Eagle Iron Works Forge.
1817
March – Roland Sr. and Jane had a second son, Constans Curtin.
1818
August – Roland bought out Moses Bogg’s one half interest in the forge and land for $5000 and dissolved the partnership. He built Eagle Furnace to smelt iron for the forge. The forge had 8 fires and produced 1,4000 tons of iron bar a year.
The water wheel at Eagle Iron Works was built.
The Roland Post Office at Curtin Village was established.
1819
August – Roland Sr. and Jane’s first daughter, Martha Maria was born.
Roland bought more land from Philip. Antes.
1820
20 men are working and living in the boarding house at Eagle Iron Works.
1821
Roland moved his residence from Bellefonte to a farm on Curtin Narrows road.
near Curtin Village.
1822
June – Another daughter, Ellen Honora Curtin was born to Roland Sr. and Jane. The Northumberland and Anderson Creek Turnpike, a road from Northumberland through Sunbury, Bellefonte and Milesburg to the river in Clearfield was built. Roland was one of the commissioners.
1824
December – A third daughter, Margery Gregg Curtin was born.
1825
April - Roland Sr. purchased 57 acres of land from Phillip Antes.(Site of the present furnace and Mansion.) This included the Antes gristmill and sawmill. The price was $3,500. Excepted from the sale was the one-quarter acre of ground reserved for the church house and the graveyard.
Roland Sr. planned his village to follow a European model, a series of houses around a village green. The circular path was one-fifth mile around.
1826
Eagle Forge is now capable of making 400 tons of bar iron annually.
March- On a delivery run, one of Roland’s arks, loaded with pig iron, sinks to the bottom of the Bald Eagle Creek. 1 man was killed.
1827
Roland Sr. was listed as a retailer of foreign merchandise in Centre Co.
1828
May – A fourth daughter, Nancy Jane Curtin was born.
Roland Jr. age 20 entered the Eagle Iron Works business. Roland’s sons Austin and James are associates.
Roland Sr. was appointed to the Committee of Vigilance for Howard Township, to promote the election of Andrew Jackson.
Roland was also the Centre Co. commissioner for construction of the Milesburg & Smithport Turnpike.
Ca. 1830
The building of Curtin Mansion was started, Roland Sr. was 66 years old.
Roland Sr. and his son James established Martha Furnace, 15 miles west in the Bald Eagle Valley. The furnace was named after Roland and Jane’s daughter Martha Maria.
About this time a rolling mill and the rolling mill mansion were built on Bald Eagle Creek southwest of Curtin Village.
1831
October- Roland Sr. and Jane’s last child, Julian "Julia," was born in the Curtin Mansion. Julian Furnace would be named after her.
Curtin Mansion, a 15 room, 3 story house was finished and 18 people moved in.
The plantation had grown to 10,000 acres extending into what is now known as Howard, Curtin, Boggs, Spring, Marion and Centre Townships.
Thaddeus and Mary Curtin Brew arrived in the United States from Ireland and moved to Curtin. Mary was Roland’s sister.Thaddeus was a window blind maker.
Martha Furnace was built. There were 70 employees, 60 horses and mules.
1833 Roland Sr. and Jane Curtin moved to Hon. Andrew Gregg’s house in Bellefonte. Andrew was Jane’s father. More land was purchased near Martha Furnace.
1834
The Bald Eagle and Spring Creek Navigation Company was formed to build a twenty five-mile canal between Bellefonte and Lock Haven.Roland Sr. was one of the commissioners. There were 22 locks with 3 locks located at Curtin. The first canal boat, the "George Crane", arrived in Bellefonte from Philadelphia.It brought a piano to Curtin Mansion.
On September 3, the first packet boat, the "Jane Curtin," traveled from Eagle Iron Works to Bellefonte.
1838
Roland Sr.’s son John moved to Martha furnace to take part in the manufacturing of iron.
Eagle furnace was abandoned. Roland Sr. and Jane moved back to the Curtin Mansion at the Iron Works.
1839
April - Roland sold one-quarter acre of ground (including the 1 room schoolhouse) to the directors of the common schools of Boggs Township for $225.
1840
Roland Sr.’s son James moved back to Eagle Furnace and son John took over the management of Martha Furnace.
1842
Roland Sr. retired from the Eagle Iron Works.
Dr. Constans Curtin died at age 59.
1843
Roland Sr. now owned a total of 19,509 acres and 32 town lots throughout Centre County.
Eagle Iron Works was sold at a sheriff’s sale to James Irvin and James Potter. They in turn leave the property in the hands of J&C Curtin.
1845
Roland Sr. moved again to Bellefonte with Jane and 3 daughters, Margery, (19) Nancy J, (16) and Julia. (12) Jane was now the owner of the house located on the corner of Allegheny and Howard Streets. (Now the Bellefonte Post Office) Her father Andrew Gregg left it to her in his will. John and his half brother Constans became the Iron Masters at Eagle Iron Works.
1848
Martha Furnace was abandoned and then sold.
Pleasant Furnace, one of the last old-style furnaces in the United States, was constructed at Eagle Iron Works.A turbine engine replaced the water wheel at the Works.
The Bald Eagle & Spring Creek canal was completed and covered 25 miles.
1850
November 8, Roland Sr. died in Bellefonte at age 86.
Henry "Harry" Roland was born, He was John Curtin’s fifth child.
1854
Feb. 20, Jane Gregg Curtin died at Rock Iron Works visiting her daughter.
ca 1860
The "little house" was built near the Curtin mansion, Roland Sr’s son James moved in.
The Curtin mansion served as an enlistment center for volunteers of the Civil War.
1861
Roland and Jane’s oldest son, Andrew Gregg, is elected Governor of Pennsylvania.He served in that position until 1867. May - The Curtin Mounted Rangers organize.
1863
January - The Bald Eagle Valley Railroad opened and ran from Tyrone to Bellefonte.
1864
John, Roland Jr. & Constans Curtin form R C & J Curtin Co. to run the Iron works. Constans is the Iron Master.
1865
Spring floods destroyed the Bald Eagle canal at Curtin.
1869
"Harry" Curtin, age 21 joined the Eagle Iron Works as bookkeeper.
1872
A steeple was added to the old church building located in the village.
1873
"Harry" Curtin became Iron Master at the Eagle Iron Works.
1874
James and "Harry" Curtin bought out the interest of their father, John. They joined Andrew and Roland, the sons of Roland Jr., along with their Uncle Constans to form C. Curtin & Co.
1877
April 1- Roland Jr., John and Constans sold their interests in the Eagle Iron Works.
1882
October - Hugh Laird Curtin was born(He was the third son of "Harry" Roland)
1884
In an unsuccessful attempt to sell the Eagle Iron Works between 1884 and 1888,a prospectus was published. The company was listed as Curtins and Company.
1889
Operations at Eagle Iron Works were suspended. The gristmill was dismantled and the rolling mill was torn down.
1890
The village now had 479 people in residence, 60 laborers, 38 farmers and 1 merchant.
1900
"Harry" reorganized the Eagle Iron Works and became a part owner and head of management until his death in 1909 at age 59.
("Harry" was the only Iron Master who was born and died in the Curtin Mansion.)
1910
A new 2-story brick schoolhouse was built at Curtin Village.
1921
A fire of unknown origin destroyed Pleasant Furnace at the Eagle Iron Works.
1923
The gristmill at Curtin Village burned down. Henry Holter Curtin a cousin, restored it and operated it until his death in 1936.
1935
The Roland Post Office canceled its last mail.
1936
The St. Patrick’s day flood destroyed the Curtin Dam on the Bald Eagle Creek, stopping the flow of water into the canal.
1938
Hugh Laird Curtin died, he was the last Iron Master at the Eagle Iron works.
1944
Hugh Laird’s son, Hugh Laird Jr. "Bud" moved into the mansion.After World War II ended Bud’s mother Thomazine, Bud’s two brothers George and Jim, his sister Nancy and her daughter, his sister Thommy and her husband with two young children also move into the mansion.
1946
Bud and his wife Liz move into the " little house" to raise their five children.
1951
When the last child, George P. Curtin left the mansion for the Korean War, Thomazine closed the mansion and moved to Bellefonte. She died in 1958.
1967
The store/emporium at Curtin Village was torn down.
1970
The rolling mill house was demolished.
The church at Curtin Village remains an active Methodist Church today.
************