y April , members of the Robinson Township Historical Society plan to complete an exhibit that will shed light on the community ’ s original
1801 borders . The project began in 2015 , when an intern at the historical society discovered a garage sale copy of a map printed in the 1850s that showed Robinson Township was originally much larger than it is today .
“ It ’ s the only map we know of today that exists ,” says Joe Martelli , the historical society ’ s projects coordinator .
The map revealed that Robinson Township had once stretched from Raccoon Creek in the west to Chartiers Creek in the east and from the Ohio River in the north to Robinson Creek in the south .
“ It was a ‘ Eureka ’ moment ,” Martelli says . “ Nobody knew that .”
The historical society plans to display copies of the map and other historical documents at the municipal building . It ’ s unclear exactly why or how communities such as McKees Rocks , Stowe and Kennedy Township split off from Robinson around 1856 .
“ At one time , somebody gave our history away ,” Martelli says . “ Why anyone would give away their heritage is another mystery to be solved .”
If Robinson Township had retained its original borders , the community would have played a much more important role in the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s .
Martelli and other members of the historical society are searching for additional documents in archives in Washington and Allegheny counties that will shed light on Robinson Township ’ s early history . However , many documents may have been lost due to decay , fire , floods , or other accidents .
“ Record keeping was nothing like it is today ,” Martelli laments . “ People didn ’ t think about preservation . If we find anything , we ’ ll be fortunate .”
The early history of Robinson Township remains murky , and the historical society is undertaking several other projects to try to uncover the facts . For example , it ’ s unclear how Robinson Township came to be known under that name . A Robinson family seems to have lived near the creek with the same name , but Martelli hasn ’ t confirmed that they were the namesake .
“ We can ’ t go off assumptions ,” he asserts . “ Robinson Township has a rich history and our goal is to identify it and make people aware of it .”
The historical society is also tracking down information about the first settlers who arrived in the area in the mid- 1700s as fur trappers and farmers . During the Revolutionary
War , the settlers formed a militia that protected the area from Indian attacks . Martelli notes that the graves of 47 men who served in the militia have been identified . A dozen settlers from Robinson Township also participated in the Whiskey Rebellion after the Revolutionary War and several were jailed . Martelli says the different elements of Robinson Township ’ s early history are all interconnected .
“ One can ’ t be completed without the other ,” he explains . “ We are on a good trail now , and we ’ re getting some continuity .”
The historical society is always looking for additional volunteers to help conduct research , donations to fund projects or artifacts such as military documents or family Bibles that might reveal some of Robinson Township ’ s early history .
“ Every week we find something that pulls us in another direction ,” Martelli says . “ It ’ s a journey , and when we ’ re done we ’ ll have stories to tell about each settler .” n
Carlynton-Montour | Spring 2017 | icmags . com 23