NEWPORT TWP-Was one of the original townships when this was
Westmoreland county, Conn., and derives it name from Newport, R. I. It now contains
within its boundaries but nineteen square miles, whereas originally it was all of what are
now Newport, Slocum, Dorrance, Hollenback, Conyngham and Nescopeck townships.
The first settlement in Newport was made by Maj. Prince Alden, in 1772, on the Col.
Washington Lee property .A few years after this his Sons, Mason F. and John
Alden,erected a forge on Nanticoke creek. In the same year Mr. .Chapman put up a log
gristmill, with one run of stone, near the forge. This was the only mill in Wyoming that
escaped destruction from floods and from the torch of the savage. In 1780 it was guarded
by armed men, and, as far as possible, it met the wants of the public, but many of the
settlers were compelled to carry their grain to Stroud's mill, at Stroudsburg, a distance of
fifty miles. Even when Stewart Pearce wrote his Annals he states that the industry of
farming, once quite a business of all the people, was passing away -the farmers selling
their land to the coal companies and moving off. While the lands were mostly hilly and
undulating, yet they were once productive, but when the coal operators got possession of
them, farms began to be neglected and soon agriculture was given over to careless and
indifferent renters or turned out as commons. "Companies seem to take no interest in the
improvement of the farms, further than to rent them on short and uncertain leases for
enough to pay the taxes." In other words, Newport is now almost exclusively "a mining
district" -a term sufficiently descriptive to the average reader . Prince Alden made his
improvement on Newport creek; in modern times, his place was the property of Col.
Washington Lee. This description is still somewhat vague, as Lee owned at various times
a great deal of property. Either Alden's first location was in what is now a part of
Nanticoke borough or was very close thereto. Of one thing there is little doubt, namely,
that his settlement here was the cause of the coming of the first settlers in what is now
Nanticoke borough, such as William Stewart and others, who came in 1773. About
one-third of the borough of Nanticoke, the south part, was taken from Newport township.
To which the reader is referred for the early settlers. The first record information we can
find of the original settlers is of date June 13, 1787, as follows :
NEWPORT TOWNSHIP -At a meeting legally warned and held at the house of Prince
Alden, Saturday, June 9, 1787, made choice of Mr .Prince Alden, moderator, and Mason
F. Alden, clerk. " Resolved, Whereas the survey of this town was utterly lost at the
destruction of this settlement, it is, therefore,. resoIved that a committee of three persons
be appointed to carefully inspect into and ascertain the proprietors and actual settlers of
the town of Newport at or before the decree of Trenton," etc.
The town meeting provided for other things, but the material act is given verbatim. The
committee appointed were Prince Alden, Capt. John P. Schott and Mason F. Alden. They
were also to "allot out the third division of 3OO acres lots, to each proprietor." The
persons who were residents and found to be entitled to lots, as reported by that
committee, were as follows: James Baker, Mason Fitch Alden, John P. Schott, Prince
Alden, Sr. , William H. Smith, John Hegeman, Ebenezer Williams, William Smith, Caleb
Howard, Clement Daniel, Isaac Bennett, William Stewart, George Miner, Peleg
Comstock, Samuel Jackson, Benjamin Baily, Anderson Dana, John Canaday, John
Jameson, Elisha Drake, John Carey, Edward Lester, Luke Swetland, William Hyde,
Hambleton Grant, Turner Jameson, John Bradford, John Nobles, James Barks, Prince
Alden Jr., Andrew Alden. There were seven other proprietors' names in the reported list,
but they were non-residents, and therefore omitted. It should be further explained that
"non-residents" means those not in this part of the State. There are in the above list some
who were well known residents of Wilkes-Barre and Plymouth. Prince Alden and John P
Schott were agents to layout the lots of land, or to act with the surveyors, and Shubart
Bidlock and Elish Bennett were chain bearers and ax-men. September 15, 1790, William
Jackson, Isaac Bennett and Silas Smith were appointed to care for the public lands. John
Hegeman was appointed to revise the town records. It was voted that each proprietor in
elections should be entitled to cast as many votes as he owned "rights." In 1792 William
Jackson, John Fairchild, Mason F. Alden, M. Smith, Daniel McMullen and Abram Smith
were appointed a committee to layout roads. They employed Christopher Hurlbut to do
the work. August 3, 1794, Isaac Bennett, Sidney Drake, John Fairchild, Jonathan Smith
and William Jackson were appointed a committee to attend to the land trials with the
Pennsylvania authorities, and to attend to any other township business that might arise.
This committee, October 4, 1794, leased for 900 years lot 18, second tier, first district, to
Elias Decker, at a rental of one pepper corn per year , if demanded to be paid into the
town treasury. Also on the same terms to Jacob Crater, lot No.49, third division. Putnam
Catlin was voted �25 17s. 3d. (�25 = 25 pounds sterling, typist's note) for expenses of land
trials. March 15, 1800, the committee leased to John Alden lot 25, for 999 years for $43,
to be paid any time before the expiration of the lease, and $2.58 a year to be paid the
treasurer; to Henry Schoonover, lot 1; to Abram Setzer, lot 13; to Andrew McClure,Nos.
26 and 27. February 25, 1805, the following persons signed and agreed to abide by the
lines and surveys established by William Montgomery under the confirming act:
Silas Jackson, James Stewart, John Noble, Benjamin Berry, Mathew Covel, Andrew
Dana, Nathan Whipple, Martin Van Dyne, Abraham Smith, Jr., John Fairchild, Abraham
Smith, James Mullen, Fredrick Barkman, Philip Croup, William Bellesfelt, Cornelius
Bellesfelt, Isaac Bennet, Andrew Keithline, Cornelius Smith, William Nelson, Jacob
Reeder , Christian Sarver, Casomin Fetterman, Daniel Adams, James Reeder, John R.
Little, Jonathan Kelley, Daniel Sims, William Jackson, John Jacob, Jr., Elisha Bennett,
Henry Bennett, Michael Hoffman, Valentine Smith, John Lutsey, James Millage, Andrew
Lee, Jacob Lutsey, Conrad Line, Jr., Jacob Scheppy (Slippy) and Henry Fritze.
After Chapman's mill had worn out, William Jackson put up his mill, also on Newport
creek. And for years this was the only mill in the township. When it was worn out there was
no other attempt at this time to build a mill in the township. John Slippey put up his sawmill
about one mile west of where is now Wanamie; which was in after years changed into a
foundry and made cast-iron plows here as early as 1820. Mason F. Alden and his brother
John Alden built a small forge on Nanticoke creek, not far from Chapman's old mill
-making their own iron from ores dug in Newport Township. This ore running thirty-three
per cent, of metal of a superior quality, and the Aldens sold their bar iron at one time as
high as $120 per ton. This property was afterward owned and operated by Washington
Lee. All these mills and industry, like agriculture, have faded away, given place to coal
mining. The first store was that of Jacob Ramback on the road between Wanamie and
Nanticoke. There was a "corners" once called "Newport Center." Here was the first post
office, served by the mail coaches that ran from Wilkes-Barre to Conyngham in Sugarloaf
township. This was the old" State road" that branched off from the old Berwick turnpike at
the west end ofHazleton, on its way to Wilkes-Barre. The post office was abandoned long
since. The township has never had but one resident physician -Dr. William Thompson, who
lived near the Hanover line. Wanamie is a post office and mining town. It came into
existence by the opening of the Wanamie colliery .A company store, now a private one, a
hotel, and a little shop or two are the entirety of the industries of the place outside of
mining. The railroad passes it and has a station. Alden is another mining town and is east
of Nanticoke about four miles and about two miles from Wanamie. This was opened by the
sinking shafts and erecting a colliery a few years ago by the Messrs. Sharp. Glenlyon is
about four miles from Nanticoke and the mines were opened in 1870. A post office, store
and hotel and all else of the thriving place is connected with coal in someway. The Central
railroad of New Jersey built a branch road from Ashley to Nanticoke and Wanamie exten-
ded it to Alden and Glen Lyon. Thereby securing a large transportation of coal.