| Blossburg PA and Bloss Township in Tioga County PA |
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Tri-Counties Genealogy &
History by Joyce M. Tice
Historic Businesses of the
Tri-Counties
Local Business History Section
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Bradford County PA
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Chemung County NY
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Tioga County PA
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Coal Discovered in Bloss
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Elmira Telegram, 13 May 1917
Coal Discovery in Blossburg
Was Made By Emigrants Who Had Worked In the Mines of England
Built Highway From Williamsport, Pa., To Bath, NY
Where Germans and English Dwelled in Peace
John Hinman, of Brooklyn, NY, who will be remembered by the older residents
of Tioga county, as a former resident of Wellsboro, Antrim and Fall Brook,
writes as follows concerning the early history of the coal trade in Tioga
county:
In 1792, General Williamson, under the immediate supervision of Robert
and Benjamin Patterson, caused a road to be built from Williamsport via
Trout Run, Block House and Blossburg, down the valley of the Tioga river
to Painted Post, NY, thence up the valley of the Concoction to Bath. In
the same year these Pattersons, in the employ of General Williamson, conducted
a party of 500 German and English emigrants from Northumberland, Pa., to
the Pulteney estate in the vicinity of Bath. Among these emigrants were
some English miners. These men discovered coal in the mountain within the
present limits of Blossburg. These emigrants rested several days at this
place and their camp they named Peter’s camp.
In 1806, Aaron Bloss removed from Covington, to Peter’s camp, the camp
made by the Williamson emigrants. Here Bloss built an inn, where he entertained
travelers who were coming into the country over the Williamson road between
Williamsport and Painted Post. Mr. Bloss opened in a rude way the vein
of coal near his inn, that had been discovered by the emigrants that Robert
and Benjamin Patterson had brought into the country in 1792. The Bloss
inn was situated in the southern part of the present borough of Blossburg.
About this time, a man named Clemmons, who lived about two and a half
miles north of the Bloss inn, opened a vein of coal situated in the northeastern
part of the present borough of Blossburg. From these small and temporary
openings has grown the immense coal trade of the Blossburg section of Tioga
county.
The finding of coal at Blossburg, was the great reason for the building
the Blossburg & Corning railroad, which was commenced in 1837, and
finished in 1840. After the completion of this railroad the Arbon Coal
company opened mines on the Clemmons property at Blossburg and began the
shipment of coal. In 1843 the mines passed into the hands of William M.
Mallory & Co., and in 1856, Duncan S. Magee became the operator
and shipper of this Blossburg coal. Up to this time there had been shipped
from these mines, by all parties, 533,745 tons. In 1852, mines were opened
at Morris Run. The railroad was extended to this place and coal was shipped
from those mines. In 1859 mines were opened at Fall Brook. A railroad was
built from Blossburg to that place and the shipping of coal commenced in
that year.
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Bradford County PA
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Chemung County NY
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Tioga County PA
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