Item 32: Wilkes-Barre Bridge Company, Currency, Issued to Lord Butler by Jacob Cist and M[atthias] Hollenback, 1816 October 28
Item — Box: 16, Folder: 32
Dates
- Created: 1816 October 28
Creator
- Hollenback, Matthias, 1752-1829 (Person)
Disclaimer for Name and Subject Authorities
Some of the name and subject authority tags have been assigned by educated guessing and estimation of persons and subjects by region, age, profession, and familial relationships. They have been thoroughly researched by using primary and secondary sources available digitally, and named in each description, or in some cases linked directly to the person tag.
Access:
All series and subseries within this collection are open for research, with the exception of a few files within the Academia series that are restricted. The Academia series contains financial and sensitive institutional records from Wilkes College, and financial report records from Princeton University that will remain restricted for 80 years upon creation.
Extent
1 items
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Type of Material:
Paper currency.
Condition Note:
Poor. The page suffers discoloration and tearing.
Measurements:
6.5 x 3.75 in.
Description:
The following item depicts a bank voucher from the Wilkes-Barre Bridge Company, dated October 28, 1816, and is worth three dollars. It was issued to Lord Butler by Jacob Cist, company treasurer, and Matthias Hollenback, the president of the company. This bridge connects Wilkes Barre to Kingston.The original Market Street Bridge was built in 1816, built by the founding, prominent Wilkes Barre men who formed the Wilkes Barre Bridge Company in order to build the bridge. Vouchers such as this one were used to pay the toll to get across the bridge. The Wilkes Barre Bridge Co. owned the Market Street Bridge until 1908 when they sold it to Luzerne County. This bill was printed by Murray, Draper, Fairman & Co. They were a printing company specializing in bank notes and currency from 1795. This company is still in business but is now called ABCorp.
Lord Butler was the son of Revolutionary war hero Zebulon Butler.Lord Butler was the first sheriff of Luzerne County and was a brigadier general in the Pennsylvania militia. Butler was a member of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania. He was also active in local government serving in positions such as clerk of the Orphans Court and Court of Quarter sessions, Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds, President of the borough of Wilkes-Barre’s town council, treasurer of Luzerne County, and county commissioner. Lord Butler was also the first Postmaster of Wilkes Barre. To see more on General Lord Butler see Subseries III: Butler Correspondence, 1770-1820.
This voucher was signed by two owners of the bridge Jacob Cist and Hollenback. Jacob Cist was the Treasurer of the Bridge Company. Cist operated a Wilkes-Barre newspaper, The Gleaner, but was also an inventor, postmaster, and geologist. One of his most notable inventions was a stove that could burn the anthracite coal he was also selling. The Bridge Company’s President, Matthias Hollenback, also signed this voucher. In addition to serving this company role Hollenback was considered a Revolutionary war hero for his role in the Battle of Wyoming, a battle between the Iroquis and loyalists against Americans. Matthias Hollenback was also a merchant and owner of many distilleries throughout Northeast Pennsylvania.
Location:
Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Transcription:
[vertically THREE] [LUZERNE CY]
3 No 110 A (III)
THE
Wilkesbarre Bridge Comy
Promise to pay L Butler or bearer on demand in
Notes of an Incorporated Bankin the State
of PENNSYLVANIA
THREE dollars Wilkes Barre October 28 1816
Jacob Cist Treas[ure].r M: Hollenbeck Pres[iden].t
Murray Draper Fairman & Co.
Creator
- Hollenback, Matthias, 1752-1829 (Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Wilkes University Archives Repository
Contact:
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu