USA > Pennsylvania > Bucks County > History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania: From the Discovery of the Delaware to the Present Time (Volume 1 and 2) > Part 22
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The earliest mention of Durham cave is found on Scull's "Map of the. Province of Pennsylvania," 1770, but the first description of it is in Hazard's Register, vol. 1, page 132, 1802. Rafinesque, who visited it 1836, wrote of it as follows: "Durham Cave, once called 'Devil's Den,' is another natural cur-
17 B. F. Fackenthall, Jr., of Riegelsville says: "From what my father and grand- father told me. I think General Morgan was born on plat No. 1. The place pointed out to me is about thirty yards south of the line No. 30 ard No. 1, and is on No. 1. on the north side of Durham creek, in the western angle the Small Laubach run makes with the Durham creek, and empties into it."
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iosity * * in a limestone valley. The entrance to the cave is ample and shelving, thirty feet wide, ten feet high. It has often been described and is not remarkable for any great wonder, nor has it any fossils. I only went a .little way in it, but it extends three hundred yards.18
Toward the close of the eighteenth century an attempt was made to have Durham and Springfield townships annexed to Northampton county. Among those who favored the movement, and was probably at the head of it, was Richard Backhouse, proprietor of the furnace. He had secured the services of Anthony Lerch, Jr., Lower Saucon, ancestor of the Lerchs of Durham, who was member of Assembly for Northampton county, who introduced a resolution to this effect in the house, but it failed to pass. Lerch writes to Backhouse, that the measure failed because the petition for annexation had but one hundred and twenty names to it, while the remonstrances against it con- tained two hundred, and that if he is in earnest he must go to more trouble and get more names, remarking by way of suggestion. "A man from Westmoreland cannote no a boy's name from a man's name. You know well enough what I mean, if not come to my house and I will tell you the hole story. If you can send two hundred signers I can get them annexed to Northampton." Political morals of that day were nothing to brag of-hardly better than now!
On the farm of Abraham Boyer, near Riegelsville, is a natural sink-hole, quite a curiosity. A considerable stream formed by several springs, after a course of half a mile, entirely disappears and is not seen again. Reference to the draft of Durham will show location of sink-hole. Durham is watered by a fine stream bearing its name its tributaries coming from two main branches rising in Springfield, both from springs. One rises just west of Springtown and is called by some Funk's creek, the other, in the southern part of the town- ship, is called Cook's creek. This name was formerly applied down to its mouth at the Delaware, but is now given to its southwest and main tributary. The earliest name given to it was "Schook's Creek," and "Cook's" may be a corruption of it, as the origin of the latter cannot be traced. We are told "Schook" is said to be a "Pennsylvania Dutch" word, signifying "of a sudden" or "by fits and starts," which fitly expresses the sudden rise and fall in the stream.1812 It flows through one of the most fertile valleys in the county, ex- tending into the western part of Springfield, and is rich and productive. The geo- logical theory is that this valley was the bed of a river before the glacial period
18 The cave, originally, extended three hundred feet into the solid limestone rock, and for many centuries, was the abode of prehistoric man. Before him, it was a den, or convenient shelter, for wild animals, as is shown by the numerous fossil bones discovered in its spacious chambers. There were three rooms, or levels, divided by three steep transverse ledges of limestone, each extending one hundred feet into the gloomy subterranean abode to a small lakelet. The levels or chambers, averaged from twelve to twenty feet in width and the same in height. with several lateral caverns extending .east and west. One of the chambers is called "Queen Esther's" room, after a so-called noted half-breed Indian woman. When the cave was in a state of good preservation, fifty years ago, it was much visited .- Charles Laubach.
1812 Mr. Ruth believes the name of this creek to be of Indian origin, and was first mentioned Sept. 8, 1717, in the patent of Jeremiah Langhorne and John Chapman, and at that time there were no Germans in the township. In that patent the stream is called . "Schook creek." On the other side we have the original deed, Feb. 10, 1727, by which Samuel Powell, Philadelphia, conveys Durham to Jeremiah Langhorne, and his eleven associates. In this instrument the creek is spelled "Scook" creek. Doctors will differ.
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and the Delaware had burst through at the water gap. The continuation of. the valley can be traced across New Jersey to the Raritan at Bound Brook, which may have afforded an outlet to the sea, or possibly part of New Jersey was then submerged, and this river found its mouth nearer Pennsylvania's . shore. The valley presents testimony to support this theory.
Durham has three villages, Lehnenburg, originally Monroe, whose mod- ern builder was the late Mathias Lehnen, of Riegelsville, on the Delaware, and Durham, on the site of the first furnace. Thomas Rufe was the founder of Monroe. He bought plat 13 on the general plan of the Durham tract, January ·I, 1786, of one hundred and seventy-six acres, on which he built a log house,. and then a saw and grist mill, smith shop, and opened a ferry.18% Adam Romig set up a tavern in Pursell's house, and the latter opened the river road down to Kintnerville and out to the Durham road. The ferry was much used by people going from New Jersey to Philadelphia. Thomas Pursell's dwelling is still standing and occupied as a tavern. In 1797 Pursell built a mill in New Jersey, opposite Riegelsville, at the mouth of Musconetcong creek. In 1793 he bought plat 12 next to 13 and disposing of all his property, 1807, sold plat 12 to Michael Fackenthall and 13 to Charles and Thomas Meredith, of New Britain. He then moved over to Finesville, New Jersey, and died there 1821 .. He was twice married and left a large family. Lehnenburg has a population of less than one hundred, with saw and gristmill, tavern and store. Riegels- ville is on the Delaware, a mile above. Prior to 1800 three brothers, Shank,. occupied a log house on the village site. Benjamin Riegel bought them out,. 1807, built a stone barn, 1814, stone house, 1820, brick dwelling, 1832, and a stone house by his nephew. The improvement was slow until 1862, when' Abraham Boyer purchased the Riegel property and began selling building lots.
Riegelsville, 1872, had forty taxables with two churches, hall for the use of Odd Fellows and American Mechanics, etc., common and high school, two stores, tavern and postoffice. The bridge across the Delaware was built 1838 .. At the present time Riegelsville has one hundred dwellings, and with its twin sister on the opposite side of the river, a population of nearly one thousand. The village has an Academy, with an average attendance of sixty, also a pub- lic library of four thousand volumes in that building. both the gift of the late John C. Riegel, 1885. Durham, named after the township, and seated half a. mile from the Springfield line, contained eight dwellings and sixteen taxables, in 1872, but has grown some since that time. The first store kept there by Richard Backhouse, 1780-92, followed by Thomas Mckean, 1796. We have already mentioned that the old Mansion House was kept as a tavern many." years, and George Heft was the landlord, 1805. In 1779. William Abbott built a house below Monroe, that was kept as a tavern to 1852, Philip Over- beck, and descendants, being the landlord for half a century. An old house,. half log, half stone, on the Northampton county line, was kept by Peter Knecht from 1798 to 1818, but has long since disappeared.
1834 The Durham 1727 furnace records of Dec. 18, 1788, says: "Thomas Pursell, miller, bought of Richard Backhouse, 3 fifty-six pound weights, I twenty-eight pound" weight, and I seven pound weight for weighing grain in his mill" at Monroe, formerly,. now Lehnenburg. The mill is yet in operation and doing good work. The saw mill,. erected about 1774, according to the Durham Furnace records, is also in operation, using steam. Mr. Pursell furnished sawed lumber for repairs at the furnace for many years .. Later he erected two saw-mills on the Musconetcong. New Jersey, where he was buried" about 100 yards east of the Riegelsville station.
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Besides Pursell's ferry at Monroe and Shank's at Riegelsville, there was one nearly opposite Durham furnace, called Stillwell or Brinker's ferry. This was one of the earliest ferries across the Upper Delaware, opened soon after the Chelsea forge was built at what is now Finesville, giving connection be- tween the old charcoal furnace and the forges on the Musconetcong, New Jersey. Shortly after, a road was opened along the west bank of Durham creek to the Delaware at the ferry landing. The Greenwich and Bloomsburg, New Jersey, forges commenced operations, 1760. This ferry obtained its name from Daniel Stillwell, who superintended it, 1779-1793, while Richard Back- house operated the 1727 Durham furnace, but, when the furnace blew out, 1793, the ferry passed into the hands of the Brinker family and was known as the "Brinker Ferry." After Cooper & Hewitt bought the furnace, in 1876, they located the ferry higher up the river and it began operations in February, 1877, the object being the receiving and shipping fuel and freight to and from the Delaware-Belvidere railroad by a shorter and quicker route. The freight was formerly hauled a mile in wagons to reach the station. The ferry boat was eighty feet long, capable of holding two standard freight cars, and thus ferried over, a locomotive being necessary on each side of the river. Doubt- less all the neighboring ferries were established shortly after the furnace of 1727 was built.
There was a ford just above Riegelsville in the early days, but the name has not come down to us. Pursell's sawmill at Monroe,19 was the first in the township, but, about 1803, another was built just below Riegelsville, by Jacob Raub, and washed away by the freshet on the Delaware of 1828-29. There are three county bridges in the township across Durham creek, the earliest being built, 1819, and two were carried away by the freshet of 1860, but re- built. There are two old grave yards in the township, one at the corner of the road near the first furnace, and where the employes buried their dead, the other known as "Hineline's" graveyard, on a farm now owned by B. F. Fackenthall, Jr., on the road from the river to the Durham road near the Northampton county line. George Hineline, an early resident in Durham and Captain of militia in the Revolution, was buried in the graveyard that bears his name. The Shank family first settled in Williams township. Northampton county, and were members of that church as early as 1756.
Philip Fackenthall, originally spelled Fackenthal, founder of this family in Bucks county, was born in the Palatinate and immigrated to America, land- ing at Philadelphia, from the ship Robert and Alice, Sept. 24, 1742. He set- tled in Springfield. The name of his wife was Elizabeth, but whether mar- ried when he arrived we do not know. On May 19, 1753. he purchased one hundred and twenty-three acres of James Galbraith, near the Haycock line, where he settled down to farming, and died there, 1765. He was the father of five children : Michael, the eldest son, born May 23, 1756; Henry, Mary, Catharine and Elizabeth. Michael, the most prominent member of the family,
19 Thirty years ago, while excavating for a new building at Lehnenburg, the workmen found three stone journals in which the axles of an old mill wheel had run. They were made of the Mondock stone and Captain Lehnen deposited them in the museum of the Bucks County Historical Society. Mathias Lehnen, who gave the name to the village, was of some local prominence in Upper Bucks. When the Civil war . broke out, 1861-65, he entered the 104th Pa. Regt. serving with credit for three years, first as a lieutenant in that Regiment and then as quarter-master. He died August 10, 1898.
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was brought up on his father's farm. When the Revolution broke out he es- poused the cause of the colonies and shortly enrolled himself. It is related of Michael Fackenthall, that when called upon to enrol he was in the harvest field, but cutting his sickel into a post, signed his name at the head of the Springfield Associators. His military record is highly creditable. In June 4, 1776, the Continental Congress resolved to establish a "Flying Camp" of ten thousand men in the middle colonies, of which Bucks county was to furnish a battalion of four hundred. Joseph Hart, of Warminster, was appointed col- onel, and Valentine Opp, Springfield, one of the captains. In this company young Fackenthall enlisted, was appointed a sergeant, and served with his company in a six months campaign, returning home in December. On the night of November 16, he was with his company and battalion in the attack on a force of Hessians on Staten Island, capturing part of them. He was subse- quently attacked with camp fever, and prevented taking part in the defense of Fort Washington. He received an honorable discharge at the end of his enlist- ment and six minths pay. Michael Fackenthall re-entered the service in 1781, as second lieutenant of Captain Christopher Wagner's company, and per- formed a two months tour in New Jersey. Among the officers he is mentioned as serving under, on this occasion, were Governor Reed, of New Jersey, and Brigadier-General John Lacey, of this county.
In 1807 Michael Fackenthall removed to Durham township, with which he was subsequently identified and where he spent his life. He purchased plat 12, of the Durham lands, on which he removed and occupied himself as a farmer and general business man. He built a sawmill at the lower end of Wyker's island in the Delaware, where he carried on a large lumber trade. He took an active part in politics; was many years justice of the peace, elected county commissioner, member of the Assembly, 1812-15, and died January 21, 1846, in his ninetieth year. Michael Fackenthall married Christina Derr, Spring- field, born September 24, 1754, and died 1828, at the age of seventy-four. Michael and Christina Fackenthall were the parents of five children, Catharine born June 18, 1779 married Younkin, and died March, 1859. Anna Maria, born February 22, 1785, died January 23, 1864. John born February 11, 1790, married Elizabeth Adams (born January 25, 1791, died May 4, 1878, leaving six children). John Fackenthall held several public trusts, was a member of Assembly, 1825-27, Register of Wills. 1836, Brigade Inspector of Militia, and died November 21, 1865. Peter Fackenthall, fourth child of Michael and Christina, born June 12, 1792, married Elizabeth Long, of Dur- ham, born December 4, 1796, died June 12, 1877. They were the parents of twelve children. Two of the sons served in the Civil war; one in the 174th Pennsylvania militia, subsequently in the 19th Pennsylvania Cavalry, and died in the hospital at Memphis, Tennessee, December 5, 1864: the other in the 34th New Jersey Infantry. Michael, born May 13, 1795, a land surveyor and conveyancer by profession, was also a farmer and in the lumber business with his father. He died February 15, 1872, leaving one son, Benjamin F. Fackenthall, a graduate of Lafayette College, and for many years a prominent member of the Northampton county bar.
There are four churches in Durham township. The Presbytery of New Brunswick sent supplies to Durham as early as 1739, which led to the organi- zation of a Presbyterian congregation in 1742. The church building was used for many years, jointly by the Presbyterians. Lutherans and Reformed. When the original building was erected we do not know, but a new one was built in 1813 on a lot given by William Long and wife, and rebuilt, 1857. It was
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48x65 feet. The Rev. Boyer was the first pastor in the new house. Since 1794, the Presbyterian pastors have been, besides Mr. Boyer, the Revs. John Jacob Hoffmeyer, 1794-1806; Shephen Bishop; John Gray; Joseph McCool, 1833-35 ; William B. Sloan; William Long and Jesse Cawley, laymen, 1835 ;- Joseph Worrell, 1836; John Y. Yeomans, 1843; Charles Nassau, D. D., 1844; John Carroll, 1849-53; William C. Cattell, 1856-1860; John L. Grant, 1860- 65 ; George W. Achenbaugh (Reformed) supply, 1866-67. The last services were held in the summer of 1876. While the Presbyterian congregation, worshipping at the Durham church, has dwindled away, the Lutheran and Reformed have maintained themselves. The names of the latter pastors offi- ciating were; Lutheran : Revs. John Nicholas Mensch, 1811-1823; Henry S. Miller, 1823-1838; C. F. Welden, 1838-1842; C. P. Miller, 1842-1865; W. S. Emery, 1865-1879; and O. H. Melchor, 1879. Reformed: Revs. Samuel Stahr, 1812-1813; William T. Gerhart, 1844-1859; William C. Phillips, 1857- 1859, preached in English for Mr. Gerhart ; David Rothrock, 1859-1884 ;. Rev. Edmunds, March, 1885, to March, 1886; David Rothrock, March, 1886, to September, 1887; Samuel H. Phillips, Sept. 24, 1887, to July, 1895; Howard Long, layman, July, 1895 to June 1, 1896; J. M. S. Lenberg, June 1, 1896, to Sept. 11, 1897 ; and J. A. Wertz, 1897.
In 1848-49, a Presbyterian church was built at Riegelsville, the Rev. John Carrol being the first pastor, and services were held with more or less regular- ity until 1869. The pastors officiating were supplied from the Durham con- gregation, and from the faculty of Lafayette College. In 1850, the Reformed"" and Lutheran congregations of Riegelsville erected a Union church, the first service being held in 1851. The Reformed congregation was organized by Dr. John H. A. Bomberger, afterwards president of Ursinus College, services. being held in the village school house several years prior to the erection of the Union church building. Dr. Bomberger was pastor to 1854, assisted, part of the time, by the Rev. William H. Zieber. Following Dr. Bomberger was Dr. Thomas G. Apple, afterward professor at Franklin-Marshall College, 1854-56; Rev. William Phillips. 1856-63; Dr. George W. Achenbaugh, 1863-64, when he resigned to accept the presidency of Tiffin College, Ohio. He was recalled and was pastor of the church, 1865-73, when he resigned a second time, to accept the presidency of the Palatinate College at Myerstown, Pennsylvania. Dr. R. Leighton Gerhart, 1873-80; J. Calvin Leinbach, 1880-84: B. B. Ferer. 1884. In 1873, the Reformed congregation sold its interest in the Union church to the Lutherans, erected a new church building and was incorporated as "The St. John Reformed church of Riegelsville." On the same premises. the congregation have erected a stone parsonage, sexton's house, an academy building and residence for the principal. The church has a permanent en- dowment fund yielding one thousand three hundred dollars a year, used for educational and library purposes. The Lutheran church at Riegelsville was organized, 1850, by the Rev. John Mc -. D. D., whose pastorate continued but a few months, and was followed by Revs. J. R. Willox, 1851-60; C. L. Keedy, 1860-62; Nathan Yeager. 1862-63: Theophilus Heileg. 1864-76; D. T. Kozer, 1877-87: C. L. Flack, 1887. The Roman Catholic church has been represented by its membership for many years. The first religious services were held, 1849, when Father Reardon celebrated mass in private houses. Services continued to be held regularly in private houses until 1872, when a
20 At the 300th anniversary of the adoption of the Heidelberg catechism, 1863, this congregation made a century offering of $2,098.50:
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chapel was erected on property donated by Cooper and Hewitt, where the following clergymen have officiated: Fathers Reardon, Wachter, Newfield, Koppernagel, Laughran, Marsterstech, Stommel, Welsh, Krake and others. Methodist Episcopal services were held in private houses at the furnace as early as 1850. In 1877, when a graded school was established at the fur- nace, one of the old school houses was bought by the Methodist congregation and converted into a church. but the congregation being weak, their effort to maintain a regular organization was not successful. The building was subse- quently purchased by E. P. Laubach and converted into a dwelling house. Since then services have been held at irregular intervals at Riegelsville, some- times at private houses, and at other times in the public halls. For the past few years, services have been conducted by Reverend Hartzell, although not as a regular organized Methodist church.
Among the early Reformed ministers in Upper Bucks and the lower part of Northampton. were Frederick L. Henop, pastor at Easton, and died at Reading, 1785: Betthahn, who died in one of the Carolinas: J. W. Ingold, J. W. Winkhaus, who resided in Montgomery county, and was subsequently pastor of a church in Philadelphia. where he died of yellow fever, 1793; Nicholas Pomp and son Thomas, both of Easton, and John Mann, pastor at Lower Saucon. The Rev. Samuel Hess, many years pastor of several churches in the upper part of the county, lived in retirement at Hellertown, a number of years.
The log school house, built near the 1727-40 furnace on the Philadelphia- Easton road. was one of the earliest in that section. The first teacher was Wil- liam Satterthwait. 1740-45, at a fixed salary, and then occasionally until 1760. He was followed by eleven other teachers, including John Ross, James Back- house, Richard H. Homer, 1746, Thomas Mckean, and among the branches taught were the classics and higher mathematics. The old house was taken down, 1800, and two new ones erected, one near the furnace, the other at Lau- bach's. The former was called "Long's school house." and schools were kept in them until 1842. Rufe's school house on the Easton road midway between Durham and Stony Point, was built, 1802, Samuel Eichline giving the lot.21 The first house was a log, and a stone addition added. By 1832 a stone house occupied its place. In 1861 a new house was erected and is still in use. The Riegelsville school building has a history. In 1848 the Durham Presbyterian congregation bought two lots in the village for church purposes, of Benjamin Riegel and John Boyer, and a church building was erected. 1849. It was used until 1869, a number of ministers officiating, including Dr. W. C. Cattell, presi- dent of Lafayette College. In 1867 Prof. C. W. Fancher opened an academy in the basement, and was succeeded by D. R. Williamson, 1869, with other teachers meanwhile. The church was closed in 1872 for want of support, and, 1874, fell into the hands of the school board. Since then it has been twice enlarged and improved, the last time, 1895. The school ranks among the best in the county. Since 1884 Riegelsville has had what was equivalent to six newspapers, the last and oldest being still in the flesh when this was written.
21 The ground. whereon Rufe's school house is located, was conveyed by Charles . Eichline to George Kressler and George Ruth, trustees of the Nockamixon and Spring- field congregations. "in trust for the Lutheran and Evangelical congregations in Dur- ham township." February 6. 1790, for school and church purposes. The amount paid for it, was ten shillings. Deed Book 63. page 126. It is probable the first schoolhouse was erected soon after the above date. 11-2
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For further particulars see chapter on newspapers. Among the objects of in- terest in Durham, for many years, were two famous shellbark hickories, sup- posed to be two hundred years old, among the tallest trees in the county. One, having begun to decay, was recently cut down and made into fire wood. . They were about the same age and both stately giants of the forest.
In 1793 there were two distilleries in Durham, one owned by Henry Houpt and the other by Michael Fackenthall. The tannery, formerly David Algard's, was built by Richard Backhouse, 1792. The Durham Vigilant Horse Company was organized, 1832. The surface of Durham is rolling, in some parts the swells rising into the dignity of hills, nevertheless the soil is fertile and good crops repay the labor of the farmer. In the valley of Durham creek there are many fine farms, and the sloping hillsides are cultivated to their summit.22 In 1783 the taxables of Durham were seventy-four and the tax £103. 15s. 6d .; in 1803 there were but seventy-six taxables, the valuation $28,930.93, and the taxes $154.92 ; in 1871 the total valuation of the township was $430,970.00, and the state and county tax levied $3.661.28. The number of taxables at that time was 321. The population of Durham, 1784, was 360 whites, four blacks, and thirty-three dwellings ; in 1810, 404; 1820, 485; 1830, 750, and 127 taxables; 1840, 691 ; 1850, 948: 1860, 1,208; 1870, 1,209, of which 125 were of foreign birth ; 1880, 1,420; 1890, 1,783 : and 1,624 in 1900. The postoffice at Durham was established in 1832, and John H. Johnson appointed postmaster ; at Riegels- ville, 1847, and Tobias Worman, postmaster, the Durham office being called Monroe.
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