Anthropologist: Research on historic site helps 'tell this important story' of local Black settlement

May 18—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — It's been more than 50 years since an early 19th-century log cabin was destroyed on Laurel Hill — all but erasing what was once a robust Black settlement above Johnstown.

Work is underway to bring the farm back to life — at least digitally, Indiana University of Pennsylvania anthropology professor Ben Ford told the Conemaugh Valley Conservancy on Wednesday.

Ford, who spoke at the Johnstown Area Heritage Association's Heritage Discovery Center, is part of an IUP team working with state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and local officials to unearth stories about the long-gone settlement, which existed above the city since at least 1820 — and perhaps even longer.

That work includes piecing together existing local research, oral histories from descendants and mapping the area by using a form of radar to detect settlement remains such as foundations, hearths and other artifacts without disturbing the surface, he said.

"There's history under our feet anywhere we go," said Ford. "And it's just as true with the Laurel Hill settlement."

That's a key reason for Ford's work.

His research group obtained funding through the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to delve into some of the "untold stories" of western Pennsylvania's state parks and forests.

In this case, the mission is to preserve details from a settlement whose ruins remain today on DCNR land, according to Ford, who is also working alongside Geography professor Chris Schaney and history professors Jeanine Mazak — Kahne and Erin Conlin

"The goal is to help DCNR better interpret and manage some of these history and heritage sites," he said.

Unlike other historic sites being researched, including the onetime Hanna's Town in Westmoreland County, the Laurel Hill — or Brown — settlement offers a glimpse into the history of a multi-ethnic community during a point in Appalachia's history where many often believe, wrongly, that the region was populated only by "Caucasians," he added.

"We want the DCNR to be able to have the information they need to tell this important story," Ford said. "And hopefully our work will generate some new knowledge about this place."

Dates aren't certain exactly when William Harshbarger found his way west into what became the Laurel Hill settlement, but documents show he was there by 1820, Ford said.

He was soon joined by a West Virginia native and likely onetime slave, Edinborough Smith.

Over the decades that followed, their families grew there and welcomed new residents, eventually developing two "clusters" of homes on the rugged ridge top terrain, he said.

They farmed the land, raised pigs and cut the abundant timber for the emerging Johnstown community below, Ford said.

Their land's surviving cemetery remains one of the few remaining landmarks visible today — containing the graves of at least two Laurel Hill sons who fought in the Civil War.

But Ford said there's likely so many more stories that deserve to be told — such as that of Harshberger's daughter Elizabeth, who reportedly fought off land speculators at one point to preserve the community's land.

He described her as a strong woman and leader in the community at a point the settlement's second generation was assuming control — and tales like those need to be told.

There's plenty of leads to chase — including questions over whether the settlement might have been a stop for the Underground Railroad.

Without the right documentation, there may never be enough proof, but that doesn't take away from the settlement's significance, he said.

"This is an important place," he said.

Conemaugh Valley Conservancy member Brad Clemenson agreed after listening to Ford's presentation, during the nonprofit's annual meeting.

"It's fascinating because this really gets into the richness of the history of our Black community — dating back to the beginning of Johnstown," he said.

Clemenson said he's intrigued to see how oral histories and decades-old documentation can bring some of these stories into the forefront.

Ford said research and related work will continue over the next year.