USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > Wilkes-Barre > A history of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, from its first beginnings to the present time; including chapters of newly-discovered, Vol. I > Part 2
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1812-April 10. Launch of the river-boat, The Luzerne of Wilkes-Barre.
1816-June and August. Severe frosts in Wyoming Valley, and certain crops destroyed.
1817-February 14. Thermometer at Wilkes-Barré registers 20° below 0.
1818-July 12. Extraordinary hail-storm in Wyoming Valley.
1819-February. First bridge across the Susquehanna at Wilkes-Barré-foot of Market Street-opened to the public.
-November 1. Luzerne County Bible Society is organized.
-November 14. The river at Wilkes-Barré is frozen over.
1826-April 12. First steamboat (Codorus ) at Wilkes-Barre.
1831-May. First canal-boat leaves Wilkes-Barré for Philadelphia, laden with flour, coal and lumber.
1833-July 3. The remains of those who fell in the battle and massacre of Wyoming are re-interred, and the corner-stone of the Wyoming Monument is laid.
1834-May. Ice, snow, cold weather, and seven-year locusts damage vegetation in Wyo- ming Valley and cause much inconvenience.
-June 27. Wyoming Division, North Branch Canal, completed, and water let in. 1836-March 26. Sleds cross the Susquehanna on the ice.
-October 5. Eleven inches of snow fall in Wyoming Valley.
1842-June 18. First balloon ascension in Wilkes-Barré.
1843-May 23. First train of passenger-cars run on a railroad in Wyoming Valley.
1846-July 3. Wyoming Monument dedicated, in the presence of the Governor of the Commonwealth and other distinguished visitors.
-December 7. The Wyoming Artillerists leave Wilkes-Barré for the seat of war. (The War with Mexico.)
1849-April 6. Wilkes-Barré Law and Library Association organized.
1850-First telegraph line running into Wilkes-Barré is in operation.
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1852-First daily newspaper published in Wilkes-Barre.
1856-February 1. Gas manufactured by the Wilkes-Barré Gas Company turned on and burned for the first time.
-June 24. First train comes into the valley from Scranton over the Lackawanna and Bloomsburg Railroad.
-August 12. The corner-stone of the third Luzerne County Court House is laid with Masonic ceremonies.
1857-April 20. Two feet of snow fall in the valley.
-May 20. Ten inches of snow fall.
1858-February. The Wyoming Historical and Geological Society is organized.
1860-September 19. Water is turned on by the Wilkes-Barre Water Company for the first time.
-September 24. First steam fire-engine seen and operated in Wilkes-Barré.
1861-February 13. Destructive ice freshet in the Susquehanna.
-April 18. First company of Wilkes-Barré volunteers (Wyoming Artillerists) for the defense of the Union leaves for Harrisburg, where it is minstered into the United States service.
1863-June 18. Emergency-militia leave Wilkes-Barré for Harrisburg. (Pennsylvania invaded by the Confederates. )
1865-March 17. Greatest flood in the Susquehanna ever known.
1866-March 29. Wyoming Valley Hotel opened.
-March 31. First passenger train is run into Wilkes-Barré over the new (Wilkes- Barré Mountain ) track of the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad.
-June 13. Pennsylvania State Medical Society meets in Wilkes-Barré.
-June 25. First street-car (Wilkes-Barré and Kingston Railway) runs in Wilkes- Barré.
-June 27. The Judges of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania banqueted at Wilkes- Barré by members of the Bar of Luzerne County.
-September. First cobble-stone street-pavement laid in Wilkes-Barré ( West Market Street ).
1867-April 9. Great fire, destroying many buildings on West Market and North and South Franklin Streets.
-May 29. First passenger train is run from White Haven over the Lehigh Valley Railroad to Wilkes-Barré-to station below Northampton Street.
1868-September 9. Corner-stone of the present Luzerne County Prison laid with Masonic ceremonies.
1870-October. The bounds of Wilkes-Barré Borough are extended in a small degree.
1871-May 4. Wilkes-Barré Borough is incorporated into a city by an Act of the State Legislature.
1872-July 4. Celebration of the centennial anniversary of the founding and naming of Wilkes-Barré.
-October. The Wilkes-Barré City Hospital is established and opened.
-December 26. Twelve inches of snow on the ground, and temperature 10° below 0. Coldest weather in ten years.
1875-March 17. Destructive ice freshet in the Susquehanna.
1877-Jnly. Railroad riots prevail, and United States troops are ultimately ordered to Wyoming Valley.
1878-July 3. Celebration of the centennial anniversary of the battle and massacre of Wyoming. President Hayes, members of his Cabinet, and other distinguished visitors present.
-November. First telephone line in Wilkes-Barré opened.
1879-July 25. The 9th Regiment, N. G. P., organized and officers elected at Wilkes- Barré.
1884-May 30. Snow falls, covering the mountains near Wilkes-Barré.
1885-October 4. New edifice of the First Methodist Episcopal Church dedicated.
1886-April. First asphalt street-pavement laid in Wilkes-Barré (Franklin Street).
-September. Centennial anniversary of the erection of Luzerne County celebrated.
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1886-November 11. Wilkes-Barré warmed for the first time by steam heat.
-December 4. Corner-stone of the 9th Regiment Armory laid.
1887-May 10. Erection of North Street Bridge begun.
-July 11. Corner-stone of First Presbyterian Church laid.
-September 17. Centennial anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the United States celebrated.
-October 26. Ninth Regiment Armory dedicated.
1888-March 12. A violent blizzard rages.
-March 19. First electric street-car runs in Wilkes-Barré (North Main Street ).
1889-January 28. Osterhout Free Library opened to the public.
-April. Celebration of the centennial anniversary of the inauguration of George Washington as the first President of the United States.
1890-April 9. Memorial Hall (G. A. R.) dedicated.
-July. The three public school districts of the city consolidated into one, under the control of a board of six directors.
-August 19. Destructive cyclone strikes Wilkes-Barré.
1891-December 30. New Y. M. C. A. building opened.
1892-October 21. Columbus Day celebration.
1893-March 10. Greatest ice freshet in the Susquehanna since 1865.
-May 23. Fortieth annual conclave of the Grand Commandery of Knights Teni- plar of Pennsylvania convenes in Wilkes-Barré.
1895-September. New Board of Trade organized.
-October 14. First woman attorney admitted to the Bar of Luzerne County.
1897-October 29. Nesbitt Theater opened.
-November 25. New club-house of Wilkes-Barré Wheelmen opened.
-December 25. First service held in the new edifice of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church.
1898-March 7. Mercy Hospital opened to patients.
-April 27. Ninth Regiment, N. G. P., leaves for Mt. Gretna, Pennsylvania, in response to the call for volunteers for the Spanish-American War.
-September 22. Wilkes-Barré becomes a "city of the Third Class."
1899-April. First horseless carriage runs in Wilkes-Barré.
-July. The Pennsylvania State Bar Association holds its annual meeting and ban- quet in Wilkes-Barré.
1900-May 21. Forty-seventh annual conclave of the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Pennsylvania convenes in Wilkes-Barré.
-June 26. The Pennsylvania State Editorial Association meets in Wilkes-Barré.
1901-December. Unusual freshet in the Susquehanna.
1902-March 1-3. Disastrous flood in the Susquehanna.
-November 27. Corner-stone of the Federal Post Office building, Wilkes-Barré, laid with Masonic ceremonies.
1903-June 30. The Pennsylvania State Educational Association holds its forty-eightlı annual session at Wilkes-Barré.
-December 14. First passenger car is run over the Laurel Line (3d-rail road) be- tween Scranton and Wilkes-Barré.
1904-March 9. Serious flood in the Susquehanna, causing much damage to property.
1905-August 10. President Roosevelt, Cardinal Gibbons, and other distinguished visit-
ors in Wilkes-Barré as guests of the Catholic Total Abstinence Union at its national convention.
1906-May 10-12. Centennial Jubilee of the erection of Wilkes-Barré into a borough. -December 8. Wilkes-Barré Park Commission organized.
1907-November 27. Corner-stone of Irem Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, laid at midnight with impressive ceremonies.
1908 -- December 15. Irem Temple dedicated.
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION-REASONS FOR WRITING THIS HISTORY-SOURCES OF INFORMATION.
Wyoming warrior sons of old, And matrons worthy of your time, Deep in our inmost hearts we liold Your memories, sacred and sublinie.
"One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts."-Psalm CXLI' : 4.
A modern philosopher has said : "Considering how many really needful things there are to be done in these hustling and bustling days -corn to be hoed, wood to be chopped, roads to be mended, rooms to be swept, bread to be baked, buttons to be sewed on, cradles to be rocked- it is somewhat more than surprising that hundreds of fairly intelligent men and women keep on writing books. Evidently many authors write books for the same reason that hens lay eggs-to relieve themselves."
Another alleged philosopher has capped this statement by the observation that "cacoëthes scribendi has long been known to be a fever and sickness of feeble minds ; but never did it reach such proportions as now, when the cheapness of print and paper all the world over, and the ever critical condition of the public intelligence, give it scope for development to an immeasurable degree. Everybody writes; and from the fashionable lady who cannot spell, to the tight-rope dancer who dictates her 'Impressions from an Altitude', any one who possesses a grain of vanity or has had a shred of adventure embodies his or lier ideas or recollections in an article for a periodical or a volume for the circulating library. Whether a physician becomes illustrious through a patient's death, of a comic-opera singer has pleased a London or Paris audience ; whether a general has won a battle, or a lady been distin- guished in a divorce case ; whether a man has been tried for his life or has served a term in prison, one and all of these will forthwith publish something-article, monograph, playlet, essay, reminiscence or the letters of somebody else-without the slightest regard to whether they possess any literary capabilities for the work or not."
When one considers the width and depth of the flood-not only of ambitious and elaborate works, but of productions of a modest and less
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formal character-that annually bursts forth from the teeming presses of our land, one must admit that there are some forcible, although homely, truths contained in the foregoing statements and observations. Nevertheless, the writer of this present book does not deein it necessary to offer any excuse or apology relative to "the wherefore and the why" of its genesis, inasmuch as he knows that in these present days many of the intelligent and patriotic people of this land are earnestly engaged- individually and in organized bodies-in rescuing from oblivion and preserving in some attainable forin and place whatever material will tend to throw light on the true history of past times in this country.
He would say, however, that he is one of those whose pleasure and pride it is to have been born in Wilkes-Barré-the "Diamond City"* on Susquehanna's side, in fair Wyoming's historic vale. In the days of his youth he was told that "in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in thein is, and rested the seventh day ; and on the eighth He made-the valley of Wyoming !" We who are "to the manner born" believe that there are few regions like unto our well- beloved Wyoming. It seems to the writer that no mountains ever clasped within their embrace so beautiful a valley-as if no valley ever looked up to so beautiful mountains. He loves his birthplace-this ancient town of unique name and notable life, with whose earliest beginnings more than one of his ancestors were intimately and honor- ably connected ; he cherishes its traditions and its history ; he holds in high regard its upright and honorable citizens ; and as Paul the Apostle claimed his birthright as a Roman citizen, so will the writer, wherever he may be, always proudly claim his birthright as a Wilkes-Barréan.
Oh ! the last spark of feeling and life must depart, Ere his love for Wilkes-Barré will fade from his heart.
No attempt previous to this, so far as the writer is aware, has ever been made to write the history of Wilkes-Barré. And this fact appears inost remarkable when one realizes, in the first place : that, with the exception of Boston, New York, Philadelphia and a very few other old towns of this country, there is no town in the United States whose early history is so intensely interesting and has so many strikingly dramatic events interwoven in it from its very beginning as that of this "Diamond City" of ours; and in the second place: that there is no town in the United States-with the exception of the city of Washing- ton-founded within the last one hundred and fifty years, that has had so many well-known and eminent men identified or concerned in one way or another with its birth and early history as this same town. A cursory examination of the following pages will show the correctness of these statements to even the most careless or indifferent seeker after facts.
The history of Wilkes-Barré up to about the year 1800 is really, in a wide sense, the history of Wyoming Valley for the same period. And to-day the life of the town is in a large measure that of the valley, because the various hamlets, boroughs and cities of the valley are closely conjoined with Wilkes-Barré, not only by wagon-roads and steam and electric railways, but by business and social connections.
* Why "Diamond City"? Because the Public Square in the center of the town is diamond-shaped- having been originally surveyed in that form. Because the town is entirely underlaid with a vast wealth of black diamonds, and is overlaid with hospitality, cultivation and beauty-qualities which, like the chief characteristics of the diamond, are distinctive and attractive.
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Within the past hundred and thirty years much has been pub- lished concerning the history and traditions of Wyoming. First, dur- ing the time that the controversy over Wyoming land-titles raged between the Pennsylvania and Connecticut claimants, many pamphlets and letters-some of them written by learned and well-known men- came from the press. Then the massacre-so called, but in reality the battle-of Wyoming brought into action the pens of many writers. The first extended and formal narrative of this disastrous event was published in England carly in 1780, in Dodsley's Annual Register for 1779, and is said on good authority to have been written by the famous Edmund Burke. The exaggerations of this supposedly reliable nar- rative* escaped into the continuation of Hume and Smollett's, Adolphus' and other histories of England; and somewhat similar unreliable accounts appeared in various books of travels and in the American his- tories of Gordon, Ramsay and Botta-all of which were either written or published prior to the year 1800. From that year to the present the author of every published history of the United States or of the American people has had something to say about the early settlement of Wyoming Valley and the distressful experiences of its inhabitants in July, 1778.
The first history of Wyoming was written in 1818 by Isaac A. Chapman, then a resident of Wilkes-Barré and editor and publisher of The Gleaner, one of the three weekly newspapers of the town. This history, an interesting and a valuable work so far as it extends (the author died before he liad completed it), was not published, however, until 1830 ; and ten years later it was followed by William L. Stone's "Poetry and History of Wyoming." Colonel Stone was a well-known author and editor of New York City, and his writings were widely read. Three editions of his "Wyoming" were published. He had made his first visit to the valley in 1839, and the following brief paragraphs from his book will give an idea of the impressions made upon him by his experiences and observations upon that occasion.
"Wyoming is mentioned in almost every book of American history written since the Revolution, as the scene of the massacre ; but for the most part, that is the only occurrence spoken of ; the only fact that has been rescued from the rich mine of its historic lore. The reader of poetry has probably dreamed of Wyoming as an Elysian field, among the groves of which the fair Gertrude was wont to stray while listening to the inusic of the birds and gathering wild flowers ; and the superficial reader of every- thing has regarded it as a place existing somewhere, in which the Indians once toma- hawked a number of people. * *
* There are thousands, doubtless, who would be surprised on being told that, independently of the event from which the poett has woven his thrilling tale of "Gertrude", Wyoming has been the theatre of more historical action, and is invested with more historical interest, than any other inland district of the United States of equal extent."
In 1845 there came from the press Charles Miner's "History of Wyoming." It was the result of many months of indefatigable research and conscientious painstaking, and is considered to-day, as it has been ever since its publication, the most copious, complete and authentic work on the subject-a subject that was dear to the heart of Mr. Miner, who, having come to Pennsylvania in 1799, a settler under the "Con- necticut claim," resided for fifty years in Wyoming Valley. This book was based, in a measure, upon documentary evidence, but more largely upon the testimony of living witnesses, and it contains little appertain- ing to the poetry, the legends or the natural charms of the fair vale. It treats of the stern realities that entered into the life of the early
* See Chapter XV.
+ THOMAS CAMPBELL, the Scottish poet.
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settlers-the sufferings, the calamities and the persecutions that those brave and hardy pioneers were compelled to undergo. The book has long been out of print (but one edition was published), and only rarely is a copy offered for sale.
In 1858 "Wyoming ; its History, Stirring Incidents and Romantic Adventures," by the Rev. George Peck, D. D., was published. The greater part of this book-which is an Svo of 432 pages-is devoted to tales of hazardous exploits and descriptions of "historic scenes," collected by the author during a long residence in Wyoming. Three editions of the book have been issued. In 1860 appeared Stewart Pearce's "Annals of Luzerne County ; a Record of Interesting Events, Traditions and Anecdotes, from the first settlement in Wyoming to 1860." A second edition of this admirable compendium was issued in 1866 ; and since that year several histories and a great number of interesting and valuable essays, addresses, etc., treating of different localities in the "Wyoming region," or dealing with various phases of its history, have been published from time to time. *
Besides these there have been published two or three ponderous books purporting to be histories of Luzerne County. These works are chiefly biographical in their character, while their historical portions consist largely of careless rehashes of material taken from the histories hereinbefore mentioned. They are hurried "scrape-ups" of ill-arranged facts and fictions, marked by glaring omissions and errors innumerable ; and the expense of publishing them was borne in good measure by the buncoed citizens who were honored (?) by being biographed and pictured therein-although many copies of the books were unloaded at a stiff price upon "unhonored and unsung" non-subscribers. These publica- tions belong to the "gold-brick" class, with which a much-tolerating public has been made quite familiar during recent years.
Some one professing to be a philosopher has said, "Happy is that country which has no history !" It is doubtful if a genuine American would ever give expression to such a sentiment. On the other hand, how very few of us who claim to be interested in the history either of our far-famed, storied valley, our populous, wealthy Commonwealth, or our splendid, much-admired country-the birth-land of human freedom, and the home of innumerable inestimable privileges enjoyed by all within her borders-can exclaim, as did a noted writer and preacher not long since concerning the Scottish people, of whom he is one, "We carry all our past history in our hearts !"
Some may ask, What necessity is there for inquiring minutely into the experiences of long-buried generations, or burdening our minds with their failures and their successes? Since "their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished ; neither have they any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun," why not let their histories as well as their names pass into oblivion? To such we would reply : The seeds of the present are to be found in the past. The world-with all its circumstances, opinions, customs and laws ruling our present condition and shaping our future destiny-is what it is in consequence of the characters and actions of those who have gone before 11s. We ourselves are what we are because of influences which
* In a subsequent chapter sketches of the lives, and more extended accounts of the histories, of Chap- man, Miner, Peck and Pearce will be found.
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have distilled upon us, like the silent dew, through the atmosphere of a dozen generations.
The study of history is, beyond question, one of the most important methods of education. It is one, too, that can be carried on all through life ; and no kind of reading is so stimulative, expansive and enno- bling. It makes us at once familiar with the nobleness of mind, the wisdom and the mistakes and follies of past generations; and those made familiar with that past it guards against narrowness and delivers from much crude thought and wild speculation. The study of the history of our own country ought more especially to engage the atten- tion of the American student, and enlist his earnest pursuit. Too often do we find the student familiar with the records of ancient times-of their heroes, statesmen, poets and philosophers-while those of his own country are comparatively unknown to him. He knows nearly by heart all about the generals, battles and tactical operations of the Punic and Mithridatic wars, but is very hazy with regard to the battles of the Revolutionary War; while he knows still less concerning those of the War of 1812 and of the Mexican War-not to speak of those of the Civil War, which are "much too modern," or which he has "not yet come to."
The majority of persons outside of asylums for the feeble-minded know that there was once a great revolution in America. This, except the fact that Christopher Columbus is believed to have discovered this country, is the one anchor to which everybody makes fast when ques- tioned as to knowledge of American history. There is everywhere a shadowy tradition of Puritans, and the name Mayflower may sound familiar ; but the siege of Louisbourg-the massacres of the French and Indian wars-the taking of Quebec-the Stamp Tax-the attitude of the British people in general towards the American Colonies-the speeches of this country's stanch friends in the English Parliament during the early days of the Revolution-all these things are utterly unknown to the mass of the people.
Where, in the vast and diversified history of human actions, can we find more stirring incidents, more godlike action, severer or deadlier contests, more illustrious instances of firmness of purpose, of a self- sacrificing spirit to the public good, of personal fortitude, of manly boldness, of greatness of mind and vigor of thought, than in the history of our own country? When, therefore, American history offers so much that is picturesque and inspiriting, it seems a pity that so little of its charm should appeal to the popular mind.
To those who believe that the study of history should be carefully pursued in our schools and colleges, it is very gratifying to know that just now in many localities in our land teachers' institutes, State superintend- ents of education and boards of school-control are either advocating or providing for the formation of local-history classes in the public schools, on the ground that "the children ought to know the interesting and instructive story of their own home." Relative to this matter the Rev. Dr. Henry L. Jones, rector of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Wilkes- Barré, and Vice President of the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society, in an admirable address* recently delivered before that society on the subject of its "educational valne," said :
* See "Proceedings and Collections of the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society," VII : 68.
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"Extraordinary efforts are being made at the present time to instruct the children of our schools in lessons of patriotism. Nearly every school-house in the land, like a government post, is surmounted by the stars and stripes. * Meantime, what instruction is the rising generation receiving in relation to its own immediate surround- ings ; as to the deeds of valor, the acts of statesmanship, or honors in the field of letters or science, achieved by those who once walked the streets they now walk and lived where they now live?
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