CRANBERRY

From "The Historical Album and Daily Program, Venango County Sesquicentennial, 1805 - 1955"

This little village was settled about 1832 and was originally called Salina. Later the name of the mother township, Cranberry was acquired and carried down through the years. At one time cranberries grew abundantly there and because of this, the name of Cranberry was given to the township, and later the village. A Baptist Church was founded about 1874, which later ceased. The present Methodist Church was founded about 1894.

"History of Venango County Pennsylvania, Its Past and Present" , Chicago, IL; Brown, Runk & Co., Publishers; 1890; p. 629

Salina (Cranberry) is a village of several hundred inhabitants on the Susquehanna and Waterford turnpike, seven miles from Franklin and the same distance from Oil City, with which it is also connected by a turnpike road. North of the pike first mentioned the land was originally settled by James H. Milroy, a blacksmith, who lived in a log house still standing at the eastern extremity of the village. He purchased fifty acres from Thomas Astley in 1835. This part of the village was laid out in lots by Milroy, who probably gave to the place its name. South of the pike the lots were laid out in 1865 by James Brandon. He was the pioneer hotel keeper of the place, his hostelry being located on the west corner of the Oil City pike. It was known as the Seven Mile house, and divided the patronage with the "Weeping Willow," of which John Brandon was proprietor. Smullin & Steffee, Mrs. L. D. Barr, and Jones & Mohney were among the first merchants. The postoffice of Cranberry was first kept by James Allison, half a mile distant from the village. Mrs. L. D. Barr was the first postmistress after the removal of the office to the town and the incumbent of that position twenty-one years. The place derived its early growth and greatest prosperity from the industrial activity incident to the coal business. When that declined it lost its prestige and became a quiet country village. While it continues to retain much of this character, recent oil developments in the vicinity have contributed largely toward a revival of the old-time activity.

Transcribed by Penny Haylett Minnick
minnick862@verizon.net

Disclaimer:there may be errors due to transcription of information from both early and late (current contributors) work.