History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. I, Part 190

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 190

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

In 1912 the company was re-organized under the name of Giant Portland Cement Co., with a capital of $4,000,000. The officers in 1914 were: President, Charles F. Conn; vice-pres., Charles J. Rhoads; secretary, J. F. Lennig ; treasurer, F. J. Jiggens, and the main office is at Philadelphia. A second plant is also operated at Norfolk, Va. The total daily production is 6,500 barrels.

LEHIGH PORTLAND CEMENT CO .- The Le- high Portland Cement Company was organized by capitalists from Allentown, in 1897, and es- tablished a plant for the extensive manufacture of cement at Ormrod, one mile west of Egypt, in North Whitehall township, along the Iron- ton R. R., where they secured a tract of 150 acres with inexhaustible deposits of cement rock.

The company now owns eleven mills and its annual capacity is 12,000,000 barrels. Among the largest works upon which this cement was

We che

2 8 2000

PA an

used long whic C Orm vice Geo trea

1067

used was the Galveston Causeway, two miles long and 119 feet wide, in the construction of which 100,000 barrels of this cement was used. Col. H. C. Trexler is the president: George Ormrod, Ist vice-president; E. M. Young, 2d vice-president; C. E. Gower, 3d vice-president ; George G. Sykes, secretary; Alonzo F. Walters, treasurer, and R. R. Bear, chief engineer. The works of the company are located at Ormrod, West Coplay, Fogelsville, Newcastle, Pa., Mit- chell, Ind .; and Mason City, Iowa.

THE WHITEHALL PORTLAND CEMENT COM- PANY, at Cementon, is capitalized at $550,000, and has a daily production of 4,200 barrels. The president is W. H. Harding; vice-president, W. O. Lentz; secretary and treasurer, W. C. Kent, and superintendent, Arnold Hochstrasser.

PRODUCTION IN 1913 .- According to returns received by the U. S. Geological Survey up to January 12, 1914, it is estimated by Ernest F. Burchard, that the quantity of Portland cement manufactured in the United States in 1913 was approximately 92,406,000 barrels, compared with 82,438,096 barrels in 1912, an increase of about 9,967,900 barrels, or 12 per cent. On ac- count of a large surplus of production over ship- ments, stocks of cement at the mills apparently increased more than 45 per cent., or from 7,811,- 329 barrels, in 1912, to 11,375,000 barrels, at the close of 1913. In 1913 the relation between production and shipments were the reverse of those for 1912, when shipments exceeded pro- duction.

Although few definite statements as to selling prices are at hand it is evident that the average value per barrel was appreciably higher than in 1912. Increases of 10 to 25 cents a barrel are reported from several plants in the Central and Eastern States, but there were slight decreases reported from a few plants in the Rocky moun- tain district.

The following table gives the estimated pro- duction, shipments and stocks for 1913 and the actual production, shipments, and stocks for 1912, together with the per cent. of change.

Lehigh District Eastern Pa. and Western N. J.

1912

1913

Per Cent.

Production,

24,762,083

27,079,000

Increase Increase

9.4

1902,

10,829,922 12,324,922

17,230,644 22,342,973 26,505,881

53.7

Production,

82,438,096

92,406,000

Increase 12.1

1905,

17,368,687

35,246,812 46,463,424

49.0

Stock,

7,811,329

11,375,000

Increase 45.6

1907,

24,417,686

48,785,390

50.0

The Lehigh District

Pennsylvania and New Jersey), has, except in four years, shown a steady increase in production of Portland cement from 1890 to the present time. The years in which slight decreases were

recorded are 1893, 1908, 1911, and 1912. The first two decreases were coincident with years of general business depression, but the decrease in 19II and 1912 may perhaps be attributed in large part to an overproduction in 1910 and to the building of many mills in other parts of the United States which have restricted the trade territory of the Lehigh district. The produc- tion for 1913 was 27,139,601 barrels and the shipments were 26,659,537 barrels, valued at $22,342,102, or 83.8 cents a barrel. This pro- duction represented an increase in quantity of 1,897,454 barrels compared with the production for 1912, and an average increase in price of 16.4 cents . a barrel. The production of white Portland cement from two plants in this district is included in the figures for 1913. Both the production and shipments in this district reached a new high record in 1913.

The following table shows the annual pro- duction of Portland cement in the Lehigh dis- trict since 1890, the total production for the country, and the percentage of the Lehigh dis- trict output each year compared with the total production :

Portland cement production in the Lehigh district and in the United States, 1890-1913, in barrels.

Year.

Lehigh district output.

Total output, United States.

Percentage of total manu-

factured in Lehigh district.

1890,

201,000

335,500

60.0

1891,

248,500

454,813

54.7

1892,

280,840

547,440

51.3

1893,

265,317

590,652

44.9

1894,

485,329

798,757

60.8

1895,

634,276

990,324

64.0

1896,

1,048,154

1,543,023

68.1

1897,

2,002,059

2,677,775

74.8

1898,

2,674,304

3,692,284

72.4

1899,

Estimate

Change

I'900,

6,153,629

5,652,266 8,482,020

72.6

1901,

8,595,340

12,711,225

67.7

Shipment,

26,013,891

26,734,000

2,332,000

Increase 21.0

1904,

14,211,039

Total.

85,012,556

88,853,000

Increase 4.5

1906,

22,784,613

51,072,612 64,991,431

37.3

1910,

26,315,359

76,549,951

34.4

19II,

25,972,108 24,762,083 27,139,601

78,528,637 82,438,096

33. I

1912,

30.0

1913,

92,097,131

29.5

(comprising eastern

1908,

20,200,387 24,246,706

39.6

1909,

4,1 10, 132

72.7

62.8

1903,

2.8

55.2

Stock,

1,927,495

49.3

Shipment,

INDUSTRIES.

1068

HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY. PENNSYLVANIA.

fr ti

VIEWS OF CEMENT MILLS IN LEHIGH COUNTY.

1069

INDUSTRIES.

EARLY MENTION OF CEMENT .-- The follow- ing mention was made of cement in 1828, by Mrs. Anne Royall, in her book describing a trip from Philadelphia to Easton and vicinity, en- titled : "Mrs. Royall's Pennsylvania":

"The tavern where we breakfasted stands be- tween the Blue Ridge and the stream just men- tioned (the Aquashicola). Over this creek, there is a very handsome bridge. The stream runs very swiftly over a bed of rocks, and has its hills parallel to it. A little beyond the creek, in full view of the tavern, the canal and several of the locks appear : also kilns where the cement used in constructing the walls is burnt, and likewise the mills in which it is ground. . I walked on to the canal not yet walled up, and the kilns and mills for preparing the cement be- ing mentioned I can add nothing more, as I would not have had time to examine them be- fore the stage would call. I saw a great dust flying out of the mills and the men who carried the ground cement away in bags, to load the wagons, were covered with dust. I saw a few carpenters at work upon wood, but could not dis- cover their object. The canal seemed to be nearly the size of other canals and the work- manship of the locks seemed to be skillfully done. This cement is a sort of stone which, when prepared, is used in masonry and answers a better purpose "than lime, so it is said. I never heard of it until this day and great quan- tities of it are said to lie in the neighborhood. The enterprising Mr. White, of the Lehigh Company, is said to have discovered the cement."

BOOTS AND SHOES.

At the Pennsylvania State Shoe Manufacturers' Association meeting held at Allentown on March 6, 1900, Henry Leh, senior member of the firm of H. Leh & Co., shoe manufacturers of Allen- town, presented the theme, "Shoemaking in Allen- town, the Old and the New Way," as follows:

"Mr. Toastmaster, Gentlemen of the Penn- sylvania Shoe Manufacturers' Association, and distinguished guests :

"Fifty years ago in going along our main thoroughfare at the noon hour one would not meet a single team and very few persons. Look at the throng of mankind moving at this same time of day now! Then we were a town of 3,500, now we have 35,000, and with the sur- roundings can easily swell it to double the num- ber. Now we have single industries in our midst that employ as many people as there were men in our town fifty years ago.

In a conversation several days ago with one of the head men of a cement mill nearby I was informed that their mill shipped more than one

hundred and fifty carloads of cement daily dur- ing the last year, and when the buildings they are now erecting are completed, they will in the near future produce two to three hundred car- loads, or from 20,000 to 30,000 barrels of cement a day, being the largest cement mill in the world. This is only one of the many similar industries surrounding us.

"But to come to the subject of shoemaking a half a century ago, we find great changes com- pared with to-day.

Then the manner of dress was different from that of to-day. Men all wore boots. Children, four or five years old, who were the pride of the family, were not in full dress without a pair of boots. Women wore shoes made of lasting, mostly in colors, like brown and grey. Some were made out of Tampico pebble goat and brush kid.

"For every-day wear ladies wore shoes made out of extra heavy kip and calf, that had nearly all hand-pegged bottoms. All heavy boots and brogans were made out of the heaviest wax up- per and kip, and were pegged; and the fine Sunday boots out of domestic calf and French calf, were hand-sewed and pegged.

"In those days boots and shoes were made to last a year, so that the heaviest leather that was made was always selected by the customer. A manufacturer whose product did not wear a year was not considered a good shoemaker, and those who got shoes that did not wear this length of time were considered to be deceived and thought they did not receive full value, and as a rule claimed a deduction when they bought the next pair. A shoe manufacturer had a back seat who could not supply such a demand.

"How does it compare with the present, as we are making them to-day ?

"Mining shoes were made out of the very heaviest wax upper, as thick as harness leather, which were made mostly hand-sewed, and which were sold at wholesale at $24 a case of twelve pair and were retailed at $2.75 to $3 a pair.

"After the Civil War women's grain shoes were sold by Eastern manufacturers at $2.50 a pair. Similar shoes have been sold since at 80 cents a pair. At that time we could readily see a profit. Now, as most of you shoe manufacturers will bear me out, we do not know on which side the balance is struck.

"Most of our uppers were cut in our building ready for the shoemaker. Soles were marked on the side of the leather. These were then taken twenty to thirty miles in the country to shoe- makers, who finished them. Shoes were then all made only in one width to a size. Individual cartons were unknown in those days.

1070

HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

"Then there were no railroads in this vicinity. A journey to Philadelphia was made by stage, starting from Allentown at two o'clock in the morning, arriving in the city early the next eve- ning. A trip to New York occupied at least a week, as the nearest railroad was at Somerville, N. J. Freights came mostly by boat, and some by team and stage.

"On selling trips the product was taken along, as the wagon was specially built for the purpose, and delivered immediately on being sold. The storekeeper would come out to the wagon and make his selection. As this was a hard and in- convenient way improvements were considered and later shoes were sold from samples.

"During the Civil War our firm had one of the first army contracts. The committee came to Allentown on the Sabbath to ascertain wheth- er we had shoes on hand, and on the following . on the business under the original name, "Honest day they sent us an order for the shoes in stock Shoe Manufacturing Company." He is located on three floors at 18-22 South Sixth street, and employs 46 hands. and besides instructed us to make more, which was the start of our army work.

"At this time we went to the numerous tan- ners in all of Lehigh and adjoining counties, bought and contracted for all the wax upper leather finished and in the vats. This leather was very plentiful and low in price, but in a very short time it was worth one dollar a side more. Quite frequently we sold large quanti- ties of this upper leather to our highly esteemed and deceased friend, Mr. Mundell, of Philadel- phia, who was one of the best army shoe manu- facturers in the Civil War. Mr. Mundell, who was kindly disposed and open-hearted, gave us help and advice that was highly appreciated.

"The first Mckay machine successfully run was in about 1861. The first machine-sewed shoes were bought by us from Ziegler & Sutton in 1862. Mr. Ziegler, the senior member of the present firm of Ziegler Bros., of Philadel- phia, was a member of that firm. Most of the Mckay sewed shoes at that time had extra heavy soles and had two rows of sewing, as one row was not considered sufficient to hold the heavy sole to the upper.

"About thirty-five years ago, when we started to manufacture by machinery, there was no fac- tory in Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia, and none from here to Cincinnati. Look at the factories in the same section to-day. A great many small towns are supplied with one or more shoe factories and the product of Pennsylvania is increasing yearly, so that we are a lively com- petitor with the East.

"I will not attempt to discuss shoemaking of the present day, as most of you are around it daily and are sufficiently acquainted with it, without my alluding to it."

In the absence of Mr. Leh his paper was read by his son, John Leh.

H. Leh & Co. was the first shoe manufac- turing firm in the city, having been established in 1850. William S. Young and Henry Leh formed a partnership for the manufacture of shoes in 1859. In 1866 John E. Lentz was admitted to the firm, which became John E. Lentz & Co. in 1871.

John E. Lentz, in 1867, embarked in the busi- ness of manufacturing misses' and children's shoes and carried on the business very successfully for upwards of thirty years, until 1901. He was suc- ceeded by a brother, Silas Lentz, and one of his travelling salesmen, Lewis M. Bleich, who traded as Lentz & Bleich for eight years, when the senior partner died and the partnership was terminated. B. F. Nickum followed them and has since carried

The American Shoe Manufacturing Company was organized in 1856, for the manufacture of gents', youths' and boy's Mckay shoes, and the business was carried on successfully for fifty years, when it became incorporated, with W. K. Long as president; Wm. J. Koons, secretary ; and J. M. Schwoyer, treasurer. Their factory com- prises a three-story brick building, 28 by 105 feet, at Twelfth and Maple streets, where they employ 75 to 80 hands, and produce daily 800 pairs of shoes.

L. L. Roney and C. E. Berger traded as Roney & Berger Company from 1878 to 1904, in manu- facturing ladies', misses' and children's shoes. Then A. H. Boas and J. J. Hauser purchased the plant and have traded since under the same name. The factory is at Hall and Maple street, and they employ 150 hands.

N. A. Haas. H. E. Haas, Robert E. Haas, and Charles E. Berger have traded as the Haas-Berger Company since 1912, in the manufacture of shoes for misses, children and growing girls as a spe- cialty. The factory is at Hall and Maple streets, where they employ from 60 to 70 hands.

The Allentown Shoe Manufacturing Com- pany, at 20 North Eighth street, was organized in 1892, and incorporated in 1893. They manu- facture boy's and youth's shoes and have an aver- age output of 2,000 pairs a day. They sell to the jobbing trade only. Jacob H. Burger is the president; W. J. Hartung, vice-president ; C. J. Burger, secretary ; Henry J. Grim, treasurer ; and Joseph Hartung, superintendent.

N. A. Haas, H. H. Farr, and J. L. Farr started in 1898 in the shoe business at Allentown, under the name of the Lehigh Valley Shoe Com-

par

INDUSTRIES.

IO71

pany, for the manufacture of youths' and little gents' shoes, to which were subsequently added men's, boys' and Goodyear-welt shoes. They produce upward of 5,000 pairs weekly and employ 175 hands. Their present factory is a four-story brick building, situated at Chestnut and Howard streets, 40 by 100 feet, which was erected in 1905.

The Wolfe Shoe Manufacturing Company, located at the corner of Hall and Court streets, Allentown, Pa., was established in 1888, by Frank C. Wolfe and Wilson Muschlitz, under the name of Wolfe & Muschlitz. The firm con- tinued thus until 1891, when George F. Wolfe, father of Frank C., purchased the interests of Wilson Muschlitz, and the firm adopted the firm name of Wolfe Shoe Manufacturing Com- pany. About a year afterward F. C. Wolfe re- tired, when George F. continued the business alone under the same name. After the death of George F., in 1909, his three sons, George W., Charles F., and Samuel T., purchased the busi- ness from their father's estate and continued under the same name. The company makes a specialty of manufacturing women's and boys' shoes, and employs fifty people.

The firm of Philip Schneider Company was established in 1890 and was then known as the Philip Schneider Shoe Manufacturing Company. Mr. Schneider erected the brick factory building, which measures 110 by 50 feet, and continued in business until his death in 1908. The firm man- ufactures an average of 950 pair of ladies', misses', boys' and youths' shoes per day, and employs 150 people. The firm sells direct to retail trade, and the middle Atlantic states con- stitute the bulk of this trade. After the death of Mr. Philip Schneider, the Philip Schneider Com- pany was organized by James M. Schneider, Milton Kline, and Howard F. Weaver, consti- tuting a partnership concern. The factory is lo- cated in the Eleventh ward, on the corner of Wayne and Jefferson streets.

The C. F. Stahler Shoe Company, located at II33-39 Maple street, Allentown, was organized on April 1, 1910, by C. F. Stahler and son, Harold B. After continuing in business for one year Harold B. Stahler died and was suc- ceeded in the partnership by Morris D. Bauer. The factory is a brick building, measures 40 by 75 feet, has three floors and a basement, which space is all utilized by the enterprising firm. The firm makes a specialty of manufacturing men's and boys' shoes and finds ready market for its product throughout the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware; however, the largest markets constitute the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and

Washington, D. C. Mr. Stahler personally su- pervises the interests of the first two cities, and is assisted by three men employed as travelling salesmen. The firm gives employment to fifty people.

The partnership of Callahan & Meyers, shoe manufacturers of Allentown, was established in June, 1906. It. is the outgrowth of William C. Callahan, who had first been established at High Bridge, N. J., where he has been in business about two years prior to 1906. His associate is J. Meyers, who was a retail shoe merchant at Penn Argyl, Pa., for fourteen years prior to his association with Mr. Callahan. Upon the re- moving of the factory building from High Bridge, N. J., to this city in 1906, Mr. Meyers associated himself with Mr. Callahan. The firm manufactures women's, children's, and small gents' shoes. In 1911 the firm erected the six- story brick factory building, located at the south- west corner of Fourteenth and Liberty streets, and occupies it since January, 1912. They em- ploy 100 people.

The Greenburg & Miller Shoe Company, dur- ing the summer of 1914, secured the Southdown Knitting Mill at Jordan and Tilghman streets, which they converted into a plant for the manu- facture of misses' and children's shoes, with a spe- cialty of children's sandals.

SHOE HEELS .- John O'Keefe embarked in the business of manufacturing leather shoe heels at Newark, N. J., in 1902, and carried on this in- dustry for five years, when he removed to Allen- town. He has since conducted a successful plant at No. 1219 Monroe street, employing from 12 to 15 hands. He disposes of ten tons of leather boards monthly, and fifteen tons of top pieces, made from shoulder leather. He uses special patented machinery for cutting, compressing and stamping the pieces which form the heels. This is a unique industry in this section.

BRICK-MAKING.

BUILDING BRICK .- The manufacture of brick at Allentown was started soon after the county was erected in 1812, and the county seat was lo- cated here. The yards were in the southern section near the Little Lehigh, on the site of the wire mill, and the early brick-makers there were John Nonnemacher, Henry Worman and Jacob Egge. The flood of 1862 caused its suspension and then kilns came to be established in the northern sec- tion, at Gordon, Allen and Tilghman streets.

Jacob W. and Albert P. Grim conducted a yard south of the Little Lehigh and west of Eighth street from 1888 to 1907, when they were succeeded by the Ochs & Frey Brick Company.

John and Lewis Nonnemacher had a yard at

S I

rac- lin .eb of ras E.

1072

HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

Twelfth and Liberty streets from 1886 to 1902, employing 25 hands and producing 30,000 brick daily. They were followed by Wm. H. Haus- man from 1902 to 191I.

William Mattern started in the business at Tenth and Allen about 1860. He was succeeded by his son, David, for upward of thirty years. His grandson, Edward, has followed it since 1906. He employs 20 hands and produces 18,000 brick daily.

Daniel Swoyer carried on a plant at Ninth and Allen streets from 1876 to 1900. Then his sons, Oscar D., Wm. J., and Moses E., located at Fourteenth and Allen. After carrying it on until 1904, they became incorporated as the Swoyer Brothers Brick Company, and have since carried on a very successful business, employing 75 hands and producing daily 70,000 brick.

Richard L. and Robert J. Frederick have oper- ated a plant at Fifteenth and Allen since 1902. They employ 30 hands and produce annually five million brick.

FIRE-BRICK .- In 1854 a large fire-brick works was established by Samuel McHose and O. A. Ritter at the foot of Gordon street, along the L. V. R. R., and extending to Chew, and they conducted a successful business for twenty years under the name of McHose & Ritter. Then D. O. Saylor secured the interest of McHose and the large plant was continued for upward of twenty more years under the name of Ritter & Saylor, Charles T. Ritter having taken his father's interest upon the father's decease. Saylor's interest was then purchased by Eugene Gardner, and the business was carried on under the name of Ritter & Gardner until 1900, when it was discontinued. The dimensions of the building were 210 by 260

feet, including four kilns with a total capacity of 134,000 brick, and an annual production of 3,500,000 brick of every description for blast furnaces, rolling mills, steel mills, foundries, and gas works. The clay was obtained at the Wood- bridge mines in New Jersey. In its earlier his- tory, the plant employed from 80 to 100 hands, but in its later history from 40 to 50.

The Industrial Fire-brick Works was estab- lished by Downing and Lewis in 1873 in East Allentown. In 1875, Joseph Downing became the owner and he carried on the business suc- cessfully for upward of twenty years, when he was succeeded by his nephew, William Down- ing, who has continued operations there until the present time. The hands employed number from 20 to 30, and the monthly production is about 100,000 fire brick of various kinds.

GRANITE AND TILE WORKS.

Wentz & Company, extensive manufacturers of

granite and marble work of all kinds and dimen- sions at Kutztown for many years, located at Allentown in the spring of 1914, having removed their plant to a tract of land on Hamilton street at Twentieth, just beyond the city limits, along the trolley line at Griesemerville, in South White- hall township. They employ 30 to 40 hands. Their monuments and stone work are shipped to all parts of Pennsylvania. The officers and direc- tors of the company are Wm. Wentz, president ; P. L. Hentzinger, secretary and treasurer ; James Wentz, Laurence Rupp, Harry Bascom, Charles Hollenbach, and E. F. Ebbert.

In 1901, John Kline and George Sacks started in this business at 433-39 North Thirteenth street. They employ from 30 to 35 hands. Their trade extends through eastern Pennsylvania.

Among the early marble workers here were Jacob Biebighouse, John Eisenbrown, and P. F. Eisenbrown, Henry Breinig, Jacob M. Romig and brother, R. H. Kramm, Tilghman Schmeyer, E. H. Lentz, and Walter Losch.

In 1898, Fulton Bowman and son, Earle, en- gaged in the business of setting up wood and tile mantels of all styles and putting down all kinds of tile, terrazzo, marble mosaic, and interior marble and slate work, and have since carried it on successfully, extending their trade throughout Lehigh and adjoining counties. They were lo- cated at No. 829 Hamilton street until 1908; since then they have been at No. 944. They em- ploy from 5 to 10 hands.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. I, Part 190

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