It is very likely that if Erskine Hazard, of the Lehigh Crane Iron Co., had not convinced the Welshman David Thomas to immigrate to Catasauqua in 1839 the industrial revolution might have bypassed South Bethlehem. Thomas' invention, a blast furnace that burned anthracite to smelt iron ore, was the first furnace of its kind in the United States.

The Lehigh Valley region was the perfect location to use this invention with large deposits available of both anthracite coal and iron ore. The success of the Thomas' furnace encouraged the establishment of the first industries in South Bethlehem, such as the Lehigh Valley Railroad, the Lehigh Zinc Company, and the Bethlehem Iron Works.

Thomas first began experimenting with burning anthracite in the 1830s when he was employed by George Crane of Wales, U.K. He used an air blast method to raise the temperatures in the furnace. Thomas was able to burn anthracite coal with the higher temperatures. He brought this technology to

Thomas was born on Nov. 3, 1794, the son of David and Jane Thomas, on a small farm near the town of Neath, Glamorganshire County, South Wales. He received the best education available in Neath and proved to be an excellent student. His parents' limited finances required him to leave school and work on the family farm.

At age 17, Thomas left the farm and began working for the nearby Neath Abby Iron Works. He immediately showed a great aptitude for the iron business. Thomas was born and raised in the area of the only belt of anthracite coal in Great Britain. This fortuitous location afforded him the opportunity to experiment with the coal.

At age 22, he was employed as the general manager of the Ynyscedwyn Ironworks. He remained there for 21 years, buying interest in the company and working closely with George Crane who was the managing partner of the company.

At the time, both American and British ironworkers thought anthracite coal was useless in heating furnaces. The Ynyscedwyn Ironworks preferred to bring in bituminous coal by pack animal or the canal, from mines located 20 miles away. Thomas' experiments with anthracite coal were met with skepticism.

When Thomas learned of an invention that blasted pre-heated air into a furnace, he realized it could solve of the problem of burning anthracite. In 1834, James Beaumont Neilson of Glasgow, Scotland, had patented his invention of the "hot blast system" for use in a bituminous coal burning furnace. Thomas secured the rights to the invention for Crane and built the first successful anthracite furnace in the world in 1837.

Around this time, Josiah White and Erskine Hazard, of the Lehigh Crane Co., had been unsuccessful in getting anthracite to burn in furnaces. When they learned of Thomas' new furnace, Hazard traveled to Wales to see the furnace for himself. He purchased the rights to use the patent of the "hot blast system" and hired Thomas to oversee the building of a furnace in Catasauqua. At 43 years old, Thomas sold his property in Wales and with his wife and five children embarked on the ship Roscius from Liverpool to settle in America. The Thomas's were motivated to immigrate to provide a better future for their children.

When Thomas began work in Catasauqua he was met with the same skepticism as he had encountered in Wales. One local iron master claimed, "I will eat all the iron you make with anthracite." Thomas later invited the gentleman to a dinner cooked in his new anthracite furnace. The furnace had produced its first run of iron on July 4, 1840. The Lehigh Valley soon became a world center of iron production due to Thomas building five furnaces within the next 10 years for the Lehigh Crane Co.

Thomas became so successful that in 1854 the Thomas Iron Co. at Hokendauqua was founded in his honor. The original charter for the company included four Bethlehem businessmen as subscribers: Augustus Wolle, Charles A. Luckenbach, Dr. Jacob P. Scholl and Matthew Krause. The company soon became the biggest anthracite iron producer in the United States. The Thomas Iron Co. added another furnace in Hokendauqua the same year. The Company expanded to include the Lock Ridge furnace at Alburtis in 1869, the Keystone Furnace, near Easton, in 1882 and the Saucon Iron Works at Hellertown in 1884.

Thomas was elected as the first burgess of Catasauqua. The town residents affectionately called him "Papa Thomas." He provided for the town by building the First Presbyterian Church, installing its first public water system, founding its first fire company and building homes for the workers.

David Thomas stepped down as vice-president of the Thomas Iron Co. in September 1873, but he continued to serve on the board of the company, named in his honor, for 22 years.

Thomas is considered the "Father of the American anthracite iron industry." Thomas died June 20, 1882, of pneumonia just before reaching the age of 88 years. The town gave him a grand funeral. His casket was accompanied by 900 employees and 600 carriages filled with dignitaries on the walk to the Fairview Cemetery. The Thomas family mansion, located at Second and Pine streets in Catasauqua, is still standing, although it has been converted into an apartment house. The Lock Ridge Furnace Museum in Alburtis has been preserved to honor Thomas' achievements. The Thomas Iron Works eventually failed in 1942 due to the competition of steel manufacturing.