USA > New Jersey > Morris County > History of Morris County, New Jersey > Part 85
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Moses Tuttle was licensed by the Morris county court, at the December term of 1771, to keep a tavern, and this was in all probability at Mount Pleasant, on a spot very near the present residence of Jesse S. Langdon. The Tuttle house was a long frame building, two stories high, with a porch the entire length, and stood on the east side of the turnpike. At the July term of 1773 Bernard Smith was licensed to keep a tavern at Rockaway. About that time he bought and lived in the Gaston house, nearly opposite the Dr. Jackson house.
The present hotel at Rockaway was not opened until after the Morris Canal was constructed. The first struc- ture stood on the site of the present hotel, and was com- menced by William Conger son of Thomas Conger, who with his three sons was a manufacturer of edge tools at Rockaway. William Conger progressed with the hotel as far as the raising of the framework, and then it came into the hands of Joseph C. Righter, who completed it about 52 years ago. The first landlord was Joseph, son of James Jackson, according to one informant; according to another authority a Colonel Reading was the first. | David Menagh was proprietor for several years before taking the Denville hotel. Morris McCarty, and after his death his son C. A. McCarty, were successful and popular landlords at this hotel for many years. It was enlarged and improved under the last named gentle- man.
SOLDIERS OF THE REVOLUTION.
Rockaway township had many patriots in the war of the Revolution. We have the names of some of them, and there were no doubt many whose names and acts are lost. First among them is General William Winds, of whom mention has been made in a previous part of this history. Jacob Ford jr. was appointed colonel Jan- uary 13th 1776, and died of pneumonia at. Morristown, January roth 1777. Colonel John Munson, Lieutenant- Colonel Robert Gaston, Captain Stephen Baldwin, Cap- tain Job Allen, Captain Elijah Freeman and Lieutenant- Colonel Benoni Hathaway were from Rockaway. The way church records.
ville Camp Meeting Association, and died in 1830, aged 8g or 86. He was also a soldier in the French war. Besides operating his farm he was a bloomer for John Jacob Faesch at Old Boonton.
James Kitchel was a soldier in the Revolution, and drew a pension as such. He lived on the road leading from Rockaway to Powerville, opposite Hubbard S. Stickle's farm, in a stone house. The walls of the residence are still standing, all the woodwork being destroyed by fire about ten years ago. He was the father of the late Matthias Kitchel. Matthias Zeek says he was very fond of hunting and kept several hounds, and would often bring in a deer from the Hibernia Mountains. He saw him shoot a deer one morning very near the spot where the Hibernia store now stands. Kitchel rode up on a fine gray horse, and, seeing the deer, jumped from the horse and fired; by some unexpected spring of the horse one buckshot went through the horse's neck and the others brought down the deer. James Kitchel died about forty years ago.
Jacob Walton was a Revolutionary soldier. He was an uncle of Agnes Walton, still living and who gave this with other information. He was never heard from after he enlisted and went from home. He was the son of John Walton before named. Such men as the Kitchels, the Condits, the Beaches, the Dickersons, the Howells, the De Harts, the Jacksons, the Tuttles and others of like patriotism came to the country's rescue, and shared in its hardships and glories.
SECRET SOCIETIES.
The oldest society we have any knowledge of is that which was organized during the war of independence. Its name was "The Association of Whigs in Pequan- nock Township in 1776." It was a committee of safety organized by the freeholders and inhabitants of Pequan- nock township, and is further spoken of in the history of Pequannock.
Rockaway Lodge, No. 68, Independent Order of Odd Fellows was organized July 22nd 1852, under the act in- corporating societies for benevolent and charitable pur- poses only. Freeman Wood was the first president, Thomas M. Sturtevant vice-president, Jacob Powers sec- retary and treasurer. This is the only local secret soci- ety which is regularly incorporated under the laws of the State.
The Ancient Order of Hibernians is a benevolent asso- ciation at Hibernia, which has been in existence for some time. A similar society was formed at Mount Hope about thirteen years ago. It owned a hall, and was in a flourishing condition for some time, but it being a secret society, and a majority of its members belonging to the Roman Catholic parish, the Catholic church opposed it, on the ground that, if it was not actually in- its spirit; the opposition led to the disbandment of the society, and St. Bernard's church took its property.
names of Munson, Gaston and Allen appear on the Rock- imical to the Roman Catholic church, it was contrary to
Daniel Dickerson, the grandfather of Stephen Dicker- son, of Denville, was a Revolutionary soldier. He lived The Mount Hope Catholic Benevolent Society came into on the Stephen Dickerson farm, now owned by the Den- existence about six years ago, and The Mount Hope
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BUSINESS CORPORATIONS OF ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP.
Temperance Society about twelve years ago; both are still in operation.
BUSINESS CORPORATIONS.
The Morris Canal, passing through Rockaway, and in fact traversing the whole township, from Powerville on the east to the John Dickerson farm on the west, was the making of Rockaway village. This is admitted by all who knew the place prior to that time. Rockaway was the headquarters of the iron interests of the county. Its rich mineral productions and manufactured iron had a slow and expensive process of getting to market, and at this time Rockaway was in danger of being obliged to abandon one of its most extensive branches of indus- try for this reason. The canal was constructed as related on previous pages, and about 1830 became the is sufficiently satisfactory to induce the parties to invest only medium of transporation to and from Newark for all kinds of merchandise, and Rockaway was one of the many places benefited by it. quite a large capital to increase the product. He claims to have developed a furnace that will produce a superior quality of iron in bars direct from the ore, thereby sav- ing the entire cost of making the ore into pig metal be- fore making it into bars.
The next enterprise was the construction of the Mor- ris and Essex (now the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western) Railroad, which in 1848 gave communication to the seaboard by rail.
The Rockaway Manufacturing Company was incorpor- ated on the 15th of February 1837, for the purpose of manufacturing iron, cotton and wool in all their branches, with power to negotiate with the Morris Canal Company for water to run the proposed mills. Joseph Jackson, Stephen J. Jackson and Samuel B. Halsey were the in- corporators. Nothing was done toward putting the plan in operation. Not discouraged, however, the same parties, with an addition or two, procured another char- ter, in the name of Joseph Jackson, Stephen J. Jackson and John Mott as corporators, under a like corporate name, for the purpose of manufacturing iron only; and Joseph Jackson, Samuel B. Halsey, John Mott and Free- man Wood were appointed commissioners to open books and receive subscriptions to the capital stock. This charter was granted on the 14th of February 1843, to continue in force twenty years, and, like its predecessor, the enterprise was permitted to become extinct from neglect.
On the 12th of February 1855 a third company was incorporated under the same name, with Freeman Wood, George Hand Smith, Lyman A. Chandler, Theodore T. Wood and Nathaniel Mott as corporators, for the pur- pose of making iron and steel at Rockaway. The char- ter was to continue in force thirty years. This company was in operation several years, and enlarged the rolling- mills, expending a large amount of capital; but was not it has since done a prosperous business.
successful, and finally closed the mills, and gave up to its creditors. These were the mills first established by Col. Jackson, but of course with larger facilities for carrying on the iron business in all its branches.
The American Swedes Iron Company, operating the " Judson steel and iron works," was incorporated on the 26th of February 1868, consisting of Adrian B. Judson, James L. Baldwin and George Neemus. This concern became the lessee of the rolling-mills at Rockaway and
carried on its business for some time with more or less success in producing iron and steel, but at a loss of cap- ital, and finally closed its fires, and for the last ten years has been practically out of existence. The works, how- ever, have been operated during that time by various parties in the manufacture of both iron and steel. For the last two years the mills have been in charge of Joel Wilson, of Dover, who is the inventor of the "Wilson direct process " and has been enlisting the attention of some New York capitalists in the development of this process of making iron and steel. The company is called 'The American Swedes Iron Company," and is at the present time perfecting its machinery, which will work a revolution in the manufacture of iron. Mr. Wil- son, who is superintendent, informs us that the process
The company is now running four Catalan forge fires, making charcoal iron, and two puddling furnaces. The furnaces are for working the iron ore direct into wrought iron, and the fuel used in the manufacture of this iron is petroleum, which Mr. Wilson claims makes a better iron than mineral coal, and with a saving of at least 20 per cent. in fuel. All the iron thus made at the Rockaway mill is sold for the manufacture of crucible steel. The ore used is black sand from the ore beds, procured at present from Block Island and the east end of Long Isl- and. It is separated from all impurities by a magnetic machine invented by C. G. Buchanan, of Rockaway; put in bags on the beach, and shipped to the Rockaway works. The Union foundry in Rockaway, owned by Mahlon Hoagland, is manufacturing these separators.
The Iron Bank of Rockaway was duly incorporated on the 20th of August 1855 under the general State law, with a capital of 3,000 shares of $50 each. All the shares were subscribed for, as follows: 2,000 were taken by George P. Williams, of Hoboken; 300 by Freeman Wood, of Rockaway; 596 by Charles Sanford, of New York; 100 by Nathaniel Mott, of Rockaway; and one share each by Elisha Mott, S. S. Beach jr., John Mott and Stephen Estile, all of Rockaway.
Freeman Wood was the first president of the bank, which did business three or four years at Rockaway and then, by an act of the Legislature passed in 1858, was authorized to remove its location to Morristown, where
In May 1858, after the removal of the Iron Bank to Morristown, another banking association was formed under the State law, under the name of the Rockaway Bank, for the purpose of carrying on the banking busi- ness at Rockaway. The capital stock of 1,000 shares was subscribed, but the enterprise ended with the cer- tificate, and no business was ever transacted.
"The Union Hall Association of Rockaway " was incor- porated in March 1869, the incorporators being Barnabas
358
HISTORY OF MORRIS COUNTY.
K. Stickle, J. Mills Mattox, Stephen B. Cooper, John B. Lonsbury, Robert Richards, Samuel Tippet and Jacob P. Stickle, and the purpose being to erect a hall for the use of societies, lyceums, public meetings, concerts, etc.
Water Power Companies .- The Rockaway River has not been forgotton by our legislators, but has been the subject of several acts, in relation to the regulation of fishing, the removal of obstructions to the free course of its waters, and the creation of water power companies. This last class of legislation commenced about 1839, but we cannot learn that any capital was invested in these en- terprises.
The Hibernia Mine Railroad Company was incorporat- ed on the 18th of March 1863. Its corporators were Abram S. Hewitt, Edward Cooper, Dudley B. Fuller, George T. Cobb, Theodore T. Wood, Charles Jackson jr., George Richards, Thomas E. Allen, Joseph C. Kent, and Charles Hewitt. They had a capital stock of $25,000, with liberty to increase it to $100,000, and to build a railroad from the Hibernia mines to any point on the Morris Canal in Morris county; also to connect with the Morris and Essex Railroad and to build spurs to any adjacent iron mine in the county. The road was built and fully equipped for transporting iron ores from the Hibernia mines to the Morris canal by horse power. In March 1868, by a supplement to its charter, the company was authorized to use steam for the transportation of freight and passengers over the road, and the road has since then been in operation with steam power. In 187r its capital stock was increased to $200,000.
In March 1866 the Mount Hope Mineral Railroad Com- pany was incorporated, with a capital stock of $200,000, and power to build a road from the Mount Hope mines to the Morris and Essex Railroad and Morris Canal, and to construct spurs to other mines. This road was built, connecting with the Morris and Essex at Port Oram in Randolph township, and running to the Mount Hope mines in Rockaway township, taking in the Richards, Allen and Teabo mines, with a spur to the Mount Pleasant and Baker mines, all in Rockaway. The ores from these mines have since then been carried over this road. In 1867 the company was empowered, by an amendment to its charter, to extend its road to the Hibernia mines. This extension has not been carried out. Practically it was of no benefit to the company for transporting ore, as the Hibernia Railroad was then carrying all the product of the Hibernia and adja- cent mines.
The Dover and Rockaway Railroad Company was or- ganized in 1879, under the general railroad law of the State, and in the summer and winter of 1880 and 188r built a road from Port Oram (then the terminus of the Longwood Valley branch of the Central of New Jer. sey), to Rockaway, and opened the same for passenger and freight traffic in May 1881.
The village of Rockaway is now the terminus of this new road, having its outlet by way of the Longwood Val- ley and High Bridge branches over the Central Railroad of New Jersey, and also connecting at Rockaway with
the Hibernia, and the Delaware, Lackawanna and West- ern Railroad. All the Hibernia ores are carried over this new road to the furnaces in Pennsylvania.
Piccatinny Powder Depot .- It is proper to mention in this connection the recent purchases of lands at Middle forge and Denmark by the United States government for powder works. The name of this establishment is the "Piccatinny Powder Depot," and it is about three miles from Rockaway, in the Green Mountain or Middle Forge Valley. Here in rural seclusion, with the Green Pond Mountains on one side and the Mt. Hope and Hickory Hills on the other, it is proposed to build large magazines for storage and mills for the manufacture of gunpowder. Nearly 1,900 acres of land, mountain and valley, wooded and cultivated, were purchased of differ- ent owners in 1880 and 1881. A beautiful lake 110 acres in extent occupies a central point, with Piccatinny Peak frowning down on it, and with the waters of Green Pond and Denmark Pond flowing through it.
In 1879 searches and surveys for suitable tracts of land for the above purposes were made in different direc- tions around New York, and, none presenting the desired facilities and advantages to the degree presented by the Middle forge and surroundings, it was finally settled upon and purchase was made of several large tracts of land, including the John E. Kindred and Uhel H. Wig- gins farms. Suitable buildings of brick and stone have been commenced, and as fast as the appropriations are made by Congress this picturesque place will be beauti- fied and transformed into one of those trim military posts which are occupied as arsenals and depots of sup- plies of war material. About one hundred and fifty men are now employed. The whole work in all its branches is under the charge of Major F. H. Parker, Ordnance Department, United States army, who has his headquar- ters at Dover.
On the 22nd of November 1879 the Split Rock Forge and Mining Company was incorporated under the general act of the State, with a capital of $20,000 furnished by some New York parties. The company operated at Split' Rock for a year or so, under leases from the estate of the late Andrew B. Cobb; but, becoming involved, the con- cern went into the hands of Frederick H. Beach, of Do- ver, as receiver. The works are now operated by Wil- liam D. Marvel, of New York city, who was a chattel mortgage creditor and sold all the concern under a fore- closure of his claim.
The Denmark Land and Improvement Company, which was a New York enterprise, was started six years ago, with a view to purchasing the lands around Green Pond, building roads, laying out building lots, making improve- ments, and speculating generally. This company spent a large amount of money, and built a very expensive wagon road from Denmark Pond up the north side of the stream to Green Pond, and also constructed a railroad along the mountain to facilitate work, which shows con- siderable engineering skill and enterprise. Land went up to a high figure in that neighborhood during the time the company was in operation; but it proved an imprac-
FARM BARNS
THE STICKLE HOMESTEAD RESIDENCE OF MRS. BHISTICKLE
GENERAL STORE OF B.K. & S. W. STICKLE
CANAL PLANE
LUMBER YARD OF B.K & G. W. STICKLE, ROCKAWAY, N.J.
RES, OF B. K. STICKLE.
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THE PATRIOT DEAD OF ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP.
ticable scheme, and was finally abandoned, and all the improvements are fast assuming the original wildness of the country.
ROCKAWAY'S UNION SOLDIERS.
From Hon. Edmund D. Halsey we have received all the information we present in relation to the war rec- ord of Rockaway in the late Rebellion. Mr. Hal- sey is historian of the Rockaway Soldiers' Association and has given the names of the soldiers for publication, and our part will be confined principally to the financial history of the township in relation to the war.
The rolls show that about one-third of the whole adult male population enlisted in the service, and of these one out of every three did not live to return. Money as well as men was liberally given. In the second year of the war, about July 1862, a subscription was started to raise a fund to distribute among the vol- unteers, to promote enlistments. It met with such success that $3,013.89 was soon subscribed. Part of this fund was paid to six men of Company H rith N. J., part to six men of Company C 15th N. J., part to 16 men of Company F 15th N. J., and the balance to 92 men who enlisted in Company L 27th N. J. (entirely com- posed of Rockaway men). The ladies of the township raised on the 4th of July 1863 $300 for distribution among the families of the soldiers. Owing to the large number of men from Rockaway township who enlisted in other places the quota of the town under the call of 1864 was quite heavy. The town issued scrip to the amount of $33,600 to 96 men, by a vote of the people; and when, by the proclamation of December 19th 1864, it appeared that 300,000 men were required, and that the quota of Rockaway was 20, the people at once voted to give to these men the same as the former quota received. Before the quota was completed the war practically closed, so that $35,000 was the entire sum thus paid in scrip, and before the close of the year 1871 every dollar of this scrip, principal and interest, had been paid by the town.
The following is Mr. Halsey's record of the volunteers from Rockaway who lost their lives in the service:
Company L 27th N. J. Volunteers .- Nineteen members who were drowned in the Cumberland River, May 6th 1863, near Somerset, Ky., viz .: Joseph Class, Jesse De Mouth, Lemuel De Graw, James H. Fuller, Lewis O. Green, Barnabas K. Miller, John McCloskey, Edward Nichols, William Ocabock, William Weaver, Thomas Odell, James O'Neil, Gideon Bostedo, Ralston Peer, Wilson Pittenger, George Shawger, Eliakim Sanders, Samuel H. Smith and James Shaw.
diarrhoea; Thomas De Mouth, died January 26th 1863, in hospital at Washington, D. C .; William Haycock, died March 15th 1863, at Newport News.
Company B 27th N. J.Volunteers .- William Duly, died February 20th 1863, at Newport News, Va., of disease.
First N. J. Volunteers .- Clifton Peer, Company K, dis- charged for disability, August 15th 1864; died February 5th 1865, from disease contracted in the service.
Fifth N. J. Volunteers .- Charles Spencer, Company D, died June 14th 1864, at Fairfax Seminary, Va.
Seventh N. J.Volunteers .- William Thompson, Company K, killed September 26th 1864, by sharpshooters, before Petersburg, Va. George Wesley Peer, Company K, died May 13th 1862, at Yorktown, Va. Samuel Farrand Kitchel, Company C (transferred from Company K), died at Andersonville, Ga., September 12th 1864. Elijah D. Bruen, Company C (transferred from Company K), died at Madison while on furlough, June 7th 1865, of disease contracted in the service. George Washington Blakely, Company K, died July 28th 1862, at St. Luke's Hospital, N. Y. John Spear, Company C (transferred from Com- pany K), died December 14th 1864, in hospital at Wash- ington, D. C; had previously served in Company L 27th N. J. John R. Lyon, Company K, died September 3d 1862, of wounds received August 29th at Bristow Station. Va. Gilbert D. Blanchard, Company C (transferred from Company K), died August 13th 1864, of dropsy, at An- dersonville, Ga.
Eighth N. J. Volunteers .- Henry Weaver, Company A, discharged on account of wounds August 15th 1865; died at home, December 27th 1866, from the effect of wounds. Anson R. Waer, Company A, killed July 2nd 1863, at Gettysburg, Pa. Jacob M. Kinney, Company A, taken prisoner at hospital at Fair Oaks, Va., June 28th 1862, and died at Belle Isle, Va., of privation, August 5th 1862. William H. Gard, Company I, died of fever at Yorktown, Va., June 5th 1862. John W. Palmer, Company A, died of fever at Bottom's Bridge, Va., June 23d 1862. Thomas Jefferson Huyler, Company A, killed in battle May 3d 1863, at Chancellorsville, Va.
Ninth N. J. Volunteers .- Hampton Whitehead, Com- pany E, died at Brickyard Hospital, Newbern, N. C., March 17th 1862, of wounds received in action at New- bern. James Dougherty, Company C; enlisted Septem- ber roth 1861, died of dysentery, August 3d 1864, at Andersonville, Ga.
Eleventh N. J. Volunteers .- Sergeant Eliphalet Sturte- vant, Company E, died at Gettysburg, July 13th 1863, from wounds received in battle July 2nd; Thomas Tin- ney, Company E, killed by a shell July 2nd 1863, at Gettysburg; Cyrus L. Talmadge, Company E, died Sep- tember 2nd 1864, at Andersonville, Ga., of starvation while a prisoner; Joshua Beach, Company E, died August Ist 1864, at Andersonville prison; Daniel H. Palmer, Company E, died June 23d 1863, from wounds received at Chancellorsville May 3d 1863; Columbus M. Shaw- ger, Company E, died of typhoid fever at Falmouth, Va., March 29th 1863; Abram Stickle, Company D, died at Trenton, August 20th 1862; Richard Henderson, Com- pany H, died December 30th 1862, near Fredericksburg, Va., of inflammation of the lungs.
Others of the same company: William Howell, died April 11th 1863, at Baltimore, of fever; John Tenike, died March 31st 1863, at Chesapeake Hospital, of pneu- monia; Lewis Ward, discharged July 2nd 1863 with his Fifteenth N. J. Volunteers .- Jeremiah Haycock, Com- pany C, died May 9th 1864, at Spottsylvania Court-house of wounds received in action the day before; Alfred B. Jackson, Company D, enlisted January 2nd 1864, killed in action May 8th 1864; John Moran, Company D, died May 12th 1864, of wounds received on the 8th at Spott- sylvania; Bernard Johnson, Company D, died May 20th 1864, of wounds received on the 8th at Spottsylvania ; company, died August 27th following, of disease con- tracted in the service; Sergeant James M. Freeman, died June 8th 1863, of typhoid fever, at Sherward Hospital, Hickman's Bridge, Ky .; Jaines H. Collerd, died January 8th 1863. of typhoid fever, at Washington, D. C .; Jos- eph De Graw, died May 2nd 1863, at camp near Stan- ford, Ky., of dysentery; William De Mouth, died March Ist 1863, at camp near Newport News, Va., of chronic | Felix Cash, Company F, lost an arm in battle May 3d
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HISTORY OF MORRIS COUNTY.
1863 at Salem Heights, and died from the effects of the amputation May 15th; George D. Foulds, Company F, killed at " the Angle " at Spottsylvania, Va., May 12th 1864; Benajah D. Waer, Company F, died May 9th 1863, at White Oak Church, Va.
Thirty-ninth N. J. Volunteers .- Abraham Earls, Com- pany K, died May 6th 1865, at Alexandria, Va., of wounds received at Petersburg, Va.
First N. J. Cavalry .- Edwin Zeek, Company E, en- listed September 28th 1864, died of fever January 18th 1865, in hospital at Petersburg, Va .; William R. Shores, Company D, killed April 6th 1865, at Farmville, near Appomattox Court-House, Va .; Lemuel O. Smith, Com- pany E, killed April 9th 1865, near Appomattox Court- House.
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