Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-02-01

Albert Thatcher, the Oldest ship
builder of Wilmington, was asked by
representative Of The GAZETTE to
give its readers some idea of the con-
dition of the city, its business and COM
mercial features, in the early days when
he first went into business.
For local history of this nature there
is very probably no one in Wilmington
better fitted for this work. Mr.. Thatcher
is an octogenarian. He often brags OF
his extreme years and his many pleasur-
able memories of his native city. His
mental powers are in vigorous con-
dition and what he says as a historian
may well be accepted as authority. Be-
sides this he is an extremely pleasant old
gentleman to converse with. He is very
communicative and what he remembers
seems to be just the Information that
persons interested in the early history
Of business development of Delaware's
chief city are DESTROYS of gathering.
My memory goes back, said MIR.
Thatcher, recently, to the time when
Tommy Leafs mill ON the Brandywine
was burned. Tommy Lea was the
grandfather of Preston Lea. That
brings in memory the loss of the bridge
Just above, called the chain bridge. Two
men who foelshly stayed on the bridge
while the frcshet was rushing along
were swept away. 1t burst away the
south abutment gangway and down
went the bridge. Luckily for one of
the men he was carried along and was
swung into dock between Candy and
Shipley's mills and was saved. Shops
of 6 feet draught used to load there.
The bridge / spoke of was chain
suspension bridge with tall uprights at
each end, chains passed up over them
and on these the bridge was swung. 1t
was in the same place as the present
Market street bridge over the Brandy
wine.
The other man / was talking about
was struck by one of the loosened chains
and killed. His body was found three
months afterwards out on the Delaware
flats.
Before the time of the burning of the
Lea mill the Poole mill was burned.
refer to this because my father was a
miller there. Poole's mill was right
opposite LEAFS mill, that is on the south
side.
The coopers as trade excelled all
others in the olden times in Whining
| ton in regard to numbers and import
ance. While scattered elsewhere in the
town, they were most numerous In
| Brandywine village. 1t was there that
the principal cooper's shops were.
| There is one in my mind now that stood
on Poplar street, fronting on Second,
| where there were no houses then.
The boss coopers on the north side oil
the Brandywine were: John Hayes, (he
got his log broken at the burning Of
| Tommy LEAFS mill John Boyd, ASS
Pointsett, George Magee, John Reynolds
who died in 1882 from cholera. The
coopers on the south side were: Will
liam Young (known everywhere as
"Bossy" Young William Rice, William
Rice, mo. 2, cousin Philip Mcdowell
Mark Brier, John Hindman and Johr
Wesley Hawkins, who died the othe
day. Harlan Pyle is the only one of thu
old journeymen coepers now living.
The iourneymen shoemakers were no
far behind the coopers in numbers
They pushed them very close, indeed.
The boss shoemakers commenced
with Theophilus Jones Of notoriety, ;
very straightforward man who mad
good shoes and boots. If he was ex
celled by any one in the trade it was b.
James Grub, renowned for making
coarse boots at So pair. He charged
from IS to So for fine calfskins. Thel
there was John Hagany, father o
Squire Hagany, then William Almond
who made shoes and attended the toll
gate on Concord pike which terminates
at the Philadelphia pike. This William
Almond had a very large family
among them John A., the father of Johl
p. Almond, ex-mayor of Wilmington.
The old Green Tree Tavern stood Of
the site of the present St. Johns Church
II was there when work was over tina
the coopers would congregate. The
played ball there. This was not base
ball, but hand-ball. 1t was played in
regular ball court built for the purpose
There was tall front wall with wing
walls graded down on either side
Connected with 1t was place for play
ing SWITCHBOARD. Some of the cooper
were wonderful adopts at the game.
Unfortunately they would drink to
much there on Saturday nights and Sc
into disputes with the Brandywine hun
bred folks. There would then DO
settling up of accounts at SOUR
Elliott's. The squire's office was just q
the turning of the road down TO Lea
mill, opposite where Christian Febige
lived. It was near what is now Palmer
store.
Squire Elliott was father of Jane
Elliott, who ran the first locomotive o
the Wilmington s. Baltimore railroad
You must remember that the railroa
first ran from Wilmington to Baltimor
The road from here to Philadelphia ws
a second job.
Returning to the Green Tree Inn n
member well how the village and the hui
dred men did little more fighting tina
was necessary. But they quickly sol
cred up from their beer and there wei
very few lawsuits. John Gregg was
!, prominent landlord of the Green IRE
Inn. He died there. About 10 month
after Gregg's death Squire Elliott's sol
, John, married the widow and BEGAN
the hotelkeeper.
1t was two-story shingle-roofe
building and was supposed to have bee
built about 1880. 1t was in good cond
ton when it was torn down to NAL
: room for st. Johns Church. 1t had
fine hanging sign, the admiration Of IL
whole country side, depicting larl
green tree.
, went to meeting at the Old Academ
,, when l was boy. Any denominatic
had the right to hold meetings there.
was favorite place for Methodist rev
walls. And in fact from these reviva
developed the conditions that enable
: the present Brandywine NJ. L. Churc
. to be built.
3 Long ago the country people talkt
! of slight carts" not of buggies. The
had a cover made of heavy linen, r