lentown, N.J. its rise and progress, Part 25 08/18/2005 (javascript: openEmailWindow();) _Email to a friend_ (javascript: openEmailWindow();) (javascript: openOpinionWindow();) _Voice your opinion_ (javascript: openOpinionWindow();) (http://www.zwire.com/site/printerFriendly.cfm?brd=1091&dept_id=425690&newsid=15051410) _Printer-friendly_ (http://www.zwire.com/site/printerFriendly.cfm?brd=1091&dept_id=425690&newsid=15051410) HISTORICALLY SPEAKING From the New Jersey Historical Society's C.R. Hutchinson collection — history of tanyard property behind South Main Street begins with deed to George Middleton, Civil War congressman and agent of Underground Railroad, which operated from tannery. April 1, 1839, "John Palmer, of Allentown, &c. and Hannah his wife," conveyed to "George Middleton (son of Samuel Middleton) late of the township of Nottingham in the county of Mercer," &c. for $4000, "All that certain house and lot of land and premises in the village of Allentown, &c: Beginning at a stone standing on the south side of Main Street in Allentown, and the northeast corner of John Clutch's [11 S. Main St.] lot: Thence along the said street, according to the present bearing of the compass, N55" E1,30, to the NE corner of the dwelling house on the premises and is also a corner to Rebecca Forman's tavern house lot: Thence along her line S34½" E4,70, a stone: Thence still along her line N70¾" E2,88, to a stone in Waker's line: Thence along his line S40¾E 55 links to a stone in the line of the said Palmer's land: Thence along his line S15¾"W 24 links to a stone: Thence still along his line and Stout's line S56"35' E10,76, to a stone in the said Palmer's line again: Thence along line S54¾" W6,50, to top high water mark of the mill pond late Aaron Steward, dec'd: Thence along the said mill pond the several courses thereof to a double wild cherry tree marked with a blaze and two notches for a corner: Thence running across the point of the high bank N70" W1,70 to top high water mark aforesaid: Thence N471/4" W1,82, to a stone, corner to Samuel Quay dec'd's lot: Thence along his line N42" E1,94, to a stone corner to a graveyard: Thence along the same N45½" E1,81 to a stone a the end of the bark house on the said premises: Thence still along the graveyard line, N51¼" W1,16, to a stone, corner to Stout's lot: Thence along his line, Samuel Savage and the aforesaid Clutch's lot, N42" E2,21 to the southeast corner of said Clutch's lot: Thence along his line N33"35' W3,70, to the beginning; containing nine acres, be the same more or less," &c. The tanyard was founded by Moses Robins about 1731, and he operated it until his death in 1775, a period of about 44 years. His currying shop was on the northerly side of the street, west of his dwelling, about where is now Miss Emma Gordon's [Imlay House] easterly line, and the tanyard was reached by way of the church alley, which was nearly opposite. The second currying shop, which stood at the foot of the present alley leading to the tanyard lot, and which was the last building there, was only recently removed. It consisted of a stone and brick basement, 14x28 feet, with a frame loft above. It stood 35 feet southeast of Rynier Probasco's barn, and fronted southeasterly. It is first mentioned in 1784, when James Rogers and wife conveyed the tanyard to Kenneth Hankinson. Thomas Barnes, who carried it on from 1785 to 1792, lived on the Moyer property, but James Middleton, 1792-1813, lived in the Moses Robins house and the entrance to the tanyard appears to have been then still by way of the church alley. No mention of a right of way to the tanyard is made in any deed during the period of existence as such. John Palmer, in 1814, became the owner of both the tanyard and the Rogers homestead lot of one acre and 33 perches, and an alley was made [between 7&9 S. Main], which, with some changes, still exists, and in later deeds gives a right a way to adjoining owners forever. John Palmer lived in the Rogers house from 1813 to 1839, when he sold it, together with the tanyard, to George Middleton, who also lived there until, in 1846, he purchased the Quay homestead [on Main St., west corner Lakeview Dr.]. He was a prominent man in Allentown for many years, and the tannery was one of the leading industries of the town, until when an old man, he became a bankrupt and it went out of existence. He served one term in Congress, 1863-5, but was defeated for re-election by his townsman, Dr. William A. Newell, afterwards Governor of New Jersey. After George Middleton removed from the Rogers house it was occupied by Samuel Savidge as a dwelling and harness shop until about 1860, and after him by other tenants until 1877, when it was torn down by Middleton, and he sold the lot on which it had stood for nearly a century and a half to Edward I. Bills, who erected upon its site [3-5 S. Main] the present double three story frame building occupied as stores and dwellings. Adjoining this westerly at that time was a two story frame building [7 S. Main], 14 feet and 18 feet deep, occupied by said Middleton as his office. When later this and the lot in the rear of it was sold by his assignee, Bills became the purchaser, and by rear additions converted it into a dwelling, which he occupied. Across the alley, from this, adjoining the line of the Clutch's lot (now Probasco), where had then been for many years the tailor shop of William C. Norton, Middleton built a 2½ story frame house, in which he used some of the timbers taken out of the old Rogers house. This property I [Charles Hutchinson] bought of him when the house was nearing completion and it has been my residence for the past thirty-five years. It is on the westerly line of the Samuel Rogers homestead lot. When the present hotel [DiMattia's] came into existence I do not know; Samuel P. Forman was the landlord at the time of his death in 1805, and was succeeded by his widow, Rebecca, until 1840, when she also died. Then their son in law, John Lawrence Hendrickson, occupied it as a temperance house until about 1850, or perhaps later, during which time there was no licensed hotel in the village. Then Barzillai Johnson procured a license, and it has been a licensed house ever since. The lot on which it is located appears to have been part of a lot of perhaps three acres or so, extending up Main Street to the old Shrewsbury Road [Maiden Lane off Waker] and up that road about five chains to the westerly line of a lot now belonging to Elmer E. Hutchinson; thence running along his line and Sterne P. Sprague's westerly line to the meadow; and thence along the northerly bank of the meadow to the rear corner of the lots late of Edward I. Bills, deceased. This lot, in 1816, was owned by one Tilton Pearce, who then lived on the premises now of Horatio Gulick, formerly known as the Joseph Waker property. The lot now Sterne P. Sprague is on the westerly line of a lot 2.56 acres which was owned by Wessel T. Stout in 1792, and which Robert Montgomery sold to John Palmer in 1816, for $200, when there were evidently no buildings on it. This lot, (including the meadow) with the exception of the Sprague house and lot, is now included in the land of Edward H. Hendrickson. It originally crossed the present Imlaystown Road and included the premises now Elmer E. Hutchinson and William H. Moore, formerly a part of Sterne P. Sprague's lot. All that part of Allentown bounded southwesterly by the 110 acres which Robert Burnet sold to Nathan Allen in 1706, and southeasterly by the 47 acres which he sold to Robert Killam in 1708, is within the limits of the tract which, in 1706 the said Robert Burnet sold to Aaron Robbins, but for which no deed appears to be in existence or on record. It was bounded northerly by Indian Run to a point below the present Church Street, and thence along the rear of the lots on the westerly side of that street to the easterly corner of the Baptist's Church [Library] lot on Main Street; thence northeasterly along Main Street to the old Shrewsbury Road; thence along that road to the corner of its present outlet at Cabbagetown, and thence northerly along the line between the farm now of David Spence and the premises of Mary E. Hanheen, to Indian Run. Historically Speaking is a regular column presented by John Fabiano, president of the Allentown-Upper Freehold Historical Society. For information about the historical society, send e-mail to AllntwnUFHistSoc@aol.com.