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It was Horace Greeley who popularized the phrase "go west, young man". Could this quotation have meant, west of the Allegheny Mountains to Beaver County? Long before this popular phrase became known and just after Gen. Anthony Wayne's treaty with Indians in 1794, a man by the name of Robert McMinn with his family settled on land now owned by George Anderson. McMinn's wife was the first white woman to cross the Beaver River at Beaver, then Beavertown.
Soon after the McMinn family came, the Martins, Sproats, Imbries, Dilworths, Boyds, McClymonds, Hugheses, Scroggses, Reeds, Gillilands and Striebys. These families built homes, established churches and places of business. The town was laid out on what is known as North Branch of Little Beaver Creek May 13, 1804, by General Abner Lacock on land owned by Thomas Sproat, William Martin, and George Greer. The plan embraced four blocks square, 16 blocks in all with eight lots to the block, making a total of 128 lots. The streets were given various names that exist today. The question of the name for the town arose and to settle the matter the three latter mentioned men drew straws and Greer won, hence the name Greersburg.
The town was incorporated as a borough March 28, 1820, making what is now Darlington, the second oldest borough in the county. Beaver was first on March 29,1802. By acts of the assembly the name was changed to Darlington April 6. 1830, because of confusion in mail deliveries, Greensburg received mail that should have gone to Greersburg and vice versa. Darlington was named after a town resident.
A post office of Darlington was established in 1831. Previous to that, no regular office had been maintained.
Several churches in Darlington borough and Darlington Township are active today. Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church was the first established congregation in the county north of the Ohio River. Date of organization was in 1798 by the Ohio Presbytery. First pastor was the Rev. Thomas Hughes, who was installed August 28, 1799.
United Presbyterian congregation was organized in 1800. It had been called Brush Run United Presbyterian Church. Its first pastor was the Rev. J. Duncan.
Rocky Springs congregation was organized in 1827 by the Presbytery of Monongahela, in connection with associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. The present Reformed Presbyterian Church was organized later, as was the Roman Catholic Saint Rose Church.
Need for educating youth was early recognized by Hughes, pastor of Mount Pleasant Presbyterian congregation. Hughes began to realize his dreams were about to come true. The oldest institution of learning in Beaver County, known as Greersburg Academy, owes its origin to him. At a meeting of the Presbytery of Erie, of which he was moderator, he brought up the subject of establishing an institution for training of youth and gave in detail a plan he had long considered for the organization and control of such a school. That meeting was held at Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church, Greersburg, April 13, 1802. Proceedings immediately were made for its erection, as the date of 1802 cut in a stone on the wall inside the
building indicates. The Pennsylvania Legislature passed an act. February 24,1806, establishing the new school as Greersburg Academy. In 1883 the old stone building became too smal I for the number of students and some thought it unsafe, so it was sold to the Pittsburgh, Lisbon & Western Railroad and was used as a ticket office and freight station until the 1960s when it was deeded to the Little Beaver Historical Society. Some sources claim this to be the oldest existing building to have been used as a railroad station in the United States.
The Little Beaver Historical Society has completely restored the Greersburg Academy with all local funds and local labor.
A new brick building was built on Plum Street. This two story academy, known as Greersburg No. 2, was used until the turn of the century when it was taken over by Darlington School Board. This building, was deeded to the Little Beaver Historical Society, Inc., in 1964. Known as Little Beaver Museum it houses many relics of the past, and is open to the public on weekends June through September.
Among famous people who attended the academy, were William Holmes McGuffey author of the historical series of readers bearing his name, Gen. John Geary ex-governor of Pennsylvania, John Brown of Harper's Ferry fame along with many famous ministers, lawyers and teachers.
Industry consisted of various merchants, haulers, farmers and craftsman. Some of those known are David Gilliland, Stewart Boyd and Joseph Quindley all general store keepers. David Prow was a millkeeper, Michael Strieby was a clock maker. Six of his clocks are extant today, two are still in the County. They are all tall clocks and reported good timekeepers. Jacob Strieby was also listed in Bausmans History of Beaver County as a clock maker, possibly the son of Michael. No clocks are extant today. Hugh Martin was listed as a cabinet maker and was supposed tp have made clocks, but none are known to exist today. John McClymonds was a tailor and Stephen Todd was a shoemaker.
There were societies established later in Darlington. Meridian Lodge 411 F&AM was instituted Dec. 27, 1867, and the Dan Leasure Post 402 GAR was organized Dec. 20, 1883.
When railroads became the mode of travel, Darlington was not left behind. Pittsburgh, Marion & Chicago Railroad ran through the town and from it extended wagon roads to various towns nearby.
When Greersburgh was flourishing, stage coaches plied the roads to Cleveland and Erie from Pittsburgh, passing through the town where travelers could stop at the inns and taverns. Darlington had a hotel until it burned in the middle 1920s.
Another historic first happened when the Darlington Polo Field was the first lighted polo field in the United States.
Today, Darlington is still a live village with two State roads converging with constant traffic. There are several restaurants, stores and businesses and several industries in Darlington Township, with Darlington Brick Company being the largest. From this brickyard truck loads leave daily to all parts of the country. Many official buildings throughout the United States have utilizied Darlington brick over the years.