Falls Creek is a small community made up mostly as a residential district with a few businesses. It's land in area is about 0.93 square miles or about 592 acres.If you want to find us on your GPS we are at 41*9'N - 78*48'W. Our population is ever changing and is around 1800 people, with about 500 families. Most of Falls Creek sits in Jefferson County with a small portion located in Clearfield County.

Two hundred years ago the site of the future town of Falls Creek was a solid forest of pine and hemlock, a part of the hunting grounds of the Seneca Indians. At that time the indians still pursued the buffalo and elk, while deer were very plentiful, (unlike now) and the wolves and panthers made the nights hideous with their howling and screams.
There were no indian villages near here, and not even any well marked trails.

In 1784 the white man bought this vast wilderness from the indians for ,100.00 and assigned the indians a tract of land on the Pennsylvania, New York border. This tribe was one of the Six Nations, Cornplanter being their great chief. And there their descendants remain to this day.

In 1804 the County of Jefferson was formed and erected and in 1839 the Township of Washington was organized, at first including a part of what was later set up as Winslow Township.

In 1797 Joeseph and Andew Barnett, Samuel Scott and Moses Knapp settled at Port BArnett where the creeks of Sandy Lick and mill unite, and there built a saw mill, being aided by several indians. They traveled to the future site of Brookville PA. by the old Meade trail. This trail was blazed out by David and John Meade, and passed through what is now Clearfield, Jefferson, Clarion, Venango and Crawford Counties. It crossed Sandy Lick Creek opposite Sandy Valley, proceeded to West Reynoldsville and then over to Brookville and points farther west.
It proved to be a bloody bridle path, and many early travelers were slain by the indians who made raids on this trail in 1791 to 1793. In 1802-03 the first wagon road was opened up, practically following the old Meade trail. But it was not untill 1824 that this road was turned into a first class stage road, and called the Susquehanna and Watreford Turnpike. In time roads were built from Beechwoods to connect with the stage route that ran from Philidelphia to Erie.

The first pioneers settle in Washington Township 1n 1824 and a few years later the Osbornes bought a tract of 5000 acres that took in part of Falls Creek. Throught this tract ran the stream now called ( Falls Creek ). Alexander Osborne erected a house and later erected a grist mill that was powered by this creek in the Red Mill area just outside of present day Falls Creek.

The lumber industry entered the picture in 1848 and logs were rafted down Falls Creek to the Allegheny river at Kittaning. At the conclusion of the Civil War, the people of this section began to pray for the iron horse to help transport their lumber, they never dremed that their prayers would be answered and in 1874 the first freight train rolled into Falls Creek.Soon Falls Creek was a great railroad center of freight and passenger trains. And soon a new town was born.

In 1891, Charles J. Bangert started the Falls Creek Herald newspaper. The paper flourished and much equipment was added and then- the fatal day came ! The building burnt to the ground, March, 1894, Fire #1.

Needing his paper which helped to bring many settlers and businessmen to this area he rebuilt and three months later Fire #2, he was burned out again. But the business men of the town had to have Charlie and the Herald and they rallied to his aide and helped him rush the new building in Clearfield County. Just six months later Fire #3 burnt his new home to the ground.

In August of 1900, The village of Falls Creek was taken from the Township of Washington and established as a Borough.

In 1895, after many major fires the first Fire Company was formed, To Be continued.....