Chapter V.
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County Societies


History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania...
Edited by F. Ellis and A. N. Hungerford.
Published in Philadelphia by Everts, Peck & Richards, 1886
Pages 699-700

CHAPTER V.
County Societies--Agricultural Granges--Veterans' Associations



Juniata County Agricultural Society.—This organization may be regarded as having its headquarters at Port Royal. It was organized February 26, 1852—President, Hon. John Beale; treasurer, John P. Shitz; secretary, Lewis Burchfield. It held fairs alternately at Perryville and Mifflintown, on grounds temporarily rented for the purpose. Finally it was incorporated, December 10, 1859, by the Court. It now entered on a new and enlarged career. June 5, 1860, three acres and sixty-two perches were bought in Perryville for six hundred and seventy-seven dollars and fifty cents, and to this were added, January 6, 1871, six acres and one hundred and thirty-nine perches, costing two thousand three hundred and ninety-two dollars and fifty cents. The buildings erected on these grounds have cost over one thousand dollars. At the time of incorporation the officers were: president, Hugh Hamilton; vice-presidents, George McCulloch, Abram Harshbarger, Jerome N. Thompson; secretary, John R. Linn; executive committee, James Gilliford, George W. Jacobs, James North; treasurer, Lewis Burchfield; librarian, William Hench; corresponding secretary, Noah Hertzler; committee on by-laws, Joseph Rothrock, E. S. Doty, G. W. Strouse. Annual fairs have been held here in October ever since.

Riverside Park and Agricultural Association.—This society, which belongs more particularly to Mifflintown and its vicinity than to the county of Juniata, had its origin in a meeting held at the Patterson House, Patterson borough, May 13, 1874, at which, however, only a temporary organization was effected. A committee was appointed to solicit stock subscriptions, and shares were fixed at ten dollars each. At a meeting held the next day, the committee reported that one hundred and forty shares had been taken. On May 20th the society was regularly organized by the election of officers,--James McKnight, president; Lucien Banks and Banks Wilson, vice-presidents; T. Van Irwin, treasurer; R. McMeen, secretary; and seven directors. At a meeting on the 21st of May the directors were ordered to lease ground and let a contract for the erection of proper buildings for fairs, and to grade a track. About fourteen acres of ground were leased of Mr. Ezra S. Parker, about half a mile below Mifflintown, a half-mile tract graded and fenced, and commodious buildings erected. The first exhibition was held September 23, 24 and 25, 1874. The receipts from all sources were three thousand eight hundred and fifty-one dollars and eighty-six cents. Expenditures in that year were three thousand eight hundred and thirty-one dollars and seventy-four cents. Fairs were held in succeeding years, until 1883, in September, and in that year, which was the last, it was held in October. The presidents of the society have been James McKnight, James North, Ezra S. Parker, A. G. Bonsall, Lucien Banks and Samuel Myers; secretaries, Robert McMeen, Samuel B. Loudon, Edmund S. Doty, Jr., and A. G. Bonsall; treasurers, T. Van Irwin and A. G. Bonsall. The association gave up the grounds and held no fairs after 1883.

GRANGES.—Following is a list of the granges in Juniata County, with lists of the first officers and number of members in each:

Spruce Hill Grange, No. 772, organized October 2, 1883. John D. Milliken, Master; Christian Yoder, Secretary; W. P. Graham, Treasurer. Number of members at time of organization, twenty-eight; number at present date, sixty. Place of meeting. Pleasant View.

Milford Grange, No. 773, organized October 16, 1883. William B. McCahan, Master; W. N. Sterrett, Secretary; J. T. Sterrett, Treasurer. Number of members at time of organization, twenty-seven; number at present date, sixty-eight. Place of meeting, Locust Grove.

Tuscarora Grange, No. 774, organized October 21, 1883. James H. Junk, Master; J. Crawford, Secretary; Samuel Louden, Treasurer. Number of members at organization, twenty-two; number at present date, forty-one. Place of meeting, Honey Grove.

Walnut Grange, No. 776, organized February 6, 1884. D. B. McWilliams, Master; John McWilliams, Secretary; J. Minium, Treasurer. Number of members at time of organization, seventeen; number at present date, forty-four. Place of meeting, St. Paul.

Lost Creek Grange, No. 780, organized April 2, 1884. W. H. Knouse, Master; Lewis Dagen, Secretary and Treasurer. Number of members at date of organization, twenty-five; number at present date, forty-eight. Place of meeting, Cocolamus.

Turbett Grange, No. 781, organized April 3, 1884. David Robison, Master; Byron Shuman, Secretary. Number of members at date of organization, twenty-three; number at present date, fifty. Place of meeting, Port Royal.

Walker Grange, No. 786, organized May 26, 1884. Luke Davis, Master; Michael Seiber, Secretary. Number of members at date of organization, eighteen; number at present date, fifty-six. Place of meeting, Mexico.

Fermanagh Grange, No. 787, organized May 27, 1884. H. A. Stambaugh, Master; Wellington Smith, Secretary. Number of members at date of organization, twenty-three; number at present date, fifty-eight. Place of meeting, Mifflintown.

A County Grange was organized, August 6, 1885, at Port Royal, with twenty-one charter members, and the following officers were elected: W. B. McMahan, Master; W. H. Knouse, Secretary; John D. Milliken, Treasurer.

Veterans’ Reunion Association.—A meeting of honorably discharged soldiers was held at Mifflintown, October 19, 1878, for the purpose of forming a permanent association in Juniata County. Colonel John K. Robinson was chosen president, E. W. H. Kreider and T. D. Garman, secretaries. A committee of two was appointed from each township to receive the names of soldiers and the organizations to which they belonged. A committee on permanent organization was appointed, who were to report at an adjourned meeting, Oct. 30th. At this adjourned meeting the report of the committee was read and adopted. The officers elected were as follows: President, Major L. E. Atkinson; Vice-Presidents, Colonel John K. Patterson, Sergeant S. S. Wilson; Secretary, Lewis Degan; Corresponding Secretary, T. D. Garman.

The first reunion of the association was held December 18, 1878, in the court house at Mifflintown, and reunions have been held in September in each year since.

The following persons have been presidents and secretaries:
1878.—Major L. E. Atkinson, president; Captain Lewis Degan, secretary.
1879.—Captain H. H. Wilson, president; Dr. Thomas A. Elder, secretary.
1880.—Dr. Isaac N. Grubb, president; Dr. Thomas A. Elder, secretary.
1881.—Captain James J. Patterson, president; T. D. Garman, secretary.
1882.—Major L. E. Atkinson, president; E. W. H. Kreider, secretary.
1883.—H. H. Snyder, president; William A. Allison, secretary.
1884.—James A. Milliken, president; John T. Nourse, secretary.
1885.—G. H. Burchfield, president; John T. Nourse, secretary.








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