Sharpsville history comes alive with cemetery tour

May 19—SHARPSVILLE — Within Sharpsville you'll find the old Riverside Cemetery, a place full of the dead but alive with history.

Saturday afternoon, the Sharpsville Historical Society gave a tour to share some of the history that could be found inside the fences and beneath its emerald turf.

The cemetery, which was founded in 1872, is home to some of the most influential people in Sharpsville's history. From inventors to settlers to mine owners, the families buried within are able to give a glimpse into the 150 years of Sharpsville.

The tour started with the Pierce family. The patriarch, James Pierce, was the town's first millionaire, and is a major reason Sharpsville became a town at all.

Pierce started his legacy in the coal mining industry. As his coal seams began to play out, he built nine iron furnaces transforming Sharpsville into one of the major iron capitals.

The boom in industry encouraged people to flock into the area. The Pierce family helped form the town by establishing a railroad connection, bank, newspaper and other key buildings.

The late former First Lady Barbara Bush was descended from the Pierce family and once visited the borough.

The Pierces are buried in close proximity, with a large granite monument in the center with lifesize face of James carved into it.

Close to the Pierces lies an ally of his, James Ormsby. Ormsby worked in the livestock industry early in his life but eventually went into the military, attaining the rank of major. After his service, he took over running three mines in the area as well as helping Pierce with the railroad and bank companies.

Ormsby and his sons also erected one of the nine furnaces, though with ill timing. He would soon go bankrupt and be forced to move away. He moved to Indiana, where he was able to find more success in mining. He eventually moved into his old homestead where he lived out his days. In his later years he also had a term as a representative to the Pennsylvania legislature.

On the main pathway, you'll find John W. Jackson and John A. Jackson, who are father and son. John W. worked in the oil industry, but will be remembered as an inventor. He created the Jackson Oiler, which was an oil can with a long spout to prevent railroad workers from losing limbs, as well as a seal that prevented oil from spilling out if it tipped.

John W. would form his own workshop and when he passed, it moved onto John A. He ran it for many years, until his untimely death in 1955 at the cemetery, where he was preparing to give a Memorial Day speech. The speaker's platform is now dedicated in his honor.

Inventing continued to run in the family, as buried not too far from the Jacksons is Walter Hull, another inventor and grandson of John W. Jackson.

Hull is credited with inventing the dashboard compass. The compass was a major part of most vehicles until the 1980s. It was especially prevalent during World War II in cars, planes and boats. He also invented other versions of it and a bicycle compass.

Another grave in the cemetery belongs to Thomas Robinson, a talented builder. Robinson worked in a planing mill and constructed the wood frames used in three churches in Sharpsville. Robinson moved away for a bit, but when he moved back in 1880 he set up a business that doubled as both a furniture store and an undertaker, which was common in that era. His family is also buried with him, including his sons who worked in Sharpsville's electric industry for many years.

Within the cemetery you'll find plenty of graves marked with Dunham. Only a small, worn-down one belongs to Jonathan Dunham, next to his wife Mary. Jonathan is considered to be the first settler of Sharpsville. Mary and Jonathan had 13 kids, and many Dunhams are still around in Sharpsville today.

In an area with such a rich history in iron, it's no surprise to find several pioneers in the industry. One such man was David Agnew, who owned several furnaces within the Shenango Valley. He helped revolutionize the production of iron with his use of high-yield ores. He also helped found the Sharon Iron Co. and Sharon Iron Works.

Another player in the steel industry was James Gemmill, whose factory lasted until 1985. The factory was known as Gemmill & Hawthorne until Gemmill bought out his partner. It later became known as Sharpsville Boilers Works before getting its final name, Sharpsville Steel Fabricators. It was the oldest industrial firm in the valley when it closed. His company created steel boilers and steel buggies, aligned with steel tankers used for oil.

The final stop on the tour was to the Bebouts and Twitmyers graves. While the two families have no relation, their distinct graves next to each other make for an interesting stop. The Bebouts include Wesley, who operated one of the first drug stores in Sharpsville. He also left a large donation after his passing to help create the Methodist church.

The Twitmyers include a family full of doctors and educators, as the family of four brothers all found their ways into those two fields.

The event was free to the public, and one of many different tours the historical society gives. They did accept donations during it and sell different Sharpsville merchandise, including shirts with the santa sign — Santa famously offers to visit every home in Sharpsville before Christmas — charcuterie boards with the Pierce mansions engraved in them, and a new 150th-anniversary book of the history of Sharpsville written by Ralph Mehler, who also led the tour.

Ty Kohler can be contacted at tkohler@alliednews.com.