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Wilkes-Barre's First Brick House

In the year 1807 the first three-story brick building in Wilkes-Barre and the county of Luzerne which then comprised, in addition to the present county, Lackawanna and Wyoming Counties, and portions of Bradford and Susquehanna, was built for Joseph Slocum. It stood on the south side of the Square, and with some alterations which were afterward made in it. occupied the site until a few days ago, when it was torn down to make way for the new First National Bank Building.

The erection of the building was a great achievement for the time and many and often were the predictions that it could not be made to stand, because of its excessive height, although the first story walls were made very substantial, three or four times thicker than they are now built, showing that the builders themselves were not quite sure that so high a building would keep its upright position. Of course, at the time it was the wonder and admiration of the valley and from many miles around people came to see the lofty structure. The materials and workmen were brought from great distances.

Thomas R. Connor says that his father, John M. Connor, came to Wilkes-Barre in 1806 with others from Poughkeepsie, N. Y., with the carpenters who were to build the house for Joseph Slocum. He was an apprentice to the carpenters and was 18 years old. They traveled on foot and carried with them such tools as they needed. When they reached here they found that there were no laborers here to carry the brick and mortar, so they carried the necessary materials and did the carpenter work and finished the building in 1807. Mr. Connor says that his father told him that most of the materials came from Easton.

There was a large ball room on the third floor of the building, which was frescoed and decorated in an attractive manner, and the floors of the house would delight a modern housekeeper, as they were all white oak, and for many years guiltless of carpets or rugs, but were diligently scrubbed and sanded in geometric designs. At the rear of the house, in a separate building, was located the forge, where most of the iron and nails used in the building were made. Later on, when some changes were made in the partitions, the workmen had great difficulty in tearing out the woodwork, as every nail was of wrought iron and every one was clinched.

At what is now known as Scranton, Ebenezer Slocum, a brother of Joseph, had quite a large forge. This was the first in what is now Lackawanna County. Ebenezer Slocum had large land holdings there and the place came to be known as Slocum or Slocum's Hollow. The coal which he used in his forge he transported a long distance, not knowing that there were millions of tons of coal beneath the land which he owned. Joseph Slocum, who was a brother of the famous Frances Slocum, soon handed his forge over to John Fell (who later lived and died at Abington), his large land interests demanding his entire attention.

For many years after its completion in 1807, the brick building was used as a residence, although some minor changes were made, including the erection of a little building adjoining it, which was, until recently, occupied by the Leavenworth coal office.

The last occupant of the place as a dwelling was Lord Butler (Jr.), who occupied it with his family until February, 1870, when the property was leased to William P. Miner, the proprietor of the Record of the Times, and it was in this building in 1873 that the present daily Record was born and published for several years. A part of the lower floor was utilized for a time as a grocery store by John Rhone, now deceased, and later it was used as a cigar and novelty store by Smith & Teets. About 1881 S. L. Brown purchased the building and by him it was remodeled and has been devoted to store and office uses ever since, J. C. Madden occupying it a large part of the time.

About a year ago it was sold to the First National Bank, and within the last few days the once famous building has been razed to the ground, exemplifying the onward march of progress, which in this instance will assume the shape of a beautiful new bank building, which is exported to be the pride of the city as the old building was the pride of the town.

(from Historical Record, Vol. 14, 1907)