Gen. George Washington Helme was also known as George Helmes. Gen. George Washington Helme was born on 18. May. 1822 at Kingston, Pennsylvania. He was the son of
Oliver Helme and
Sarah Pease. Gen. George Washington Helme married
Margaret Appleby, daughter of
Leonard Appleby and
Ann Amanda Fitz Allen Van Wickle, on 1. Oct. 1856 at Spotswood, Middlesex County, New Jersey.
Gen. George Washington Helme and
Margaret Appleby appeared on the census of 7. Jun. 1880 at Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey.
Gen. George Washington Helme died on 13. Jan. 1893 at Helmetta, Middlesex County, New Jersey, at age 70. He was buried on 16. Jan. 1893 at Jamesburg, Middlesex County, New Jersey. The George W. Helme Company of Helmetta, New Jersey, is not only anearly snuff manufacturing plant but one which over the years hasdeveloped into the world's largest producer of sweet snuff.Approximately one third of the dry snuff used in the United States ismade at Helmetta. The founder of the firm, George W. Helme, was bornat Kingston, not far from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on May 18, 1822.At the age of sixteen he was compelled to leave the public school,which he attended at Montrose, Pennsylvania (about 35 miles north ofKingston), because of the poverty of his parents, and go to work.
He obtained a clerkship with Asa Packer, who was a contractor for thebuilding of locks and boats for the transportation of coal fromPottsville, Pennsylvania, to New York and who projected and completedin 1855 the Lehigh Valley Railroad from Mauch Chunk to Easton. Heamassed a large fortune and founded and endowed Lehigh University in1866. The experience of working for Mr. Packer and observing hisbusiness methods was probably valuable training for young Helme inlater life. Becoming interested in literary matters, he resigned hisposition with Mr. Packer and traveled to Shreveport, Louisiana, wherehis brother lived, finally studying with a lawyer in that city andbeing admitted to the bar about 1851.
HELMETTA — After a two-month delay, the home of George W. Helme was finally demolished last week by Renaissance Properties of Englishtown, the developer currently constructing a 75-unit age-restricted community on the site.
The 17-room Victorian house on High Street dates back to the late 19th century. Helme was the owner of the snuff mill, for which the borough is best known beginning in the 1870s, and gave the borough its name, combining his last name with the nickname of his daughter, Etta. Helme died at the house in 1893. His wife, Margaret Appleby Helme, died there in 1923.
The home has been owned by the Leach family for more than 40 years.
Renaissance, whose development is called Regency Walk, purchased the property for approximately $2.5 million from another developer and agreed to build a new home near the mansion for Betty Leach and her son, Roger, the current owners.
Demolition of the historic building was slated for April, but was delayed so the Leaches’ new home could be constructed.
Historical Society President Kathryn Hackett-Fields said she and a handful of other society members were permitted to enter the mansion June 22 — less than a week before Renaissance razed the building, Hackett-Fields said.
"The developer told us not to say anything about the demolition," Hackett-Fields said. "They didn’t want a media circus. They also didn’t want anyone in there in case of injury."
Hackett-Fields said only a few individuals were permitted to tour the home June 22 and that they were given permission by the developer to remove historical items from the home; virtually nothing had been left for the taking.
"There were some handmade hearth tiles we were able to take," Hackett-Fields said. "The doors, moldings, everything was gone before we went in there."
Hackett-Fields said the few artifacts historical society members retrieved from the mansion will be placed in the borough’s museum, which is temporarily located in Borough Hall. The society hopes to find a permanent home for the museum in the future.
Hackett-Fields said she and other society members toured the mansion for approximately two hours, and she was surprised to see the interior of the home in such good condition.
"We [the historical society] were surprised the interior was in good shape," Hackett-Fields said. "The interior didn’t have gaping holes, but there was no telling what the attic looked like."
Hackett-Fields said that in her tenure over the past four years as president, she could not recall whether an engineering professional ever inspected the home’s interior to determine if the mansion could be restored.
"I don’t know where the estimate came from, but we [the historical society] were told the home could be restored for $350,000. We were always interested in getting the house restored."
The house was the most significant of the more than 100 buildings in the George W. Helme Snuff Mill District to be placed on the state and national Registers of Historic Places in 1980.
George W. Helme also built a mansion for his son, George A., but that building was demolished decades ago. The only Helme mansion that remains is the home of Helme’s eldest daughter, Antoinette "Etta" Helme Herbert. The house is still used as a private residence. On 4. Jul. 2002.