In this concluding railroad history column, my friend Mike Bednar, railroad historian and Darktown resident, shares his memories in a special Konkrete Kid Town feature, which appeared in The Railroad Press in 2011.

Northampton had all the elements for a cement company to thrive: raw materials, a railroad system and dedicated workers. The world’s largest cement complex was constructed in 1895.

Mike writes, “The small town of Northampton got to become the global capital of cement production.”

A neighboring plant, the Lawrence - later, the Dragon - added to the “Konkrete” borough’s cement production.

The Atlas plant was served by the Atlas Railroad, later the N&B and the Central of New Jersey.

Mike writes, “I can remember when we were kids, a trip from Darktown to Northampton was like going to the ‘big town’ - like Ralphy going to a Christmas parade. We would go there every other week to Learner’s Department Store and Coleman’s Clothing Store and later Newberry’s Department Store. Coleman’s sold Huskies for the larger youths. We would go shopping at the A&P, located next to the CNJ main line.

“At night, the streetlights always looked like it was raining. It actually wasn’t rain; it was cement dust. The dust was coming from four plants - Atlas, Dragon, Whitehall and Coplay. The four plants were within a mile radius.

“In the early-morning hours, one would see women clad in babushkas and matronly aprons sweeping the sidewalks. No one ever complained; this cement dust may as well have been gold dust. It was a much simpler, better time. The bank was known as The Cement National Bank, and even the football team was and still is known as the Konkrete Kids.

“Many women found employment in the garment industry. Factories like Cross Country, Tama, D&D and Clyde provided an abundance of jobs.

“The town had its own brewery that made Tru Blu Beer. Workers would have a boilermaker (a shot of whiskey and a beer) when cement workers got out of work. They would head for the bars to wash the cement dirt from their throats. It was the essence of small America.

“On the railroads, carload after carload of cement traveled out of Northampton to places like the Panama Canal, Holland Tunnel, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center and Hoover Dam.”

By 1970, railroads were only hauling a small portion of cement out of Northampton due to truck competition. Environmental laws and new methods of making cement meant that aging plants around the Northampton area closed, to be replaced by more environmentally friendly plants.

Finally, in 1982, the Atlas closed. The Lawrence Mill was renamed Dragon Cement. Martin Marietta closed in 1983. The N&B Railroad was already abandoned in 1979. Learner’s, Newberry’s, Coleman’s, A&P and the garment mills also soon closed.

“The Roxy Movie Theatre on Main Street has been preserved and shows first-class movies for $3, and the popcorn is just like it was. Today, the Norfolk Southern is the major railroad serving the area. The railroads and the cement plants in Northampton were part of a ‘Golden Era’ in the Cement Borough’s history. Now, they are a chapter in history,” Mike said.

I thank my good friend Mike Bednar for sharing all his memories with our many loyal readers. The Railroad Press has offices in Hanover. I am proud to say the publisher and editor of the magazine is J.F.M. Serensits, a former student of this writer who does an excellent job preserving railroad history for all of us.