Historic Easton from the window of a trolley-car

Front matter

MUNICIPAL FLAG CITY OF EASTON, PA.

FAC-SIMILE FIRST COMBINATION OF THE STARS AND STRIPES

Historic Easton

Preface

It is the fragmentary remains that survived the ruthless plow shear of the middle period, when sentiment of former times had become lost and the historical interest of modern times was not yet cultivated, that we of today diligently gather and weave into their original form of song and story.

Much that might by chance aid in the solution of these problems is often presented in a more perplexing form ; that which is obscure and unmtelhgible to the mterpreter through whom they now speak, will likely remain forever a sealed book. Traditions were the principle source of information of all early historical writers, and even after being shorn of all exaggerated embellishments that from time to time had been added while true in the main, were but Httle more than distorted facts- their continued repetition by subsequent writers even in a revised form but lacking verihcation as to their correctness through research of original sources, is unpardonable.

Such stories, while producing interesting reading, are unreliable and misleading to the student of history, to whom they are of but little or no value whatever.

.r^./^^'^^lu^^ '"l^,^"" °^ *^^ erroneous impression these stories had created in the public mind that provoked this Historical Excursion. The fmn.rH.1°ff r^ '^'f '"1 fo!" it the dignity of a History, yet the brief and impartial statements of historical events are correct. It is not written in consecutive, chronological arrangement, but is divided into four journeys from a common center, thus creating a division of what might be termed statistics and assuming an attractive and readable form, avoiding the hafSl'ady bTen^ubl'S "' ^^^^^"^^-^ comparisons with that which

FIRST JOURNEY

WESTWARD ON NORTHAMPTON STREET

PLEASANT summer afternoon, a delightful anticipation of an historical excursion in an open trolley car, may provoke a reminiscent mood and cause a desire to stop in the mad whirl of the American momentum; recall the delights recorded in one's memory, which appeal to the thoughts of the moment, and are again stored away indefinitely.

If reminiscence is but a pleasant melancholy, and ignorance is bliss, then surely 'tis folly to be wise. Come with us for the time and imagine yourself occupying a comfortable seat in a specially equipped car of the Easton Transit Company, in one of the shady corners of the public square in the city of Easton, Pa., ready for a trip.

Blind, indeed, to the perfection of God's handiwork in Nature, and inlets to a sluggish soul, must be the eyes that fail to see, or grow weary resting on the beauties of the hills and the valleys of this chosen garden spot of the owner of an Empire, his Eden, wherein he desired to perpetuate his memory.

Our car is standing on a siding at the southeast corner of the square, where we will loiter for an hour and go through the dream of glimmering events that were. In the circular spot of green stands Northampton County's tribute to its young men, who here vowed allegiance to their country and marched toward the noon-day sun, back in the 6o's. Their history is only told in a general way by the universal historian ; their achievements will soon be forgotten, as they are now passing, in surprising numbers, to the Great Beyond and no one to record their individual experiences, trials and tribulations of a very eventful period, which the future historian will chronicle in one small chapter. This handsome memorial occupies the spot on which, for over a hundred years, stood the old Northampton County Court House. Here, to this ancient edifice, the voting population residing as far north as Bloomsburg, Berwick, Mauch Chunk, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Honesdale, Pittston, Towanda and the region still farther north, came to deposit their ballot.

Here, on the threshold of this county shrine was promulgated, in July, 1776, the Declaration of Independence, probably the first place outside of Philadelphia where public approval was given to that famous transaction, and, probably, where was first displayed a flag, combining the stars and the stripes as an emblem of a new nation. There appeared on July 20th, 1776, in the New England Journal the following item :

"Easton, Northampton County, July 8th.

This day, the Declaration of Independence was received here and proclaimed in the following order : The Colonel and all other Field Officers of the First Battalion repaired to the Court House, the light Infantry Company marching there with drums beating, fifes playing and the standard (the device for which is the thirteen united Colonies) which was ordered to be displayed and after that the Declaration was read aloud to a great number of spectators, who gave their hearty assent with three loud huzzas and cried out, 'MAY GOD LONG PRESERVE AND UNITE THE FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES OF AMER- ICA/ "

The flag, here mentioned, is supposed to be the one which is now in the possession of the Easton Public Library, where it was deposited in 1821 by the remnant of a military company that used it during the War of 1812.

The following extracts were taken from the Minute Book of the Library Association :

August I, 1818.

"A committee consisting of I. Horn and Samuel Moore waited on the Board at this Meeting with a copy of certain resolutions and requesting that a certain flag, to which these resolutions related, might be deposited for safe-keeping in the Library Hall. (For further particulars see the newspapers of that date.) The Board agreed that the said flag might be so deposited, but it never was deposited.^

Stewart Kennedy, Librarian.

"The Librarian reports that the Flag mentioned in the proceedings of the Board Aug. ist, 1818 had been delivered to him a few days since, and deposited in the Hall.

C. Innes, Secretary.

James Linton, Librarian."

The flag was presented to a company of emergency men by Miss Beidleman on September 14, 1814. This company went to the front four days after being called and at the time the famous

'The flag at this time was being used by a company in the State Militia service and the Veterans who carried it to the front, were desirous of regaining their possession.

A HISTORIC FLAG

VIEW OF NORTHAMPTON STREET ( Tiikcn from Public Stiiiare )

song of the "Star Spangled Banner" was made known and sung by everybody. It is reasonable to suppose, without further evidence, that while the flag was presented on this particular occasion, it was not made for the purpose, but had its origin sometime during the period of the 6 and 8 pointed stars, which was some years prior to the time of the 5 pointed star and was also the period of the 13's both in the stars and the stripes. If the ladies had found it necessary to make a flag for the purpose of presentation, beyond a doubt, it would have been one more in keeping with the time, which was, and had been for over 20 years, the period of 15 stripes and 15 stars, and quite likely would have made one for the other company, which was formed at the same time.

Long years have passed and many are the changes that followed each other since this spot was shorn of its pristine foliage. The decades of the three half centuries that have elapsed, have been crowded with numerous and great events, but the many thousands, who pass to and fro over this circular spot of green, the central pivot that influenced territory equal to an empire, have ceased to admire the spectacle here enacted, from time to time, by those of the nation makers who selected the regions 'round about for their activities, their joys and sorrows. Little does their posterity know or care that here was sounded the death-knell of the French and Indian War, and that here was lost forever the vv^hite man's influence over the red race of America.

Here, under the lofty oaks, was held the famous Indian Treaty of 1757, which created the white man's message that was to be communicated to the Indian nations beyond the Ohio River, Its messenger, Christian Frederick Post, who started on this long, perilous journey through 400 miles of wilderness and hostile Indians, never received the credit due him for this remarkable undertaking. His life imperilled every minute, day and night, a big reward having been offered by the commander of the French forces at Niagara, who paroled over 300 soldiers with instructions to proceed into the wilderness to intercept Post and prevent him from reaching his destination. After two months of crawling through trackless forests, evading unseen enemies, subsisting on uncooked food and braving the elements with no fire to cheer his loneliness or prepare his meals, Post finally reached his destination unharmed and, with rare diplomacy, succeeded in preventing an alliance between the French forces and the Indians of the Middle West, and making a record of a journey that has no parallel in the world's history.

Here it was that Robert Levers, that fearless patriot and Northampton County's greatest citizen, announced his appointment as dictator of local government during the darkest period of the Revolution, when Washington's army was retreating across New Jersey and conservative citizens everywhere wavering, falling by the wayside ; Massachusetts declining to contribute its portion to any further support of the army; its citizens seeking shelter within the folds of the British Ensign ; New Jersey harassing Washington and his army; Tories everywhere in high glee; the demoralization of old Northampton County's men of afifairs, Lewis Gordon, James Allen, Andrew Allen and former Governor James Hamilton, held in bondage and protection within the closed doors of this ancient seat of justice; Robert Trail refusing to take the oath of office as magistrate, to which he was just elected ; the number of reliable men, who could be depended upon to transact the local business, reduced to a few. Quick action on the part of the Supreme Executive Council at Philadelphia became necessary to support the tottering form of the new federal Government. The following Minutes at one of their meetings fully illustrates the prevailing sentiment of that strenuous period,

"The Petition of upwards of twenty of the Freeholders of the Town and Township of Easton and of Forks Township in the County of Northampton, setting forth that Rob't Trail and Henry Fullert, Esq'rs., had declined, and still continue to decline to take the oaths necessary to qualify them to act in the office of Magistrate, and that great inconveniences unavoidably and daily arise from there being no Magistrate resident in the said Town of Easton, and also setting forth that it is necessary that one or more Magistrates should be seated in the said Town of Easton, and etc., etc., was read and the same being considered thereupon.

On motion agreed, that Rob't Levers and Abraham Berlin be appointed and commissioned as Justices of the Peace for the said County of Northampton, and that they be commissioned accordingly in the room of the said Rob't Trail and Henry Fullert." Later when conditions were more favorable for the cause ■of liberty. Trail became reinstated but Fullert paid the penalty. There was no mistaking the stability of that old reliable executive, Robert Levers, and when Toryism was rampant among the Scotch-Irish during the latter part of the War; Samuel Rhea, ■one of their number, declining to further serve as County Lieutenant; the conditions throughout the county being in a state of chaos ; people doubting their neighbor's loyalty ; a general lack of confidence in everything and everybody; the Supreme Executive Council appointed Robert Levers County Lieutenant, who soon created a spirit more favorable to patriotism. The Scotch- Irish halt in their mad rush. This new Lieutenant, like the St.

Patrick of old, evidently believed in the banishment of the obnoxious.

Soon after the exodus of tlie Scotch-Irish from Northampton County began, they taking with them their history of the good, if they had any, leaving behind but little to their credit, and only those of their number who had become inoculated or affiliated with the hated German. And the good generally meted out to them should be credited to those who had remained and assumed German thrift, and German characteristics.

Roobert Levers was of English descent, living in Chester County. We first find him in the offce of Richard Peters, who was the Secretary of the Penns. Later he became the partner of Peters in some land deals in Northampton County, above the Blue Mountains, making his home at what is now Saylorsburg, where he also kept a hotel and a store. Their holdings in these mountain regions proved to be of a rather poor quality, so he disposed of all his landed interests to his partner and shortly before the Revolution became an official of the county. He then changed his location to Easton, where he occupied a house belonging to Conrad Ihrie, Sr. On the second floor was his bedroom and here he kept the papers and documents of the State and also of the city of Philadelphia, and those belonging to the new nation, entrusted to him by Congress when they were compelled to evacuate Philadelphia, on the approach of the British army.

These papers were packed in boxes and barrels and were supposed to be ready for immediate transportation to John Van Campen above the mountains, if found necessary. Probably, this trusted custodian realizing that the safety of the local documents and papers of the county would be jeopardized in case of Easton becoming a battle center (this locality was considered a strategic point during that war), consigned them, together with those of the Government for a hasty transit. Later, when Philadelphia was again free of the enemyj Levers requested the State Committee of Safety to make disposition of them, as he was compelled to move and could not find a vacant house in the Town, for the house he then lived in was to be occupied by the owner's son-in-law, John Arndt, who had recently married Conrad Ihrie's daughter. It may be probable that these books and papers of the county never reached Levers, as Louis Gordon, in whose possession they were, stubbornly resisted all overtures on the part of his successors to procure them, and Gordon himself may have sent them to Philadelphia, to avoid the necessity of turning them over to Levers. The following letter from Levers, who at this time had his abode temporarily in Lancaster, is of sufficient interest to be here quoted.

Lancaster, October 8th, 1777.

"Sir,

After I had received my commission from the Supreme Executive Council to hold the office of Prothonotary and Clerk of the Orphan's Court of Northampton County, I waited on Mr. Gordon at Easton, produced the commissions and requested the papers and records belonging to the offices ; many of which he has delivered, but there are many yet in his possession.

When I had repeatedly waited on Mr. Gordon myself, in person, and requested Mr. Trail to do the same, at his instance without whom he said he could not find the papers, I found he declined delivering up the remainder of the papers thro' one evasion or other; I therefore wrote a letter to Mr. Gordon setting forth therein the Papers still in his possession that I knew of, besides others which possibly might be, which I could not directly discover, as well belonging to the offices of the Prothonotary and Orphan's Court as the cessions, the Justices having nominated me clerk of the Cessions, and in the letter acquainted him with the fact that after Mr. Trail and myself frequently waiting on him I was sorry to feel myself under the disagreeable necessity of making a demand of the papers in writing. This letter was delivered by the Gaoler, Mr. Ehler, who said Mr. Gordon's answer was, he did not know what the man meant, he had no papers in his possession, the contrary of which Mr. Trail knew well.

At last September Court I applied to the Justices, who sent for Mr. Gordon, but I do not understand anything was determined and the Papers still remain with him.

Having examined the Papers in my possession, I find that there remains with Mr. Gordon, viz.,

COMMON PLEAS.

Writs for March and June 1776.

All the reports of Auditors.

A day-book in which Writs and executions and all process issuing out of the office are indiscriminately entered as applied daily, which doubtless ought to be lodged in the office to settle any dispute that might arise on ye Priority of date of an execution issued, and which Mr. Traill tells me Mr. Gordon says has no business with.

orphans' court.

Sundry Papers. Records from 1755 to 1758.

SESSIONS.

Papers from 1752 to 1758. Sessions March 1776. Several other Papers and Records which I cannot enumerate, having mislaid the Copy of my letter to Mr. Gordon at the time I left Easton.

Michael Hum's Hotel His General Store

County Uttii.es

Pennsylvania Bank C<

Ihrie's Hotel

Court House

Market House

All the indictments and bills found by the Grand Jury,, which Mr. Gordon told me, in the presence of the Justices, as Clerk of the Sessions, I had nothing to do with. That they werelodge with him by the King's Attorney. I apprehend Indictments of Grand Jury to be papers of records and ought to be lodged with the Court or other proper officer of the Court. An old Indictment may be called for seven years hence.

I beg your Excellency in Council be pleased to take this matter into consideration and give such directions therein as shall be judged expedient.

When the Court nominated me Clerk of the Sessions, the mode of recommending two or more persons to your Excellency in Council that one of them might be approved by Council was not adverted to, and thro' the critical situation of affairs it was unluckily omitted at the last Court.

I am.

May it please your Excellency, Your Excellency's Most obedient Humble Servant

Robert Levers."

The State papers finally reached Philadelphia and probably those belonging to the County were included, as all documents and books pertaining to Northampton County prior to 1777 are now, and have been for many years, in the possession of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and there is nothing on record to show how or when they became deposited there. However they are in excellent keeping, indexed and easy of access, to anyone interested in the early history of the fourteen, counties which were formed from Northampton and it is gratifying to know that they will be preserved forever. It is to be regretted that the documents during the latter part of the War and afterwards, find a resting place in the garret of the present Court House, where access to them is had only by the rats, that use them for nests, in which to rear their young. Yet, here they must remain till the State Legislature sees fit to create an act making other disposition of them. Probablythe future will produce a non-partisan Board of County Commissioners in the several Eastern Counties of Pennsylvania, who will interest themselves in the archives of these counties and place them in a room, where they may be in charge of an archivist and where they will be easy of access. A scheme of this kind would certainly be a master stroke of progressiveness and would be appreciated bymany students of American history.

[ II ]

But time is too precious to deviate and punctuality is one of the cardinal virtues of the Transit Company so we will now start on our journey up Northanipton Street, and on our return, recount some other events that transpired at this, our ancient shrine of patriotic sentiment. Our car now stops at Bank Street and we notice on both sides modern business establishments which have finally supplanted the numerous smaller affairs that from, time to time had replaced those of lesser magnitude through the decades back to the period of the log-cabin days. The first buildings erected, on both south corners of Bank Street, were hotels. The one occupying the site of the present Bank building, was a log structure, the other was brick. Now, as the town grew, the owners of the log house found it to greater advantage to build a new structure at the other end of the lot, facing the square, and the yard extended southward to Pine Street. This was the hotel of Frederick Nungesser and later his son George became its owner. After the Revolutionary War the property was sold to Adam Yohe, Jr., who conducted the hotel for a number of years but it was finally converted to other uses.

The yard was finally turned into a market-house ; then a coal-yard under the same roof ; then changed to an opera house still under the same roof ; and this same old roof is there today and shelters the billiard hall and dining room.

But we are getting too far away from our car which is moving and we are now at Opera House Court. On the corner of this alley, on the site where the present Opera House stands, was erected the first pretentious house in the town. It was the residence of Jacob Miner. Jacob, at a very early period, became infatuated with the grandeur of Wyoming \^alley, disposed of his Easton residence, and finally it became the home of Louis Gordon. -

Directly opposite Gordon's house, on the present site of the Fraley building, stood a commodious stone house. It was built by Nicholas Scull in 1754 and was used by him as a hotel for a number of years. During the Indian Treaty of 1758 it was the headquarters of the King of the Six Nations and his chief men. This became the home of George Taylor in 1763 and was the only property that he owned in Easton. He later sold it to his son James, who married the daughter of Louis Gordon. During

^Gordon was the first Attorney in the new county, prior to which, he was employed as a clerk in the office of Rev. Richard Peters. Peters was Secretary of the Govenor's Couucil in Philadelphia and was instrumental in havingr William Parsons appointed Prothonotary of the new county in 1752, and then sent Louis Gordon as a check on Parsons. L,ouis Gordon was an upright, conscientious man and was popular with all his neighbors except Parsons. Considerable friction existed between these two. Gordon, becoming disgusted, moved to Burlington, New Jersey where he opened an office as Attorney-at-I,aw. Here he remained until after the death of William Parsons, when he returned to Easton and purchased the residence of Jacob Miner.

NORTHAMPTON ST. AT THE CLOSE OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR

12 3 4 5 6 7

LAdam Yohe's Hotel; 2, Paul Miller's House; 3, Nicholas Scull's Hotel 1754, Geo. Taylor's House 1763; 4. Frederick Nungesser's Hotel; 5, John Rinker's Hotel 1754; 6, Louis Gordon's Home; 7,

Adam Yohe's second Hotel.

RESIDENCE OF COL. HOOPER, (Photo l')ll )

the Revolutionary War it was used by John Young as a gunshop.^

The greater portion of this building was- utilized as a part of the present structure and was finally demolished in 1908 to permit the extension of the present store room.

During the Indian treaties, the center of activity was at the corner of Fourth and Northampton streets. On the site of the present Central hotel was erected the first hotel stand of the town. It was built by Adam Yohe on ground leased from Paul Miller, who lived next door to the hotel and conducted a stocking weaving establishment. Miller was an intimate friend of William Parsons, with whom he made numerous business deals. During the Indian Treaty the sleeping apartments of this house were used by Israel Pemberton and a few others of the Quaker Society of Philadelphia, who were present at the treaty to see that the Indians received justice. The building was of flimsy construction as was also the hotel next door and Pemberton and his associates could readily perceive the intrigues that were taking place in the hotel between Secretary Richard Peters and George Crogan, deputy Indian Agent, and some others, members of the Governor's Council, in their unsuccessful endeavors to braek down the Indian's defence. Although they labored diligently for four days, plying liquor to these untutored sons of the forest, they were unsuccessful in changing the Indian's attitude. The second floor of this hotel was used as a sort of headquarters for holding private councils with the Indians during the Treaties. George Croghan's headquarters was at Jasper Scull's hotel, which stood on the southwest corner of Fourth Street, now the site of the Northampton County Bank. The building was demolished in 1908 to make room for the present bank structure. The Governor and a few of his men occupied rooms in William Parsons' house, on the northwest corner, the site of the present Pomp buiding during the Treaty of 1756.*

'George Taylor, whether born in America or in Europe has not yet been determined, however he was reared on his father's farm, in what is now the lower part of Catasauqua. Early in life he had become identified with the Durham Furnace and later became the lessee and part owner of the concern. This brought him in coutact with men of affairs in Philadelphia, many of whom were member.s of the Durham Company. He still retained his business after making his residence in Easton, where through his influential connections he became a man of affairs. His reputation was centered in the fact that he was a signer of the Declaration of Indenendence.

■*The writer, some yesrs ago, was fortunate enough to receive a verification of a tradition that it is well here to record, the informant beingr a very old lady, who received the information from a witness, Mrs. Michael Opp, who, at the time was a young woman employed at the Hotel of Adam Yohe, during the Indian Treaty. The story runs, that while the officials were intriguing with the Indians at the Hotel, two intoxicated Indians, for some reasons unknown, became incensed at their squaws, who were in the kitchen, assisting the landlord's wife and one of the cooks. These squws became frightened and ran from the house, lustily screaming, in fear of their lives, pursued by their infuriated husbands, who overtook them at the Cedar lot, which was in the vicinity of Church and West Streets, on the slope of Mount Jefferson a short distance from the hotel. Here, they were cruelly murdered, where after nightfall they were buried by some of the white neighbors in the burial grounds nereby.

Our car is now standing at the corner of 4th and Northampton streets, where we will tarry for a while and look back through a period of time to the beginning of civilization at the Forks of the Delaware. In the year 1736, Benjamin Eastburn, surveyor general, accompanied by Thomas Penn, selected the tract of land at the confluence of the two rivers and surveyed it for Thomas Penn's private use and which he called the "thousand acre tract." On the extreme southeast corner, bordering on the

Draft of The Thousand Acre Tract two rivers, was where he contemplated, later, building a town, after his own ideals. He had no definite time as to when this town was to be built, evidently contenting himself with forming plans. Between the years 1736 and 1750, numerous town plots were made, and there are in existence today, six of these drawings. One, wihich is evidently the first, appears in the handwriting of Eastburn, the others are by Nicholas Scull, who was the surveyor general, when the new county was formed in 1752. At the time Nicholas Scull was making the surveys of the town, Thomas Penn was living in England, where he became married to the daughter of Lord Pomfret, having forsaken his commonlaw wife before leaving America. About 1751, he writes to his commissioners in Philadelphia, to lay out the town according to his plans, giving the names of the streets and the town itself, complimentary to Lord Pomfret. About this time a new county was being agitated which was finally organized in 1752. This was called Northampton in accordance with Penn's request. The county was surveyed by Chapman and the town by Scull. Scull writes as follows on the subject:

"Sir: In pursuance of the Honorable the Proprietaries direction I have been at the forks of the Delaware with Dr. Thomas Greame and in concert with him have carefully viewed the ground proposed for a Town and have laid out the same agreeable to a plan herewith sent you, for their perusal, by which they will see that the place is bounded on the East by the Delaware River, on the South by the West Branch, on the North by Tatamy's Creek and a part of the West side of high mountains, so that the plan cannot be enlarged, but on the West side and there only on two Streets, viz't the Streets A and B, from whence it may be extended more than a mile on very good grounds.

The sides of the Squares are 480 ft. and the lots except a few, are 60 by 320 feet, the Square for Public use is 220 by 220 feet, and tho' not placed in the center, we are of opinion that it is preferable to any other part of the Town as it is a very dry, level spot with a descent every way from it, and from whence there is a beautiful prospect of the River Delaware and the Jersey Shore.

We endeavoured to lay the Front Street nearer to the River at the Sorth end than it is laid down in the plan. But as that would have thrown the Street C, D, over Tatamy's Creek, we judged it best to lay it out as in the Draught, whereby there is ground left between the Front Street and the River, which we conceive will not be lost if ever the Town comes to be considerable, as it will not be granted with the lots and must in time be wanted for Stores, Wharfs, etc.