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Nottingham Township History
Nottingham Township was organized on July 15, 1781, and was the ninth of the original 13 townships in Washington County. The Township's boundary was reduced three times when portions were annexed to form neighboring townships. The first reduction was in 1792 by Strabane, the next in 1834 by Carroll Township and the last in 1836 by Union Township.
Early residents were actively involved in our Nations's history. Hugh Scott, one of the first settlers in Nottingham, came to this Country in 1772 with his brother Josiah. Hugh was a blacksmith and erected a blacksmithe shop on Mingo Creek, which was probably the first shop of its kind in the County. Hugh Scott was one of the commissioners appointed to purchase a site for the County Courthouse in 1781.
David Hamilton was another early settler making Nottingham his home at an early date. Like most other early residents, took part in the Whiskey Insurrection of 1794. Nottingham was a "hotbed" of insurrectionists. Benjamin Parkinson, one of the leaders of the Insurrection, live in Kammerer from 1792 unil his death in 1834.
Another early resident was Andrew Devore who settled in this area during the summer of 1782. He was on e of the Hessian soldiers cpatured by Washington at Trenton, and fought under both Flags of the Revolution. He settled on a farm in our Township operating a saw and grist mill. This farm is named in the Pennsylvania Patent as the "Up and Down." in 1792, he and David Hamilton erected a distillery on the Mingo Creek and operated it continuously until 1794. The distillery was seized by the Government for non-payment for the excise, due to the Whiskey Insurrection.
Over the years, schools in the Township have undergone major changes. In 1798, a schoolhouse was built on Andrew Devore's farm. Forgee Johnson taught at the school after teaching at various locations throughout the Township. Munntown, Bryant, Sumney, Henry, Venetia, GingerHill and Thomas Schools shortly followed. In 1964 Township leaders voted to merge with Carroll Township, Union Township, Finleyville, New Eagle, Monongahela and Donora to form the Ringgold School District.
One of the counties loveliest parks can be found along the banks of Mingo Creek in Nottingham Township. County Commissioners decided on this four-mile stretch of the Mingo Creek Valley after years of evaluating diffferent sites considered for a regional park. 1966 was the year acquisition of the park's 2,500 acres began. Since that time, Mingo Park has been enjoyed annually by 250,000 visitors of all ages.
After 146 years without a building to house the Township Offices, an acre of land was bought in 1927 from John McDonald and the original Township building was built. On October 16, 1977, the present municipal building and community center opened its doors to the community. The present day Municipal Building is located on a 16-acre parcel almost exactly in the center of the Township. The $215,000.00 building was erected almost entirely with Revenue Sharing Funds at no cost to local taxpayers. In 1991, the Township purchased an additional 23-acres fromJ. Vance McDonald Estate to develop a community park.
For over a century and a half, Nottinhgham's boundaries have remained unchanged. The rustic charm of Nottingham Township continues to attract families. From a population of 875 in 1950 to 2,522 in 2000, the Township continues to grow while providing a rural and scenic atmosphere to all!
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