CHAPTER XVII.

LAUSANNE TOWNSHIP.

 

PAGES 738 TO 740

 

Page 738

 

The territory now comprising this township is but a very small part of the original.  It was in 1808 a part of Penn township, which embraced all that portion of Northampton County lying north of the Blue Ridge and west of the Lehigh River.  In 1808, Penn township was divided into East Penn, West Penn, and Lausanne, the latter being the north part of that portion now in Carbon County.  West Penn became a part of Schuylkill County in 1811.  In 1827 a small portion of the southern part of the township was taken off to form Mauch Chunk township.  In January 1842, Banks township was set off the northwest part and in 1847 Packer township was set off from the southwest part.

 

In 1875 the township of Lehigh was erected, which embraced the greater portion of the township of Lausanne, and reduced it to its present limits.  It is now bordered on the north of Luzerne County, on the east and south by Lehigh township, and south by Lehigh township, and on the west by Banks and Packer townships, and is about six miles in length on the county-line and about two and a half in breadth, except at the western part, where it extends south and embraces within its limits Weatherly borough.

 

The streams are Laurel, Spruce Run, and Hazel Creek.  The Laurel rises in the north part of the township, flows easterly, passing out of the township at the southeast corner, and flowing through Lehigh township, joins the Lehigh River at Rockport.  Spruce Run, a branch of the Laurel, rises in Spring Mountain, flows northeasterly, and joins Laurel Run in the township.  Hazel Creek enters the township on the west line, flows southeasterly, then southerly, passes Weatherly borough, and out of the township into Lehigh, where it joins the Quakake Creek.  The township is mountainous, and but little cultivated.  The Buck Mountain Coal Company is in possession of a tract of mining land which they have worked since 1838, and have this present year abandoned.  The land is but little cultivated, and Lausanne is to-day as much a wilderness as it was in 1808.  The following names are taken from the assessment-roll of Lausanne township in 1808, when its territory embraced the townships above given.  The amount of tax levied in that year was $37.12.

 

Peter Andrew                                              Christopher Gebhard (single)

Andrew Beck                                               Jacob Gebhard (single)

Elias Bartlett                                                            Philip Hinkle

Timothy Condy                                           Felton Hinkle (single)

George Close                                               Jacob Hartz

Andrew Creakle                                         Daniel Heil

John Dull (single)                                       Jacob Kelchner

Mathias Gangwere                                                Thomas Leonard (single)

John Creakle (single)                                 Jonathan Mergeum

Samuel Gangwere                                      Robert McMinn

William Groffley                                        John Totten

Daniel Gebhard (single)                           Adam Winter

                                                                       

The owners of unseated lands for the same year are here given:

 

Caleb Washbouer                                       Samuel Koch

Daniel Washbouer                                     Joseph Heister

Stephen Balliet                                            -------- Hottenstein

James Chapman                                         James May

------- Bolightho                                          Anthony Morris

Cuno Moravian Land                               Widow Powell

John Cunkle                                                 William Rex

Christian Cunkle                                        Samuel Seager

Caspar Diehl                                               Jacob Schreider

James Dunn                                                 George Walker

George Groff                                               William Turnbull

Daniel Koch

 

 The first settlement known to have been made in the present limits of the township was by the Buck Mountain Coal Company, which was chartered June 16, 1836, and soon after purchased land in the region.  The company consisted of Samuel L. Shober, …

 

Page 739

 

                                                                                                            … Jacob F. Bunting, Dr. Benjamin Kugler, William Richardson, and Asa L. Foster, all from Philadelphia except the latter, who was of Carbon County.  The first operations for coal were made in 1839, and in the month of November 1840, the first boat-load of coal was shipped.  It was drawn from the mine to Rockport (about five miles), and shipped on the Lehigh Canal.  The flood of January 1841, swept away the canal, and further shipments were delayed until it was again repaired.  In 1843 the company was assessed on thirty acres of land and four houses.  Shipments were made from Rockport until 1862, when the freshet again swept away the canal.  After this disaster the Hazelton Coal Company built a branch road to the mines of the Buck Mountain Coal Company, and coal from that time was shipped by that route.  About this time a post-office was established.  A hotel was built by the company and kept by William Koonz in 1843, and many years by James McGinty and now by William Boyle.  The company has had in its employ from three to six hundred men.  The place contains two school-houses, the hotel, post office, company store, and other buildings necessary to carry on the business.  The settlement has grown up entirely as the result of the operations of the company, who have purchased lands in Schuylkill County, and contemplate removing to that locality.  Operations here ceased Nov. 28, 1883.  The total amount of coal shipped from the mines from 1841 to Nov. 28, 1883, was three million four hundred and sixty-five thousand tons.

    

Lausanne township will soon lapse almost into the condition of a wilderness.  In the year 1875, after Lehigh township had been taken off from the township, there were assessed seven farmers, two teachers, several carpenters, blacksmiths, clerks, hotel-keeper, and the Buck Mountain Coal Company.

    

In 1883 the total tax, county and State, was $156.29, of which $47.07 was assessed to the coal company.  The following are the names of farmers, with number of acres, part of which is wild land:

 

Timothy Colen, 45 acres                           Frank Fried, 100 acres

James Conners, 26 acres                           Fryman Flickinger, 55 acres       

Patrick Cunningham, 25 acres               William Kennedy, 90 acres                     

Mr. Hugh Cunningham, 15 acres                      Catharine Moyer, 140 acres

Lewis Flickinger, 96 acres                                    James McGinty, 239 acres

Jacob Folk, 110 acres                                 Lewis Young, 80 acres

William Spencer is the superintendent of the company

Condy McCole is a teacher

Hiram Prevost grocer.

 

    

School Directors - The following is a list of the names of the school directors of the township since the erection of Carbon County, most of whom resided in that portion of the township that in 1875 became Lihigh township:

 

         1844 - Richard D. Miles, Ephraim Balliet

         1845 - Jonas Hartz, John Smith

         1846 - Daniel O'Donnell, Charles Gilbert

         1847 - John Smith, Wm. Koons

         1848 - Richard M. Hackett, James Cohner, Alex. Santee

         1849 - W. B. Taylor, Charles Gilbert, Adam Beer

         1850 - James Conner, Jacob Beer, Daniel J. Labar

         1851 - Jacob Whitebread, Andrew Barnhard

         1852 - Adrian Barber, William H. Brown

         1853 - Elias D. Cortwright, Joshua Derrah, Charles H. Williams,

                     Philip Huffecker

         1854 - O. K. Shoemaker, William B. Cortwright

         1855 - R. Butler, D. J. Labar

         1856 - Jonathan McMurty, Frank McFall, R. Q. Butler, D. K. Shoemaker,

                     Alexander Miller

         1857 - Mordecai Cooper, Philip Mixler

         1858 - C. H. Williams, Elias Miller

         1859 - John Evans, C. A. Williams, Joshua Derrah

         1860 - R. L. Hearry, M. M. Cooper

         1861 - W. H. Brown, John Toomy, Marius McGinty

         1862 - John Evans, M. M. Cooper

         1863 - James C. Hayden, M. McGinty

         1864 - John Wynn, John Toomy

         1865 - C. A. Weiss, John Evans, David Petry

         1866 - James Smith, George Stettler

         1867 - John Farley, Peter Kennedy

         1868 - C. A. Weiss, Patrick Mekan

         1869 - John Farley, James Smith

         1870 - Frank Brenan, John Toomy

         1871 - John Wynn, Charles A. Weiss

         1872 - Charles McGill, Joseph Smith

         1873 - Frank Call, Bernard Henry

         1874 - B. F. Williams, John M. Cole, James McGinty

         1875 - J. J. Kennedy, Dennis Boyle, J. E. Maloney

         1876 - C. H. O'Donnell, John Maloney, Patrick Meighan

         1877 - John McCole, Evan Daniels, Michael Meyers

         1878 - John Smith, John H. O'Donnell, James Burns

         1879 - C. F. O'Daniels, Henry Colt

         1880 - James McKinley, John McCole, Lewis Sildman, H. P. Harkins

         1881 - Adam Boyd, H. P. Harkins

         1882 - Henry Call, James Smith, Near Brisbin

         1883 - John S. Brennan, Thomas J. Edwards

 

Justices of the Peace - The following is a list of justices of the peace since 1840. Prior to this time justices were elected in districts, and the list will be found in the civil roster of the general history.  The justices since 1840 were mostly residents of the territory now set off to other townships:

         Amasa Dodson, elected March 1844

         Jacob Beer, elected March 1850

         Joshua Darrah, elected March 1854

         James Lewis, elected March 1855

         Joshua Darrah, elected March 1859

         Jacob Beer, elected March 1860

 

Page 740

 

         James Lewis, elected March 1861

         John Smith, elected March 1862

         Samuel B. Taylor, elected March 1864

         John Shaffer, elected March 1865

         George Stetler, elected March 1866

         J. W. Shellheimer, elected March 1867

         T. W. Stiegerwalt, elected March 1867

         William H. Taylor, elected March 1868

         John A. Quinn, elected October 1869

         William H. Taylor, elected march 1873

         James Smith, elected March 1874

         Silas Farraday, elected March 1875

         William Buch, elected March 1877

         H. B. Harkins, elected March 1878

         James McKinly, elected March 1879

         L. W. Provost, elected March 1880

         C. E. Provost, elected March 1883

        

 

END

 

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From

The History of the Counties of Lehigh & Carbon, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,

By

Alfred Mathews & Austin N. Hungerford

Published in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1884

 

Transcribed from the original in October 2003 by

Shirley Kuntz

 

Web page

by

Jack Sterling

October 2003