William JOHNSTON of Washington spent the Fourth in McDonald and incidentally visited the Record office to tell us that he can remember McDonald farther back than any other man now living. He was born in the old JOHNSTON homestead near Laure Hill seventy-eight years ago. The house still stands and it is the oldest house in the McDonald vicinity. It is now occupied by Paul KEGEL. The original location was about a hundred feet farther west and it was moved when the Laure Hill mine tipple was built. Mr. JOHNSTON helped to build the Panhandle Railroad. He had the contract for grading the section from McDonald to Primrose and was postmaster here at the time. The place was then known as Havelock, but the name--that of a British general--had no particular local significance and Mr. JOHNSTON was one of a number that suggested to the railroad officials that a change of name for the new station would be acceptable. When the first time tables arrived, however, the place was listed as Havelock, and then the opposition got busy with the result that the time tables were recalled, a new edition printed with the name McDonald, and this was done at the expense of the railroad through the influence of Colonel JEWETT, who was a warm friend of the late John N. MCDONALD. Mr. JOHNSTON built the old McDonald Hotel, which was replaced by the new structure erected by Jacob WILL about nine years ago. The old building now stands on Barr street and is used as a pool room. A the land east of McDonald street, now occupied by the town of McDonald, was part of the JOHNSTON farm which was sold to John S. HEAD who later disposed of it to Francis O'HARA of Pittsburgh. Mr. O'HARA laid the place out into lots and most of the old residents received the title to their property from O'HARA. Until 1864 McDonald was so small a hamlet that there was no postoffice and the residents had to go to Noblestown for their mail. The first train passed over the Panhandle in the fall of 1865 and for several years there was confusion because the station was McDonald and the postoffice Havelock. Finally the name of the postoffice was changed to McDonald in 1869 or 1870. Mr. JOHNSTON was the first station agent and he was succeeded in 1868 by the late S. S. JOHNS, who held the place for over thirty-one years. Mr. JOHNSTON is an uncle of Mrs. W. A. LAROSS and Mel MOORHEAD.