USA > New Jersey > Warren County > History of Warren County, New Jersey > Part 18
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completed at a cost of $20,000, and dedicated September 12, 1858. The present pastor is Rev. J. Colclough. For many years this church possessed the only pipe organ in the city, having installed one in 1874. The Westminster Presbyterian Church was organized on April 27, 1886. It was formed largely by members of the First Presbyterian Church, and was the immediate result of the growth of the second Presbyterian Sabbath school, which had been held in Dull's Hall for two years. The chapel was completed for use on August 31, 1890, and the main building was first used on December 10, 1893. Rev. E. C. Cline was pastor until April 1, 1903, when the present pastor, Rev. James Moore, was installed. A handsome memorial pipe organ was given to the church on February 24, 1904, in memory of Mrs. Phoebe Harris Dinsmore. The Sunday school connected with the church num- bers 247 scholars and teachers.
The First Methodist Church of Phillipsburg was organized May 20, 1855, and the corner stone of the church was laid August 13, of the same year. The first resident of Phillipsburg to be converted to Meth- odism was Philip Reese, who was converted in 1824, while on a visit to his sister, who lived on the Susquehanna. The first Methodist sermon was preached in his stone house in 1828, by Rev. H. Bartine. The first class leader was named Downs, a school teacher of Easton. The church was dedicated on October 3, 1858. The value of church and parsonage is $35,000. Rev. R. B. Lockwood was the first pastor. The present pastor, Rev. F. T. Hubach, follows many other eminent predecessors .. The membership is 534, and 670 are connected with the Sunday school. A fine pipe organ was installed in 1909. The Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church originated from a class meeting held in the Fitch school house in 1871. The church was organized in 1872, and in October of that year Wesley Chapel was dedicated. The build- ing was remodelled in 1886. The church has a membership of 500 and property valued at $22,500. The present pastor is Rev. O. M.
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.
West. A fire caused by lightning destroyed the steeple on June 13, 19II.
St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal Church was organized December 22, 1856. A handsome stone church was consecrated by Bishop Oden- heimer on June 9, 1861. The present edifice was erected in 1885. Rev. Mr. Higgins is the present pastor. A Sunday school connected with it has 122 on its rolls.
The Church of SS. Philip and James is the second one on the same site. The corner stone of the first was laid in 1860 by Bishop Bayley. Father O'Reilly served the parish for twenty-four years. In 1889 the present edifice was completed. There are now 3,505 souls in the parish. Other church property in Phillipsburg includes the Parochial Hall, built at a cost of $22,000; the Young Men's Catholic Club rooms, and a cemetery on Fillmore Street. The present pastor is Rev. Patrick F. Connolly. A tower costing $15,000 was erected on the church in 1911. A 1,000-pound bell is a feature of the tower, and also a clock that auto- matically rings the Angelus on the big bell.
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized in 1869 by Rev. M. H. Richards, and the church edifice was dedicated January 9, 1870. Rev. Joseph Stump is the present pastor. Two hundred and forty-seven are connected with its Sunday school. St. John's German Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized February 5, 1875, by Rev. R. F. Weidner. Its fifty original members came mainly from Zion Church, of Easton, Pennsylvania. Rev. Joseph Orr is pastor; 1 19 are connected with its Sunday school.
The First Baptist Church of Phillipsburg was organized by Rev. A. E. Francis in 1880, and a house of worship was later erected on Main street. Rev. E. R. Tilton is pastor of this church and of the Lincoln Street Baptist chapel.
Phillipsburg's first school was held in a log house near Bidleman's. Here in 1801 "Old Cohen" taught school. A stone building replaced the earlier structure in 1803, and was destroyed by fire in 1812. A new
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stone schoolhouse was then erected near the site of the Andover Fur- nace. This building was replaced in 1854 by a new schoolhouse for the use of Ihrie District No. 10, which comprised the second and fourth wards. The second school to be opened was held in 1833 in a room in the stone building near the Pennsylvania depot, which was occupied for many years by the Warren Democrat, and now used as a real estate office. In 1843 a small brick building was erected at a cost of $500 for the use of Phillipsburg District No. 11, comprising the first and third wards. The Hudson Street School was built in 1852 at a cost of $3,500, and took the place of the smaller building. The town was made into one school district in 1869, with three sections, and a third building was completed in 1871, on land purchased of Henry Sea- graves, at a total cost of $46, 131.84. This served for many years as a high school and grammar school. This is now called the Freeman Building. In 1871 the Howell building was erected in the first ward, at a cost of $4,082, and in 1873 the engine-house of the Andover Fire Company was converted into a schoolhouse. The High School building was completed in 1909 at an expense of $22,000. It has a fine location on Main Street, near the older Lovell building, which was erected fifteen years ago. The Soldiers' Monument is placed in the immediate vicin- ity and presents a fine appearance. The John Firth building was erected in 1909 at a cost of $35,000, and the Pursell school building in 19II at a cost of $30,000. There are now ten buildings devoted to the use of the public schools, which employ sixty-two teachers, including the superintendent, Lewis Osmun Beers. There are 2,159 pupils enrolled.
Dr. John Cooper, who practiced here from i791 until 1794 and then followed his profession for fifty years in Easton, was the first resi- dent practitioner. He had no, successor for fifty years when Dr. South- ard came and practiced here for two years. Dr. John H. Griffith has practiced here for forty-one years, or since 1870; Dr. Isaac Barber since 1880; Dr. J. M. Reese since 1883; Dr. R. A. Stewart and Dr.
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H. R. West since 1884; Dr. Wm. Kline since 1891; and Dr. F. A. Shimer since 1905.
The Phillipsburg National Bank was a State bank from 1856 until 1865, when it was chartered as a national bank. It has a capital stock of $200,000 and a surplus of $300,000. John A. Bachman is its pres- ident, and James L. Lomerson its cashier. The Second National Bank of Phillipsburg was incorporated in October, 1900, with $100,000 cap- ital. It now has $70,000 surplus. S. C. Smith is president, William O'Neil vice-president, Aaron McCammon cashier, and John Firth assistant cashier.
In 1861 the Lehigh Water Company of Easton was authorized by a special act of the legislature to supply Phillipsburg with water. In 1886 the People's Water Company of Phillipsburg was organized and within a year had completed its plant, including a reservoir and a pumping station along the Delaware river north of the town. Exten- sive improvements were made to the plant in 1911. None of the water is pumped from the river, but it all comes from extensive wells which, from their situation in a sandy soil, give an excellent filtered supply of soft water. The present officers are G. G. Stryker, president; John A. Bachman, treasurer; and J. O. Carpenter, secretary.
The predecessor of the present trolley system was the Phillipsburg Horse Railway Company. This was chartered in 1867, organized in 1871, and built its line along South Main Street. The trolley line now extends from the Circle in Easton to Alpha and by way of North Main Street to Ingersoll Heights. The Easton and Washington Traction Company's trolley line extends from Main Street, at the Soldiers' Mon- ument, to Port Murray, and will shortly be extended. It was char- tered on May 31, 1902.
Phillipsburg is at one of our two great gateways to the west, the other being at the Water Gap. This accounts for the presence of four of the five great railways that centre here and give shipping facilities enjoyed by no other city of its size in the east. Naturally therefore,
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Phillipsburg is essentially a manufacturing city and possesses many important industries. Of the three iron railroad bridges crossing the Delaware at this point, the one furthest north is owned by the Lehigh and Hudson River railroad; the middle one is owned by the New Jer- sey Central railroad, and is also used by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western; the southernmost one belongs to the Lehigh Valley railroad.
The near vicinity of Easton, Pennsylvania, gives to Phillipsburg many advantages not usually enjoyed by a city of its size. The large department stores, the excellent hotels, the hospital, college, schools and places of amusement serve Phillipsburg as well as Easton. In fact, the two are one city, and in not a few instances the office is on one side of the river and the workshop on the other.
The first important manufacturing industry was the iron and brass foundry of J. R. Templin & Co., which was operated here from 1848 until July 4, 1855, when the plant was destroyed by fire.
In 1848 Messrs. Cooper and Hewett, of New York, built a blast furnace south of the town and called it the Cooper Iron Works. Two other furnaces were soon added, the whole being owned by the Tren- ton Iron Company. In 1868 they sold their whole plant to the Andover Iron Company, who operated it successfully for many years. It is tem- porarily out of blast.
Between 1849 and 1876 A. R. Reese & Co. did an extensive busi- ness in the manufacture of agricultural implements. The Warren Foundry and Machine Company was chartered March 6, 1856, with a capital of $200,000, and it has operated continuously and profitably ever since. The extensive buildings are of stone, the machine shop being 400 feet long. Its specialty is the manufacture of cast-iron pipes and columns. William Runkle is president of the company, and J. Walter Ingham its very efficient superintendent. The Phillipsburg Rolling Mills were established on the Howell tract along the river in 1860 and were operated for a few years. The plant after many years idleness was rebuilt but was finally destroyed by fire. The boiler works
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of Tippett & Woods began operations in 1868, and have done a pros- perous business ever since. They now employ about two hundred men. Rowland Firth and Son established a prosperous business here in 1894 and enlarged it in 1911. They use $40,000 capital in the manufacture of all kinds of steel castings. The American Horse Shoe Company was established about 1895, and now employs one hundred and fifty hands. It is on the site of the old rolling mill. The Vulcanite Cement Com- pany near Phillipsburg gives employment to many of its citizens, as does the Alpha Cement Company, established a few years later at Alpha. The Ingersoll-Rand Drill Company is a merger of the Inger- soll-Sergeant Drill Company and the Rand Drill Company, the two largest manufacturers of drills operated by compressed air. The com- pany has a capital of $10,000,000, and built its new plant in Phillips- burg in 1904, on a site annexed from Lopatcong in 1903 and called Ingersoll Heights. The company employs two thousand hands, and their product is used wherever man searches for nature's treasures beneath the ground. Recent successful industries are conducted by the Baker Chemical Company, established in 1904, the Canister Works, the Standard Silk Mill, the Continental Silk Mill, established in 1908, and Ryan's Silk Mill.
The first secret society in the county was Olive Branch Lodge, No. 16, Free and Accepted Masons, which was instituted at Phillipsburg on January 9, 1799. It surrendered its charter in 1842. Phillipsburg has no less than forty secret orders and societies, many of which are con- sidered in the chapter on organizations.
The present town officials are: Joseph H. Firth, who has been mayor and president of council for several terms; J. A. S. Stone, vice- president; Frank Kneedler, town clerk; J. L. Lomerson, treasurer; J. I. B. Reilly, solicitor; Robert P. Howell, surveyor; John Dundas, collector; G. L. Yeisley, auditor; George Pfister, chief of the fire department; and Edward Gorgas, chief of police.
Phillipsburg has a volunteer fire department composed of six hose
PHILLIPSBURG LODGE, No. 395, B. P. O. E.
Phillipsburg, N. J., Lodge No. 395, B. P. O. Elks, began in a most modest manner and with a small membership. The Lodge was instituted in the Masonic rooms, on the evening of November 26, 1897, by J. H. Fort, District Deputy, Grand Exalted Ruler, of Camden, N. J., assisted by members of the Order from Trenton and Camden, N. J., and Stroudsburg, Pa. A banquet was served at "Hotel Columbia."
The first officers, who were installed on the night of the organiza- tion, were: John Eilenberg, Exalted Ruler; Hon. Jacob B. Smith, Es- teemed Leading Knight; Hon. Jos. H. Firth, Esteemed Loyal Knight; R. B. Carhart, Esteemed Lecturing Knight; S. W. Hunt, Secretary; Adam Martin, Treasurer; A. W. Mutchler, Esquire; L. A. Fisher, Tiler; W. F. Carty, Chaplain; D. E. Ritter, Inner Guard; Trustees: Hon. Dr. Isaac Barber, one year; Chas. B. Sharp, two years; John Kern, three years.
Charter Members: Geo. R. Johnson, Jos. L. Morgan, Whitfield Barber, Jr., W. H. Fisk, W. K. Stone, Harry Cane, E. O. Correll, Ellsworth Smith, Wm. J. Leslie, Floyd Smith, C. E. Griffin, B. Frank Fox, Jas. H. Callan, E. J. Mackay, Bernard Flynn, Chas. A. Gischel, Frank D. Bishop, Dr. Wm. Kline, Y. C. Pllgrim, Eldridge Barber, Hon. Johnston Cornish, G. W. Shoeffler, Hon. C. F. Staats, P. F. Hagerty, W. Floyd Mutchler, F. M. Duckworth.
Past Exalted Rulers: John Eilenberg, John Eilenberg, F. M. Duck- worth, F. M. Duckworth, Wm. J. Leslie, Stewart P. Stone, F. M. Duck- worth, Chas. B. Sharp, E. D. Pursel, Oscar W. Shafer, Thos. L. Murphy, Harry E. Stone, Jesse H. Rubert, Jesse H. Rubert, Lewis A. Fisher.
The present Exalted Ruler is John B. Sliker, elected April 1, 1911.
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companies, a fire chief and assistants, who respond promptly to every alarm. The first fire department was the Warren Fire Company, which was organized August 8, 1864, with thirty-seven members. It had at first a hand engine and later a steamer and hose carriage, but disbanded in the seventies. The Andover Engine Company was organized a few years later, and had a large heavy fire engine. It also disbanded before the Centennial Fire Company No. I was organized on January 26, 1876. The Reliance Hose Company dates from February 8, 1887, the Jersey Hose Company No. 2, from April 15, 1887; and the Alert Hook and Ladder Company, from May 31 of the same year. The Warren Chemical Fire Company was organized January 29, 1908, and the Lin- coln Engine Company No. 2 on February 12, 1909.
While Phillipsburg is already the largest town in northwestern New Jersey, it is rapidly growing in population, and its active Board of Trade, with Dr. J. M. Reese as its president, is continually seeking new industries.
CHAPTER XXX.
POHATCONG.
Pohatcong Township was the last of the civil divisions of Warren County to be organized. It was formed in 1881 from that part of Greenwich lying in the extreme southwestern corner of the county. It was named from the creek whose beautiful valley forms so much of its territory.
The New Brunswick turnpike crosses the northern part of the township, and a road that it replaced is shown as early as 1769 on a may which also mentions the names Hughes and Roper's Ferry, the latter on the site of Carpentersville. Three railroads pass through the township. The Belvidere division of the Pennsylvania railroad was built through this township in 1854, along the Delaware River, and has stations at Riegelsville and Carpentersville, giving good con- nections north and south. The Lehigh Valley railroad and the Central Railroad of New Jersey, on their way from Phillipsburg to New York, pass through the northern part of the township and give excellent freight accommodations to the great cement industries there located.
The six schools in the township employ twelve teachers and are at Finesville, Hughesville, Carpentersville, Springtown, Shimers and Alpha, the last with five teachers.
An important industry in this township is the raising of peaches, where the orchards produce a very fine grade of fruit. Among the ex- tensive growers are J. S. Hunt, Isaac Laubach, J. M. Crouse and Sheriff Wieder.
The earliest land taken up in this region was by a survey made in January, 1714, and approved November 13, 1717, of a tract of land to Thomas Byerly, containing 9,009 acres on both sides of the Musconet-
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cong, and bordering on the Delaware. This was sold at public sale September 1, 1749, to William Allen and Joseph Turner, of Philadel- phia, for £3,000 proclamation money. There were 1,701 acres of this north of the Musconetcong in the present Pohatcong Township.
Riegelsville is the southernmost town in Warren County, at the mouth of the Musconetcong, where is available a fine water power, which is used by John W. Riegel for a grist mill, and by the Warren Manufacturing Company for the manufacture of manila paper. R. A. Shimer has an excellent general store. A large town of the same name lies across the river, which is connected by trolley with Easton and Philadelphia. The town was settled by the Hunt family before the Revolution, who are still residents of the township, but was named after Benjamin Riegel, who came from Northampton County in 1818.
In 1797 Thomas Pursell built a mill at the mouth of the Mus- conetcong. He died at Finesville in 1821. Before 1800 three brothers named Shank occupied a log house on the other side of the river and operated a ferry. Benjamin Riegel bought their property in 1807. The bridge across the Delaware was built in 1838. Mr. G. W. Snyder has a wheelwright shop, in which he manufactures delivery wagons and the like.
The Laubach family has lived in the vicinity of Riegelsville since 1738. The original ancestor of the family in America was Rhinehart Laubach, a native of the Palatinate on the Rhine, who came to Phila- delphia in 1738, on the ship "Queen Elizabeth." He settled with his family in Bucks County, and ever since members of the family have been prominent in the history of that and Warren County.
Carpentersville is named from Jacob Carpenter, who came here from Switzerland in 1748. His two sons, Jacob and John, passed their lives in this vicinity. Jacob left two sons, Jacob and Charles, and John two sons named Isaac and William. The Carpenter family is inter-married with the Kennedy, Stewarts and other prominent families of this and adjoining townships. Carpentersville is a station on the
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Pennsylvania railroad, which reached this point in 1854. Roper's Ferry was operated here as early as 1769.
Alpha is the newest and most active town in Warren County. Here are situated the Great Alpha and Vulcanite cement plants. The eastern part of Alpha is a Hungarian settlement, called the Klondike. Although Alpha is barely a dozen years old, it has a school with five teachers, while a Greek and Hungarian Presbyterian and a Catholic church supply the spiritual wants of the population. Dr. William H. Albright and Dr. Isaac Borts are located here. Alpha will soon be incorporated and enjoy the advantages that its size justifies.
Warren Paper Mills is a town on the Musconetcong, three and a half miles above its mouth. It has about 350 inhabitants, and its principal industry is conducted by the Warren Manufacturing Com- pany, which has at this point one of its mills for the manufacture of manila paper. It was formerly called "The Forge," and even yet the name is often heard, although no forge has been in operation at this point for many years.
Hughesville-Long before the Revolution, a Welshman named Hugh Hughes bought a large tract of land and built a forge three miles from the mouth of the Musconetcong. In 1769 the town at this place was called Greenwich. Hugh Hughes, was a lawyer from Philadelphia. He married Miss Mary Beckenridge, and had two daughters and three sons : Dr. John S. Hughes, born in 1770; Isaac, and Bracelidge. All of the sons passed their long lives in this vicinity. Isaac had seven sons, one of whom was Henry G., whose son, Samuel, o cupied the old homestead. The forge long since was turned into a grist mill, which burned down.
Dr. John S. Hughes attended Princeton, studied medicine, and practiced medicine here from 1792 until his death in 1825. Two of his sons were physicians-Dr. John S. Hughes, practicing at Blooms- bury until 1856, and John Beatty Hughes, at Hughesville, until 1858, when he died. His children all settled near Finesville.
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Finesville is on the Musconetcong, one mile from its mouth. It is named from the Fine family, two members of which, Philip and John, came from Germany and settled at this place. Philip and his sons, Philip, Christopher and John, ran an oil mill, a grist mill, a saw mill and a store, while John Fine built a hotel. At present C. C. Fine has a general store here and W. I. Jacoby, a grist mill. The Musconetcong at this point furnishes good water power, which as measured by Taylor, Stiles & Company, manufacturers of knives, is ten horse-power for each foot of fall. The total fall between Bloomsbury and the Delaware River is 130 feet, giving a total of 1,300 horse power, nearly all of which is in use. The total available water power on the Musconetcong in Warren County is more than two thousand horse power.
The old Chelsea forge was situated at Finesville, and obtained its pig iron from Durham Furnace, which made iron as early as 1727, by way of Stillwell's or Brinker's ferry, across the river, opposite Durham. Messrs. I. F. and W. B. Laubach carry on an extensive business in burn- ing lime.
The Methodist Episcopal Church at Finesville dates from 1835 or earlier. At that time a Union Church was built for the use of Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans and Christians. It was bought by the Methodists in 1879. Among the preachers who have served here are Revs. Carhart, Tuttle, George Banghart, Van Horne, Dedrick, Haggerty and Decker. The present pastor is Rev. C. B. Hankins.
The Christian Church at Finesville was erected in 1877, previous to which this congregation, which was formed in 1835, worshipped in the Union Church, now the Methodist Church. The present pastor is Rev. John Blood.
Siegletown, of Middleville, was formerly the site of a grist mill, a clover mill, and a pottery conducted by members of the Siegle family, the first one of the name being Benjamin Siegle, who came from Ger- many, and had four daughters and three sons-Abram, Thomas and William. It is now a part of Finesville.
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Springtown, on the Pohatcong, sixty years ago had two distilleries and three grist mills, one of which was run by J. Hixson, whose family were the earliest settlers at this place. Dr. William Shipman practiced flere from 1836 till 1885. A Christian church was built here before 1850.
The Straw Church, called also Lopatcong, is now really a suburb of Phillipsburg. It is named from the fact that the first Lutheran church here, built of logs, was thatched with straw. This was about 1760. A second church, built of stone, replaced the Straw Church in 1790, and the present St. James Church was built in 1834. The ceme- tery is across the road, in Greenwich Township. The old Straw Church may be called the mother of the churches at Stewartsville and Riegels- ville, and of Grace Chapel at Phillipsburg.
CHAPTER XXXI.
WASHINGTON.
Washington Township was a part of Mansfield Wood House, later called Mansfield, from 1754, when the latter was formed from Greenwich, until 1849, when Washington was erected into a separate township. From the central part of it Washington Borough was or- ganized in 1868.
The D., L. & W. railroad traverses this township from east to west and from north to south, the two lines crossing at Washington. The line from north to south was originally the Warren railroad, and connected with the Central Railroad of New Jersey at Hampton Junc- tion. The Morris Canal and the trolley line of the Easton and Wash- ington Traction Company pass through the township.
Port Colden is a village that had its beginning at the completion of the Morris Canal in 1831, and was named in honor of Cadwallader D. Colden, president of the Morris Canal and Banking Company. The trolley line from Phillipsburg and the D., L. & W. railroad pass through the place. Plane No. 6, with a fifty-foot lift, is near Port Colden.
Simon Nunn for many years before his recent death conducted a very extensive business as proprietor of a general store on the banks of the canal. Industries that formerly flourished at Port Colden were boat building, the manufacture of bricks, and a distillery operated for many years by John Opdyke. The large building in which George P. Wyckoff spent the last years of his life was originally built as a hotel in 1836, under the name of the Colden House. It was advertised as being on the Great Western Turnpike, and at the point where the stage lines crossed. It was later used as a boarding school. Dr. William Cole was a prac-
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