Phillipsburg High School - Karux Yearbook (Phillipsburg, NJ)

Page 10 text:

.Qs..a....,. . ..s.sM...a.. x.X, ., . Jai. l z ln I806, the covered Delaware Bridge across my back was completed. I+ was the first bridge ever built at the Forks of the Delaware. Historical Review Of Early Phillipsburg Activities in the early days of Phillipsburg were centered around Union Square. The residents gathered socially ai' the Union Square Hotel and later, as shown below, at the Ellcs Home. It is the privilege of the present generation to develop and crystalize the memories of the town of Phillipsburg in 1861 so that they may become the permanent possession of the community. The following is an account of the life in y Phillipsburg during that memorable year. On March 41, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the sixteenth President of the United States. Four days later, Phillipsburg was incorporated as a town by act of the New Jersey legislature.iThe following month, on April 8, Charles Sitgraves was elected mayor in the town's first election. Then on t a fateful morning four days later, Fort Sumter was fired upon and the Civil War began. The Civil War issue was to linger heavily in every citizen's mind during the 186i1,s. g ' The toWn's 1500 people lived in an area consisting of Union Square and extending along Main Street to Greens Bridge. With only a few houses on the brow of the hill, the entire hill section of to-wn was devoted to farmland. Farming constituted the chief occupation during the town's early days, but it was decreasing in importance with the introduction of industry to Phillipsburg.

Page 9 text:

k x Q X, --4 xsgx 5255 5:5252 'QS S A ...... .. V? V.-WM xx Xwh- , Ni-r'i' ' 'A' A 'X 2i22,:Q-gf SEM: f ' 1- - ' v-. x 4 ,, . - , X I , X , I . 1 A - w 1 , 1 s ix .X x K, X X x RSV xii X Q wx - NNNQ kw- XR 0 'S Xu wwtuwi X N 5:-: .,.. 5 ,Ss N9 f '. -3 4 x as ws- MQW x ,N s X S SN -N N X -b ' SE if wx e M . W an 3' ,Q Wy xx .. Yi Q 4 H,,.' w N X. gm wr AE

Page 11 text:

The railroad development around I850 was responsible for the future growth ot Phillipsburg. The completion of the first lll railroad to our community, the New Jersey Central, occurred on 'July 2, l852. Within I0 years our town became at railroad centerwflshoywn here is a' train entering the New Jersey Central Railroad Station in Union Square. 1 ll ii H X 4 ' - ' l u X . -' ix, My i. X , Q . - -,, V , V . rf town had three hotels and twoistoresilljne of the hotels, the Union Square Hotel still stands today. A great change occurred in our community with the building of railroads and the Morris Canal. Through these Phillipsburg became strongly linked with the outside world. Because Phillipsburg is centrally located , T between Philadelphia and New York5 our town. t'll T developed into a transportation center. A A This opened the way for the foundingfof the Foundry-and later the Andover Iron Works. These. y lthriving industries provided employment for the townfsliy lliilii men. T In a typical family scene, as father galloped off to work on his horse, mother prepared for a long hard day. Sending Junior to the River for water, mother pulled out her scrub board and began to wash the clothes. Then it was off to the loom to weave and sew and at noon, to the fireplace to cook. Mother was endlessly doing the household tasks. Still the people of 1861 advantagesfsuch was a more intimate aissociationfandliyahsimpliersodial life. The tranquility of those early liyl bfeen r y supplemented by the accelerated tempo ll S of modern life in Phillipsburg. i . l Thefftuture development ot our town was insured with the com- pletion of the Morris Canal. Cost- ing S3.500,000, the Morris Canal was l02 miles in length and sup- plied with water from Lalce Ho- patcong. gggu,-lm -- ----e.ee'- -- --s-ss-- -A-Ne. msswss-Ns.-,,..a.. sw' K YYYVYYYYYV .N........s--.er,,,,,- W -- --