USA > Pennsylvania > Northampton County > History of Northampton County [Pennsylvania] and the grand valley of the Lehigh, Volume II > Part 12
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The Reformed congregation during its earlier years was served by dif- ferent pastors, and for a long period the pastorate was vacant and the church almost lost its identity. In 1864 the Rev. W. R. Hoffard became pastor, and the congregation gained a steady growth in membership and efficiency. The Rev. W. R. Hoffard served the congregation for a period of eight years. when he was succeeded by Rev. A. Z. Snyder. The cornerstone of a new church was laid May 16, 1875, and consecrated the following year. The church property is owned jointly by the Lutherans and Reformed, and its estimated valute is about $15,000.
The first class of the Evangelical Association was organized in 1848 by Rev. Daniel Weiand. The class consisted of four members, who held ser- NORTII .- 1-33.
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vices in a warehouse, also in private houses, until late in the year 1849, when rooms were rented. The requisite amount having been raised by subscrip- tions, a brick church was erected and named Zion Church. On the com- pletion of the church the membership had increased to thirty-five, and they were supplied by different preachers, according to the ritual of the church. It was connected with different other communities or circuits until the year 1869, when it became a self-supporting charge, the Rev. J. C. Bliem becoming the settled pastor. Since his time it has been supplied by the Annual Con- ference.
The population of the borough continued to increase, and by the census of 1910 there were 1,147 inhabitants.
Nazareth-The incorporation of the borough of Nazareth took place April 14, 1863. At this time it was a village of about one thousand inhabitants. The citizens, mostly of German descent, were contented to pursue their various employments with but little ambition to spur thein on to more active and lucrative business. The German language predominated in common conversation, the English, however, gradually coming into more general use. The borough had all the usual professions and trades of a provincial village. the manufacturing industries were limited to two brick yards, one guitar fac- tory, one iron foundry, one machine shop for agricultural implements, one sash factory and planing mill, two carriage factories.
The lease system of the Moravians was abolished in 1849 by the Gen- eral Synod, and soon after this the town plan of Nazareth was enlarged, property was offered to the highest bidders, and an impetus was thus given to business in general which resulted in the erection of a number of well built brick dwellings on several of the new streets that were then opened. In the latter part of the eighteenth century water for public use was intro- duced from several contiguous springs, brought to the consumers by a main pipe. A reservoir was built in 1859 just west of the Evergreen Cemetery, and the waters of John's spring some distance beyond was by iron pipes distributed through the greater part of the village. The Nazareth Water Company was chartered in 1870. The first hand fire engine was introduced in 1790, and a second one about 1820. At different times various fire organi- zations existed, but at the time of the incorporation of the borough there was but one fire company, though both of the old engines were on hand, with a large supply of hose for attachment to the fire plugs connected with pipes leading from the reservoir.
Nazareth became a post town soon after the close of the War for Ameri- can Independence. There were daily mail, stage and express facilities to all parts of the country. It became the center of post roads and travel from New York and Philadelphia to the northern parts of Pennsylvania. The arrival and departure of the mail stage was a great event in the quiet com- munity, especially during the time of the Troy coaches, when the postilion's horn announced from afar the approach of travelers. This was, however, changed by the advent of railroad facilities, though Nazareth at the time of its incorporation was five miles from the nearest railroad station. In the latter part of 1771 the first inn (not taking into consideration the House of Entertainment at the Rose Settlement) was built. It has been described as
OCTAGONAL SCHOOLHOUSE Upper and Lower Nazareth Townships (Near Bath), 1828-1878
ALLEN TOWNSHIP PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Near Weaversville, East Allen Township
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"a rather murky looking tenement," but in course of time it was improved and enlarged. It was built on the site of the old Nazareth Hotel. The American Hotel was opened in 1853, and the Franklin House in 1860. The prominent hotels of the present day are Nazareth Inn and Hotel Baronial.
A public market house was built on the Square about 1780, and was in use until about 1857, when it was demolished. In the northern part of the village the grounds of the Northampton County Agricultural Society were located and laid out in 1854. The second floor of the Whitefield House is devoted to the Library and Museum of Antiquities of the Moravian His- torical Society, which was organized in 1857. The president of the society is the Rev. W. N. Schwarze.
Among the early mutual fire insurance companies is the Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Northampton County. It was incor- porated March 15, 1845, and commenced business March 23, 1848. The fire risks of the company December 31, 1873, amounted to $10,700,000, and it had received since its organization premiums amounting to $139,113.25, the ag- gregate losses paid being $122,103.92. The officers were: Charles L. Whit- sell, president ; John Leibert, secretary. At an annual meeting held August 22, 1882, the company was reorganized and elected Asher D. Shemer, presi- dent; Peter Gross, treasurer ; John Leibert, secretary. The amount of insur- ance in full, September 1, 1919, was $26,000,000, and the total amount paid in losses in the year 1918 was $43,011.37. The present officers of the company are Samuel Hutchinson, president; A. H. Stofflet, secretary and treasurer.
The Farmers' Union Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Pennsylvania operates in Northampton and adjoining counties. The Legislature granted the company a charter, and the first meeting was held June 1, 1867. The officers elected at this meeting were: Rudolph Deck, president; Jacob Baer, secretary ; Samuel S. Messinger, treasurer. The following have filled the office of president : William Walton, Peter Edelman, and E. P. Buzzard, elected June 1, 1905. George Boyer, the second secretary, was succeeded April 24, 1897, by Jacob H. Beck, and he in turn. December 24, 1901, by Wilson E. Beck. The office of treasurer was filled for thirty-three years by Samuel S. Messinger, his successor ; one of the original directors, T. Frank Butz, served until 1907. The present treasurer is C. C. Marsh. The total receipts of the company to December 31, 1917, was $372,829.01 ; losses paid $301,637.17; policy holders 4232; insurance in force, $6,391,336.90.
The church in which was held religious services by the Moravians of Nazareth in an early day, is now a part of Nazareth Hall. and is used as a gymnasium. The principals of the institution were the presiding pastors, assisted in the early part of the nineteenth century by assistant pastors. This office was filled in 1811-17 by Rev. Abraham Reinke; his successor was Rev. John F. Frueauff, who in 1819 gave way to Rev. Emanuel Rond- thaler, who served until 1839. The next incumbent was Rev. Samuel Reinke, who afterward became Bishop of the Moravian church, and died at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, January 21, 1875. The last to fill the office was Rev. William L. Lennert, 1853-60, at which time the new church was built.
The present Moravian church was erected in Center Square in 1860.
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The first pastor was Rev. Theophilus Wonderling, a former teacher at Naz- areth Hall, and who died at Nazareth, April 8, 1864. His successor, Rev. Edward T. Kluge, was in charge of the congregation from 1864 to 1867. The next pastor was Rev. Julius E. Wuensahe, who resigned after serving one year. He was followed by Rev. Henry A. Shultz, afterwards a bishop of the church. After serving the congregation three years he was succeeded by Rev. John F. Worman, who after a short term as pastor gave way to Rev. William Henry Rice, who remained pastor until 1879, when Rev. Henry T. Bachman became his successor, resigning in 1882. He after- ward became a bishop of the church, and died at Grace Hall. Iowa, Octo- ber 8, 1896. The next pastor was Rev. Maximilian Eugene Grunert, who after a year's service was succeeded by Rev. Edward T. Kluge; he after- ward became a professor in the Theological Seminary, and a member of the governing board of the church. His successor, Rev. Paul de Schweinitz, was pastor from 1891 to 1898, was also in 1910 a member of the governing board of the church. The Rev. Charles A. Hacknele was pastor of the con- gregation from IS98 to 1904, and was succeeded for one year by Rev. Samuel Gapp. The next pastor was Rev. John Greenfield, who resigned in 1914. when the present pastor, Rev. Paul S. Meinnert, commenced his labors. He is a graduate of Moravian College, and Theological Seminary, class of 1898; before coming to Nazareth he was in charge of congregations at De Forest, Wisconsin, and Palmyra, New Jersey. An addition to the church was built in 1916 for the Sunday school. The church has a membership of seven hundred persons.
The Lutheran and Reformed congregations in 1859 built a Union church on South Broad, corner of Prospect street. The first pastor of the St. Jolin's Evangelical Lutheran congregation was Rev. James B. Rath, who com- menced his labors in March, 1860, and resigned in May, 1865. The second pastor was Rev. Reuben Shuller, installed January 20, 1867, and served until April, 1869. In August that year Rev. David Kuntz became his successor and had charge until July 21, 1901. The next to assume pastoral charge was the Rev. Luther D. Lazarus, who commenced his labors January 1, 1905. The Reformed congregation, in 1905 for $5,000, disposed of their interests in the Union church to the Lutherans. The latter demolished the old church and erected on the site the present church of Gothic style of architecture at the cost of $60,000. The fifth pastor, the Rev. G. D. Druckenmiller, com- menced his duties September 1, 1905, and was dismissed September 2, 1910. His successor, Rev. John Henry Miller, served from November 1, 1910, to May 1, 1913, and on November 13th of that year the present pastor, Rev. Milton M. Dry, was installed. Rev. Mr. Dry graduated from the Kutztown Normal School, in 1904 from Muhlenberg College, and three years later from Lutheran Theological Seminary. The membership of the church numbers 700, the congregation in the present year is renovating the church edifice at the cost of $5,000.
The first pastor of St. John's Reformed Church was Rev. J. H. Dubbs, and succeeded by Rev. Abraham Bartholomew. The church was supplied for a short time by Rev. F. W. Reinke, and Rev. M. A. Smith became the regular pastor. The latter resigned in 1891, and since that time the congre-
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gation has been in charge of Rev. W. H. Wotring. The present church building of Indiana limestone, corner of Broad and Prospect streets, was dedi- cated in 1906. The dimensions are 180 by 125 feet, and with the chapel it has a seating capacity of 1,700. The membership of the church is esti- mated as numbering 1,000.
The Evangelical denomination in 1877 had a place of worship, corner of Broad and Walnut streets; the congregation at the present time is small and there is no resident pastor. The Haman Memorial Church, named in mem- ory of Bishop C. F. Haman, a native of Nazareth, is the place of worship for the United Evangelical Church. This congregation was organized October 3, 1900, by Rev. W. F. Hill. The first pastor, Rev. S. P. Erisman, was ap- pointed February 1, 1901. The church, corner of Washington street and Madison avenue, was built in that year at the cost of $14,000. The member- ship of the church is about sixty, and the pastor since 1915 is Rev. H. J. Klein.
Grace Chapel, a mission of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ, was estab- lished in Nazareth in the eighties of the past century. The present chapel on Broad street was built with a seating capacity of three hundred. The present pastor, Rev. John G. Shireman, commenced his duties in the summer of 1919. The adjacent dwelling to the church has been purchased for a par- sonage.
Nazareth has an estimated population at the present time of 4,000 inhabi- tants. It is connected with the outside world by the Lehigh & New Eng- land railroad, and the Bangor & Portland railroad, operated by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western system. The borough is a trolley center, the lines of the Northampton Transit Company, Lehigh Transit Company, Slate Belt Line, and the Nazareth and Bath, converging at its center. Among the industries not previously mentioned in this work are the Belfast Slate Com- pany, Northampton Hard Vein Slate Company, Bowers' Bros. flouring mill, Bushkill Milling Company, C. F. Martin & Company, guitar factory ; Naza- reth Cement Vault Company, and Nazareth Planing Mill.
Chapman-The borough of Chapman is located on the west branch of Monocacy creek, in the southern part of Moore township. The borough derives its name from William Chapman, who was born in 1816 on the battle- field of Waterloo, his mother having gone there to attend her wounded husband. He is said to have discovered the slate deposits in this region, and acquired the land for a dollar in money and a pint of gin. He formed a company and amassed a sning fortune. The borough was incorporated in 1865, and in accordance with the census of 1870 contained 388 inhabitants. In the next decade we note that the borough consisted of two churches, a post-office, one store, a hotel, schoolhouse, machine shops, slate companies' offices and shops, and about sixty dwellings, the greater part of which were owned by the Chapman Slate Company. Quarrying and preparing slate for market is a very interesting study, and has been fully developed in this borough. The organization of the companies engaged in this industry have been fully dealt with in another chapter of this work.
Glendon-Glendon originally formed a part of Williams township, and the
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establishment of the Glendon Iron Works was the first cause of the village's existence. It is situated about two miles above Easton, on the south side of the Lehigh river, a station on the Lehigh Valley railroad. The Lehigh canal passes through the borough. The Bests, Hays and other pioneers of Williams township were original settlers and owners of the lands. The early male residents were directly or indirectly engaged in the iron industry. The first to build a house on the green was Frank Hughes, an employee of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company. He was soon joined by his brother Daniel, and the opening and building up of early business enterprises soon added to the population.
Glendon was incorporated as a borough December 18, 1867, and its first chief burgess, James Morrison, was appointed by the court. The first bor- ough census gave a population of 141, and in the census of 1870 it is credited with 707 inhabitants.
Methodism in Glendon dates back to February, 1874, and the Methodist Episcopal church was rededicated January 15, 1882. The congregation is in existence at the present day, and has been in charge at various periods of prominent ministers of that denomination. At the present day Glendon is one of the suburbs of the city of Easton, connected with it by a trolley railroad line, and the census of 1910 gave it a population of about 700.
Hellertown-Hellertown is situated in the center of Lower Saucon township in the rich and fertile Saucon Valley, on the right bank of Saucon creek. The original settlers were Christopher and Simon Heller, father and son, Germans, who originally settled in Milford township, Lehigh county. They came across the ocean in the ship Winter Gallen, from Rotterdam, arriving in this country September 5, 1738, and were soon followed by five other sons. The lands they originally settled amounted altogether to about fifteen hundred acres. Christopher obtained the patent for his land September 8, 1742, and Simon received his patent October 14, 1746. Anthony Boehm, the son of Rev. John Philip Boehm, built one of the first houses in Hellertown.
In 1820 the village contained thirteen houses, eighteen families, three taverns, two stores, one grist mill and seventy-three inhabitants. For many years the growth of the place was slow ; educational matters, however, were not neglected, although no separate school building was erected until 1845, when Jolin Rentzheimer presented a lot for that purpose in the center of the village. Previous to this time a room was rented from one of the citizens in his dwelling for school purposes. A new impetus was given to business in 1856 by the completion of the North Pennsylvania railroad. The railroad company originally promised the station should be placed at a certain loca- tion, but Philadelphia parties instituted a real estate project, purchased a farm in the opposite direction, laid'out town lots, and called it Hampton. This, however, did not prove a success, only one house being built on it for a number of years, and the project was finally abandoned, the land being resold to the original owner.
The Saucon Savings Bank was chartered by the Legislature May 10, 1871. The capital stock was $20,000, and the stockholders were individually liable for double the amount of their holdings. The first officers were: Dr. P. B. Brenig, president ; Jer. S. Hess, cashier ; directors : P. B. Brenig, Thomas
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R. Laubach, William R. Yeager, Rev. Samuel Hess and Jacob Markle. The deposits at one time reached $125,000, but the bank was finally liquidated.
The iron industries have already been dealt with in another chapter of this work. The other industries were confined to those that depended on the products of the soil for raw materials. After considerable opposition on the part of some of the old citizens, the village, by an order of the court, was incorporated as a borough in 1872. The first election resulted in the choice of the following officers: Chief burgess, Thomas R. Laubach; town council: Charles Wagner, J. B. Leith, D. J. Weierbach, Moses Henninger, W. F. Detwiller and T. S. Eisenhart; justice of the peace, P. B. Lerch.
Members of the Reformed and Lutheran churches purchased a site for a church on the southeast corner of Saucon and Northampton streets. A plain substantial brick cdifice was erected and dedicated May 28-29, 1871. The Rev. T. O. Stem officiated for the Reformed congregation until September, 1876, when he offered his resignation, and was succeeded by Rev. A. B. Koplin. The Rev. William Rath was the first pastor of the Lutheran con- gregation. The church was called Christ Union Church, and services were held in two languages, one-half German and one-half English.
Rev. N. Goebel was the first minister of the Evangelical church to preach in Hellertown. He came to that village in 1850, and on being refused the schoolhouse to preach in, he spoke in front of the building. After this, religious services were held by members of this denomination in a dwelling house, and various pastors from that time to 1870 were sent to preach to them. In that year they purchased the old schoolhouse and converted it into a house of worship. Among the regular pastors since 1870 were: Revs. Henry Stetzel, Jacob Zern, Moses Dissinger and Daniel Yiengst.
Two attempts to publish newspapers in the borough proved abortive. Thomas R. Weber commenced the Hellertown Telegraph, an English and German paper, in 1858, but it only survived a year. A monthly sheet, The Saucon Advertiser, in 1875 succumbed to the inevitable after an existence of a few months.
We find the population of Hellertown in 1880 to be about 550. It con- tained five stores, two hardware stores, one drug store, two carriage factories, one foundry, one grist mill, one saw mill, one planing mill, two furnace stacks, three hotels, a coal and lumber yard, furniture manufactory, a towit hall, bank and two churches.
Bangor-The territory comprising this borough embraces about five hun- dred and fifty acres, situated in the northern part of Washington township, on Martin's creek. The borough owes its existence to the discovery and successful working of slate quarries in its vicinity. The name of Bangor was given to the locality on account of the similarity of its natural features to the town and quarries of Bangor in Wales.
Bangor was incorporated as the eleventh borough in the county May 22, 1875, its population being at that time 1,500. It is described at this time as containing three hotels, five grocery and dry-goods stores, one shoe store, one drug store, one tailor shop, six churches, one grist mill and two black- smith shops. The mechanics employed in manufacturing slates, who consti- tuted the greater part of the population, werc chiefly Welsh and English
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people of an industrious and moral character. There was erected in 1874 four fine churches, viz .: First Presbyterian, Welsh Presbyterian, Welsh Con- gregational, and the English Methodist Episcopal Church. There were, be- sides these, at this time, one Evangelical and one Mennonite church in the borough.
The Bangor of today, snugly nestled in a valley, with its residences on the sides of the hills, its handsome business blocks and slag piles of slate quarries in the distance, is an active, ambitious and thriving community. It is energetic and enterprising, the estimated population of about 6,000 being largely engaged in the slate industry, of which it is the center. The steam and trolley transportation is furnished by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, and the Lehigh & New England railroads, the Northampton Traction Company, the Slate Belt Electric railway, and the Bangor & Portland railroad.
The Bangor Board of Trade, with a guarantee fund of $150,000, is ener- getically engaged in promoting and attracting industries to the borough. The initiation fee is five dollars, with annual dues of one dollar. Ample fire protection is secured by three companies-the Second Fire Company, Liberty Fire Company, Rescue Fire Company. The school edifices for public educa- tion are large and commodious buildings, consisting of a high school with accommodations for six hundred students, the Garfield School, with two hundred seats, the Lincoln School, accommodating four hundred pupils, the McKinley School, with rooms for one hundred, and the Roosevelt School, having seats for two hundred pupils. The educational system is in charge of the school superintendent, with a competent staff of assistants. The finan- cial institutions of the borough are housed in substantial, commodious and handsome buildings erected by them. For a detailed history of these institu- tions see the chapter on financial institutions in another part of this work.
Bangor has thirteen churches of different religious denominations: The First Presbyterian Church, on North Second street, was organized and erected a house of worship in 1874, the first pastor being Rev. James M. Salmon ; the membership of the congregation in 1915 was 140. The organization of the present Pennell Welsh Presbyterian Church, located on North First street, was effected in 1874 with thirty-five members. The services were conducted in the Welsh language, Rev. Morgan A. Ellis being the first pastor. Subse- quently a church edifice was built with a seating capacity for four hundred and fifty persons. The membership in 1915 was over two hundred.
The Baptist denomination is represented by the Mackey Memorial Church. At the time of organization, the membership was small and the church property was heavily mortgaged and was advertised for foreclosure in 1899, when George W. Mackey of Bangor, and his son, Henry A. Mackey of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, purchased the property, presenting it free of all encumbrances to the congregation as a testimonial to their wife and mother, Isabel C. Mackey. The church, on the corner of Second and Chestnut streets, was renovated and refurnished and incorporated under its present title. The church has a seating capacity of three hundred, and in 1915, when Rev. R. P. McPherson was in charge of the congregation, claimed to have a membership of one hundred and twenty-five. There is no settled pastor at the present time.
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The cornerstone of the present Bangor Methodist Episcopal Church on North Third street was laid May 31, 1874. The church has a seating capacity of five hundred and seventy-five, and its membership in 1915 was four hun- dred and twelve. The Faith Methodist Episcopal Church was formerly a branch of the Bangor Methodist Episcopal Church, and is situated on Miller and Northampton streets. A church edifice was built in 1907 to accommodate two hundred worshippers. The organization of the Welsh Methodist Episco- pal Church on South Fourth street was effected in 1889, with fifty-five mem- bers. A church was built in 1891, the seating capacity being three hundred ; the membership of the congregation in 1915 was one hundred and four.
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