From Boom To Bust: The Making of 'the Smallest City in the U.S.A. -- Parker, Pennsylvania, by Marilyn McCall is sold out.
Nestled deep within the foothills of the majestic Allegheny Mountains of western Pennsylvania, a village with a population of nearly 1,000 would soar almost overnight to become a booming oil metropolis with a robust population of more than 20,000, and back again. In From Boom to Bust . . . , the author, Marilyn McCall, takes the reader on a journey from the area's prehistoric inhabitants, to early exploration and settlelment, the excitement of the oil discoveries, the great decline of the City of Parker, and finally the City of Parker as it is today. Along the way, the reader will visit the area's commercial, industrial, and cultural developments that have significantly contributed to where "the smallest city in the U.S.A." has been and what it has become.
Of special interest to the genealogist and historian alike, is the multitude of bio-sketches of the prominent people and families who lived the Parker experience. Ms. McCall completes this fascinating history with a timeline from 1748 to July 2008, an extensive bibliography, and index. With 295 old photos, maps, and illustrations, this book makes it clear why this tiny dot on the map is a special place in western Pennsylvania.
The 1st Edition of From Boom to Bust is now out of print. The 2nd Edition is expected to be published by Fall 2014. The 1st Edition included 38 biographies of the prominent people and families who lived the Parker experience. The 2nd Edition will include 150 biographies. Will any of your ancestors be among them?
Below is an excerpt from Marilyn McCalll's book:
Beginning in 1786, the Honorable John Parker surveyed most of the land west of the Allegheny River which is now included in the northern portions of Armstrong and Butler Counties. He laid out the village of Lawrenceburg in 1819, mainly for the employees and personnel of the Bear Creek Furnace Company, the first blast furnace in Armstrong County for the reduction of iron ore. Lawrenceburg became home to hotels, taverns, and stores. John Parker originally owned nearly all the land now included within Parker's city limits and was the first settler of the neighborhood. Following the closing of the furnace in 1840, Lawrenceburg became a place of little importance.
In the early years, Parker's Landing was an unimportant steamboat landing and lumber station, serving mainly the village of Lawrenceburg and the surrounding area. In 1824, Judge Parker built a large building for warehouse purposes for his son, Fullerton Parker. It was later converted into a hotel and is still in existence as the Parker House and is the oldest building in Parker.
At the end of the Civil War in 1865, Elisha Robinson's farm in Hovey Township was the site of the first discovery of oil. By November 1869, more than 1000 wells were in operation. John Galey's 100 barrel per day well, drilled on an island above Parker, started the famous oil boom and elevated Parker to the top rung of the oil ladder.
With the oil boom, Parker's Landing became a place of great activity. Saloons, stores, hotels, livery stables, and machine shops filled every available space. Handsome residences were built on the bluff overlooking the river and great business structures lined the street of the Flat. An elevator was built to carry the oil barons from their business places to their homes for a nickel a trip (the price of a gallon of oil). Until 1872 when an iron bridge was built, the only means of reaching the Parker station was by ferry. Railroads were important to the growing prosperity. In 1874, the
Parker & Karns City Railroad was opened. The line was later leased and operated by B & O Railroad.
The rapid growth showed all indications of a large city in the making with its center of bustling activity. On March 23, 1873, by a special act of the state legislature, Parker was incorporated, being formed by combining Lawrenceburg and Parker's Landing. The name was adopted in honor of Judge John Parker.
At this time, there was also a flourishing social life. All this attracted gamblers and adventurers, the most infamous being Ben Hogan. Things were booming in Parker when he opened his "free and easy" with gambling and girls. His business prospered until some righteous citizens ordered his establishment closed. Undaunted, he bought a large flatboat and barge and anchored in the middle of the Allegheny River (out of the jurisdiction of the Armstrong County authorities). His business flourished on the "Floating Palace" with patrons arriving in rowboats after dark. Some years later, Dwight L. Moody converted Hogan, and he became an evangelist.
But the oil boom was short lived. By 1878, oil production was dwindling. The wells' oil supply was soon exhausted and speculators moved away. Then, in 1879, a disastrous fire gutted nearly the entire riverfront section of the city with little effort being made to rebuild. In a matter of 10 years, the population of Parker dropped from more than 20,000 to 1,000.
George W. Brown in his writing, Old Times in Oildom attributes the demise of the once great oil center to the short-sightedness of the original land owners who rented, rather than sold, lots to speculators. Ownership of the lots, he felt, would have tied many men to the city, rather than them moving on to the next oil field.
Today, Parker's population stands at about 765. Parker, now known as "the Smallest City in the U.S.A," still holds its City Charter of 1873.
Nestled deep within the foothills of the majestic Allegheny Mountains of western Pennsylvania, a village with a population of nearly 1,000 would soar almost overnight to become a booming oil metropolis with a robust population of more than 20,000, and back again. In From Boom to Bust . . . , the author, Marilyn McCall, takes the reader on a journey from the area's prehistoric inhabitants, to early exploration and settlelment, the excitement of the oil discoveries, the great decline of the City of Parker, and finally the City of Parker as it is today. Along the way, the reader will visit the area's commercial, industrial, and cultural developments that have significantly contributed to where "the smallest city in the U.S.A." has been and what it has become.
Of special interest to the genealogist and historian alike, is the multitude of bio-sketches of the prominent people and families who lived the Parker experience. Ms. McCall completes this fascinating history with a timeline from 1748 to July 2008, an extensive bibliography, and index. With 295 old photos, maps, and illustrations, this book makes it clear why this tiny dot on the map is a special place in western Pennsylvania.
The 1st Edition of From Boom to Bust is now out of print. The 2nd Edition is expected to be published by Fall 2014. The 1st Edition included 38 biographies of the prominent people and families who lived the Parker experience. The 2nd Edition will include 150 biographies. Will any of your ancestors be among them?
Below is an excerpt from Marilyn McCalll's book:
Beginning in 1786, the Honorable John Parker surveyed most of the land west of the Allegheny River which is now included in the northern portions of Armstrong and Butler Counties. He laid out the village of Lawrenceburg in 1819, mainly for the employees and personnel of the Bear Creek Furnace Company, the first blast furnace in Armstrong County for the reduction of iron ore. Lawrenceburg became home to hotels, taverns, and stores. John Parker originally owned nearly all the land now included within Parker's city limits and was the first settler of the neighborhood. Following the closing of the furnace in 1840, Lawrenceburg became a place of little importance.
In the early years, Parker's Landing was an unimportant steamboat landing and lumber station, serving mainly the village of Lawrenceburg and the surrounding area. In 1824, Judge Parker built a large building for warehouse purposes for his son, Fullerton Parker. It was later converted into a hotel and is still in existence as the Parker House and is the oldest building in Parker.
At the end of the Civil War in 1865, Elisha Robinson's farm in Hovey Township was the site of the first discovery of oil. By November 1869, more than 1000 wells were in operation. John Galey's 100 barrel per day well, drilled on an island above Parker, started the famous oil boom and elevated Parker to the top rung of the oil ladder.
With the oil boom, Parker's Landing became a place of great activity. Saloons, stores, hotels, livery stables, and machine shops filled every available space. Handsome residences were built on the bluff overlooking the river and great business structures lined the street of the Flat. An elevator was built to carry the oil barons from their business places to their homes for a nickel a trip (the price of a gallon of oil). Until 1872 when an iron bridge was built, the only means of reaching the Parker station was by ferry. Railroads were important to the growing prosperity. In 1874, the
Parker & Karns City Railroad was opened. The line was later leased and operated by B & O Railroad.
The rapid growth showed all indications of a large city in the making with its center of bustling activity. On March 23, 1873, by a special act of the state legislature, Parker was incorporated, being formed by combining Lawrenceburg and Parker's Landing. The name was adopted in honor of Judge John Parker.
At this time, there was also a flourishing social life. All this attracted gamblers and adventurers, the most infamous being Ben Hogan. Things were booming in Parker when he opened his "free and easy" with gambling and girls. His business prospered until some righteous citizens ordered his establishment closed. Undaunted, he bought a large flatboat and barge and anchored in the middle of the Allegheny River (out of the jurisdiction of the Armstrong County authorities). His business flourished on the "Floating Palace" with patrons arriving in rowboats after dark. Some years later, Dwight L. Moody converted Hogan, and he became an evangelist.
But the oil boom was short lived. By 1878, oil production was dwindling. The wells' oil supply was soon exhausted and speculators moved away. Then, in 1879, a disastrous fire gutted nearly the entire riverfront section of the city with little effort being made to rebuild. In a matter of 10 years, the population of Parker dropped from more than 20,000 to 1,000.
George W. Brown in his writing, Old Times in Oildom attributes the demise of the once great oil center to the short-sightedness of the original land owners who rented, rather than sold, lots to speculators. Ownership of the lots, he felt, would have tied many men to the city, rather than them moving on to the next oil field.
Today, Parker's population stands at about 765. Parker, now known as "the Smallest City in the U.S.A," still holds its City Charter of 1873.