Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company
Encyclopedia
The Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, also known in the Lehigh Valley
as the Old Company, was a mining and transportation company which grew out of the Lehigh Coal Mine Company. It was created from the merger of the Lehigh Coal Company and the Lehigh Navigation Company.
, Pennsylvania
, to Philadelphia via the Lehigh
and Delaware
Rivers. Sporadically active between the years of 1792 and 1814, the Lehigh Coal Mine Company was able to sell some of its coal to Josiah White and Erskine Hazard, who operated a wire mill at the Falls of the Schuylkill
near Philadelphia. These two innovative entrepreneurs leased the Lehigh Coal Mine company's properties in 1817. Having earlier displayed great technological skills by creating the world's first iron wire suspension bridge, which spanned the Schuylkill at their wire works, White and Hazard planned to tame the turbulent Lehigh River by creating an effective navigation system. By 1818 they had organized the separate Lehigh Coal Company and the Lehigh Navigation Company to accomplish their plans. Within the next two years, White and Hazard constructed a descending navigation system which utilized their unique "bear trap" or hydrostatic locks
, which allowed the passage of coal boats by means of artificial floods. By 1821 the Lehigh Coal and Lehigh Navigation companies were merged. Formally Incorporated in 1822, the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company was transporting large amounts of coal to Philadelphia by 1824.
In order to bring more coal from the mines to their navigation system, the Company constructed America's second railroad in 1827-28. During these same years it also began the conversion of its descending navigation system into a two-way system. With rights of eminent domain
, the Lehigh Navigation
was constructed and completed in 1829; this improved Lehigh Navigation system had the largest carrying capacity of any canal
in the United States. Stretching from Mauch Chunk to Easton
, this waterway was soon connected to both New York
and Philadelphia by the completion of the Morris
and Delaware Canals in 1832 and 1833 respectively. To take advantage of this new and improved access to America's largest metropolitan markets, the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company made a concerted effort to develop the water power sites along its waterways into early industrial parks. The Abbott Street area, near Lock 47, which is now part of Easton's Hugh Moore Park
, employed over 1,000 men in almost a dozen manufacturing establishments by 1840.
By the beginning of the 20th century, coal had lost its hold on the energy market. The Lehigh Navigation was forced to close business activity in 1932, and in 1966 shareholders dissolved the company. Greenwood Stripping Co. bought the property in 1966 before selling it to Bethlehem Mines Corp. in 1974. The company name remained associated with anthracite mining through the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company
, incorporated in 1988. James J. Curran Jr. took over Lehigh Coal from Bethlehem Mines Corp. in 1989, and through the 1990s it remained the largest producer of U.S. anthracite. In 2000 Lehigh Coal shut down and laid-off 163 employees, saying plunging coal prices made it impossible to make a profit. The company reopened in 2001 with help of a last-resort $9 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 2010 the company was purchased by BET Associates, who were affiliated with Toll Brothers. http://www.tnonline.com/2010/jun/04/lcn-sold-auction
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
as the Old Company, was a mining and transportation company which grew out of the Lehigh Coal Mine Company. It was created from the merger of the Lehigh Coal Company and the Lehigh Navigation Company.
Development
The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company was an outgrowth of the earlier Lehigh Coal Mine Company. This concern had unsuccessfully attempted to transport and market anthracite from the large deposits near what is now Summit HillSummit Hill, Pennsylvania
Summit Hill is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,974 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Summit Hill is located at ....
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, to Philadelphia via the Lehigh
Lehigh River
The Lehigh River, a tributary of the Delaware River, is a river located in eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. Part of the Lehigh, along with a number of its tributaries, is designated a Pennsylvania Scenic River by the state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources...
and Delaware
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
Rivers. Sporadically active between the years of 1792 and 1814, the Lehigh Coal Mine Company was able to sell some of its coal to Josiah White and Erskine Hazard, who operated a wire mill at the Falls of the Schuylkill
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
near Philadelphia. These two innovative entrepreneurs leased the Lehigh Coal Mine company's properties in 1817. Having earlier displayed great technological skills by creating the world's first iron wire suspension bridge, which spanned the Schuylkill at their wire works, White and Hazard planned to tame the turbulent Lehigh River by creating an effective navigation system. By 1818 they had organized the separate Lehigh Coal Company and the Lehigh Navigation Company to accomplish their plans. Within the next two years, White and Hazard constructed a descending navigation system which utilized their unique "bear trap" or hydrostatic locks
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
, which allowed the passage of coal boats by means of artificial floods. By 1821 the Lehigh Coal and Lehigh Navigation companies were merged. Formally Incorporated in 1822, the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company was transporting large amounts of coal to Philadelphia by 1824.
In order to bring more coal from the mines to their navigation system, the Company constructed America's second railroad in 1827-28. During these same years it also began the conversion of its descending navigation system into a two-way system. With rights of eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
, the Lehigh Navigation
Lehigh Canal
The Lehigh Canal was constructed by the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company to carry anthracite from the upper Lehigh Valley to the urban markets of the northeast, especially Philadelphia...
was constructed and completed in 1829; this improved Lehigh Navigation system had the largest carrying capacity of any canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
in the United States. Stretching from Mauch Chunk to Easton
Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,800 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Northampton County....
, this waterway was soon connected to both New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Philadelphia by the completion of the Morris
Morris Canal
The Morris Canal was an anthracite-carrying canal that incorporated a series of water-driven inclined planes in its course across northern New Jersey in the United States. It was in use for about a century — from the late 1820s to the 1920s....
and Delaware Canals in 1832 and 1833 respectively. To take advantage of this new and improved access to America's largest metropolitan markets, the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company made a concerted effort to develop the water power sites along its waterways into early industrial parks. The Abbott Street area, near Lock 47, which is now part of Easton's Hugh Moore Park
National Canal Museum
The National Canal Museum is a history and technology museum located in Easton, Pennsylvania.It is run by Hugh Moore Historical Park & Museum, Inc., which is also responsible for Hugh Moore Park, The Emrick Technology Center, Locktender's House Museum and the canal boat ride, Josiah White II.The...
, employed over 1,000 men in almost a dozen manufacturing establishments by 1840.
By the beginning of the 20th century, coal had lost its hold on the energy market. The Lehigh Navigation was forced to close business activity in 1932, and in 1966 shareholders dissolved the company. Greenwood Stripping Co. bought the property in 1966 before selling it to Bethlehem Mines Corp. in 1974. The company name remained associated with anthracite mining through the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company
Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company
The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company is an anthracite coal mining company headquartered in Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., with operations in the areas of Tamaqua, Coaldale, and Lansford...
, incorporated in 1988. James J. Curran Jr. took over Lehigh Coal from Bethlehem Mines Corp. in 1989, and through the 1990s it remained the largest producer of U.S. anthracite. In 2000 Lehigh Coal shut down and laid-off 163 employees, saying plunging coal prices made it impossible to make a profit. The company reopened in 2001 with help of a last-resort $9 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 2010 the company was purchased by BET Associates, who were affiliated with Toll Brothers. http://www.tnonline.com/2010/jun/04/lcn-sold-auction