Northampton Area High School - Amptennian Yearbook (Northampton, PA)

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It all be an ahout two and a half centuries ago, when I was just a hit of a spirit. It seems odd now to remember that from Twenty-Seventh Street to the lower end of town all one could see was an endless expanse of forests. Here and there paths among the trees and whispers of Campfires disclosed the camps of the Minisi Indians situated on the loanlcs of the Hoclcen- dauqua Creek. This was the stronghold of that Honest Old lndianf, chief Lappawinzo, and his trusted sachem Tishcahon. William Penn was greatly respected by these Red Men. The last time I saw him, he was arranging land walking treaties with them. Unfortunately he died loelore the plans were completed. Finally in 1757 chief Lap- pawinzo signed a treaty stating that the white strangers could have as much land as a man could wallq in a day and a half. But these white men were land hungry. They lolazed a trail through the wilderness for their three speediest runners and arranged to have all supplies carried on horsehacli. The journey started at Vvrightstown, then led through woods, across meadows, and over streams. Soon I saw the men ford the Lehigh River a mile loelow Bethlehem. Here Solomon Jennings dropped out. The other two continued until they reached the Hoclcen- dauqua Creelc. Here they fell to the ground exhausted and hrolce camp on what is now our Universal Atlas property. The following morning James Yeats collapsedg lout the third man, Edward Marshall, reached his destin- ation at noon. The long walk was over, per- manently crippling one runner and killing another, only part of the price paid for our homeland.

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The mptennian Northampton Area Junior High School DQLQRES REICHLEY : Ectitor in Chiet MARY KQTQRIS : Managing Eciitor SARA JANE MCKNIGHT : Literary Eciitor

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Three years after our famous Hvvallin a hand of white people entered Minisi land. The leader, as 1 later found out, was a stoclcy, lorislc-tempered lrishman named Hugh Wil- son. With the help of Chief Justice Allen, he acquired the land from the Penn family in 1740 and at once built his home and a grist mill. These were the days of terrifying Indian attaclcs. and VVilson,s Settlement was not .spared hy the frenzied Red Men. We appealed to Col. Benjamin Franlclin for protection in 1755 hut were refused due to laclc of troops. Hugh VVilson,s young son Tom was now in charge of the flour mill. To protect his family against lndian attaclcs, he huilt an octagon- shaped hloclchouse overloolcing the Hoclcen- dauqua Creek. Here it is today, on the Uni- versal Atlas property, a grim reminder of the past. N ow came peaceful, happy, years and many new faces appeared at VVilson's Settlement. ln 1761 a group of German Mennonites louilt the first church on West 21st Street. Then Archibald Laird, the Provincial Tax Collec- tor, settled at the 'slower end!! of the village. John Siegfried estahlished ferry service across the Lehigh at the Hupper endu. ln 1770 he huilt a tavern and home at the foot of Twenty- First Street. His home today is a prominent tavern. Aloout this time another family of fu- ture prominence arrived, the Levans. We were growing. Now came thrilling years. 1775 hrought our first local post route and 1776 the Declaration of Independence. Gen. George Washington urged his friend Col. John Siegfried to organize Flying Campf' Dressed in the hlue and hull we answered the call to duty. This was the time of Yankee Doodlen and the hrilliant new Hag of red, white, and blue, and Hunionn meetings at Siegfriedss Tavern where we car- ried on the war to preserve the value of our Continentals. EJ