Item 114: A Newspaper Clipping by Unknown, titled “Durkee’s Survey”, [ca. nineteenth-twentieth century]

Item — Box: 15, Folder: 169

Staff Only

Newspaper Clipping by Unknown, titled “Durkee’s Survey”, [ca. nineteenth-twentieth century]

Dates

Created: [ca. nineteenth-twentieth century]

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

Additional Description

Type of Material:

Newspaper Article

General Condition:

Good

Measurements:

11.25 x 10 in.

Title:

Durkee’s Survey

Description:

The following item depicts a newspaper clipping of an article entitled, “Durkee’s Survey,” which discusses the historic division of the famed public lands. It ranges from the a time of building lots in 1820, referring to a “blueprint which Harry Marne land agent for the Lehigh & Wilkes Barre Coal company … presented to the City of Wilkes Barre,” demonstrating the industry ties in the area. An original map showed 25 building lots, each 5 perches wide, with a 1 perch vacant space between them. Property owners were also required to "leave a space 4 perches wide extending along the entire common for use as a public walk." The map also detailed existing buildings on the opposite side of Front street, including "several hotels and roadhouses" and the "houses of such early residents as Lord Butler, R. Welles, Jacob Glat, the Hollenback family, George Chohoon and the Morgan family." These lots remained unsold, and the municipality only secured the title to the ground in the 1850s. The tone of the piece is joyous, seeing as now the area is owned by the city and unlikely to be subdivided again soon.