A Thumbnail History

Picture yourself on the Beaver plateau in the year 1756, when it was a frontier wilderness and Indians roamed the forest, while fur traders came to the mouth of the Beaver River to ply their trade with the Native Americans. Or imagine Beaver at the time it was incorporated as a town in 1802, when there were only about 30 houses, four taverns and a small courthouse. Think of Beaver as it may have been at the coming of the 20th century, when the tenor of the town was well-mannered, well-educated and well-heeled, and it was earning the approbation of “Saint’s Rest.”

Imagine walking down the street and seeing some of the noted personalities who made Beaver their home – Colonel Richard P. Roberts, killed at the Battle of Gettysburg while leading the 140th Pennsylvania Infantry … Senator Matthew S. Quay, Chairman of the Republican National Committee in the late 19th century … coal merchant John F. Dravo, who played a major role in the development of Ohio River transportation … Hon. Daniel Agnew, Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court … and many others. You might have seen such notable visitors as Meriwether Lewis on the third day of his world-famous “Lewis and Clark” expedition … George Rogers Clark, Commissioner of the Treaty of Fort McIntosh, which opened all the western U.S. territories to orderly settlement … and internationally-renowned author Rudyard Kipling, pursuing both journalistic and romantic interests among the townspeople.