Farmers used the creek to barge their goods to market early in the 19th century .
Traffic on the creek increased dramatically when petroleum from Pennsylvania was shipped up the creek to facilities which had once distilled illuminating oil from coal .
Farmers used the creek to barge their goods to market early in the 19th century , but traffic on the creek increased dramatically when petroleum from Pennsylvania was shipped up the creek to facilities which had once distilled illuminating oil from coal .