Editing Tamaqua, Pennsylvania (section)

===18th century===
Tamaqua was settled in 1799 by Burkhardt Moser, his son Jacob (born 1790), and John Kershner, who built shelters and a [[sawmill]] at the confluence of the [[Little Schuylkill River]] and [[Panther Creek (Little Schuylkill River tributary)|Panther Creek]],<ref 
 name=HistSchuylKL327>{{cite book
 | chapter-url = http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/schuylkill/pdf/munsell.pdf
 | title= HISTORY OF SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, PA.
 | editor=George Macnamara | chapter= TAMAQUA BOROUGH{{void|1=  | author= Author Varies by chapter|others=&nbsp;''with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers'', Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by R. Steffey; Typing and editing by Jo Garzelloni and Carole Carr   }}<!-- void ends --->
 | date=1881 | page=327
 | publisher= New York: W. W. Munsell & Co., 36 Vesey Street (USGenWeb project digital reprint) 
 |quote= Together with one Houser he took up a track of 2,000 acres, which was partially brought under cultivation. The first discovery of coal was made where Greenwood slope is now located. 
}}
</ref> which is downtown Tamaqua today. 

According to property records, Moser had a partner named Houser, and together they owned 2,000 acres which Moser homesteaded. Moser built a log house at the base of Dutch Hill in 1801 for Mrs. Catherine Moser, who was the first adult to die and receive burial there on February 15, 1822 followed later in April that year by John Kershner.