History of Schuylkill County, Pa. with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 60

Author:
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell
Number of Pages: 604

USA > Pennsylvania > Schuylkill County > History of Schuylkill County, Pa. with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 60

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NORTH UNION TOWNSHIP.

EN what is now North Union the earliest known settler was Conrad Faust, who, in 1806, set- tled on the farm now owned by Henry Goot- schall. Some three years later Albertus Miller settled where Frederick Hatter now lives. This township was erected from Union in 1867. The first town election was held at Zion's Grove in that year.

But few incidents of an exciting character have been traced in the history of the township. Perhaps the most

thrilling and terrible of these occurred during the year of house and opened a store in 1830. The post-office was its incorporation, when, late in the afternoon of a day in February, six unknown men stopped at the house of Henry Rapp and demanded money. Mrs. Rapp ran to the house of a neighbor named Henry Johnson, who re- turned with her to find Rapp struggling with the robbers, and to be himself shot dead. After wounding Rapp the miscreants fled, deserting one of their party, who was also

wounded, in the flight, in a wood at some distance, where he died, and where his bones were discovered the next summer. The brutality of the act, the desertion of their fellow criminal, and the sad fate of Johnson, all mark the tragic act as one of the most terrible of the many unpun- ished crimes that have made this county a veritable Aceldama.

The only post-office in the township was named Zion's Grove, after Zion's church, which stands about a mile northwest of the little hamlet to which it gave its name. The first settler here was Jacob Breisch, who built a established in 1868, and the first postmaster was Theo- dore Van Duzen. The place contained in 1880 a store, kept by Thomas J. Davis, the present postmaster; a grist- mill, a blacksmith shop, a church, erected by the Evan- gelical denomination in 1879, and eight dwelling houses. The population of North Union in 1870 was 666, and in 1880 847.

NORWEGIAN TOWNSHIP.

T HIS is one of the nine original townships of Schuylkill county, formed in 1811. But it is only a comparatively small remnant of the Norwegian township of that date, when its boundaries included all of Foster, Branch and Cass, and portions of Butler, Barry, Reilly, New Castle and East Norwegian townships, and the several boroughs within its former limits. Its surface is broken and rugged, and is richly underlaid with coal.

that Jacob Yohe settled later about a mile east of Miners- ville, between 1780 and 1790. On the turnpike the first settler was John Boyer. About the same time came Wil- liam Yohe, who was married to Boyer's daughter. The turnpike was passable about 1810 or 1811, and Boyer and Yohe built near the northern border of Norwegian, or just over the line in New Castle township, a tavern, which was burned about twenty-two years later. Only about a year before, however, they had erected a more modern building, about half a mile south of the old stand and on the opposite side of the turnpike. This was, for a time, kept by another son-in-law of Boyer. Subsequent- ly it often changed hands, and became a well known landmark, familiar to travelers between Pottsville and New Castle.

The first settlements in Norwegian, as at present bounded, were made on the road between Pottsville and Minersville, states Mr. Abraham Pott, a son of John Pott, sen., an old gentleman who is probably better informed as to the pioneer history of Schuylkill county than any other person within its borders. A man named Bright The first settlers in Norwegian, as in other new sec- was the pioneer on the York farm. His house was of the tions, were for a time busily employed in clearing and type familiar to all dwellers in new sections, and was, with the hospitality proverbial of the pioneer days, opened for the accommodation of wayfarers over the road, though it seems Bright was a non-resident, and the house was kept and much of the primitive farming done by a tenant. The date at which this land was taken up cannot now be ascertained, but that it was early is evident from the fact getting their land under cultivation. Their labor, their dangers, their hardships and their daily experiences were such as fall to the lot of the pioneer everywhere. That the struggle for victory over nature during the first few years was a severe one may well be imagined. Work was hard, conveniences were few and the crops were light. Subsequently, as improvements were made, in which the

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HISTORY OF SCHUYLKILL COUNTY.

early and primitive saw-mills played their part, the homes of the pioneers became more comfortable, and the bor- ders of their clearings were gradually extended. Little thought was for years given to the vast deposits of coal underlying this section.

The settlement of the township was slow, and there was no considerable population for many years after it began. Previous to 1825 there were not children enough in the then township of Norwegian to form a respectable school. The next three years saw such an increase of population that the township had 421 taxable inhabitants, scattered over its large area, now embracing several townships and boroughs. This increase was due to the possibilities of the coal trade which Norwegian evidenced upon the completion of the Schuylkill canal to Mount Carbon.

The population of the township at census dates during the last half century has been as follows: 1830, 3,849; 1840, 3,924; 1850, 2,642; 1860, 3,071; 1870, 1,390; 1880, 942.

SCHOOLS.

Barry was taken from Norwegian in 1822, and Potts- ville was soon incorporated as a borough. The small- ness of the number of school children in the remainder of the township in 1825 is mentioned above. The influx, about this time, of miners and speculators to the town- ship prepared the way for the acceptance of the common school system without much opposition, as the new comers were persons of considerable intelligence, and ap- preciated the advantages of general education. In 1829 Abraham Pott had built, at his own expense, the first and only school-house in the township prior to the ac- ceptance of the new school system, to the advocacy of which he contributed much time and money. There are four schools in Norwegian as at present bounded, in which from 250 to 275 scholars are instructed during about ten months of the year.

COAL OPERATIONS.

An account of coal operations within the present limits of Norwegian township would be replete with interest, could it be given fully as to names and dates. At this remote period from the time of their beginning such an account cannot be written. Such facts as it has been possible to obtain are here presented.

Among the earliest operators in Norwegian were John and James Lyons. They had a drift on the Salem vein, and had been operating on the York farm several years previous to 1816, hauling their coal with teams, selling it bere and there. They were thus employed till about 1820. John Bailey began early at Centerville, and oper- ated till about 1830. He had a shaft and hoisted his coal with a windlass. Bailey, Samuel Huntzinger and others had early openings at Crow Hollow. On the west side of the turnpike, near Bailey's Centerville open- ing, and a little south of that point, Thomas Sillyman put down a slope a few years later than the above men- tioned beginning, and operated some years, hoisting his

coal by horse power. Nicholas Kantner worked an open- ing at Peach Mountain, on the Spohn vein, for other par- ties, a year or two. The Youngs, Robert and John, be- gan operating in 1827 or 1828, just within the present borders of Pottsville, by a drift on the Salem vein, and did an increasing business for some years. Not far away Abraham Pott and Burd Patterson opened on the same vein as early as 1828, and began shipping coal. Mann & Williams opened a small drift on the Gate vein, within the present limits of Potts- ville, about 1830, and during the summer months shipped about two tons per day. North of Mann & Williams's drift there was another drift, from which Spen- cer, Jones & Milnes were shipping about 50 tons per day. George H. Potts operated at the northwestern end of Pottsville, partly in Norwegian township, by drift, and later by slope, between 1832 and 1840. Between Pots- ville and Minersville a tunnel was driven in the moun- tain, as early as 1825, by the New York Coal Company, which operated there several years, hauling much coal to the canal at Mount Carbon. After the completion of the Mine Hill and Schuylkill Haven Railroad, the Peacock colliery was operated for some time successfully. About 1830 Samuel J. Potts and Dr. Gideon J. Palmer sunk a drift on the Spohn vein, a little east of the center of the township, and about a mile above the Fishback rolling mill, and operated there several years. About 1834 or 1835 Samuel Sillyman and Daniel Nice began to work some of the old openings at Crow Hollow. Nice with- drew from the enterprise and Sillyman continued until about 1850. He was succeeded by Kirk & Baum, who operated five or six years. William Mellon, who later operated for the North American Coal Company, was at one time operating on his own account.

From 1829 . to 1836 the North American Coal Company and the Delaware Coal Company were extensive operators in the township and elsewhere, the former working the Lewis and Spohn veins, the latter the Peach Mountain and Diamond veins. The Delaware Coal Company had two drifts, one of which was near the site of the Pottsville colliery, from which was shipped about 150 tons of coal per day. William & Thomas Johns, afterward proprietors of the famous Eagle colliery at St. Clair, began their career as coal operators by open- ing a drift at Oak Hill, in Norwegian, in 1832." Lawton drift, south of Oak Hill, produced about 25 tons per day. Edward Pugh & Titus opened a drift at Oak Hill, a little to the north of the Johns' opening. The East Delaware Coal Company sunk a shaft 1,500 feet north of the Potts- ville colliery shaft, which was abandoned about 1845. The size of this shaft was 8 by 12 feet and it was sunk 300 feet. It is stated that the rock, the entire depth, was divided into two sections by a perpendicular division ex- tending east and west across the shaft, and that the north section, four feet wide, was slate; the south section, eight feet wide, hard rock. It is by some claimed, by some doubted and by some denied that, upon taking out the slate section a few feet below the level of the rock sec- tion, the miners found the surface of the rock so smooth

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COLLIERIES IN NORWEGIAN TOWNSHIP-POTTSVILLE.

that by the light of their lamps they could see their faces ing engines for turning the drum, in their well appointed plainly reflected upon it.

and substantial brick engine-house, are of the finest

For a number of years prior to the beginning of the make, and 500 horse power each. These engines have extensive operations of the Philadelphia and Reading the power to lift two cars with five tons of coal each Coal and Iron Company, no heavy operations were carried on in Norwegian; and small individual work- ings were prosecuted in old openings here and there. from the bottom of the shaft (1,600 feet), and lower two more in a half minute. A 200 horse power Cornish bull pumping engine pumps the water through a sloped pas- sage from the gangway on the Big Diamond vein. No pump is needed for the Primrose vein, as the bottom of

Pottsville colliery is situated in the Second coal basin in Norwegian township, about two miles from Pottsville the colliery is comparatively dry, and the temperature is

and one mile from St. Clair, in the vicinity of the place originally called East Mine by the Delaware Coal Com- pany, in consequence of this being the eastern site of their workings. The sinking of the shaft was commenced in the spring of 1872 by the Mammoth Vein Coal and Iron Company, who are the proprietors of the land. The depth of this sh ft (the deepest coal shaft in the United States) is 1,597 feet. It cuts the following veins of coal on their south dip: Little Tracy, Big Tracy, Little Clin- ton, Big Clinton, Little Diamond, Big Diamond, Little Orchard, Big Orchard, and the Primrose, which lies at the bottom of the shaft. The size of this shaft is II by

higher than at points above. There are two breaking engines, one fan engine at the west shaft, and one plane engine, each of which is 20 horse power. At the time of writing only the two veins upon which the gangways were driven were worked. There were employed outside 112 men and about 150 inside; 28,589 tons of coal were produced at this colliery in 1876; 48,500 tons in 1877; 2,574 tons in 1878, and 27,781 tons in 1879. It was ex- pected that this colliery, when fully developed, would be very extensive in its operations. Later observations may show more developments.

The upper tunnel, driven from the Big Diamond vein, 15 feet. It is divided into two departments, each 7 by is 1,727 8 10 feet in length. It was driven a long distance II feet, and is called the East shaft. A test hole was before striking the veins of coal, but at last it cut the Primrose and all succeeding underlying veins on their south dip. This is not the entire length of the tunnel, but was the distance to the point reached at the time the data embodied in this article were given, which point was between the Seven-feet and Mammoth veins.

bored, which cut the Mammoth vein 448 feet below the level of the Primrose. A second shaft was sunk 700 feet west of the first to the same depth, cutting the same veins on the same dip. Its size is 11 by 23 feet, divided into three departments, each 7 by 11 feet. There are two gangways connecting these two shafts; one 1, 149 feet The lower tunnel, a little over 1,400 feet in length, drawn from the Primrose vein, cuts, first, at a short dis- tance, the Holmes vein on its south dip, and, a little farther on, the same vein again on its north dip. Fol- lowing north it cuts the Primrose on its north dip, and crossing a basin, again cuts the Primrose and all under- lying veins on their south dip. The coal of the Prim- rose and other overlying veins was found to be of good quality; also that of the underlying veins in the upper were found to be faulty, being near their basins. The colliery is operated by the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company. below the surface, driven on the Big Tracy vein; the other at the bottom of the shaft, driven on the Primrose vein. A horizontal tunnel has been driven to the north, across the layers of rock and coal, from each of the gang- ways at a point equally distant from the two shafts. But one of the three departments of the west shaft is used, and that for the upcast of the air course; the two hoisting departments of this shaft are idle. The machin- ery and every thing about the shaft is of the best and tunnel. In the lower tunnel, those below the Primrose most substantial quality, except the breaker, which is only temporary, and has a capacity of but 400 tons a day. There are seven engines at the colliery. The two hoist-

POTTSVILLE BOROUGH.

HEN this century dawned the valley where now stands the capital of Schuylkill county, and the metropolis of the southern and middle coal fields, was an unused waste in an uninhabited and almost unknown por- tion of old Berks beyond the mountain. Sur- rounded by a district illy adapted to agriculture, and covered with a timber growth promising no rich harvest for the woodman's axe, the familes of Lewis Reese and John Reed began in the spring of 1800 to form the falls sadly short of its duty, and fails to assign the reason

nucleus around which, in less than two decades, were to cluster the essential elements of a prosperous city. An humble hut, tenantless and decaying, told these settlers of 1800 where an illfated family, years before, had found their log fortifications unfit to shield them from the sav- age beast, and red men still more beastly savage. Tra- dition says -- and tradition tells the truth quite as often as though it were called history-that in this log hut, which stood in Mauch Chunk street, the Neiman family were murdered. Tradition, which is never too prolix, here

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HISTORY OF SCHUYLKILL COUNTY.

for the apparently unjust slaughter. Mr. Neiman came to their hunting grounds, and choosing, instead of some fertile portions of the valley, a veritable mud hole, in which he appeared intent on obtaining a sustenance by the arts of agriculture, they thought him crazy, and killed him as a man unsafe to be at large, even among Indians.

Lewis Reese was joint owner with Isaac Thomas and Lewis Morris in a tract of land upon a part of which Pottsville now stands, and John Reed was one of their employes who came to assist, with other workmen, in digging a race and building a dam preparatory to the erection of a furnace and forge. About this time, and prior to 1803, several log houses were erected in the vicinity of the furnace for the use of the workmen. One of these, occupied by Mr. Reed's family, was two stories high and superior to the others, as Mr. Reed was regard- ed as the superintendent of the works. This house stood on a rough woods road, now Mauch Chunk street, on the west bank of the Schuylkill about forty rods above the furnace, and in that house Jeremiah Reed was born, December 19th, 1800. It has been understood by three generations that he was the first white child born within the district which has since formed the borough of Pottsville. Both his parents were from within five miles of this place, and had passed their lives as residents of this county. Thus the younger Reed had ample oppor- tunity to learn from his relatives the early history of the neighborhood. To his patient recital the historian is in- debted for valuable data relative to that history.

ORIGINAL TRACTS AND ADDITIONS.

The present boundaries of the borough of Pottsville include three original tracts of land, which in the respec tive patents are called Pomona, Stephens Green, and Coal Pit; parts of three other tracts, which are called in the patents Pine Grove, Honor and Norway; and parts of two others, one of which was surveyed on a warrant to Michael Bright, dated October 30th, 1794, and the other (called the Minnich and Zoll tract) on warrants to Con- rad Minnich and Jacob Zoll, dated July 10th, 1792, and September 5th, 1794.

On the 29th of July, 1751, a warrant was granted to Edmund Physick, of the county of Philadelphia, reciting that he had requested that the proprietaries "would grant to take up two hundred acres of land, including a large spruce swamp, about four or six miles from James Boone's land, on Schuylkill, county of Lancaster;" and directing the surveyor general to survey the lands. Under this warrant a survey was made November 2nd, 1762, of a tract of land containing 20672 acres, with the custom- ary allowance of six per cent. for roads, and which in the return of survey is described as "situate in Berks, form- erly Lancaster county, over the Blue mountains."

On February 12th, 1788, a patent was granted by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania for this tract of land, by the name of " Pomona," to Arthur St. Clair, William Morris, Luke Morris, and Samuel Potts, who, by sundry conveyances, succeeded to the right of Edmund Physick, the warrantee.

On February 14th, 1788, a patent was granted by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania to Arthur St. Clair, William Morris, Luke Morris, and Samuel Potts, for a tract of land called "Norway," "situate on the backside of Tuscarora mountain, Berks county;" describing it by metes and bounds, and as containing 337 acres and 131 perches and allowance, and reciting it to be the tract that was surveyed in pursuance of application No. 1,516, entered May 21st, 1766, by Ellis Hughes, whose right had become vested in the persons to whom the patent was granted.

On February 13th, 1788, a patent was granted by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania to Samuel Potts for a tract of land called "Coal Pit," "situate on the east branch of Schuylkill, at the north side of Tuscarora mountain, in Brunswigh township, Berks county;" describing it by metes and bounds, and as containing seventy-three acres and allowance, and reciting that it was surveyed on a warrant granted to Samuel Potts, dated July 13th, 1751.

On February 13th, 1788, a patent was granted to Ar- thur St. Clair, William Morris, Luke Morris and Samuel Potts for a tract of land called "Pine Grove," on the Tuscarora mountain, in Brunswick township, Berks county, containing 283 acres and allowance, and referred to as the tract that was surveyed in pursuance of an ap- plication, No. 1,520, entered May 21st, 1756, by John Melchior, whose right had become vested by sundry con- veyances in the patentees.

On February 11th, 1788, a patent was granted to Sam- uel Potts for a tract of land called "Honor," described as situate on a branch of the Norwegian creek, over the Second mountain, in Brunswick, Berks county, contain- ing 141 acres and allowance, being "the tract of land which was surveyed in pursuance of a warrant granted to the said Samuel Potts, dated August 4th, 1787."

The whole of the Physick or Pomona tract, Coal Pit tract, part of the Pine Grove tract, and a small part of Norway, by sundry conveyances became vested, in the year 1808, in John Pott, who in 1816 or 1817 laid out, on part of the Pomona tract, the original plot of Potts- ville.

The original town plot included only the lots on each side of Center street, between Union and Race streets, and the lots on each side of Mahantongo street to Sixth or Courtland street. Some time afterward John Pott laid out additional lots, which included the lots on the west side of Second street as now laid out, between Norwegian street on the north side of Center street, two hundred and eight feet north of Laurel street, and on the south side of Market street between Second street and a point about one hundred feet west of Fifth street.

Several years after laying out this town plot John Pott sold to Jacob Alter a part of the Pine Grove tract, on which he laid out Coal street north of Norwegian street, and the lots on the eastern and western sides of Coal street, and which is known as Alter's Addition. John Pott sold to his son Benjamin a part of the Pomona or Physick tract, lying between the south line of the original town plot and the Stephens Green tract, on which Ben- -

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"ADDITIONS" TO POTTSVILLE-DISCOVERY OF COAL.

jamin laid out a plan of lots that was known as Ben. Pott's Addition. John Pott also sold to Jonathan Wynn a part of the Physick tract and of Norway on the east side of Centre street, on which lots were laid out and it was known as Wynn's Addition. John Pott died intestate October 23d, 1877, and after his death proceedings were commenced by his heirs, in the Orphans' Court of Schuyl- kill county, for a partition of his real estate. The real estate was divided by the proceedings in the Orphans' Court into purparts, and a valuation placed upon each pur- part. Purpart No. 4 included that part of the Pomona or Physick tract not included within the town plot of Potts- ville, containing 101 acres and 113 perches, now valued at $7,763; and on July 28th, 1829, was adjudged to Abra- ham Pott, one of the sons of the decedent. Abraham Pott conveyed one undivided half of these premises to Burd Patterson. On this part of the Pomona tract that part of the borough of Pottsville known as Pott & Pat- terson's Addition was laid out, by Pott & Patterson, in the latter part of the year 1829.

Purpart No. 2 included part of the Pine Grove tract, lying east of Norwegian street, and contained 68 acres and 70 perches. This purpart was adjudged to William Pott, one of the sons of the decedent. The title to this purpart, by sundry conveyances, became vested in Charles Loeser, as trustee, and on it was laid out, in the latter part of the year 1829, that part of the town plot of the borough known as Rhodes's Addition, or the eastern year 1831. addition to Pottsville.

Purpart No. I included the dwelling house of John Pott and the furnace, forge and Coal Pit tract, and part of Pine Grove; and contained 7212 acres, valued at $23,287, and was adjudged to Benjamin Pott, a son of the decedent. The land included in this purpart became, by sundry conveyances, vested in Mr. Buckley and others, who, in 1830, laid out a town plot which was known as Buckley's Addition, and afterward as the Greenwood Ad- dition; and, from the fact that there was an orchard upon it, it was sometimes called "The Orchard." Adjoining the Pomona tract on the south is the tract of land called "Stephens Green," for which, on February 24th, 1792, a patent was granted to Stephen Paschall, describing it as in Manheim township, Berks county, and as contain- ing 52 acres and allowance. This tract, by sundry con- veyances, became vested in Israel W. Morris. A town plot was laid out on part of this tract by his son Henry Morris in the year 1829, and it is known as Morris's Ad- dition.

By sundry conveyances the greater part of the Norway tract and part of the tract of land called Honor became vested in Samuel Kepner, who on January 20th, 1816, conveyed the same to the Schuylkill Navigation Com- pany. This land was afterward known as the Navigation tract. The title to the Navigation tract, by sundry con- veyances, became vested in Abigail McKnight, as trus- tee for the Bank of Kentucky, and in the Miners' Bank of Pottsville. The town plot known as "the Norwegian Addition " was laid out on this tract of land in the year 1852. That part of the Norwegian tract which lies in the

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History of Schuylkill County, Pa. with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 60

Author: Publication date: 1881 Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell Number of Pages: 604

Author:
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell
Number of Pages: 604