Learning about the man who built Washington
The house where Civil War hero Andrew G. Happer once lived is now the Admissions House for Washington & Jefferson College.
The grave of Andrew G. Happer, a forgotten Civil War hero, at Washington Cemetery
Much of the history of how Washington came to become a developed and thriving city can be traced to a single man.
Thing is, you’ve probably never heard of him, and few have.
A new book, “Born to Serve: The Major A.G. Happer Story,” aims to fix that. Jim Douglas, a resident of McCandless and Civil War antique collector, tells the story of Andrew Gardner Happer, a Civil War lieutenant who went on to play a major role in the development of Washington.
Going off nothing but an old photograph, Douglas began a four-year journey of research to discover the mystery behind Happer. Typically, he would research any photograph he came across, but never to this extent. This time was different.
“It was the story,” Douglas said.
The story he found nearly didn’t go very far. Severely wounded on the battlefield, it didn’t appear Happer was going to survive. His fortune changed when a slave discovered him. The slave treated him and brought him nourishment until he was well. Happer was never able to find the slave afterward, and his identity remains unknown.
Following the war, and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Pennsylvania Gov. Andrew Curtain invited Happer to be part of his personal entourage on the train carrying Lincoln’s casket to his home in Springfield, Ill., the “Lincoln Special.”
In the book, Douglas writes Happer then settled down in Washington in 1871 and began selling insurance out of a small office at 55 S. Main St. He met his wife, Matilda Watson, and by 1890, built a house on East Wheeling Street, which is now the Washington & Jefferson College Admissions House.
Happer continued to be heavily involved in the development of Washington, eventually becoming one the largest sellers of insurance and real estate in the area. With some real estate partners, he started Citizens National Bank. Citizens National was the largest bank in Washington until it was acquired by Mellon Bank in 1948. He also was instrumental in starting water and gas companies in Washington.
In the late 19th century, there was an attempt to build a hospital, but the board did not have the funds. Happer contributed his own money to the project. By 1898, Washington Hospital was complete.
According to Douglas, Happer avoided the spotlight, which probably contributed to him being a rather unknown figure.
The book is Douglas’ first attempt as a writer, something he claims he never had any aspirations of being. “First off, let me say right now that I make no claims to being a writer. Never was, had no desire to be one,” he writes in the book’s preface.
Happer changed that. Douglas saw the story of a man who had been forgotten, and felt that wasn’t right.
“(Washington) should remember this guy,” Douglas said. “He deserves to be remembered.”
”Born to Serve: The Major A.G. Happer Story” is available on Amazon both in print and Kindle versions. There are additional e-book versions available through Nooks and iTunes.