Ourtowns

HZ_STANDSPEAK/PAGES [A09] | 06/26/13

21:00 | SUPERIMPSC

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Standard~Speaker

A9

Revisiting the popular Standard-Speaker feature of two decades ago, we celebrate with pride the spirit of ...

Our

Towns

Tamaqua

The borough of Tamaqua was founded by a German immigrant named Burkhardt Moser Jr., who first settled there in 1799.

JAMIE PESOTINE/Staff Photographer

Hard work lends to rich history

By TOM RAGAN StaffWriter

F

or many, coal mining and railroads — at one time the lifeblood of the anthracite region of Schuylkill, Luzerne and Carbon counties — signify hard work.

One of the region’s hallmark towns still stands today as a testament to that work ethic.

When immigrants left their “old country” for what is now Tamaqua, they looked to their Native American predecessors for inspiration.

They included the Iroquois tribe of the Tuscaroras, which had a saying, “Tah-nah-mochk-hanne,” meaning “land where the beaver dwells in the water.” From that and the Indian chief Tankamochk, or “Tam-akwah,” a new town earned its name.

Among the immigrants, a German named Burkhardt Moser Jr. founded what is now known as Tamaqua. He first settled there in 1799 with his wife, Catherine; daughter Barbara, and son, Jacob. Moser built the area’s first saw mill that first year and lived there with his family for a brief time.

Two years later, he built the first home in Tamaqua, a log cabin that still stands behind another building at 307 E. Broad St. The log cabin is visible from the Greenwood Street side, where it sits among a cluster of homes near the corner of Greenwood and East Broad streets.

“We hope to demolish the front home on Broad Street to open up the visibility and create a park in front of it over the next couple of years,” said Dale Freudenberger, Tamaqua historian and president of the Tamaqua Historical Society. The civic organization purchased the Moser property, log cabin and home in 1999.

A good portion of the log cabin remains intact along with a blacksmith shop that was in operation from 1848 to 1973. Hegarty Blacksmith operated for three generations before the shop was donated to the historical society.

It is also part of the historical society’s tours — the longest-running in Schuylkill County — by request or appointment. Freudenberger said the tours, provided at no cost, give Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, church groups and other organizations along with families a chance to experience and learn about the history of Tamaqua.

See HISTORY, A12

The first home in Tamaqua, a log cabin home built by the borough’s founder, still stands today behind another building at 307 E. Broad St.

HZ_STANDSPEAK/PAGES [A10] | 06/26/13

21:07 | SUPERIMPSC

A10 Standard~Speaker

Our

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Revisiting the popular Standard-Speaker feature of two decades ago, we celebrate with pride the spirit of ...

Towns

Tamaqua

JAMIE PESOTINE/Staff Photographer

“One of the focal points in the community has always been the train station,”Tamaqua Mayor Christian Morrison said. The station was originally built in 1874.

Borough’s past resembles its present

MARY PAGANO/ For the Standard-Speaker

Vonz Restaurant held their ribbon-cutting ceremony June.The restaurant opened last week in the historic Tamaqua Railroad Station offering a combination of fine and casual cuisine.

By TOM RAGAN

Christian Morrison said.

“One of the focal points in the community has Tamaqua’s leaders always been the train stabelieve the town’s past tion. A new restaurant just resembles its present. opened in the train station “The coal mines are open- (Vonz Restaurant) and the ing back up again and place looks fantastic.” employing more people and When anyone talks about we’re constantly seeing what drives communities more coal being shipped out like Tamaqua, the first on the rail cars. It’s interest- thing mentioned are the voling how life has gone full unteers. circle,” Tamaqua Mayor “The volunteers are the StaffWriter

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gems of this community,” Morrison said. “They rebuilt the train station out of rubble when it was a 5050 decision to rebuild it or tear it down.”

He praised the Save Our Station, or SOS, volunteers for their work in restoring the old station that also has a gift shop inside that sells hats, shirts, train station memorabilia and books, some by local authors.

“It’s a group of volunteers that has made things happen, and that is what our community is based on,” Morrison said.

Morrison said the Streetscape Project refreshed the downtown with new amenities such as streetlights, and residents are enjoying new playgrounds and a renovated Little League facility.

“If you look at where Tamaqua is today we’re certainly trying to capitalize on our past,” Tamaqua Borough Council President Micah Gursky.

Gursky is grateful for Tamaqua’s rich architectural history that includes the train station, built in 1874, and other assets like the

FILE PHOTO

Decorative streetlamps line a newly-renovated section of West Broad Street (Route 209) in Tamaqua in 2008.

Owl Creek dams and Bungalow Park.

“Right now we are investing a lot in our parks and reservoirs and downtown historical buildings and our neighborhoods. That’s a

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way in trying to preserve what is good about Tamaqua,” Gursky said. “It’s what people will remember about growing up in Tamaqua — those warm feelings when people are visiting and remembering years ago.”

Gursky admitted that not everything was done right in the past, but he noted that a simple thing such as getting all properties connected to the sanitary sewer system is a step in the right direction.

Gursky said Tamaqua is lucky to have many businesses that have been in the borough for generations

and have stuck with the town; among them, The Chili Dog, Klingaman’s and Block’s Store. Officials are working to attract new business and industry, as well, he said.

“Atlas Steel Fabrication can design a building anywhere in the world from Tamaqua on a computer,” Gursky said. “So, we’re trying to take advantage of the resources that we’ve inherited and to move the community forward and improve and build our economy to give people a reason to move back to Tamaqua.” tragan@standardspeaker.com

HZ_STANDSPEAK/PAGES [A11] | 06/26/13

23:02 | SUPERIMPSC

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Our

Standard~Speaker A11

Revisiting the popular Standard-Speaker feature of two decades ago, we celebrate with pride the spirit of ...

Towns

Tamaqua

The borough of Tamaqua has undergone a “major transformation in the past 15 to 20 years” and officials credit that to community volunteers.

JAMIE PESOTINE/Staff Photographer

Volunteers transformed borough rants or pizza places or bars.”

Betz did acknowledge the new streetlights, the garden and other areas of improvement, and believes leaders are honestly trying to improve Tamaqua.

Yulanavage readily admits that Tamaqua will never be the same community that it once was, but she said offi-

cials are working to attract investors, tourists and others through several avenues, including the arts.

Another positive is an agreement by which a graduate of Tamaqua Area High School can receive two years of college education at the Lehigh-Carbon Community College satellite campus in Tamaqua, Yulanavage said.

“It’s a great savings for somebody that wants to go to college,” she said.

The John Morgan Foundation provides the funds for the free college tuition. Most recently, the foundation paid $60,000 for a new water slide at the community pool in Tamaqua. tragan@standardspeaker.com

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A Tamaqua resident volunteer prunes the flowerbeds at the Depot Square at Tamaqua’s five-points intersection in 2008.

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“I’m living here 58 years attractive community.” and I’m satisfied with it,” he William Fredericks, a said.

Tamaqua resident who Credit for Tamaqua’s Kim Betz, another Tamrecently wheeled around “major transformation in the town on his bicycle, has seen aqua resident, thinks Tampast 15 to 20 years” is to be aqua has other quality-of-life this firsthand. shared across the communiissues that have to be “I know a couple that ty, the head of the Tamaqua recently moved back to Tam- addressed to make the borChamber of Commerce says. aqua from Florida,” he said. ough more attractive.

“Volunteerism is up and “If they cleaned it up and While Fredericks admitted we’ve had a big influx of that the borough would bene- put some more variety-type both public and private fund- fit from a few more business- stores downtown I think ing,” Linda Yulanavage, the business would be back,” es downtown, he also noted chamber’s executive director, that Tamaqua’s roads and Betz said. “Not necessarily said. clothing stores but maybe bridges are getting fixed, Thanks to the hard work book stores, not just restauwhich is a positive sign. of volunteers, Tamaqua’s downtown is welcoming, Yulanavage said.

“We’ve managed to create a focal point with our gardens in the center of town and we’ve been very lucky in obtaining land for the garden,” she said. “People have given us land. The railroad station is the focal point with the garden in town.”

Tamaqua’s supporters say the physical improvements www.tamaqua.net • (570) 668-1880 are noticeable.

“We’re doing building rehab, street rehab, housing rehab, so we’re working on a You should be proud of lot of different issues here,” Yulanavage said. your history..

Borough officials are looking forward to bringing people back to Tamaqua and in many ways it has started happening, Yulanavage said.

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HZ_STANDSPEAK/PAGES [A12] | 06/26/13

23:02 | SUPERIMPSC

A12 Standard~Speaker

Our

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Revisiting the popular Standard-Speaker feature of two decades ago, we celebrate with pride the spirit of ...

Towns

Tamaqua

JAMIE PESOTINE/Staff Photographer

Hegarty Blacksmith Shop was in operation from 1848 to 1973. It operated for three generations before the shop was donated to the historical society.

History (Continued from A9) Meanwhile, the historical society is in the process of renovating 118 W. Broad St., which once housed the former First National Bank.

“It is a $500,000 renovation project to the building,” Freudenberger said.

A rich history

According to local history, Moser is credited with many firsts for Tamaqua.

In 1817, Moser discovered coal while digging a foundation for another building he planned to build. The discovery was huge in that it opened the commercial anthracite coal industry in and around Tamaqua.

At the time of Moser’s discovery of coal, not many considered its potential as a fuel. When Moser began selling the coal to local blacksmiths, they realized how anthracite coal burned long and held the heat.

The coal trade eventually enabled another industry — rail.

In 1831, a horse-drawn operation called the Little Schuylkill Railroad began running coal from Tamaqua to the canal head at Port Clinton, which opened up the eastern end of the southern anthracite field to the Philadelphia market.

Six years later, in 1837, Tamaqua and its small but burgeoning population was HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF SCHUYLKILL COUNTY incorporated.

A section of state Route 309 south of Tamaqua lies crumbled in the swirling Schuylkill River on Aug. 19, 1955, in the aftermath of Hurricane Growth continued Diane. through the 1840s, but the land west of the Little Tamaqua police Officer when its facilities burned Schuylkill River wiped out received a charter that great flood of 1850 marked Schuylkill River, while the Benjamin Yost was murallowed it to borrow money to the ground, possibly at Center Street with loss of a significant setback. The Lehigh Coal & Navigation dered while putting out a the hands of the Molly for improvements. The life and property. street lamp at the corner of Co. grabbed all the land to Maguires. water works was formed Still, in 1852, Tamaqua the east.

West Broad and Lehigh The secret organization that year followed by fire became a borough and Between 1832 and 1874, streets. of the Mollies, made up of protection, which was Tamaqua produced more Several members of the Irish immigrants working needed in 1857, when a 230 Pine St., Tamaqua than 23 million tons of secret group were identiin the local mines, comlarge fire ripped through anthracite coal in the world fied by the Pinkerton plained about adverse the commercial district All Occasion Flowers • Birthdays • Funerals • Weddings market. By the early 1950s, working conditions and low Detective Agency and causing damage of more coal mining was dead but hanged for their past viothan $44,000 and destroying wages along with the coal lence. The story played out like many other coal region barons’ indifferent attiseveral buildings.

We have an Everyday Price of communities, Tamaqua in the 1968 Paramount The industries fueled the tudes toward mine workmotion picture “The Molly found ways to bounce back ers. area’s real estate market.

Cash & Carry with new jobs and opportuThe violence escalated as Maguires,” starring Sean For example, the first direct nities for its people. the Mollies spread terror to Connery, Richard Harris railroad route between Some didn’t stick around. those opposing their efforts and Samantha Eggar. Many Philadelphia and Buffalo, Phone 570-668-3600 In 1970, Tamaqua had more between 1862 and 1875. It is of the scenes were shot N.Y., rolled through TamWe accept all major credit cards. www.bellablooms@rocketmail.com than 9,200 residents. By locally in Hazleton and aqua, which became a busy estimated that more than 2010, just more than 7,100 Eckley. railroad center and saw its 140 people were murdered Despite the turmoil, rail- lived in Tamaqua, accordand countless others beaten population soar to 5,000 ing to the U.S. Census roads thrived hauling during this period. people. anthracite coal through the Bureau, though that figure Although never proven In the mid-1850s, the late 19th century. The Phila- remained relatively in a court of law, the turnGreenwood coal mining unchanged from 2000. delphia & Reading Coal & ing point for the Mollies operation grew from MosIron Co. was formed in 1870 may have happened in Call to setup your appointment with us.. er’s discovery and continand owned most of the coal tragan@standardspeaker.com Tamaqua in 1875 when ued to thrive until in 1874,

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