Timeline of Slatington History

Baptist Church
13 May 1899

The members of the Baptist church have purchased the lot on the corner of Main and Second streets from Benj. Kern, during the past week. The price being $4000. They intend to erect a new church and will commence work immediately.

15 July 1899

Ground was broken on Monday for the foundation of the handsome new Baptist Church that will be erected on the corner of Second and Main streets.

16 June 1900

CHURCH DEDICATION
The Opening of the Handsome New Baptist Church Will take Place This Evening and Tomorrow
Order of Services
Able Divines Will Attend--Preaching This Evening, Tomorrow All Day and Monday Evening

The handsome new Baptist church which has been in course of erection for the past to (sic) months will be dedicated to the Lord tomorrow. The services of able Divines from far and near have been secured. The Rev. Chas. Davis, of Cardiff, Wales, is President of the Welsh Baptist Union, and his fame as an orator and profound thinker is established throughout all countries where Welsh is spoken. The Rev. W. H. Conard, D.D., and Rev. W. T. Harris is a young Divine possessing great oratorical power, stands high as such in Baptist circles, and will no doubt prove his worth on this occasion. Six meetings will be held, namely, this evening, tomorrow morning, afternoon, evening and Monday evening.

The building is located on corner of Main and Second streets, one of the finest locations in town, and is built of mottled bricks with Indiana limestone trimmings, on the Gothic style. The building is a credit to the town as well as to the members of the church and is without doubt the handsomest structure of its kind in Lehigh county. Rev. Dr. D. E. Richards in the pastor. The following is the order of services.

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14 August 1900

HORRIBLE ACCIDENT!
Thirteen Killed, 16 Wounded

Special edition of The Slatington News, 14 August 1900

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DEATH'S BIG HARVEST.

PASSENGER TRAIN CRASHES INTO AN OMNIBUS LOAD OF PEOPLE AT A CROSSING.

FIFTEEN KILLED, TEN INJURED.

VICTIMS WERE RETURNING FROM A FUNERAL WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED.

Slatington, Pa., Aug. 14. -- Fifteen persons were killed instantly and ten others, several of whom will die, were seriously injured in a grade crossing accident three miles east of this city. A passenger train on the Lehigh and New England railroad crashed into an omnibus containing twenty-eight persons. All the dead and injured were in the omnibus and but three escaped unhurt.
The accident happened about 5 o'clock in the evening. The omnibus, driven by a man of the name of PETERS, was returning to Slatington from a funeral; the occupants had been attending a funeral at Cherrysville. The dead and injured were nearly all relatives of SOPHIA SCHOEFFER, at whose funeral they had been present.

Sharp Curve in the Road.
The train was a special and consisted of an engine and one car. At the point at which the collision took place there is a sharp curve in the road and the omnibus came along at a fast rate of speed, the occupants unconscious of any impending danger. As the bus swung around the curve the engine and car came in sight. It was too late to stop either the omnibus or the train, and as the driver whipped up the four horses to cross the track ahead of the train the engine crashed into the vehicle.
The occupants were thrown in all directions, bruised and bleeding. Physicians and a special train were sent for and the injured were taken to South Bethlehem. No watchman is employed to warn teams or pedestrians of any approaching train, and those living in the vicinity of the accident say that it is impossible to hear an approaching train. A peculiar feature of the accident was that the horses drawing the omnibus escaped unhurt.

List of Dead and Injured.
The dead are:
MRS. SUSAN COHEN, aged 27.
MRS. WILLIAM KANE, aged 51, Walnutport.
DAVID KERN, aged 5, son of MR. and MRS. KERN.
MRS. JAMES KERN, aged 35, Slatington.
MRS. TILGHMAN, aged 35, Walnutport.
MRS. JAMES MINNICH, aged 33, Walnutport.
MRS. SAMUEL MUMMY, aged 58, Walnutport.
MRS. STEPHEN REINHARD, aged 60, Slatington.
ELI REMALEY, aged 70, Slatington.
MRS. ELI REMALEY, aged 65, Slatington.
MRS. ALFRED RHORIG, Walnutport.
MRS. ROBERT SEIBERT, Walnutport.
MISS CARRIE SMITH, aged 22, Walnutport.
MRS. ELIAS SOURWINE, aged 58, Slatington.
Unidentified Person.
The Injured:
MISS DIZLER, Walnutport, will die.
MISS LIZZIE JONES, Walnutport, will die.
LOUIS KUNTZ, may die.
GEORGE MINNICH, will probably die.
HARRY MINNICH, aged 10, will die.
ALICE NAGLE, will recover.
CARRIE NAGLE, may die.
MRS. WILLIAM ROSCH, hurt internally, may die.
BRYAN WALP, hurt internally, may die.
Unknown Person, may die.

Source: www3.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/9464/slatington-pa-train-hits-omnibus-aug-1900 (Alton Telegraph Illinois 1900-08-16)

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Slatington, Ра., Aug. 12.-Eleven persons were instantly killed and eleven others, several of whom will die, were seriously injured to-night in a grade-crossing accident, three miles east of this city, by a passenger train on the Lehigh and New England Railroad crashing into an omnibus containing twenty-fiver persons. All the dead and injured were in the omnibus, and but three escaped uninjured. The dead: Eli Remaley, aged seventy, of Slatington; Mrs. Eli Remaley, his wife, aged sixty-five.

Mrs. James Kern, their daughter, aged thirty-two.
Samuel Mummy, aged sixty, of Walnutport.
Mrs. Samuel Mummy, his wife, aged fifty-eight.
Mrs. Elias Sourwine, a widow, aged fifty-three, of Slatington.
Mrs. William Kane, aged fifty-one, of Walnutport.
Miss Carrie Smith, aged twenty-two, of Walnutport.
Mrs. Tilghman Kunz, aged thirty-five, of Walnutport.
Mrs. James Minnich, aged fifty-three, of Walnutport.
One yet unaccounted for.
The injured are.
Miss Distler, of Walnutport, will die.
Three-yer-old son of Mrs. Kern, will die.
Harry Minnich, aged ten, of Slatington, will die.
Mrs. William Resch, seriously, may die.
Louis Kunz, seriously, may die.
Miss Carrie Nagle, of Walnutport, internal injuries, may die.
George Minnich, probably die.
Brian Walp, of Walnutport, may die.
Miss Lizzie Jones, of Walnutport, will die.
Miss Alice Nagle, will recover.
One unidentified, may die.

Crossing a Death Trap

The accident occurred about 5 o'clock. The omnibus, driven by a man named Peters, was returning to Slatington from a funeral the occupants had been attending at Cherrysville. The coach belonged to Henry Bittner, of Slatington, and the dead and Injured were nearly all relatives of Sophia Schoeffer at whose obsequies they had been present. The train was a special, and consisted of an engine and one car.

At the point at which the collision occurred there is a sharp curve In tho road, and the omnibus came along at a good rate of speed, the occupants unconscious or any impending danger. As the bus swung around the curve, the engine and car came into sight. It was too late to stop either the omnibus or the train, and as the driver of the former whipped up the four horses to cross the track ahead of the train, the latter crashed into Its middle. The occupants were thrown in all directions, bruised and bleeding. The eleven dead were killed outright. Physicians and a special train were sent for and the injured were taken to South Bethlehem.

No watchman is employed to warn teams or pedestrians of any approaching train, and those living in the vicinity state that It is impossible to hear an approaching train.

A peculiar feature of the accident was that the horses drawing the bus escaped unhurt.

Source: Washington Post, 13 August 1900

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1 December 1900

A New Knitting Mill for Slatington
Muschlitz Bros., have concluded arrangements with Jas. G. Rauch whereby the latter will at once commence the erection of a large building on his site along the railroad below the Main street bridge. The plant will be in active operation some time in January 1901. This makes knitting mill No. 2 and more to hear from.