640
 

HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY.
 

CHAPTER   XLI.
 

DURHAM.
 

17"75.
 

Settled early.—Minerals.—Iron discovered.—Purchase by Durham company.—Quan¬
tity of land.—Richard Mitchel.—Constable in 1739,—First attempt to organize a
township.—Caleb Todd overseer.—Second petition for township.—Organized in
1775.—-Names of petitioners,—The area.—Roads.—Place of Indian treaties.—
Company formed and furnace built.—First shipment of iron to England.—Present
furnace.—Scarcity of labor.—First Durham boat.—Company dissolved.—Gallo¬
way's interest contiscated.—Richard Backhouse.—George Taylor.—Different
owners.—The Fackenthalls.—The Longs.—John Pringle Jones.—General Daniel
Morgan,—Durham cave.—Attempt to annex township to Northampton.—Dur¬
ham creek.—Monroe.—Rieglesville.—Churches and piustors.—Population.
 

Durham, at the extreme north point of the county, and the last
of the original townships to be organized, Avas one of the earliest
in the upper end to be settled. Attention AA^as draAvn to this sec¬
tion at an early day. In the description of Ncav Albion, published
at London in 1648, there is mention made of "lead mines in stony
hills," ten leagues above the falls of Delaware, which probably had
reference to the iron ore in the Durham hills, where a little lead has
been found from time to time. The information must have been
received from the Indians, avIio Avould not permit Europeans to
explore the river above the falls, or from Avliite men Avho had pene¬
trated to that point Avithout the knoAvledge of the Indians.    Prob-