Very Early American Reference to Coal

Book Description

DS. 1pg. 8 ½" x 2 ½". July 2, 1792. No place [probably Philadelphia]. A document signed "Thos Bartow" for the Lehigh Coal Mine Company: "Received July 2nd, 1792 of William Irwin Esq. Ten Dollars a Levy to that amount made on his two shares in the Lehigh Coal Mine Thos Bartow". It is docketed on the verso: "Treasurer of the Coal Mine Recd July 2d - 1792". Bartow was a Philadelphia dry goods merchant who sold pewter, steel, and gunpowder; he was also secretary of the United Brethren Church in Philadelphia. This is a very early American coal reference. After coal was found at Summit Hill, Pennsylvania in 1791, the Lehigh Coal Mine company was formed and thousands of acres were purchased. The company's first stockholders included United States Treasurer Michael Hillegas, Robert Morris and John Nicholson. The endeavor has problems both transporting the coal to Philadelphia and convincing customers to use the black stones. The company sputtered and eventually became the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company a couple of decades later. The document is in fine condition with an uneven left edge

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