USA > Pennsylvania > Carbon County > History of Carbon County, Pennsylvania; also containing a separate account of the several boroughs and townships in the county, with biographical sketches, 2nd ed > Part 20
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Flagstaff Park, reached by the line of the Carbon Transit Company, has in recent years become a popu- lar resort. The name Flagstaff came into vogue about half a century ago. At that time, upon the very sum- mit of the mountain stood a hemlock tree, in all its stately grandeur, until one day during a severe storm it was struck by lightning, which divested it of its bark and branches, leaving the trunk uninjured.
At the opening of the Civil War, a party of young men nailed to this staff a flag bearing the stars and stripes, which here remained until torn to shreds by the bleak storms of winter. During the Franco-Prus- sian War, some sympathizing friends unfurled the Prussian flag from the same staff. But it was destined
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to a sad fate, for on the ensuing night the partisans of the French felled the famous flagstaff to the ground.
On July 4, 1898, when the successful conduct of the Spanish-American War was stirring the patriotism of the nation, a cable was strung from the Flagstaff to the summit of Bear mountain, on the opposite side of the Lehigh, from which the largest flag ever swung to the breeze in America was suspended. It was over seventy-five feet long and fifty feet wide.
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CHAPTER XVII.
MAUCH CHUNK TOWNSHIP.
In considering the value of their natural resources, Mauch Chunk stands first among the townships of Car- bon county, while in population it is second only to Banks, which leads by a small margin. Together with the boroughs within its borders, it contains the richest deposits of anthracite coal known to exist in the world.
The township was organized in 1827, its territory being taken principally from East Penn, while a small portion was taken from Lausanne, and subsequently a tract of land east of the Lehigh river was added. This addition was equal in size to about one-third of the township as at first constituted.
The Nesquehoning creek, forming the northern boundary, flows eastwardly and empties into the Le- high opposite Coalport. The valley drained by this stream lies between the Broad mountain on the north and Locust mountain on the south. The last named forms an angle with Sharp mountain, which extends westwardly into Schuylkill county. Mount Pisgah, on the Lehigh, and Mount Jefferson, near Summit Hill, tower above the summit of this mountain. The Ma- honing mountain lies on the southern border of the township. Between this and Sharp mountain Mauch Chunk creek flows eastwardly into the Lehigh. Be- tween Locust and Sharp mountains is the Panther Creek Valley, where most of the coal in the township is deposited.
The Landing tavern, situated at the junction of the Nesquehoning creek and the Lehigh, was the first dot
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of civilization to appear upon this wild and moun- tainous tract, so entirely forbidding in appearance, yet containing a vast concealed treasure, which, when found, brought wealth and comfort to thousands. The spot where it stood was known as Lausanne. This tav- ern, erected at an early period in the last century, was the resort of hunters, surveyors, prospectors for coal, raftsmen and the occasional travelers who found their way into the picturesque but desolate valley of the Upper Lehigh. It was built at about the time of the opening of the Lehigh and Susquehanna turnpike, the line of which diverged from the river at this point, fol- lowing a more direct course over the mountains toward Berwick.
A man named Abram Klotz is suppposed to have been the first landlord of this famous old tavern. For a time it was kept by John Rothermel, father of the celebrated artist of that name. Another landlord was Isaac A. Chapman, who was appointed postmaster of Lausanne in 1817. The last keeper of the tavern, which was abandoned about 1873, was Jacob Buss.
It was the intention of the founders of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company to locate their principal town at Lausanne; but the owners of the land there refused to part with it for a fair price, with the result that the present site of Mauch Chunk was chosen.
The boroughs of Mauch Chunk, East Mauch Chunk, Summit Hill and Lansford are situated in this town- ship. Nesquehoning is now the only town of any great importance in the district which has not been incor- porated. Excepting that many of its workmen own their own homes, most of the real estate in the town- ship belongs to the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Com- pany, and the mining and shipping of coal is the pre- ponderating industry.
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Nesquehoning is, next to Summit Hill, the oldest of the mining towns of this company. The name is of Indian origin, signifying narrow valley.
The coal produced at Nesquehoning was originally carried to Mauch Chunk on the Rhume Run gravity railroad, along the line of the present electric road be- tween the two places. This railroad was built in 1830. For years mules were employed to haul the empty cars back to the mines, being later displaced by a wood- burning locomotive, which was brought across the mountains from Tamaqua by teams. The gravity road was abandoned upon the building of the Nesquehoning Valley Railroad, since controlled by the Central Rail- road of New Jersey.
The first house here was built for Thomas Kelly in 1824. One of the memorable events in the early his- tory of the town was the celebration of the centenary of Washington's birth, in 1832. The people of Lehigh- ton, Mauch Chunk, Lausanne and other places partici- pated in this patriotic function, one of the features of which was a great dinner, given at the home of N. Allen.
This locality was at first popularly known as "Hell's Kitchen," or "the Kitchen."
Packer, Harlan & Company held the first lease of the mines at Nesquehoning, which were subsequently operated by various firms. Since 1867, they have been worked directly by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company.
Years ago it was thought that most of the available coal had been exhausted, but later developments proved this view to have been very erroneous, and at the present rate of production there is still sufficient coal remaining unmined in this district to last for an in- definite period.
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The first breaker at Nesquehoning was run by water power, and it is believed that with a single exception it was the only one thus operated in the anthracite region.
The mines of this section are now drained by a tunnel four and one-half miles in length, extending from Nesquehoning to Coalport, near Mauch Chunk. This tunnel, which cost a fabulous sum, was begun in 1906 and completed early in 1912. It is the purpose of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company to ex- tend it westward through the Panther Creek Valley, perhaps as far as Tamaqua.
The first school here was started in 1830. There are now two school buildings in the place, one of which accommodates the township high school. Twenty-two schools are maintained throughout the township, and a supervisory principal is employed.
A postoffice was established at Nesquehoning in 1838 with Joseph Minehard in charge. It was at first kept at the store of the company operating the colliery. In 1910, the office was raised to the presidential rank.
St. Patrick's Roman Catholic church, the first house of worship to be erected between Mauch Chunk and Tamaqua, was built in 1839, under the leadership of Rev. James Maloney. For some time it was attended by missionaries from Easton, and services were held only a few times each year. About 1848, Rev. Patrick J. Hennegan, a conspicuous figure in the early history of Catholicity in this portion of the coal fields, ap- peared upon the scene. He was at first stationed at Tamaqua, and had a large field of labor. In 1850, he took up his residence at Nesquehoning. The only re- minder of this church is the graveyard which adjoined it, in which lie the remains of many of the first Catho- lics of Mauch Chunk, who worshipped here before the
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organization of a church of their faith at that place. The church of the Sacred Heart is the successor of that first named.
The Methodist Episcopal church was organized in 1863 by Rev. Henry H. Davis. David Trevarrow was a local preacher of the congregation. The present build- ing was dedicated in 1890, and is a memorial to James Meeds, a former resident of Nesquehoning, who con- tributed liberally towards its erection.
The First Baptist church of Summit Hill is the mother of the church of that denomination at Nesque- honing.
St. Mary's Greek Catholic church, a handsome struc- ture costing sixteen thousand dollars, was built in 1910. It is a mission of St. John's church of Lansford.
For some years past the town has been furnished with water by the Panther Valley Water Company, and it is lighted by the Panther Valley Electric Light, Heat and Power Company. The Tamaqua and Lansford Street Railway was placed in operation between here and Mauch Chunk in 1903.
Nesquehoning Hose Company No. 1 was organized in 1909, and a substantial fire house was built in 1911.
The only industry independent of the mines is the plant of the Mauch Chunk Silk Mill Company, built here in 1910. Charles Neast is the president of this company.
The mines at Hacklebernie, owned by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, and situated near Mauch Chunk, were opened in the early days and oper- ated by many different companies. The village that grew up about these workings is named after a town in England.
The output of these mines was formerly sent to market over the Switchback Railroad, but the coal is
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now carried underground to the breaker at Nesque- honing. David Purcell and James Breslin, operating under the name of the Hacklebernie Coal Company, held the last lease of this property.
Hanto, located in the Nesquehoning Valley, across the mountain from Lansford, is the namesake of George F. A. Hanto, who was one of the founders of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company.
This company is now erecting a mammoth electrical power house at this point, which will cost several millions of dollars. The plant, when completed, will transmit electricity to New York, Philadelphia, and other distant cities, the theory being that this can be done more cheaply than to ship the coal required for generating purposes.
Coalport is at the head of the Lehigh Canal, where boats take on their cargoes of coal for shipment to Philadelphia and intermediate places.
Little Italy, a settlement of recent growth, is sit- uated on Locust mountain, near Nesquehoning. The place is inhabitated exclusively by Italians.
Bloomingdale is a small farming community lying between the Sharp and Mahoning mountains, near Summit Hill.
PACKER TOWNSHIP.
The namesake of Hon. Asa Packer, who was then one of the associate judges on the bench of Carbon county, Packer township was organized in the year 1847. Like Banks and Lehigh townships, Packer was carved from Lausanne. The Broad mountain extends through the entire length of the southern and middle portion of the township, while the Spring mountain lies in the northern part. Between these mountains is Quakake Valley, extending from east to west
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through the township, and containing all the land that is now under cultivation therein. It is watered by the Quakake creek, rising on the Spring mountain, in the western part of Banks township, and flowing east- wardly through Packer and Lehigh townships to Penn Haven, where it empties into the Lehigh river. The Mahanoy division of the Lehigh Valley Railroad runs parallel to Quakake creek through the township. A great deal of coal and other freight from the Schuyl- kill region passes over this branch, and formerly ex- cellent passenger service was maintained; but shortly subsequent to the deal whereby the Philadelphia & Reading Company for a time secured control of the Lehigh Valley, the passenger service was abandoned. Hudsondale and Gerhards are places within the town- ship where the company maintains sidetracks or yards for the convenience of shippers or receivers of freight. Hudsondale was formerly known as Hartz's Station, so named in honor of Colonel Jacob Hartz, one of the early settlers of this locality, then one of the stopping places on the line of the Lehigh and Susquehanna turn- pike, running from Berwick to Easton.
That portion of this old highway leading from Hud- sondale to Manch Chunk was allowed to fall into dis- repair and was finally abandoned to travel about 1885.
It is now however being rebuilt in a most substan- tial manner, the cost being defrayed jointly by the county and the state.
Another road, leading from Weatherly to Tamaqua, also runs through the township.
The first settlers of Quakake Valley were Daniel Heil and George Glaze, who came to this section in 1790. They came from beyond the Blue mountain, fol- lowing a road which had been built to a point four
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miles south of Tamaqua. The intervening fifteen miles were covered on a road of their own construction.
Mr. Heil located on the farm owned by the late Frank Billig, while the other constructed his log dwell- ing on land now held by J. J. Gerhard.
As illustrating the hardships encountered by tlie pioneers it may be mentioned that Heil carried an old- fashioned feed cutter on his back all the way from Dinkeyville, where he had formerly lived, to his new home.
These men built a saw mill, the first in the valley, providing lumber and building material for themselves and the later settlers.
Another early settler was Jonathan Winter, who cleared the farm on which Allen Gerhard now lives.
Stephen Gerhard, the grandfather of Jonas Ger- hard, who, at the age of ninety, yet lives in the town- ship, was the first of that family to locate in Quakake Valley. He bought and cleared the farm which is to-day occupied by William Reed. Like most of the other pioneers of this section he came from the region south of the Blue Ridge.
Daniel, one of the sons of Stephen Gerhard, became the father of six sons: Benjamin, Jonas, Joel, Daniel, Solomon, and Reuben.
Solomon was the father of J. J. Gerhard, who is now living on the old homestead.
The first of the Hinkle family in the township of whom any record remains bore the name of Philip. He originally lived on the place later occupied by John Faust, and now the property of John Bittner. From there he removed to the Round Head.
Col. Jacob Hartz, who has already been mentioned came to the township about 1800. He was a clock- maker, and about 1812 built the Spring Mountain
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HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
Hotel, occupying the site of the present hotel at Hud- sondale. He kept it until 1820, when he sold out to George Kelchner.
Later he purchased several hundred acres of land near the foot of the Broad mountain. There he built the White Swan Hotel, which was kept by him and his descendants for many years.
Colonel Hartz was elected sheriff of Northampton county in 1829. He had eight children, namely : Jonas, Susan, Sarah, Mary, Elizabeth, William, Abigail, and Hannah.
Jonas became the father of Levi, Peter, George and Abram, the latter, who lives at Weatherly, alone sur- viving.
Levi kept the Packer House at Weatherly until his death, which occurred about 1890.
Peter spent his entire life in the place of his birth.
An interesting story is told of a feat he performed when but a boy of about sixteen years. His father owned a powerful and high spirited black colt, which no amount of hardship seemed able to subdue, being in fact such a horse as was Rienzi, the celebrated charger of General Sheridan.
With the idea in mind of curbing his spirit, Peter was ordered by his father to ride the horse to Easton and return, a total distance of one hundred and twenty miles, in a single day, or else kill him. He did as had been commanded, but fared worse than the horse in the endurance test which his compliance made necessary.
Peter Hartz was several times elected to the office of county commissioner, and kept the Spring Mountain Hotel for a time. One of his daughters, Mary, the wife of Walter O'Neill, still lives in the district.
John Wetzel was a resident of the township as early as 1812. He located on land now owned by the Lehigh
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HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
Valley Coal Company. He was a member of the family which produced the famous Indian fighters of that name, men whose deeds are enshrined in the pioneer history of the country alongside those of Boone and Crockett. His sons were John, Valentine, David and Aaron. A saw mill, the ruins of which may still be seen, was built by Wetzel on a stream that has since been named Wetzel's run.
David Wetzel reared a large family in the old log house which his father built at the foot of the Spring mountain.
He was of patriarchial appearance, and in his home, dispensed the kind of hospitality that only the gener- ous, old-fashioned country people could bestow. Much of his substance was spent in proving for coal on lands that he owned on the Spring mountain, and he died with the firm conviction that the treasure he sought existed there, but without having discovered it. Three of his sons, Thomas, Jonas and Amos, remain in the township.
John Faust, another patriarchial figure, came to Packer township, then Lausanne, from Schuylkill coun- ty in 1829. He was the father of thirteen children, and his descendants hereabouts are quite numerous.
Ephraim Balliet, originally from Luzerne county, in 1839 settled on the farm now occupied by Arthur Bitt- ner. He served for years as a justice of the peace.
In 1829 George and Benneville Keim erected a grist mill on the Quakake creek, about two miles above Ger- hards Station. It was purchased by John Faust in 1841, and it was by him removed to its present location near Gerhards Station, in 1849. It is now owned and operated by William S. Dietrich.
Samuel W. Hudson came to the township in 1859, purchasing property on which he erected a foundry and machine shop. A saw mill, which had previously
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been owned by William Koons was on the creek. The saw mill was operated by Mr. Hudson for about twenty years, while he conducted the foundry and ma- chine shop until 1881. He also became owner of the stone grist mill which was erected at Hudsondale in 1869. In addition to this he dealt in mine timber on an extensive scale, becoming one of the foremost business men of the county. He died January 17, 1885, and his son, S. B. Hudson, succeeded to the business.
The firm of Hoover Brothers, headed by Elijah Hoover, soon after the close of the Rebellion, began the manufacture of powder in the western portion of the township. Having had an explosion or two, they, in 1873, sold out to the Laflin Powder Manufacturing Company, which rebuilt the mills and continued the business until 1878, when another explosion resulted in the removal of the enterprise to the vicinity of Wilkes- Barre. In 1886 the Tide Water Pipe Company erected its pumping station at Hudsondale. This company operates an oil line which originally extended from Rixford, near Bradford, Pa., to Bayonne, N. J., a dis- tance of approximately three hundred and fifty miles. The line has recently been built westward into Illinois. This company was the pioneer in the construction of long distance pipe lines, being driven to try the des- perate experiment through the discrimination prac- ticed in favor of the Standard Oil Company by the rail- roads. The oil, in its ernde state, is pumped through a six inch pipe all the way from the oil fields to tide water. Hudsondale was originally the sixth station on the line, the oil being forced from there to Change- water, N. J., a distance of sixty miles. The average quantity of oil pumped per day is eleven thousand bar- rels. H. L. Brenekman is the local superintendent for the company.
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M. L. Smith, in 1887, established the Hudsondale Ochre Works at this place. The product is red ochre, ground exceedingly fine, and is used as a base in the manufacture of certain grades of paint. The main building in which the mill is housed was formerly oc- cupied by the machine shop and foundry of S. W. Hudson. A vein of good ochre, situated about two miles west of the mill, supplies the raw material for this industry. From fifteen to twenty men are em- ployed, while the mill is kept running day and night. M. L. Smith died in 1908, and his brother, J. Rowland Smith, is now superintendent of the concern.
The Hazleton Water Company erected a pumping station at Hudsondale in 1897, having purchased a tract of eighty acres of land from S. B. Hudson. The company has two reservoirs at this place, and two large pumps, having a total capacity of four million gallons daily, force the water over the Spring moun- tain to Hazleton, a distance of seven miles. The plant is now under the direction of John Scanlon.
In 1906 the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company built a coal storage plant at the foot of the north side of the Broad mountain, about half a mile below Hudsondale. It has a capacity of approximately two hundred and fifty thousand tons, and coal is stored and re-loaded there as is expedient.
Another large storage yard of this description was erected by the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company on the south side of the Broad mountain, near Hanto, in Packer township, during 1908.
These are all the industries located in the township, the bulk of the population being engaged in agricul- tural pursuits. Most of the farms are reasonably well kept and productive, and Quakake Valley is the leading farming section in the northern part of the county.
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HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
Scarcely any heavy timber remains in the township, but formerly its forests were the principal dependence of its people. The Broad mountain which is now de- nuded and bare, producing little but huckleberries and scrub oak, was once covered with stately forests of white and yellow pine; most of this timber was sold in the rough state for use inside the mines. Fires, which have annually been allowed to go unchecked on this mountain, have killed off most of the young timber. Nearly all of the land is classed as being unseated.
Much has been spent at various times in proving for coal on the north slope of this mountain, but always without avail. As late as 1850, wild game abounded on the mountain, and Samuel Young, who enlisted for the war with Mexico, killed forty-eight deer there during the fall before his departure with the army.
The first school house in the township was built in 1823, near the Spring Mountain Hotel. Eleven years later the church in the western portion of the township was erected, and a part of the building partitioned off for school purposes, being so used until 1868. Subse- quently a school house was built near Krop's Crossing. The three buildings now in use stand on substantially the same sites occupied by the original buildings. Four teachers are employed, while the schools are modern and up-to-date, both as regards equipment and in methods of teaching.
The only church in the township is that which has already been referred to as having been built in 1834. It was originally a log structure, and was located on land donated by John Faust. This building was torn down in 1868, when the present edifice was erected. Some years ago this was remodeled and much im- proved. It is known as St. Matthew's Lutheran and German Reformed church.
CHAPEL OF BETHANY UNION SUNDAY SCHOOL, HUDSONDALE.
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HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
In 1905 the Bethany Union Sunday School chapel was built at Hudsondale, where a Sabbath school has been maintained for many years.
The Spring Mountain House and the White Swan Hotel, both built by Colonel Jacob Hartz, have already been mentioned. The former was destroyed by fire in 1893, being then owned by Patrick Garra, while the other was recently torn down. Garra built a new house on the site of the old, and this is owned by his estate.
The place kept by Charles Hinkle on the road to Tamaqua is the only other tavern in the township.
A postoffice was established at the store of Samuel Wolf about the year 1820. Upon his removal from the township the office was transferred to the tavern stand of Jacob Hartz, and the landlords acted as postmasters until about 1858. Soon after the building of the rail- road through the township, Hudsondale became a sta- tion, being so named in honor of S. W. Hudson, who then became the postmaster. Later the postoffice was kept in the telegraph office of the Tide Water Pipe Company. It was abolished in 1903, when a rural de- livery route, starting from Weatherly and covering the inhabited portion of the township, was instituted.
The Hudsondale Grange Telephone Company and the Packer Township Telephone Company, both con- necting with the Bell system at Weatherly, furnish ade- quate service to the people of the township. The former was organized in 1910, with J. A. Werner as president, while the latter came into being during the year subsequent. Allen Bittner is its president.
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