USA > Pennsylvania > Carbon County > History of the counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Pt. 2 > Part 36
USA > Pennsylvania > Lehigh County > History of the counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Pt. 2 > Part 36
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Near the last mentioned is the Penryn Quarry, which was opened by Hugh Hughes and D. D. Jones in 1864. In 1868 it was owned by D. D. Jones alone, and the little hamlet which grew up at the place was called Jonestown. The quarry is now owned by D. D. Jones and Amos Bonnall, and is leased to William HI. Siebert.
Demarara Quarry, near the above, was opened in 1856 by Nelson Labar and F. Smith, and owned in 1868 by the Demarara Slate Company. It is now owned by Warthman & Peters, but is not worked.
The Eagle Quarry was opened by Il. Kuntz, T. Kern, and others in 1866, and is now owned by Kuntz & Jacobs, but is not worked.
The American Quarry, four-fifths of a mile from the depot, was opened by Thomas Kern in 1864. Later it was owned by the American Slate Company, chartered with a capital of one hundred and twenty- five thousand dollars. The value of the quarry, lands, and buildings is placed at one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The present owner is Dr. John J. Detweiler, of Easton, and the lessee Joel Nett.
The quarry known as the Harry Williams, on Trout Creek, nearly a mile and a quarter from Slatington Station, was opened by William J. Roberts in 1850, and subsequently was operated by the Blue Mountain Slate Company. It has been valued at one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. This quarry is now owned by the estate of Henry Williams, and leased to Krum, Mosser & Co.
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A little farther up Trout Creek is a quarry named after it, and opened by Z. Thomas and D. McKenna in 1865. It subsequently passed into the possession of the MeDowell Slate Company, and is now the property of the Dime Savings-Bank. It is not worked at present. The property is valned at one hundred : worked. and twenty-five thousand dollars.
The Franklin, still farther up the ereek, was opened by Dr. II. O. Wilson in 1865, and soon became the property of D. D. Jones and H. Williams. It is now owned by the Williams estate, and leased to Kuntz & Jacobs. Value is stated as one hundred and forty thousand dollars.
The slate-quarry a little distance above the last named was opened by Daniel Thomas in 1868, and is now owned by the Star Slate Company, and leased to Owen A. Williams. It is valued at sixty thousand dollars, with lands and buildings.
The Glencoe, on the west branch of Trout Creek, two miles from the station in Slatington, was opened by M. D. George and others in 1856, but soon the Glencoe Slate Company was organized, with a capital of forty thousand dollars, to operate it. The value of the property is about thirty thousand dollars.
The Conway Quarry, about two miles up the ereck, opened by Dr. HI. O. Wilson in 1866, subsequently passed into the possession of the Conway Slate Com- pany, who are its present owners.
The Brooklyn, near that just mentioned, opened by D. McKenna and Mr. Thomas in 1866, is the property of the Brooklyn Slate Company. It is valued at fifty thousand dollars.
The Humboldt, a short distance from the Brooklyn, was opened by Henry Wert in 1866, and passed into the ownership of the Humboldt Slate Company. It is not now worked.
North of the quarry just mentioned is the Hoffman. opened by William Weiss and William Roth in 1868. This quarry, not now worked, has been valued as high as forty thousand dollars.
The Locke Slate-Quarry, at Slatedale, three and one-half miles from the station at Slatington, now owned by Francis Shenter, was opened by George and Wilson Labar in 1848, and subsequently owned by the Locke Slate Company. The value of the property has been estimated at one hundred and fifty thousand dollars,
Enterprise Quarry, near Slatedale, was opened by Francis Shenter in 1868, subsequently operated by the Enterprise Slate Company, and is now the prop- erty of Joseph German, who leaves to John Bauer & Co. The property is valued at seventy-five thousand dollars. It is now being worked.
Hope Quarry, on Trout Creek, four miles from Slatington, was opened by Owen Lloyd in 1861. It subsequently passed into the hands of the Hope Slate Company and the Sacgersville Slate Company, the present owners. This quarry is also now operated, and the property is valued at sixty-five thousand dollars.
Diamond Quarry, on Trout Creek, five miles from Slatington, was opened by Schall & Balliet in 1848, and in 1868 passed to the Diamond Slate Company. It is now owned by William Herbst, but is not
The Kern Quarry, on the creek, one mile from the
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WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP.
station at Slatington, was opened by J. Kern, Morgan & Co. in 1867. It is now owned by D. D. Jones, but is not worked.
Two and a quarter miles up the creek, T. Weiss, in 1847, opened the Joy Quarry, which he still owns, but does not operate.
Three-fourths of a mile up the ereek is the Laury Quarry, opened by Laury & Co. in 1858, and now owned and operated by John Williams & Co.
The Blue Mountain Quarry, on Trout Creek, two and a half miles from Slatington Station, was opened by Dr. II. O. Wilson in 1866. It has been owned by several persons, and is now the property of the Blue Vein Slate Company. Work is now going on here.
About a quarter of a mile from the quarry just mentioned is the Excelsior, opened by T. Weiss in 1864, and still owned by him. The Excelsior is not now operated.
Besides these quarries which have been mentioned there are several newer ones. D. D. Jones and Robert R. Roberts opened valuable beds in 1883, which are now worked to good advantage.
Many of these quarries have been exhausted and abandoned. Others, though long operated, are still yielding well, while new ones are frequently opened. The quarries from which school-slates are now being taken are those of David Williams & Co., the Lehigh Slate Company, Jones & Town, the Locke Slate Com- pany, and Glencoe Company. These companies take out about two hundred and eighty-five thousand school-slates per month in the rough, and something over fifty-three thousand squares of roofing-slates. More than five hundred men are employed in the industry.
The deposit of slate in this region extends from Trout Creek to the Blue Mountain, and is practically inexhanstible.
Besides the borough of Slatington, to which a sepa- rate chapter is devoted, there are in Washington township several small villages, concerning which a few facts remain to be presented.
Friedensville .- The land on which this hamlet is situated was owned at an early date by John Peters, 'a mantel-factory, a store, and two school-houses.
The place contains abont a dozen houses, a Union Church, and a school-house. The location of the i church here in 1847 may be considered the begin- ning of the hamlet. It was built by the Lutheran and German Reformed congregations, which were organized by the people of the neighborhood. The pastors of the Lutheran congregation have been as . Follows: Revs. Jeremiah Shindel, William B. Roth, Thomas Steck (1859-67), J. S. Renninger (1867 to' date). The congregation has about two hundred and fifty members. The Reformed congregation, which numbers but few less than the Lutheran, has been ministered to by the following pastors, . vix. : Revs. Erasmus Helffrich, Alfred J. G. Dubbs, William Helfrich, Levi K. Derr, and William J. Peters.
Slatedale has two hotels ( kept by John Lewis and John Balliet), two stores, a blacksmith-shop, a school- house, two churches, a depot building of the Lehigh Valley Branch Railroad, and a post office. Its popu- ilation is about seven hundred. The post-office was established in June, 1883, with Lewis F. Fink as postmaster.
Of the churches here, the Methodist is the oldest and best sustained. The walls of the house erected by this denomination were put up in 1856, but the structure was not completed until 1858. The trustees were Owen W. Owens and Stinson Hagaman, and they constituted the building committee. The first pastor was Rev. John Jones, and the succeeding ones Jacob Schlichter, - McGee, - Barr, S. Powers, N. B. Durell, and E. Townsend. The church is served in connection with that at Slatington.
Evangelical Association .- The first meetings were held in private houses in the year 1858, by itinerant preachers sent out by the Evangelical Association. An edifice twenty-four by thirty feet was erected in 1860, under the direction of the Rev. John Schell. The society grew in numbers until more room was required. In 1881, under the pastorate of the Rev. J. C. Bliem, a new brick church, thirty-four by fifty ' feet, was erected. The church is under care of the pastors of the church at Slatington.
A Lutheran Church was organized here in 1876, but has not been actively maintained.
The Presbyterian Church, organized several years ago, now has no preaching and maintains no active organization.
Williamstown is a small hamlet, with a popula- tion of less than three hundred, and, like the other hamlets in this township, had its origin in the slate development. There is a brick church here, owned by the Welsh Baptists, and built in 1862, by Henry Williams. It has at present twenty members, and no pastor. The hamlet contains also a store and a school-house.
Franklin contains a population of about four hun- dred. There is a hotel here, kept by W. P. Williams,
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.
JOHN BALLIET.
John Balliet, grandson of Stephen and Magdalena Burkhalter Balliet, and son of Stephen Balliet and his wife, Susan Therie, was born Nov. 13, 1819, at Bal- lietsville, North Whitehall township, Lehigh Co., and remained during boyhood at the home of his parents. After limited advantages of education he entered the Lehigh Charcoal Furnace, owned by his father, and in various capacities made his services valuable while becoming familiar with the business. In connection
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HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
with his brothers, Paul and Aaron, he ultimately be- came owner of the property, and later its superin- tendent. He afterward made East Penn township, Carbon Co., his residence, in connection with the position of superintendent of the East Penn Charcoal Furnace. After its partial destruction by a freshet it was rebuilt, and subsequently leased by Mr. Balliet, who for many years operated it successfully. Aside from these interests, he is the owner of a planing- mill and lumber-yard, and largely engaged in real estate operations, and the erection and improvement of buildings. He is a considerable land-holder, and the possessor of many farms under successful eultiva- tion. He removed to Bowmansville, where he has large interests, in 1872, and which for many years was his residence. Mr. Balliet was united in mar- riage to Amanda Rehrig, of East Penn township, to whom were born children,-Isabella (Mrs. Victor Bowman), Alice Emma (deceased), Lewis F., Emma Jenetta (Mrs. John Semmel), Amanda Sabina (de- eeased), John William, Benjamin Matthias (deceased), Martha Sophia, Harry Charles, and Charles David (deceased). Mr. Balliet is in polities a Republican, but not a strong partisan. He is a director of the Slatington Bank, and one of the shareholders in the Lehigh Furnace, at Allentown, and the Lehigh Val- ley Furnace, at Coplay. He is also, with his brothers, interested in extensive iron-ore beds in Lehigh County.
CHAPTER XXXVII. BOROUGH OF SLATINGTON.
Settlement of the Kerns .- On the west side of the Lehigh River, about two miles below the gap in the Blue Ridge, at a point where the famous " Warriors' Path" crossed the stream, and where is now the thriving borough of Slatington, one Nicholas Kern, as early as 1737, took up land on which he subse- quently made his home. His first warrant was dated Nov. 24, 1787, and his second March 15, 1738. The two tracts amounted to five hundred aeres. It was described as being on the west branch of the Dela- ware (as the Lehigh was then called), and was ad- joined on one side by land of Gottfried Knauss (who then lived near the site of Emans), and upon the other by vacant land.
side. William and John remained at the homestead, and took care of the farm and the mills which had been created on Trout Creek.
In the Evans map of 1755, and in Edward Scull's of 1770, one of these mills was designated as " Truek- er's Mill." Benjamin Franklin, in his report to Gov- ernor Morris, in January, 1756, states that he procured boards and timber for the building of Fort Allen, at Weissport, from " Trucker's Saw-Mill." Many state papers, letters, or reports from officers who were sta- tioned in this region from 1756 to 1764, bear date " Kern's" or "Trucker's." Mrs. Michael Ramaly, long since dead, gave information many years ago to Charles Peters, of Slatington, concerning this name " Trucker," stating that it was given to William Kern to distinguish him from others of the same name, and that he was of a jovial turn of mind, much given to joking. " Trockener." in German, signifies a joker, a wit, and that was doubtless the term originally ap- plied to the miller, which in time was corrupted to "Trucker."
In the year 1761 a road was laid out on the line of the old Warriors' Path, erossing Trout Creek, and running through the site of Slatington.
On the 4th of January, 1770, William and John Kern bought of the other heirs considerable of the land left to them. The former had one hundred and forty acres, for which he paid three hundred pounds, and John two hundred and twenty-six acres, for which he paid two hundred and fifty pounds. Wil- liam purchased other lands, and on Oct. 1, 1799, he and his wife, Salome, deeded to Nicholas and John Kern, their sons, two tracts of land near the home- stead. One of these tracts (one hundred and seventy- two acres) had been patented Jan. 16, 1784, and an- other, of two hundred and ninety-five acres, March 10, 1794. Frederiek Kern, a brother of William, took up a warrant for land the year his father died, and John, another brother, took up one hundred and forty-nine acres March 27, 1769.
The mill heretofore spoken of originally stood above the iron bridge that crosses Trout Creek, but subse- quently was removed to the place where now stands lless & Co.'s mantel-factory. William Kern's house, built of logs and possessing the distinction of a double porch, stood where the residences of Benjamin Kern and Henry Kuntz now are It was torn down about. 1858. The old stone barn, built about 1807, is still standing.
Nicholas Kern, after raising a large family of chil- Reverting to the Kern family, we can state that William, who lived until about 1810, had at least eight children, viz .: William, Stoffel (or Christo- pher), Nicholas, John, Jacob, Elizabeth, Salome, and Julia, by two wives. William lived at Lehigh Gap, and kept tavern there many years. He died near Stemlersville. Stoffel settled about midway between the site of Slatington and the Blue Mountain and fol- lowed farming. His sons were Henry, Daniel, Charles, dren, died in 1748, leaving a widow, six sons- Henry, Frederick, Nicholas, John, William, George -and one daughter,-Caroline (Mrs. Martin Sing- ling). A will left by Kern directed that the property should be divided into eight equal parts between the widow and children. All of the family remained at this place until the youngest children had arrived at maturity, when some of them removed to the lower part of the county, where their descendants still re- | Levi, and Stephen; Levi alone is now living, and is
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557
BOROUGH OF SLATINGTON.
located north of the mountains. There were also three daughters, of whom Elizabeth (Mrs. Stephen Smith), of Schneekville, is the only one living. Nieh- olas Kern lived at the homestead until 1819. He married Hannah Best, the daughter of an early set- tler, and built a house on a portion of the old farm, about a mile from the site of Slatington. He had four sons,-Henry, Jacob, Adam, and Stephen, of whom Adam and Jacob are the only ones living, and are located respectively in Illinois and in Heidelberg township. Two daughters are also living, -- Polly (Mrs. Eli Hoffman) in Lowhill, and Anna (Mrs. Eli Kern) in Washington township.
John Kern, son of William, was born in 1777, and died here in 1850, aged seventy-three years. He car- ried on the farm and also the second mill (of which more extended mention will presently be made). Ilis sons were Jonas, Daniel, Thomas, Reuben, and Jo- seph, and his daughters, Susanna ( Mrs. Jonas Hoff- man), Hannah (Mrs. D. Wehr), Lydia ( Mrs. William Opp), and Leah (Mrs. Eli Hoffman).
Jonas settled at the homestead, and conducted the mill and farm until 1861, and now lives in Lower Slatington with his son, Benjamin. The mill was given to Mrs. Henry Kuntz, whose husband rented it for a time. It now belongs to JI. A. Kern, son of Charles, son of Christopher.
Jacob Kern settled about two miles down the Le- high from the old home, on a farm which Nathan Kern now owns. The only one of this family now living is Elias Kern, of Quakertown.
John Kern, brother of William, in 1755 lived on land which is now cut up and owned by various per- sons, It principally by Williams & Co. Daniel, John, and George were his sons. Daniel removed to Indiana, and Jolm to New York, George settled on the river and followed farming. He also built the stone tavern and barn which still stand in the lower part of Slatington and are inseribed with the figures of the year in which they were reared, 1824. He died about 1850. He had two sons,-George and Con- rad.
There were no other settlers than the Kerns at what ; Legislature to open and work a slutte-quarry on the Delaware, below the is now Slatington until the discovery of slate. The family lived here quietly as farmers and millers. " After state had been quarried along the Delaware for a number of years, it was thought it might be found farther along the Bine Moun- tain, near the Lehigh Gap. Accordingly, in 1814, a few Welsh and Jerseymen, from near the Delaware Water Gap, emigrated to this vicinity, where they made the first opening on the east side of the lehigh, near the present quarries of the leimbach Slate Company. They also explored along front Creek, and in 1845 opened the first quarry, situated on the hill neur Welshtown, which is worked at present under lease by Ingh L. Davis & Co. Some of the pioneers in this en- torprise were William Roberts, Robert M. Jones, Owen Jones, Nelson and George Labar, and, lator, Hugh L. Davis, Henry Williams, and 1 others, some of whont arrived here direct from Wales. Concerning the mills, it may not be out of place to state that the first grist-mill stood on Trout Creek, where now are the ruins of the saw-mill built in 1763, and still to be seen. It is said that William Kern was attacked here by the Indians the year that the mill was erected, but the onslaught could not have been a very desperate one, if it is true, as alleged, that he drove them away with a eart-whip. The second mill, a stone structure, a story and a half high, was built in the centre of the present road, at the end of the bridge over Trout Creek. It was torn down in 1850, and the present mill was then erected by Jonas Kern.
At that time the only people who lived here were Jonas Kern (who had a double house and the mill
already mentioned), John Kern, his father, Henry Kuntz, and Robert McDowell, who had established a store. This slight increase of population, and the subsequent building of a town on this spot, were caused by the discovery of the great deposit of slate, valuable for various commercial purposes.
The Discovery and Development of the Slate Deposits.1-In 1844 two Welshmen, William Roberts and Nelson Labar, who were traveling in this region, became instrumental in bringing into existence a great industry and incidentally the town of which we write. While making the journey on foot from Easton to Manch Chunk by the old stage route along the Lehigh, they discovered at one of their resting- places, opposite the site of Slatington, some pieces of stone, leaning against the barn of Peter Ileimbach, in which they recognized a close resemblance to the merchantable slate of their native country. They learned from Mr. Heimbach where it had been ob- tained, and upon leaving his house went to the spot, a little distance down the river, and made investigations which fully satisfied them of the value of the material. The slate was found on the land of John Benninger, in Northampton County, and the two Welshmen im- mediately leased the property. In the spring of 1845 they opened a quarry a little below where the works of Caskie & Emach now are, and in August of the same year John Benninger opened Quarry No. 1 of the Heimbach vein.
The same season Nelson Labar and William Rob- erts came over to the west side of the river, in the vicinity of Slatington, to look for slate, but they de- cided that there was none there. A short time after- wards, however, it was discovered by Owen Jones. Roberts then united with him, and they leased land from Jonas Kern for fifteen years. Following is a portion of the agreement which they drew up :
1 In this connection the following statement by D. D. Jones, concern- ing early slate discoveries, proves interesting :
" The first digging for slate began in this county (which was then Northampton) as early as the beginning of this century. We read that a number of capitalists were organized under a charter granted by the Water Gap. as early as a.D. 1805. The organization of this company no doubt stimulated others to new enter prises und further discoveries.
" I should mention that previous to the above explorations a party of gentlemen from Baltimore, Md., in 1828, opened n slate-quarry in White- hall township, west of Laury's Station, and in 1831 a portion of them, accompanied by our townsmunn, R McDowell, Esq., discovered slate ou the farm of Thomas Benninger, near the Lehigh Wator Gap. A quarry was opened and worked for several years, after which slate of u better quality wns elsewhere discovered, and the old opening abandoned."
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HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
" Article of agreement made and concluded upon this thirtieth day of August, 1:15, between Jonas Kern, of the township of Heidelberg, in the County of Lehigh, State of Pennsylvania, and Owen Jones and William Roberts of the same place, -Term of 15 years, for the 'making a quarry of slate-stone to make slate shingles,' to ' pay to the said Jonas Kern, Miller, twenty-eight cents for each and every ton of slate shin- gles' Jonas Kern to have the right to have as many of the large slate that could not be used for shingles . . . 'And further, the aforesaid parties agree That if the said Jonas Kero, Miller, bas a mind to begin to quarrey himself, he can't take nobody to him as a partner except- ing Owen Jones or William Roberts; therefore nobody has no Right to Commence to make a quarey on the aforesaid lands but Owen Jones and William Roberts or Jonas Kern, Miller, himself, with the aforesaid Owen Jones and William Roberts,'
(Signed) " JONAS KERN. "OWEN JONES. " WILLIAM ROBERTS.
" Witness at signing, "GEORGE REX."
Jones and Roberts then opened a quarry in the face of the hill, on the east side of the road leading to Welchtown. This opening, now known as the " Tun- nel Quarry," is worked by John B. Roberts. In the fall of 1848, Robert MeDowell bought a third interest of Owen Jones and William Roberts. Mr. Jones soon after engaged in the slate business, went to Wales and brought his family to this country. He lived here many years, and then removed to Daniels- ville, where he was killed by the fall of a derrick. Mr. Roberts, who has been mentioned in connection with these pioneer operations in slate, also established the first school-slate factory. The Mr. McDowell who entered into partnership, as already stated, with Jones and Roberts, became a prominent merchant of the town, and one of the leading slate dealers.
The second lease of Jonas Kern's land was to a company (in which he had a place) composed of James M. Porter, Samuel Taylor, John Williams, and Robert MeDowell. They formed a partnership for the purpose of carrying on the mercantile business, and also for quarrying. The store was to be opened March 25, 1847, but was not until a later date, because of Mr. Kern's withdrawal, and other reasons. It was finally opened in the double house which was owned by Jonas Kern, and built many years before by Wil- liam Kern. This was ocempied until Kern built a new structure (the west end of the Kern block), when McDowell & Co. took possession of it. They kept here until 1851, and then sold out to Kern, and opened a store in Upper Slatington, where Mr. Kuntz now is.
Under the second lease the Douglass and Washing- ton Quarries were opened, Thomas Craig uniting with the original lessees in operating them. The lands were subsequently bought.
The second house on the hill was built by Boas Housman, who was book-keeper for McDowell & Co. It was of stone, and stood where the stores of Kreitz and Seibert now are. The office of the company was where J. C. Mack's store is. The second office-a brick building -- is now the office of Caskie & Emack.
Jones and Robert MeDowell, and lots were sold. By 1860 the place, which had but two or three buildings in 1851, had gained a population of five hundred, and in 1869 it had reached two thousand. One of the buildings alluded to was a stone tavern, built by John Ramaly in 1849. The first store was started in Upper Slatington in 1852 by Robert MeDowell. From this time on the growth of the town, at first called Waverly, is shown in the history of its schools, churches, and other institutions. (The numerous slate-quarries are mentioned in the chapter ou Wash- ington township.)
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