Early Settlement
Southmont's first settlers were farmers. Borough streets bear the names of men who farmed or tended fruit orchards. In 1900 there were approximately 15 farms scattered over the future Borough, but by 1920 virtually all of them had been turned into building sites.
One of Southmont's first settlers was Yost Hochstein, who returned from the California gold fields with $3,000 in gold. In the early 1850's he purchased 140 acres, nearly one-fourth of the Borough's present land area. Within the next ten years William Ream purchased a farm in what is now known as the Haberlein district.
George Spangler's Home on Menoher Blvd.
Other early farmers were William Green, William and Rube Keller, Jonathan Gardner, Adam Keppler, Christopher Palliser, George Spangler, William Hochstein, Konrad Hochstein, John Miller, Samuel Miller, Frank Miller, William Wonder, Able Peden, Henry Koch and Adam Koch.
George Spangler’s house on Menoher Boulevard (previously Mill Creek Road), a log house with clapboards, is a survivor from the mid-19th century.
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Prior to the development of Southmont, several City residents built summer homes that were eventually turned into year-round residences.