By: John Fabiano
Allentown, N.J. its Rise and Progress (Part 47)
The following early history of the "Brick Store," located at 18 S. Main St., adjacent to the Library, is from C.R. Hutchinson’s "Allentown, Its Rise and Progress."
May 1, 1821, Josiah Woodward, Samuel Cooke Newell and James S. Lawrence, all of the township of Upper Freehold, &c, conveyed to Robert Montgomery of the same: "Whereas Robert DeBow, of Allentown aforesaid, by deed August 26, 1819, conveyed to the said parties of the first part amongst other things, certain lands, tenements, &c, in trust, and whereas the said parties of the first part did advertise the said granted premises for sale by way of public auction on the twenty eighth day of March last part, and did on that day put up the same, &c, whereupon the said Robert Montgomery being the highest bidder for the said lots, pieces or parcels of land, became the purchaser thereof for the price or sum on $3,671. Now this Indenture further witnesseth that the said parties of the first part, x x x convey: All those several lots, pieces, or parcels of land, situate at Allentown, &c: The First, Beginning at the southeast corner of the brick store [18 S. Main St.], in Allentown aforesaid, erected by the said Robert DeBow, and running N 41 degrees, 20′ W 4 [chains], 93 [links], to a stone: Thence N 49 ½ degrees E 2, 80 to a stone by the side of Paine [Church] Street: Thence along the same N 46 degrees, W, 1 chain to a stone: Thence S 49 ½ W 3, 17 to a stone: Thence N 41 degrees W 4, 16 to land of Asher Borden: Thence along his line, S 49 degrees, W 1 chain to the corner of Joseph Robbins’s lands: Thence along his line, S 41 ¼ degrees E 6, 55 to the corner of Joseph Robbins’s barn: Thence N 49 ¾ degrees, E 48 links to a stone at the corner of the barn on the said lot hereby conveyed: Thence S 43 ¼ degrees, E 3, 56 to the northerly line of the main street in Allentown aforesaid: and thence along the same N 47 degrees E 87 links to the place of beginning. The Second, being part of the real estate whereof Samuel Quay died seized, which upon a map thereof is distinguished as Lots No.2&3, Beginning at a stone corner planted in the street aforesaid, which is also a corner to the Tavern Lot, No. 1: Thence along the line of said Lot No.1 N 43 degrees W 9, 06 to a stone for a corner, which is also a corner to Lot No.4: Thence S 43 degrees E 9, 18 to the street: Thence along the street N 53 ¾ degrees E 2 chains to the place of beginning. The Third, Beginning at a stone standing on the south side of the street or road in Allentown commonly called Maiden Lane, being the northeasterly corner of a lot late of John Hughes, and running thence along the line thereof S 44 ¼ degrees E 4, 59 to a stone corner to land late of Samuel Quay: Thence along the line thereof N 75 ¼ degrees E 2 chains to a stone, corner to land of the said John Hughes: Thence along his line N 44 degrees 35′ W 4, 53 to a stone standing in the said road or street: and thence along the same S 76 degrees 40′ W 2 chains to the beginning; containing 78/100 of an acre, be the same more or less." Witnessed by Nath’l Britton, Graham Newell. Acknowledged before Nath’l Britton.
Lots No.1 and No.2 in the advertisement of Robert DeBow’s real estate were evidently the brick store and adjoining dwelling [20-22 S. Main St.], now [1914] owned by E.B. & B.F. Rogers. The survey of this property in the deed to Robert Montgomery included a lot on Paine Street, which appears to have been the "No.4" mentioned in said advertisement, apparently the premises north of the Grange Hall, where Annette Imlay formerly lived, now owned by Daniel Polhemus and occupied (in 1914) by Wilson Merrick [28 Church St.]. The advertisement says that in 1820 there was on this lot "a new frame house, suitable for a small family." In 1855, Josiah Hewes Gill lived there and managed the brick store for his brother, Bennington Gill, of Eglinton [former Montgomery estate near intersection of Rts.539 & 524]. I was employed in the store and went to this house for my meals, sleeping in a room over the store. After Mr. Gill removed to Philadelphia in the spring of 1856 it was occupied by Joseph Imlay, and by his family after him, of whom Annette was the last in this locality. Lot No.3, in said advertisement could have been no other than the brick dwelling now in the possession of the Misses Newell, which adjoins that on the brick store property and is likely to have been built by Robert DeBow, since they are practically one building. Nathaniel Britton kept store there at somewhere about that time, and afterward it was occupied by Gabriel Allen as a tavern. In 1842, it was a dwelling, and Jacob Ford lived there and carried on coopering [barrel making] in his shop in the rear. He removed to Bordentown, where he kept a store for many years. The two building lots on Main Street, designated in said advertisement as No.5 and in the deed to Robert Montgomery as Nos.2&3 of Samuel Quay’s lands, are now in the possession of Mrs. Catherine I. Tilton [Hutchinson later marked this an "Error"]: Lot No.4 being that on which her residence is located, and Lot.3 (still vacant) adjoining it easterly, her easterly line being the westerly line of the old "Brick Tavern" lot [another "Error"]. Lot No.6 "with a stream of water running through it," the third of the lots sold to Robert Montgomery, appears to be a part of the premises formerly owned by Isaac Rogers, latley sold by Joshua N. Carr to Virginia W. Schooley. Its actual contents were 78/100 of an acre, and it was bounded northerly by old Shrewsbury Road and westerly by the premises now of Catharine Rock, which was the John Hughes lot.
December 18, 1834, Samuel C. Newell and James M. DeBow, executors of Robert Montgomery, deceased, executed and agreement to sell to Charles Bodine of Allentown, &c, for $2,500, "a certain dwelling house, store, store house and lot of land, with the outbuildings and appurtenances, situate in the village of Allentown aforesaid, and partly occupied by the said Charles Bodine, and partly occupied by David McKean." The said Charles Bodine agreed to pay $1,500, "on the first day of April next," and give a mortgage for remaining $1,000.
After the sale of Robert DeBow’s real estate in 1820, the brick store was carried on for a time by David McKean and Samuel C. Newell, under the firm name of McKean & Newell, and then by David McKean alone until 1835, when he was succeeded by Charles Bodine as above mentioned, and removed to his own brick building, now part of the Idell property [31 N. Main St.]. How long Bodine remained I do not know. He was succeeded by one Stephen Rose, and he, in 1846, by Benjamin P. Shreve and Samuel C. Davis as Shreve & Davis until 1849: then Samuel C. Davis until 1852. He was followed by the firm of Stagg & Gill: Theodore Stagg of New York and Bennington Gill of Eglinton, both of whom were son’s in law of Samuel C. Newell. This firm dissolved in the spring of 1855, and Mr. Gill continued the business for one year, the sold out to Stagg, who, after two or three years went to farming. Then came Theodore N. Crawford, A. Bergen Vannest, who disappeared, and William J. Hendrickson, who sunk a fortune there. Up to this time it had been a general store, and the business had been generally unsuccessful. Afterward, it was occupied for several years by William H. Rorer as a hardware store and tin shop, and is now occupied for that purpose by the Albert Nelson Company as a part of their plant across the street.
Historically Speaking is a regular column presented by John Fabiano, MA, designated historian for Allentown Borough.
