Halfway House Built by Joseph Barnes in 1859
Located Along Present Day Route 6
The Great General Thomas Leiper Kane, Leader of the Bucktails
General Kane was a rich man living in McKean County who had come from Philadelphia. It was in April of 1861 when news of the attack on Fort Sumter reached the ears of Thomas Kane. Who upon hearing the news wrote a letter to the governer of Pennsylvania offering his services in organizing a militia in Northern Pennsylvania. He recruited volunteers to join his militia at both the Bennet and Halfway House. Troops were also recruited in surrounding counties and when all was said and done a number of about 700 volunteers had joined General Kane's "Bucktails". Originally known as the 42nd Volunteers, the bucktails gained their nickname when one of the recruits known as James Landregan noticed a deer hanging outside the butcher shop. He walked over cut off the deer tail and pinned it to his hat. Other men followed his lead and cut off a piece of deer skin and pinned it to their hat. The hat decorations were approved by General Kane and he dubbed his men the "Bucktails," a name that stuck with them throughout the civil war.
|
History of Halfway House The Marvin Creek Hotel was built by Joseph Barnes in 1859 on a plot of land he had purchased from Mr. White. Joe purchased 108 acres from Mr. White and then cut down timber and built the hotel by hand. It later became known as the Halfway House when it became a the most popular stop on travels from Olean, NY to Dubois, PA. Then in 1927 the house was purchased from John Barnes (Joe's Grandson) by Joseph E. Svain Sr. Who then sold the House to Dave LeViere in 1987. The Halfway House hotel was a great profit maker for the Barnes family. It was one of the best known stops on the trip from Dubois to Olean. Known for the homelike atmosphere and good food. The hotel was also flooded with customers when the Barnes family installed a telegraph system in the hotel. All these profit makers would have left the family with a great amount of wealth if it weren't for Lucy's financial techniques.
|
photo credit: Dave Vandermark Photo |
Halfway House in 2004
photo credit: Dave Vandermark Photo