USA > Pennsylvania > Schuylkill County > Pottsville > Historical sketch of Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pa. > Part 2
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it should be styled Mount Carbon instead of Pottsville. Considerable feeling was caused by the disagreement, but finally on the 19th of February, 1828, the borough , south side of Mahantongo street below of Pottsville was erected, and the residents Sixth street, adjoining the present rosi- of Mount Carbon had the consolation af- dence of Charles W. Barker; the row of forded by the knowledge that at a future ; stone houses on the north side of Mahan -
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tongo above Twelfth or Wood street, known as the hospital; the following named six houses, on the north side of Mabantongo street, built by John C. Offerman, the house now owned and occupied by John Shippen, the residence of Mrs. James Beatty and the residence of Mrs. James Carpenter, these three dwellings being adjoining each other and below Third street; and the three stone dwellings above Third street, and adjoining each other, now occupied re- spectively by Miss E. Fister, John Ruch and A. K. Whitner; also the three-story brick dwelling house on the east side of Centre street, and below Mahantongo, now known as the Loeser house, and which was also erected by John C. Offerman. The last named house was in after years temporarily deserted because it seemed to be sinking into the coal mine which Mr. Samuel Lewis had extended under it. That mine was opened by Mr. Lewis in 1835 or 1836, and its subterranean passages reached from the foot of Greenwood hill nearly to the corner of Fifth and Norwegian streets.
Before the end of the year 1830, were also to be seen the Pennsylvania Hall, at the corner of Church Alley and Centre street, erected by Col. George Shoemaker; a two- story brick building on the south side of Mahantongo street, between Eighth and Ninth streets, and then considered the handsomest residence in the place, which was erected by Burd Patterson, whose act- ive brain and energetic efforts assisted so signally in the development of the resources of Schuylkill county. In 1830 there had also been completed the Exchange Hotel on Centre street, built by Jacob Seitzinger ; the three-story brick dwelling on the south side of Market street between Third and Fourth streets, now occupied by Benjamin Haywood, and which was erected by Fran- cis B. Nichols, the enterprising pioneer and coal operator by whom the town of St. Clair was founded ; also the brick houses on the north side of Market Square, from the corner of Fifth street down to the house now occupied by James I. Pitman. The railroad running down Market street from the Black Mine colliery, and which was built by the owners of the York Farm tract and leading down Market street to Railroad street, and leased with the land by Geo. H. Potts, was not in ex - istence until 1836. The railroad from the
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Potts & Bannan colliery, on Guinea Hill, intersected the Market street railroad at the corner of Second street.
The brewery of D. G. Yuengling was put into operation in 1830, at the place on Mah- antongo street, below Fifth, where his present large brewery is located. The frame brewery of Andrew Y. Moore, called the Orchard Brewery (afterwards burned) on the site now occupied by the brewery of George Lauer, on Mauch Chunk street, was built in 1830. Four large stone dwelling houses were erected in the Orchard during the same year, being those now occupied by John L. Pott, John P. Hobart, Wm. Baber and E. F. C. Davis.
Israel Morris, through his son Henry Morris, had built two rather large double stone dwellings on the west side of Centre street, in Morris' Addition ; one of them on the north-west corner of Centre and Market streets, now occupied by Miss Emma Pott, and the other about the middle of the next square below, and now in the occupancy of Goo. Heffner.
Nearly all of Centre street, in Morris' Addi- tion, had been built up asfully asit is now, but many of the houses have been torn down and replaced or modernized. The house now occupied by Jeremiah Reed, Esq., was built by him in 1830 and he has resided in it ever since with the exception of five years. William Carter, built in 1830 the house occupied by him, but his three brick houses were erected by him long after- wards. At this time, the close of the year 1830, nearly all of both sides of Centre strest from where the new Journal Building now stands to Minersville street had been built up; but many of the houses were quite in- expensive wooden structures. The first Catholic Church had been erected about 1827. It was a small building and stood on the same site, as the present church edifice, at the southwest corner of Fourth and Mah- antongo -treets. The Protestant Episcopal Church had been erected in 1829 and 1830 : on the lot where the present structure has since been placed at the south west corner of Church Alley and Centre street. Other churches were subsequently built as the various denominations increased in strength and the records of each doubtless show the date of its commencement, and the changes made in its place of worship.
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The old Town Hall which was located on the east side of Centre street. above Callow- hill, and which was recently destroyed by fire, was built by a stock company formed by the Odd Fellows, prior to 1836.
The Miners' Journal of June 26th, 1830, in an article headed ."Borough Census'' says * * * *. "The great number of young men between 15 and 30 will serve to show the enterprise of that portion of the community who have left friendsand fami- i came up to look at the new styled road and lies to seek a livelihood in our region-upon the whole the census has resulted pretty much as we expected and when we reflect that six years ago Pottsville contained but five or six houses and that the present town plot was a wilderness, and when joined to these we consider the great interest which has ever been opposed to the progress of Pottsville, the increase is almost unprece- dented.'' * *
The article then makes the "Grand To- tal"' 2424 residents and further states that there are likewise in the borough about 1350 persons who do not consider themselves as permanent residents making the whole number 3774. It may be said in comparison that the present population of Pottsville is about 15,000.
, To-day, anthracite coal is the fuel which generates the steam, giving life and mo- tion to hundreds of stationary engines far and near, and to hundreds of the locomo- tives traversing the many railways of the United States. We gaze upon the ma- chinery which the stationary engine is driving, and we rush along in the comforta- ble car which the locomotive is whirling around the curves and over the steep grades; and we realize the importance of anthracite to the engine and of the rail- road to the people whose country it spans. But we seldoni give due thought to the ingenuity and the labor which have been required to originate and develop the im- : high authority, to have been that com- provements of which we erjoy the benefit. To-day in a quiet street in Port Carbon is living a man who is entitled to the high honor of baving built the first
menced in 1826, in Massachusetts, and which led from the Granite Quarries at Quincy, to Neponsit Run three miles, but which was not completed until 1827. The railroad ever made, not only in Schuylkill | third railroad in the United States, was built county, but certainly in the great railroad January to May, 1827, from Summit Hill State of Pennsylvania, and perhaps in the to the Lehigh river Mauch Chunk, 9 miles. whole United States.
Abraham Pott, now of Port Carbon, but , brought the first locomotive to the United in younger years long a citizen of Pottsville, built in 1826 and 1827 a railroad which was
about half a mile in length and extended from the junction of Mill Creek and the Schuylkill River to a point in Black Valley. Previously to that time all the coal which went to market was hauled in wagons to the canal. This pioneer railway was made with wooden rails, laid on wooden sills, and there were no iron rails on it. It was successfully operated. In 1828 or 1829 the Board of Directors of the Schuylkill Canal
were much surprised to see a train of 13 cars loaded with 112 tons of coal each, drawn to the canal by one horse. When the originator of the enterprise predicted to them that in less than ten years they would find that a railroad along the banks of the Schuylkill from Philadelphia to the coal region would be competing with their canal in the transportation of coal, they told him he was crazy. And when Joseph Lyons who was Superintendent of the North American Coal Company which had just commenced operations, coincided in the opinion thus expressed by Mr. Pott, and advised them to get a charter to authorize them to build a railroad along the line of their canal-they said he was crazy too. After events disclosed that Mr. Pott was correct in his idea, for in 1835 work had been begun on the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad, and in 1842 the first train from Mt. Carbon had passed over it. Had it not been for the obstacle of the necessity for a tunnel at Port Clinton, it is almost certain that within the ten years limitation given by him, the last named road would have been in operation. In relation to this new comer-this scout sent as it were by the railroads which have taken possession of so great an extent of the land of the state and country-it may be well to add that the first horso railroad of the country has long been supposed on
The Delaware & Hudson Canal Company States, in the spring of 1829. But the first one used here was built by Foster, Ras-
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trick & Company, of Stourbridge, Eng- i land, for the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company, and it was used first in the summer of 1829.
Mr. Abraham Pott also used cars un- loading coal by opening the bottom of the car instead of dumping the car, and also bad the wheels of his cars fixed on the axles-and he claims to have been the ori- nator of both these ideas ; since so widely adopted.
To the same man belongs the distin- guished credit of having been the first. to make a practically successful experiment for the use of anthracite coal as a fuel to generate steam for the steam engine. He had as early as 1825 built in Black Valley a saw mill driven by the water of a small stream, but he found the power insufficient, and in 1829 he substituted for the water power a' steam engine-the first used in Schuylkill county. He applied to a Mr. Morris and to Rush. & Muhlenberg, in regard to furn- ishing it, but he found that Prosper Mar- tin of Philadelphia, offered bim the best terms; and by Prosper Martin, assisted by Henry G. Robinson, of Schuylkill Haven, the engine was put in its place ready for work in the fall of the year 1829. That engine was to have been 10 horse power and that was the power developed by it with the steam which its boiler was capa- ble of supplying, but if it had had a suffi- ciently strong boiler in proportion to the size of the cylinder Mr. Pott thinks it would have been about 60 horse power. The cylinder had previously been used in another engine and was 14 inches in di- ameter and 4 foot stroke, At the same time the New York & Schuylkill Coal Co .. had for sale a steam engine which was ly- ing at the landing below Mt. Carbon, at a place then known as Lewisport and I have; and had a cylinder diameter of 4 inches found upon examining the Miners' Journal and 16 inches stroke. It was about 4 horse power.
of May 2nd, 1829, an advertisement that this New York and Schuylkill Co.'s engine was for sale. It however was a low pres- and Mr. Pott did not 'ry it because he de- sired to accomplish running an engine with anthracite coal, and he was afraid to the town. undertake it with the low pressure engine ;
with return flue boilers. Previously 10 that time no practically successful attempt to generate the steam for an engine wit !! anthracite coal had ever been made. As Mr. Pott learned in Philadelphia. the great obstacle had been that the anthracite spee- dily burned ont the grate bars. He started his engine fire on the old style of grate bars, nearly square being about 1} inches by 2 inches in thickness and about 4 feet in length. Those bars were burned out for him in about 12 hours. Nothing daunt- ed, he sent a pattern to Windsor Furnace. near Hamburg, and had new bars cast, and in the meantime, which was about two days, he ran the engine with wood. The new pattern was his own invention and the bars were made about 12 inches on the top and about 4 inches 'deep in the centre and 2 inches at each end, and al- most identical in form with those in use at the present time. His idea in making them of this form was to create a current of cold air around them. The first set lasted about two months. When the next bars were to be cast he made what he con- siders an improvement, raising the top of the bar in the center and putting a bear- ing point in the center. The price he was to pay for his engine was $1,800, but. it cost in all when completed $3,000. It was operated successfully for more than a ve ir and was then stopped because all his tim- ber near it had been sawed.
Subsequently, in 1832, George W. Snyder, now of Pottsville, but who was then employed by Rash & Muh- lenberg, of Philadelphia, put up a steam engine for the purpose of driving the machinery in the machine shop of Benjamin Haywood, at Port Carbon. It had been made by Rush & Muhlenberg
In the year 1835 was formed a partner- ship between Benjamin Haywood and
sure engine with return flues in boiler, George W. Snyder, which has been of very great benefit to Pottsville, and deserves more than mere mention in any sketch of
The intelligent enterprise and splendid
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business courage of these two men, first as partners, and afterwards when they had taken separate paths, have given employ- ment to hundreds of men in Potts- ville, and created iron works which attract the admiration of strangers
and reflect honor upon the town. In the year stated Haywood & Snyder erected the steam engine works, called the "Colliery Iron Works," to which they added a foundry in 1836. Mr. Haywood withdrew from the firm in 1850, and the business has since been continuously con- ducted by George W . Snyder. When these works were first established they employed about fifty men, and now when run to their full capacity two hundred employees are required.
In 1845 the Colliery Iron Works made for the large Montour Iron Works the first rolls for the manufacture of T rails ever turned within the State of Pennsylvania, and the date of the making of which was so nearly identical with that of the first pro- duction of rolls for T rails at the Mt. Savage Mill, in Maryland, that it is impossible to determine with certainty which is entitled to priority. The probability is that the Montour rolls were made before those of the Mt. Savage Works, and unquestionably one or the other of these two mills produced the first T rails manufactured in this coun- try.
Each of the two establishments, the Mon- tour Works and the Mt. Savage Works, sent to Congress upon the same day, July 4th, 1845, a T rail of their own manufac- ture. It is certain that the Montour Mill if not first completed, was at least vastly larger than that at Mt Savage. It is pleas- ant to know that just thirty-one years ago, a Pottsville firm was helping to celebrate in so creditable a manner the anniversary of our nation's Independence.
The Palo Alto Iron Works which had ; quent success in making anthracite iron. been established by Lee, Bright & Co., for without it none can be made.
(Richard Lee, George Bright and William Harris, ) in 1855, became the property of Benjamin Haywood & Co., in 1856, and subsequently Benjamin Haywood became the sole proprietor. The value of these large mills to the community, and the ex- tent of the benefits which Mr. Haywood's successful management of them has con- ferred, will be appreciated by any person
who has seen how many employees were given work when the now motionless ma- chinery was in active operation. When first erected, Palo Alto Iron Works could boast but one heating furnace and three single puddling furnaces. They now have a capacity of 10 heating furnaces and 28 single puddling furnaces. To run both mills when in full operation, requires about 500 men and boys. When first erected, these works were capable of pro- ducing from 150 to 200 tons of railroad iron per month; at present they are capable of making 1, 500 tons per month.
The indomitable energy and excellent business perceptions which have enabled Messrs. Atkins Bros. to achieve a series of victories, under circumstances which would have led most men to defeat, have given to Pottsville the present large "Pio- neer Furnaces, " and the extensive works of the "Pottsville Rolling Mill." Mr. William Atkins has kindly furnished me with the following description of the estab- lishments.
(It is perhaps best to preface it with the statement, that before 1836, Thomas S. Ridgway, John Pott, Jr., and , M. B. Buckley had succeeded at Pottsville in melting iron ore with anthracite coal-but they had not been able to obtain the iron separate-the cinder and iron being mixed together in a conglomerate mass. )
"To Schuylkill county belongs the hon- or of two very important discoveries in the process of making pig iron.
"The Valley Furnace, located near New Philadelphia, about six miles north-east of Pottsville, was built about 1808 as a charcoal furnace. In 1837 Doctor Geis- enheimer made an effort to make iron. using anthracite coal for fuel and heat- ing the bla-t, andl it is to this invention of the hot blast that we owe all subse-
"The Pioneer Furn ceat Pottsville. was commenced in 1837 and was the first out built to use anthracite coal for fuel. it making iron, and it was here the first successful blast was made with anthra- cite.
"This furnace passed through many hands and was finally, in 1555, porcudet .l by Atkins Brothers.
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"The furnace was much improved by ! them immediately after its purchase, and was, in 1866, torn down and a new one! The erected in its stead. Since then two more . have been built with a total annual ca- jeph Derr's Stove Foundry, Simon Derr's Stove Foundry, Noble & Potts' Boiler Works, Sparks' Boiler Works, George D Roseberry's Bolt and Spike Works.
pacity of 28,000 tons, giving employment to 150 men, while in 1840 but 2,000 tons per annum were produced and say 20 men employed.
"Since 1840 the pig iron production of Schuylkill county has steadily increased, the following furnaces having been built: St. Clair furnace, built about 1850; Stan- hope furnace; Minersville furnace, built in 1872; and Port Carbon and Ringgold furnaces, built the same year; giving to Schuylkill county a yearly capacity of 68,000 tons of pig iron and employing 400 men.
"The Pottsville Rolling Mill was built in 1852 by John Burnish & Co. for manu- facturing bar iron and small rails, it con- tained 3 puddle and one heating furnace, giving employment to 40 men and making 125 tons per month. In 1864 this mill was purchased by Atkins. Bros., who rebuilt it in 1865; it now has 36 puddle and S heating furnaces, producing 2,000 tons of iron per month and giving employment to 500 men.
"The capacity of manufactured iron has, like pig iron, increased very rapidly in this county, and there are now the follow- ing mills built, Palo Alto, Port Carbon, Mount Carbon, Schuylkill Haven. Ta- magna and L'ttle Schuylkill, producing 55,000 tons per annum, employing 1,200 men."
Besides these establishments may mentioned the following named ;
be Washington Iron Works, Pom- roy & Son's Iron Works, Jos.
In a sketch like the present it is im- possible to refer to all the various churches, orders, associations and com- panies which have from time to time been formed in this borough. They have re- cords which preserve their history and time forbids me to name and describe hem. And because this is a sketch of the history of Pottsville as a community and not of individual citizens. it is im- practicable to present biographies, how- ever brief, of men, who as ministers, law- yers, physicians or in other vocations. have been instrumental in making Potts- ville what we see her to day
It is perhaps best to note at this point the military companies and the fire com- pantes of which Pottsville can boast.
No town within the limits of the Com- monwealth possesses two military com- panies superior to the Gowen Guards and the Pott-ville Light Infantry.
The property of our people is protected from fire by five - xcellent fire companies- the Humane Hose and Steam Fire En- gine Company, No. 1: the Good Intent Steam Fire Eng ne Company, N . 1: the American Hose Company, the Phoenix Fire Company, and the Atkins' Steam Fire Company. And no pl.ce in the land throughout which this day is cele- brated can point to braver or prompter firemen than are found within these or- ganizations in Pottsville.
The Orchard Iron works were founded by John L. Pott. in 1816, employing about SO men and boys, and i run to full capac- ity, as since exte del would require 100 employees-on some occasions as many as 140 have been employed there. The spe- The Pottsville Water Company was char- tered April 11th, 1834, and commenced sup- plying water in 1836. The first capital subscribed $14, 200, was increased from time to time, as the demands of population required. and in 1873 it had been increased to $200,000. They have 30 miles of pipe cial line of work of this establishment has been, making machinery for the man- ufacture of iron. and from it such ta- chinery has been sent to many parts of the United States. some years ago the Or hard Iron Works were building at the which is from 3 inches to 12 inches in same time machinery for icon mills in diameter, and they have a larze reservoir Maine and iron mills in Georgia.
Jon Eisenhuth Run, which when full will
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overflow 97 acres of land, a storage suffi- for teachers salaries $22,775.33, other cur- vient to supply Pottsville for 30 years to come. They have about 1, 800 private con- sumers, and supply the railroad company at the round house, several stations on Mill creek and Norwegian creek, besides a
rent expenses $11, 059.19; total for current expenses for year $33, 834.52. What a long and glorious tale these figures unfold! To how many children these schools have given an education, that in former years number of collieries, foundries and machine ' they could not possibly have obtained shops. within childhood's days! How eloquently would Thaddeus Stephens, were he still living, dwell upon such a story on such an occasion as the present ! Well may Ameri- can citizens to-day thank God for the pub- lic school !
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Though not in chronological order, may now be described the Pottsville Gas Com- pany. It was organized in 1849, and erected the works the same year. capital stock $60,000. The works were rebuilt and enlarged in 1856, and were again enlarged in 1874. They now have a purifying and holder capacity of about 150, 000 cubic feet per 24 hours, which will be ample for many years to come. 'They manufacture about 12, 000, 000 cubic feet of gas per annum, and have about 10 miles of street mains, from 3 inches to 12 inches in diameter. They supply about 850 consumers, and furnish gas for 143 public street lamps.
The books of the Commissioners' office show that in 1830, the year of the first assess- ment of the town, after it had been incor- porated as a borough, the valuation of property was $230,888, and the taxes on those books amounted $664.0712. In 1876 we find the valuation $6, 187, 871, and taxes on Commissioners' book $34, 349.65.
Pottsville is justly proud of her excellent public schools. They were first opened in 1836. The first school board was elected September 19th, 1834, and on December 19th of the same year, the board made their first purchase of property for school "TO THE PUBLIC. purposes, which consisted of one pine "The Miners' Journal is transferred to Mr. Benjamin Bannan, together with the right to collect all debts due the establishment transferred to me by Mr. Bradford. table, five desks and ten benches, and the suin total expended was exactly five dol- lars. On March 4th, 1836, the board elected the first teachers, two in number. SERGEANT HALL." In 1838 there were 258 scholars in the And al-o an advertisement dated April 25th, 1829, over the signature of Benjamin Bannan, giving notice that he had pur- chased the newspaper. schools. In 1858 the average monthly en- rollment of scholars was 1, 287. At present there are under the efficient management of B. F. Patterson, Esq., Superintendent, The Weekly Miners' Journal has had a long and successful career. Mr. Bannan's active brain and persevering labor carried it steadily forward, while other papers Were not sustained. He was always honest and always earnest, and never was more happy than when penning an article which he thought would benefit the peo- 65 public schools in this borough, with a total yearly enrollment of about 2, 700 scholars, monthly enrollment of about 2,200, and daily attendance of about 2, 000. The estimated value of the borough school property is $200,000. I have not yet seen the report of the expenditures for the year just closed, but those for current expenses only, of the year ending June 1875, were | ple of this town. He has ceased from
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