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====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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