USA > Pennsylvania > Schuylkill County > History of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, Vol. I > Part 21
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33
A Lutheran and Reformed congregation also built a union church in McKeansburg in 1828, which served these congregations for more than sixty years, but the old log structure has given place to a more modern one.
The first Sunday school in the township was organized in 1853, in a school house near the present borough of New Ringgold. Three Sunday schools are sustained in the country, while others are conducted in the villages and borough.
There are twenty-seven places in this township where goods are sold, exclusive of twelve in the borough of New Ringgold, or thirty- nine in the township. Some of these are located at cross-roads places in the country.
New Ringgold borough was incorporated Sept. 24, 1877, and on the 20th of October of the same year the following were elected, as the first borough officers: Paul Bock, chief burgess; Joseph Marburger, John F. Reeser, B. F. Solliday, Daniel Becker, Jonas D. Fredericks and Henry Reed, councilmen; the first meeting of the body occurred on the 23d of October, when B. F. Solliday was chosen president, and John F. Reeser, secretary. The first school board was elected as follows: Daniel Leiser, W. H. Miller, Frank Weiss, Joel Marshall, Aaron Focht and Frank Moyer. Other borough officers were H. B. Koch, constable; J. Lyn, judge of election; Benjamin Yost, inspector of election, and D. A. Foltz, assessor. The village was named in honor of Major Ringgold, who is said to have been the first officer who fell in the Mexican war.
209
SCHUYLKILL COUNTY
About the first business enterprise in this village was the estab- lishment of a tannery by Daniel and Abraham Long. This proved a profitable business until the timber became scarce when it was aban- doned. The Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron company owned a large furnace at this point, which gave employment to a considerable force of men when operating at full capacity. There is but little manufacturing in the borough except in the small mechanical shops.
There are two lodges-the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Patriotic Order Sons of America. One church building is used by all denominations. The borough has a present population of 228. It is located on the Little Schuylkill branch of the Philadel- phia & Reading railroad. The growth and progress of the town has been retarded by the absence of public works to attract settlers or invite investment, and the population is less at the present time than it was twenty years ago.
EAST NORWEGIAN TOWNSHIP.
This is the smallest township in Schuylkill county. It is situated just outside of Pottsville. It was erected from Norwegian, one of the original townships, in 1847. A number of prosperous boroughs -Pottsville, St. Clair and Port Carbon-adjoin the territory on the west, north and south. Four public schools are maintained in the township, and a brewery was operated within its limits.
The villages of Coquenac and Mill Creek are no more than a collec- tion of miners' homes, and the territory is devoted almost entirely to mining interests. It is rich in mineral deposits, and the mining indus- try is prosecuted, principally, by the Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron company, which corporation has large holdings within the township. The first settlers of this territory were Peter Neusch- wander, John Hughes, Philip Delcamp, John and Conrad Heim, Solo- mon, Jacob, Peter and George Reel. These families all located near Mill Creek, and were contemporary with the Bechtel family at St. Clair.
Palo Alto Borough (named after the Mexican city where our army had won a victory in the war with Mexico). This village was laid out in the fall and winter of 1844-45, John G. Hewes being the pro- moter of the enterprise. The land upon which the site of the borough is located was formerly the property of Benjamin Richards and Will- iam H. Warder of Philadelphia. The borough extends along the base of Sharp mountain, on the south side of the Schuylkill river, for a distance of about two miles. It is bounded on the north by the boroughs of Pottsville and Port Carbon. The valley is narrow
1€
210
SCHUYLKILL COUNTY
at this point, hence there is but one principal street in the borough, the others being narrow and lined with dwelling houses only. The borough limits were hampered somewhat by the reservation of a strip of land 200 feet wide, extending south from the river, which was designed for the use of the Railroad and Navigation company.
The inhabitants of the borough are almost entirely of the laboring classes, employed in the mines, on the Reading railroad and in the manufactories and shops of Pottsville and vicinity. Palo Alto was the home of many of the boatmen formerly employed on the canal when that point was the northern terminus of both the railroad and the canal. It was then more populous than since, as many of the boatmen's families removed to other points when navigation ceased. An extensive rolling mill plant was established by William Harris at the time of the incorporation of the town, and this was later com- bined with the Benjamin Haywood plant, established in 1863, and the two were owned and operated by Mr. Haywood in the manufacture of railroad iron for a number of years, but the business has been dis- continued. The round house and repair shops of the Port Carbon & Mount Carbon railroad were established here, but they are now leased or owned by the Philadelphia & Reading company, and operated in the business of that corporation. A planing-mill is about the only private industry conducted at present within the corporate limits of the borough, aside from mechanical shops and mercantile pursuits. A postoffice was established in the borough in 1870, with William Bensinger as postmaster. The office was discontinued in 1873, and the Pottsville free delivery extended to include that borough. Pre- vious to the incorporation of the borough, a township school house was erected in the extreme eastern part of the town. Soon after the incorporation another school house was built in the western part. These served the people until 1878, when a school building was erected near the center of the borough, and substantial improvements were made in the general educational arrangements. The new building is a brick structure of four rooms, conveniently furnished with modern appliances, and heated with steam. The two older buildings were correspondingly improved, and a graded school was established, and has since been maintained.
A Methodist Episcopal church was erected in 1866, and supplied by the pastors from the Port Carbon charge; but there is no religious organization within the borough, the people being properly accom- modated by the numerous churches in Pottsville and Port Carbon. A union Sunday school was organized in Palo Alto in 1853, and, after the erection of the Methodist church, it was reorganized under the
211
SCHUYLKILL COUNTY
domination of that church, but is again a union organization. Will- iam M. Stellwagon served twenty-one years as superintendent of this school.
The population of Palo Alto borough in 1900 was 1707; and in 1906 there were twenty-seven mercantile houses of all kinds in the borough.
Port Carbon Borough was incorporated in April, 1852, though as a village it had an existence, and was prominent in the business world as early as 1826. The first lots were laid out by Abraham Pott, and the village was named Middleport, that name being given it by the founder, but with the development of the coal industry, this being the principal shipping point from the region, the name was very prop- erly changed to "Port Carbon."
Philip Faust is believed to have been the first resident of what is now Port Carbon. He was the sawyer in a mill erected on Mill creek previous to 1810, and probably about the year 1800, by a Mr. Stitzel, who also erected a log house for the accommodation of his employes. In 1821 John Pott, the father of Abraham Pott, and the founder of Pottsville, built a saw-mill near the later location of the Schuylkill Valley railroad scales, and near this mill he also built a rude log house which was the home of his sawyer. In 1826 Abraham Pott erected the third dwelling in the village, and during the same year he built five tenant houses, some of which still exist. Mr. Pott also built a saw-mill on Mill creek, and near it a dwelling house of squared logs, and a large frame barn. He purchased 630 acres from his father, and after 1826 became very active in the development of the country. He accompanied his parental family from Reading to Pottsville in 1810, and became a resident of Port Carbon in 1827. There he con- tinued to reside, except for temporary absences, during a long, event- ful and useful life. Mention is made, in other chapters, of the active part borne by Abraham Pott in the development of the coal industry, and his inventive genius, as applied thereto. The borough of Port Carbon assumed a prominent place in the early days of the coal traffic, being the shipping point for large quantities of coal after the opening of the Schuylkill navigation. In 1821 Thomas S. Ridgway purchased from John Pott an acre of land to be used as a landing, or place to load coal on the canal boats, when the navigation should be established. Mr. Pott reserved an acre for the same purpose in making subsequent sales, and this gave rise to the local name of "Acretown" after these tracts were built up with residences. Lawtonville, or Lawton's addi- tion, took the name of the owner of the land which constituted this addition; and Irishtown took its name from the nationality of those
212
SCHUYLKILL COUNTY
who first settled in the neighborhood. This addition was laid out in 1829 by Abraham Pott, and some descendants of the original pur- chasers are still living on the lots. Mechanicsville was so designated by reason of the first settlers of the addition being mechanics. Some of the prominent and active early residents of the place were Joseph Allison, William Dicus, John G. Hewes, Dr. Palmer, Hon. Abraham Huebner, Thomas Sillyman, Joseph Richards and others. Many who carried on business here for years were residents of Pottsville. Railroad communication between this borough and Philadelphia was established in 1845, by way of Mount Carbon and the Reading railroad. The postoffice was established in May, 1829, Elisha Warne being the first postmaster.
Manufacturing enterprises in Port Carbon have been numerous, and some of them extensive and permanent. Abraham Pott erected a steam saw-mill in Black Valley in 1830, and installed therein the first steam engine operated north of Reading. In this mill, after a series of experiments, he demonstrated the use of anthracite coal in generating steam. He also designed the grate used in these experi- ments, and had the satisfaction of knowing that his pattern was uni- versally adopted in the making of grates for similar purposes. Mr. Pott started a brick yard in 1831, a very useful addition to the build- ing material of the growing villages in the communtity. Benjamin Haywood, a blacksmith (afterward the owner of the Palo Alto rolling mills), built one of the first steam engines manufactured in the county, and used it in operating a lathe in his shop. In 1838 the first grist- mill was erectd in the village, and during the year following, a foundry and machine shop was built. In 1842 another foundry and machine shop was established, and this, under different proprietors and owners, has been in operation during most all the years since its establishment. The principal articles manufactured are steam engines, air compress- ing machines and mining appliances. A rolling-mill was built in 1865, and this was subsequently enlarged to include a furnace for the manufacture of iron. This property passed into the hands of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad company, and is operated as a machine shop. Charles Baber established a planing-mill in the bor- ough in 1860, and the business was continued there until about 1879.
"The First Presbyterian Church and Congregation of Port Carbon" was organized on the 7th of August, 1833. The church edifice was erected in 1833-34, and dedicated on the 16th of March of the latter year. The first church bell in the Schuylkill valley was placed in the belfry of this church in 1835. The Presbyterian cemetery was established the same year as the church.
-
213
SCHUYLKILL COUNTY
The Lutheran church was organized in 1840. The church building was erected in 1852, and was occupied by the Lutherans and German Reformed congregations under a joint ownership, until 1874, in which year the Lutherans bought the interest of the other congregation. The German Reformed church of Port Carbon was organized in 1840, and continued as an organized body until they sold their interest in the church property, since which time the organization has been abandoned.
St. Stephen's Roman Catholic church came into existence in 1840, and was conducted as a mission church under the protectorate of St. Patrick's church at Pottsville until 1847. The church building was erected soon after the organization was effected, and has under- gone but slight changes since, being a substantial stone building. In recent years a handsome and convenient parochial school building has been erected, and a school opened in connection with this church.
The First Methodist Episcopal church was organized in April, 1844, the outgrowth of a class formed as early as 1836, and which conducted religious services of this creed at private houses under the preaching of itinerant ministers. The first church building was erected in 1845, and this was torn down and rebuilt in 1869. It is a brick structure with basement and gallery, erected at a cost of about $10,000. The United Evangelical church was organized in 1848. A church building was erected in 1869, and in 1895 this was replaced by a handsome frame chapel.
The first Sunday school in Port Carbon was organized soon after the erection of the first school house in 1829. It was conducted for the benefit of the general public, though in later years it was merged into the present Lutheran Sunday school. Prosperous schools are main- tained in connection with the other churches. The first cemetery . in the borough was laid out in the yard of the first school house, now the Lutheran church yard. It was established in 1830, but has since been enlarged and beautified.
The Citizens' Hall association was organized as a stock company in 1872, the purpose being to provide a suitable place in which to hold public meetings, entertainments, lectures, etc. The nucleus to this building was the old stone school house, which was torn down and rebuilt. It is a two-story building, the first story being used for a dining room, offices and committee rooms, and the second story for an audience room. This is fitted up for theatrical performances, etc. The cost of the building was about $8,000. This is the only public hall in the borough.
Through the efforts of the veterans of the civil war, nobly assisted
214
SCHUYLKILL COUNTY
by an appreciative public, a soldiers' monument has been erected on a commanding eminence overlooking the town. This is the result of years of labor upon the part of the veterans, the happy consumma- tion of which is a source of great pleasure to them. The monument was unveiled, with appropriate exercises, on the 4th of July, 1906.
Three lodges have had a temporary existence in the borough, and three others are still maintaining a healthy life. Schuylkill lodge, No. 27, is one of the first organizations of Odd Fellows in the county. The lodge was instituted on the Ist of June, 1830, and has been in continuous existence since, except for a period of two years-from 1844 to 1846-when its charter was dormant. The Encampment branch of the fraternity is also represented in the borough, and both associations are strong and prosperous. Golden Rule lodge, No. 43, Knights of Pythias, was instituted in February, 1868, and occupies lodge rooms, jointly, with the Odd Fellows, each of these societies owning an interest in Citizens' Hall, where their weekly meetings are held. Allison post, No. 144, G. A. R., named in honor of three Allison brothers from Port Carbon who fell in the battle of White Oak church, was mustered in in October, 1879. Thirty-eight charter members were mustered in on the night of installation, and this num- ber was materially increased by subsequent musters, of which member- ship but thirteen now remain.
Two Saving Fund and Building associations have been organized in the borough, the first of which had an existence of nine years, when its business was closed. The Franklin Savings Fund and Building association was incorporated in June, 1872, with capital and officers interested in the rival organization then existing. It has had a success- ful business career.
The first school taught in the borough as at present constituted was conducted by Christopher Young, in 1829. The school house was erected by Abraham Pott in that year, and it served the needs of the district until 1838, when a larger and more convenient building was erected. This was a two-story stone structure, previously mentioned as being converted into a public hall. The present school building was erected in 1870, at a cost of $17,000. It contains six rooms, and these, in connection with two primary rooms at different locations, supply the needs of the district. The schools are operated under systematic gradation and a regular graduating system which fits its graduates for the practical business of life.
Port Carbon has excellent fire protection and water facilities. In 1888 a handsome brick building, two stories high, was erected for
215
SCHUYLKILL COUNTY
the use of the fire department and the borough officers. The popula- tion of the borough in 1900 was 2,168.
The Pottsville Union Traction company's line of electric cars passes through the entire length of the principal street. The town is located on the Philadelphia & Reading railroad-the Tamaqua and Frack- ville branches. There were thirty-nine mercantile houses in the borough in 1906.
St. Clair Borough .- This important borough was set off from the northwestern part of East Norwegian township on the 6th of April, 1850, and the first meeting of the council was held on the 9th of May following. But its importance as a trading point and mining center was established many years before the village sought the dignity of borough organization. St. Clair is situated on Mill creek, near the center of the first or southern anthracite coal field. Michael Bechtel was the first settler, and he was soon followed by John Malone and the Nichols family, who took up residences in the primitive forest at the beginning of the last century. Saint Clair Nichols owned the original site of the village, and his christian name was chosen as a mark of respect to his memory and also in honor of Gen. St. Clair of Revolutionary fame. The territory was covered with heavy timber, and lumbering was the first general industry. Saw-mills were as great a necessity as the pick and the shovel became later, and these were provided as rapidly as the industrious settlers demanded. The earliest saw-mill in the place was erected near the present site of the Methodist Episcopal church, and another, later, near "John's Brea- ker." In 1831 Carey, Lee and Hart, who had bought the Nichols land, laid out the first street in the new village. The Nichols land comprised the whole of the borough plat.
In 1829 the Mill Creek railroad was extended from Port Carbon to this place, and thus was inaugurated the then prevalent system of horse cars, drawn on wooden rails, which did so much in opening up the coal interests of the community. A public road was opened to Port Carbon in 1837; another one to connect with the old turnpike at New Castle, and also provide an outlet to Pottsville, was opened about this time. In 1845 the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad com- pany extended their Mill Creek branch to St. Clair and New Castle.
John Burgett located at this place in 1829, and established a board- ing house for the laborers employed on the Girard tunnel. His tent soon gave place to a small frame tavern which he named the "Cross Keys," and this was the first public house in the village. Burgett's daughter, Charlotte, was the first child born in the town.
Saint Clair Nichols set apart a lot for a cemetery, which was
216
SCHUYLKILL COUNTY
later deeded to the borough by Carey, Lee and Hart, as a public burying ground.
The St. Clair furnace was commenced in 1842 by Burd S. Patterson, and after a considerable delay in building, it was put in blast in 1864 by James Lanigan. It was operated for several years, when it became the property of the Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron company, and after having been idle for many years, it finally has been aban- doned.
The St. Clair postoffice was established in 1845, and the mails were carried by stage between that point and Pottsville for many years after the office was opened.
The borough of St. Clair has depended almost entirely upon the mining interests for its support and business development. The territory is rich in mineral deposits, and many collieries have been operated in the immediate vicinity, thus giving permanent employ- ment to a large class of residents, and stimulating and promoting general trade. The mines have been successfully operated, both by private enterprise and large and wealthy corporations. No coal was shipped from St. Clair previous to 1830, and but little had been mined at that date. John Offerman and a Mr. Wheitroff had opened a drift on an outcrop of the Mammoth vein, in 1828 and this was the beginning of mining in St. Clair. With the completion of the Mill Creek railroad regular coal openings were made, the veins, in most places, taking the name of the owner or of the locality in which the openings were made as "Orchard vein," "Peach Orchard vein," "Holmes' vein," etc. The reader is referred to the chapter on coal for a fuller discussion of the workings and development of mining in- terests.
The Miners' Supply company was one of the early manufacturing industries of the place, the "safety squib" being one of the useful inventions of Jesse Beadle, one of the proprietors. This invention was patented, and became a necessity which came into general use in the firing of blasts, and a large manufactory which gave employ- ment to many men was the result. It is still in operation.
The borough of St. Clair is compactly built, nearly all of the houses abutting on the streets, and the latter are laid out at right angles with each other. The town presents a neat and well-kept appearance. The population is gradually increasing, while the new buildings being erected show taste and stability in their construction.
There are six Catholic churches in the borough, four of which conduct their exercises in as many foreign languages. There are also six Prot- estant churches, which include the following denominations: Primi-
217
SCHUYLKILL COUNTY
tive Methodist; Welsh Calvinistic Methodist; Welsh Baptist; Methodist Episcopal; Episcopal; English Baptist. In addition to these the German Reformed and Lutheran congregations held services jointly in a church building which they erected, until 1873-some twenty years-after which the Evangelical Lutherans withdrew and built a church for themselves.
The borough of St. Clair has an excellent school system, embracing a high-school course which compares favorably with the other borough schools throughout the country. There are three school buildings, one of which has been erected to replace an old building. The term covers nine months in the year.
The Pottsville Water company supplies the borough with an excel- lent quality of mountain water, while the fire protection is well pro- vided for by the three companies organized for the purpose. The borough established an electric light plant in 1892, and the Citizens' National Bank was organized in 1904. The Union Cornet Band has existed since 1862, becoming a chartered institution in 1873. Two Saving Fund and Building associations had an existence in the borough and were operated successfully for a number of years, but are now . out of business.
Various lodges of a social and beneficial character are sustained in the borough, of which the following are the principals ones: Mineral lodge, No. 285, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Anthracite lodge, No. 285, Free and Accepted Masons; Bee lodge, No. I, of the Order of Ivorites, being the first lodge of this Welsh society established in the United States (mention of the origin may be found elsewhere in this volume.) John Ennis post, No. 47, Grand Army of the Republic; Lincoln lodge, No. 92, Knights of Pythias; St. Michael's Benevolent society, No. 206, of the I. C. B. U; Branch No. 19, Emerald Benevo- lent Association of Pennsylvania; Schuylkill tribe, No. 202, Improved Order of Red Men; and Camp No. 75, P. O. S. of A.
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.