Lehigh Valley Iron Company

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History

In 1853, Stephen Balliet (1781-1854), his sons Stephen Balliet Jr. and Aaron Balliet (1813-1895), and Benjamin S. Levan joined together to create Balliet & Co., with the goal of creating and running an iron furnace[1]. The land for the furnace was purchased on the west bank of Coplay Creek and totaled twelve acres[2]. The foundation for the first furnace was constructed in the fall of 1853, and, in 1854, the 14-foot bosh and 45-foot tall furnace stack was erected[3].

Advancement

Following Stephen Balliet's death in 1854, Balliet & Co. underwent internal reconstruction. Joseph Laubach and Lewis A. Buckley were added to the firm as partners[4] and the company was incorporated as the Lehigh Valley Iron Company[5]. Laubach was made president and Levan was elected to become the secretary, treasurer, and superintendent of the company[6]. The company company continued to advance their work with the iron furnaces, building a superintendent's house on the property in 1855 and expanding its resources by purchasing hematite ore-beds in Whitehall Township, PA; Bucks County, PA; and the Ogden Magnetic Ore-Mines in Sussex, NJ[7].

Notes

  1. ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 504
  2. ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 504
  3. ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 504
  4. ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 504
  5. ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 504
  6. ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 504
  7. ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 504

References

  • Mathews, Alfred, and Austin N Hungerford. 1884. History of the Counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Everts & Richards.