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Elk County's first inhabitants were presumed to be the Seneca or Cornplanter Indians. In the last decade of the 18th century, the first white pioneers came into this area. About 1787. John Bennett and his father came up the Susquehanna River and the Bennett's Branch to around current day Caledonia in Jay Township- and thus the beginning of the Bennett's Valley story.

Jay Township- named for the US Supreme Court justice John Jay- was settled in the early 1800's. It consists of Brynedale, Weedville, Force, and Caledonia.

Benezette Township as an original township and town was founded in 1812 by Reuben Winslow. This area can be very crowded during the elk viewing season. Benezette, Grant, Medix Run, Wilmer, and Winslow Hill are located in this township.

Historical Features and Structures in Bennett's Valley:


• The Limestone Kiln of Winslow Hill
• The Indian Mills at Medix Run
• The Elk Panther and Mountain Lions
• The Civil War Bucktails
• The Fred Woods Trail
• Straub's Beer
• Unique Hunting Camps of Bennett's Valley
• Building Rafts and Sparring Logs on the Bennett's Branch

Special Histories:


• Dr Betty Hayes- The Valley's Coal Miners' Doctor
• The Lost Gold Shipment: 26 Missing Pennsylvania Gold Ingots by Sandra Gardner

The Foundations of Bennett's Valley:


• It's Schools
• It's Railroads
• Coal and Coke in the Valley
• It's Churches(in development)

Special Glimpses and Poems of Bennett's Valley : (Please share your favorites by emailing us).


• A Telegram-Dedicated to All Mothers of MIA-KIA Soldiers
• Special Rememberances growing up in 1886-1895 Jay Township by Nora Burke
• Our Johnson Heritage by D. Paul Caylor
• Sinnemahoning Country by John F. Meginness, 1856
• Forbidden Land by Robert R. Lyman Sr
• Caledonia by Elmer B Howard
• His Last Song by Phillip Paul Bliss
• Riding in a StageCoach
• Winterburn/Penfield- The Head of the Bennett's Valley Branch
• Jay Township
• Benezette Township
• Driftwood/Gibson Township- The Tail of the Bennett's Valley Branch

Information and histories of the rest of Elk and our neighboring Counties see:


• Elk County Historical Society
• St Marys Historical Society
• Brockway Area Historical Society
• A Brief History of Elk County
• Clearfield County Historical Society and Museum
• Cameron County Historical Society
• PAGenWeb for Cameron County Genealogy

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Home, About MZHS, Current Events, History, Vets, Membership, Church, Historical Park, Cemeteries, Visiting Today/Elk