This is an excerpt from "Early History of Ambler" by Dr. Mary P. H. Hough. The entire document can be found HERE.
 

Isaac Thomas was a prominent man in the locality. He owned fifty-three acres of ground, which was held by the Thomas family since its purchase early in 1700. For forty years, he kept the Post Office in his general store situated in Upper Dublin Township on the Bethlehem Pike, at the terminus of Euclid avenue of the present day. He owned the thirty-six acre tract purchased from Andrew until the year 1865, when radical changes began in the locality. Isaac Thomas was then seventy-two years of age and his interest in the business affairs was beginning to wane.

Jonathan Lukens, a well known builder and woodsman of Gwynedd, saw a chance for prosperous development in this region because of the sawmill on Thomas' tract, which could be used to advantage in his building operations, the abundance of timber, and the proximity to the railroad, which after ten years of its existence was beginning to make the locality attractive for homes. Seeing no risk in the purchase of the thirty-six acres, Lukens bought them for $7125, with full confidence in himself and his ability to carry through successfully the project of forming a town and realizing considerable financial results.

It was a beautiful spot. The two streams of water which coursed their way through the grounds before entering the Wissahickon, made the valley very picturesque and inspired everyone to think of goodness and loveliness.

The Board of Managers of Swarthmore College, who, a short time previous to the sale of this site to Lukens, were in quest of a place on which to erect their College, recognized this location as the most beautiful in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Here was an ideal situation: the Wissahickon and its tributaries, and a valley with a great variety of scenic effects. By a very small majority of votes, the choice of the Board fell to the location in Philadelphia, near Media, and the sale of these acres was made instead to Lukens, who had in view only the financial advantages with no thought of its preservation for its romance and beauty.

James Keisel, a competent surveyor, was employed by Lukens at once, and ten acres were laid out into building lots. Streets were planned, and the orchard, even though laden with luscious fruits, was destroyed, as was all other grown greens. Fortunately, however, a small section between Forrest and Butler avenue, near Ridge and Hendricks street, was sold to Charles Childs, who built an elegant mansion on the most elevated portion and who preserved there its original beauty which was still evident many years later during its ownership by the Hart family.

Lukens, planning his town, first laid out Main street, and erected on it four houses. He planned the parallel streets of Walnut, Forrest avenue (then called Harts avenue) Race street (Water street), Ainsworth street and Spring Garden street. Several lots were sold for which he realized $50.00 for fifty feet front. Many sales were made, but he could find no one to purchase the north side of Butler avenue which was very discouraging; he thought it good business policy to dispose of the less desirable ones first. These lots were then thought objectionable locations for homes because of the steep decline of their banks and the stream of water which ran through their center.

Jonathan Lukens was very anxious to dispose of these lots as financial reverses were beginning to creep upon him. It is related by Samuel Shoemaker that at this time, Lukens approached his father, Charles Shoemaker, hoping that he could induce Mr. Shoemaker to make the purchase, as Isaac Thomas, the former owner of the land, was Shoemaker's father-in-law, and that he might be interested because of the sentiment attached to it.

Shoemaker was a Quaker, therefore, Lukens, in order to get into closer contact with him, diplomatically used the language of that sect when he said, "I will sell thee, Charles, all the tract of ground lying on the north side of Butler avenue between Spring Garden street and the bridge near Hendricks street for $200.00, with a depth of 250 feet." Charles thought that it had no future prospect, hence he asked, "What could I do with it?" Lukens replied, "Pasture thy cows in it." "Pasture my cows! If I ever put my cows there I would never find them again." . . and the sale was not made.

Much discouraged, Lukens tried to make up this loss of valuable land by purchasing five acres of the Reiff estate in the section of the railroad front with the intention of starting a coal yard. He secured the front, but the Railroad Company refused to run in a switch, giving as an excuse that there would be no business. However, through the influence of Charles Shoemaker, a close friend of Frank Comly, president of the railroad, the delayed switch was laid, and Lukens began the establishment of a prosperous coal business. The revenue, however, during his ownership was not enough to meet expenses, and only added to his financial reverses. Later, David Knipe, rented the yard for a short time, selling it to Joseph Stackhouse in 1873, who, in turn, sold it to J. Watson Craft.

The saw mill owned by Lukens, also resulted in financial loss owing to the large amount of money he was obliged to spend when he put Race street on his map, Race street, was so called because it ran parallel with the race which supplied the mill with water. In order to get an outlet at Spring Garden street, the contour of the forebay there had to be changed, giving the street at this location a distant curve, still evident today. Later, he realized that this work was a loss of time and money, for great changes had come in a short space of time. The standing timber in the surrounding section of the country, on which he was dependent for the successful operation of his saw mill, was getting scarce. His mill was primitive in its construction; he was unable to compete with the great mills farther west, which were equipped with machinery of modern type and located where there were still vast forests. This change of events, unforseen by Jonathan Lukens, spelled the doom of the saw mill in Ambler and its existence soon became only a memory to the oldest residents.

In 1873, nearly ten years after he purchased the thirty-six acre tract, the outlook for the sale of his holdings on Butler avenue became more encouraging through the sale in that year of a vacant lot to Thomas Hulschizer for which he received $850.00. This enormous price was paid by Hulschizer in order to encourage Lukens, who was his personal friend. The same lot was sold fifteen years later for $350.00, less than half the price paid for it.

Notwithstanding this sale, Lukens' dream of making a town and replenishing his financial resources now began to vanish. The failure of his coal yard, the disaster of the mill, the great expense incurred in operating it, the lessening of the number of lots sold, put him heavily in debt and brought the need of money to meet his financial obligations.

In this crisis, he sold some lots for as low as $35.00 in order to satisfy his creditors. This resulted in the loss of some friends who thought that he had not dealt fairly with them for the great price they had paid for the land which they had purchased from him. The loss of these friendships, the financial loss he met, the realization of his failure, undermined his health and caused his untimely death. It would seem as though the irony of fate had been almost cruel to this worthy citizen. A man of most exemplary habits, filled with the spirit of honest endeavor, died with remorse and humiliation because of his failure in life.

The future history of this thirty-six acre tract proves, on the contrary, that his life was not a failure. The well paved streets, which he planned in the heart of the Borough, filled with many happy homes and their increased valuation from time to time are the monuments of Jonathan Lukens. Others of his own time and generation lived to see his colossal dreams of the future of the locality become a reality. They lived to see it teaming with life, happiness and prosperity. These could bear witness to the truth of the saying, "One man reaps what another sows," as evidenced by the later history of the holding of this property. These lots, almost worthless and unsaleable during his early ownership, a few years later, or in 1933, with but a meagre pretension of a building thereon had an assessed valuation of $40,000 for forty front feet.

Jonathan Lukens ventured and lost; others reaped the harvest.

Dr. Mary P. Hough
(Appprox 1936)