NANTICOKE BORO.- May now begin the preparations for her centennial. One
hundred years will, in a few months, have been reeled off in the great past since its first
settlement. Mr. .Plumb informs us that in 1793 William Stewart, who, it will be
remembered owned lot No.27, first division, had it surveyed off, platted the lots and
streets and commenced the sale of lots in the embryo town. That there was a ready
demand for the lots is shown in the fact that between February 9 and March 14 of the
succeeding year he sold thirty-six lots in the new town of Nanticoke; The name
perpetuates that of the Indians, who had their camp near the river on the west side of
the creek. The chief attractions that induced the Indians here were the abundance of
shad then found in the river, as well as the game that made their homes in the forests.
To this day may be found old remains and relics left by savages, The main artery in the
new village was to Great road. The total of lots at first was from No. I to 136. The
names of the first thirty-six purchasers were as follows: Jared Nelson, John Field,
George Miller, Michael Pahn; Daniel Hennan, Thomas Beady, Michael Moyer, John
Ewing, Elizabeth Stein, John Palm Jr., Jonathan Hancock, Wyllys Hide, John Martin,
Henry Stein, George Stein, Thomas Peas, Christian Srauder, Zekiel Bamboc, James
Ainsworth, George Hegetshwiller, Henry Thomas, Peter Withington, Ebenezer Felch,
Peter Steele, William Wood, Michael Killinger, John Picker, Jr., John Harrison, Peter
Heimbrick, John Fox, Jacob Miller, William Allen, Jacob Miley, George Sloan, Jesse
Fell, Christian Beck. All of these except Hancock, Hide, Felch, Steeleand Fell were
residents of Dauphin county, and it is not known that any of them resided at Nanticoke.
The present old pact of Nanticoke is the Stewart plat. Stewart had here a ferry across
the river. In April, 1778, a road was laid out from the river road to this ferry. The old
road down to the ferry has long since gone, but there is a house where once was the
ferry, and a passage-way much the same as the old road, goes to it. William
McKarrichan" the first school teacher, was also the first merchant in Nanticoke. The
bloody ending of his life is told elsewhere. The attention of the people was called to this
point, and what originally made it a town site was the water power, and a gristmill and
soon other rnills were built to utilize this power. The "falls" here made navigation
dangerous and difficult; even in running rafts, arks, Durham boats, etc. it was necessary
to have skilled pilots to take the boats over the falls or rapids. This was enough to form
the nucleus for the settlement. Then, too, at that time it was necessary for the farm
people to have their houses as close as possible to each other, so that in case of an
attack they could defend themselves in a body and give mutual protection.Then on this
rich bottom land were clearings where the Indians had performed their rude farming for
years. These were farms ready made for the pioneers. The falls in the river were caused
by this being the place where the river breaks through the mountains and leaves the
valley, and the gathering waters rush and roar over the rocks and then peacefully resume
their race to the sea. Then, too, where the waters have cut their way through the
mountain is found in outcrop the coal, and this the people could gather, and from here coal
was mined and shipped down the river long before the days of the canal. After selling
about one-third of his lots Stewart sold in lump the others to Mathias Hollenback, and he
in turn sold his interest to John Mills and others; As stated there was a ferry at
Nanticoke soon after the permanent settlement of that place and Plymouth. When the
canal was built there bad to be another ferry across the canal. Below Nanticoke the canal
was on the west side of the river, but from Solomon's creek to Pittston it was on the east
of the river .The river was used for the canal a distance of about three miles above
Nanticoke, but the regular artificial canal commenced again at Solomon's creek. The
Nanticoke falls were dangerous to pass on the river and many were at one and another
time drowned here. Nanticoke borough was duly incorporated January 31, 1874, and now
has eleven wards. In 1880 it had a population of 3,884 and by the census of 1890, a
population of 10,044, and is a thriving growing town. The chief business is coal mining,
and its three mines and breakers have a daily capacity of 1,000 tons each. Its territory
was carved from Hanover and Newport townships, about one-third of it from Newport
An elegant stone bridge has been built across Newport creek, near where the old mill
stood. The ground around what was once the" comers" (an old time term for any road
crossing) has been filled several feet and the topography of that place thereby much
changed. The" comers" were the ancient town beginning, but as they were in a state of
nature they are now no more. A wooden bridge was built across the river , just above the
mouth of Nanticoke creek. At different points, Mr .Plumb informs us, this creek has
been called by various names, as Lee's creek, Miller's creek, Robins creek, Bobbs
creek, Rummage creek, and Warrior Run creek, but the one proper name of it all is
Nanticoke creek. Washington Lee mined the first coal here in 1825. Mathias Graver
Kept the first tavern on Main street. In 1820 Thomas Bennett was the hotel-keeper of
the place in what is the Mrs. Rouse house. In 1820 there were charcoal pits for
manufacturing that fuel, where is now the Nanticoke hotel and Alexander block. A man
named John Oint in 1820 built the pioneer gristmill, sawmill, oil mill and the old forge
called the trip-hammer shop. Oint sold soon after to Col. Washington Lee, who in
addition opened a store and built and operated a distillery .Thomas Bennett opened a
tavern and blacksmith shop; The first resident physician was Alden L. Bennett, who
came here in 1825. He was succeeded by Drs. Thompson, Robbins, and Harry Hakes.
The first postmaster, David Thompson, was appointed in 1830, and kept the office at his
house on the hill near where C .M. Richards now lives. In 1838 MY. Thompson and
Daniel Stiles built a store where Washington Lee's banking-house now stands. The post
office was kept there a few years. In 1838 Henry Stains built a store on the site of the
Susquehanna company's store. In 1845 there was a small tannery on the site of the
Fountain hotel. In 1851 there were fifty-six dwellings within the present limits of
Nanticoke. The first borough election was held at the Fountain hotel kept by Xavier
Wernett, on Tuesday, February 17,1874, E.N. Alexander and Patrick Shea were the
inspectors. Lewis C. Green was elected burgess; Xavier Wernett, E.N. Alexander,
Patrick Shea, George T. Morgan, Orin Council, Samuel Lines, William Fairchild, L. W.
Carey, Thomas R. Williams, Joseph Shepherd and George Abrs, school board; Samuel
Keithline, justice of the peace, George Hill, assessor; Samuel Line, L. W .Carey and Dr.
A.A. Lope, auditors; L. W. Carey, clerk of the town council; The successive burgesses
have been as follows: 1875-7, Lewis C. Green; 1876 Milton Stiles; 1878-9 I. D. Williams.
Present borough officers: Burgess John D. Williams; council: Frank W. Davis, president;
David B. Williams, James M. Turner, John E. Lewis, Vincent B. Keeoicz, Peter Conroy,
John D. Gross, T .C. Bache, Elijah Jones, Edward Wernett, Anthony Galembeski;
secretary, J.S. Dietrick; chief police; Lee Willington; chief of fire, Abednego Reese;
street commisioner, Joseph Smith. The fire laddies have Stickney Hose company No. I,
Lape Hose company No.2, Union Hose company No.3 and the Hook and Ladder
company. Silas Alexander was appointed postmaster in 1844 and was continuously in the
office until 1856, when he was succeeded by Lewis C. Paine, who in a short time was
followed by Augustus Lease In 1864, Mr. .Alexander was again appointed postmaster
and continued in the office until December 31, 1882, when he was succeeded by present
incumbent, George T. Morgan, with assistant H.J. Dilley and four clerks and four
carriers. The office was given free delivery January 1, 1892. The post office is always a
fair index of the growth and prosperity of a place, and by this standard Nanticoke has
much to pride herself upon. In her coal industry, vast and important as that is, Nanticoke
is about to receive a great addition thereto. The D.L. & W. company are about to open
eight new colleries in the place and immediate vicinity. The Susquehanna Coal company
will also add new colleries to its already large business. Probably there is a larger
proportion of Poles in Nanticoke than of any other nationality .Of course, like all mining
places, there are great varieties in the nationalities. There are hamlets and important
boroughs in the country where sometimes strangers are much puzzled on their first visits.
In passing along the streets and stopping the chance individual to make some inquiry he
will so often be met with a vacant stare, or, a little better, a shake of the head and a
grunt, until one not used to such solecisms in his" glorious land of freedom, " may be
inclined to wonder whether he is dreaming or has been transported to Poland, Hungary or
Bulgaria in his sleep. One of the busy offices in Nanticoke is that of the Susquehanna
coal company and its array of clerks, book keepers and office men. It is capitalized at
$4,000,000. Officers: president G.B. Roberts; vice- president I.J. Wistar; treasurer, A.
Haviland; secretary, A Mordecia; manager, Irving A Steams; superintendent, George T.
Morgan. First National Bank of Nanticoke was organized in November, 1888, and
opened its doors to the public January 14,1889; capital $75,000; surplus $18,000;
deposits $167,189.78. Directors: John Smoulter, Jr., president H.W. Search,
vice-president; J.C. Brader, William Fairchild, GaiusL. Halsey, Xavier Wernet, John M.
Garman, C. Frank Bohan, Henry Schappert, H.D. Flanagan, cashier . Nanticoke W ater
Company was chartered in 1885. Officers: George T. Morgan, superintendent, assisted
by C. W .Mosley; J.S. Dertrick, secretary. Water is conveyed by gravity lines from
Harvey's creek, and on reaching its end is pumped into the tall and capacious stand-pipe,
ninety feet high; Thus the town is well supplied with excellent water and a head sufficient
to give it pressure of ninety-five pounds to the square inch. The pumphouse is at the foot
of Lee street, where are two duplex pumps with a capacity of a million gallons per day.
Nanlicoke Light Company has a fine electric plant, and the many arc lights of the
streets and the incandescent lamps in the houses and offices are the greatest additions
the place has so far received; The works were started in a small way by Hildreth & Co. in
1884, and in November 1889, passed into the hands of the above stock company. The
company has enlarged the building and added every facility in the way of dynamos and
machine power, including the incandescent machinery and two arc machines and an
additional engine. It now has a capacity of 120 arc and 1,100 incandescent lights.
Officers: A. Reese, president; A. Lape, vice-president; T.F. Jacob secretary; H.D.
Flanagan, treasurer. Nanticoke Board of Trade was organized in November, 1886, and
its charter is dated February 14, 1887. Has forty members. Officers: J.C. Brader,
president; Robert Schwartz, vice...president, and Henry S. Fairchild, constitute the
board; William H. Sharp, treasurer; William P. Jones, secretary . In the borough are 1
opera house, 8 halls, 1 bank, 2 bakers, 3 blacksmiths, 1 stationery dealer, 1 bottler, 1
brick manufacturer, 5 carpenters, 2 carpet weavers, 2 cigar and tobacco, 5 clothing, 3
coal breakers, 9 confectioners, 5 crockery and glass, 2 dentists, 6 druggists, 13 dry
goods, 2 fancy goods, 1 feedmill, 1 ferry, 1 fruit dealer, 5 furniture, 2 gent's furnishing,
33 grocers, 9 hardware, 2 harness makers, 10 hotels, 1 laundry , 4 merchant tailors, 4
milliners, 1 photographer, 3 private (Catholic) schools, 4 livery stables, 1 stone quarry, 3
stove dealers, 3 undertakers, 4 jewelers.