-■'.,;■ ■■"'■...' " . ■ ■ '.''i"v^' 301? '?;.:.>..?W '.:■ ■:•■■■'/ p« ■ ■;■' ■■•.■ SKETCH T Vl£ WYOM/^v'q %$to?kal and wealagkal Sacretu, OF WILKES-BARRE, By C. BEN JOHNSON. Reprinted from the "Sunday News-Dealer" Christmas Edition. >-t^18 8 0xV* SKETCH OF - Y VlB WYOM/jv g Jfbtwkal and weflloflkal $acietg, OF WILKES-BARRE, \ ' ,' J .;• By C. BEN JOHNSON. Reprinted from the "Sunday News-Dealer" Christmas Edition. -#18 8 0s\— F157 I £8? SKETCH rr„ OF ing Historical! Geologica T I am neither poet, novelist, nor historian . 1 never, indeed, experienced even the faintest tinge of an anxiety to be possessed of the di- vine afflatus, until recently I saw it an- nounced, though on no better authority than that of a vagrant newspaper paragraph, that a poet turns everything he touches into gold. I need gold, as most all mortals do, and though subsequent reflection has convinced me that that which comes from the crucible of the Pegassi is of the sort that feeds the soul, rather than ministers to the vulgar senses, I must confess that I was at first strongly tem- pted to wish myself a genius at versification. The thought that the capacity of imagining exciting incident and situation and clothing them in a garb of verbiage attractive to the love lorn or the hero worshiping, .or of ferret? ing outpreviouslyundiscovered historical facts and links, and giving them pleasing recital, might possibly be useful to me, or, in me, to others, never once entered this empty cranium of mine, until I unexpectedly found my name in the list of promised contributors to a holi- day edition of a popular journal. Thus an- nounced and thus deficient, I was in a most perplexing dilemma. What to write I knew not. 1 dared not venture into the, to me, stranger-realms of poesy, or fiction, or his- tory; and what was there left? I pondered, wishing to be obliging at this glad season, and pondered seriously. Finally I bethought me that our local writers have, rather unac- countably, left practically unexplored a most inviting field of local enquiry and examina- tion, and that by making some amends for their remissness in this regard, I might ac- quit myself of a most useful and interesting paper, and that, too, without transcending the modest role of the reporter. The Wyoming Historical and Geological Society of Wilkes-Barre", its history, its valu- able collections of books, manuscripts, miner- aloaical and other specimens, and relics of by-gone times appropriate to its purposes, provide the neglected topic to which 1 have reference; and if, in treating it, I shall suc- ceed in awakening an increased interest in its affair's, I feel that I shall have accom- plished a good turn for, given a suitable and valuable holiday present to, the society, the reader and the community generally. The Wyoming Historical Society (it did not become specifically geological until later on,) had its origin in a meeting of gentlemen, held February 11th, 1858, at the "Old Fell Tavern," in this city. The immediate purpose of the gathering was the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of what was then supposed and genejaily ad- mitted to be the first successful ^burning oii Anthracite coal in an open grate, the achieve- ment of Judge Jesse Fell, .in the xexy dnviru in which the meeting was held. "Anth-iasrie had previously been used mainly in black- smiths' furnaces, and was already in active demand for that purpose. Lately, letters and documents have been resurrected, which seem to show that others had burned it in grates before Judge Fell did. Nevertheless the dis- covery was original with him. though he may not have been the first to make it, while it is quite certain that the news of the success of his experiment was the first to reach the ears of the great public and did more, therefore, than all his pre ^cessors had accomplished, to- wards securing for our great staple a foot- hold in the markets of the country as ado mestic fuel. It was for that reason eminent- ly fitting that the event should be celebrated he r e where so much is owing to the discovery, and fitting also that in that celebration an in stitution designed to preserve to future gen- erations the records of all events interesting in the history of the valley, should have had its birth. Captain James P. Dennis, a grandson of Judge Fell, was called to the chair, and^Wm. P. Miner, the son of the historian, was chosen secretary. To Gen. E L. Dana was assigned the duty of explaining the pur- poses of the meeting, which he did with the grace and eloquence natural to him. But the General did more, for he it was who suggest- ed, there and then, the formation of the His- torical S iciety. The suggestion met with the instant hearty endorsement of all present, whereupon a committee was appointed to draft appropriate resolutions. The committee consisted of Gen E. L. Dana, Judge Wood- ward, Henry M. Hoyt, Byron Nicholson. Caleb E. Wright, W. H. Beaumont and Col. Samuel Bowman. After a brief recess they reported a preamble in which it was declared to be a duty owing to those yet to come "to preserve and to transmit" to them "recollec- tions of important events, of discoveries and discoverers in science and the useful arts," and resolutions reciting the fact that there were many "memorials, papers and records" of great historical value held by pri- vate families aud individuals in the valley, which were liable to be mislaid or destroyed if not more zealously looked after, and declaring the feasibility and advisa- bility of the organization of a society to collect and preserve them- The resolutions were adopted unanimously and a committee of five was appointed to draft a Constitution and By-Laws for tha government of the society. •.This cX»m*rfiil^ct!consisted of Gen. Dana, Dr. _J)ennisVCil4b»E.« Wright. John B Conyng- * ham and Wm., P. Mi*n\r. I ;"AffeVreHiarfcs,*,uy, John Howarth on the locals