Penn Township has a long and very interesting history. The following are some excerpts taken from "Penn Panorama" The First 200 years. This book was produced by the Historical Committee of Penn Township. The members of the committee included Flo Jaksec, Marie Rusnak, Mae Bauer, Penny Ritts, Anna McLaughlin, and Lorraine Phelleps who worked for over six years to gather facts, conduct interviews, document artifacts only to mention some of what needed to be done to complete this masterpiece and crown jewel of Penn Township's history. The book spans from 1797 to 1996 comprised of 20 chapters of interesting facts, early families and local government from the very beginning.

There are still copies of the book available for sale. They can be purchased at the Municipal Building or at the office of the Tax Collector, Carolyn Paulsen. The cost is $30.00 per copy plus sales tax. If you are interested in purchasing a copy, please contact the municipal building.

How it Began

Indians and wild animals inhabited the dense woods of Western Pennsylvania when the first settlers arrived in the area that would become Penn Township. The Seneca Indian Tribe occupied this part of the territory; the Delawares lived near the Allegheny River; and the Shawnees and Munceys also lived in the area. Nearly all of the pioneers were of Irish, Scotish or Scotch-Irish ancestry.

Pioneer Life

Unlike most early settlers, Clark Rathbun, the first permanent settler in Penn Township, was born in England. He cleared the land and built a crude log cabin. Ruth, 13, and Thomas, 14, came with their father. After his cabin was built, Rathbun returned to Robbin's Mills near Elizabethtown on the Youghiogheny River to pursue his work as a miller, expecting the children to live on the land to insure possession. But Thomas became bored and returned to his father in order to go to school.

Left alone, Ruth stayed in the cabin for 3 months with only a large dog for company, listening to the howling wolves at night. One wonders at the courage and sheer guts of the teenager living in the wilderness. In the spring, the rest of the family returned to the cabin and lived in the area for a few years before moving to Columbus, Ohio. Only Ruth remained as she married Robert Brown, who settled in Penn Township in 1797, the year after the Rathbuns built their cabin.

Robert Brown was born in 1779 in New Jersey, and at 18, came to this area. He, too, built the traditional log cabin. Brown and his wife, Ruth had 16 children, 13 of whom lived…..to learn more please consider owning one of these fabulous keepsake books.