Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA
Notizen:
Wikipedia 2018:
Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch: Allenschteddel) is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city and the 231st largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently the fastest growing city in all of Pennsylvania. It is the largest city in the metropolitan area known as the Lehigh Valley, which had a population of 821,623 residents as of 2010. Allentown constitutes a portion of the New York City Combined Statistical Area and is the county seat of Lehigh County. In 2012, the city celebrated the 250th anniversary of its founding in 1762.
Located on the Lehigh River, Allentown is the largest of three adjacent cities, in Northampton and Lehigh counties, that make up a region of eastern Pennsylvania known as the Lehigh Valley. Allentown is 50 miles (80 km) north-northwest of Philadelphia, the sixth most populous city in the United States, 90 miles (140 km) east-northeast of Harrisburg, the state capital, and 90 miles (140 km) west of New York City, the nation's largest city.
The Norfolk Southern Railway's Lehigh Line (formerly the main line of the Lehigh Valley Railroad using former Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad main line trackage), runs through Allentown heading east across the Delaware River. The Norfolk Southern Railway's Reading Line runs through Allentown heading west to Reading, Pennsylvania.
Allentown was cited as a "national success story" in April 2016 by the Urban Land Institute for its downtown redevelopment and transformation, one of only six communities in the country to have been named as such.
Histoty:
In the early 1700s, the land now occupied by the city of Allentown and Lehigh County was a wilderness of scrub oak where neighboring tribes of Native Americans fished for trout and hunted for deer, grouse, and other game. In 1736, a large area to the north of Philadelphia, embracing the present site of Allentown and what is now Lehigh County, was deeded by 23 chiefs of the five great Native American nations to John, Thomas, and Richard Penn, sons of William Penn. The price for this tract included shoes and buckles, hats, shirts, knives, scissors, combs, needles, looking glasses, rum, and pipes.
The land that was to become Allentown was part of a 5,000-acre (20 km2) plot Allen purchased on September 10, 1735 from his business partner Joseph Turner, who was assigned the warrant to the land by Thomas Penn, son of William Penn, on May 18, 1732.
The land was originally surveyed on November 23, 1736. A subsequent survey done in 1753 by David Schultz for a road from Easton to Reading, of which present-day Union and Jackson streets were links, shows the location of a log house owned by Allen, situated near the western bank of Jordan Creek, which was believed to have been built around 1740. Used primarily as a hunting and fishing lodge, here Allen entertained prominent guests including his brother-in-law, James Hamilton, and colonial Pennsylvania governor John Penn.
The area that is today the center of Allentown was laid out as Northampton Town in 1762 by William Allen, a wealthy shipping merchant, former mayor of the city of Philadelphia and then-Chief Justice of the Province of Pennsylvania. It is likely that a certain amount of rivalry with the Penns prompted Judge Allen to decide to start a town of his own in 1762.
Ten years before, in 1752, Northampton and Berks counties had been formed, each with a county seat, Easton and Reading, respectively. It is recorded that, in 1763, the very year after the founding of Allentown, an effort was made to have the county seat moved from Easton to the new town. To this effort William Allen lent all his influence as Chief Justice and also as the son-in-law of Andrew Hamilton. The influence of the Penns, however, prevailed, and Easton was retained as the county seat of all that vast area which the notorious "Walking Purchase" had opened up.
The original plan for the town, now in the archives of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, comprised forty-two city blocks and consisted of 756 lots, mostly 60 feet (18 m) in width and 230 feet (70 m) in depth. The town was located between present-day Fourth and Tenth Streets, and Union and Liberty Streets. Many streets on the original plan were named for Allen's children: Margaret (present-day Fifth Street), William (now Sixth), James (now Eighth), Ann (now Ninth) and John (now Walnut). Allen Street (now Seventh) was named for Allen himself, and was the main thoroughfare. Hamilton Street was named for James Hamilton. Gordon Street was named for Sir Patrick Gordon, Deputy Governor of Colonial Pennsylvania from 1726–1736. Chew Street was named for Benjamin Chew, and Turner Street was named for Allen's business partner, Joseph Turner.
Allen hoped that Northampton Town would displace Easton as the seat of Northampton County and also become a commercial center due to its location along the Lehigh River and its proximity to Philadelphia. Allen gave the property to his son James in 1767. Three years later, in 1770, James built a summer residence, Trout Hall, in the new town, near the site of his father's former hunting lodge.
On March 18, 1811, the town was formally incorporated as the borough of Northampton Town. On March 6, 1812, Lehigh County was formed from the western half of Northampton County, and Northampton Town was selected as the county seat. The town was officially renamed "Allentown" on April 16, 1838, after years of popular usage. Allentown was formally incorporated as a city on March 12, 1867.
The opening of the Lehigh Canal caused a fundamental change in the nature of Allentown and the Lehigh Valley, as it transformed both from a rural agricultural area dominated by German-speaking people into an urbanized industrialized area. It expanded the city's commercial and industrial capacity greatly. With this, the town underwent significant industrialization, ultimately becoming a major center for heavy industry and manufacturing.
The actual foundation for the city's industrial development was brought about by necessity. David Deshler, the city's first shopkeeper, opened a saw mill in 1782. By 1814 the list of industrial plants in the city included flour mills, saw mills, two saddle makers, a tannery and tan yard, a woolen mill, a card weaving ·plant, two gunsmiths, two tobacconists, two clock-makers, and two printers. In 1855, the first railroads reached Allentown. These were in direct competition for moving coal with the Lehigh Canal. The Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad ordered four locomotives and stations were erected at Easton, Allentown and Mauch Chunk. The railroad was placed in operation in September of that year. Connections for New York were made via the Central Railroad of New Jersey and later connections with Philadelphia were made via the Perkiomen railroad which operated between Norristown and Freemansburg.
It was Henry Leh that began the true industrialization of Allentown in 1861. The Union Army needed boots. Since Simon Cameron, the secretary of war, was from Pennsylvania, many government contracts flowed to the Keystone state. Leh had opened his shoe and ready-to-wear clothing store in Allentown in 1850. If the Union Army needed boots and shoes, he'd make them. In addition to Leh's boot and shoe industry, during the Civil War, eight brick yards, a saw mill, the Allentown Paint factory, two shoe factories, a piano factory, flour mills, breweries and distilleries had opened in the city.
Beds of iron ore had been discovered in the hills around Allentown in the 1840s, and a furnace was constructed in 1846 for the production of pig iron by the Allentown Iron Company. The furnace was opened in 1847 under the supervision of Samuel Lewis, an expert in iron production, and this led to the opening of plants for a wide variety of metal products. The Allentown Rolling Mill Company was a merger of several small companies in 1860 and became the most significant iron company in the city. It employed many people and turned out more iron products than any other. Although not as large as the iron and steel industry in neighboring Bethlehem, in the latter half of the 19th Century, Allentown became a major iron-producing center.
The Allentown Boiler Works was founded in 1883 by Charles Collum. He and his partner, John D. Knouse, built a large facility at Third and Gordon Streets in the First Ward, near the Lehigh Valley Railroad yard to the east near Jeter's (later Kline's) Island. The business manufactured iron products of many types, being used in the White House and at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. It's boilers and kilns were used across the United States, and also in Canada, Cuba and the Philippines.
In addition to the iron and railroad industries, Allentown also had a strong tradition in the brewing of beer and was home to several notable breweries, including the Horlacher Brewery (founded 1897, closed 1978), the Neuweiler Brewery (founded 1875, closed 1968) and Schaefer Beer, whose brewery was later owned by Pabst Brewing Company and Guinness but is now owned by the Boston Beer Company, maker of Samuel Adams.
Brick making flourished in the city until after World War I, the clay unearthed in various sections of the community proving highly suitable for the manufacture of building brick as well as fire brick. Bricks were the first products shipped outside of the Allentown area by rail and were sold nationwide. Food processing started with the early bakers, who came into the city with the first settlers. In 1887, Wilson Arbogast and Morris C. Bastian formed Arbogast and Bastian, where commercial slaughtering was done on a large scale.
With the industrial industry, Allentown became a major banking and finance center. William H. Ainey was born in Susquehanna county, November 30, 1834. In 1860 he organized the Allentown Savings Institution and was chosen its first president. In 1863-64 the Second National Bank of Allentown was organized. He was elected its first president, a position he filled up to the time of his death. Ainey was a major financier of the industrial and retail growth of the city. Through his industry and assistance the following industries were established: The Iowa Barb Wire Co., which was later absorbed by the American Steel and Wire Co.; The Pioneer Silk Factory, The Palace Silk Mill, and the Allentown Spinning Company.
In the late 1870s, Allentown's iron industry collapsed. It left the city economically depressed and to prevent this from happening again, efforts were made to develop a diversifed industrial base. Convincing the Phoenix Manufacturing Company to open a silk mill in Allentown was the first major success of that effort. The success of its Adelaide mill at Race and Court Streets prompted the opening of the Pioneer silk mill in 1886 and the city was established as a silk manufacturing center. With its many ancillary businesses, the silk industry became the largest in the city and remained so until the late 20th century. By 1914 there were 26 mills in Allentown, which by 1928, when rayon was introduced became 85 mills. Over 10,000 people were employed in the Allentown silk industry at its height during the 1940s.
Jack and Gus Mack moved their motor car plant to Allentown from Brooklyn, NY in 1905; taking over the foundries of the former Weaver-Hirsh company on South 10th Street. By 1914, Mack Trucks had developed a reputation for being study and reliable. Many were sent to the battlefields of the Western Front in France before the United States entered World War I in 1917. The British gave the Mack AC five and seven ton trucks the nickname "Bulldog". Mack eventually had a total of eight manufacturing plants in Allentown. In the post-World War II era, the Western Electric plant on Union Boulevard was announced on October 11, 1945, after a nationwide search to locate a new manufacturing plant. On October 1, 1951 the world's first transistor production began at the Allentown Western Electric plant. It would become the backbone of a communications revolution. Over the years the plant was at the forefront of the postwar electronics revolution.
Max Hess came to Allentown in 1896 on a business trip and envisioned a department store serving the area. He moved his family from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, in 1897. Max and his brother Charles opened Hess Brothers on Ninth and Hamilton streets. In the first half of the 20th Century, Hess Brothers was a shopping destination. Flamboyance and excitement were cornerstones of the store. It was well known for its fashion apparel as a result of introducing the latest trends from Europe. Opening in 1926, the Zollinger-Harned Company became Allentown's third major department store in the Central Business District.
By the mid-20th Century, Allentown had become a major retailing and entertainment center separate from Philadelphia and New York City. The establishment of the Hess Brothers, H. Leh and Company and Zollinger Department stores led to the growth of the retail business sector in the Central Business District. There were dozens of smaller retail stores, along with numerous restaurants, hotels, banks and professional offices in the "downtown", as it was called. In addition to the shopping, at least seven cinemas and stage theaters were located along Hamilton Street between Fifth and Tenth Streets.
Treffer 1 bis 10 von 10
Nachname, Taufnamen | Geburt | Personen-Kennung | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mertz, George Henry | 4 Sep 1755 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I262363 |
2 | Gaumer, John Jacob | 30 Jul 1758 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I29713 |
3 | Dorney, Hannah | 25 Aug 1783 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I262355 |
4 | Knerr, Wallace F. | 1851 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I209103 |
5 | Oehler, Edward Franklin | 5 Sep 1883 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I223163 |
6 | Oehler, Marie | 5 Sep 1883 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I223162 |
7 | Oehler, Albert | 23 Nov 1885 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I223176 |
8 | Fluck, Henry C. | 12 Sep 1910 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I200312 |
9 | Klahr, Abraham Miller | 13 Jul 1920 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I36306 |
10 | Behringer, William H. III. | 25 Okt 1943 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I209044 |
Treffer 1 bis 26 von 26
Nachname, Taufnamen | Tod | Personen-Kennung | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bruns, William Herman Jr. | Datum unbekannt | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I24717 |
2 | Knerr, Louisa Catharine | Datum unbekannt | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I209166 |
3 | Gaumer, John Dietrich | 22 Sep 1794 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I29717 |
4 | Busz, Anna Catharine | 22 Dez 1794 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I238919 |
5 | Meinert, Maria Elizabeth | 7 Jan 1802 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I29718 |
6 | Neuhart, John Michael Lorentz | 1 Aug 1817 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I199429 |
7 | Mertz, George Henry | 23 Jul 1827 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I262363 |
8 | Neuhart, Paul | 21 Jan 1858 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I199434 |
9 | Knerr, David | 10 Dez 1864 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I209155 |
10 | Oehler, Marie | 5 Sep 1883 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I223162 |
11 | Oehler, Albert | 3 Aug 1887 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I223176 |
12 | Knerr, Aaron Andrew | nach 1890 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I209101 |
13 | Mertz, David S. Sr. | 4 Feb 1892 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I262346 |
14 | Knerr, Wallace F. | 6 Jul 1895 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I209103 |
15 | Scholl, Caroline | 21 Nov 1897 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I262347 |
16 | Richards, Rev. Matthias Henry | 12 Dez 1898 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I177964 |
17 | Hoffman, Mary Ann | 8 Mai 1902 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I209102 |
18 | Knerr, Maria L. | 29 Mrz 1904 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I209105 |
19 | Harteneck, Albert Ludwig | 4 Nov 1907 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I265254 |
20 | Knerr, Moses | 3 Nov 1912 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I209157 |
21 | Knerr, David Franklin | 22 Nov 1912 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I209163 |
22 | Knerr, Joseph | 13 Mai 1913 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I209160 |
23 | Knerr, Willoughby | 25 Feb 1920 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I209023 |
24 | Knerr, Katie Isabelle | 10 Aug 1972 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I209040 |
25 | Behringer, Dr. William Jr. | Okt 1978 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I209043 |
26 | Kornefel, Catherine | 14 Sep 1991 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I237376 |
Treffer 1 bis 7 von 7
Nachname, Taufnamen | Beerdigung | Personen-Kennung | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Busz, Anna Catharine | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I238919 | |
2 | Butz, Catharina | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I237419 | |
3 | Guth, Heinrich | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I237418 | |
4 | Guth, Nathan | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I237384 | |
5 | Jundt, Johann Georg Sr. | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I267815 | |
6 | Keeler, Daniel Bitting | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I208608 | |
7 | Schmidt, Mary Ann | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | I237382 |
Treffer 1 bis 1 von 1
Familie | Eheschließung | Familien-Kennung | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Guth / Schmidt | 9 Apr 1865 | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA | F82152 |