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Compiled from various authentic sources By I. DANIEL RUPP Pulbished by G. Hills, Proprietor, Lancaster, PA., 1845 Page 61 TOPOGRAPHY OF TOWNSHIPS Mien township is bounded on the north by Lehigh and Monroe townships, on the east by Upper and Lower Nazareth townships, on the south by Hanover and Bethlehem townships, and on the west by the Lehigh river, which separates it from Lehigh county. The surface is generally level—soil, lime stone, and well improved. It is well watered. Besides the Lehigh, which is its western boundary, the Hockendoque, or Hockyon- doque and Caladaque creeks are considerable streams. The Hockendoque rises at the base of the Kittatinny mountain, near Smith's Gap, running a south-western course, passing Kernsville, or Petersville, and Kriders- ville, empties into the Lehigh river, ten or eleven miles below the Lehigh Water Gap. It has a number of flouring and grist mills on it. Caladaque creek, is a small stream, with three or four mills on it. It springs in this township, and falls into the Lehigh near Biery'sville, about two miles below the mouth of the Hockendoque. This township was originally settled by immigrants from the north of Ireland, between the years 1728 and 1733. It appears that William Craig and Thomas Craig- were the principal settlers. Their residence, according to the Rev. Webster's statement, in his notes on the early history of Mien township, was about four miles from Bath, not far from where the Presbyterian church, in this township, now stands. " Others—men of property, influence and religious character, were John Rawls- ton, Robert Walker, John McNair, John Hays, James King, Gabriel King, his only son, eminet for piety ; Arthur Lattimore, Hugh Wilson, William Young, George Gibson, Robert Gibson, Andrew Mann, James Riddle, John Boyd, Widow Mary Dobbin, Nagle Gray and Thomas Armstrong, who afterwards removed to Fogg's Manor." This was, and is still known, as the Irish Settlement. It extends from the Dry Lands up to Biery's bridge. During the French and Indian war, in 1755 and 1756, several massacres were committed in this settlement, and nearly all fled to Bethlehem. Dr. Franklin, in a letter to Governor Morris, dated at Bethlehem, January 14,1756, writes: " As we drew near this place, we met a number of wagons, and many people moving off with their effects and families from the Irish Settlement and Lehigh township, being terrified by the defeat of Hay's company, and the burnings and murders committed in the townships on New Years day. We found this place filled with refugees; the workmen's shops, even the cellars, being crowded with women and children, and we learned that Lehigh township was almost entirely abandoned by the inhabitants. Soon after my arrival here, the principal people of the Irish Settlement, as Wilson, Elder Craig, and others, came to me, and demanded an additon of thirty men to Craig's company, or threatened they would immediately, one and all, leave their country f-o the enemy."* A few days afterwards, the 16th January, 1756, Franklin stopped at the house of Mr. Hays. " We left Bethlehem," says Franklin,t "the 16th inst. with Foulk's company, forty-six men, the detachment of Mr. Laughlin's twenty, and seven wagons laden with stores and provisions. We got that night to Hays' quarters, where Wayne's company joined us from Nazareth. Provincial Records for 1756. (Letter to Gov. Morris, dated Fort Allen, at Greaden Hutton, January 26, 1756. The next day we marched cautiously through the Gap of the mountain, a very dangerous pass, and got to Up- linger's, but twenty-one miles from Bethlehem." A number of families were murdered in and near the Irish Settlement, [See White Hall township, Lehigh county.] The wife of Hugh Horner, Jane Homer, was murdered by the Indians, under circumstances of great cruelty, the 8th of October, 1763. At the same time " the house of John Stinton, about eight miles from Bethlehem, was assailed by the Indians, at which was Captain Wetherolt, with a party belonging to Fort Allen. The Captain designed early in the morning to proceed for the Fort, ordered a servant out to get his horse ready, who was immediately shot down by the enemy; upon which the Captain, going to the door, was also mortally wounded, and a sergeant, who attempted to draw the Captain in, was also dangerously hurt. The lieutenant then advanced, when an Indian jumping onthe bodies of the two others, presented a loaded pistol to his breast, which he putting aside, it went off over his shoulder, whereby lie got the Indian out of the house aiid shut the door. The Indian then went round to a window, and as Stinton was getting out of bed, shot him; but rushingfrom the house, he was able to run a mile before he dropped dead. His wife and two children ran into the cellar. They were fired upon three times, hut escaped uninjured. Captain Wetherolt, notwithstanding his wound, crawled to a window, where he killed one of the Indians, who were setting fire to the house. The others then ran off, bearing with them their dead companion. Captain Wetherolt died soon after."* There are several churches in this township, Lutheran and German Reformed, and English Presbyterian. There are also several villages in it. Bath, named after Bath in England, by the Irish settlers here, who laid it out some years before the Revolution of '76. It is a post village, on the Monockacey Gordon's Hi*, of Pa. Appendix, p. 623, 624. creek, eleven miles from Easton, ten from Allentown, five from Nazareth and eight from Bethlehem—is very handsomely situated—contains between fifty and sixty dwellings, many of them of brick—two taverns, three stores, one church, erected in 1834, held in common by the Lutherans and German Reformed—two schools, one for males and one for females. There are two mills contiguous to it—population about two hundred and fifty. Years ago the Land Office had been at Bath. George Palmer was Surveyor General many years—he lies buried in Allentownship grave yard.* Prior to 1790, the English Presbyterians had erected a large stone academy on Monockacey creek, a mile from Bath, and Rev. Thomas Picton was the principal. The house is now used by the congregation for divine worship. Kreidersville, a post village, was laid out by Conrad Kreider, between thirty and forty years ago; it is on the main road from Bethlehem to Berwick; it contains fifteen or sixteen dwellings, one store, one tavern, a very splendid house, erected by George Weaver, in 1840. One mile from the village is "Zion's Kirche" belonging to the German Reformed and Lutherans. There is also a grist mill here, turned by the Hockendoque creek, and a slate quarry, near this village, where roofing slate has been formerly procured. On the farm of Joseph Hagen- bach there is also a good quality of roofing slate. Hauertown, or Howertown, laid out by Mr. Hauer, is on the road from Bethlehem to Mauch Chunk—contains eight dwellings, one tavern and a school house. Near it is a German Reformed and Lutheran church. Weaversburg, a post village, on the road from Allen- town to Bath, contains twelve dwellings, one store, one tannery, one mill on the Collasaugue,or Colesoque creek. Centreville or Nelighsville, consists of five dwellings, an English Presbyterian church and a grist mill. The population of this township, in 1820, was 1,847; in 1830, 2,106; 1840,2,547. Taxables in 1844, 612. County Rev'd Webstar. rates and levies, on professions, $98,173. On real estate, horses and cattle, $1,050,380. Amount of state tax, $2,440 56. |
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