Early Schooling
The first local schoolhouse (log) stood above Brookville; early teachers and school development radiated into Pinecreek’s neighborhoods ⓘ.
Names & Variants
Township History
Early Pinecreek (often written “Pine Creek”) lay along the Clarion River near today’s Brookville and Port Barnett. Nineteenth-century county histories note the first school here stood on the hill above Brookville, taught by William J. McKnight in a primitive log building ⓘ; these same sketches describe the earliest church work as Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, and Catholic efforts that spread from Brookville and nearby settlements into outlying townships ⓘ.
By the late 1800s, precinct and election notices regularly referenced Emerickville and Port Barnett as local hubs for Pinecreek-area residents, reflecting how these hamlets anchored roads, mills, churches, and schools that served the township’s farm and timber communities ⓘ.
Sources summarized from Scott (1888) and McKnight (1917).
Early Settlers & Communities
- Butler family — among the first to settle near Brookville/Port Barnett; a very early graveyard was made at Port Barnett (no longer visible today) ⓘ.
- Port Barnett — one of the original neighborhood centers on Pine Creek; frequently referenced in 19th-century accounts of roads, mills, and schools ⓘ.
- Emerickville — listed as a Pinecreek Township election precinct alongside other districts in county returns ⓘ.
- Other small places you may see in records: Iowa, Fuller, Meredith, and hamlets now absorbed into larger postal areas (search with variants) ⓘ.
Also listed hamlets & neighborhoods
Cemeteries (Pinecreek)
Cemetery names are compiled from township histories and locality notes. Use the county cemetery page for exact locations, alternates, and transcription links.
Churches & Schools
Church Presence
Denominations active in the township area from the 1800s include Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, and Catholic, with congregations tied to Brookville, Port Barnett, and nearby hamlets ⓘ.
For parish registers or anniversary booklets, contact the Jefferson County Historical Society and the relevant denominational archives; many congregations published centennial histories with member lists and photos.
Post Offices (Pinecreek)
Towns, Hamlets & Historic Places
Research Links (Pinecreek focus)
Maps & Boundaries
Use historic atlases and modern GIS to locate hamlets (Port Barnett, Emerickville, Iowa, Fuller, Meredith).
Cemeteries by Township
Cross-check Pinecreek burials across USGenWeb, Find A Grave, and FamilySearch.
Courthouse & Archives
Deeds (Recorder), Probate (Register/Orphans’ Court), and older vital registers.
Newspapers & Military
Newspapers fill gaps between censuses; Civil War units draw men from Pinecreek’s neighborhoods.