Michael Uhler was born on February 6, 1822 in Durham Township. His Jacob married Margaret Messinger and built a stone house and barn there. Michael had 4 sisters, (Phoebe, Rebecca, Nancy and Mary) and two brothers (Peter and John).
Uhlersville (1827-1929)
In 1824, Jacob purchased a property which contained a small farm at a sheriff’s sale in Raubsville. Peter inherited this 27.58 acre property from his father after he died in March of 1827. In the Fall of 1827, hearing that the canal construction with double locks would go through his property, Peter saw an opportunity to take advantage of the canal trade and build a center of commerce--creating Uhlersville.
Michael Uhler, Store Owner (1843-1849)
When Michael came of age, he already was showing his business acumen. By the time he was 21, he was running The New York Store in Allentown PA.
He married Hannah Hunter, daughter of John van Reed and Annie Hunter of Allentown in 1847 and together they had two sons and two daughters.
The Allentown New York Store Advertisement
Michael Uhler, Merchant, Coal Dealer and Lime Manufacturer (1849-1852)
For his next venture, Michael purchased 30 acres of the finest limestone property in Northampton County just below Easton and he constructed 8 large limestone kilns along the canal bank for the manufacture of lime. His produced 250,000 bushels of lime, annually. The lime was loaded into canal boats and delivered to farmers along the Delaware Division, Morris and Delaware and Raritan Canals.
Michael Uhler, Town Proprieter and Entrepreneur (1852-1896)
In 1852, Michael diversified his holdings purchasing the 14 acre plot of land then known as the town of Mexico in Tinicum Township, Bucks County. At the time of his purchase the town had a store, an inn and a coal yard.
Michael continued his lime and coal businesses, adding 6 lime kilns in town, and utilizing the existing coal yard.
Over the course of the next two decades, Michael Uhler engaged in many other new enterprises. He built a lumber yard and set up a boat building establishment. Upwards of 100 men were kept in his employ throughout the year.
Michael ran this boat yard along the canal where he built a fleet of 20 canal boats known as the Michael Uhler Line.
Michael Uhler, Miller (1872)
In 1872, Michael Uhler's new grist mill was powered by both water and steam, and was noted for its excellent quality of roller process flour and different brands of choice feed.
A hotel existed on the site of this town since before the first covered bridge was constructed to connect Uhlerstown with Frenchtown. The earliest served the ferry trade, but was burned down by fire in 1849. The hotel was rebuilt after a second fire in 1852. The ensuing brick hotel, The Delaware Valley House, was owned by Levi Ruth from 1853 to 1897. In 1890 it was remodeled with a third floor addition.
Michael had many civic responsibilities, as well. He served as a Director of the Union National Bank of Frenchtown for 25 years, and as an officer of the Union Cemetery in Frenchtown. He was also the Director of the Poor for Tinicum, and sat on the building committee for the Upper Tinicum Lutheran Church. He even sat on the Committee of Arrangement for the Fourth of July Celebration in 1866.
Director of the Poor
Officer of the Union Cemetery of Frenchtown
Michael Uhler, Bank Director, Union National Bank of Frenchtown (1871-1896)
The Hunterdon Democrat lists Michael Uhler as a Bank Director for the Union National Bank of Frenchtown, every year from 1871 until his death.
Michael Uhler, Building Committee for the Upper Tinicum Lutheran Church
In 1893 the congregation of the Upper Tinicum Lutheran Church decided to replace their exiting building (shown below) with a new brick church with a slate roof in the amount of $10,000. As a member of the Building Committee, Michael was responsible for drawing up the plans and hiring the contractor, Mr. Henry Frankenfield.
By 1891, Uhlertown had grown to include a Lumber Yard, Lime Kilns, Lumber and Grist Mills, Stone Yard, a Hay Press, a Store House, a Harness Shop, a Blacksmith Shop, a School House as well as 2 Hotels, 2 Stores and 2 Churches. In addition, there were a dozen workers houses noted.
Michael Uhler was not without troubles. Newspaper articles throughout his lifetime describe instances of threats, theft, embezzlement, and assault upon his person as well as accidental disasters which impacted his businesses.
THREATS
As early as 1869 Michael Uhler found him self the target of threats. This article from The Record on May 1, 1869 shares the tale of one Aaron Algard, horse thief, escaped from the county jail, who sent a threatening letter to Michael Uhler which stated,
"That unless the Slifers, who were convicted some time ago of robbery, are speedily released his [Michael's] buildings will be burnt down."
In 1875, according to the Bucks County Gazette, Michael Uhler found himself the victim of several accounts of theft and embezzlement.
In 1875 Samuel Barnes, with whom Uhler had boarded his mules was accused of stealing some of Uhler's property from the stable.
That same year, a Mr. Hill was hired to sell 1200 bushels of Uhler's grain. He sold the lot and departed westward with the proceeds in the amount of $500.
Also in 1875 a Mr. Young, commissioned to sell Lime for Michael Uhler, embezzled a large sum of money from his employer.
Michael was beset by accidents: the drowning of a valuable mule, the disappearance of boat and boatman, The loss of a dozen mules in a stable fire, and the injury of an employee during a quarry blast, to name a few.
Mule Drowned
Canal Boatman Missing
Mule Stables Burned and Employee Injured in Blasting Explosion
There was even an instance when Michael Uhler was brutally assaulted. Uhler apparently interrupted William Riegel and William Emroy in the theft of some flour at Uhler's Grist Mill. Uhler was beaten senseless. The culprits were arrested, but they made a daring escape. It was two years before they were recaptured and brought to trial.
One of the biggest losses to Michael Uhler's businesses was the burning of his Hay Press in 1897. The below articles describe the fire, damage and reconstruction of the Hay Press. They also mention that the Hay Press had burned two previous times, once in 1873 and again 1878.
Henry Frankenfield was hired to rebuild the Hay Press, the same carpenter who rebuilt both the Upper and Lower Tinicum Lutheran Churches, as well as conducted the repairs on the Hay Press after the two previous fires.
Michael Uhler died of Consumption on August 26, 1896.
Michael Uhler lived a long, robust life. He died at the age of 74. He left his estate to his one surviving daughter Emma A. Opdyke of Frenchtown.
Uhlerstown without an Uhler
Unlike most estates, the heirs wished to sell the town intact, keeping Michael Uhler's legacy alive. The first candidate to try and purchase the town, was Alonzo Nicholas.
Alonzo Nicholas was reared in Durham Township, and remained there until 1894. He engaged in gardening, general farming and he also dealt extensively in hay. In 1892 he was elected to a three year term as Sheriff of Bucks County and moved to Doylestown.