The Genealogy of this township is as follows: Hazle was carved out of Sugarloaf township in 1839. Sugarloaf was taken from Nescopeck township. The latter was formed in 1792. A part was taken from Butler township, November 6, 1856, and added to Hazle. Grandmother Nescopeck, mother Sugarloaf, and then the blooming, fashionable daughter, Miss Hazle—pretty in name and lovely in form and features. Though yet one of the "sweet girl undergraduates," she wears the jewel of the second city in the county of Luzerne. The south line of the township is the county lines of Carbon and Schuylkill counties, and, as well, is the south line of this county. The old Indian trail crossing Buck's mountain passed through the township near where is Hazleton, and on toward Nescopeck, through Conyngham village. So far as the records can inform us, the first whites that passed through here were Capt. Klader's company, on their way to the fatal ambush near Conyngham, in 1780. Then came and returned the burial party, and then Balliet, wife and two children, the latter swung across the horse in their beegums. In 1804 came the white man with his surveyor's instruments, surveying the turnpike that is now Broad street, Hazleton, and the well-traveled highway that passes on through Conyngham, Seybertsville, etc., on to the river. The first settlement made in Hazel probably was in 1804—a camp for the surveyors and then for the laborers in constructing, the turnpike. The first settlement was where the town of Hazleton now stands, and for particulars thereof the reader is referred to that part of the history.
The face of the township is rugged hills once crowned with the dark old forests, chiefly yellow pine. There is very little agricultural land in it; rocky hills and the red shale, when denuded of its timber growth, is but little else than a barren waste. It was a great field for lumbering, many years, but now, except a sawmill of the Lehigh Valley railroad on the turnpike near Black creek, that is completing the work of cutting up the remaining lumber, when this once great industry will have passed entirely away. The settlements that constitute the present population were drawn hither by the opening of coal mines that commenced in 1836, a detailed account appearing elsewhere. We learn from Stewart Pearce's Annals that the earliest settlers in Hazle township were Anthony Fisher, Joseph Fisher, Casper Thomas, Conrad Horn, Adam Winters, at what now is "Horntown," on the turnpike just beyond West Hazleton. The first internal improvement of note was, as a matter of course, a sawmill on High creek, now within the city limits, erected in 1810.
It is made the second in importance in the county by its coal deposits, which are still being developed rapidly, and the great "breakers" rear their dark faces on nearly every hillside, and the gulches are being filled with the mountainous culm [p.581] piles that are the chips of the workmen down in the bowels of the earth digging for the precious black diamonds.
The old Lehigh & Susquehanna turnpike road, from Mauch Chunk to Berwick, formed the backbone of the early settlements through this portion of the county. The first toll-house in the county was in this township, now in the city, and the old building may yet be pointed out to the curious. David Travis and Conrad Horn were the two most legal-minded men at that time here. They were the first justices in 1840; succeeded by William Kisner and David Martz, and they by George Fenstermacher.
The many different collieries in the township constitute the abiding places of the population.
Jeansville, situated two miles south of Hazleton, is simply a part of Hazle township, though around the Spring Mountain collieries that are the cause of the existence of the place, are about 1,500 people. It was named for Joseph Jeans, of Philadelphia. Everything here belongs to the Lehigh Valley railroad, that corporation having purchased of the Spring Mountain Coal company. Coal operations were commenced here in 1845 by William Millans, who opened the slope and commenced in a small way shipping coal by first transporting overland to Beaver Meadow, where was the only point to reach a railroad. Jeansville is a neat and well-built hamlet, with two churches—Methodist and Baptist. The Presbyterian church was burned and never rebuilt; two schoolhouses. The first schoolhouse here was built about 1850. The two buildings they now have were built in the eighties. A very neat and well-kept cemetery was provided about 1877. The place exists by virtue of its coal, and the attention of the outside world was attracted hither by Ario Pardee, the father of the coal industry in the Hazleton district. Mr. J. C. Haydon, who, as a pioneer operator in this section, is junior only to A. Pardee, is in charge of Jeansville and its collieries. He came to the place to take charge in 1865; leased the Spring Mountain Coal company's property and carried on operations, building the two present breakers, until the property was sold to the railroad, and at this time mines and markets the coal for the owners. One of the old breakers was burned in 1881 and both have been rebuilt. The output, mostly from the Mammoth, Wharton and Buck mountain views, is at this time about 300,000 tons annually. The Beaver Meadow railroad extended their road from Wetherly to this point in 1845. The importance of the operations carried on here may be inferred somewhat when we state that their machine shops employ on the average 125 hands. This important part of the place commenced in a small way, doing simply this needed company's repairing in 1853, and has grown with a steady growth, now manufacturing steam pumps that are given the markets throughout the continent. With the shops is a large foundry where much work in that line is carried on.
Mr. J. C. Hayden, as stated, ranks next to the late A. Pardee in the early developing of the coal mines of this section. Like him, a civil engineer, and came originally from Philadelphia and surveyed roads and, in following canal and railroad work, went to northern Pennsylvania, and from there to this place, attracted by the information he had gleaned as to the opportunities here for mining.
Latimer has its railroad, postoffice, hotel and company store, and two breakers rear high their grimy, blackened faces, marking the spot where the pioneer miners here of Pardee & Co. have long since been actively engaged in mining.
Sugarloaf is another colliery town and is the property of the Diamond Coal company—the institution that laid off the Diamond addition to the city of Hazleton.
Laurel Hill mining tower is one of the old collieries.
Japan, a mining village, and has nearly 500 workmen. Here is Oakdale colliery.
Harleigh is a mining town of some importance. It has other stores than the company store, two hotels and a good school. The Big Black Creek Improvement company owns the collieries.
Beaver Brook is on the dividing line between this and Carbon county. Here is a company store, postoffice, three groceries and a blacksmith shop.
[p.582] Cranberry is a small mining town.
Crystal Ridge is another small mining collection.
Stockton bears with considerable dignity the name of Commodore Stockton. A mine was opened here in 1851 by Packer, Carter & Co. The place attracts your attention by the long line of "cave in" running parallel with the railroad track. December 18, 1869, occurred here a "squeeze"—caused by "robbing the pillars," and in this was carried down the house occupied by the Rough and Swank families. None of the bodies were ever recovered, and the spot where the house stood has been filled and a marble slab tells the story of the victims as follows:
"Elizabeth Rough, May 18, 1796; Margaret Rough, January 18, 1837; Isaac Rough, January 22, 1839; Elizabeth Rough, March, 1869; George Swank, 1819; William Swank, 1850. December 18, 1869."
The place is near Hazleton, yet it has considerable business outside the company store; a car repair and blacksmith shop; hotel, two stores, postoffice. The first postmaster was Ralph Tozer, a very familiar family name before and during the Revolution in the vicinity of Tioga Point (Athens).
There is quite a gathering of miners' houses at Mount Pleasant. The mines here belonged to the heirs of C. Koons and were operated by Pardee & Co.
Lumber Yards is a junction where the railroad forks, one branch going to Weatherly and the other to White Haven; a neat little station house and a few dwellings near by.
Humbolt has quite a mining population; a company store and the Humbolt colliery, owned by the Lehigh Valley railroad.
Hollywood is quite a colliery town, with the usual company store, hotel, etc.
Milnesville is one of the old mining towns. The colliery was opened in 1850 by William Milnes, and has a population of nearly 824.
Foundryville is a little railroad station, and is a colliery town of growing importance. A new breaker is being constructed by the Markle company. Jeddo was authorized to form a borough in 1871, but has neglected to perfect any of the machinery of such a municipality. The Woodside colliery is here and is operated by Mr. Markle. The employes about the mines to the number of 350 constitute the population. The past ten years has noted an increase in its population of eight souls. And yet it is not at all envious of Chicago.
Ebervale has 1,108 inhabitants, an increase of one hundred per cent. the past ten years. Hotel, postoffice, schoolhouse and church and store are the main points of the place.
Drifton is the town of Coxe Bros. & Co., and thereby, being the residence and headquarters of the members of the firm, is a noted place. Here was built the first iron and steel breaker; here are the machine shops of Coxe Bros. & Co., and here are the offices of their belt railroad. Mining is carried on here on a vast scale and the place is noted for the neatness of the dwellings of the employes, and on the hill beyond are the elegant mansious of the heads of the house, and the hospital, etc. The company store is a great concern on one side of the street, and is faced by the far more extensive building of the company offices, and Mr. Eckley B. Coxe's experimental shop and fireproof library building. In this building is the postoffice, telephone and telegraph rooms, and in one main room is a corps of book-keepers and clerks, giving it much the appearance of a great banking house. Mr. Coxe has built a neat and comfortable opera house for the benefit of the employes, a hospital for the same, a free library, a schoolhouse, hotel and three elegant churches are in the place. The town has splendid water privileges, the water being brought in mains from springs on the mountain side.