USA > Pennsylvania > Schuylkill County > History of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, Vol. I > Part 22
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The borough of St. Clair was among the first to honor the memory of her fallen soldiers of the Civil war, and in 1874 a monument was erected to this worthy purpose. The Monument association which brought about this commendable work, was disbanded in 1876, when they turned over to the relief fund of the G. A. R. post, a surplus fund of $536.71, and placed the monument under the care of that organi- zation.
The borough of St. Clair had a population of 4,648, according to the official census of 1900, and six years later the business houses where goods were sold aggregated 113. The population is composed largely of foreigners, representing ten or more different nationalities. These
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seek to acquire homes, and some are already comfortably situated, while many are poor and somewhat improvident. Except the few engaged in merchandising, the foreign population is employed in the mines. They constitute fully one-half of the inhabitants of the borough.
CHAPTER XVI.
TOWNSHIP AND BOROUGH HISTORY CONTINUED-EAST UNION, ELDRED, FOSTER, FRAILEY, HEGINS, HUBLEY, KLINE AND MAHANOY TOWN- SHIPS-BOROUGHS OF MAHANOY CITY AND SHENANDOAH.
EAST UNION TOWNSHIP.
East Union township was formed from Union in 1867, Rush and Mahanoy contributing a small portion of the territory. It is bounded by Union, North Union, Kline, Mahanoy and Rush townships, and Luzerne county forms the northeastern boundary.
The first settlers who established homes in that locality as early as 1802, were the Gottschall brothers, Thomas and William, John Maurer and Henry Gilbert, the latter living to the age of nearly a hundred years. The history of this territory is scarcely separable from that of Union township, owing to the earlier associations under the original organization. Brandonville is the principal village, and has a present population of 371, with several stores, hotels, mechani- cal shops and one church. This village was laid out in 1864 by Nel- son Brandon, who owned the land upon which it is located. He built the first store and hotel. The postoffice was established in 1868, with Rudolph Breisch as postmaster.
A union Sunday school was organized in 1876, and has been con- tinued to the present with growing strength and interest. The Meth- odist Episcopal church was organized in 1879, as a result of occasional services held in the village by ministers from the surrounding towns. Regular services have been held since the organization was effected, and the church is strong and prosperous.
Torbert is a pleasant hamlet, named in honor of a present resident, and extensive landowner-Hon. William L. Torbert. His estate formerly comprised about 7,000 acres at the eastern terminus of the Catawissa valley. A portion of this hamlet was formerly owned by the philanthropist, Stephen Girard, and was called Girard Manor. The property came into possession of his heirs, who were partially successful in contesting his will, effecting a settlement in 1854, and who made considerable progress towards establishing a town. The property was subsequently sold to Mr. Torbet. Colonel Wynkoop, who was colonel of the First regiment of Pennsylvania volunteers
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in the war with Mexico, and who was United States marshal for the eastern district of Pennsylvania, built the Valencia manor, while John A. Girard also built a mansion, after the French Gothic style of architecture, and established a considerable village of tenant houses and homes for employes on the large estate.
The territory is well adapted to farming and fruit-raising, and is specially noted for the excellent spring water possessing medicinal properties, which abounds throughout this region. There are forty- one mercantile houses in East Union township.
ELDRED TOWNSHIP.
Eldred township was formed from Upper Mahantongo in 1848, and named for President Judge Eldred of the circuit court. The first settlers within the present township limits were Casper Hepler, Jacob Reinert (a Revolutionary soldier), Peter Klock, Samuel Drechsler and John Bescher. These families located in the township between the years 1805 and 1808. John Bescher built the first log house, and Casper Hepler was the first to die in the new settlement. His remains were buried in a cemetery established at that time. The first log school house was built on the Hepler farm, and the first school was taught by a man named Besler. Mr. Hepler kept the first tavern, and the earliest mill was built by Peter Klock, on Little Mahantongo creek.
The local developments in this township were tardy until the open- ing of the mining districts, which was commenced by Judge William L. Helfenstein, of Pottsville, in 1868. This led to an immediate and extensive increase of population, and to the local improvements necessary to sustain the people. In this Judge Helfenstein contrib- uted liberally. He owned a large tract of coal land, and this was leased to parties who opened a colliery at the point now known as Helfenstein. This is a village of considerable importance locally, having a present population of 559. Locust Dale is the nearest rail- road station, the Philadelphia & Reading road reaching that point.
The founder of this village built the first church in the place, originally designed as a union church, but subsequently donated to the Methodist Episcopal denomination. The Sunday school was organized in 1869, at the time the Methodists began to hold religious services in the village. The Church of God formed an organization in Eldred township in 1847, and this denomination has two churches in the township at present, and flourishing Sunday schools connected with each.
The Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron company owns most
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of the coal lands in the township, but the mines are not operated exten- sively during later years. Some manufacturing is carried on at Hel- fenstein, that place being noted as the home of the first steam engine manufactured in the Mahantongo valley.
Pitman is a village of 256 inhabitants, according to the latest offi- cial census. Its railroad point is Gordon, also on the line of the Philadelphia & Reading. It sustains an Odd Fellows lodge and one church, previously mentioned as the Church of God. The place was known as Zimmermanstown in early days, being so named in honor of an early settler; but the postoffice name is Pitman, after former Congressman Charles W. Pitman, of Pottsville. A school of three departments is conducted in Pitman, and there are five public schools in Eldred township, outside of the villages. A good graded school of eight departments is conducted at Helfenstein. Sixteen retail business places represent the commercial enterprises of this township.
FOSTER TOWNSHIP.
Foster township (named for Associate Judge Solomon Foster) was formed from Butler, Barry and Cass in 1855. The early history of the territory is embraced in the townships from which it was erected. It is bounded by the townships of Barry, Butler, Cass, Reilly, Frailey and Hegins. This township lies in the mountainous region between the two coal fields, and is very sparsely settled. A portion of the territory extends into the southern coal field, and quite extensive developments in mining were made in the vicinity of Mount Pleasant, Glen Carbon and nearby localities.
But little is known regarding the early settlement of this township. A widow named Levan kept a tavern in a log house as early as 1831, on the present site of Mount Pleasant, and John Graham was an early settler in that locality. Mount Pleasant is an inland village consisting of a few old stone houses, with less than a hundred inhabitants. In the years of active coal operations in the locality it was a prosperous village of several hundred population, and transacted a considerable business.
Glen Carbon is a small settlement in the southeastern part of the township, and is located on the Schuylkill Haven & Glen Dower branch of the Philadelphia & Reading railroad. It is the terminus of this branch of the Pottsville Union Traction line. A number of collieries were opened and successfully operated here for many years, some of which have been abandoned, and most of the coal lands have passed into the hands of the Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron company. John Graham, previously mentioned, together with a few other 1
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pioneers, made the first developments of the coal industry. There are seven business houses at present, two of which are at coal mines.
FRAILEY TOWNSHIP.
Frailey township was named in honor of the late Associate Judge Charles Frailey, and was organized in 1847, from territory previously embraced in the townships of Branch, Barry, Porter and Lower Mahantongo. It is bounded by the townships of Hegins, Barry, Reilly, Tremont and Porter. Broad mountain extends through the northern part of this territory, from east to west, and the principal coal veins known in that mountain, are found in Frailey township.
Tradition fixes "Black Charlie," a Negro hermit, as the first settler of this township. Among the prominent early settlers were Maj. William Colt, Capt. Samuel Gaskins, David Lomison, Mahlon Mc- Loughan, Adam Etien and Jacob Crone. The three men first named in this list of early settlers, were also the first to engage in the opening of coal mines. To accommodate the needs of their workman they con- structed a large stone building for a boarding house, and this subse- quently became the Franklin House, the first hotel in the region.
Mining operations began in this township about 1848, and continued with varying degrees of success in the shallow workings until the entire territory was absorbed by the Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron company who penetrated to the deeper veins. The Swatara railroad was extended to the mines in this township about 1842. It is now the Brookside or Lower city branch of the Philadelphia & Reading railroad from Tremont west.
Two school houses were erected in Donaldson, the principal village in the township, named for Judge William Donaldson in 1850, these being the first public school houses. Previous to this, however, a school had been conducted for a time in a shanty near the present site of the Franklin House. There are seven public schools in Frailey township.
Dr. Cameron, nephew of the noted Simon Cameron, was the first physician in the township, and David Lomison was the first post- master. The village of Donaldson is situated near the center of the township east and west, at the foot of Broad mountain, and about half a mile from the southern line of the township, close to Tremont. The first settlers of the village were men attracted there by the mining interests, who prevailed upon Judge Donaldson, the owner of the land upon which the village is located, to lay out a town, and the village had a rapid growth for a number of years. It had a
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population in 1900 of 759, a decrease of several hundred since its days of greatest prosperity. There are two churches and two schools sustained in the village, besides numerous stores and mechanical shops. Strongville, Middle Creek and Eckertville are mining hamlets all within a radius of two or three miles from Donaldson.
The first religious services were conducted by itinerant ministers of the Methodist and Presbyterian denominations. The dining room of the Franklin House was used as a preaching point, when Mr. Lomison, the proprietor, would close his bar and discontinue the ordinary business until the services were over. The German Re- formed and Lutheran denominations built a union church in Donald- son in 1851, and the members of the Church of God built a house of worship in the village in 1874. The first Sunday school in the township was organized at Donaldson, a union school which has had almost a continuous existence to the present. Another union school was organized soon after the building of the first public school house in 1850, and has had a continuous career.
On the 3d of July, 1850, Donaldson lodge, No. 382, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was organized and has always maintained a large and zealous membership. In 1868, Concord Encampment was established in connection with this lodge.
During the Civil war Frailey township contributed sixty men to the regular army, besides more than a hundred volunteers to the Llewellyn Rifles, and emergency troops during the invasion of the state. There are seventeen business houses of all kinds in the town- ship.
HEGINS TOWNSHIP.
This township, which was named in honor of Judge Charles W. Hegins, was formed from Lower Mahantongo in 1853, and a portion of Foster was attached to it in 1858. It is bounded by Hubley, Upper Mahantongo, Eldred, Barry, Foster, Frailey and Porter townships.
The first settlers of this township were a Mr. Boyner, George Klinger John Kuntzelman, James Osman, Benjamin Bassler, Peter Dingler, Christian Stutzman, George Diedrich, Christian Kranz, Peter Bixler, John Dietrich and Jacob Heberling. These are believed to have been residents of the territory now embraced in Hegins township prior to 1800. In the year last written, George Klinger was appointed a justice of the peace, and served forty years in that office. James Osman built a grist-mill in 1801, and Peter Kuhns erected a saw-mill on Pine creek in 1808. The first hotel was opened in 1827, and this was kept by Joseph, a son of James Osman. It was kept for the accom-
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modation of farmers and tem
tongo" was estab1: uslisters. The postoffice at "Lower Mahan- first nos businessished the same year, and Joseph Osman was the mmes postmaster in the township.
A church building was erected in 1817, and this was subsequently known as Frieden's church, which is still in existence. A new build- ing was erected in 1874. The first public school was taught in a log house near this church, by Valentine Savage, in 1857. A tannery was built by Andrew Shael in 1845, and operated successfully in the tanning of slaughter hides for about thirty-five years. Seven of the early settlers of this township were soldiers in the second war with Great Britain. Farming is the principal industry in Hegins township.
There are four small villages in the township, of which Hegins and Valley View are the most important. The former was known as Hegginsville until 1850, when the postoffice was established, and the name was abbreviated to Hegins. The village has two churches, a school house, Odd Fellows lodge, and a population of 879. Valley View was formerly known as "Osmantown," or "Osman's Staedtel," so named in honor of the pioneer, James Osman. The postoffice, established in 1827, was called Lower Mahantongo, and subsequently changed to Valley View. Like Hegins, this village has been more prosperous in recent years than during its earlier history, having a present population of 789. There are two churches-the United Brethren and Church of God-in Valley View.
One of the oldest churches in the township is located in Pine Valley, but its earliest location was in Deep Creek valley, where it was organ- ized in 1801. This is Frieden's Reformed and Lutheran union church, and the congregation is the largest in the township. A church build- ing was erected previous to 1818, and this was succeeded by a hand- some edifice on the new site mentioned, in 1874, at a cost of nearly $9,000. Prosperous Sunday schools are conducted in connection with all the churches in the township. There are also several other churches here. An Odd Fellows lodge was instituted in Valley View in 1861.
Rausch Gap is a small mining hamlet located two miles south of Valley View, the coal lands in the vicinity being owned by the Phila- delphia & Reading Coal and Iron company. The railroad shipping point to these villages is Good Spring on the Lower City branch of the Philadelphia & Reading railroad.
HUBLEY TOWNSHIP.
This township was erected from Lower Mahantongo in 1853 and named for Associate Judge Hubley. It is an agricultural district.
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The earliest settlement was made in 1804 by Michael Beigert, who built the first house and commenced clearing land. He was followed soon afterward by Philip and Michael Artz, John and George Deitrich, Daniel Bixler, John and Henry Stahle, John Haldemann and John Schmitz. These were the earliest settlers in the township and the men who paved the way to civilization.
The first saw-mill was erected by John Stoney, on Deep creek, about the year 1820, though a grist-mill had preceded this about two years, erected and operated by Conrad Coil. The first public thoroughfare in the township was the stage road leading from Reading to Klingers- town. An old Indian trail ran through this township, and was trace- able for many years after the white man had undisputed possession of the territory. John Coil taught the first private school in the town- ship in a log house in the village of Sacramento. There are four public schools in the township at present. Abraham Hoffa built the first store building and the first hotel in Sacramento, and a post- office was established in that village in 1877. The village mentioned is the only one (except a small place called Artz) within the township limits, and it has a population of 269. The nearest railroad station is at Good Spring, on the Lower City branch of the Philadelphia & Reading.
The United Brethren in Christ sustain the only church in Sacra- mento, the church edifice being erected in 1873. A Sunday school was organized the following year, and both church and school are in a prosperous condition. A church of the same denomination as the above mentioned, was organized in 1875, at Schwalm's Church, in the west end of the township. These appointments belong to the Valley View circuit, which includes classes in Hegins, Eldred and Hubley townships. There were twenty retail business houses in this township in 1906. .
KLINE TOWNSHIP. .
This is one of the latest subdivisions of territory in the county. Another distinguishing feature of Kline township is the fact that its altitude is the highest in this section of the state, being at some points more than two thousand feet above the sea level. It was formed from Rush township in 1873, and was named in honor of Associate Judge Jacob Kline. Almost the entire population of the township is engaged in the coal industry, and the rich deposits of anthracite comprise most of its wealth. Agricultural development is confined to small gardens, and no attempt has been made in this
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direction beyond the cultivation of fruits and vegetables by families so fortunate as to possess a patch of arable land.
The pioneers in this section of the county were mostly Germans. John Stackhouse was the first settler. He located on the south side of Spring mountain about 1815, and there is no record of any other permanent settlers in the township for many years after that date. A German named John Simmers was among the earliest to locate in the territory, and Jet Schreiner, Henry Betzenberger, and a Mr. Weber were there in 1841. There were a number of settlers in Rush town- ship as early as 1815, and one in 1800, but it is difficult to determine whether they located on territory now embraced within Kline, since the area of the latter township is comparatively small. The first death in this township was that of Mrs. John Stackhouse, in 1839, and the first marriage was that of Casper Brell in 1854. John Stack- house kept the first tavern. The first public road opened through this township was the main road leading from Tamaqua to Hazleton, and the first stage line passed through the township on this road in 1842. This was a main thoroughfare between Pottsville and Wilkes-Barre, over which passed, in early times, vast quantities of lumber conveyed by teams from the valleys of the Catawissa to Tama- qua, Hamburg and other towns.
Summit Station, Honey Brook and Silver Brook are mining vil- lages in Kline township. The former has a population of 109, and was the site of the first store in the township. The first postoffice in the township was also established at Summit Station, the railroad name of which is now Lofty. Silver Brook bears the name of the collieries which were opened and operated in the vicinity, and was built up and sustained by the laborers employed in the mines. For a number of years the collieries were closed, owing to litigation con- cerning the ownership, and the village deteriorated. In recent years these troubles have been adjusted, and the town is improving. The present population is 563. The coal lands are now held by the Phila- delphia & Reading Coal and Iron company.
Honey Brook collieries are among the important coal mining enter- prises of the county. They were operated by the Honey Brook Coal company from 1862 until 1873, when that corporation was merged into the Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal company, which failed in 1877, the property passing into the hands of the Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron company. The first coal was shipped from that region in 1856, and extensive developments have been made in this large and profitable field. This is the eastern limit of the coal workings in Schuylkill county, extending also into Carbon county. The village
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of Honey Brook is inhabited wholly by miners or mechanics employed about the mines, and comprises but a small collection of houses, most of which were erected by the coal companies for the use of their em- ployes. A large school building was erected in the village in 1874.
The Philadelphia & Reading, and the Lehigh Valley railroads have branches operating in this township. There are twenty-three licensed dealers in the different lines of merchandise in Kline township.
The borough of McAdoo is a recent incorporation which has come into prominence through the shifting of population to keep pace with the coal developments. This borough was incorporated in 1892, and has had a rapid growth, its population now being 2,122. It has absorbed its residents largely, from the older villages in the vicinity. Churches and schools came with the development of the town, and a considerable mercantile business is transacted, there being at the present time, eighty retail business houses in the borough. Its residents are nearly all people of foreign birth.
MAHANOY TOWNSHIP.
The territory embraced within this township was originally a part of Rush, and was set off in the formation of Mahanoy in 1849. The township is bounded by West Mahanoy, Union, East Union, Rush and Ryan townships. This territory lies in one of the great coal centers of Schuylkill county, and mining, and the industries pertain- ing thereto, constitute the principal employment of the people. The first collieries were opened in Mahanoy township in 1861, and that was the beginning of a phenomenal career in coal mining. With the opening of mines, and the introduction of machinery to operate them, came a rapid increase to the population, and the upbuilding of the numerous thrifty villages and boroughs in the township. The completion of the Mill Creek railroad to Frackville and the Mahanoy Plane stimulated all lines of business.
The earliest settler in this township was a German named Reisch, who located on the present site of Mahanoy City in 1791. The family of Henry Kitner was one of the first to locate in the township, and he was followed within the next ten years by the families of Henry Stauffer, Samuel May, John Eisenhuth, Daniel Brobst and Erastes Williams. H. H. Stauffer, late of Mahanoy City, was the latest sur- vivor of these families in the territory.
The first saw-mill in the township was built about 1820, by John Eisenhuth, it being located on Eisenhuth's run, near Mahanoy City, where it was operated on a small scale for many years. The early settlers of this region were employed in making shingles, clearing
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land for farming, and in hunting. The Catawissa road was the only avenue of travel. The first public school was taught in the township in 1859, and this was the nucleus to a thorough system of school organ- ization which has resulted in twenty-three schools in fourteen school buildings in the township. The first church was organized in 1860, though religious services had been held by itinerant ministers for some years previous to this date.
Several cold-blooded murders were committed in this township, the first in August, 1797, when two travelers put up at the lonely log tavern of Reisch, the German previously mentioned as the first settler. One of these guests was a Jew peddler named Faulhover, who was waylaid at a lonely spot by a hunter from Chester county, the object of the murder being robbery. Bailey, the perpetrator of this crime, was afterward arrested and convicted, and paid the extreme penalty of the law on the 6th of January, 1798.
Mollie Maguireism was extremely rampant in this township during ' the days when that lawless band was unrestrained, and this was espe- cially true of Mahanoy City, where many depredations were com- mitted. It is believed that most, if not all, the murders committed since the one just mentioned, whether for robbery or revenge, were perpetrated directly or indirectly by the Mollie Maguires.
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