Charlton Carriage Works
Jane Hetzer Charlton, widow of Thomas Charlton purchased this lot in 1892. The deed noted that the lot adjoins the public school lot. One deed notes the school as a black school. Her son, Charles Startzman Charlton, a blacksmith, built the C. S. Charlton Carriage Factory shortly afterward. The first floor was a carriage factory and blacksmith shop, the second floor was a workshop with paint storage.
In 1896, a dynamite explosion severely damaged the factory. Glass was blown out, the stairway was damaged, and the south end of the building was blown out.
Ironically, in 1904 Charles narrowly escaped serious injury when his horse and buggy were struck by a motor car on the Williamsport Pike. The horse was slightly injured and the buggy badly damaged. That same year Charles was elected as a councilman alongside Mayor W. D. Byron.
The factory closed sometime between 1910 and 1920 and the structure was converted into a double house.
Washington County land records note this house was built in 1904, however, evidence tells us that the house was standing in 1896. Therefore the correct build date is about 1892 when the Charltons acquired the property.
