One of the prominent early settlers of the borough was Henry "Gum" Nolf (alternative spellings include Nulph), who built the first store, grist-, and saw-mill. The town was first referred to as "Gumtown" in honor of Nolf, but subsequently was named "Bethlehem", and later "New Bethlehem" to distinguish it from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the eastern part of the state.
Kaster, Philip, Rimersburg p. o., and his family, came from Lower Mount Bethel, Northampton county, in the year 18 18, and settled in Red Bank, Clarion county, now the town of New Bethlehem. It was then a wilderness with the exception of a small field cleared where the cemetery is now located. The only buildings were a log cabin and a stable owned by the Widow Himes. The nearest trading post was Kittanning, Armstrong county. The same year he purchased the farm and mill site in Monroe township, and erected the first grist-mill in this part of the county, and which was known as Raster's Mill, on Licking's Creek. Philip was a soldier in the War of 18 12, and his
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History of Clarion County, Pennsylvania1887 · page 555Read the page →
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stream was rough, difficult, and dangerous on which to raft. Mr. Lewis Dovenspike tells of a high flood in the stream in 1806, that covered the flat where Fairmount is, to the depth of ten feet. On October 8, 1847, the stream rose to height of twenty-one feet at New Bethlehem dam. Nearly all the bridges, and Hesse's, Knapp's and Robinson's mills and mill dams were swept away. Another great flood occurred September 28—29, 1861, the water rising to the height of twentytwo feet. Many others of less height, but fully as destructive to property, have occurred since, one in 1880, which caused one of the great-
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