On June 3, Weissport will be celebrating its 150th anniversary as a borough.

It was June 3, 1866, that Weissport was incorporated as a borough in the state of Pennsylvania. But its founding history goes back over 100 years before then.When an anniversary of a town is celebrated, the community's complete history is examined.The town was founded by Col. Jacob Weiss, a soldier of the Revolutionary War and later a wealthy coal baron, in 1792. He purchased land that now houses Weissport and Lehighton from the Moravians. The land was part of a settlement named New Gnadenhutten. Col. Weiss died in what is now Weissport on Jan. 9, 1839.However, the first real settlement in Weissport possibly happened in January 1756 when Benjamin Franklin, a statesman, signer of the U.S. Constitution, inventor and journalist came here.Why did Franklin come to Weissport?Two months earlier, Nov. 24, 1755, a Moravian settlement named New Gnadenhutten and located in what is now Lehighton came under attack by Native Americans. Eleven Moravians were killed. Five escaped the attack.It was one of a series of attacks on settlers in this region that prompted the government to call on Franklin for assistance.He traveled to Bethlehem, and on Jan. 15, 1756, and organized a militia of 560 men. He continued northward to the banks of the Lehigh River where New Gnadenhutten lay in ruins. He writes in his autobiography, "Our first work was to bury more effectually the dead we found there, who had been half interred by the country people."The next morning, he began work on constructing a fort. Eventually, a fort was built on the site of what is now owned by Behavioral Health Associates. A well that served the fort still stands on the property.Franklin named it Fort Allen after his friend Judge William Allen, the founder of Allentown.It wasn't an elaborate structure.He wrote in his autobiography:"We had one swivel gun, which we mounted on one of the angles, and fired it as soon as fixed, to let the Indians know, if any were within hearing, that we had such pieces; and thus our fort, if that name may be given to so miserable a stockade, was finished in a week, though it rained so hard every other day, that the men could not work."Franklin, always philosophical, also wrote, "This gave me the occasion to observe, that, when men are employed, they are best contented; for on the days they worked they were good-natured and cheerful, and, with the consciousness of having done a good day's work, they spent the evening jollily; but on our idle days they were mutinous and quarrelsome, finding fault with the pork, the bread, &e (sic), and were continually in bad humor …"Of Fort Allen, Franklin wrote, "This kind of fort, however contemptible, is a sufficient defense against Indians, who have no cannon. Finding ourselves now posted securely and having a place to retreat to on occasion, we ventured out in parties to scour the adjacent country. We met with no Indians, but found the places on the neighboring hills where they had lain to watch our proceedings."Franklin writes that he "had hardly finished this business" when he received a letter from the governor requesting his attendance at a gathering of the assembly.When Weissport celebrates its 150th anniversary, emphasis will be placed on what has happened in the past century-and-a-half. This includes individual accomplishments by local residents such as Betty Mullen Brey becoming a national swimming champion and competing in the Olympics, how the island community survived devastating floods that almost wiped it off the map, recalling the forefathers who kept the borough intact whether it be political leaders or businessmen, the military honor roll, and the impact of the churches during Weissport's history.That's what the anniversary should be about. But the history beyond the 150 years is also important.