USA > Pennsylvania > Northumberland County > History of Northumberland Co., Pennsylvania. With illustrations descriptive of its scenery, palatial residences, public buildings, fine blocks, and important manufactories > Part 28
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Writers of poetry and romance have not failed to recognize this fact, and in legend and story have used many Indian names, thus adding charm and interest to their works of song and fiction.
The word Shamokin, in the language of the Delawares, (who, with a few Shawanese, occupied this part of the State, ) signifies Eel Creek, or Eel Pond. The name was given to our creek ou account of the great number found in it, at or near where it empties into the Susquehanna. The name was also applied to the famous Indian village that stood on the banks of the river, where Sunbury is now located. This was ever a favorite spot with the Sus- quehanun tribes, and no word was dearer to the ear of a Delaware than the word Shamokin. Our town then, and for a century afterwards, was a howl- ing wilderness. Its dark, swampy forests were only inhabited by beasts of prey, and a lonely path along the mountain side, leading to the Tulpchocken region, wns ocensionally traveled by some roving Indian band. Not even the rude Delawares would build their wigwams here, in such a solitary wild, that is now the site of a great mining town.
The name Shamokin seems ever to have been a popular one. When the Moravians established a missionary post at Sunbury, in 1748, they omitted their usual custom of applying a scriptural name, and retained the Indian one. The name Shamokin soon extended itself to prominent points around. The great island in the river was termed the Shamokin Island; the valley extending eastward was ealled Shamokin Valley; and the long range of hills running parallel to it, was named the Shamokin Hills; after the formation of the County, the name was applied to one of the principal townships; next to what is now termed the Big Mountain; next to the First Baptist Church, in this part of the State, founded in 1794; next to a post-office, at Snufftown, and finally the name was bestowed on our town, and to one of its principal streets. So much for the name.
THE DANVILLE AND POTTSVILLE RAILROAD.
The completion of the Schuylkill Canal, in 1825, attracted the attention of business men in Philadelphia, and other parts of the State, to the import- ance and necessity of conneeting the waters of the Delaware and the Sus- quehunna by means of this improvement. Rittenhouse, and others, of a much earlier period, hud conceived the idea of joining the waters of these two grent rivers by a ennal, but the undertaking was too vast for the means at command at that day.
The honor und origin of this railroad may justly he given to General Daniel Montgomery, of Danville, one of the most enterprising and far-seciog business men of his time.
In 1826, the legislature of the State granted a charter for the Danville and Pottsville Railrond Company, with a capital of three hundred thousand dollars-the fourth one granted. Under this act nothing was done; but in April, 1828, a supplement was passed, increasing the stock to one million dollars, and authorizing branches to Sunbury and Catawisea, so as to catch all the trade of both branches of the Susquehanna.
The following were among the commissioners appointed: Burd Patterson, Benjamin Pott, of Pottsville; Joseph Paxsou, of Catawissa; General Mont- gomery, of Danville; John C. Boyd, Joseph R. Preistley, and John Taggart, of Northumberland; and Judge Jordan, Hugh Bellas, and E. Greenough, of Sunbury, etc.
The leading men in this enterprise were Stephen Girard, of Philadelphia, who owned large tracts of coal laud in the Mahanoy region; Burd Patter- son, of Pottsville, one of the ablest and most far-seeing business men that ever resided in the State; and General Montgomery, of Danville, father-in- law to John C. Boyd, the founder of Shamokin.
At this time, General Montgomery, who was one of the Canal Commis- sioners of the Commonwealth, procured the services of Monenre Robinson, Esq., one of the most famous civil engineers of our County, and during that Summer explored the woods and waters between Sunbury and Pottsville, in running experimental lines, to ascertain if a railroad could be constructed over a ronte, probably one of the most unfavorable in the County. In 1831,- Mr. Robinson submitted his report, stating that a railroad was practicable, and could be made for six hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars. This included the grading of a road bed for a double track, the laying of a single track, the necessary turnouts, and the several planes, with their fixtures. The report was adopted, and the company, in 1832, commenced on the east- ern end, by request of Mr. Girard, which was completed at seven per cent. less cost than the estimate.
It was the cherished idea of Girard to extend the Danville and Pottsville Railroad np the west branch, to Erie, connecting the most distant parts of the State, by rad and navigation. This road passed under several names; it was sometimes called the "Central," and again the "Girard Road." It was the design of the directors, that the eastern division should transport the coal from the Mahanoy basin to Pottsville, and thence by canal to Philadel- phin; while the western section should convey the coal from the Shamokin region to Sunbury, and thence, by the Pennsylvania Canal, to Baltimore, and other places, while the entire route should be devoted to passenger travel and lumber traffic.
In November, 1831, Girard and Montgomery died. They were the main pillars in the enterprise, and their deaths exerted a chilling influence on the progress of the road.
From the beginning, Stephen Girard had been one of its warmest sup- porters, and but for his untimely death, the grent undertaking would have been completed much sooner. It is known that his sudden illness prevented his appropriating three hundred thousand dollars towards its completion.
In 1832, a further supplement to the charter was passed, extending the time of completion to April, 1838.
During the Summer of 1832, the enstern section of the rond was com- meneed, in conformity to the desire of Mr. Girard, and more than half of the work on this end was done this year. In his anxiety to push the work vig- orously, he ordered from Englnud the iron to plate the rails for the entire road. The eastern end was completed in the beginning of 1834, and was worked for a short time, but owing to the imperfeet connection cansed by the bad working of the planes, the work was abandoned in a few years.
This year the legislature passed an act, guaranteeing five per cent. inter- est on three hundred thousand dollars, for twenty-seven years, providing two-thirds of the funds thus obtained, should be applied to the completion of the western section. Bonds were sold at quetion, in Philadelphia, for this purpose, and in July, 1834, work was commenced on twenty miles of the western end, between Shamokin and Sunbury, and was graded completely in the early part of the Summer of 1835. Shamokin at this time, and pre- viously, was known as John Boyd's stone-coal quarry. In Angust, this year, contracts were made for putting down the superstructure, and laying the strap iron on the wooden rails, for thirteen and three-eighth miles, be- tween Sunbury and a point now called Paxinos. This was completed in three months' time. On November 26th, 1835, the opening ceremonies oc- eurred under the charge of the Chief Engineer, Mr. Totten. "Two elegant and commodious passenger ears," just built at Pottsville, for this road, named "Shamokin," and " Mahanoy," were placed on the track on the bank of the Susquehanna, at Sunbury. Each car contained nhout thirty passengers in- side and outside, drawn by ten mail coach horses, At twelve o'clock, the train started, amid the ringing of bells, and the cheers of hundreds of people, who had assembled to witness this novel spectacle. At two o'clock, the party arrived at Paxinos, the termions of the completed portion of the road. Here, a large concourse of people from all parts of the Shamokin Valley, had assembled to witness the arrival of the first passenger train from Sunbury.
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HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
A sumptuous diuner had been prepared for the visitors, after which a meet- ing was held, presided over by G. Daniel Levy, the oldest citizen of Suubnry, and the oldest member of the bar attending. Lewis Dewart and Charles Donnell were appointed Vice Presidents; and Peter Lazarus, and Daniel Brautigon, Secretaries ; Hugh Bellas, Esq., delivered the address, giving a detailed history of the road, and the bright prospects of its future.
The following toasts were read:
By the President-"The memory of Girard and Montgomery-the founders of our railroad." Drank standing.
By Vice President Dewart --. " The President and Managers of the rail- road-faithful to their trust-persevering in a good cause."
By Mr. Bellas-" Moncure Robinson, our Chief Engineer, whose science has triumphed over the mountain-whose labors insure success-whose estimates never fail."
By Charles C. Hegius, Esq .- " Local improvements, like the separate culti- vation of our intellectual faculties-while they benefit and enrich the part, increase the resources and strength of the whole."
By Col. Paxson-"Our railroads and eanals-the pride of our State; the people look with confidence to their completion, guided by the band of judi- cious economy."
By Peter Weimer, Esq .- "Hugb Bellas, Esq .- The view he has just afforded of the present work, shows how intimately he has been connected with its origin and completion."
The balance of the road, some six miles in length, leading from Paxinos to Shamokin, was not completed until August, 1838. The particulars of the completion of the road, ete., will be given in another article under the head of "Origin of Shamokin."
ORIGIN OF SHAMOKIN.
The land upon which Shamokin stands, is principally on the Samuel Clark survey. This traet originally comprised about four hundred neres, but it bas been divided into smaller tracts. The patent for this land was issued to Samuel Clark, on April 11th, 1776, by John Penn, Jr., and John Penn, the successors of the great and goud William Peun, the founder of the State. This transaction occurred about four years after the formation of the County, and about three months prior to the Declaration of Independence. The price per acre was most likely the usual one for proprietary lands of that period, and it is quite probable a British stamp legalized the transaction.
In June, 1776, Samnel Clark sold one-third of this tract to Thomas Light- foot, and in 1792, the remainder to Francis Johnson. In 1803, Abraham Cherry, and afterwards John Cherry, became owners of the Johnson por- tion, and Jacob and Mary Tomlinson, of the Lightfoot part. During this year, by agreement, they divided the Clark survey ; John Cherry getting two- thirds, or what is now the lower town, and Jacob and Mary Tomlinson one- third, or what is the upper town.
The one-third part, in the course of time, appears to have been sold for the taxes, and finally came into possession of Walter Brady, a former sheriff of Northumberland County. Walter was a fast man of that period, and on his retiring from office, was considerably in debt. The property was put up at sheriff's sale several times, but there were no bidders for the property. It finally was sold August 19th, 1824, on account of n debt of eighty-three dollars and fifty cents, due Michael Zuerne, the grandfather of Mr. Joseph Zuerne, of our town. It was described as a tract of Innd situate in Shamokin Gap, bounded by lands of Benjamin Campbell, late Benjamin Tomlinson, on which there is a stone-coal quarry. A small portion of the land is cleared, on which is erected a small log-dwelling, occupied by the widow of the Inte William Ducher, decensed. The western line of this track ran from near the Central School-house, south to the Methodist Church, and along the westeru side of Grant street. The present line between the east and west wards of the borough was the division line.
Jesse Major was the purchaser. Major was a loose ebaracter; in fact, an ontlaw. He had been accused at different times of robbery, horse-stenling, and counterfeiting, but managed generally to escape punishment. He was a wandering tailor, and was very fleet of foot. Every bad act that occurred in the neighborhood was attributed to him. Tradition says that at the time of sale, Major had just been released from jail, und in passing by, in a joke, made n bid of twelve dollars. There being no other biddlers, the tract was knocked down to him, amid considerable merriment, as the by-standers sup- posed he had no money. But to their surprise, he paid down the sum in gold.' Conl was known to exist upun this tract for many years previously, but its value ns n fuel was not fully known. Major visited his purchases several times, and obtained some samples of stone-conl in the creek, between
Clay and Webster streets. It is said he took some of these pieces to a black- smith at Paxinos, and told him to try them. The smith placed some of the chunks upon the top of the hearth-fire (a charcoal oue), but as they eom- menced to fly in small pieces as they became heated, the conl was pronounced worthless. But Major did not lose confidence in his stone-coal, and in his travels over the country exhibited his mineral specimens. His character, however, was so poor that his coal and assertions received but little atten- tion. Major was very nxious to obtain a horse, and offered his " kingdom for a horse." Finally, in the Spring of 1826, he stopped one night at the tavern of Joseph Snyder, who then kept u hotel at the "Liberty Pole." Here he exhibited his coal, and offered to trade his tract, now the most beau- tiful part of Shamokin, to Mr. Suyder for an old grey horse. Mr. Snyder declined the offer, but told Major to go and see John C. Boyd, whom he said was fond of speculations. Major went to Boyd next, and finally made a sale, Mr. Boyd having ascertained that there was coal on the premises. Mr, Boyd paid Major two hundred and thirty dollars for the property, an old horse, valued at about fifty dollars, was part of the payment. The tract contained one hundred and six acres, eighty perches.
He afterward purchased of Jacob Tomlinson his interest in the land for five dollars. This purchase was made just after the passage of the Dan- ville and Pottsville railroad bill.
Coal was known to exist here at n very early date, but its use was not fully understood, and hence but little valned. Mr. John Thompson, an old citizen of Shamokin, near eighty years of age, informed the writer that coal was discovered in the Shamokin region long before it was known in Schuyl- kill County. He says that the Cherrys, the first settlers, had noticed it, and that Isnae Tomlinson picked up some pieces in Quaker Run, about 1790, and took them to Maiden Creek, Berks County, for a blacksmith to try. In 1810, Mr. Tomlinson erected a blacksmith-shop, and used Shamokin eonl.
In 1814, Mr. Thompson, who, then a boy of fifteen years, mined a two- horse load of eoal out of the Quaker Run, hauled it to Sunbury, a distance of twenty-five miles, and sold it to a shoemaker for 6ve dollars. He used it for his house. Parties before had purchased Wilkesbarre eoal. This was the first Shamokin coal that ever went to market.
Farmers at the upper end of Irish Valley frequently picked up black stones in the creek, and finally traced the place they came from at Shamokin. For some years previously, farmers enme here occasionally and got some coal, but little was done until Mr. Boyd acquired possession. In 1826, Mr. Boyd and Ziba Bird built a dam in the Shamokin Creek, near Webster street, and opened a mine, which for many years was known as Boyd's stone- coal quarry. Here they mined several hundred tons of coal out of the bed of the creek. Mr. Ziba Bird was the miner, John Runkle wheeled it out, assisted by Joseph Bird, Esq., who was then a small boy. Casper Reed and Samuel Startzel were bired to haul this coal to Danville in wagons, which took them several weeks. At Danville it was put in arks, and sent down the river to Columbia. This was the first coal seut down the Susquehanna to market from the Shamokin region.
Between 1826 and 1835, the ownership of this tract passed out of Mr. Boyd's hands one or more times. About 1830, it was owned by Jacob Graaff, of Reading, who conceived the idea of laying ont a town here, and during that year had a portion surveyed for that purpose, but nothing was done except entting ont a partial path for the surveyors. About 1834, the prop- erty again came into the possession of Mr. Boyd.
The borough of Shamokin was laid out March Ist, 1835, by Juhm C. Buyd. Joseph Bird, Esq., now of Northumberland, was present at the laying- out of the place, and gave the writer the following particulars: "During 1832-33, Ziba Bird, my father, was a contractor on the Girard road. Iu the Spring of 1834, he built a saw-mill at Loeust Gap for Bord Patterson, who was one of the leading men of that day. Mr. Bird took a contrnet to saw two hundred thousand feet of oak rails for the Danville and Pottsville Rail- road. He built the saw-mill for eight hundred dollars. He cut, hauled, and sawed for one-half, and thus got out his money. During the Spring of 1835, Mr. Boyd conceived the idea of laying out a town, and, as soon as the weather would admit, he had Ziba Bird to come to the present site of the town and lay it out. Kimber Cleaver was the engineer. Mr. Cleaver had heun engaged several years upou the Danville and Pottsville Railroad as an engineer. I helped to carry the chain. We laid out the part included in the Major tract. Remember secing the roads cut where Graatt had run his street.
"On the very day they commeneed Inying out the town, March 1st, Mr. Bird had the frame stuff and lumber for a house hanled from the anw-mill, nt Locust Gap, already framed. Alexander Caldwell was one of the tenni-
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HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
sters. This was the first house built, and is now a part of Weaver's National Hotel. It was a plank house, and as it had been all prepared at Locust Gap, it was soon put up. The building had no stone walls, but was set on posts. The house was commenced on March 1st, and was far enough com- pleted on April 5th, to be used as a dwelling. Mr. Bird then moved in this house and immediately commenced another house, which is now the United States Hotel. When the second building was completed, he moved into it, and then finished the Weaver house by digging a cellar and putting a wall under it. Hots and Rishel were the carpenters."
No further houses were built uatil 1837. During July, 1835, Mr. Joseph Snyder, who had kept a tavern in Rush township, moved to Shamokin and opened a hotel in the second building erected, and remained there until August, 1837.
The following letter, published in a Philadelphia paper of this date, gives a good picture of the first days of Shamokin, when Mr. Snyder took charge of the first hotel of the town :
SHAMOKIN P. O. (PAXINOS), July 9th, 1835.
" I have just returned from n short ride of six miles to the termination of the graded part of the western section of the -- allow me to call it ' Girard Railrond' -being accompanied by the assistant engineer, Mr. Totten, to whose polite nt- tentions I am much indebted for much of the pleasure of the trip through the mountains. The road from this point ( which is on the Shamokin Creek, thirteen miles east of Sunbury) passes up the creek, principally through an almost uninhabited country-the population at least is very sparse. Some three or four miles up we come into the Shamokin coal region, by the mines of which the country below, as far as Sunbury, is supplied, and from which, when the road is completed, large quantities will be sent to the Susquehanna River for exportation. On arriving at Mr. Boyd's mines (Shamokin), near the termi- nation of the graded part of the road, and amidst the solitary mountains, we were gratified to see a Inge two-story dwelling-house, a large store, barn, and other out-houses, erected and nearly completed in a neat aud handsome style. But if our surprise was great at observing such buildings, in such a place, judge what it must have been when, on our return, we met five or six wagons, loaded with furniture, women, children, cats, dogs, and chickeas, and accompanied by cows, enlves, sheep, and pigs, wending their way, up the railroad, to these very buildings, where Daddy informed us he was about to open a tavern. From wbence his guests were to come, I could not, for the life of me, conceive, at least nutil the road should be completed to his place, and the mines should be worked. The next building erceted, I suppose, will be a blacksmith-shop, when the place will have all the attributes of a town in a new country, and will be entitled to a post-office."
From 1803, the Cherry family held possession of the lower part of the town for many years, and one of the family built a log-house which stood on the site where the brick-house of W. and B. F. Lake now stands. In the course of time, this traet enme into the possession of MeCarty, Davis, War- ner, and Jordan, who laid it out as a town about 1835, the same time that Boyd's part was laid out. It was called Groveville, in honor of Miss Grove, whom Mr. McCarty had recently married. The town was laid out under the supervision of David Rockefeller, Esq., of Sunbury, now well advanced in years, and uoted as one of the most eminent land surveyors of the day.
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Mr. Boyd first named his town " Marion," but a town in the west, of the same name, turning out badly, the name was abandoned, and that of Shamokin substituted. Soon after, the lower town dropped Groveville and adopted Shamokin also. But, notwithstanding the place was named Sha- mokin, the people did not accept the name for many years afterwards, invariably calling it " Newtown."
Though the road from Paxinos to Sunbury was opened at the close of 1835, it did not seem to have much effect on Shamokin, as no houses seem to have been erected during 1836. The tract between Paxinos and Shamo- kin was not laid, as the chief engineer, Mr. Robinson, suggested no further work should be done " until some accommodation shall have been obtained for the coal trade at Sunbury. "The board will probably deem it expedient to present an application, on this subject, to the next legislature. If an ap- propriation should be made by that body to effect, at this point, a connection with the Pennsylvania Canal, by means of a guard-lock and basin, there can scarcely be n doubt that in a short time an active trade would exist on this portion of the railroad."
During 1837, several houses were creeted. The third house built was a small, one-story frame school-house, on Dewart street. The fourth house was a small frame-kitchen, located where Mr. Bittentender's brick residence now stands. It was occupied by S. S. Bird, Esq. The fifth house put up was that of Joseph Bird, on the north-east corner of Shamokin and Com- merce streets, on the ground now occupied by May's three-story block. The Bird house was afterwards moved up Commerce street, and a part of it is now occupied by Mr. William Rote, ns a meat-market. The next house erected was by Mr. Benjamin McClow, on Commerce street. During 1838,
Houseworth & John erected a store-building, on Shamokin street, on ground now occupied by Morganroth & Co.'s store-building. William Fegely built a residence on Sunbury street, and soon after erected a store-house on Shano- kiu street.
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Abio John, who taught school the previous winter, the first in Shamokin, in the Spring built the frame-house on Sunbury street, now occupied by John Philips, as u hardware-store. Quite a number of houses were put up on Sunbury street, this year. David Faux put up n frame-building where Mr. Marshall's brick residence now stands. About 1850-53, it was occupied by n Mr. Sminkey, who kept a saloon, the first in Shamokin. The foundry, machine-shop and carpenter-shop were erected this year, by Boyd & Bird. S. S. Bird was the contractor of these and many other houses. The railroad company built their office this year, which was on the corner of Shamokin and Independence streets, and is now a part of Temmer's saloon. A small house was put up on site of D. S. Miller's residence, and another building, now occupied by J. F. Eisenhart. George Kreeger put a house on corner of Sunbury and Pearl streets, which has since been remodeled and is now occupied by R. A. Ammerman. Daniel Kreeger built a house on the corner of Commerce and Pearl streets, now occupied by his family. Boyd & Bird put a row of houses on Commerce street ; Yoxtheimer built a store-house in the lower town, now occupied by Mr. J. P. Fincher, and the late Jacob Mowry built his residence on Market street. All the houses at the furnnee, except the lower row, were put up this year, and a row was put up on Rock street by S. S. Bird, now occupied by William Owen, Sr.
In August, 1837, Mr. Kram took charge of the hotel. From 1836 to 1838, coal was hauled in wugons from the mines, at Shamokin, to Paxinos, where it was unloaded in shutes, dumped in cars and hauled by horse- power to Sunbury, for the local trade. This conl was mined from the fint- vein. In August, 1838, the railrond was completed from Paxinos to Sha- mokin. When this great work was completed, a great meeting was held at Shamokin, in commemoration of the event. A dinner was prepared for the ocension, in the foundry-building just erected. Mr. Kran, of the hotel, was the caterer, and no doubt the tables gronned with the luxuries of the season. Speeches were made by Mr. Bellas and others, portraying, in glowing colors, the future coal trade of Shamokin and the great prospects of its be- coming a great centre of trade. The locomotive, the first one on the rond, was the " North Star," built by Eastwick & Harrison, of Philadelphia, Mr. Eastwiek acting as engineer on the ocension. The locomotive was a small one, and had been shipped in parts to Sunbury by ennal, where it was un- londed and put together by Mr. Eastwick.
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