Donegal Twp., Westmoreland Co., PA

Gypsy Heart

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Nov 29, 2005
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A HISTORY OF THE STAHL FARM IN WESTMORELAND COUNTY, information supplied by Ivan Campbell.

“A hidden cave, a graveyard, the rocks which sheltered early settlers, buried gold, a ghost wagon—these are things which make the land now owned by Mac and Lucinda Stahl unique.

The story begins in 1767 when John A. Harman and his family came to West. County from Germany. Before they decided where to build their cabin, they camped under a ledge of rocks on a hill above the Four-mile Run. Although the creek has changed its course, the rocks still jut from the hillside below the Stahl house.

The early settlers lived at peace with the natives for several years, but John Harmon, Jr. and his brother were captured by the Indians.

In 1787, John Hines was granted a warrant for “a certain tract of land containing one hundred and sixty acres, on hundred and forty perches and allevances, situated in Donegal Twp., Westmoreland Co.” According to existing records, John was a hatter in Pittsburgh. We don’t know if he ever actually lived on the land.

When John Heinds died, the land passed to his brother, Peter, who was his heir-at-law. Peter and his wife, Margaret, lived on the land and had seven children, three boys and four girls. They cleared the fields by hand, felling the trees with an axe, then digging and burning the stumps. They built a small log house on the hill above the Four-mile Run and lived in mortal fear of the Indians. When the men were hunting or working the fields away from the house, they hid the women and children in a cave.

After Peter’s death, his son, George, purchased the land from his brothers and sisters. He did so between 1842 and 1852, paying from $45. to $57.50 for each tract of approximately 23 acres. (It is interesting to note the different spellings of Hines found in the records: i.e. Heinz, Heinds, Haines, Hines, Heines, Hyns, Hynes, Heins.) His mother lived with George until her death.

The house in which they lived was built on the west side of a hollow which contained a spring. It was a two-story log structure with two rooms upstairs and two downstairs. The upper side of the house contained two windows. A stone chimney filled the side next to the spring. A barn and orchard stood below his home. Another house which was on the other side of the spring was later built by Jacob.

In the 1870’s and the 1880’s, George sold his land in several parcels to Leman Stahl who married George’s grandniece. They built a house in the hollow along the public road to Hood’s Mill, and George lived with them until his death in 1891.

George Hines was somewhat a miser. He didn’t trust paper money, and exchanged it for gold dollars when peddlers would pass through. He kept the gold in a crock in his closet until the neighbor who did his cleaning found it. When its existence became known, he buried it somewhere on his land. He also had a brass trunk which contained his important papers and perhaps a little money.

On the day before his death, Leman paid George $80.00 towards the mortgage. George had not left the land, but only $15.00 was found among his effects. As he died, he tried to tell where the trunk and crock were hidden, but he couldn’t be understood.

He was buried in the old family cemetery on the top of the hill. George was the last of thirteen persons buried there. One man was a stranger named Rosen who froze to death on the ridge road. Simple chunks of fieldstone mark the head and foot of the graves.”
 

Interesting history. This area has a lot of history, many Indian trails went thru here. The old towns of
Ligonier & Greensburg & Hannas-town are not too far off. Going west it drops down the mountain on
3 mile hill to Laurelville & on to Mount Pleasant. A couple of mountain ridges to the south & you're on
the old Nat'l Pike (Rt. 40) near Fort Necessity, then on to Jumonville above Uniontown. Good read &
thanks for posting.
 

Traveled 40 a few times some years back....never had a detector with me...but those old abandoned places that were scattered up and down that highway always caught my attention and slowed me down for a better look.

They may be long gone by now but a good chance a walk 20 or 30 feet off that highway, you'll find foundations out the wazoo.

Al
 

deepskyal- - if you haven't been there for awhile, you'll find it has changed a lot. At one time when you climbed
the mountain above Uniontown there were very few businesses between there & Yough Dam. So called progress
& the 'yuppies' have changed that. It has IMO been ruined by many more businesses all along Rt. 40. Everything
has become a money making scheme & now they even charge to see Fort Neccessity. At one time you just parked
& walked down to the Fort. Too many people trampling all over has caused the locals to become less tolerant.
I guess all things change, one way or another.
 

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