Area History: The History of Pottsville to 1906 This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Jay Zane jay.zane@verizon.net USGENWEB NOTICE: Printing this file by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission fromthe submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. __________________________________________________________________ PART II William Carter built in 1830 the house occupied by him, but three other brick houses were erected long afterwards. A writer in the Pottsville Advocate, early in 1831, thus speaks of the place, "the town of Pottsville, by the late 1830 census, contains upwards of 2,500 inhabitants. The fluctuating population having withdrawn, there may be trifling decrease; for, at the times when the census was taken we were thronged with strangers, drawn to the place by the ill-advised and premature spread so foolishly raised about it. That, however fortunately did no essential harm...we now have 70 stores of various kinds, richly stocked, many of them rivaling those of Philadelphia in appearances." Since the spring of 1830, about 50 new brick buildings have been erected in the town, more than half of which are three story houses. Among these are the uniform stores erected by James Appleton, at the upper part of Centre Street. Jacob Alter has alone erected three handsome stores in the neighborhood of the Arcade. Nor are our private houses less creditable to us than our public improvements. Among those which have lately been completed, we would mention Francis B. Nichol's, Abraham J. Sanderson's, Burd Patterson's on Mahanotongo, J.C. Offerman on Centre Street, and many other less remarkable, but exhibiting an air of neatness and comfort not often seen in towns of such rapid growth. In the lower part of the town, we have Thomas Ridgway's and several others, comprising part of what is usually called Morrisville, which with Mt. Carbon, forms a striking entrance to the town from the south." We must not omit to mention M.B. Buckley's beautiful addition to Pottsville distinguished by the name of Greenwood; occupying a point remarkable for its beauty and the various scenery, which it commands. Among the improvements, we remark a large stone hotel and a row of handsome stone houses. In the rear, there is a large brewery, in full operation, established by A.Y. Moore. Adjoining Morrisville stands Mt. Carbon, which under the fostering care of John White, now fully equals any part of the town in appearance. During the past season, many valuable additions have been completed; particularly a hotel which do credit to a city, and a row of stores. The Norwegian Railroad terminates here." Mt. Carbon comprises the southern extremity of Pottsville. It stands on the Schuylkill River at the foot of Sharp Mountain, lying in the valley between that and Second Mountain. Its situation is romantic, the abrupt hills, rising almost perpendicularly around, are strikingly grand; while the Schuylkill, winding through the gorge of the mountain completes a scene of picturesque beauty unsurpassed by the points in whose praise our northern tourists are so fluent. Sharp Mountain itself is a remarkable natural curiosity, resembling a rampart-boundary to the coal region. The original town of Mt. Carbon received considerable additions during the last year. Since the closing of navigation, the lock at the mouth of the canal has been renewed under the superintendence of Mr. Mills, the agent for the Canal Company, in the pool above the docks of Messrs. Ellmaker, Audenried, and White and Coombe, who have two docks at the rear of their store houses, each 29 feet wide and in length one is 100 feet and the other 150 feet. Beyond are Mr. Eldridge's landings, adjoining the range now constructed for Messrs. Thouron and MacGregor. On the opposite side lie the boat yards of Mr. Shelly, and the extensive landings of the North American Company. Again on the left are Mr. S.J. Pott's wharves: those of Mr.Morris' and Mr. C. Store's boat yard, on which we perceive he is erecting a new dock. The latter lie at the foot of Morrisville. The pool below the bridge affords wharves to the storehouses of Messrs. Moore and Graham, Nathans, Thurston, and others. Several new landings are here constructing the margin of the river presenting every facility for works of this nature. The principal buildings lately erected are a range of stone stores and dwelling houses, and the hotel on Centre Street; and on Market Street six stone and twelve frame buildings. The hotel is a beautiful edifice of stone, 45 feet wide by 82 feet, exclusive of the piazza, which presents a promenade to each store, embracing a view of the mountainous scenery around. These improvements are owing to the enterprising spirit of Messrs. White and Coombe. The Mt. Carbon railroad, projected as an outlet for the rich coal formations of the Norwegian Creek valleys, was commenced in October of 1889, under the superintendence of William R. Hopkins, chief engineer, and John White, president. At the termination the road is elevated upon 31 piers of masonry, erected upon the gap of Sharp Mountain, across the landings before mentioned, following the valley of the Schuylkill to Morrisville. At this point we have, on the left, Messrs. Morris' mines, and on the opposite side of the river, on the Lippincott and Richards Tract, the mines now worked by Mr. Baraclough. The road here leaves the Schuylkill, at its junction with the Norwegian Creek, stretching up the valley of the latter, parallel with the Greenwood improvements, directly through Pottsville, to the forks; a distance of 6,208 feet from the piers. Below this are the mines now worked by Mr. M. Kechney, and several openings on land belonging to D.J. Rhoads, Esq. On the east branch, which is 16,200 feet in length, the first lateral, above the forks, belongs to the North American Company, and leads to its collieries, where they have 12 openings, upon the celebrated Lewis and Spohn veins. This coal is in high estimation, and has greatly added in establishing the reputation of Schuylkill County coal, in the eastern markets. Beyond this, the road passes through Benjamin Pott's lands, and again strikes the Spohn vein at the east mines of the North American Company. The Hillsborough tract comes next, on the right, on which are several openings. Here we diverge to the left, through the celebrated Peach Mountain tract, belonging to J. White, and pass five openings made by him. Next the Reed Hill Tract owned by L. Ellmaker on these lands are several mines leased by the Messrs. Warner, Wade and others, near the town of Wadesville, a thriving little place, laid out by Mr. Ellmaker. Above the town, the lateral road from Captain Wade's mine comes down. The east branch terminates upon the Flowery Field tract, belonging to Messrs. Bousall, Wetherall and Cummings. This land had been extensively worked by various individuals. The West Branch commences at Marysville, on the Oak Hill Tract, and is 16,400 feet in length. On this estate are the mines leased by Messrs. Smith, Hart, Maxwell, Wade, Hall, Dennnis, Gallagher, and Martin. Among those are the celebrated Diamond and Oak Hill veins. We must not omit the hotel kept here by Mr. Gallagher, at a convenient distance from Pottsville for an excursion. Below Oak Hill are the Green Park and Clinton tracts; the former belonging to John White, and the latter to Mrs. Spohn. At Green Park there is one opening under the superintendence of Mr. James Dill. Adjoining this is the Belmont estate- also John White's. Next the Thouron tract, a portion of which has been purchased by Benjamin Pott; the Spohn vein passing through it. Contiguous are the Spohn, Lewis and Duncan estates, the railroad here passes Bejamin Pott's saw mill, and extends in a perfectly straight line, a mile in length nearly to the junction with the main road. Twelve years after the above (1831) many changes have taken place, old mines have been exhausted or abandoned, and new ones opened; a great number of new railroads have been constructed, several mines have been explored and profitably worked below the water level. The geology of the region has been fully explored; the Pottsville, Reading and Philadelphia Railroad has been opened, in 1842 affording daily communication in seven hours to Philadelphia, and promising to effect a complete revolution in the transportation of coal; the speculations of 1836 have expanded and exploded. Pottsville has increased its population from 2424 in 1830, and 3,117 in 1835, to 4, 345 in 1840; and is now a compact, bustling place. Its trade no longer driven back and forth by the tide of speculation, has settled, or is settling, into a steady channel, well understood and well managed by capitalists, merchants and miners." Toward the end of 1830, we would also see the Pennsylvania Hall, at the corner of Church Alley and Centre Street, erected by Col. George Shoemaker; a two story brick building on the south side of Mahantongo Street, between Eighth and Ninth Streets, and then considered the handsomest residence in the town, which was erected by Burd Patterson. In 1830 there had also been completed the Exchange Hotel on Centre Street, built by Jacob Seitzinger, the three story brick dwelling on the south side of Market Street between Third and Fourth Street, now occupied by the YMCA and before by the late Benjamin Haywood, and which was erected by Francis B. Nichols, the enterprising pioneer and coal operator. At the close of 1830, nearly all of both sides of Centre Street from where the Sheafer Building now stands, to Minersville Street had been built up; but many of the houses were quite inexpensive, wooden structures. The first Catholic Church was erected about 1827. It was a small building and stood on the same site, as the present church edifice, at the southwest corner of Fourth and Mahantongo Streets. The Protestant Episcopal Church was erected in 1829 and 1830, on the lot where the present structure stands at the southwest corner of Church Alley and Centre Street. The erection of the Town Hall was commenced in 1830 by the Town Hall Association. Mr. Charles Gillngham being the builder; a year later, the building was sold under a mortgage to Messrs. Bray and Bancroft, who then engaged Mr. Adam Eiler, who completed the building at a cost of $34,000. In 1865 Mr. George Slater bought the building. This building was burned by fire on Sunday morning March 19, 1870, at 5:30 A.M. and the same year rebuilt and named the Centennial Hall. In 1831, the number of buildings had increased to 635, of which there were 62 brick and 68 of stone; together with an Episcopal Church, a meeting house, and a beautiful structure for the Miners' Bank, of which the front is of cast iron; and the commodious hotels of Mr. Seitzinger and Col. Shoemaker. There were also 70 stores, richly stocked among which those of two booksellers and stationers, and of tailors and dressmakers. And Pottsville boasted too of a circulating library, a Mechanics' library, and Exchange Reading Rooms, two newspapers, and a seminary under the care of J. Sanderson, Esq. The Miners' Journal in 1829, in one of their issues, states that rents in Pottsville were very high, a two story building on the main street will command a rent of between $200 and $300 per year. The old Sunbury road from Reading to Sunbury had been made at Pottsville to wind around upon the hill near the Henry Clay Monument. From there its course was westwardly passing the Fisher Farm and continuing through York Farm, Bull's Head and Minersville. What is now a considerable portion of Centre Street was then a hemlock swamp, thickly covered with a laurel undergrowth, and a road for wagons could not be made through it until the Turnpike Company succeeded in establishing theirs. The turnpike was considered a very formidable undertaking and it was the opinion of many persons that the task which then seemed Herculean was beyond the possibility of completion. During the years from 1807 to 1812, a great amount of work on the new road was done, in this neighborhood and we may say that the turnpike had been opened through in 1899, but it was done in an imperfect state. Many places where stones were needed were still uncovered and not until 1817 was the part of Centre Street, from Mahantongo Street to where the Female Grammar School now stands, regularly covered. Prior to that time the stones had been placed on it only at the worst places. In 1830 a communication was placed in the Miners' Journal, asking for plank sidewalks and complaining that the mud on the streets was so deep that the ladies had been for several months unable to attend church. The town in 1862 contained a handsome Episcopal church, and a splendid new Catholic church, both in Gothic style; a German Catholic church, and a neat ediface for the Presbyterian, Baptist and Methodist denominations; an Academy; a spacious town hall; a splendid hotel, called Pennsylvania Hall, and other spacious hotels,; a furnace at which iron had been successfully made with anthracite coal; a large forge and rolling mill; a large foundry and a steam engine factory and machine shop, a boat yard, brewery, etc. The Danville and Pottsville Railroad designed to connect the Schuylkill Navigation at Pottsville, with the Susquehanna at Danville and Sunbury, was started in 1825, and was completed in 1834 as far as Girardville, a small hamlet of three or four houses ten miles north of Pottsville, 10 miles are also completed on the Sunbury end. The death of its chief patrons, the late Stephen Girard and General Daniel Montgomery, of Danville, with whom the project originated, retarded the progress of the work. On the ten miles near Pottsville, a tunnel of 700 feet long and four inclined planes, have been constructed at an enormous expense, but the tunnel 3,500 feet long, into the Girard coal mines, on Mahanoy, is but partially completed. Until this is done, this part of the road cannot be profitably used, and the superstructure is now rotting in the sun. The Miners Journal, in 1829, says: "A daily mail commenced running between this place and Philadelphia on Wednesday, June 20th, 1829. This is a very desirable and happy arrangement, as the intercourse carried on and the business transacted between the two places has become so great that it is of the most vital importance that a daily communication should be kept up between the citizens of both places. In the year 1830, three lines of stages were competing for the patronage of the passengers between this place and Philadelphia, the Coleman line, the Reside line, and another line called the "Clover" line. Three stages left Pottsville for Philadelphia every day, arriving at Philadelphia, in about eighteen hours." On Sunday morning, September 26th, 1834, a fire broke out in several frame buildings standing in that part of our borough on the west, which is the abode of a number of the colored population. The frame buildings being three in number, were literally burnt to the ground and were the property owned by James Haggerty.