The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-05-08
Historic Mount Holly.
NOTES ON THE CHANGE OF NAME
FROM BRIDGETOwN

next found that the Relief Fire Engine
Company was originally organized as
1.-The Britannia Fire Company in
Bridgetown, in 1852. l then found
the following where ut is ordered q
agreed on between we, We subscribers,
Justices, Freeholders and Surveyors OF
the One part, and Daniel Wills, Car
penter, of the other part, that is to say
We said Daniel Wills is to provide plank
and all other sort of timber that shall
be thought needful for the Repairing
of the Bridg known by the name of We
Ironwork Bridg and We said Wills is to
Consult and take the advice of Henry
Cooper and Henry Paxson In Regards
to what Repairs may be thought need
full by them the plank is ordered to
be good White Oak Three Inches Thick
& fifteen feet Long," etc. This agree
ment is signed by Revell Elton, Henry
Paxson, Henry Cooper, Samuel WOOL
ston, Thomas Budd and Thomas
Moore, also by Daniel Wills, Carpt.,
and is dated Mount Holley, November
We I'd, 1853.
In a deed from Patrick Reynolds,
executor, to David Cox, in 1853, take
this extract for lone Lott of Land in
Mountholly, near the Great Bridge
called Shinn's Bridgein Mountholly."
John Woolman mentions Mount Holly
in 1857 in speaking of "draught" of
soldiers. Twice in the Pennsylvania
Gazette of 1854 Abraham Harrington
mentions living in "Bridgetown com
monty called Mountholly in Burling-
ton county" The Pennsylvania
Journal of August 80, 1850, says: mo
tice is hereby given: That there is to
be given gratis at Mount Holly, in the
county of Burlington, on Wednesday,
the 18th day OF September, Twenty
Pistoles to be run for by as many
Horses, Mares or Geldings as any Per-
son or Persons shall see fit to put In.
They are to be put in twenty shillIngs
| for every Horse, Mare or Geldipg, and
enter them four days before the Day OF
Running. They are to run three heats,
/ one mile at heat, on straight course,
and to carry weight for inches; Horse,
Mare or Gelding to carry 140 weight at
| Ia hands high; and for the first inch
higher to carry fourteen pounds and
| for every inch above that seven pounds;
and all Horses that are under size to be
equivalent to the same. Any one
Horse, Mare or Gelding that shall win
two heats and save the distance the
third shall win the prize and the next
Day the Belts to be run for; every one
that saves his distance the first day is
entitled to run, the Horse that wins
the prize excepted. The Horses to be
entered at John Budd's or Caleb
Shinn's."
Nathaniel Cripps' will in 1746 men
tions brick house near Bridgetown.
In the Pennsylvania Journal of 1742,
under the head of ITO be Solo," we
get a fine description of the Iron Works
in 'The Town of Mount Holly, in the
county OF Burlington" as follows: "A
good, substantial Furnace for making
Sows and Pigs of iron, with utensils
fitting TO work the same, and a large
Forge with good Brick and Stone
chimneys, well completed for two
Finerys and one chafery for manufac-
turing the Sows and Pigs into Bar
Iron, with necessarys for carrying out
the same, all situate and lying about a
quarter of a mile from a good Grist
mill, Saw mill and Pulling mill, which
/ is in the Town of Mount Holly, in the
county of Burlington, in the Western
division Of New Jersey, and is built on
good, constant stream of water 81
miles from Philadelphia, and is water
carriage within 8 or rods of the Fur
mace and Forge with plenty Of wood
at small distance for making char
coal, and good Houses, Smiths shop,
very good Dwelling houses for the pur-
chaser or managers to live in and con-
venient houses for Forge Men and
Labourers, and stabling for Horses, :"
signed, Isaac Pearson, Burlington, or
John Burr, Mount Holly.
Ten years later we find the works
have grown some, as John Denorman-
die, of Bristol, Pa, advertises lone un-
divided quarter part Of Mount Holly
Iron Works, consisting of furnace,
| two forges in which there are three
finerys and achasery." Swank's "Iron
in All Ages" pages SO to 5S, tells us
that 1.-THE iron ore having been melted
in the furnace and run off into sOws
and pigs of iron, the latter were car
ried first to forge called refinery Tor
more commonly finery) where the
iron was again smelted and worked
into bloom from the Anglo-Saxon
Bloma-a mass or lump and by large
hammers forged into a bar three feet
long with a square piece left rough like
knob at each end. The bar was next
taken to the chafery, where the two
ends were drawn out and the bar fin
ished."
About this time Leah Blackman, in
her history of Little Egg Harbor,
makes tradition say, that ''the first
grain raised in that section was con-
veyed on the backs Of horses to Mount
Holly to be ground in the grist mill al
that place. 1t is affirmed that bus.
bands, wives and sons, and all Others
who could be spared from home, flung
sacks OF grain across the backs Of
horses, mounted them, and rode Indian
file along greenwood bride path tC
the grist mill at Mount Holly and thai
whilst the farmers and their retinue
were gone on their journey to mill, the
children who were left at home al
night were terrified by the angry growls
of bears, wolves and wildcats, which
/ came providing around their dwellings,
From the Pennsylvania Gazette OF
May, 1871, we take the following
There has lately been killed neal
Mount holly, in the Jersies, the largest
bear that has been known in these
parts; his forehead measured two spans
wide, his leg just above the foot was as
big as could be well grasped with both
hands. After the skin was off and
though exceeding lean, weighed up
wards of 300 weight. There has an.
other OF the same gigantic size seer
about the same place.
Mahlon Stacy, in the Pennsylvania
Gazette, August II, 1913, says: run
away on the 18th inst. from Mount
Holly Iron Works, in Burlington Co.,
q servant man named Corneliu,
Kelly" etc. Ads. of this kind, and of
the holders of interests in The Mills
wishing to sell, occurred a number Of
times.
We find in 1876 in a deed from
Thomas Shinn to Patrick Reynolds
both of Bridgetown, "the Bridge called
MounthOlly Bridge" l do not recall
any mention of Mount Holly prior tC
this of May 20, 1870, situate in
Bridgetown beginning at the Mouth Oh
Entrance of Mountholly Mill Race, -
etc. This may have been the entering
wedge in the tussle for supremacy.
Mention has been made of the Great
Bridge called "Shinn's Bridge" Its
successor of today is our Washington
street iron bridge, which was the in
vention of B. Seversen, of Schenecta-
dy, N. Y, selected by Thos. r. Risdon
and Jacob Citizens freeholders) and
was put up in the winter of 1852, cost
about $500. This took the place OF a
wooden one built 10 years before at a
cost OF $1054. In 1921 James Coppuck
father of George W. and Joseph c.
was authorized by the township com
mittee ito fill up the street at Budd's
bridge and lay trunk to carry the
water into the mill race" This refers
to Buttonwood run where it crosses
Mill street.
think one would be justified in as
Stunning the contract of 1853, signed as
1t was by two surveyors, two freehold