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===19th century=== In 1803, the city, whose mail was previously received in neighboring [[Bethlehem, Pennsylvania|Bethlehem]], had a post office established inside Compass and Square Hotel inside the present-day Penn National Bank building at 645 [[Hamilton Street]] in Allentown. In the [[1810 United States census|1810 U.S. census]], the city's population exceeded 700 residents, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania granted the city legal standing on March 18, 1811, incorporating it initially as the Borough of Northampton in what was then [[Northampton County, Pennsylvania|Northampton County]]. The new borough's first undertaking was ordering that cows be moved from public streets to pastures, which proved unpopular with residents. The following year, in 1812, the city became part of [[Lehigh County, Pennsylvania|Lehigh County]], which was partitioned from a western section of Northampton County.<ref name="bicen"/><ref name="BOT">{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=70xGAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA142 |title=Past, Present, and Future of the City of Allentown, Pa |date=October 23, 1886 |publisher=Daily chronicle and news print |access-date=October 23, 2017 |via=Google Books}}</ref> Throughout the early 1800s, the city grew primarily as a court and market town. Northampton Bank, the city's first bank located at the northeast corner of Center Square, was chartered in July 1814, and the first Hamilton Street Bridge, a {{convert|530|ft|m}}-long chain structure, was constructed to cross [[Lehigh River]] in the city. The bridge featured two suspended lanes, one for east and one for westbound traffic, and a toll house at the bridge's western end.<ref name="bicen"/><ref name="BOT"/><ref name="LCHS1">Allentown, 1762β1987, a 225 Year history, Volume II, 1921β1987, Lehigh County Historical Society, 1987.</ref> In 1829, [[Lehigh Canal]], a {{convert|46.6|mi}}-long canal on Lehigh River's east side, was completed for both ascending and descending navigation, which proved influential in expanding the transport of [[anthracite|anthracite coal]], then one of the most important domestic and industrial fuels, from Allentown to [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]], and other major industrial centers.<ref name="bicen"/><ref name="HAER">HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD, Hamilton Street Bridge (Dam #7), HAER No. PA-89 Jean P. Yearby, HA.ER, 1985, United States Department of the Interior, Philadelphia, PA, 19106</ref> In 1855, the city's first railroad was built on the west side of the Lehigh River, and rail soon began surpassing river transport as the primary means for transporting anthracite through the city.<ref name="bicen"/><ref name="HAER"/> In 1838, the city's name was officially changed to Allentown. The city soon faced major challenges. In 1841, a flood swept away Hamilton Street Bridge, inflicting substantial damage near Lehigh River. Two years later, in 1843, excessive speculation by Northampton Bank led to the bank's failure, resulting in financial ruin for many bank customers. Five years later, on June 1, 1848, the city's central business district burned down in a large fire between 7th and 8th streets on Hamilton Street. During the 1850s, however, the city began recovering. A new bridge was built across the Lehigh River, and brick buildings were constructed to replace wooden ones that burned down in the 1848 fire. In 1852, the first [[Great Allentown Fair|Allentown Fair]], now one of the nation's longest continual annual fairs, was held.<ref name="bicen"/><ref name="LCHS1"/> ====American Civil War==== {{Further|Pennsylvania in the American Civil War}} [[File:1920 - Allentown First Defenders Civil War Memorial in West Park.jpg|thumb|A 1920 postcard of West End Park on Linden Street featuring a statue of [[Ignatz Gresser]], a [[Union army]] soldier from Allentown who was awarded the [[Medal of Honor]] for acts of valor during the [[Battle of Antietam]]]] [[File:1911 - First Defender Reunion at Center Square.jpg|thumb|The 50th reunion of Allentown's First Defenders, a Union army unit during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], in front of Soldiers and Sailors Monument at [[Hamilton Street|Hamilton]] and S. 7th streets in [[Center City Allentown|Center City]] on [[Memorial Day]] in 1911]] On April 13, 1861, with tensions between the [[Union (American Civil War)|North]] and [[Confederate States of America|South]] intensifying following the [[Origins of the American Civil War|South's secession]], residents of Lehigh and Northampton counties called a public meeting in [[Easton, Pennsylvania|Easton]] to discuss steps that could be taken to support the [[Federal government of the United States|federal government]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=History of the Counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924028854201 |publisher=Everts & Richards |date=1884 |first1=Alfred |last1=Mathews |first2=Austin N. |last2=Hungerford}}</ref> In the meeting, citizens voted to establish and equip the [[1st Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment|1st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry]], a new military unit, and placed Captain Samuel Yohe of Easton and Thomas W. Lynn in charge of it, awarding them the respective ranks of colonel and major. Tilghman H. Good of [[South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania|South Whitehall Township]], previously captain of Allen Rifles, an Allentown-based militia, and commander of the [[4th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment]], was placed in charge of the 1st Pennsylvania's Company I, which included his former Allen Rifles subordinates and members of Jordan Artillerist, another Allentown-based militia. In April 1861, following the Confederate [[Battle of Fort Sumter|bombardment of Fort Sumter]], these Allentown units were deployed in response to [[President Lincoln's 75,000 volunteers|President Lincoln's call]] for 75,000 volunteers to defend the national capital of [[Washington, D.C.]] from Confederate attack.<ref>{{Cite book |title=A history of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, from the earliest settlements to the present time, including much valuable information for the use of schools, families, libraries |url=https://archive.org/details/historyoflehighc00hause |publisher=Allentown, Pa., Jacks, the printer |date=1902 |first=James Joseph |last=Hauser}}</ref> After protecting the nation's capital from April to July 1861, these volunteers were honorably discharged and returned home, though a significant number reenlisted to defend the Union as the Civil War escalated.<ref name="bicen" /><ref>{{Cite book |title=The Penn Germania ...: A Popular Journal of German History and Ideals in the United States |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SDFEAQAAMAAJ |publisher=P.C. Croll |date=1912 |first1=Philip Columbus |last1=Croll |first2=Henry Addison |last2=Schuler |first3=Howard Wiegner |last3=Kriebel}}</ref> After the Civil War's end, many of these soldiers were named [[Pennsylvania First Defenders]] in recognition of their role as one of the first five units to answer Lincoln's call for volunteers to defend the nation's capital. =====47th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry===== {{Main|47th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment}} On August 5, 1861, [[Andrew Gregg Curtin]], the Civil War-era [[Governor of Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania governor]], granted Tilghman H. Good authority to create the [[47th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment]], a new unit commonly known as the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers.<ref>[https://47thpennsylvaniavolunteers.com/officers/roster-field-and-staff-officers-47th-pennsylvania-volunteers/colonel-tilghman-h-good/ "Colonel Tilghman H. Good,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705073151/https://47thpennsylvaniavolunteers.com/officers/roster-field-and-staff-officers-47th-pennsylvania-volunteers/colonel-tilghman-h-good/ |date=July 5, 2022 }} ''47th Pennsylvania Volunteers: One Civil War Regiment's Story'', 2014.</ref> Good secured the assistance of William H. Gausler of Allentown, who was commissioned as a major with the regiment's central command staff, and [[John P. S. Gobin|John Peter Shindel Gobin]], a senior officer with Sunbury Guards in [[Northumberland County, Pennsylvania|Northumberland County]], who was repeatedly cited for valor and was promoted to colonel and ultimately as commanding officer of the regiment.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, by Samuel P. Bates. |url=http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/moa/ABY3439.0001.001/1172?rgn=full+text;view=image;q1=1150 |website=quod.lib.umich.edu |access-date=January 22, 2016 |archive-date=January 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127141334/http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/moa/ABY3439.0001.001/1172?rgn=full+text;view=image;q1=1150 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>"[https://47thpennsylvaniavolunteers.com/officers/roster-field-and-staff-officers-47th-pennsylvania-volunteers/the-honorable-john-peter-shindel-gobin/ The Honorable John Peter Shindel Gobin] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112070013/https://47thpennsylvaniavolunteers.com/officers/roster-field-and-staff-officers-47th-pennsylvania-volunteers/the-honorable-john-peter-shindel-gobin/ |date=January 12, 2023 }}," in ''47th Pennsylvania Volunteers: One Civil War Regiment's Story'', 2015.</ref> Companies A and E of the regiment were recruited primarily from Easton and Northampton County; Companies B, G, I, and K were largely recruited from Allentown; Company C was recruited from Northumberland and [[Juniata County, Pennsylvania|Juniata]] counties; Company F was primarily composed of men from the Allentown suburb of [[Catasauqua, Pennsylvania|Catasaqua]]; and Companies D and H were recruited from [[Perry County, Pennsylvania|Perry County]]. The 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers achieved Union victories at the [[Battle of St. Johns Bluff]] in Florida (October 1β3, 1862) before suffering a costly defeat in the [[Second Battle of Pocotaligo]] in South Carolina (October 21β23, 1862). They were the only Pennsylvania regiment to fight in the [[Union army]]'s [[Red River campaign]] across [[Louisiana]] in 1864.<ref>"[https://47thpennsylvaniavolunteers.com/2016/04/09/red-river-campaign-louisiana-march-to-may-1864/ Red River Campaign (Louisiana, March to June 1864)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112070018/https://47thpennsylvaniavolunteers.com/2016/04/09/red-river-campaign-louisiana-march-to-may-1864/ |date=January 12, 2023 }}," in ''47th Pennsylvania Volunteers: One Civil War Regiment's Story'', 2014.</ref> While sustaining numerous casualties during the Red River campaign, the 47th Pennsylvania helped [[Turning point of the American Civil War|turn the Civil War]] in the Union's favor, contributing to influential military victories in [[Philip Sheridan|General Sheridan's]] [[Valley campaigns of 1864|1864 Shenandoah Valley campaign]] across Virginia, including in the Battles of [[Battle of Berryville|Berryville]], [[Third Battle of Winchester|Opequan]], [[Battle of Fisher's Hill|Fisher's Hill]], and [[Battle of Cedar Creek|Cedar Creek]], and then again contributing to the nation's defense following [[Assassination of Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln's assassination]] on April 15, 1865.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=About the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers |url=https://47thpennsylvania.wordpress.com/about/ |website=47th Pennsylvania Volunteers |access-date=January 22, 2016 |language=en-US |date=May 25, 2014 |archive-date=January 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127040008/https://47thpennsylvania.wordpress.com/about/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=A Civil War history of the 47th Regiment of Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers: the wrong place at the wrong time |publisher=L.G. Schmidt |date=1986 |location=Allentown |first=Lewis G |last=Schmidt |oclc=15166408}}</ref> Other known Union military units from Allentown included the 5th, 41st, [[128th Pennsylvania Infantry|128th]], and 176th Pennsylvania Infantries.<ref name="bicen" /><ref name="LCHS1" /> On October 19, 1899, Allentown erected and dedicated Soldiers and Sailors Monument, at Hamilton and S. 7th streets in [[Center City Allentown|Center City]], where it still stands, in honor of these Union soldiers from Allentown and local Lehigh Valley towns and boroughs who were killed in defense of the Union during the Civil War.<ref name="bicen"/><ref name="LCHS1"/><ref>[http://www.wfmz.com/features/historys-headlines/soldiers-and-sailors-monument-saluting-lehigh-county-veterans-for-over-100-years/16493218 "Soldiers and Sailors Monument Saluting Lehigh County for over 100 years," WFMZ, July 12, 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111005836/http://www.wfmz.com/features/historys-headlines/soldiers-and-sailors-monument-saluting-lehigh-county-veterans-for-over-100-years/16493218 |date=January 11, 2017 }}, retrieved January 10, 2016.</ref> ====Industrialization==== {{further|Industrial Revolution in the United States}} [[File:1889 - Allentown Iron Works.jpg|thumb|Allentown Rolling Mill Company, a sizable 19th and early 20th century iron and steel manufacturer on Washington Street in Allentown, in 1889]] [[File:1910 - Adelaide Silk Mill.jpg|thumb|Adelaide Silk Mill in Allentown, which opened in 1881 and was one of the world's largest [[silk mill]]s throughout the early 20th century, in 1910]] [[File:1910 - Center Square Looking West.jpg|thumb|Allentown's Center Square at N. 7th and [[Hamilton Street|Hamilton]] streets in present-day [[Center City Allentown|Center City]], in 1910]] [[File:1945 Mack Trucks Plant 5C.jpg|thumb|[[Mack Trucks]]' assembly plant in Allentown in 1945; the company was headquartered in Allentown from 1905 until to 2008, when it relocated to [[Greensboro, North Carolina]].]] [[File:1950 Hamilton Street 500 Block looking West.jpg|thumb|West Hamilton and 6th streets in Allentown in 1950]] In the late 18th century, Allentown began growing slowly as a hub for commerce and industrialization and as a [[Colonial history of the United States|colonial era]] population center. Prior to the American Revolution, there were 54 homes and approximately 330 residents. In 1782, there were 59 houses and over 100 cows. In 1783, the town was described by a visitor, "One gets a glimpse of many good stone houses, many of them very neat, and everything about the premises shows good order and attention. The people are mainly [[Germans|German]] who speak bad English and distressing [[German language|German]]." In 1795, ''[[Gazette of the United States]]'' described Allentown as: <blockquote>A handsome and flourishing town of Northampton County, pleasantly situated on the point of land formed by the junction of the [[Jordan Creek (Pennsylvania)|Jordan Creek]] and [[Little Lehigh Creek|Little Lehigh]]. It is regularly laid out and contains about ninety dwellings, a [[Protestantism in Germany|German Lutheran]] and a [[Calvinism|Calvinist]] (Zion) Church, an Academy and three merchant mills.<ref name="bicen"/></blockquote> In 1792, land north of Allentown was purchased by [[Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company]] for [[coal mining]], but it initially proved difficult to transport the region's high quality [[anthracite|anthracite coal]] over what was then a primitive trail system. Only a limited amount of anthracite was mined until 1818, when the company began constructing [[Lehigh Canal]], which allowed coal to be transported from Mauch Chunk, later renamed [[Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania|Jim Thorpe]], down the [[Lehigh River]] to the river's confluence with the [[Delaware River]] in [[Easton, Pennsylvania|Easton]]. In the late 18th century, Allentown's industrial development accelerated. David Deshler, Allentown's first shopkeeper, opened a [[sawmill]] in the city in 1782. By 1814, industrial plants in Allentown included flour mills, sawmills, two saddle makers, a tannery and tan yard, a woolen mill, a card weaving plant, two gunsmiths, two tobacconists, two clockmakers, and two printers.<ref name="bicen"/> In 1818, the opening of Lehigh Canal transformed Allentown and the surrounding Lehigh Valley from a rural agricultural area dominated by German-speaking people into one of the nation's first urbanized industrialized areas, expanding the city's commercial and industrial capacity. Allentown underwent significant [[Industrialisation|industrialization]], and the city began evolving into a major national center for heavy industry and [[manufacturing]]. In the 1840s, [[iron ore]] beds were discovered in hills around Allentown, and a furnace was constructed in 1846 by Allentown Iron Core Company for production of [[pig iron]], a [[intermediate good|vital component]] used in the [[Steelmaking|manufacturing of steel]]. The furnace opened in 1847 under supervision of Samuel Lewis, an expert in [[Ferrous metallurgy|iron production]], and was followed by the opening of other Allentown plants for production of a wide variety of metal products. In 1860, several smaller iron companies merged to create Allentown Rolling Mill Company, which became Allentown's largest iron company and contributed to the region's emergence as a major national source for iron ore.<ref name="bicen"/><ref name="BOT"/> In 1850, [[Leh's]], a shoe and [[ready-to-wear]] clothing store, was opened in the city by Henry Leh. By 1861, as the Civil War commenced, Leh's emerged as a major source of military boots for Union troops. In addition to Leh's, eight brick yards, a saw mill, a paint factory, two additional shoe factories, a piano factory, flour mills, breweries, and distilleries opened in Allentown during the Civil War era.<ref name="bicen"/><ref name="BOT"/><ref name="LCHS1"/> In 1855, the first railroads to reach Allentown opened, representing direct competition to Lehigh Canal for coal transport. [[Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad]] ordered four locomotives, and train stations were built in Allentown, [[Easton, Pennsylvania|Easton]], and Mauch Chunk. In September 1855, the railroad became operational with [[Central Railroad of New Jersey]] providing transport between Allentown and [[New York City]]. Transport between Allentown and Philadelphia also became available over Perkiomen Railroad, which operated between [[Norristown, Pennsylvania|Norristown]] and [[Freemansburg, Pennsylvania|Freemansburg]].<ref name="bicen"/><ref name="BOT"/> With industrialization, Allentown emerged as a major regional and national center for banking and finance. In 1860, William H. Ainey founded Allentown Savings and served as its first president. In 1864, Second National Bank of Allentown was formed, and Ainey was elected its first president, a position he held until his death. Ainey contributed to Allentown's industrial and retail growth, helping finance Iowa Barb Wire Company, which was later absorbed by [[AK Steel Holding|American Steel & Wire]], Pioneer Silk Factory, Palace Silk Mill, and Allentown Spinning Company.<ref name="LCHS1"/> In the late 1870s, however, Allentown's iron industry collapsed, leaving the city economically depressed. Efforts were made to diversify the city's industrial base, including convincing [[Phoenix Manufacturing Company]] to open a [[silk]] mill in the city. In 1886, Adelaide Mill at Race and Court streets prompted the opening of Pioneer Silk Mill, and the city quickly emerged as a national leader in silk manufacturing. By the late 19th century, the silk industry emerged as Allentown's largest industry, and it remained the city's largest industry through the end of the 20th century. In 1914, there were 26 silk mills in the city. By 1928, with the introduction of [[rayon]], the number of Allentown silk mills grew to 85. In the 1940s, during the height of Allentown's silk industry, over 10,000 people were employed in the industry in the city.<ref name="bicen"/><ref name="LCHS1"/> In 1883, Allentown Boiler Works was founded in Allentown by Charles Collum, whose partner, John D. Knouse, built a large facility at 3rd and Gordon streets in Allentown's First Ward near [[Lehigh Valley Railroad]]'s yard, which later became Kline's Island. The company manufactured iron products, some of which were used in high-profile construction projects, including construction of the [[White House]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], and the [[United States Military Academy|U.S. Military Academy]] at [[West Point, New York|West Point]]. The company's boilers and [[kilns]] were used in the production of iron products, which were sold nationally and internationally to customers in [[Canada]], [[Cuba]], and the [[Philippines]].<ref name="bicen"/><ref name="BOT"/> Through the end of [[World War I]], [[brickworks]] flourished in Allentown. Clay unearthed in various sections of the city and its suburbs was used in manufacturing building brick and [[fire brick]], the first Allentown products shipped by rail and sold nationally.<ref name="bicen"/><ref name="BOT"/> A vibrant food processing industry also began emerging, due largely to the arrival of predominantly [[Germans|German]] immigrant bakers, who were among the city's first settlers. In 1887, Wilson Arbogast and Morris C. Bastian formed Arbogast and Bastian, which provided large scale commercial slaughtering.<ref name="bicen"/><ref name="LCHS1"/> In 1896, Max Hess, a retailer from [[Perth Amboy, New Jersey]], visited Allentown and began developing the city's first department store. He and his brother Charles opened [[Hess's|Hess Brothers]] at 9th and [[Hamilton Street|Hamilton]] streets. Hess's developed a reputation for flamboyance, offering the latest European fashion apparel. Hess's opening was followed by the opening of the city's second major department store, Zollinger-Harned Company, located in the [[Zollinger-Harned Company Building]] on Hamilton Street.<ref name="bicen"/><ref name="LCHS1"/> Allentown also began emerging as a major national center for beer [[brewing]]. Notable Allentown-based breweries included Horlacher Brewery (founded 1897, closed 1978),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falstaffbrewing.com/horlacher.htm |title=Horlacher Brewing Company |access-date=June 1, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070607155057/http://www.falstaffbrewing.com/horlacher.htm |archive-date=June 7, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Neuweiler Brewery]] (founded 1875, closed 1968),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pabreweryhistorians.tripod.com/neuweiler.html |title=Neuweiler Brewery |access-date=June 1, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622190943/http://pabreweryhistorians.tripod.com/neuweiler.html |archive-date=June 22, 2008}}</ref> and [[Schaefer Beer]], whose brewery was later acquired by [[Pabst Brewing Company|Pabst]] and [[Guinness]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.siteselection.com/ssinsider/pwatch/pw011203.htm |title=$44 Million Guinness Investment Will Create 250 Jobs at Pennsylvania Brewery |access-date=June 1, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629111341/http://www.siteselection.com/ssinsider/pwatch/pw011203.htm |archive-date=June 29, 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> and is now owned by [[Boston Beer Company]], brewer of [[Samuel Adams (beer)|Samuel Adams beer]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.pennlive.com/lvbreakingnews/2007/08/sam_adams_purchases_upper_macu.html |title=Sam Adams purchases Upper Macungie Twp. plant for $55 M |access-date=January 12, 2011 |date=August 3, 2007 |archive-date=March 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322014027/http://blog.pennlive.com/lvbreakingnews/2007/08/sam_adams_purchases_upper_macu.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
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