Eleven miles southof the Route 6 &the 46 S.intersection

the boomtown of Norwichsprang into existence in1909 and 1910. A completetown was carved out of thePennsylvania wilderness aspreparations were made forthe lumbering of the largest remaining tract of virgin timber in Pennsylvania.Straddling the southern boundary line of McKean County and the northernend of Cameron County the giant timber reserve of uncut wildernessattracted the attention lumber baron brothers Frank H. & Charles W.Goodyear of Buffalo. The Goodyears’ purchased the nearly 30,000 acres oftimber in an arrangement with Smethport Banker Henry Hamlin and hisuncle, financer Bryon Delano Hamlin during the 1890s.

The Goodyear Company continued in Norwich, PA for a period of about tenyears from 1910-1920 with over 400,000,000 feet of lumber sawn.

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For more information & extensive virtual tour of Norwich, PAgo to the “PLANET SMETHPORT” website:http://www.smethporthistory.org

The Lost Town of Norwich, PA

Norwich Map by Trey Murphy, 2005Planet Smethport Project

www.smethporthistory.org

The Lost Town of Norwich 1910

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10 Norwich, bustling boom town in 1910, was the dream of multimillionaire lumber barons, Frank & CharlesGoodyear of Buffalo. Both Goodyear Brothers died prior to the completion of the McKean county project.

Today Norwich is a lush forest region in the Scenic #--StateGame Lands. Plan on a day of hiking and picnicing at the site

of the lost town.

How To Find Lost Norwich

Take US Route 6 to PARoute 46 S (Myra’sRestaurant). Head

south of PA Route 46 11.2miles Just past the Betulaturn on 46 S. you will startup a rise in the road. Thiswas the location of theCatholic Church. There arefive remaining companyhouses.

Just after you will crossthe Potato Creek bridge,at 11.2 miles, you willsee a turn off on bothsides ot the road anda right of way.This was the PotatoCreek RRright-of-way andon the left, at thepull off was giantHull’s DepartmentStore. Get out& explorefrom theparking lot.You are inthe mainbusinessdistrict ofthe losttown ofNorwich.

The Rise & Fall of Norwich, PA

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Norwich was in its prime in 1910; Today only the heavily forested PA State Game Lands remains.

Location of Hull’s Dept. Store Today

Hull’s Giant Dept. Store, Norwich, PA 1910

Lorine Rounsville Collection

Buffalo NY residents, Frank H. Goodyear (left)& his brother CharlesW., built a giant lumberempire in Pennsylvania from their base in

Buffalo. The Goodyears joined Henry Hamlin &Byron Hamlin, Smethport, PA financiers, in theirmassive McKean County investments as well as agiant Great Southern Lumber Company in Bogalusa,Louisiana.

Frank Goodyear died in 1907 before the Norwichoperation got underway and Charles died in 1911 thesame year that the giant Norwich mill went intooperation.

I n 1910, the towns of Norwich,Betula & Keystone werethriving communitiesdue to the suddenexpansion of the lumberindustry, mainly theGoodyear Lumber Co.Joseph Hull'sdepartment store was

said to be the largest in northeast Pennsylvania. Ithad three large entrance doors and at the side was an enclosed leadingplatform large enough to accommodate three railroad box cars. Thestore carried all kinds of merchandise: dry goods, hardware, feed, ect,

and kept two tailors busy makingclothes to order. It was equippedwith overhead cash carriers, as inlarge city department stores. CharlesHull was the manager, he kept twoCadillac limousines with chauffeursto transport his lady customers. Theywere picked up at their homes, takento the store for shopping and thenreturned to their homes with theirpurchases. It was said that the HullStore drove everyone in NorwichTownship out of business exceptCharles Anderson. When the storeopened its doors in 1908, theSmethport band played all day.Flowers and gifts were given to thewomen customers.

Joseph Hullabout 1911

The Vanished McKean County Townsof the Potato Creek Railroad

The Potato Creek Railroad was built by the Goodyear

Lumber Company toservice their new town

of Norwich. ThePotato Creek Railroadcarriedlumber (&passengers) betweenHamlin Station

through Keystone, Betula, Norwich and over to Keating Summit, PAsouth of Port Allegany. The abandoned right-of-way for the PCRRremains accessible at the Norwich town site.

Grocercy stores, general stores, a theatre, pool hall, offices and many homes & boarding houses sprang up in the new, bustling town. The Goodyear Company built a water plant, laying water pipes in all parts of the town supplied from a dam built on one of the nearby brooks.Besides the large lumber mill, a kindling factory and railroad shops were also constructed.

Text & Graphic Layout: Ross E. PorterPLANET SMETHPORT PROJECT

www.smethporthistory.org© 2005 Smethport Chamber of

Commerce, Smethport, PA