History of the Property

110 South High Street, Lot 41 (House & Barn)
1701Purchased by William Penn from the Six Nations.
7/6/1754Re-purchased (to clarify purchase) by Pennsylvania from the Six Nations.
7/1793Surveyed by Simon and Hyman Gratz.
1841Settled by Clement Beckwith who received the warrant for the land from Pennsylvania. "Squire" Beckwith founded and laid out the village of Port Matilda, which he named after his eldest daughter. The "Port" refers to his hope that the town would become a trading center, which in many ways it did prior to the Great Depression. Mr. Beckwith was called Squire because he served as Justice of the Peace for Worth Township.
1855-1856The first house on the lot was built in 1855 or 1856 by William Walker. Mr. Walker was married to Lydia A. Walker and had been Constable of Worth Township in 1850. The tax records from 1853 show that Mr. Walker became a property owner and that he owned the lot in 1854. They also list him as a wagonmaker, mechanic and carpenter. The 1855 records just list him as paying taxes without saying exactly for what. The 1856 tax records show a house on the lot. So, the house was after 1854 and existed in 1856, so it was probably built in 1855. Mr. Walker is listed as a property owner although the deeds show the property was not owned by the Walkers intil 1881. Clement Beckwith seems to have sold lots to several people without transferring title, perhaps because they were still paying them off to him.

The first house was smaller than the home that now stands. This first home also included the merchantile room of Fugate & Henderson at some point.

Lydia Walker had been married previously, but her husband was killed in action in 1862. After the death of Mr. Walker, she married Jacob Williams. Between the death of Mr. Walker and her union with Mr. Williams, the house stood empty all but a year here or there. One of the few people to rent the home was W. J. Wiser, whom she later sold it to.

12/24/1868Inherited by Clement L. Beckwith upon the death of his father, Squire Clement Beckwith.
8/8/1881Inherited by Lydia A. Walker upon the death of Clement L. Beckwith. Lydia Walker later married Jacob Williams as noted above.
5/2/1890"Conveyed" to W. J. Wiser by Lydia Walker Williams and Jacob Williams. Mr. & Mrs. W. James Wiser in turn rented the home to a man named George Fugate, who according to tax records had a cow and two male dogs at the property. This Mr. Fugate may have rented the home to run a store as had existed there when it was the home of Mr. Walker.
5/18/1892"Conveyed" to Martha J. Mattern by W. J. Wiser. Martha Mattern later married Charles E. Blake.
4/14/1897Sold to Henry Stevens by Martha Mattern Blake and Charles E. Blake for $400.
4/19/1899Sold to Nancy M. Cornelius by Henry and Susan Stevens for $400. Nancy Cornelius was married to George Cornelius, but he was not listed on the indenture. The current home was built in 1900 by this owner.

Mrs. Cornelius died on 7/14/1903. The following is her obituary (exactly as written) from the Weekly Keystone Gazette on 7/24/1903:

Died at Port Matilda
     Nancy Maria Cornelius, wife of George I. Cornelius of Port Matilda, Pa., died July 14th. The deceased was a daughter of Emanuel and Mary Ebba and was born at McAlistersville, Juniata county, Pa., Dec. 23, 1835. At an early age she moved with her parents to Penna. Furnace, Centre county, where her girlhood days were passed. On Dec. 27, 1855 she was married to George I. Cornelius. The greater part of her married life was spent in Half Moon Valley where she was well and favorably known. She possessed a bright and cheerful disposition and was a true and sincere Christian. She was a loving wife and a kind and true friend and neighbor. While there were no children born to them, she was a true mother to the motherless children, having brought up from infancy the following nieces and nephews: Thomas O. Lytle of Clearfield, Pa., Miss Alice Dressler of Bellwood, J. H. Barto of Baldwin, Butler county, and Miss Margaret Gensmore of Tyrone. These found in her home a true haven of refuge and to them she proved a true friend and mother. Her home was always headquarters for her many friends and relatives, being familiarly known as "Aunt Nain" through Half Moon Valley and Port Matilda. She has been ill with a complication of diseases for the past four months, but though wonderfully afflicted she bore all with true Christian fortitude. She was a member of the M. E. church for fifty-three years.
     Surviving her are her aged husband and the following brothers and sisters: J. F. Ebbs of Pittsburg, John Edds of Austin, Texas, Geo. Ebbs of Bakertown, Pa., Mrs. Hester Wrye of Loveville, and Mrs. John Ward of Stormstown. Funeral services were held Thursday, July 16th, by her pastor, Rev. Gordon Gray, assisted by Rev. Estlinger. Interment at Ross cemetery. The friends and neighbors have the thanks of the family for their kindness and true neighborliness shown during their sad affliction.
11/7/1903Sold to Nora M. Thompson by George Cornelius (who inherited the property upon the death of his wife, Nancy) for $650. Nora was married to Dr. James A. Thompson. Dr. Thompson ran his medical practice from the home until his sudden death in 1917. Mrs. Thompson moved from the house at some point to a home in Martha's Furnace. She then stayed with her cousin in Lemont just prior to her death in 1925. Exactly when she moved to Martha's Furnance, I don't know. Nor do I know who lived in this house during that time. It was likely the Sanderson family who rented the home from the Nora Thompson estate.

The following are the obituaries (exactly as written) for Mr. & Mrs. Thompson:

Democratic Watchman 5/4/1917Centre Reporter 11/26/1925
     THOMPSON. - Dr. James A. Thompson died quite suddenly at his home in Port Matilda last Thursday afternoon, of heart failure. He was around in the forenoon as usual attending to his professional work but after dinner he complained about not feeling very good. The seriousness of his condition, however, was not realized up until a short time before he died.
     James Adam Thompson was a son of Matthew L. and Susan Marie Speer Thompson and was born in Lock Haven on January 19th, 1844, hence was 73 years, 3 months and 7 days old. When he was a youth his parents moved to Boalsburg where he lived until eighteen years of age when he enlisted on August 5th, 1862, as a private in Company G, 148th regiment, commanded by Gen. James A. Beaver. He was wounded at the battle of Gettysburg on July 3rd, 1863, by a fragment of an exploding shell, and after his recovery he was detached from his company and appointed a courier at Gen. Winfield S. Hancock's corps headquarters, a position he held throughout the war. He was a splendid horseman, a fine looking soldier, who always won the admiration of his comrades for his dauntless bravery. He was mustered out of service with his company at the close of the war and returned to Boalsburg where he learned the coachmaking trade with Mr. Kreamer. This work not being to his taste he went to Philadelphia and took a course in medicine at the Jefferson Medical college.
     After his graduation he established himself in Show Shoe and practiced there a few years, then went to State College and from there to Stormstown. From there he came to Bellefonte and for a year or two conducted the drug store now owned by Basil Mott. Disposing of that he returned to Stormstown but later moved to Port Matilda where he has practiced a number of years. He was a member of the Bald Eagle Presbyterian church and an elder in same since 1901. Personally he was a most congenial and companionable gentleman and his death is sincerely mourned by a wide circle of friends.
     On February 18th, 1880, he was united in marriage to Miss Nora M. Thompson, who survives with no children. He leaves, however, one brother, Robert Thompson, of Kent, Ohio. Funeral services were held at his late home at Port Matilda at two o'clock on Monday afternoon by Rev. Walter Fay Carson, after which burial was made in the Presbyterian cemetery. A large number of Bellefonters attended the funeral.
     THOMPSON.-Mrs. Nora M. Thompson, wife of the late Dr. James A. Thompson, of Martha Furnance, died at the home of her cousin, Mrs. John Mitchell at Lemont, on Wednesday morning of last week. Death was due to influenza and a general breaking down of the system. She was born at the Branch 78 years ago, the daughter of J. I. and Mary Kye Thompson, and was the last member of the family to pass away. Funeral services were held at her late home at Martha Furnace on Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock, Rev. Howard E. Oakwood officiating. Interment at Port Matilda.
11/1925Inherited by J. Thompson Henry from Nora M. Thompson. Mr. Henry was the nephew of Ms. Thompson. He was also the Centre County surveyor. He owned the Curtin Mansion in Martha's Furnace and is responsible for building the western half of that mansion. This is likely the same home that Nora Thompson lived in after the death of her husband.

From the records discovered so far, it seems that the Port Matilda home was rented by the Sanderson family during the entire period that it was owned by Mr. Henry. They probably also rented the home from Mrs. Thompson after she moved to Martha's Furnace. Although willed to Mr. Henry, the tax records show that the Sandersons were tenants in the home owned by the Nora M. Thompson estate, which gives the impression that they were renting from her, then continued renting from her estate through until the property was sold in 1945. As a side note, the father of the Sanderson family was Waldo P. Sanderson and he was living in the home in 1928, according to tax records. In 1944, he was no longer there (reason unknown at this time). This may have meant the family could no longer afford the home and moved, resulting in its sale.

6/30/1945Sold to Harold H. & Ruth M. Crain by J. Thompson & Ethel C. Henry for "$1.00 and other valuable considerations". In 1947, the home was "re-aged" by a new assessment that year. This is likely the time the front and back porches were added.

Older people in town recall the home being a funeral home for a short time. The undertaking business, originally located next to the Port Matilda Hotel and run by the Pringles, was sold to Harry Bennett in 1950. The former undertaker worked for Mr. Bennett until his death in 1956 and Mr. Bennett continued the business alone until 1959. During the time Mr. Bennett owned the business, it was run out of this house.

7/31/1959Sold to Therman W. & G. Rosalie Wiser by Harold H. and Ruth M. Crain for $13,000.
4/16/1980Redeeded to Therman W. & Betty Marie Wiser, his second wife. Therman Wiser died in 1996.
10/28/1997Sold along with Lot 43 to Ralph M. and Mary Houck by Betty Marie Wiser for $120,000. It was at this time that Lot 41 & Lot 43 became joined on one deed.
12/19/2005Sold (along with Lot 43) to Michael H. Duminiak and Julie A. Gajeski-Duminiak for $140,000.

108 South High Street, Lot 43 (Lot & Garage)
Rumor in town has it that this used to have a wooden-frame bank on it that burned down. Despite hours of research, I have not been able to find any evidence to support that rumor.
1701Purchased by William Penn from the Six Nations.
7/6/1754Re-purchased (to clarify purchase) by Pennsylvania from the Six Nations.
7/1793Surveyed by Simon and Hyman Gratz.
1841Settled by Clement Beckwith who received the warrant for the land from Pennsylvania.
12/24/1868Inherited by Clement L. Beckwith upon the death of his father, "Squire" Clement Beckwith along with Lot 45 (the home at 106 South High). Clement L. Beckwith was married to Sarah J. Beckwith and they likely built the home on Lot 45.
8/8/1881Obtained by Sarah J. Beckwith (widow of Clement L. Beckwith) for $300. By the Act of April 14, 1851, a widow was entitled to only $300 inheritance. Mrs. Beckwith traded her $300 for the home she was living in so she wouldn't end up on the street. The widow Beckwith remarried at some point prior to but likely near 7/6/1893 to Mr. Hardman Richards.
7/6/1893Purchased (with Lot 45) by William Bennett (age 34) and Clara Bennett (28) from Sarah J. Richards (remarried widow of Clement L. Beckwith) and Hardman Richards for $400. Mr. Bennett was married to Louise Beckwith, probably the daughter of Clement L. and Sarah J. Beckwith. I do not know why he purchased the property along with Clara Bennett nor how he was related to her. She may have been his sister.

He operated a mercantile business from the home on Lot 45 until 1932 when he was "forced" (word used in his obituary) to stop, likely due to declining health. He was afterall, 73 at the time. He was born on April 11, 1859 and died on February 2, 1933. He was a member of the Port Matilda I.O.O.F. and K.G.E., as well as a member of the Knights of Malta.

12/20/1932Purchased (with Lot 45) by Helen M. (Bennett) Schaeffer (age 17) from William & Clara E. Bennett for $1.00.
12/20/1932Purchased (with Lot 45) by Clara E. Bennett (aged 67) from Helen M. Schaeffer for $1.00. It seems that Mr. Bennett was in poor health by 12/20/1932 and (to avoid estate inheritance issues between his wife and Clara Bennett) some creative property transfers were done. Mr. Bennett and Clara Bennett sold the property for $1.00 to Helen Bennett-Schaeffer. Then, on the same day, Helen Bennett-Schaeffer sold it to just Clara E. Bennett for $1.00. The deed between Helen Schaeffer and Clara Bennett cites that she had gotten the property from "William Bennett et. ux." rather than from William & Clara Bennett (as the deed from them to Helen is written) in what I believe to be a legal attempt to obscure the transaction. That deed also fails to properly cite the previous deed.
7/12/1943Purchased (with Lot 45) by Marion (age 52) & Roxanna Bennett (age 36) from Clara E. Bennett (age 80) for $1.00. Roxanna Bennett died leaving the properties in the sole ownership of Marion Bennett. During this period, it seems that all or at least part of the home on Lot 45 was rented out.
4/3/1964Purchased (with Lot 45) by William S. (age 48) & Bernice Bennett from Marion Bennett (age 63) for $1.00. During this period, it seems that all or at least part of the home on Lot 45 was rented out. The home on Lot 45 is a rental property of five apartments currently. I believe that this owner created those apartments.
1/30/1984Purchased (alone) by Therman W. & Betty M. Wiser from William S. Bennett (age 68) for $3,500. It was at this point that the property became unjoined from Lot 45.
10/28/1997Purchased (with Lot 41) by Ralph M. & Mary Houck. It was at this time it become joined with Lot 41, as noted above.

History of Labrador Manor

In October of 1998, a friend and I moved into a small home in the Shenandoah Valley near Front Royal, VA. As we each had a black lab, we named the little three room rental house "Labrador Manor" as a sort of joke. I made a sign for the house with the logo shown on this page that now hangs in this home.

From October 1998 to December 2005, that sign has moved with me and my labs to three more homes before finally coming to rest at this new property. In that time, Julie and I were married and the number of labs increased from one to three. This home is finally a property worthy of the name originally applied to the little mountain cabin. From early joke through seven years of steady growth, Labrador Manor was an ideal without a true home. Now it represents now only where we are, but also how far we've come.