Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania

 

Mt Carmel Historic Walking Tour

Mt Carmel began as a logging town.  Sawmill operator Albert Bradford named Mount Carmel after the Holy Mountain in Israel, because Mt Carmel's the elevation and beautiful setting in the mountains. 

Old Mill at Mount Carmel, 1851

Sketch by James F. Queen

In 1790, coal was discovered by Isaac Tomlinson, on Broad Mountain.  It took 24 more years for the first shipment of anthracite to be shipped through the borough. Coal mining began around Mt Carmel in the 1830s.

The Mount Carmel Inn was opened in 1812 by Richard Yarnall.  It was strategically located on the Center Turnpike, which was also known as the Reading-Sunbury, or Old Reading, road, halfway between Danville and Pottsville.

In 1846, Mount Carmel opened it's first post office

Anthracite Steam Fire Company, No. 1, was organized on the 12th of May, 1882, and incorporated September 4th of the same year. The company owns and occupies a frame building on the southeast corner of Market and Hickory- streets, erected in 1890.

The Railroad

In 1854, the Philadelphia and Sunbury railroad was completed from Shamokin to Mt Carmel, which lead to the development of a number of collieries in the region.

Edison Illumintating Co

Located on 4th street between Vine & Maple

Mount Carmel was among the first towns in the country to have its streets lit by electricity.  Thomas Edison  founded The Edison Illuminating Company of Mount Carmel in 1883.   The Edison plant in Mount Carmel was the 7th in the world.

In 1894, The Shamokin -Mount Carmel Electric Railway was completed.  This trolley line connected Shamokin to Mount Carmel.

Maysville Park, Mt Carmel 

Collieries

  Reliance       Righter & Co.

1948 June 17 - United Airlines Flight 624 crashes near Midvalley Colliery No. 2; killing all 4 crew members and 39 passengers on board

The Viaduct leading into Mount Carmel PA

The first viaduct was constructed in 1930 to eliminate crossing two railroad tracks to enter town.  In 2003 the original viaduct was removed, and although the railroad no longer travels through town, a new version of the viaduct was constructed.

A.A. Chamberlain and J.M. Shindel opened the Theotorium on August 28 1907.  In 1912, Chamberlain was the sole owner, and he undertook a massive expansion, re-opening on September 20 1912, with 700 seats - 500 on the main floor and 200 in the balcony.  In 1926 Chamberlain opened the much larger Victoria Theater, reducing the Theotorium to second runs.  The Theotorium closed in 1928.

Mount Carmel High School football stadium or "Silver Bowl" is opened being one of the first high school stadiums to have lighting for night games, in 1931.

MAPS

View the Full Resolution Fowler Map Of Mt Carmel [shown above] Here

Sandborn:

1885    1891   1896      1901  

1907     1913     1920

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1906 April - 'Miners Dispute' striking miners are shot by 21 troopers of the State Constabulary - ten men were injured, but all survived

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Mt. Carmel's History From:

History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill., 1891

 The borough of Mt. Carmel is situated in the extreme southeastern part of Northumberland county. The site is an elevated plain, extending from the Shamokin creek on the west to Locust mountain on the east, and surrounded by a mountainous region of vast mineral wealth and natural scenery of the most picturesque character.

OLD HOTELS.

The old Reading road, which leads from Sunbury to Reading, was opened in 1770 and passes through the present site of Mt. Carmel. Although thus situated upon the line of an important public highway, this locality presented few inducements to invite settlement, as it possessed but meager agricultural advantages and its mineral resources were unknown. The first permanent improvements within the borough limits were made by Lawrence Lamerson, whose daughter, Mrs. Rebecca Reeder, died at an advanced age. Several years previous to her death she was interviewed by Dr. J. J. John, of Shamokin, to whom she gave the following interesting particulars: -

A man by the name of Cartwright was the first settler at Mt. Carmel. He lived in a small house on the Yarnall tract. I knew but little about him. My father was the second settler. My father, Lawrence Lamerson, emigrated from Holland some years previous to the Revolutionary war. He first settled in Virginia, but soon after moved to New Jersey. About 177 he joined the American army and served through the war. William Tietsworth, of Shamokin township, was his comrade in these campaigns. Upon the close of the war he married in New .Jersey, and, with many others from that State, immigrated to Northumberland county. He first settled at Sunbury, but soon afterward purchased a tract of two hundred acres of land in what was then Shamokin township, but now the southern part of the town plat of Mt. Carmel. He built a log house near where the old Reading depot stood. The orchard may still be seen near the present park. I was born in 1803 at the old house in "the Orchard." We had no schools in those days. Our nearest neighbors for some years were Isaac Tomlinson and John Thompson, who had settled down the valley some miles towards Shamokin. We visited each other occasionally, and were always glad to meet each other. We felt like neighbors toward each other. Game was very plentiful at that time. My father in one year shot forty deer, six bears, and three panthers, besides smaller game. At nights we would hear these wild animals scream. Their noise was frightful to hear. Wolves were very troublesome to us. One night they dug under the stable, dragged out a sheep, and took it away. It was not safe to be out after night without fire-arms. Shamokin creek abounded with fish, and in a very short time we could catch a nice string. We followed the Indian paths in traveling to Catawissa and other points. My father kept a number of cattle for the farmers of Maiden creek, Berks county, during the summer seasons. The pasture in the mountains was good, and the animals fattened on it. He charged fifty cents per head to take care of them. They were under complete control, and would come home when he would call them. It was the custom for each farmer to bring a fresh cow and some salt with his herd. We had plenty of milk in those times. Shortly after we started the hotel a quack doctor from Philadelphia with two or three Indians spent some time at our place in searching and collecting medical plants. Indians stopped with us several times when we first settled here. They ate at our house and spoke in broken English. They traveled over Indian paths that passed through Mt. Carmel. Lawyer Bradford, of Sunbury, who was a noted attorney of those times, frequently stopped at our hotel. When the turnpike was opened large numbers of Conestoga teams stopped with us over night. Bradford once watched one of those teamsters eating his supper; he said that he drank fourteen cups of coffee and ate in proportion.

Richard Yarnall was the next settler. His father, Jesse Yarnall, kept a hotel on the old Minersville road at the crossing of Mahanoy creek, near Otto's forge, Schuylkill county, about four miles south of Mt. Carmel. He married Hannah Penrose, of Roaring Creek township, Columbia county; an Indian path led from that locality to his hotel, and in the early official records of Northumberland county it is referred to as "Yarnall's path." Richard Yarnall, son of Jesse and Hannah (Penrose) Yarnall, was born on the 10th of April, 1791. He learned the trade of carpenter, and married Mary, daughter of John King, of Ralpho township. About the time he reached manhood the Centre turnpike was constructed, resulting in a large increase in the travel between Danville and Sunbury on the north and Reading and Pottsville on the south. A favorable opportunity was presented for the erection of a hotel on this important thoroughfare at the present site of Mt. Carmel, which is about equidistant from Danville and Pottsville, and, prompted by these considerations, Mr. Yarnall erected the Mt. Carmel Inn, a two-story log structure situated on the southeast side of the turnpike immediately northeast of the Commercial Hotel He opened a hotel therein and conducted the business with fair success for several years, when, having become surety for a friend who failed to meet his obligations, the property was sold and he removed to the vicinity of Bear Gap, where he was variously employed for several years. He then located on a small cleared tract on the old Minersville road, and also resided at the Tomlinson farm, after which he engaged in hotel keeping at the Riffert tavern, where he died on the 14th of October, 1847. Jesse and John Yarnall. two of his sons, reside at Mt. Carmel and are among the oldest citizens of the place. The former was born near Bear Gap, July 7, 1815, and the latter at the Tomlinson farm, February 15, 1828. Who erected the Riffert tavern can not be definitely stated. It was a log structure, situated on the east side of the turnpike and north of the Lehigh Valley depot. John Riffert and a Mr. Kunkle were among the first who conducted this hotel, which bore a bad reputation throughout the surrounding country. It was not until Mr. Yarnall became proprietor that it received the confidence and patronage of the traveling public.

The Mt. Carmel Inn, which had become the property of E. G. Bradford, a well known attorney of Sunbury and subsequently judge in York county, was conducted by various parties after Mr. YanjaU left it. Oscar and Albert Bradford, sons of the proprietor, had the management of the property after their father removed from Sunbury. Oscar Bradford inserted the following advertisement in the Sunbury Gazetteer of February 25, 1832:-

For Rent. - A valuable tavern stand, situate on the Centre turnpike, now in the occupancy of Thomas Osborne, known by the name of the Mt. Carmel Inn, containing two hundred acres, about thirty of which are cleared and in good farming order. For terms apply to the subscriber, near the premises, or E. G. Bradford, Columbia, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. OSCAK BUADFOUD.

This advertisement was responded to by Fellix Lerch, a native of Lower Saucon township, Northampton county, Pennsylvania, where he was born in 1794. He was employed as a blacksmith and farmer in his native county until 1826, when he located at Bloomsburg, Columbia county, and engaged in farming and teaming. Thence he removed to Elysburg. Northumberland county, in 1830 and opened a hotel, and in the spring of 1832 he leased the Mt. Carmel Inn at an annual rental of two himdred dollars. At that date the hotel sign bore the legend, "Mt. Carmel Inn, 1824." Water was conducted to the buildings by underground wooden pipes from springs on Locust mountain, to which Bradford is said to have claimed a right "as long as the sun shines and water runs." The patronage was considerable. This was the regular stopping place at dinner for persons traveling between Danville and Pottsville; the stages between Sunbury and Reading also stopped here, and, although surrounded by a comparatively uninhabited mountain region, the old hotel was often a scene of great bustle and activity. In 1839 Mr. Lerch removed to Paxinos, where he kept hotel ten years; he was then proprietor of the Douty House at Shamokin one year, and in 1850 again took charge of the Mt. Carmel Inn, which he conducted until his election as justice of the peace in 1855. He performed the duties of this office until his death, August 6, 1857. Abraham and William H. Lerch, two of his sons, reside at Mt. Carmel.

When Felix Lerch left the Mt. Carmel Inn in 1839 he was succeeded as proprietor by his brother-in-law, Solomon Fagely, formerly a farmer in Shamokin township and a brother of William and Keuben Fagely, the well known coal operators of Shamokin. He was followed by Paul Khoads, from Numidia, Columbia county, J. C. Perkins, Joseph Keeler, Felix Lerch, William H. Lerch, Abraham Lerch, Joseph Keeler. Charles Culp, etc., which brings the history of this old hostelry down to about the year 1865. After its removal the Commercial Hotel was erected, which, although it does not occupy the same site, is virtually the successor to the old Mt. Carmel Inn. The Mt. Carmel House is the oldest of the present hotel buildings of the borough. Its erection was begun in 1853, but the framework was completely demolished by a wind storm on the 14th of March, 1854. The work of rebuilding was at once begun, and in the following August the hotel was occupied by its first landlord, Joseph Feger, now proprietor of the St. Elmo Hotel, Philadelphia. This building was erected by the Mt. Carmel Plot Company under the superintendence of John H. James.

THE TOWN PLAT.

Tradition asserts that the idea of laying out the town of Mt. Carmel originated with the Bradfords. The earliest town plat that has come to the knowledge of the writer is a large and handsomely printed map now in the possession of Professor E. E. White. It bears the following indorsements:-

Plan of the town of Mt. Carmel, in the Middle coal region, Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, 1848. Application for lots to be made to C.W. Hegins, Esquire, Pottsville, Pennsylvania. The town [of] Mt. Carmel is situated on tableland on the north side of Locust mountain in the center of the Middle coal region and midway between the towns of Pottsville and Danville, eighteen miles from each place. The Centre turnpike passes through the town. Mt. Carmel is supplied with an abundance of pure water from a never-failing spring on Locust mountain. The situation of the town is most healthy, the land is good for cultivation, for gardens, etc., and good clay for making bricks exists on the premises.

This plat shows Creek, Mill, North, Taylor, Market, Webster, South, Oak, and Locust streets extending east and west in order from the north, intersected at right angles by Clay, West, Columbia, Main, Washington, East, and Penn, in order from the west. A map on a smaller scale shows the location of the town with reference to the Schuylkill and Susquehanna valleys, and the railroads "made or contemplated to be made in its vicinity." It is needless to remark that the word "contemplated" was a very necessary modifier.

In 1853 the plat of the town was relocated by P. W. Sheafer, of Pottsville,and the plan is recorded in Northnmberland county Deed Book S. S, p. 584. Mt. Carmel avenue, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth streets extend east and west in order from the north; Vine, Maple, Oak, Hickory, Market, Chestnut, Walnut, Locust, Spruce, and Pine streets extend north and south in order from the west. All the streets are seventy-live feet wide, except Market, of which the width is one hundred feet. The survey of 1853 was made under the auspices of a company, composed, as accurately as can be ascertained, of Charles W. Hegins, William L. Dewart. Alexander Jordan, Francis W. Hughes, William L. Helfenstein, Thomas Baumgardner, David Longenecker, John Anspach, and John M. Bickel.

Hough's and Baumgardner's additions, both situated west of the original tow plat and adjacent thereto, are the only regularly laid out additions to the town. Stuartville, Diamondtown, Bell's Tunnel, The Mountain, and Beaver Dale, all of which are small mining hamlets, adjoin the borough and are virtually part of it in everything except political organization.

FIRST IMPROVEMENTS AND SUBSEQUENT GROWTH.

When the town plat was resurveyed in 1853 the improvements in this locality consisted of the Mt. Carmel Inn, of which Felix Lerch was proprietor; Bradford's steam saw mill, then in full operation; a small frame building east of the mill, occupied by the teamster; a frame double-house near the Inn, also erected for the employees at the mill; and the old Riffert tavern (no longer kept as a public house), in which Jesse Yarnall resided. The Lamerson improvement had been abandoned.

Three buildings were erected in 1853. Alexander W. Rhea and George Schall built a two-story frame office nearly opposite the Mt. Carmel Inn: Rhea was a civil and mining engineer in the employ of the Locust Mountain Coal and Iron Company, and was killed by Mollie Maguires, for which Hester, Tally, and McHugh were hung at Bloomsburg; Schall was general agent for the New York and Middle Coal Field Company, and subsequently a member of the firm of Schall, Donohoe & Company, pioneer coal operators in the Mt. Carmel region. David J. Lewis built a two-story frame house at the southeast corner of Mt. Carmel avenue and Oak street and opened therein the first store in the town; and David Davis, a miner, erected a two-story frame house at the southwest corner of Market street and Mt. Carmel avenue. These three buildings were erected in the year 1853; they were completed about the same time, and were the first houses built at Mt. Carmel after the resurvey of the town plat.

For some years the growth of the town was very slow. Mining hamlets were built at the different collieries of the surrounding region, and the uniform policy of the coal companies in this respect was not favorable to the concentration of population at any one point. In 1860 the collieries upon which Mt. Carmel depended were Colonel Hough's, Green Ridge, Diamondtown, Stuartville, and Coal Ridge, and the villages of Stuartville, Green Ridge, and Beaver Dale were scarcely inferior to Mt. Carmel in size and importance. At that date the Centre turnpike crossed the borough diagonally from southeast to northwest. A growth of scrubby underbrush covered a large part of the town site, with cleared fields between Third and Fourth, Oak and Poplar, and Chestnut and Oak streets, respectively. The improvements were principally on Oak street. There was one church edifice, a brick structure at the present site of the Methodist building on Hickory street, and one school house, a one-story frame structure at the present site of the Second Street building. There were two hotels, the Mt. Carmel Inn and the Mt, Carmel House, and three stores: David J. Lewis's, Samuel John's, and David Heiser's. The Northern Central was the only railroad. With the exception of the coal mines, the only local industrial establishment was the blacksmith shop of David Evert, which stood near the Mt. Carmel Inn. Bradford's steam saw mill was not in operation.

The following is a list of residents of the town in 1860(it is possible that some of thepersons whose names appear in the list did not become residents until later, and also that the names of some who resided in the twon temporarily have been omitted.) -

Maple Street. - West side: Jacob Malick, carpenter, between Second and Third; Anthony Buddinger, carpenter, corner north of Fourth; Isaac Duttery, butcher, corner south of Fourth.

Maple Street- East side: Jesse Yarnall, teamster, between Mt. Carmel avenue and First street; John Yarnall, carpenter, comer north of Second; David D. Davis, miner, corner south of Second; John Blair, engineer, between Third and Fourth.

Oak Street. - West side: Mt. Carmel House, corner south of Mt. Carmel avenue; George Schall, of Schall, Donohoe & Company, who operated Coal Ridge colliery, between Mt. Carmel avenue and Second street; Frederick Fahrion, butcher and hotel keeper, comer north of Second street; Samuel John's store, corner south of Second street; George Kehler, teamster, between Second and Third; Enoch Musselman, tailor, between Second and Third; William Ewing, shoemaker, between Second and Third; Amelius F. Stecker, foreman of repair work on the railroad and at the collieries, between Second and Third; Abraham Lerch, between Second and Third; John Dietrick, laborer, between Second and Third; Dr. William J. Haas, comer north of Third; George Artz, teamster, between Third and Fourth; Abraham Martin, mason and plasterer, between Fourth and Fifth; Joseph Hughes, blacksmith, between Fourth and Fifth.

Oak Street- East side: David J. Lewis, merchant, comer south of Mt. Carmel avenue; Jonathan Klinger, outside foreman at Colonel Hough's coUiery, between Mt. Carmel avenue and Second street; Jonas Stine, between Mt. Carmel avenue and Second street; David Heiser, merchant, comer north of Second; Charles Bolich, shoemaker, between Second and Third; Samuel Sehmeltz, teamster, between Second and Third; Frank Persing, teamster, between Third and Fourth; David Evert, blacksmith, between Fourth and Fifth.

Hickory Street. - West side: Isaac Hollister, shoemaker, between Mt. Carmel avenue and Second street; John Raup, outside foreman at Schall, Donohoe & Company's colliery, between Second and Third; Henry Sharpe, mason, between Second and Third; William Biles, mason, between Second and Third.

Market Street. - West side: David Davis, miner, corner south of Mt. Carmel avenue.

Market Street- East side: Alfred Ford, miner and engineer, corner north of Second; Thomas East, miner, between Fourth and Fifth.

At that time (1860) there were but two brick buildings in the town, the Methodist church, on the west side of Hickory street between Second and Third, and David Heiser's store building, at the northeast corner of Oak and Second. With these exceptions the houses were all constructed of wooden materials and almost uniformly two stories high.

The town received considerable additions to its population as the result of the great impetus which the coal trade experienced during the civil war, but for some years thereafter it remained practically stationary.

On the 24th of July, 1873, all the houses on the west side of Oak street between Second and Third, with two exceptions, were destroyed by fire; they were replaced by buildings of improved appearance and more substantial construction, and the calamity thus resulted indirectly to the advantage of the town.

While the prosperity of the town is dependent entirely upon the coal trade, building and loan associations have probably contributed to its growth more than any other agency. As a result of the operation of these associations improved property is almost entirely in the hands of resident owners, a condition of affairs highly conducive to the stability and permanence of general business interest.

By the census of 1890 the population of the borough was eight thousand two hundred fifty-four.

THE FIRST MERCHANTS, PHTSICIANS, AND LAWYERS.

The first store at Mt. Carmel was opened in 1853 by David J. Lewis at a two-story frame house which he erected in that year at the southeast corner of Mt. Carmel avenue and Oak street. His first consignment of goods was hauled from Pottsville by wagon. The next stores were those of Samuel John and David Heiser; the former occupied a frame building at the south-west corner of Second and Oak streets, and was in charge of U. F. John, a son of the proprietor; Heiser's store was located at the northeast comer of Oak and Second streets in the second brick building erected at Mt. Carmel.

Dr. Joseph C. Robins, of Elysburg, was the first physician who practiced at Mt. Cannel. There was no resident physician until 1855, when Dr. William J. Haas located here and continued in practice until his death.

The first resident lawyer was Jefferson M. John, a son of Samuel John, who was admitted to the bar in 1874 and was in active practice at Mt. Carmel until his death.

THE POSTOFFICE.

Paul Roth was appointed postmaster of Mt. Carmel, June 13, 1846; Richard Yamall, May 5, 1847; Jeremiah C. Perkins, November 26, 1847. The office was discontinued on the 6th of July, 1849, and not re-established until April 26, 1850; since the latter date its incumbents have been appointed in the following order: Felix Lerch, April 26, 1850; William H. Lerch, March 23, 1855; David J. Lewis, September 1, 1856; Frederick Fahrion, September 8, 1858; James B. Welch, July 2, 1860; John Hough, December 26, 1860: David Heiser, April 4, 1861; Abraham Lerch, December 21, 1863; Charles Bolich, September 27, 1865; Amelius F. Stecker, February 10, 1868: Andrew J. Gallager, August 4, 1868; Abraham Ayers, December 4, 1868; Ann Ayers, June 14, 1879; John Brophy, April 6, 1886; George A. Stecker. August 17, 1889.

RAILROADS.

A section of the Danville and Pottsville railroad was partially graded between the Bellmore and Morris Ridge collieries, two miles east of Mt. Carmel, probably as early as 1833. The first railroad opened to the town was the Northern Central (1854), and the nest was the Lehigh Valley (1866); the latter now operates the line of the Northern Central as far as Shamokin. A branch of the Philadelphia and Reading railroad, terminating at Mt. Carmel, connects at Alaska with the main line of the Williamsport division of that great system.

MUNICIPAL ORGANIZATI0N AND GOVERNMENT.

The borough of Mt. Carmel was incorporated by decree of court on the 3d of November, 1862. The first election for borough officers was held at the Mt. Carmel Hotel on the third Friday in December, 1862; Frederick Fahrion acted as judge and William J. Haas and Abraham Camp as inspectors. The following is a list of burgesses since the incorporation of the borough: 1863. William J. Haas; 1864, Jonas L. Stine; 1865, Jonathan Hoover; 1866, William Biles; 1867, Frederick Fahrion; 1868, H. T. John; 1869, Jonathan Hoover; 1870, J. B. Reed; 1871, H. T. John; 1872, William J. Haas; 1873, Joseph Blanch; 1874-75, William J. Haas; 1876, George E. Moser; 1877, Henry Werntz; 1878, C. B. Zimmerman; 1879, William H. Lerch; 1880, Thomas J. Woodside; 1881-82, W. H. Stecker; 1883, D. H. Fisher; 1884-85, J. B. Reed; 1886-87, Jesse G.. John; 1888, M. B. Smith; 1889, William T. Burkert; 1890, Daniel Camp; 1891, Robert Smith.

The borough building, a one-story brick structure on Mt. Carmel avenue, was erected in 1883.

Anthracite Steam Fire Company, No. 1, was organized on the 12th of May, 1882, and incorporated September 4th of the same year. The company owns and occupies a frame building on the southeast corner of Market and Hickory- streets, erected in 1890.

THE MT. CARMEL COAL TRADE

The colleries of Mt. Carmel township are the Pennsylvania, Black Diamond, Mt. Carmel, Reliance, Alaska, Merriam, Monitor, Locust Gap, and Locust Spring, of which a full history is given in Chapters X and XI of this work, by Dr. J. J. John.

GENERAL INDUSTEIAL INTERESTS.

Albert Bradford erected a steam saw mill at Mt. Carmel about the year 1843: it occupied the site of the G. A. R. hall and adjoining ground on the east side of Hickory street. From eight to twelve men were usually employed at the mill, in cutting timber in the woods, and in hauling the product to Pottsville, where it found a market until the opening of the mines and erection of the breakers in the Mt. Carmel region created a local demand. The operation of this saw mill was finally discontinued prior to 1800.

The Mt. Carmel Iron Company, composed of Howel Green, David Lamont, J. W. Forney, and Thomas Rogers, removed the plant of a foundry and machine shop from Minersville, Schuylkill county, to Mt. Carmel in 1867 and rebuilt it on the line of the Lehigh Valley railroad. They employed twenty or twenty-five operatives. Greenwood & Gilmore became proprietors in 1870, but the establishment was destroyed by fire in December of the following year and never rebuilt. Greenwood subsequently manufactured screens for the breakers on a small scale, but only for a short time.

Geiger, Hinkel & Company's Planing Mill, a frame structure forty-five by one hundred feet in dimensions, is situated on the north side of town between Market and Hickory streets, and was erected in 1889. The business was established in 1SS3 by Geiger Brothers in a mill forty by sixty feet, located a short distance west of the present structure. The firm name was changed to its present style in March,' 1887, when William H. Hinkel and John P. Gibson were admitted to partnership. A twenty-five horse-power engine supplies the power for the establishment, which employs fifteen operatives. All work connected with a planing mill and contract building is done.

The Mt. Carmel Manufacturing Company, Oak street, employs six men and manufactures one thousand dozen miners' caps per month. The proprietor is Isaac Goldschmidt, by whom the business was established in 1889.

The Progress Hat and Cap Manufacturing Company occupies a two-story frame building at the southeast corner of Oak and Sixth streets. The business was established in Jime, 1SS9, by Thomas Scott, with whom W. H. Engle is now associated. Fifty girls and eight men are employed; all kinds of cloth hats and caps are manufactured, and the daily output is one hundred eighty dozen.

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS.

The Mt. Carmel Savings Bank was incorporated on the 9th of April, 1872, and organized with the following officers: president. Amos Yastine, vice-president, S. A. Bergstresser, and cashier, H. D. Rothermel. who, with Joseph Reeder, Robert Davison, David Llewellyn, A. M. Montelius, Henry Hile, and Joseph Deppen, constituted the first board of directors. Mr. Vastine served as president until his death in 1SS9, after which the vice-president, S. A. Bergstresser, performed the duties of that office until the ensuing annual election, when William Schwenk was chosen president. H. D. Rothermel was cashier from 1872 to 1878, H. J. Meixell from 1878 to 1881, and William Schwenk from 1881 to 1889, when H. B. Lukens, the present incumbent, was elected. The capital was originally one hundred thousand dollars, of which one half was paid in. The bank suspended temporarily in 1878, but an assessment of ten per cent, enabled it to resume about a month later. In 1882 the capital was reduced to fifty thousand dollars, of which thirty thousand is paid in.

The First National Bank of Mt. Carmel commenced business on the 8th of April. 1889, with a capital of fifty thousand dollars, distributed in one-hundred-dollar shares among seventy-four stockholders, of whom the principal ones were the business men of the borough. The first officers were E. C. Tier, president; John T. B. Gould, vice-president; M. K. Watkins, cashier; and W. H. Heat on, W. A. Phillips, George W. Davis, William McFee, L. W. Johnson, S. E. Bergstresser, Bernard Harvey, and E. C. Herb, directors. The surplus and undivided profits amount to five thousand four hundred dollars.

The Citizens' Building and Loan Association was organized in August, 1882; the first directory was composed as follows: William Schwenk, president; H. T. John, treasurer; M. K. Watkins, secretary, and John Stine, J. T. B. Gould, James H. Smith, Joseph H. Smith, W. T. WiUiams, Alex Schmeltz, John Weir, Joe Gould, and John Carl. The present president is Frederick Gross ; vice-president, Thomas Dawson; treasurer, J. T. B. Gould, and secretary, M. K. Watkins, who has served in that position continuously since the organization of the association. The first series was closed out in August, 1890, in a little less than ten years; the fifth series was started in August, 1890, and four series, consisting of about four thousand shares, are now in operation. The aggregate receipts for the ten years ending August 1, 1890, were over half a million dollars, principally invested in the erection of houses at Mt. Carmel.

The Anthracite Building and Loan Association was organized in April, 1882, with the following officers: president, David J. Lewis; vice-president, Joseph Blanch; secretary, C. D. "Wright; directors: C. D. Wright, Isaac Goldschmidt, John Jefferson, Thomas Morton. Bernard Bresslin, John Carl. William T. Montelius, Jacob Rhoads, and W. C. James; auditors: O. H. Sillyman, T. J. Horan, and K. T. John. Messrs. Lewis and Wright have served in their respective positions to the present time, and also several of the directors. This company has six series in operation, the first of which expires in 1892. The receipts are uniformly sold on the monthly pay-day; the annual receipts are seventy thousand dollars, and are invested exclusively in real estate.

WATER AND ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANIES.

The Mt. Carmel Water Company was incorporated on the 17th of November, 1SS3. The first officers were A. M. Montelius, president, M. K. Watkins, secretary, George Eobertson, treasurer, and William Schwenk, Thomas Scott, Thomas M Eighter, Joe Gould, S. E. Bergstresser, O. H. Sillyman, J. B. Eeed, and H. T. John, directors. The capital is twenty-five thousand dollars, distributed in twenty-five-dollar shares among seventy-four stockholders, nearly all of whom are property holders in Mt. Carmel. The distributing service comprises seven miles of mains, radiating from two reservoirs located on the north side of Locust mountain within half a mile of the center of the town. The capacity of the reservoirs is five million gallons. The supply is derived from springs not five hundred feet from them, and is sufficient for the town ten months in the year. During extremely dry weather water is purchased from the Locust Mountain Water Company.

The Edison Electrical Illuminating Company of Mt. Carmel was incorporated on the 17th of November, 1883, with an authorized capital of sixteen thousand dollars, of which fifteen thousand was paid in. In November, 1890, the capital was increased to thirty thousand dollars, of which twenty-five thousand is paid in. The plant was originally located on Fourth street west of Maple, and had a capacity for five hundred lights; it was removed to South Oak street in 1891, when the capacity was increased to twenty-five hundred lights. The first officers were William Schwenk, president, M. K. Watkins, secretary, and Thomas M. Eighter, treasurer. The present directory is composed of M. K. Watkins, president. E. C. Tier, treasurer, Isaac Goldschmidt, S. E. Bergstresser, Joe Gould, Feter Jennings, H. T. John, and L. W. Johnson, William Keiser is the secretary of the company. This was the first isolated electrical plant in the world (i.e.. Mt. Carmel was the first town lighted exclusively by electricity); it was also the fifth electrical plant constructed upon the Edison system.

SECRET AND OTHER SOCIETIES.

The following is a list of secret and other societies of Mt. Carmel, with dates of organization or institution: Mt. Carmel Lodge, No. 378, F. & A. M., November 29, 1S66; Burnside Post, No. 92, G. A. E., November 1, 1867; James A. Garfield Camp, No. 34, S. of V., August 9, 1883; Mt. Carmel Lodge, No. 630, I.O.O. F., May 19, 1868; Washington Camp, No. 116, P.O.S. of A., March 9, 1870; Washington Camp, No. 231, P.O.S. of A., July 25, 1882; Sons of St. George, No. 175, April 23, 1885; Division No. 1, A.O.H., May 1, 1887; Mt. Carmel Commandery, No. 22, Ancient and Illustrious Order of Knights of Malta, December 27, 1887; Royal Arcanum, September 14, 1888; Mt. Carmel Castle, No. 324, K.G.E., August 14, 1889.

THE PRESS.

The Mt. Carmel News, of which R. J. Wilson is the present editor and proprietor, was originally established by Owen Fowler in December, 1877, under the caption of Mt. Carmel Progress. The Weekly Item, Will B. Wilson, proprietor, was first issued on the 7th of January, 1888, by L. W. Gheen, and is distributed gratuitously as an advertising medium. The Mt. Carmel American is published by Burke & Thomas, and first appeared on the 30th of August, 1890. The Tri-Weekly American was published in January, 1891, by Curtis Sterner.

SCHOOLS

The first school house within the present borough limits occupied the site of the Second Street building and was erected in the summer of 1856. It was a one-story frame structure as originally built, but a second story was subsequently added in which the high school was first taught. As the population of the town increased it became necessary to provide additional accommodations, and a frame building subsequently used as a United Brethren church, on Third street between Hickory and Market, was occupied for school purposes. Two schools were taught there and one in the second story of the school building, the lower floor of which was regarded as unhealthy and therefore temporarily abandoned.

The Hickory Street building is a two-story brick structure at the northeast corner of Hickory and Third streets and contains two rooms on each floor. Its erection was begun in 1870, when the board of directors, consisting of John Lazarus, John B. Reed, Simon Light, David Heiser. H. W. Gulick, and H. D. Rothermel, awarded the contract for its construction to Jacob Rinehart. The building was completed in 1871 and the first term of school within its walls was opened in the autumn of that year with W. T. Rightmire, Sanford Lewis, Rebecca Reed, and Sallie Burkert as teachers.

Between 1870 and 1882 there were five schools for a time, four in the Hickory Street building and one in the Second Street building; both rooms of the latter were ultimately occupied, thus increasing the number to six.

On the 14th of October, 1882, Daniel Camp, William Schwenk, Jesse G. John, David J. Lewis, Joseph H. Smith, and James H. Smith, who composed the board at that time, awarded the contract for the erection of the Park school building to A. S. Tovey at the consideration of five thousand nine hundred dollars. This is a two-story brick structure with four main rooms and two recitation rooms. It was first occupied in March, 1883; the first teachers were W. N. Lehman, E. E. White, and Ella Malone.

The Second Street building occupies the site of the first school house of the town. It is a two-story brick structure with four rooms, two of which were erected by Bernard Harvey for two thousand four hundred ninety dollars, agreeably to contract entered into on the 14th of October, 1884; the directors at that time were Daniel Camp, E. C. Tier, David J. Lewis, Jacob B. Rhoads, Thomas M. Righter and James H. Smith. School was opened in these rooms in February, 1885, with Ella Malone and Jennie Jennings as teachers. The contract for the completion of the building was awarded to M. McGee, September 20, 1886, at the consideration of one thousand five hundred fifty dollars; the board was composed of Jacob B. Rhoads, O. H. Sillyman, Thomas M. Righter, E. C. Tier, James H. Smith, and George Robertson at that time. Only one room was occupied when the building was completed; the first teacher therein was Emily Spinney.

In 1887 the borough limits were extended, whereby two township school houses became the property of the town. Both were one story-frame structures. One was located on Sixth street and the other on Third; the former had two rooms, the latter, one.

The Vine Street building is the most recent addition to the educational facilities of the borough and the most commodious of its school properties. The erection of this building was begun on the 29th of April. 1889, and school was opened therein for the first time on the l0th of March, 1890, with W. X. Lehman, J. E. Bastress, E. E. White, Morris W. Tucker, Jennie Jennings, and Dora O. Sando as teachers. Thomas M. Righter, E. C. Tier, David Camp, O. H. Sillyman, George Robertson, and James H. Smith composed the board of directors under which its construction was begun, and awarded the contract to Bernard Harvey at the sum of sixteen thousand dollars. He also furnished hot-air heating apparatus (the Smead, Wills & Company system), for which eight hundred sixty dollars additional was paid. There are eight rooms in this building, two of which are occupied by the high school, two by grammar grades, and four by primary grades.

The following statistics are presented for the term of 1890-91: pupils in attendance, sixteen hundred; high school teachers, two; grammar school teachers, three; primary teachers, eighteen-total, twenty three.

The course embraces six grades - three in the primary department, two in the grammar department, and one in the high school. The curriculum of the high school includes arithmetic, algebra, geometry, physics, physical geography, rhetoric, English literature, etymology, book-keeping, general history, and drawing.

Professor W. N. Lehman became principal in 1882 and has filled that position continuously to the present time.

St. Joseph's Parochial School was started under the supervision of Sisters of the Order of St. Francis and continued by them several years. It was then conducted by lay teachers from 1887 to 1891. A frame building in the rear of St. Joseph's church was the school house, but plans have now (1891) practically matured for the erection of a substantial brick structure.

CHURCHES.

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized on the 18th of May, 1855, by Rev. C J. Ehrhart with the following members: Peter Stroh, John Dreher, Frederick Fahrion, George Hornberger, Catherine Klinger, Sarah Dreher, Catherine Stroh, Mary Ann Fahrion, Christian Knapp, Lewis Knapp, Jonathan Klinger, George Long, Elizabeth Klinger, Magdalena Fagely, and Maria Steel The first communion was held on the 20th of May, 1855. The congregation was reorganized in 1867 under the discipline and formula of government recommended by the General Synod with the following constituent members: Frederick Fahrion, Mary Ann Fahrion, Catherine Persing, Isaac Miller, Sarah Miller, Ellen McWilliams, Frederick Miller and wife, John Dreher, Sarah Dreher, Catherine Stahr, Elizabeth Biles, Anna Dreher, J. H. Yarnall, Sarah Feisher, Catherine Christopher, Rebecca Schmeltz, Augustus Zimmerman, Carolina Zimmerman, A. F. Stecker, Mary A. Stecker, Elizabeth Lerch, Sarah Jane Raup, and Elizabeth Stillwagner. The first council was elected on this occasion and consisted of John Dreher and J. H. Yarnall, elders, and Isaac Miller and Frederick Fahrion, deacons. The new congregation was first represented in the Susquehanna Synod by Frederick Fahrion.

Decisive action for the erection of a church edifice was first taken on the 15th of June, 1863, when J. H. Yarnall, A. F. Stecker, Frederick Fahrion, David Llewellyn, and P. Van Horn were appointed as a committee to secure lots, prepare plans, and construct a frame church building forty-two by twenty-eight feet in dimensions. Mr. Llewellyn secured the location and Mr. Yarnall prepared the draft. Prior to this time the congregation worshiped at a frame school house on the southeast comer of Second street and Grape alley. On the 18th of October, 1863, the comer-stone of the new building was laid, Reverends P. Williard, R. A. Fink, D. D., and F. A. Barnitz, officiating. This structure was completed at a cost of seventeen hundred dollars and dedicated in the spring of 1867. It is a frame building located on the south side of Mt. Carmel avenue, and is the present place of worship. The parsonage, a substantial frame building adjoining the church on the west, was erected in 1879-80 at a cost of thirteen hundred dollars.

The first pastor was Rev. C. J. Ehrhart, who served from the organization of the church until the 27th of April, 1856, residing at Shamokin. His successor at that point, Rev. J. F. Wampole, became pastor of the Mt. Carmel church in 1858 (June 15th), and continued in that relation until the 1st of October, 1859. The church then became a part of the Ashland pastorate, sharing as such in the labors of Rev. W. L. Heisler, October 1, 1859, to January 1. 1862, Rev. F. A. Barnitz, February, 1862, to February, 1867, and Rev. J. E. Sikes, February to December, 1867. The congregation was irregularly supplied by Rev. J. A. Adams from December 1, 1867, to April 19, 1868. At the meeting of the Susquehanna Synod in that year Mt. Carmel was attached to the Shamokin Yalley pastorate, of which Mr. Adams was pastor from the 1st of June, 1868, until the 1st of December, 1876. Rev. O. D. S. Marclay, of Ashland, was then pastor from June 3, 1877, to May 31, 1878. He was followed by Rev. C. W. Sechrist, the first resident pastor, who served from the 1st of February, 1879, to March 31, 1881. Rev. M. V. Shadow was pastor. October 1, 1881, to August 31, 1884, and Rev. J. C. Schindel, December 7, 1884 to 1891.

St. Matthew's Slavic Church, Lutheran and Calrinist, was erected in 1889.

Zion Ecangelical Lutheran Church was organized on the 9th of June, 1889, with twelve members, of whom Henry Schweinhart and Jacob Lupoid were elected as elders and John Lupoid and Andrew Wetzel as deacons. They were installed on the 7th of July following. The first steps for effecting this organization were taken by Rev. J. C. Shindel, at whose instance Grace Lutheran church was placed at the disposal of the German Lutherans of the borough for religious worship. The mission was formally begun on the 17th of February, 1889, by Rev. Henry Weicksel, pastor of Grace Lutheran church, Shamokin, whose son and successor. Rev. William Weicksel, is the present pastor. Since October, 1889, services have been held in private houses.

Methodist Episcopal Church.-The first Methodist sermons at Mt. Carmel were preached by Joshua Potts and John H. James, local preachers. Regular services were first instituted in the fall of 1856 by Rev. Joseph Y. Rothrock, of Catawissa circuit; he was succeeded by Reverends John A. De Moyer and H.S. Mendenhall. The former held a protracted meeting in May, 1858, as a result of which a Methodist church was regularly organized on the 23d of that month with the following members: Abraham Camp, Olive Camp. David J. Lewis, Daniel Heiser, John H. Yarnall, Edward C. Murray, John J. Esher, Mary A. Knittle, Amanda Lewis, Henrietta Yarnall, Adam J. Miller, Phebe A. Heiser, Eichard Phillips, Mary Jones, Carolina Esher, George A. Keeler, Mary Powell, Joanna Perry, Wilhehnina Neidig, David Camp, Lovina Camp, and Tacy Keeler, of whom David Camp was appointed leader.

The first place of worship was the old Second Street school house. The erection of a church building was indirectly due to Rev. F. B. Riddle, of Shamokin; Mr. Riddle visited Philadelphia in 1S59 to solicit fluids for the erection of a Methodist church at Shamokin, and called upon John Anspach for that purpose. Mr. Anspach had large interests in real estate at Mt. Carmel and offered to contribute two hundred fifty dollars for the building of a church at that place. A local subscription was at once begun: a building committee was appointed, August 8, 1859, composed of Daniel Heiser, A.F. Stecker, Joseph Ramsey, John Yarnall, and David Heiser. A brick edifice, the first at Mt. Carmel, thirty-five by forty-five feet in dimensions, was erected on the west side of Hickory street; it was dedicated on the 26th of January, 1800, Reverends Thompson Mitchell, D.D., T.M. Reese, and S.W. Sears officiating. The cost of the building approximated fifteen hundred dollars. This was the place of worship until 1884, when the present substantial two-story brick church edifice was erected. The building committee, appointed on the 23d of April, 1884, was composed of John Stine, Frederick Gross, William A. Phillips, Benjamin F. Fagely, H.T. John, M.K. Watkins, and William Schwenk. The corner-stone was laid on the 26th of July, 1884, and the dedication of the Sunday school room occurred November 23d of the same year; the completed edifice was finally dedicated on the 19tli of September, 1886, Reverends E.J. Grey, D.D., M. L. Ganoe, S.M. Frost, D.D., and S.W. Sears officiating.

This building is seventy-eight by forty-eight feet in dimensions, and cost eleven thousand dollars. The succession of pastors since 1868, when Mt. Carmel became a station, has been as follows: 1808, J.A. Dixon; 1869, E.T. Swartz; 1870-72, P.F. Eyer; 1873-74, S.W. Sears; 1875, Alem Brittain; 1876-78, N W. Colburn; 1879-81, S.M. Frost, D.D.; 1882-83, W. W. Reese; 1884-85, S.W. Sears; 1886-88, M.L. Drum; 1889-91, W.G. Ferguson.

The Primitive Methodist Church was organized at the old Second Street school house. Among the leading early members were George Hanrey. Moses Harvey, Thomas M. Thomas, David Harris, John Green, Josiah Bough, and William Flew. The present church edifice, a brick structure on the east side of Market street, was erected in 1872 and dedicated in 1873. Services were first regularly conducted by James Stoney, a local preacher: the succession of pastors has been as follows: Reverends John H. Acornley. Daniel Savage, Charles Miles, Benjamin Whillock, John A. James, Stephen Hancock, Samuel Penglase, John Mason, W. H. Acornley, and John P. Barlow. A commodious parsonage adjacent to the church building was erected in 1887.

Congregational Church.-A Sunday school was organized in 1856, of which Rees Davis and W. W. Davis were superintendents; its meetings were held at the public school house, where Welsh preachers held services occasionally for some years. A church was organized in 1858 by Rev. Thomas Rees, but disbanded two years later. The Sunday school also disbanded, but was reorganized in 1863 with W.W. Davis as superintendent. A permanent church organization was formed, March 26-27, 1870, by Reverends W. W. Davis and W. B. Williams, with the following members: Thomas Williams, Messach Watkins, Morgan Davis, William Watkins, Benjamin Thomas, Margaret Williams, Sarah Watkins, Deborah Davis, Martha Thomas, Rebecca Respach, Elizabeth Evans, and Rachel Lewis. Thomas Williams, deacon, Messach Watkins, secretary, and Morgan Davis, treasurer, were the first officers. The Second Street school house was the place of worship at that time. The present frame church edifice, on the west side of Market street between Second and Third, was dedicated on the 23d of July, 1871. The following pastors have served this church: Rev. R.D. Thomas (1870-72), E. R. Lewis, William Thomas, D. T. Davis, D. Todd Jones, W. W. Davis, Anthony Howels, and D. D. Davis, who was installed. May 31, 1886, and resigned in 1890.

Church of Oar Lady of Mt. Carmel.-The first Catholic services in the vicinity of Mt. Carmel were held at Beaver Dale school house in the autumn of 1866 by Rev. J. J. Koch, pastor of St. Edward's church, Shamokin. He organized the congregation and had charge of it until November, 1868, when it was placed under the care of Rev. Daniel I. McDermott, then pastor of St. Ignatius's church at Centralia. Father McDermott soon afterward began the erection of a church edifice, which was completed and dedicated in October, 1869; it was a one-story frame structure, forty-two by forty-four feet in dimensions. Soon after the dedication the parish was again placed in charge of Father Koch, who, in September, 1870, purchased two acres of land at Beaver Dale for a cemetery for the congregation. In October, 1871, Rev. E. T. Fields, Father McDermott's successor at Centralia, took charge of the Church of Our Lady; he was followed by Rev. J.J. O'Reilly, the first resident pastor, who erected the present parochial residence in 1879-80. Rev. Mark A. O'Neill became pastor in the spring of 1887, and has served to the present time. Under his administration a substantial brick church edifice, beautifully frescoed, has been erected on Market street at a cost of thirty thousand dollars; it was dedicated by Bishop McGovern, May 30, 1888. The congregation comprises about two hundred fifty families.

St. Joseph's Catholic Church at Mt. Carmel was organized by Rev. Florian Klonowski in 1876 from the Polish Catholics formerly connected with the Church of Our Lady. He subsequently erected the present church edifice, a brick structure at the corner of Hickory and Sixth streets, and had charge of the parish until 1886, when he was succeeded by his brother, Rev. Jerome Klonowski, the present pastor. The parochial residence was built in 1885 on a lot adjoining the church edifice, in the rear of which is a parochial school house which accommodated one hundred forty children during the term of 1889-90. It is taught by lay teachers, and is doing effective work. Since coming to Mt. Carmel Father Klonowski has had the parochial residence painted, a fence built around the property, steam-heating apparatus put into both church and house, and has recently had the church beautifully frescoed. He has now (1890) in contemplation the erection of a new brick school house on the site of the present frame in the near future. The congregation numbers about fifteen hundred souls, while the church has a seating capacity of only about five hundred.

The United Brethren Church was organized in 1860 by Rev. F. List, at the house of John Deitrick, with five members, viz.: Evan Frey, Henry Yeager, Catherine T. Deitrick, Rebecca Teager, and Elizabeth Artz. The house of John Deitrick was the place of worship for several years, after which a frame building on the north side of Third street between Hickory and Market, formerly used for school purposes, was occupied until 1874; the present frame church edifice at the southwest corner of Vine and Third streets was then built at a cost of two thousand dollars. Rev. Thomas Garland, Lewis Deitrick, and John Byerly were the trustees at that time. The following pastors have served this church: Reverends F. List, 1866; J. Shoop, 1867-68; William B. Evers, 1869; A. P. Kaufman, 1870; Reverends Hartshorn and Nelson, 1871; S.R. Gipple, 1872-73; Thomas Garland, 1874-75; M.P. Sanders, 1876; S.R. Gipple, 1877-79; L. Kreamer, 1880-81; H.S. Gable, 1882-83; H.B. Spayd, 1883-84; J.G. Fritz, 18S5-8S; M.J. Heberly, 1889. Mt. Carmel became a mission station in 1883 and a self-supporting station in 1886. The parsonage was built in 1884, and the church edifice was remodeled in 1888.

Welsh Baptist Church. - Reverends Thomas Thomas and David Evans organized a Welsh Baptist church in 1871. of which Daniel Evans and Philip Thomas were the first deacons. After worshiping at a school house near the old Reading depot eighteen months the society disbanded. A reorganization was effected in 1879, and in 1880 a frame church edifice was built at the corner of Market and Third streets; it was dedicated on the 20th of June in that year, when William W. Watkins and William Lawrence were the deacons, and Evan Davis, William W. Watkins, and John P. Edwards were the trustees. The subsequent pastors were Reverends Jeremiah Grifiith and Richard Edwards. The congregation finally disbanded in 1880.

Church of God. - Elders A. Snyder and Jacob Hepler were the first ministers of this denomination who preached at Mt. Carmel. An organization was effected in 1880 by Elder J.C. Hoover, and the first members were Levi Werntz and wife, William S. Eyers and wife, and Benjamin Hepler and wife. Services were first held at private houses and at a school house near the old Reading depot. A building site on the east side of Chestnut street between Second and Third having been donated by Elizabeth Clouser, the present frame church edifice was erected thereon and dedicated on the 21st of October, 1883. It has since been materially enlarged. Elders J.C. Hoover, D.H. Mummah, S. Smith, F.Y. Weidenhammer, and J.W. Miller have successively served as pastors.

St. Paul's Church of the Evangelical Association.-The present church edifice was erected in 1871, at which time this was a preaching point on Ashland circuit, of which Rev. James Lantz was preacher in charge. In 1872 Mt. Carmel was made a mission and placed in charge of Rev. James Bowman. The membership at that time was twenty-five, and the society was burdened with debt. Fifty-seven accessions were made during the year; and under the next pastor, Rev. L.N. Worman, the membership increased to one hundred two. The official boards of the organization at that time were constituted as follows: trustees: Simon Light, Joseph Delcamp, Emanuel Kehler, William Shively, Jacob Kissinger, and Jonathan Hoover; stewards: Joseph Delcamp, Simon Light, Isaac Keiser, Emanuel Kehler, and Jonathan Deitrich; leaders: Simon Light, Jonathan Deitrich, Emanuel Kehler, and Joseph Schwartz. The following is a list of pastors since the mission was established: 1872, Rev. James Bowman; 1873-75, Rev. L.N. Worman; 1876, Rev. N.B. Sherk; 1877, Rev. A.M. Sampsel; 1878, Rev. N.A. Bair; 1879, Rev. A. Dilabar; 1880-82, Rev. J.W. Woehrle; 1883, Rev. J. S. Overholser; 1884-80, Rev. J.R. Hensyl; 1887-88, Rev. G.C. Knobel; 1889-90, Rev. D.S. Stauffer.

The Sunday school was organized in June, 1871. There are two other auxiliary organizations: a Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor and a Mission Band, all, like the church in general, in a prosperous condition.

Grace Reformed Church was organized on the 14th of June, 1886, with the following members: C.T. Dechant and wife, George Becker and wife, Isaac Wolfgang and wife, Ben Wirt and wife, Henry Geist, Mary Dechant, Ada Dechant, Ella Dechant, Thomas Dechant, and Mr. Hawk. C T. Dechant, Isaac Wolfgang, and George Becker were the first elders. The first trustees were Dr. J.G. Raessler, C.T. Dechant, Henry Geist, Frederick Klawitter, Nathan Haubenstein, William Ruths, and John Zutka. A Sunday school was organized on the 13th of May, 1888, with Dr. J. G. Raessler as superintendent. Services were first held in the G. A. R. hall on Hickory street, after which the Welsh Baptist church, corner of Market and Third streets, was rented and subsequently purchased The present church edifice, a frame structure twenty-five by forty feet in dimensions, was erected in 1890 under the supervision of a building committee composed of Dr. J.G. Raessler, Henry Geist, and C.T. Dechant. The comer-stone was laid on the 27th of March, 1890. Rev. George Dechant was pastor from June, 1886, until May, 1888, and Rev. H.H Sando from May 13, 1888, to April 6, 1890.

First Presbyterian Church. - Reverends Caldwell, Milliken, Reardon, and other Presbyterian clergymen preached at Mt. Carmel occasionally under the auspices of Northumberland Presbytery, but no organization was effected until the 10th of July, 1887, where a presbyterial committee, composed of Rev. H.G. Finney, Rev. J.W. Gilland, and S.A. Bergstresser, organized the First Presbyterian church with the following members: Thomas M. Righter, Mrs. Gertrude L. Righter, S.A. Bergstresser, Mrs. Voris Auten, Mrs. George B. Renn, Mrs. Emily Heiser, Mrs. Mary Benson, Charles J. Siegfried, Mrs. Kate Siegfried, Robert Penman, William Hillhouse, Mrs. Mary Hillhouse, Mrs. Mary Reid, William Mcllwain, Mrs. Emily H. Bolich, Mrs. Margaret Lawson, Mrs. Agnes Ramage, John Reid, William Reid, Henry F. Freeze, Alexander Taylor, Peter E. Jones, Mrs. Mary Ann Jones, Miss Margaret Penman, Miss Phyllis Jones, Mrs. Janet Reid Taylor, Mrs. Louisa Stillwagner. Miss Rebecca Gibson, Eli H. Snyder, William Finley, Mrs. Margaret Finley, Miss Margaret Reid, and Mrs. Elizabeth J. Jennings, S.A. Bergstresser, Robert Penman, and William Hillhouse were the first elders, and Thomas M. Righter, John Reid, and Eli H. Snyder were the first deacons. The first regular pastor, Rev. Stuart Mitchell, D.D., was installed on the 11th of June, 1889, and is the present incumbent. The G.A.R. hall was the place of worship until the 22d of December, 1889, when the present church edifice at the southeast corner of Fifth and Hickory streets was occupied for the first time. The corner-stone was laid, August 8, 1889, and the dedication occurred on the 11th of May, 1890. Dr. J.S. Lazarus, Thomas M. Righter, and Robert Muir composed the building committee. The Sunday school was organized on the 2d of January, 1887, with Eli H. Snyder as superintendent.

CEMETERIES.

The Catholic Cemetery comprises ten acres and is situated at Beaver Dale, west of Mt. Carmel. The ground was purchased and inclosed by Rev. J.J. Koch in 1870, and has since been the burial place for the entire Catholic population of Mt. Carmel and vicinity. The space available for interments has now been entirely utilized, and a movement is in progress for the purchase of additional ground.

The Mt. Carmel Cemetery Company was organized on the 29th of March, 1883, with O. H. Sillyman, president, Thomas Scott, secretary, and Charles Wightman, treasurer, who, with John Stine, Morgan Davis, Michael Hinkel, David J. Lewis, William McFee, and John Jefferson, were the charter members of the company. A plat of ground five hundred feet square, situated near Alaska, a mile and a half from the borough, was donated by the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company, and has been inclosed and improved. This had been a burial ground for some years previously, but the stitle was not vested in local hands.