History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. I, Part 153

Author: Roberts, Charles Rhoads; Stoudt, John Baer, 1878- joint comp; Krick, Thomas H., 1868- joint comp; Dietrich, William Joseph, 1875- joint comp; Lehigh County Historical Society
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Allentown, Pa. : Lehigh Valley Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1158

USA > Pennsylvania > Lehigh County > History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. I > Part 153

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853

NORTH WHITEHALL TOWNSHIP.

the Rebellion. The officers went to Allentown and took the oath of allegiance to the United States, and the troop held itself ready to march to the place of rendezvous at a moment's notice. A dispatch was received from the Governor tell- ing the company to come without their officers. This the men refused to do. In August, 1862, came the draft, and that disbanded the troop, after a half-century of honorable service.

Other companies were also formed at differ- ent times in the townships, but they were gen- erally of an ephemeral existence. The longest- lived of these were the North Whitehall Jef- ferson Guards, of whom George Schmidt was captain during 1839 and 1840, Reuben Seager in 1844, and Reuben Frantz in 1845 and 1848. A new rifle company was formed in 1828 by Capt. Daniel Moyer, of which he remained the commanding officer till 1844.

These early organizations served to keep alive a martial spirit among the people, which was increased by frequent battalions and musters and shooting contests, at which the general challenge, "Nord Wheithall gegen die Welt" (North Whitehall against the world), was broadly made, and always well sustained. Many reached high rank in the early militia annals. Foremost among them were Gen. Peter Ruch, Gen. Peter Steckel, Gen. David Laury, Col. Jacob Saeger, Col. Thomas Ruch, and majors and captains by the dozen.

Of those who enlisted in the Mexican War, William Mink, of Schnecksville, is remembered as having returned with a bullet in his body, which he carried to the grave.

Many soldiers enlisted from North Whitehall in the Union army during the Civil War, but only two companies were mustered into the serv- ice composed distinctively of citizens of this township. These were "D" and "G" companies of the 176th Regt. Penn. Drafted Militia. The officers of the former were David Schaadt, cap- tain ; Samuel A. Brown, first lieutenant; and Dr. Joshua Kern, second lieutenant; of the lat- ter, Lewis P. Hecker, captain; Joseph P. Cor- net, first lieutenant; and William F. Hecker, second lieutenant. They enlisted in October, 1862, and were mustered out in August, 1863, after nine months' service. Many more were soldiers in the Union army from North White- hall, but these were the only two organizations distinctly from the township.

MINERAL DEPOSITS .- In natural advantages North Whitehall is not equaled by any other township in Lehigh county. That portion of the township lying south of the center contains the most valuable deposits of red and brown hem-

atite ore, while along Coplay creek are found hills of the most desirable blue limestone and cement. Toward Egypt is found cement, and along Mill and Rock creeks, in the direction of Laury's, beds of slate have been uncovered. In the northeastern portion of the township, in the vicinity of Rockdale, along the Lehigh river, a clear white sand was dug, which is much sought after for moulding and building purposes.

Iron ore was first found in North Whitehall about 1800, upon land originally owned by the Scheurers and the Woodrings, where Ironton now stands. It lay in lumps upon the surface, some large bowlders weighing several tons, and found in such profusion that its presence was a serious impediment to the prosecution of agri- culture. Some of this surface ore was taken to the Richard and Regent Furnace at Hamburg and exchanged for pig-iron; some was turned into nails by hand at the forge of Adam Scheur- er ; some loaded upon four horse teams and sold at twenty-five or fifty cents a load; some taken to Mauch Chunk with teams and exchanged for equal weight of coal. Between 1812 and 1826 the ore was taken to the old David Heimbach forge at Hampton, in Milford township, and to Clarissa Furnace near Little Gap, on the Aquash- icola creek, in Lower Towamensing township. About 1826 the Lehigh Furnace at the base of the Blue mountains was built by Stephen Bal- liet and Samuel Helffrich, and then the surface ore was exhausted. Digging was commenced by Reuben Trexler and Abraham Lesher, and their venture proving unprofitable, the work they be- gan was continued by the managers of the Maria Furnace near Parryville, and of the Henry Fur- nace at Nazareth. These furnaces for a time received all the products of the mines. Some of the ore was taken to the Lehigh Furnace, which was filled with this ore from North Whitehall, and first blown in during the fall of 1826. The mining was carried on by sinking a shaft and then drifting, taking out lump ore only. These original mines were the ore-pits styled Nos. I and 2, immediately north of Ironton, and belong- ed to the Thomas Iron Co., of Hokendauqua. The Joseph Balliet mine below Ironton was next opened, afterward owned by his heirs and Frank P. Mickley. In opening this the miners came across several of the tunnels which had been made in developing the original Ironton mines.

The first apparatus for screening ore was made by Fritz Guth, an ingenious German, who was persuaded by Stephen Balliet to immigrate to this country, and who lived for many years near Ruchsville. He was also the inventor of

854

HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

improving the blast in the charcoal furnaces used at that day.

Many pits were opened since 1830, and they are most easily mentioned and described by fol- lowing the course of the Ironton Railroad, begin- ning with the eastern boundary line of the town- ship.

In going from Coplay- to Ironton, the first mines met are the three openings on the land formerly owned by Daniel Steckel. They were extensively worked in 1863 and 1864, and a large amount of ore shipped from them. The next mine is what is known as the Weaver mine, which proved to contain only a small quantity of ore, and, after being worked for a short time, was abandoned. The next is what is known as the Kennel mine. The ore was of a superior quality. The next is the Mickley mine, which was worked a long time, and a large quantity of good ore taken from it. It was abandoned in 1882. The next is what was known as the Jo- seph Balliet Mine.

The next are the pits of the Thomas Iron Company, at Ironton, known as Nos. I and 2, which have been referred to as the oldest open- ings in the township. Between 1860 and 1880 there was taken from these about 323,000 tons of clean, merchantable ore. The depth was 120 feet. Adjoining this was the mine owned by the heirs of Stephen Balliet, which was worked for twenty-five years, and proved very productive. Next were the mines of the Balliet Brothers (Aaron, Paul, and John). The yield from these was very large. The profits from these two pits in a single year during war times reached the large sum of $35,000. Next was the mine of Paul Brown's heirs, (Samuel A. and P. Frank Brown), the average yearly yield having been about 8,000 tons.

The last mine on this range was the Jeremiah Ritter, about one-quarter of a mile east of the Brown mine. This was one of the oldest open- ings in the neighborhood, as well as one of the richest. About 1870, Thomas Eagan, who was then working it, abandoned mining, considering it exhausted, and the mine lay idle for about a year. The late Capt. Joseph Andrews then made a contract with the Crane Iron Co., the leasehold- ers, to resume operations, and from 1871 to his death, in May, 1875, he removed about 34,000 tons from this seemingly exhausted mine. The work was then continued by his brother, William Andrews, until Jan. 1, 1881, by which time, 46,- 000 tons additional were mined. It was then abandoned, heavy covering and much water mak- ing it too expensive to mine. But a third effort was afterward made by tunneling by Hartzell and Godshall, who also secured large quantities.

Along the Siegersville Branch of the Ironton R. R. were found a number of ore-mines. The first was on the lands of Jonathan Henninger, leased by the Thomas Iron Co. The bed was worked for a number of years, and the annual yield was about 7,000 tons. One-third of a mile below this, towards Siegersville, was the Allen S. Balliet mine, worked for at least twenty years, and averaged yearly 5,000 to 7,000 tons. West of this about half a mile, was the Levan mine. The mine of Thomas Schadt also be- longed to this belt. South of the Levan mine, half a mile distant, was found the David Ruch mine, opened about 1880 upon lands of Lewis Sieger, of which the average annual yield for four years was 7,000 tons. Southeast of Ruch's were the mines of Daniel Henry and Horace Guth. The deposits were not considered as large, although the ore was of a good quality. Next, and last, were the mines of the Sieger Brothers, at Siegersville, which were opened in 1840 by Samuel Sieger. The opening was large, and the mine was considered one of the best in the county.

A number of slate-quarries were opened at various times along Rock and Spring Mills creeks, in the eastern part of the township, in the vicinity of Laury's. One of them (Crump & Brereton on Spring-Mill creek), was originally opened about 1828, and it is claimed that this and the Union Slate Quarries were the first quarries uncovered in this country. The open- ing of the North Peach Bottom Quarry was made about 1828, by Jacob Dinkey, who manu- factured roofing-slate of the best quality for about one year, when he leased the quarry to John T. Schofield. The latter operated it for another year, when it came back into the hands of Dinkey, who then sold two-thirds interest in it to Anthony Preston, of Washington, D. C., and William Bailey, of Baltimore. This was on the 21st of January, 1830, and they operated it for about fifteen years, when Jonas Rinker be- came the owner. Both he and his predecessors occupied themselves mainly with the manufac- ture of table-tops and mantels and trimmings for buildings (furnishing the dressing for the public buildings at Washington, D. C.). In 1853, C. M. Runk, Esq., of Allentown, acquired the title of Mr. Rinker, and devoted himself to the full development of the quarry, and through his ex- ertions the true value and character of the quarry were shown. Roofing slate were manufactured, and they were found to be of a quality unexcelled in the world. The North Peach Bottom Slate Co. was formed about 1877, having obtained Runk's title, and continued operations until Feb- ruary, 1884, when John Crump and Richard

855

NORTH WHITEHALL TOWNSHIP.

Brereton, of Philadelphia, purchased the quar- ries, and they manufactured ten squares of roof- ing-slate per day, (the slate having the best rep- utation of any in the market).

At the mouth of Rock creek, ten miles north of Allentown, the bed of the Lehigh presents a smooth and level surface, being slate rock. The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. built at this place a dam, fourteen feet high, which soon be- came widely known as the "Slate Dam." This attracted the attention of Thomas Lymington, an experienced slater of Baltimore, who, in 1828, came to the Slate Dam in search of roofing-slate. About a mile west of the river, along Rock creek, he discovered a place where roofing-slate might be found. He took a sample to Baltimore, and finding it was good, he soon after leased a few acres of land and commenced quarrying. The same year the Baltimore Slating Co. was formed, with a capital of $13,000. They purchased the farm of 160 acres, on which Mr. Lymington had his lease. He transferred his interest to the com- pany, and a large quarry, under the name of the Union Slate Quarries, was opened. The com- pany operated the quarry with indifferent success for ten years, when they began leasing it to different parties, among them Fell & McDowell, until 1849, when they sold all their interests to Stephen Balliet, Jr., and Stephen Graff, who worked it for a time and then abandoned it. The slate produced were of a brownish color. An effort was again made, about 1872, by Freeman, Knecht, and others, to operate the quarry, but it was found unprofitable and abandoned.

On Coplay creek, about a mile south of Iron- ton, a slate quarry was opened about 1868 by the Grant Slate Co., of which William Fry, Esq., of Tamaqua, was president, and they purchased 14 acres of land from Henry B. Schadt. The slate formation was of cement order, for posts, mantels, etc. The quarry was discontinued after three or four years' operating.

Large quarries of the best blue limestone were found along Coplay creek, in the neighborhood of the old Grant Slate Quarry. The stone was used for fertilizing purposes, and is also sold to the furnaces along the Lehigh. Those of Charles Lobach, of George Kleckner, and Lewis Falk, and of Monroe Newhard, Frank J. Newhard, and Solomon Ruch, were the largest and most productive in the township. Smaller quarries were also opened in other parts along Spring Mill creek.

Cement stone was also found in the direction of Egypt, but was not developed to any extent in North Whitehall, until about 1895.

In the northeastern part of the township, espe- cially upon the lands of Daniel Peter, vast fields

of clean white moulding and building sand were found.

EARLY ROADS .- The oldest road in the town- ship is what is known as the Mauch Chunk road, leading from Allentown over the Blue moun- tains to Mauch Chunk, and passing through Ruchsville, Ironton, Ballietsville, and Unionville. In the time of King George III, a public high- way was laid out from Philadelphia to the Buck- horn Tavern at Shimersville, thence through Siegersville and Schnecksville to the country north, crossing the Blue mountains at the Bake Oven Knob. In 1753, a road was laid out from the Bake Oven Knob to Allentown, past Helff- rich's Springs, in South Whitehall township. These were the principal of the old highways running north and south. A number ran in a westwardly direction from the Lehigh River, principal among which was the one from Sieg- fried's bridge to Kohler's mill, at Egypt; thence to Ruchsville and Siegersville. On September 22, 1761, a petition was presented to the Court of Northampton county for a road leading from Paul Polyard's tavern to Jacob Coller's mill, thence to Willson's mill, thence to Easton. It is probable that this is the highway, branching off from the Mauch Chunk road about one-fourth of a mile below Ballietsville to Egypt, running thence to Siegfried's bridge, crossing the Lehigh there and proceeding to Easton. On May 4, 1813, George Yundt, Esq., Jacob Mickley, Peter Rinker, John Helffrich, Peter Grimm, and Henry Schneider, viewers, reported a road to lead from Siegfried's Ferry up the Lehigh river to the public road leading from Balliet's to the Newhardt Ford at the bank of the river.

COUNTY-BRIDGES .- There are six county bridges in the township:

On Coplay Creek .- Ruchsville Bridge, one arch, cement, rebuilt in 1910. Previously the bridge was a one arch stone structure, erected in 1833 at a cost of $425.

On Jordan Creek .- Pleter's Bridge, wood, one span, covered; rebuilt in 1882, first put up before 1860; two miles south of Schnecksville on the road to Weidasville. Geiger's Bridge, wood, one span, covered, near Ruhetown. And Kern's Bridge, stone, with two arches, built over the creek at the mill in 1828. On the inscrip- tion stone, the distance to Easton is given as 22 miles (including the names of the County Com- missioners) ; which indicates that the officials recognized this highway as a thoroughfare from the Delaware at Easton to the West, by way of Kern's mill and Claussville, in this section, to Hamburg and Harrisburg. It is about 1,000 feet north from the township line.

856

HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

On Rock Creek .- Laury's Bridge, near the outlet of Rock creek into the Lehigh river, con- structed of iron, in one span, and erected in 1868. Beidler Bridge, near the mill on the road from Laury's, about two miles west of the village. It is a stone, one arch structure, rebuilt in 1870.

Private Bridges .- The only private bridges in the township span the Lehigh river.

In 1884, there was no bridge along the river in North Whitehall. An effort had been made in 1831 for one at Kuntz's ford, but it failed. Over fifty years afterward, in 1884, another at- tempt was made for one at Cherry ford, one mile north of Laury's, near the township line, and this was successful.

ring in 1763. It was built of logs which were contributed, ready for use, by the neighbors who were interested in securing it for their con- venient accommodation, and operated for seventy- four years; then a superior two-story stone build- ing was erected nearby to take its place and this has been carried on until now. The owners since then have been Michael Wotring, Sr. (Samuel's son), Michael Wotring, Jr., Thomas Bertsch, Asa Knerr, Reuben Butz, Henry Nadig, and Franklin Hollenbach (1886-1914). The old log- mill was demolished in 1837, and a two-story frame dwelling erected on its site, the old founda- tion stones being used in the sub-structure.

A quaint agreement between Samuel Wotring,

HOLLENBACH'S MILL AND SITE OF OLD WOTRING MILL AT SAND SPRING.

RAILROADS .- In 1855 the Lehigh Valley R. R. was constructed along the entire northeastern border line of the township, a distance of seven miles. [See Chapt. XVII "Internal Improve- ments."]

In 1860 the Ironton R. R. was constructed from the Lehigh Valley R. R. at Coplay, through South Whitehall township to the Ironton mines in North Whitehall, which became the property of the Thomas Iron Co. in 1882.

In 1860 the Siegersville Branch of this rail- road was extended to the Sieger mines at Siegers- ville; and thence to the Kern mines at Orefield, half a mile beyond the township line.

EARLY MILLS .- The following grist-mills have been established in this township; two on the Coplay creek, two on the Jordan creek, and one on the Lehigh river:

Wotring Mill, on the Coplay creek, near the "Sand-Spring," was established by Samuel Wot-

the builder of the mill and Jacob Wolff, dated December 30, 1763, is still in existence. In it Wolff agreed to give land for the mill-race and Wotring agreed to open the water-gates when he had nothing to grind, both agreed to make a bridge over the race, Wolff to furnish the wood. The agreement was witnessed by Henry Geiger and Paul Balliet and acknowledged before George Taylor, Esq.

Jacob Kennel started a saw-mill on the creek a mile above the Wotring mill, and he and his son, Elias, carried it on for many years. They were succeeded by Stephen Knecht who conduct- ed the business until he died; then it was op- erated several years until 1895 and abandoned.

Romig Mill was established on the Coplay creek, a mile below the Wotring mill, by Adam Romich in 1790 for his son, Peter, and this was carried on, in connection with a saw-mill, until 1826 when a stone mill was erected in its place.

NORTH WHITEHALL TOWNSHIP.

857

Peter Romich operated the plant until his death in 1844. His son, John, then became the owner who carried on the business and his sons, Owen and Henry, after him for nearly fifty years. John Morgan then purchased the property in 1890. The grist-mill was continued in operation by him until 1910; the saw-mill is still used.

Kern Mill is situated along the Jordan 1,000 feet north of the township line. It was erected by Peter Kern in 1806. The building, as ap- pears by the accompanying illustration, is a three-story stone structure. Its interior was burned in 1890 and immediately repaired. The owners for the past fifty years have been Ed- ward Kern, John Seiberling, Owen Kern, Thom-

successfully until 1880. Then it was purchased by John R. Schall who remodeled and enlarged it, introduced the full "roller process," and car- ried it on extensively for ten years. In 1890 the Mauser Milling Co. was organized and this company has operated it in a most successful manner until the present time, with an increased capacity, producing 300 barrels daily. This company also operates plants at Treichlers and Northampton, and their total daily production is 1,000 barrels which is shipped to the coal re- gions and foreign countries. Much of the grain consumed is bought from farmers in the sur- rounding country but the greater proportion is secured from the Northwestern states.

KERN MILL, BUILT 1806.

as Kern, Richard Klotz, Emanuel Wilt (20 years till 1890, when the fire occurred), and Willoughby Hoffman (1891 to 1911, who re- paired the interior). Then George H. Hardner of Allentown, became its owner, and he has since leased it to William Shoemaker.

Rex Mill was erected by Stephen Rex in 1874 along the Jordan creek, about a mile above the Kern mill, with a saw-mill attached. It is a small frame structure and was used for making chopped feed until 1896; since then it has been operated as a cider-mill by Oscar Sechler.

Mauser Mill .- David Laury established a grist-mill at Laury's in 1839, with a superior water-power secured from the river under a lease with the Canal Company and he operated it

JUSTICES OF THE PEACE .- The following Jus- tices of the Peace have served by election in the township since 1840, one in the eastern section and the other in the western :

Edward Kohler, 1840-65. Franklin P. Keck,

David Laury, I865-69.

Daniel Saeger, 1840-50;

1857-62.

William Maxwell, 1874-79.

John Schantz, 1852-57.

Henry F. Beidler, Peter Gross, I862-76.

1879-1904.

William Sell, I876-82.

Edwin F. Smith, 1904-09.

Henry D. Gross, 1882-1919.

Peter Gross, the great-grandfather of Henry D. Gross, Esq. (now serving his seventh con- tinuous term by election), filled the office by ap-

1909-15.

Samuel A. Brown, 1869-74.

H. O. Wilson, 1850-52.

858

HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

pointment "during good behavior," from March 20, 1812.

Peter Kohler was appointed from the town- ship of Whitehall Aug. 30, 1791 ; Nicholas Sae- ger, April 21, 1794; George Yund, Feb. 6, 1811.

POLLING-PLACES .- From the beginning of this township to 1840 there was one polling-place for the electors and this was at Hersch's Tav- ern in the central portion; then it was removed to Ballietsville where it continued until 1885, when three places were established to facilitate elections: Levan's for western section; Balliets- ville for central, and Laury's for eastern.

POST OFFICES .- Seven post offices are main- tained in the township :

Orefield

Ironton

Schnecksville

Laury's

Neffsville

Rockdale

Ballietsville

Two were discontinued, Rising Sun and Sheidy's.

A "Rural Free Delivery" was started from Schnecksville post office Feb. 16, 1907, and the carrier since then has been George L. Hausman.

VILLAGES .- The following villages have been formed in the several sections of the township: Schnecksville Ballietsville

Siegersville

Unionville

Kernsville

Neffsville

Ruchsville

Rising Sun

Ormrod

Laury's

Ironton

Rockdale

SCHNECKSVILLE is the most prominent village in the township on the main thoroughfare leading from Allentown to New Tripoli, 10 miles from the county-seat and 9 miles from the latter place or about midway between the two places. It is located in the western section of the township, not far from the lines of Washington and Low- hill, and in this vicinity some of the earliest set- tlements were made by the German immigrants. The dwellings are built on both sides of the highway for a distance of half a mile, with the Gross Hotel in the center, and seven public roads concentrating towards the place.

Adam Schneck, from Wurtemberg, Germany, took up land here in 1766, and his descendants in the township came to be numerous and some of his land was held by them (including Daniel John B., Joseph, and Nathan), for upwards of 100 years afterward. Daniel owned all the land on which the village came to be formed, and about 1840 he laid off lots and sold them. He and his son Moses erected the first hotel and all the early buildings; and Michael Deibert start- ed the first store but Schneck soon became the owner of it.

A post office was established here in 1846 with Peter Gross as the post-master, he being en-

gaged in the mercantile business. He filled the position for sixteen years, and his partner, Joel Gross succeeded him for twelve years until he retired. Daniel Bertolet had the office for five years.

The trolley line of the Allentown and Slating- ton Street Railway extends through the village on the thoroughfare.

In 1880, the village contained 22 dwellings and a population of 160. In 1913, there were 47 dwellings, with a population of 200, which in- cluded a doctor, undertaker, blacksmith, saddler, and miller; also a number of retired farmers who have comfortable homes on lots with gardens and stables at the rear.

A carriage factory was conducted by John Hess from 1850 to 1862 in the large two-story brick building, afterward occupied by the Eagle Hotel; and he was succeeded by John K. Sachs from 1862 to 1878, when the enterprise at Schnecksville was discontinued on account of the great competition from the Western manu- facturers.

The Eagle Hotel was started there by Peter Salem in 1869 and the business was continued by him and others until 1912 when it was aban- doned, and Henry D. Gross, Esq., became the owner of the property. When the Gross Hotel was discontinued April 1, 1914, this place was re-licensed.

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History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. I, Part 153

Author: Roberts, Charles Rhoads; Stoudt, John Baer, 1878- joint comp; Krick, Thomas H., 1868- joint comp; Dietrich, William Joseph, 1875- joint comp; Lehigh County Historical Society Publication date: 1914 Publisher: Allentown, Pa. : Lehigh Valley Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1158

Author: Roberts, Charles Rhoads; Stoudt, John Baer, 1878- joint comp; Krick, Thomas H., 1868- joint comp; Dietrich, William Joseph, 1875- joint comp; Lehigh County Historical Society
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Allentown, Pa. : Lehigh Valley Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1158