THE BOROUGH OF GLENDON

   GLENDON originally formed a part of Williams township, and was 
incorporated a borough on the eighteenth of December 1867. The first Chief 
Burgess was James Morrison, appointed by the Court.

  The first borough election was held at the house of James Morrison, on 
the third of June 1868. The Judge of Election was Reuben I. Richards; 
inspectors, John Best and James Mowry. The first Town Clerk was 
J. U. Bachman, who still holds the office.

  The principal, and in fact about the only industry of the place, is the 
Glendon Iron Works, the establishment of which was the first cause of the 
town's existence.

  The first experimental furnace was built in 1843, for Charles Jackson, 
Jr., of Boston, by William Firmstone, and named by him "Glendon." It was 
built of common red brick, was circular in plan, thirty feet diameter at 
base, forty feet high, with four piers, and four gothic arches. Slope of 
outside was one and one-half inches per foot, and the overhang of the brick 
at tunnel-head, was twenty-four feet diameter. 

  The internal diameter was ten feet at boshes and six feet at tunnel-head, 
which last was surmounted by a tunnel-head chimney fifteen feet high, in 
which were four openings for filling the furnace. The brick-work of the 
stack was bound with iron-hoops four inches wide and one and a half inches 
thick, eighteen inches apart, commencing at the top of the arches, and 
extending. to the tunnel-head. 

  Below the arches, bars of iron, two inches, ran through the piers of the 
furnace, with cast washers, inside and out, and keys. The hearth was of 
stone, four feet square; the boshes and lining were of Watsons fire-brick, 
from Perth Amboy.

  The furnace was blown by two water-wheels, each fifteen feet diameter and 
nineteen feet buckets, which drove two horizontal blast-cylinder-, made at 
the Novelty Works, New York, each sixty-two inches diameter and eight-foot 
stroke. The pressure of blast was four pounds per square inch; temperature 
of blast six hundred to six hundred and fifty Fahr., supplying three 
tuyeres, each two and one-half inches diameter.

 The fuel was anthracite, from the mines of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation 
Company. The iron-ore was three-fourths limonite, mined in the neighborhood 
of the furnace, and one-fourth magnetite, from the Byram Mine, Morris 
county, New Jersey.  The furnace produced about sixty tons per week of 
Foundry Pig-iron.

 This experiment being satisfactory, a larger furnace was erected in 
October, 1844, also of red brick, and circular; thirty-three, feet diameter 
at the base forty-five feet high, fourteen feet diameter at the bushes, and 
eight feet diameter at the tunnel-bead, with five gothic arches. 

  This furnace was also driven by water-power, obtained from the Lehigh 
Canal. The furnace produced one hundred and twenty tons of pig-iron per 
week, part of which was used for puddling purposes.

  The iron-ore used, was one-third magnetite, from the Dickerson Mine, in 
Morris county, New Jersey, arid two thirds limonite, from the vicinity of 
the furnaces. The limestone used for flux, was brought by canal from Lehigh 
county. That which is now used is from a quarry about half a mile from the 
works.

   A third furnace was built in 1849, forty-five feet high, circular in 
plan thirty-three feet diameter at base with six gothic arches; sixteen 
feet diameter in the boshes and eight feet tunnel-head.

  At the same time was erected a pair of direct-acting vertical 
blast-engines, eight-foot stroke, thirty inch steam-cylinder, and seventy-
six inch blast-cylinder, built by J. P. Morris & Co., Philadelphia, the 
steam being supplied by boilers heated by the furnace gases.



  In 1850, the old experimental furnace (No. 1) was pulled down and another 
erected in its stead, fifty feet high, circular in plan, thirty-three feet 
diameter at base, eighteen feet diameter in the ten feet tunnel-head,
and six gothic arches. Diameter of hearth six feet and with five tuyeres.
In 1853, another furnace was purchased by R. B. Thomas, at, South Easton,
All these, furnaces produced about 34,200 tons of pig-iron per year with 
the hot-blast, principally, for puddling purposes. The "Glendon " brand 
having a high reputation for such purposes, which reputation it has 
sustained up to the present time. The capacities of the furnaces, were as follows 

No. 1. 6,600 cubic feet

No. 2. 4,500 cubic feet

No. 3. 5,000 cubic feet

No. 4. 4,500 cubic feet

Another furnace, called No. 5, was built in 1868. It was of red brick,
circular in plan, seventy-two feet, high, forty feet outside diameter at 
base, with eight brick piers, supporting eight gothic arches, eighteen feet 
diameter in the boshes, and ten feet diameter at the tunnel-head with six 
filling places, hearth eight feet, and with seven tuyeres. A vertical 
direct-acting blast-engine, made by Merrick & Sons, of Philadelphia, was 
erected. Its stroke was eight feet, and cylinder thirty-six inches; 
blowing-cylinder eighty-four inches. The blast-pipe, leading to the hot 
blast ovens, was five feet, diameter. This furnace was blown in, in January 
1869, and averaged during the first blast two hundred and ninety-five tons 
of pig-iron per week.

  In 1871, this furnace was changed from open-top to closed-top, by the use 
of bell and hopper, and all the other furnaces at Glendon were subsequently
changed from open-top to closed-top (that at South Easton remaining open-topped.

  In 1872, when all the furnaces were, in blast, they made, with 
anthracite, from an ore-mixture of one-fourth limonite, obtained in the 
vicinity, and three-fourth magnetite from the New Jersey, mines of the 
company, 58,400 tons of pig-iron -principally "forge."

  The works were first owned and carried on by Charles Jackson, Jr., alone; 
afterwards a limited partnership was formed, with Charles Jackson, Jr., as 
general partner, and the business was carried on under it, until 1862, when 
The Glendon Iron Company" was incorporated, and by which the Glendon Iron 
Works are now carried on and operated.

  The capital stock of the company is $1,000,000-held by about one hundred 
and forty stockholder.

The first President was J. G. Fell, of Philadelphia

the second President was Francis C. Lowell, of Boston

the present President is John A. Lowell, of Boston

the first Treasurer was Charles Jackson, Jr., of Boston

the present Treasurer is Thomas J. Bouve, of Boston.

 The number of men employed at the works, when in full operation, is about 
two hundred and fifty.

  These works have been under the general management of William Firmstone, 
from their commencement until the present time.

  The canal is fed, and the water-power, both at Glendon and at South 
Easton, furnished by the head-water created by the dam across the Lehigh,a 
short distance above Glendon, known as the "Chain Dam." The head of water 
created by it is about twelve feet.

 The first bridge across the Lehigh, at the Glendon Iron Works, was built 
in 1855, at a cost, of $12,000.

  The Bests, Hays, and other pioneers of Williams township, were the original 
settlers, and owners of the fund in and about Glendon. It is so recently 
that the borough commenced its existence, and ceased to be a part of the 
old township, that, it has little or no history pertaining to it, except, 
the history of the Iron Works.  Nearly all the male residents of the place, 
are directly or indirectly engaged in that, industry. The workmen's houses 
are well built and comfortable and in many instances neatly and tastefully 
arranged yards and gardens are attached to them.

  The dwellings of the resident, officers of the company, are tasteful and 
elegant. Glendon has no post office, but, is supplied with mail facilities 
by the carrier-systems of the Easton post-office. The population of the 
borough, in the census, of 1870, was seven hundred and seven. It probably 
exceeds 1,000 at the present time.

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