Girard Township

Girard Township was named after Philadelphia banker and philanthropist Stephen Girard, who died in 1831. Mr. Girard owned many large tracts of land in the western part of the county. The Township itself was created in 1832 with approximately 20,000 acres.

The Erie Canal was being built and came into Girard Township between 1838 and 1842. Before the canal, this area was primarily agricultural. The canal brought business and manufacturing to the area. Coal and iron ore were two major commodities shipped along the canal. The boats used to transport these resources were built in Girard and Albion.

Another activity that came to Girard with the canal was the circus. Dan Rice brought his circus troupe and animals to winter in Girard starting in 1854. During this time, Girard had a reputation as a Show Town. Rice later moved into the area, built a large estate, married the daughter of the wealthy McConnell family, and owned two newspapers. Those two newspapers were later combined to form what is now the Cosmopolite.

The Battles family came to the Girard area in 1825. Family members were involved in retail, stagecoach lines, and investing. Asa Battles began purchasing land on South Creek Road while maintaining a residence on Myrtle St. in the Boro. He named the 200 acres in the South Creek Road area “Pleasant View Farm”. His interest in agriculture grew, and he developed an extensive fruit orchard. Asa passed away in 1899 at the age of 62. Rush Battles, the son of Asa, was the one who built the “Yellow House” in 1859 for his mother and sisters. He later built the “white house” in the Boro for his new bride. He continued to farm the land left to him by his father.

During the war years, many men were called up for the war, and migrant workers had to be brought in to help with the crops. There was the record snow of 1944-1945 when the National Guard had to be brought in to help clear the roads. The war ended, and the servicemen returned, requiring more cars. Girard became the center for dealerships and was known as the Girard Auto Group. The car dealers were initially located in the town center but moved east into the Township to take advantage of the larger land tracts available.

Today, Girard Township has a stable economy and population, and some descendants of the early settlers still live here and in the Boro. Many retail businesses, including fast food, drive-in banking, and a supermarket, moved east from the Boro into the Township to have a plaza-style setting.

The Battles farm houses still stand today, refurbished and open to the public for tours.