We have heard a legend that was brought to our attention in the back of one of the Ellwood City Yearbooks from the 1920′s about Col. Isaac Ellwood whom our town is named after. Legend has it that Mr. Ellwood accidentally shot and killed a Native American somewhere behind the old Ellwood City Hospital. The story goes on to say that people came from as far away as Pittsburgh to visit this “Indian’s” grave and to honor him. The mystery that has been presented to us today is, “where is the grave site”?
We have gone to the Ellwood City Historical Society and quickly glanced at the yearbooks of the 1920′s but were unable to find the article. Mr. Bosley thought he had read the article in the back of the 1923 yearbook and he also believed that it said “behind where the hospital now stands”. So this is obviously the gray hospital on the hill and not the hospital on the corner of Crescent & 7th. There are some empty patches of ground around the old hospital but nothing is “officially” marked. Could one of these spots be empty because of the grave?
Col Isaac Ellwood died in 1910 in Illinois but traveled very little after his wife died in 1902. So we have to assume that he either shot the Indian in the town’s first 10 years of existence or sometime from 1849-1851 when he worked as a teamster on the Erie Canal. If it was 1850′s what was he doing all the way up on top of the hill so far away from Rock Point? Also, if it was the 1850′s how did people travel here to pay respects at the grave? However, the crime rate was high in the early years of Ellwood City as most of the citizens were travelers that went where the money was good and Mr. Evans did say that the area had its share of Indians that were often violent.
When Ellwood City was founded, there were three cemeteries in Ellwood City. Old Methany on Wampum Road (became first catholic cemetery), The Nye cemetery just off of Fountain Avenue across from Locisano’s where the Tube mill used to be until they built L&N, and the third was the McGregor cemetery on 9th St between Crescent and Park Ave (awfully close to the murder scene). When they tore up the ground at the McGregor & Nye cemetery to build upon, the bodies were moved to Locust Grove cemetery. Also the Methany cemetery beside Aiken Refuse had most of the bodies moved as the hillside slowly corroded away and talk of a “strip mall” was going to go in at the site. There are still some graves at the Methany Cemetery but most are unmarked or the headstones are too weathered to read. I am assuming that the Indian was buried at a cemetery if people came as far away as Pittsburgh to visit the grave and honor him. Usually the Native Americans would not be accommodating to their personal burial grounds as they were considered sacred ground.
There it is Ladies and Gentlemen, get out the magnifying glasses and trench coats, time to solve a mystery. If you have any information about our mystery, please email us or leave a comment below.
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