Sep 23, 2019 2 min read

Glass hatchet

Although the area that would become Washington, Pa., was settled as early as the 1740s, it was not officially incorporated as a city until 1810. In 1910 the city held a citywide celebration to commemorate the Centennial of the City. There were speeches, concerts, plays, and concerts that honored the city and its past. As part of the celebration, many commemorative items were produced and sold. These included plates, prints, mugs, and a variety of other items. The item pictured is one of those commemorative items.

This glass hatchet was to represent the early history of the region. Many people who came here in the 18th century had no land patents and rather just claimed land through “tomahawk improvements.” This means that a person would mark the four corners of the plot they wished to claim. This would be a distinct mark they would make in a tree using a hatchet or tomahawk. Everything inside those four trees became their land. It became a very common way for people to claim their stake west of the Allegheny Mountains. The glass hatchet is a reminder of those times when people first settled the Pennsylvania frontier.

Clay Kilgore is executive director of the Washington County Historical Society.