USA > Pennsylvania > Lehigh County > Catasauqua > Early history and reminiscences of Catasauqua in Pennsylvania > Part 3
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The middle stone building (which is still standing) was the hotel of the place, and Frederick Biery, the village nabob, sat there on a bench. Mr. Thomas en- tered into a colloquy with him and soon learned from him where the proposed furnace was to be erected. Hardly had he gotten this information, when, sudden- ly, that terrifying report again broke the prevailing quiet of the village, and turnig around quickly the agitated pedestrians in wonderment learned that it was caused by an upright saw in yonder mill, ripping into slabs, by means of water-power, a large log on the skids. Thence they walked to the site of the pro- posed new enterprise, and after inspecting the place they returned afoot, late in the afternoon, to their hotel at Allentown, Haberacker's, now the Hamilton. A house wasthen rented for Mr. Thomas and his family (the site now of the Prince Furniture Co.) and there they made their home until the two-story frame dwell- ing at Biery's-Port was completed for them by the Crane Iron Co.
Difficulties Surmounted-It was late in the "Thirties" that the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. (which owned the great anthracite coal fields near Mauch Chunk) realized that they had no adequate market for their products. Locomotives were few in number and largely wood-burning. The entire num- ber of stationary engines running in eastern Pennsyl- vania probably did not exceed twenty-five. A few spasmodic attempts had been made to smelt iron ore with the use of anthracite coal, but the success was
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EARLY HISTORY
indifferent. The hour brought the man as heretofore, and Neilson's great idea of hot-blast having already been successfully applied to the smelting of iron ore with a similar coal in South Wales, it was at once de- cided by the Lehigh Company that they would make a market for their coal by adopting the process to smelt the abundant iron ores not far from the line of their canal. To accomplish this they organized the Crane Iron Co. with a capital of $100,000 (a sum more difficult to raise then than twenty times that amount would be to-day) ; and under the superin- tendency of Thomas they came to erect their first anthracite furnace at Catasauqua.
One can hardly appreciate the difficulties that daily beset the manager; ores and fuels of unknown and varying constituents; no experienced help; no foun- dries or machine shops worthy of the name within reach; and weakly constructed blowing-engines which were continually breaking down. Hot-blast ovens of the crudest type, capable of heating only 500 to 600 degrees, were but a small part of this manufacturer's difficulties. After their pig-iron had reached market, it met customers who had no faith in it and often it could only be sold with a guarantee of faultless casting.
With the opening of the Lehigh Valley R. R. in 1855, a new impetus was given to the iron industry. Prior to that time, the furnaces were obliged to de- pend upon the canal for coal and for shipments of iron; and it was about this time that Thomas built the first of those minimum hot-pressure blowing-engines which afterward became the common type and al- lowed the use of the New Jersey rich magnetic ores.
Founder of Town-Mr. Thomas was prominently identified with the management and success of the Crane Iron Works for many years. He became the promoter of the large iron works at Hokendauqua,
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THOMAS AND CONTEMPORARIES
which were named after him. He was interested in other enterprises here and elsewhere. He took much interest in the political, financial, religious and char- itable affairs of the town, and therefore he came to be commonly recognized as its founder. He was par- ticularly concerned in the establishment and success of the First Presbyterian Church of Catasauqua, and encouraged temperance and thrift amongst the nu- merous workingmen under him.
Mr. Thomas was married to Elizabeth Hopkins, daughter of John Hopkins, of Wales, and they had five children: Jane, Gwenny (married to Joshua Hunt), Samuel, John and David. He died June 20, 1882, in the 88th year of his age. His remains were deposited in the large Thomas Vault in Fairview Cemetery.
SAMUEL GLACE was born at Reamstown, in Lancas- ter county, Pa., on Oct. 12, 1805. He went from Conyngham, in Luzerne county, to Mauch Chunk, in the Lehigh Valley, in 1826, where he entered the employ of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. In 1830 he took up his residence in Biery's-Port upon receiving the appointment of division superintendent of the canal from the "Slate Dam" at Laury's to the "Allentown Dam," and he filled this position for 10 years. Then he became the mining agent of the Crane Iron Co., which he served for many years.
Mr. Glace was the first person to produce hydrau- lic cement in the Lehigh Valley at Lehigh Gap, his son having prepared a paper on the subject for the His- torical Society of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia. He was married to Isabella Swartz, of Allen township, and they had two children, William H. Glace (At- torney-at-law), and Amanda E. (married to Dr. Daniel Yoder), both of whom reside at Catasauqua. He died January 3, 1892, at the remarkable age of 86 years, 2 months and 21 days.
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EARLY HISTORY
FREDERICK BIERY-I heard my grand-father, John Swartz, farmer of Allen township, state that Fred- erick Biery first introduced the custom of entertaining at funerals in this section of the country. It was at the time of the burial of a member of his own family. The interment was made at the church in Shoeners- ville, and there the announcement was first publicly made from the pulpit by the minister that the mourn- ers and friends were invited to return to the home of Mr. Biery for the refreshment of man and beast. There the guests were arranged in rows in the yard and servants appeared, some with bottles of whiskey and glasses, and others with lunch consisting of bread, meat, pie, cake and coffee; and hostlers provided fod- der for the horses. Thus was a custom introduced which prevailed hereabouts for many years. It be- came a necessity because the country was sparsely populated, and some of the relatives and friends were obliged to start early and travel far if they wished to attend a funeral.
Mr. Biery owned a large tract of land here and the site for the Crane Iron Co. furnace was purchased from him. He had five sons, Daniel, Jonas, Solomon, David and William, and three daughters, Mrs. Nich- olas Snyder, Mrs. Samuel Koehler and Mrs. Jacob Buehler. Three fine and attractive cut stone two- story dwelling houses erected in 1826, 1830 and 1835 along the main road in the village near the bridge which carried his name for nearly seventy years, are still standing in a remarkable state of preserva- tion. He died in 1845.
His son Solomon carried on the tavern (erected in 1826) for many years; and he served as post-master of the Catasauqua office from 1855 to 1861. In later years he was interested in the car-builing firm of Frederick & Co., at Fullerton.
Jonas lived in the farm house, now the residence
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THOMAS AND CONTEMPORARIES
of August Hohl on Race street and Railroad alley, and was engaged as a farmer. He owned and sold all the land upon which East Catasauqua came to be established, now included in the 3rd Ward. The quarry along the Catasauqua creek, where the Crane Iron Co. obtained all their lime-stone for the furnaces for years, netted him more than $40,000 on a royalty of three cents a ton. A large part of the land along 2nd street, and also along Wood street, was sold by him into lots for buildings, though quite a number had previously been sold by his father.
Daniel resided on his farm near Weaversville, now owned by Peter Laubach, and there he died; David resided on his farm near Mickley's, and there he died; and William, the youngest son, died at home at a comparatively early age.
JAMES W. FULLER figures very prominently as a contemporary of David Thomas. His father, Chaun- cey Dorrance Fuller, came to Biery's-Port from the "Plains," above Wilkes-Barre, soon after the con- struction of the Lehigh Canal was started, upon the invitation of Abiel Abbott, one of the earliest super- intendents of the canal, and was employed by the company for a number of years. Subsequently he served as one of the Justices of the Peace of the borough for ten years, from 1855 to 1865.
The son, in his early years at Biery's-Port, ran boats on the canal, and afterward conducted the canal store at the bridge.
From 1852 to 1856 he was specially employed by David Thomas, for the Crane Iron Co., to secure from the Legislature of Pennsylvania a charter for a rail- road to extend from Catasauqua to Fogelsville and Red Lion (near Mertztown in Berks county), for the purpose of enabling the Company and also the Thomas Iron Co., to bring iron ore from the westerly and southerly portions of the county to their large works at a reduced expense, and also to discontinue
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EARLY HISTORY
damaging the public roads with their numerous heavy teams which had come to be a source of com- plaint by the tax-payers. But his efforts developed intense opposition which resulted in public meetings at Allentown to denounce the attempts of the "Black Republicans" towards securing such a charter, be- cause, as alleged, it would finally destroy the fine farms of the yeomanry in the beautiful and produc- tive valley of the Jordan. His skill and perseverance brought success, first obtaining a charter for a plank- road, and afterward another charter for a railroad. In the Spring of 1856, the railroad was commenced, and within a year the ore teams were no longer seen on the public roads, tearing up the roadway and mak- ing it well-nigh impassable as had theretofore been the case. Of course, the loud complaints subsided.
During the Civil War, Mr. Fuller became promi- nently identified with the political and military affairs of Pennsylvania, and his influence with the Republican administration then was generally recognized.
He was married to Clarissa Miller and his children, who lived to mature years, were Orange, James W., Jr., Abbott, Clinton H., and Clara (married to Ogden E. Frederick.) Two of them survive, Abbott, who resides at Philadelphia, and Mrs. Frederick, at Cata- sauqua. He established the Fairview Cemetery in 1858. He died in 1872.
JOHN GEORGE KURTZ, the grand-father of the late Henry Kurtz at Catasauqua, settled in Hanover town- ship along the Catasauqua creek, in 1760, and es- tablished a homestead here when the surrounding country was a wilderness and the land extending thence to Shoenersville was generally known as "Dry- lands," because no water was obtainable in this im- mediate vicinity during the Summer months and the farmers' cattle had to be driven to the Lehigh river where the creek had its outlet. It is said that after Kurtz had erected a cabin he went to Europe to
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THOMAS AND CONTEMPORARIES
fetch his family, but upon his return with them he found the cabin in ruins, having been destroyed by the Indians.
In 1839, the Kurtz plantation came to be divided between two of his grand-children, Henry, who took the western portion, and George, who took the eastern. Their descendants here have become numerous.
For many years these grand-sons refused to sell their land for building lots, and this caused the town to develop towards Bethlehem, and the improved sec- tion came to be called East-Catasauqua.
JONATHAN SNYDER was a native of Shoenersville, and had a fair education with a fine handwriting. In 1839 he became the lock tender at the locks opposite the furnace of the Crane Iron Co. Afterwards he occupied the toll-house at the Biery Bridge. He col- lected all the tolls in this section of the canal. When the town was erected into a borough he served as as- sessor for some years.
Of his immediate family, the only survivors are his grand-children, the Williams family, who reside at 2nd and Bridge streets.
JAMES LACKEY was a native of Reading. He came here at an early day in the history of the town and carried on the canal-store (where George B. F. Deily resides) when David Thomas came here. He occu- pied this store several years, then he leased an acre of ground north of the furnace between the canal and river and erected a store and dwelling which he carried on until about 1850. By this time, the busi- ness of the Crane Iron Co. had increased so much that they were obliged to extend their plant to the north ; so they purchased the property and Lackey located on Front street, south of Mulberry, where he erected another store and dwelling. He conducted a general- store business there until 1857, when he was elected to the office of prothonotary of Lehigh county and he
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EARLY HISTORY
removed to Allentown. This locality on Front street then became the site of the National Bank of Cata- sauqua, and is now occupied by the Imperial Hotel.
Mr. Lackey served as prothonotary from 1857 to 1863, and as deputy for many years afterward. He died in Allentown at an advanced age. He was a highly respected man.
JOHN LEIBERT lived near "Rohn's," which has come to be included in the 3rd Ward. He was a boss- carpenter for the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. for a time; then, upon receiving a similar appointment from the Crane Iron Co., he located at Biery's-Port, which he served for several years. He died about 1845. His widow survived him for upwards of 50 years. His son Owen became prominent as the super- intendent of the great industrial establishment of the Bethlehem Steel Co. The only descendants still living here are a daughter Jane, and a grand-daughter Emma (wife of James Morrow, Esq.)
The day Leibert moved to Biery's-Port (then Crane- ville), my father asked him where he was going. He answered rather ironically-"Oh, to Craneville, and now I suppose my daughters will marry Irishmen." The late James Nevins was his son-in-law.
JOHN PETER was born in 1799 in Heidelberg town- ship, Lehigh county, and lived at the corner of Bridge and Front streets, at a point between Schneller's block and the Lehigh Canal. He moved to this locality in 1823 and bought his farm from Andrew Hower, heirs of Jno. Philip Faust and others. His first home was built by John Youndt. He afterward erected a stone dwelling which is now the stable of F. W. Wint & Co. He followed weaving for nine years. Upon the completion of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. canal he became a lock-tender.
In 1851, he sold the remainder of his farm (not heretofore sold into lots) to David Thomas, and moved to Bethlehem. After the death of his wife, he made
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THOMAS AND CONTEMPORARIES
his home with his daughter, Mrs. Owen Swartz, at Allentown where he died at an advanced age. His children were Franklin, Joseph, Susanna and Mer- sena. There are still living of his children, Susanna, widow of Owen Swartz deceased, and Mersena, who was married to David Jones, a brother of Capt. Bill Jones.
In contrast with many of the original inhabitants who opposed David Thomas in his projects and ideas, owing to politics which raged more violently then than now, John Peter could always be relied upon to support him.
GEORGE BREINIG-The ancestors of George Breinig were among the first settlers of Longswamp township, in Berks county. His great-grandfather was one of the building committee in the erection of the Old Lehigh Church near Alburtis in the early part of the 18th Century. While a young man, he attended the Academy at the "Irish Settlement" and on his way to and fro he passed the farm which was irrigated by the Catasauqua creek and became noted for its fer- tility. Upon reaching manhood he purchased this farm of 245 as. 76 ps. in Allen township from the Es- tate of Peter Beisel, deceased, on April 4, 1831, by virtue of a special Act of Assembly, passed Feb. 26, 1831, and moved upon it in 1832. It is still owned by some of his descendants.
ROBERT MCINTYRE came here with his teams from Mauch Chunk where he had finished a contract soon after Mr. Thomas arrived, and he did considerable work in digging the race for the water which turned the large water-wheel in the furnace. Soon after- ward he purchased the farm adjoining Fairview Cem- etery and there mined iron-ore which was washed where the Lehigh Valley R. R. depot is situated. The race for the washery is now used to run the turbine- wheel which raises the water for the Lehigh Valley R. R. and Catasauqua and Fogelsville R. R. locomo-
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EARLY HISTORY
tives. He also purchased the farm on the road to Bethlehem, now owned by the Oberly Estate. He owned real estate in town, including the properties now known as the Eagle Hotel and the Lehigh National Bank. He built several sections of the Cata- sauqua and Fogelsville R. R. His principal work, however, which gave him much fame, was the con- struction of the Aqueduct through which the water was conveyed from the Upper Potomac river to Wash- ington, D. C. In 1864 he sold his property here and removed to his farm near Quincy, Ill., where he died at an advanced age.
THOMAS LETTER-The following interesting letter was sent by David Thomas to a friend in Wales six months after he had settled here :--
Crane Iron Works, Dec. 11th, 1839. Mr. David Bowen, Aberdare, South Wales, England.
My Dear Friend :- I have taken my pen in hand to write you a few lines from this wide western hemisphere. I am in perfect health and good spirits and all my family are the same who join me in hoping this brief letter will find you and your family also enjoying good health and happiness. I suffered much on the voyage and after I came here from sickness, which you no doubt have heard; but my health and strength have now recovered amazingly, and I am now flattered by those who knew me before that I look better than I did some years ago.
We have been treated here with much kindness, My employers have done evrything in their power for my comfort; they have built me a very good house, with garden and every convenience that one could wish, and I have reason to believe they are satisfied with me. I have under my care about 100 men with proper foremen to look after every department; I give the orders and pay them.
We live in a very fertile country where every sort of grain, vege- table and fruit is very abundantly grown. The climate is very healthy ; and the weather has been hitherto very good. The people are hos- pitable and kind, chiefly from German origin. There is much of that language spoken here, which I am learning very fast. The children can talk it better than I can.
Places of worship and schools are numerous. Many denominations are supported by voluntary contributions; the schools by a tax, every State appropriating so many thousand dollars for the use of schools. There is one built in my neighborhood where every one can educate his children for almost nothing, to any branch of science or literature.
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THOMAS LETTER
The government is Democratic, and chiefly in the hands of the most numerable part of the community, which in my opinion is the worst part of their policy, and the most likely to injure the permanent pro- gress. of America. Your radicals, with riotous chartists, I think would have enough of universal suffrage only for them to witness the abuse of that suffrage as applied here. I have seen with regret the riotous affair of the chartists at Newport, and I am afraid from the appear- ance of the English newspapers that you are going to have more of it.
The population of this district is not very thin. It is peopled as thickly as Carmarthenshire. The towns are six to ten miles from one another and some of them have from 3,000 to 12,000 people. Phila- delphia is 54 miles and New York is 93 miles, to either of which places we can go from here in one day. Traveling here is very expeditious, as there are canals and railroads in every direction. The town nearest to us is Allentown which is three miles from our works.
The natural resources of this country are numerous. All sorts of minerals are very abundant; provisions are very cheap, in fact, every- thing for the use of man is very moderate except woolen cloths, which are about double of those bought in England. Calico and cotton prints are as cheap here as you can get them there, and cotton goods of every sort are very cheap.
I do not think the cattle in this country are as good as in the old country ; but horses are equally as good, if not better generally. Pigs are very cheap and abundant. Pork is very cheap, selling in the market at 9 shillings 1 pence per cwt. and the best bacon fed upon Indian corn (which is very plentiful here) for 12 shillings 6 pence per cwt. of your currency ; best flour is $5.50 per barrel or 550 half pence of your currency, weighing 196 pounds. I had a barrel last week which makes bread pretty nearly as white as this sheet of paper I am writing upon; good black tea 1 shilling 6 pence to 7 shillings 6 pence per pound; coffee, best, 15 shillings, 1/2 pence, but very good for 4 shillings 1/2 pence per pound; loaf sugar is 7 pence, if good season, 61/2 pence ; burnt sugar for 31/2 pence to 5 pence per pound of your currency ; and indeed everything in that way is very cheap.
The people here only eat three meals a day; breakfast at 6 in the morning, dinner at 12, and supper or tea at 6 in the evening. They have plenty of meat on the table for each meal whatever house you go into. All classes eat very much alike and about the same times.
Poverty is rarely known here except among the intemperate or idle. Old people, widows and orphans are very well taken care of. The law of the land is very lenient to the actual poor, but very much other- wise to imposters. I have only seen three people begging, two of them Irish and one a German.
Since the time I left, is there any fresh duty? They do not know what duty is here, only on goods imported. The farmers in this coun- try are usually free-holders. There is not one farmer out of a hundred but what lives on his own land, and they are generally very wealthy.
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EARLY HISTORY
Manufacturers are increasing very fast here; they are short of hands and capital, both increasing very fast. We have had some very bad times this autumn in the money market, but it is improving again very fast.
In about three weeks from this time our furnace will have fire in it. We are going to build another in the spring.
John Thomas is here and he is a good boy, very strong and indus- trious. He sends his best regards to his mother.
Please address your letter to David Thomas, Crane Iron Works, near Allentown, Lehigh Co., Pa.
I am, my dear old friend,
Your sincere old friend, DAVID THOMAS.
CHARACTER OF EMPLOYEES-The men em- ployed at the furnaces were mostly Irishmen. There were some Welshmen and Germans, but as a rule they were employed round-about the furnaces. Catholics and Protestants were employed in equal numbers so far as possible. This prevented any combinations and strikes among them and preserved the peace of the hamlet. The government of the village in its early days was fraternal, that is, that part connected with the furnaces.
The temperance movement was strong. There was a division called the "George Crane Division" for adults and the "Crystal Fount Section" for boys. The meeting place was in a hall where the Crane Iron Co. stables are now. Every one was expected to join the movement and if not, he had to give a reason why. The result was one of great influence. The adults were led to save their money so that many of them, upon leaving with their families, purchased farms in the vicinity of Quincy, Ill., and their de- scendants are among the substantial citizens of that section. Of all the young men who grew to manhood under this influence, I never heard of one who filled a drunkard's grave.
A peculiarity of this growing hamlet before 1853 was its seclusiveness from the neighboring towns and
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LOCAL IMPROVEMENTS
villages. It was mostly inhabited by foreigners who naturally brought the habits and customs of their own country with them, and had a rather quiet, contented life without newspapers to excite or distract their minds or locomotives and heavy trains of cars to break the stillness of the country air. The Sabbath day was honored by them and the "Old Church" in the woods on Church street was generally filled by attentive lis- teners. The community was made up of young and middle aged men, and possessed many promising boys and girls who had time and opportunities to develop knowledge, as well as health and strength, in this region by the side of the Lehigh river. Employment in the growing iron works was steady and the men remained the same from year to year.
LOCAL IMPROVEMENTS-The first work done in the village in 1839 was the building of a frame house opposite the site of the furnaces (now occupied by Hungarians), which within six months after com- ing to this country, was occupied by Mr. Thomas and his family. After he was fairly settled, my father visited him and was invited to partake of shell- barks (a dish being on the table) which he and his wife were cracking between their teeth like squirrels.
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