The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1878-01-12
HISTORICAL SKETCH
Or THE PROGRESS OF
Education in Carbon County.
By r. F. HoFFoRD, Co. SUIT.


carbon county was iorihGu from parls
Monroe ana Northalnptoh, oy ACT oil Assem-
ply OF March IL, 1915 Inc townships O
Mauch Chuhk' Lausanne PIPER ana Lowe
toWainehslhg ana East Lehh were takel
from northampton, ana fehh Forest ah'
hldder IRON Monroe
IL Is twenty tnlles IN lehSth anu hlheleel
IN breadth, ana contains ABOUT o5V squan
miles, me surface Is very Irregular Delils
lraVersed IRON horth west 10 soulh-easI Dy
numerous ridges oil mus ana mountains
some oil which are wild and extremely plc
turesque IN appearance Inc Lehlgh rlVei
dlVldes the county mo TWO nearly equa
parts Most OF the soil Is graVeliy ana Ou'
poorly adapted toaSrlGulture' altnough lnucl
ol IL may, by sNllliul culture, DC lllade tc
produce good crops 4here are numerous
Naileys throuSn Whlch HOW rapld streams
al0rdlng excellent water powers ior mus
ana factories, Whlch are, however, Dut Ittie
| utllI2ed ior that purpose some ol the val
iieys' ath0ugh put small III extent, nave al
luvial SOL ana produce excellent crops
Inc hfst settlement wlthih the lllh,ts OF
what Is now carbon county, was made IN
lf46' by the Moravlans, who purchased 2OO
acres ol land on the north side oi MahonnS
with the i1ehigh. number OF houses were
Dullt at thus place for the Indians and mis-
sioharies VINO la1ored among the indians.
Inc place was called Gnaden Huetten. IN
the same year a church was oullt, IN which
tne Indians We're gathered dalIy lor prayer,
they were also taught 10 real, lhe mechanic
arts, ana how to cultivate the soil. These
were the hrst educational efforts we nave
any knowledge oil within the limits OF the
county
. Gio''5 L, seI'l'e 70 oe very viicouiag.iis
az ou'' W the cGul 81 oi leW yeais, tno
~ ~,
81 % Vie"'iiiehU ~ Vul'iNotion. ihe PoPuIoVioh
"il" .no SUI ,alleu W PioI'uce
supply Ui PIoNi AlT oiu cnuIcl was
~ oiiioii 50 "i'ei o''T ci.oei"'Ioli, ~ was
ue'eIlIlIieu 10 chahSe locatloh' sue was
selecteu on tle moith-easV s'He oi the LeiiISh
river, "Iere NelssporI no" STANDS Inc
o"eLihS houSes were removed 10 lnis pace,
ana ne" church erected III l'oi; Every
ChIiig Went wen uhtli amer braudocks de-
ieat, IN 400, Whell 'he Wnole lrohtier was
Chro"h open 10 the h0s'lle lhulahS' Oh Jhe
-tVh ol NoVeilpeT 'he iIllssioh-h0use was
sullouii"e" ny tie hps'Iie llldiaHs' 'ile mouse
was burned ana NE inhaoitah's Drutaiiy
Ilurhereu; III i''P' benjamin frankllh
~ 49, 80. 49, ''Nt' - ~ I''N ~ 'ii- -
Tiers. lie erected lori, winch ne named
Fort Allen IN honor OF General Allen. a
well, dug under Doctor t9nkIins mstrue-
tlons TO supply the tort with water, can sun
ne seen, although IN Il diIapdated condition,
There are many other historical remlnlscen-
ces IN TINS Vlcinlty well worthy OF notlcF,
but the limits OF tins sketch VIII not ahow.
From 1851 to 1873, when the coal and luni-
Der Interests began to be developed, the edu-
catlonal Interests were blank. In l175,thc
Gilbert family settled on farm near
Mahonlng creek, and after five years Of
prosperity and happiness, they were sur
rounded by the Indians, captured and car
ried into captivity. In 1888, few cabins
were found scattered along in the secluded
valleys of the Lehigh. With these eXcep-
tions the whole county was a drcary wilder
ness. Coal was discovered in l79l and in
1892 a company was formed, called the Lee
high Coal Mine Company, and opened
mine at the summit; but as there was no
demand for the coal, but little progress was
made in mining until ISIS, when the
Lehgh Navigation Company and the Le-
high Coal Company were formed. From
this time forward mining interests were
rapidly developed. Capital was attracted
hither, and large profits were returned on
judicious investments. Along with the