ols 106 4. Moravian Schools 106 5. Pay Schools 106 6. Charity Schools 101 ~ t . Free Schools 107 8. Free School Act of 1834 ■ 109 9. Farly School Buildings and Furnishings 109 10. School Exercises 112 11. Keystone State Normal School 113 12. Academies 113 13. County Superintendents 115 a. William A. Good 115 b. John Ermentrout 116 c. David B. Brunner 116 d. Samuel A. Baer 117 e. David S. Keck 117 f. William M. Zechman 117 g. Eli M. Rapp 113 CHAPTER IX. Government 120 1 . Finances 120 a. Kinds of Taxes 120 b. Levying the Taxes 121 c. Collecting the Taxes 121 CONTENTS 9 Page. Party, Politics, Nominations and Elections 122 a. Who May Vote 123 b. Primary Elections 123 c. General and Municipal Elections , . . .124 d. Election Expenses 125 Township, Borough and City Government 126 a. The Township . 12G 1. Justices of the Peace 126 2. Constable 127 3. Assessor 127 4. Tax Collector 128 5. School Directors 128 6. Supervisors 129 7. Auditors 129 b. The Borough 130 1. Reasons for Borough Government 130 2. Borough Council 130 3. Chief Burgess 130 4. Other Borough Officers 131 c. The City 131 1. The Mayor 131 2. City Council 132 3. City Controller 132 4. City Treasurer 132 5. Aldermen 132 6. Other City Offices 132 7. School Controllers 132 County Government 132 a. Officers 133 1. County Commissioners 133 2. Sheriff 134 3. Coroner 134 4. Prothonotary 135 5. County Treasurer 135 6. Recorder of Deeds 135 7. Register of Wills 136 10 CONTENTS 4. County Government, Continued Page. 8. Clerk of Quarter Sessions 137 9. District Attorney 137 10. Jury Commissioners 138 11. Prison Inspectors 138 12. Directors of the Poor 138 13. County Controller 138 14. County Surveyor 138 15. Mercantile Appraiser 138 16. County Solicitor 138 b. The County's Relation to the Courts 138 1. Kinds of Courts 139 2. The J udges 140 3. Juries 140 4. Accusation and Trial in the Criminal Courts.. 140 5. Manner of Conducting Civil Cases 142 CHAPTER X. Geography 143 1. Mountains 143 2. Rivers and Valleys 14G 3. Minerals 146 4. Caves 147 a. Crystal Cave 147 b. Dragon Cave 148 c. Other Caves 149 5. Divisions of the County 150 6. Charitable Institutions 151 7. Weather Bureau 152 8. Some Leading Facts 1 52 9. Post Offices 152 CHAPTER XI. The Townships L53 1. Albany 153 2. Alsace 155 3. Lower Alsace 157 4. Amitv 158 CONTENTS 11 Page. 5. Bern 159 6. Upper Bern 160 ?. Bethel 162 8. Brecknock 161 9. Caernarvon 164 10. Centre 166 11. Colebrookdale 168 12. Cumru 169 13. District 171 14. Douglass 172 15. Earl 173 16. Exeter 174 17. Greenwich 176 18. Heidelberg 178 19. North Heidelberg 179 20. Lower Heidelberg 180 21 . Hereford 181 22. Jefferson 182 23. Longswamp 183 24. Maidencreek 184 25. Marion 186 26. Maxatawny 188 2^ . Muhlenberg 190 28. Oley 192 29. Ontelaunee 195 30. Penn 195 31. Perry 196 32. Pike 198 33. Richmond 19!) 34. Robeson 200 35. Rockland 202 36. Ruscombmanor 203 3; . Spring 204 38. Tilden 205 39. Tulpehocken 206 40. Upper Tulpeh< >cken 20^ 12 CONTENTS Page. ' 41. Union 208 42. Washington 208 43. Windsor 209 44-. Township Statistics 211 CHAPTER XII. The Boroughs 212 1. Bally 212 2. Bechtelsville 212 3. Bernville 213 4. Birdsboro 214 5. Boyertown 215 6. Centreport 217 7. Fleetwood 217 8. Hamburg 219 9. Kutztown 220 10. Lenhartsville 221 11. Mohnton 222 12. Mount Penn 222 13. Shillington 223 14. Sinking Spring 223 15. Topton 224 16. West Leesport 226 17. West Reading 226 18. Womelsdorf 227 19. Wyomissing 229 20. Borough Statistics 231 CHAPTER XIII. The City of Reading 232 1. Early History— 1748 to 1783 232 a. Prominent Buildings 232 b. Industries 234 c. Hunting and Fishing 235 2. Reading as a Borough 236 a. Water Company Organized 237 b. Prominent Visitors 238 ILLUSTRATIONS 13 Page. 3. Reading Today 239 a. City Officials 240 b. Sanitary Provisions 241 c. Industrial Conditions 241 d. Education 242 4. Leading Facts — 1912 245 CHAPTER XIV. Our National Flag 246 CHAPTER XV. Public Officials 248 ILLUSTRATIONS. Frontispiece : — Good, Ermentrout, Brunner, Baer, Keck, Zechman, Rapp. CHAPTER I. Indian Trap. Indian Chief. Kindling Fire. Corndigger. Indian Wigwam. Tomahawk. Pappoose. Squaw. Indian Cache fori Provisions. CHAPTER II. Mounce Jones' House. Oldest Gravestone. William Penn. Sara Maria. German Man and Woman, Pioneer Home. 14 ILLUSTRATIONS CHAPTER III. Map of Pennsylvania, showing Berks in 1754. CHAPTER IV. Conrad Weiser. Weiser Home. Weiser Grave. Weiser Monument. Levan's Barn. CHAPTER V. Tedysucung. Port Northkill. Regina. CHAPTER VI. Joseph Hiester. Hessian Log House. Washington. Chair in Which Washington Sat. First Defenders' Monument. CHAPTER VII. Kitchen Fireplace. Fat Lamp. Tallow Candle. Carrying Fire. Old Plow. Spinning in Colonial House. Oldest Stove Made in County. Canal Boat. Conestoga Wagon. Pioneer Road. Milestone. Old Stage Coach. First Locomotive and Train. Horse Car. ILLUSTRATIONS 15 CHAPTEE VIII. Parochial School. First School House in County. Eight-cornered School House. Old Wood Stove. Franklin Academy. Keystone State Normal School. Modern Township High School — Consolidated. CHAPTER X. Map of Berks County. Countv Linestone. Entrance to Crystal Cave. CHAPTER XI. Sawmill. Gristmill. Chapel Rocks. Carrying Corn to the Mill. Stone School House. Ney's Tavern. Fort Henry. Hand Mill. Grain Cradle. Lincoln Home. Boone Home. Scene Along the Sacony. Blue Rocks. Bethany Orphans' Home. Wernersville Asylum. Quaker Meeting House. Centennial Oak. Moravian Church. Shoemaker House. Old-time Mail Carrier. Octagonal Church. 16 ILLUSTRATIONS White Bear Inn. Grosscup Home. Cider Press. CHAPTER XII. Grain House. Boyertown Mines. Log House. Pioneer House. Lutheran Orphans' Home. Wyomissing High School. CHAPTER XIII. Map of Reading. Federal Inn. Old Court House. Old Penn Street Bridge. Present Court House. Askew Bridge. New Penn Street Bridge First School House. New Boys' High School. CHAPTER XIV. Birth of Our Flag. THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY CHAPTER I. THOSE WHO WERE HERE BEFORE US. Two hundred years ago few white people lived in what we now call Berks County. At that time it was the home of wild animals and savage Indians. Great forests of giant trees were found in its valleys and on most of its rugged hills. What wonderful changes we now see! The forests have nearly all been cut down. Humming mills, beautiful homes, rich farms now are found in its valleys; railroads have taken the place of the Indian paths, and its fertile fields are covered with rich crops of hay, grain and fruit. The savage Indians and wild animals are no longer seen; in their places we have civilized people and the much needed domes- tic animals. All these wonderful changes with many more have taken place in the short space of less than two hundred years. The story of how it all happened is as wonderful as a fairy tale, but it is true. We call it the story of Berks County. In order to understand this story fully, it will be necessary to know something of the causes which produced these great changes. The Indians. More than four hundred years have elapsed since civilized men of Europe first learned of the race of red men in North America whom they called Indians. Who these Indians were or whence they came no one can tell. When the white men first came here they were most numerous in the vicinity of the Delaware river, but there is no way of determin- ing hpw many of them there were. Tribes. The tribes that dwelt in what is now Berks County or roamed over its forest-covered hills and valleys called themselves the Lenni Lenape, or the original people. 18 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY The Lenni Lenape nation was divided into three principal tribes or divisions: the Unamis, or Turtle; the Unalachtgos, or Turkey; and the Monsey, or Wolf. The Turtle tribe occupied the country be- tween the seacoast and the Blue Mountains and their hunting grounds extended from the Hudson to the Potomac. Their name means "the people down the river.'' Their chief abode was on the Penn- sylvania side of the Delaware south of the Lehigh River. The sur- rounding tribes that did not belong to the Lenape Confederacy agreed that they were entitled to the honor of being called grand- fathers. As grandfathers they were supposed to have emigrated in a very remote time eastward from the Mississippi. In their travels eastward they are supposed to have conquered the builders of mounds that were numerous in the western valleys. The Turtle and Turkey tribes were known among the whites as Delaware Indians. They were conquered by the Iroquois in 1742, when most of them emigrated to the western part of the State. The Moravian Missionaries, who made special efforts to Christianize the Delawares, saw their procession, like a funeral train, pass through Lehigh Gap. The Wolf tribe was the fiercest and most warlike. They occupied the mountain regions at the headwaters of the Delaware and the Susquehanna Rivers. They held their principal council fires at the Minisink Flats on the banks of the Delaware just where it receives the waters of the Lehigh. Here they had extensive peach orchards. The Ljnalachtgos lived in the vicinity of Chesapeake Bay. Penn bought his land from the Turtle and Turkey tribes. The exact boundaries of the different tribes are not known. The Delawares occupied Berks County and the territory north and east. The Shawanese occupied the land along the Susquehanna in the vicinity of Harrisburg. The Conestoga Indians inhabited the land along the Conestoga Creek, extending through Caernarvon in Berks and through a part of Chester County. There were subdivisions of the various tribes, and these were known by the names of the streams near which they lived. Thus we have the Schuylkill, Sacunk, Manatawny, Tulpehocken and Maxa- tawnv Indians. THOSE WHO WERE HERE BEFORE US 19 Occasionally tribes or parts of tribes migrated, owing to sickness or war. The Ganawese, who lived along the Potomac, and were reduced in numbers by sickness, by permission of the Governor of Pennsylvania, settled near Tulpehocken. The Conestoga guaranteed the good behavior of the Ganawese during their residence in this section. The Indians were fine specimens of physical men and women, yet to them the earth seems to have served no higher purpose than to be used as a happy hunting ground, for at no point have they left any definite and lasting impressions. They were able to endure great hardships. Their sharp eyes enabled them to find their l] way through the forest by signs of which the white men would take no notice. Their chief occupations were hunting, fishing and fighting, indian trap. though they also liked to dance and run races. Some tnings they did. They made pots of clay mixed with powdered mussel shells burned in fire. In these they prepared their food. The trees they burned down, then used them for firewood. Their boats were made of the bark of cedar and birch trees bound together with stout straps of bark. These boats they often carried along when they went on a journey, using them to cross or sail up or down a stream. Boats were also made out of cedar trees of which they burned out the inside, scraping off the coals with sharpened stones or mussel shells. The men and women dressed in skins and under garments made of wild hemp. Hemp was also made into twine, knit together with the pointed ends of feathers to form blankets. They made their bows as long as themselves ; the bowstrings of the sinews of animals killed in the chase ; and the arrows of reed about five feet long. At one end of this reed they fixed a piece of hard wood into which they made a hole to fit the head of the arrow. The arrow head consisted of flint stone, hard bone, horn or the teeth of large fish. The head was glued into the end of the arrow so securely that water could not affect it, and at the opposite end they put feathers. In the abandoned corn fields grew hemp from which their ropes, 20 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY bridles anci nets were made. Pestles about one foot long were used to grind or pound their corn. The first windmills that ground corn surprised them very much. Their tobacco pipes had stems as long as a man. These pipes and immense bowls were generally given to friends who came to visit them, and were expected to be smoked out before the visit ended. The bowls were made of horn, red, yellow or blue baked clay, or of stone that was so soft that it could be cut and scraped with a hard shell. They also made mats of fine roots and these they painted with all kinds of figures. The}- painted their faces red. Those who were most famous had their bodies painted also. The men allowed only a tuft of hair to grow upon the tops of their heads; the rest was pulled out by the roots as soon as it appeared; so they were beardless as well as bald. On theii faces, hands and breasts were fig- ures according to their individual fancies. These were made by prick- ing the skin with thorns and rub- bing the bleeding parts with char- coal. The black of the coal entered the holes made by the thorns and left marks that remained for life. Upon their feet they wore shoes made of skins tied together with strips of skin. The men often snt their ears and put something into the opening to prevent the parts from growing together, then hung a weight to the lower part so that it hung down the side of the neck like a large ring. When an Indian killed an enemy he scalped him. This was done by cutting the skin around the head just below the hair, placing the* knee upon the victim's neck and rudely pulling by the hair until the scalp came off. The whole operation was often performed in a minute and was usually fatal, but not always. The scalp was painted red and placed upon a pole as a token of victory. He was AN INDIAN CHIEF. THOSE WHO WERE HERE BEFORE US 21 considered the greatest warrior who had the greatest number of scalps dangling from his belt. When traveling or lying in wait for their enemies they made their bread of Indian corn and tobacco juice because they believed this would satisfy their hunger and quench their thirst when nothing else was at hand. Be- sides corn, they raised beans and pumpkins. The}- usually ate but twice a day, morning and afternoon, but used no tables or chairs. Their meats were either broiled, dried in the sun, or smoked. Their bread was made of Indian corn, which they crushed between two large stones or upon a large piece of wood. The meal was moistened with water, made into small cakes, wrapped in corn leaves and baked in the ashes. It was called hominy. Before the white men came the Indians drank nothing but water, but after coming into contact with the whites they soon learned to drink strong liquors, becoming especially fond of rum. For it they would often exchange their choicest furs or skins. How they made fire. How they learned the art of making fire is a mystery. Their fire stick consisted of two pieces. The horizontal one was about two or three inches wide and from eighteen inches to two feet long and about one inch thick. The upright piece was usually about two feet long- and about one-half inch in diameter. The horizontal stick was made of soft, dry wood, frequently juniper, and the upright piece of the hardest wood they could find. To make a fire they placed the horizontal piece upon the ground and placed the hard rounded end of the upright piece upon it. Then INDIAN CACHE FOR PROVISIONS. 22 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY INDIAN KINDLING FIRE. taking the upright piece between the palms of the hands, or by a method as shown in the illustration, they gave it a swift turning mo- tion and the friction caused heat. The turning of the upright piece wore loose particles of the horizontal piece, and these particles be- came so hot that they began to smoulder. As the constant use wore the hole in the hori- zontal piece deeper and deeper a small nick was cut into it so that the upright stick could work the ignited particles of powder out of the nick upon a piece of punk or some mate- rial that would burn rather easily. From this the fire was started by blowing it. Fire was necessary in their northern homes and they no doubt took good care to keep it from going out, since the task of relighting it was not easy. Wampum was their money. For money they used a kind of bead made of shells, using the white, black or colored parts. These beads were formed into cylinders one-fourth of an inch long and one- fourth of an inch in diameter. A small hole was made through them lengthwise. They were then placed upon strings. By arranging them properly the belts contained figures and pictures of animals according to the purpose for which they were made. They were used in treaties and served to assist the memory in retaining the conditions agreed upon. These beads were their riches. The peace belts or war belts varied in size according to the importance of the event they were made to commemorate. At times strings of such beads were worn about the neck and wrist for ornaments. They called these collections of beads wampum. How they lived. Their way of living was very simple. Plenty of fish were in the streams and lakes. In the forest abounded deer, foxes, bears, wild turkeys and other game which they killed with their bows and arrows. They could gather all kinds of berries and wild fruits and when all else failed they could dig up roots and eat them. They did not plan for the future, so they frequently suffered THOSE WHO WERE HERE BEFORE US 23 for want of food and very often many of them starved to death. They cultivated the - CORN DIGGER. ^^ ^ fl s0rt of ^ made from the shoulder blade of a deer or of a tortoise shell which, having been sharpened with stones, was fastened to a stick. They made axes with stones fastened to a stick and these were used to fell the trees where they intended to plant corn. They seldom had towns or fixed homes, generally living in the part of the country in which they could most easily procure food. In the spring and summer they preferred the banks of the Schuylkill and its branches where they could find plenty of fish. In the winter they went further into the country where the animals were more plentiful. As very many Indian relics have been found in the neighborhood of Virginville and Poplar Neck, it is evident that their largest settle- ments in the county were these points. Thousands of Indian relics have been found at these places. Their movable huts or wig- wams were dens of filth and dirt. They built them by driving stakes into the ground and binding them together at the top, covering them with skins or mud. A bear skin usually served as a door. The fireplace was a hole in the ground, the chimney was a hole in the top. Their knowledge of the haunts AN INDIAN WIGWAM. How they acted in the woods, and habits of animals was astonishing. They could gobble like a wild turkey, whistle like a bird and bark like a wolf so perfectly that they could deceive even these creatures themselves. It was seldom that the keenest animal could escape the Indians' cunning and craftiness. When not on an extended chase, the Indian would leave at breakfast, and when he returned with a bear or a deer, his wife or 24 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY squaw, was proud of him and served him well. She cut and brought the fire wood, pounded the corn with stones and baked his bread in the as'hes. No one was compelled to go to war, but he who was young and able was hated if he refused to do so. He was chief who could reach and hold that place by showing superior heroism, greatest bravery, and the largest number of scalps. They assassinated their enemies but never fought them openly, if they could avoid it. They would hide in a ravine, lurk in a hole, crouch behind a stone until their enemies would come near enough, when they would spring upon them with a ferocious yell, tomahawk. so piercing and so heart-rending as to paralyze an ordinary victim. When captured by an enemy, they would allow their bodies to be burned or pierced without leaving a cry of pain escape them, and they would sing their death songs to the end. Their hideous warwhoop was terrible and was almost sure to stun the victim before he was touched. Indian boys and girls. Indian children were called pappooses. When a child was born it was washed in cold water to harden it. Perm, in one of his letters, said that an Indian child was invariably wrapped in a blanket laid upon a thin board somewhat larger than the child. Then they fastened the board to the child to make him grow straight. Attached to these boards, they were often hung from trees to swing in the air. The children never went to school. The boys learned to hunt in the woods with the men. When they had given proof of their power and skill by having collected a large number of skins of animals they killed, thev were considered fit to be married. The girls learned the Indian ways ot housekeeping from their mothers. They helped to hoe the ground, to dress the skins, and. to carry the loads for their mothers while SQUAW WITH PAPPOOSE. mQving Wben a „ Im]iail maiden wag CQn _ sidered old enough to be married she wore something upon her THOSE WHO WERE HERE BEFORE US 25 head to indicate this. She usually covered her face so that she could be seen only when she chose to expose herself. Most girls were married when from thirteen to fourteen years of age. The women or squaws remained at home when the men went fshing or hunting; they took care of the fields; ground the corn and dressed the skins; and, when the family moved from place to place, they carried the load. Government and laws. Their king was called Sachem. The line of succession was always on the mother's side. Every king had his council, which consisted of all of the old and wise men of the tribe. Nothing of importance was done without consulting them. In important things the young men were included in the council. In deciding upon war, peace, or selling land, the king sat in the middle of a half moon with the members of his council around him. Behind the old and wise men, at a little distance, sat the young men. It was the Indian custom to talk and consider quite long in their council before they acted. During the time that any one was speak- ing not a man of the council was observed to whisper or smile. The speakers usually said very little but spoke earnestly and elegantly. Penn said, "He will be a wise man who outwits them in any treaty about a thing they understand." As they never acquired the art of writing they had no history. The legends and myths of the tribe were handed down from genera- tion to generation by the fathers who sat around the fire in the evening with their families and friends. Again and again would they tell the stories relating to their own deeds of valor in the chase or on the battle-field; over and over would they tell the legends and traditions relating to their own tribe as they learned them from their grandfathers while smoking the pipe. The aged were always favored by the young who sought their company and advice. In travel the older ones usually went on horseback or by canoe. They assembled annually that the aged might tell to the grandchildren the things that had happened to the tribe and talk of the treaties that had been made. Religious beliefs and customs. When sick they would pay anything to their medicine men to be cured. If any of them died they were buried with their own clothing, and the nearest relative 26 THE STORY OF BERKS COUKTY would throw into the grave some valuable thing in token of love. Those in mourning would blacken their faces and keep them so for a year. They selected the choicest places for their graves, kept them free from grass and shaped the ground into mounds with great exactness. They believed in a great spirit who governed the world and con- trolled all things in nature. They believed that there would be for all a future life on a happy hunting ground on which all would live, sorrow free, very much as they did in the earthly life. They thought that spirits lived in animals and everything; they peopled the water and the air and the woods with imaginary spirits of which they lived in constant dread. They worshipped the sun, the moon and the Great Spirit, but they never believed that their future conduct or condition could in any way depend upon their actions of the past. When they wanted the assistance of the Great Spirit very urgently, they often burned or tortured themselves to invoke sympathy. They often prayed for success in any enterprise, even though it was to steal, burn or murder. The Indian acted according to the custom of his tribe and felt no pity in torturing his enemy to death. The Great Spirit was always considered their friend, but they thought there were smaller deities whose anger had to be avoided by worshipping them. Their religious services were always to keep the lesser Gods from becoming angry. They believed that all brave warriors and chaste women would meet their friends and ancestors and for this reason they dressed their dead in their best garments. Some of their dead were hung upon scaffolds from the brandies of trees, others were put into the water, yet others were buried and not a few were cremated. Marriage customs. Their marriage customs were peculiar. When a young Indian decided that he wanted a particular girl, his mother went to the girl's mother with a leg of venison or bear meat, telling the girl that her son killed it. If the girl and her family were willing that the marriage should take place, the girl's mother would take a piece of meat to the young man's mother and presenting it would say, "This is from my daugh- ter who prepared it." After this the young people worked and fished THOSE WHO WERE HERE BEFORE US 27 together for some days during which the happy lover wooed his dusky mate of the forest, each being dressed in robes of feathers and skins of wild animals. When an Indian had no mother he himself told the girl of his wish and, if she was willing, she went with him. They remained married only as long as they pleased each other. The true warrior would leave rather than quarrel with his squaw. He would seldom stay away long enough to have his neighbors notice his absence. If he left a second time he seldom returned. Some of the most beautiful stories are told about these dwellers of the woods and many of our grandfathers, even to this day. entertain their grandchildren with the tales of the red children. The scene of a pretty Indian romance is laid in Albany Township along the northern border of the county, where the mountains rise for many feet and end in a sharp ridge, as if they were to be used for cutting the sky. One point, higher than the rest, sits upon this ridge like a mighty steeple. At the foot of the peak Towkee sat one afternoon, his cheeks flushed with the bloom of health and aglow with the redness of exercise and with eyes bright with a hope he yet hardly dared to •dream. He was a young warrior who for days had been searching for the graceful deer that now lay lifeless at his feet. Long and patiently had he waited and searched until finally he had succeeded. Eye more keen and hand more true had never guided an arrow than that with which he had that afternoon pierced the heart of the deer, whose capture so stirred his pride and increased his joy. Now he had the venison he was looking for. This night he would take it to the south, to his home on the Ontelaunee. To- morrow his mother would take some of it to the home of Oneeda and say to her folks, "Here is some venison of a graceful young deer, which my brave, young son so skillfully captured." Then, to be sure, her folks would collect in their wigwam to smoke a pipe of peace. A'h ! what joy would then be his. In his bright visions he saw himself and Oneeda sport happily through love's sunny morning and live joyfully through life's golden afternoon. Alas, the illusions of hope ! It might not be. No delicious venison prepared by the hand of his betrothed was ever to be returned. No happy rambles in the sand- bottomed brooks to angle the silvery trout from their torrents. No 28 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY blissful journeys with his chosen sweetheart to the mountain tops to gather the sun-kissed berries. The rugged old chief, Oneeda's father, said "No," and both were heart-broken. If they could not live together they at least could die together. A few nights there- after, a cry like a muffled shriek rang from the mouth of a cave, and from the summit of Round Top there stared a flaming dragon which looked like a huge bundle of straw all aflame, that shot across the sky to the mouth of what has since been called Dragon Cave. The bodies of Towkee and Oneeda later were found upon the altar in the grotto. Ever since sadly the sounds ring and re-echo through the grotto when the altar is struck. On many a night, says the legend, has the bushy fiery dragon been seen to fly from the mountain peak across to the cave where is always its landing. Xo word must be said while the dragon of fire is passing, .or instantly it will disappear. Yet like a rainbow of promise it again will appear to tell the fate of Oneeda and Towkee. List of Indian Words With Their Meaning. Allegheny — Fair water — Allegheny. Ganshowehanne — Tumbling stream — Schuylkill. Gokhosing — Place of owls — Cacoosing. Kau-ta-tin-chunk — Endless — Blue Mountain. Lechauweki — Place of forks — South Mountain. Machksithanne — Pear's path creek — Maxatawny. Maschilamehanne— Trout stream — Moselem. Manakesse — Stream with large beds — Monocacy. Menhaltanink — Where we drank liquor — Manatawny. Xavesink — Place of fishing- — Xeversink. ( )link— Hole— Oley. Ontelaunee — Little maiden — Maiden Creek. Pakihmomjnk — Place of cranberries — Perkiomcn. Sakunk — Place of outlet — Sacony. Sinne-hanne — Stony stream — Stony Creek. Sipuas-hanne — A plum stream — Plum Creek. Tamaque-hanne — Reaver stream — Reaver Creek. Tulpewihaki — Land of turtles — Tulpehocken. Wyomissing — Place of flats — W Xomissing. CHAPTER II. EARLY ATTEMPTS TO MAKE HOMES. The Dutch. After Columbus had discovered the western con- tinent, John and Sebastian Cabot, natives of Venice, explored the coast of North America from Newfoundland to Cape Hatteras. They obtained from King Henry VII a commission to sail into the eastern, western or northern seas with a fleet of five ships at their own ex- pense. They were to plant the flag of England on all lands found and occupy them for the English crown. Many other men sailed about the same time with the special object of extending the domin- ions of their "gracious sovereigns" and of opening new routes for securing trade and wealth. In 1009, Henry Hudson, an English navigator in the service of the Dutch East India Company, explored the Atlantic coast from the Chesapeake Bay to Maine. It was on the strength of this dis- covery that the Dutch laid claim to the land along the Delaware and Hudson Rivers and called it New Amsterdam. Berks County was included in this claim. He made extensive maps of the shore, traded with the Indians for sables, furs, robes and other skins. He reported that he saw a land rich in soil, mild in climate, abounding in rich game and fish and valuable lumber. Settlements were made as early as 1030. along the Delaware Bay and River, from which the Dutch went to col- lect furs. They were shrewd traders and sent out purchasing agents who bought from the Indians the land along the Delaware Bay and River far into the interior. The trappers came up the Schuylkill. The Dutch thus claimed this region by discovery, purchase and settlement. The Swedes. About the same time a company was formed in Sweden to operate on the banks of the Delaware and its branches. Peter Minuet, who was dismissed from the employ of the Dutch, offered his service to this company. The company purchased from the Indians all the land between the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers, including what is now Berks County. In these purchases both parties set their marks and names under the contract. When the 30 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY chief signed such an agreement it was an indication that it was clone in the presence of a number of his people. Payments were made in awls, needles, scissors, knives, axes, guns, powder, balls and blankets. Skins of bears, lynxes, beavers and raccoons, sables, foxes, wildcats and deer were also given in exchange. In one year they shipped OLDEST HOUSE IN BERKS COUNTY, DOUGLASSVILLE, PA. thirty thousand skins which were procured between the Schuylkill and the .Susquehanna, though no one can tell how many were taken from our county. The first Swedes to enter the county to make homes was a company of settlers under the leadership of Andrew Rudman. They settled along the Schuylkill several miles above the mouth of the Manatawny Creek in 1701. Soon after this, 10,500 acres of land were surveyed and laid out for them. Their descendants have remained in this locality ever since. A building erected by Alounce Jones in 1716 is still THE OLDEST GRAVESTONE IN BERKS , ,• r\ 1 M1« T* county, graveyard of st. gab- standing near Douglassville. It RIEL'S Morlattan) P. E. CHURCH. • ,, „1J«„*. u.«;ij;.,„ :„ +V,~ douglassville, pa. is the oldest budding in the EARLY ATTEMPTS TO MAKE HOMES 31 county. They were Lutherans and built the first house for religious worship in the county. In the cemetery adjoining can still be seen the first gravestone erected in the county. The early Swedes established friendly terms with the Indians and made possible those acts of Penn that are regarded among the greatest of human deeds. The first translation of a religious book of any kind into the Indian language was a Swedish catechism translated by Rev. John Campannus. They established regulations and usages that have exercised a refining and elevating influence in shaping the morals and habits of the community. One of their descendants very fittingly said: "Freely have we received, freely may we give until all nations, kindreds, tribes and tongues be gathered into one grand kingdom under one king, the common Redeemer and Saviour of all." The English. William Penn, a young Englishman, who against the wishes of his family, became a member of the religious denomi- nation, known as the Quakers, was anxious to establish a place of refuge for those of his faith, who were persecuted in England. In order to try his "holy experiment" he tried to secure land west of the Delaware River. The King of England owed his father, Admiral Penn, sixteen thousand pounds, or about $80,000, and at the father's death the son inherited the claim. At Penn's request. King Charles granted him forty thousand square miles of land in America to pay for the claim. To this Penn wished to give the name Sylvania, which means forest ; but the King prefixed Penn, in honor of Admiral Penn. His province was a vast forest region, rich in soil and minerals. The first English settlement was made at Bristol, Bucks County. Penn drew up a code of laws and sent his cousin, William Mark- ham, to take possession of Pennsylvania for him. Mark'ham purchased from the Indians all the land lying along the Delaware River to the Blue Mountains. Berks County was included in this tract The following is what Markham gave the Indians for the whole tract : "350 ffathoms of Wampum, 20 white Blankits, 20 ffathoms of Strawed waters, 00 ffathoms of Duffields, 20 kettles, 4 thereof large, 32 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY 20 gunns, 20 Coates, 40 Shirts. 40 payre of stockings, 40 Howes, 40 axes, 2 barrels of powder, 200 barrels of lead, 200 Knives, 200 small Glasses, 12 payre of shoes, 40 copper Boxes, 40 Tobacco Tonngs, 2 small Barrels of Pipes, 40 payre of Scissors, 40 Combs 24 pounds Red Lead, 100 Anles, 2 handfulls of ffishhooks, 2 handfulls of Needles, 40 Pound of Shott, 10 bundles of Beads, 10 small saws, 12 Drawing Knives, 4 anchers of Tobacco, 2 anchers of Syder, 2 anchers of Beere and 300 Guilders." Penn himself arrived in the colony Oct. 27, 1682. In addition to the three lower counties, which now form the State of Delaware, he laid out three more counties ; Philadelphia, which included the present county of Montgomery and a portion of Berks ; Berks, that is on the east side of the river ; Chester, which included that part of Berks on the west side of the Schuylkill, and Bucks, with its boundaries nearly as at present. Philadelphia and Chester Counties as then organized extended to the northern border of the State. It was shortly before 1720 that English emigrants arrived for settlement in our county. Some of them settled in the eastern sec- tion along Oley and the Manatawny; others in the western section along the Monocacy and the Schuylkill. As soon as the lands were released by the Indians, they also made settlements in the vicinity of Hay and Allegheny Creeks. Most of them were Friends or Quakers and meeting houses were about the first buildings they erected. During the days when the Perms were in power, the Quakers were the leaders. Thev sent the representatives to the council, did the surveying, acted as justices of the peace, and held the influential places. Before the Revolution the Englis'h were the leaders in colonial affairs. Since that time the same may be said of the Germans. The Friends, the Moravians, and the Schwenk- felders were opposed to war. The success of the Americans in the Revolution greatly increased the influence of the Germans and to the same extent decreased that of the English. The Germans fur- nished the farmers and the fighters of the Revolution and its success made them and not the Englis'h the men who controlled affair. William Penn. Penn was born Oct. 14, 1644, in London. As a child he was bright, thoughtful and handsome. In his fifteenth year he was admitted into Christ Church College. Oxford. EARLY ATTEMPTS TO MAKE HOMES 33 WILLIAM PENN. Before going- to college he had listened to a preacher named Thomas Leo, of the Society of Friends. He often talked of a strange light which shone with- in him and gave him peace of mind. Among his classmates in college he found boys who sympathized with 'his views and a number of them "withdrew from the national way of wor- ship" and held private meet- ings for the exercise of religion where they preached and prayed among themselves. This bold opposition to the forms of the state church aroused the professors of the University and he and his companions were sent home in disgrace. The father regarded the son's expulsion as a crushing stroke that would hinder the career of wealth and influence in store for the boy of whom he felt so proud. After having used the "force of persuasion upon his mind and the severity of stripes upon his "body" without success, the father in a fit of rage and despair turned him out of the house. He soon relented, however, and the son was sent to France where he mastered the French language. He next visited Italy and at the breaking out of the war between England and Holland was •obliged to return to England to take care of his father's estates. It was in 1644, when Penn was in fiis twentieth year, that he made the choice of his life. His father's favor, his mother's pleadings, his lively and active disposition, his training and his accomplishments, the respect and esteem of his friends, all pressed upon him to em- brace the glory, pleasures, and wealth of the world. He was, how- ever, able to overcome all opposition and "pursue his religious prospects." 34 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY At twenty-four 'he was fearless in advocating freedom of speech and freedom of religion. He struggled for liberty of conscience, tried to secure for the persecuted better quarters than stocks, whips, dungeons, and banishment, and in the heyday of his youth, he was confined to the Tower. When offered freedom, favor, and royal preferment he demanded his liberty as the "natural privilege of an Englishman/' "Club law," he said, "might make hypocrites, it could nev£r make converts. Xot all the powers of earth shall divert us from meeting to adore our God who made us," he declared in defiance of all the laws of England, and amidst all opposition he proceeded to plead for the fundamental laws of England in a trial for his freedom that marked an era in judicial history and court trials. "You are a gentleman," said a magis- trate at the trial, "you have a plentiful estate, why should you render yourself unhappy by associating with such plain people?" "I prefer," said Penn, "the honestly simple to the ingeniously wicked." After a lengthy trial the jury brought in a verdict of "not guilty," which was contrary to the wishes of the Judge, who fined each juror forty marks and sentenced them to imprison- ment until the fine should be paid. The Judge accused them of following their own judgment instead of the advice of the court. Penn came to the banks of the Delaware to plant a colony in which his brethren, the Quakers, could exercise religious liberty, to establish a new kind of government and to get payment for the debt due his father by the King of England. He expected so many Quaker emigrants that they could set their stamp upon the new colony and make it according to their democratic and peaceful principles. It was a kind of govern- ment in advance of anything the world had yet seen. It was to insure religious liberty, allow all men to vote, insure people against oppression, simplify legal processes and form a moral state. In order to show that the governors of the province re- mained true to the king of England, they were each year to give the king- two beaver skins and one-fifth of the gold and silver EARLY ATTEMPTS TO MAKE HOMES 35 that might be discovered. The king little dreamed that the rich- est treasures of Pennsylvania were her forests, her fertile soil, her iron, her oil and her coal. The articles of the grant by which the king gave Penn his claim to Pennsylvania were signed March 4, 1661. Each line was underscored with red ink and the margins were decorated with drawings. They are now hanging in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth at PJarrisburg. Penn's treaty with the Indians. Soon after Penn's arrival in his new colony he sent an invitation to each of the Indian tribes to meet him at Shackamaxon, a short distance north of Philadelphia. He went up the Delaware in an open boat in early November when the trees on the banks of the river were clothed in brilliant autumn foliage. When he arrived at the appointed place he found the forest filled with red men. The Indians sat in a semicircle on the ground, while Penn, with a few friends dressed as Quakers, talked to them as friends and brothers in the name of the Great Spirit. The Indian chiefs sat in front with their advisors ; behind them sat the young men and warriors; and beyond these sat the women. The Great Chief, Tominend, the most royal looking of them all, sat in the center of this gathering, and was the leader and spokesman who talked to Penn through an interpreter. He had on his head a crown upon which was fixed a bufTalo horn. This was a sign of power which made the place sacred and the persons secure. Xo historian has found an authentic record of this treaty, but all are willing to consider it as one of the most glorious that has ever been made. They agreed with each other to live as brothers ; the Indians to live in love with Penn and his children as long as the sun and moon should give light. No written words were taken and no oath was required. The treaty was kept unbroken until long after those who had made it had passed away. When in later years an Indian wished to give the highest praise to a white man he would say, "He is like William Penn." 36 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY The elm tree under which the treaty was made was blown down in 1810 and a beautiful monument now marks the spot. Penn's work and character. After the treaty with the Indians Penn arranged a wise government for his colony. The Germans, the Swedes and the Dutch came in great numbers. Penn was in the colony for several years only. While in England he lost his wife, his eldest son and his fortune. During his long stay his colony forgot their love for "Father Penn" and, though he was grieved at their coolness toward him, he gave them the best government that was to be found in the colonies. He died thirty-seven years after the colony had been founded, having spent but four of these years in America. His colony he willed to his three sons, John, Thomas and Richard, and these, with their successors, held it until the Revolution. The Germans. Penn offered religious freedom to all who were oppressed and his colony soon became the asylum for those who were persecuted. Penn's mother was a German and he, in company with George Fox and several others, went to Germany, preaching the Quaker doctrine of "inner light" and advertising for colonists for the ''holy experiment." The Mennonites in the Rhine countries had been persecuted for centuries, and they decided to brave the dangers of the sea for a land of freedom of conscience. They had already settled Germantown before Penn arrived. Francis Daniel Pastorious, Whittier's "Pennsylvania Pilgrim," for a long time lived in a cave. He was a well educated man who could read six or seven languages and knew science, philosophy and religion. William Rittenhouse, in 1090, built the first paper mill in America. Those of the Germans who were mechanics were good ones. When an apprentice had completed his trade, before he could set up a business of his own in any location, he had to travel from place to place. This gave him an opportunity to learn to know people and to become skilled in his trade. They were experienced hands in various employments and had much to do with the prosperity of the county. The first group of German settlers to reach Berks County arrived in Oley in 1712 and settled along the Manatawny Creek. These EARLY ATTEMPTS TO MAKE HOMES 87 came northward on the east side of the Schuylkill from Germantown. Another group of German settlers entered the county from New York, coming south on the Susquehanna and eastward into the Tulpehocken section, settling in the vicinity of Womelsdorf. Among this group was Conrad Weiser, who had crossed the ocean in the ship Sara Maria with his father. By 1752 the Germans were far more numerous than all the other settlers combined. Though most numer- ous, as long as the Penns were in control, they did not exert the greatest influence. Many of these Germans were educated men, who had a knowledge of ancient and modern languages as well as art and music. sara maria. They made almanacs and school books. They settled the best lands and there built homes, churches and school houses. So many of the Germans came from Palatinate that the name Palatines was soon given to them all. Many of them were too poor to pay their passage across the sea. Children were often pledged in this way by their par- ents. They were thus bound to service for a term of years and were called Redemptioners. It was these Germans who were first to suggest the abolition of slavery in America. In 1688, under the direction of Pastorious, they sent a petition to the yearly meeting of Friends saying that it was un-Christian to buy and sell negroes. Many persons living in England, Ireland and Germany were poor. They learned of the "holy experiment" through Penn's advertising, but were too poor to pay their passage over the sea. Agents of various sailing companies would usually contract to bring them over, furnish them food for the voyage and whatever else GERMAN COUNTRY MAN AND WOMAN OF THAT TIME. Redemptioners. 38 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY they might need, on condition that upon arrival in America the agents might have the right to sell their labor for a certain number of years to pay the cost of the transportation. Very many laborers were transferred in this way just before the Revolution. After the system had been in operation for some time, laws were passed mak- ing the matter legal. The amount paid varied. Some were sold for ten pounds at five years' service. Masters holding them were regarded as holding property that was subject to taxation. The usual terms of sale depended upon the health, strength-, age and ability of the party sold. Boys and girls had to serve from five to six years, or until they became twenty-one years of age. Children under five years of age could not be sold; they were given to whoever would agree to keep them until they were twenty-one. Humble, indeed, was the position which these redemptioners occupied, but from their ranks have sprung some of the most influential people of the state and the county. Some of the agents drove these redemptioners in gangs through the county to sell them to the farmers. A certain young Irishman one day managed to secure his freedom. He had schemed so that he was the last of the gang to be sold. He and his master stayed at a hotel. In the morning the Irishman got up, sold his master to the landlord, and put the money into his pocket. Before leaving he told the purchaser, that though rather clever in other respects, the fellow just bought was inclined to be saucy and an inveterate liar; that he had even at times tried to represent himself as master and might do so again. The old record does not say how the land- lord managed the saucy servant. The following is the case of another redemptioner: George Heckler was born in Germany, 1736. He was apprenticed to learn the tailoring trade; becoming free at eighteen, he decided to go to America. Being too poor to pay his passage, he was so'ld by the captain to serve three years as a redemptioner. At the end of three years he became a hired man and soon married the daughter of a well-to-do farmer, Peter Freed. In 1785 he purchased his father- in-law's farm of two hundred and fortv-t'hree acres for two thousand EARLY ATTEMPTS TO MAKE HOMES 39 A SETTLER'S HOME. pounds. His estate was valued at between thirty and forty thou- sand dollars at his death. The old court records reveal many similar cases, their number being somew'hat small owing to the fact that some of the Berks County farmers were far- ther removed from Phila- delphia and New York, the usual landing places. It was these and their de- scendants who cleared the forests, improved the soil, erected buildings, laid out the roads and became the fathers of the generation of men w r ho made Brandy- wine, Valley Forge and Yorktown possible, and left to us a glorious record of achievement that we may well try our best to imitate. The Welsh. Before 1700, the Welsh had purchased from Perm while in England, a tract of land containing 40,000 acres to be se- lected in Pennsylvania. They selected this tract on the west side of the Schuylkill. They came into Berks County from the south through Chester even before the tract had been purchased from the Indians. The territory was purchased from the Indians in 1752, and after this they came in large numbers. Before 1740 a large number of them had already made homes for themselves beyond the present county line. They were quite aggressive and three townships bear names that indicate Wels'h origin. They are Caernarvon, Cumru, and Brecknock. Considerable land was taken up by them along the Cacoosing and Wyomissing Creeks. Some of the tracts contained as high as twenty thousand acres. They used the water power of the streams to manufacture gun barrels, files, flour and oil. Their farms were south of South Mountain and west of the Schuylkill, though they gradually spread themselves farther and far- 40 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY ther up the river during the fifty years that followed their first settle- ment. They were not active in politics, but aided greatly in the or- ganization of a new county. William Penn's doctor was a Welshman, named Thomas Winn, who came with Penn in the ship Welcome. Washington's doctor was his grandson. Many of the physicians of the colonies were Welsh. Most of them were either Friends or Baptists. Though at first they could not understand English the} - soon adopted the language and we have but few Welsh words in our English to-day, and but few places that have Welsh na.mes. Other nationalities. Many of the early immigrants were Huguenots, who had been encouraged by Penn to emigrate from France to Pennsylvania. Many of them settled east of the Schuylkill. They intended t i cultivate grapes "up the Schuylkill." but they went to Lancaster County where they were heartily welcomed by the Delaware Indians. It was the descend- ants of these families who settled in Berks Count}-. The Scotch-Irish were people who went from Scotland to Ireland. In religion the}' were Presbyterians and the}- came to Pennsylvania because of its religious liberty after the death of the Penns. They generally went to the west, while the Cermans went north. It was the Scotch-Irish who usually were between the settlers and the Indians and during the French and Indian war they had to face many a fatal attack. There were some negroes in colonial days. They were usual- ly in the service of the men who w^ere engaged in the iron busi- ness. Hebrews resided in Reading from its earliest days. They have been engaged almost exclusively in trading or business of S( ime kind. Three great groups. In all these studies as to where the vari- ous nationalities located, it must after all not be forgotten that these general facts relating to colonial settlements in Pennsyl- vania remain true. There are three great groups of people who laid the founda- tion of the future state These were the Quakers, the Germans and the Scotch-Irish. EARLY ATTEMPTS TO MAKE HOMES 41 The Quakers confined themselves to Philadelphia and vicin- ity remaining within a radius of about thirty-five miles. They gave themselves up to manufacture and commerce in Philadelphia and agriculture in Delaware, Chester, Montgomery and Bucks . Counties. Beyond the Quakers in a belt of about fifty or more miles we find the Germans, who were the successful farmers of Berks, Lancaster and Cumberland Counties. They built the schools and churches, cultivated the soil most successfully, and established many of the manufacturing industries in the Schuyl- kill valley. Thev also developed a most excellent German-Ameri- can Literature and had a home life that was largely influential in molding the ideals and the religious standard of later colonial days. Beyond the Germans, toward the valleys of the Blue and Allegheny Mountains, located the Scotch-Irish who were the sturdy pioneers on the verge of civilization. They repelled the Indian attacks and usually provoked them by their restless haste to possess the Indians' lands, also established Presbyterian churches and school houses in nearly every valley and upon many of the hills in the interior of the state. Whether w r e are descendants of the Swedes, the Germans, the French, the English or the Scotch-Irish, let us always be good citizens, with "The union of hearts and the union of hands, and i the flag of our Union forever!" CHAPTER III. PURCHASES AND ORGANIZATION. The territory included in Berks County was freed from the Indian claims principally by the purchase of 1732. There is one Indian sale that is especially important because of the effect it had in making the natives angry and dissatisfied ; a description of it follows : The walking purchase. In one of the purchases of land by Penn from the Indians it was agreed that the tract should extend as far as a man could walk in three days. To take this walk Penn set out with several of his friends and a number of Indian chiefs. At the end of a day and a half they had gone thirty miles. Near the mouth of Baker Creek, Penn marked a spruce tree and said the line to that point would include all the land he wanted. As time went on settlements were made beyond this point. The Indians became uneasy and wanted the matter settled. The remainder of the purchase was made in 1737, when Governor Patrick Gordon employed three of the fastest walkers he could find to complete it. The Delaware Indians also had three men. They started at Wrightstown, Bucks County. All were under the supervision of the sheriff of that county. They took a northwesterly course. All the walkers except Edward Marshall, a famous hunter, became exhausted before the end of the time set. The distance covered was about sixty miles and the walk ended at a point in the Pocono Mountains. From this spot a line was drawn to the Delaware River. Instead of drawing it to the nearest point on the river the surveyors said the line must meet the Delaware at right angles and so drew it to the mouth of the Lackawaxen. This took the famous hunting grounds on the Minisink away from the Indians. They had not intended to include these in the sale, and much of the trouble that came later arose from their dissatisfaction with this purchase. From this time Marshall was an object of hatred to the Indians. Their scalping knives robbed him of his wife and all his children PURCHASES AND ORGANIZATION 43 except one little boy, who crept under a beehive to escape them. The Indians felt that this measurement of their lands was unfair and they refused to give their consent to it. Their cruel firebrands, scalping knives and tomahawks were used in revenge without mercy upon the early settlers along the Blue Mountains. Other purchases. Penn believed the Indians to be the real owners of the land and made many purchases from them. There are two deeds for purchases of land in Berks County in which there is special interest. One of these is dated September 7, 1732. It is from the sachem of the Schuylkill and others on behalf of themselves and all the Indians of the said nation, unto John Penn, Thomas Penn and Richard Penn. The territory contained in the grant is in part described as follows : "All those tracts of land lying on or near the River Schuylkill. In the said province, or any of the branches, streams, fountains, or springs thereof, eastward or westward, and all the land lying in or near any swamps, marshes, fens, or meadows, the waters or streams of which flow into or toward the said Schuylkill." etc. The amount paid for the land as mentioned in the deed is as follows : "20 brass kettles, 100 stroudwater matchcoats of two yards each, 100 duffels do., 100 blankets, 100 yards of half tick, 60 linen shirts, 20 hats, 6 made coats, 12 pair of shoes and buckles, 30 pair of stock- ings, 300 lbs. of gunpowder, 600 lbs. of lead, 20 fine guns, 12 gun- lo'cks, 50 tomahawks or hatchets. 50 planting hoes, 120 knives, 60 pair of scissors, 100 tobacco tongs, 21 dozen of gartering, 6 dozen of ribbons, 12 dozen of rings, 200 awl blades, 100 lbs. of tobacco, 400 tobacco pipes, 20 gallons of rum and 50 pounds in money." August 22, 1740 is the date of the other deed. Nine different tribes of Indians deeded the land to Thomas and Richard Penn. Only a few tribes had their chiefs present to represent them at the treaty of sale. "Five hundred pounds lawful money of Pennsylvania" was the amount paid. The tract lay north of the Blue Mountains and extended from the Delaware on the east to the Susquehanna on .the west. It included the whole of what is now Schuvlkill County. 44 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY PURCHASES AND ORGANIZATION 45 Conrad Weiser was the interpreter on this as on many other occa- sions. Petitions for a county. In 1862, less than a month after the arrival of Penn. three counties, Philadelphia, Chester and Bucks, were organized. These extended to the northwest as far as the State was then settled. Lancaster was organized in 1721), York in 1749 and Cumberland in 1750. During the first portion of the eighteenth century many settlers came into the Oley Valley along the Manatawny Creek and its branches. Among these were Germans, Swedes and English. An- other group, mostly Welsh, settled in the Conestoga Valley. These settlements were made in what is now Amity, Oley, and Colebrook- dale. 'A small settlement had been made in the Tulpehocken Valley by a number of German settlers who came from New York by way of the Susquehanna River. Among these was the Weiser family. The Quakers and the Welsh also located along the Allegheny and Wyomissing Creeks. There were thus six distinct localities that were peopled during the first twenty-five years of the century. Later the territory north of South Mountain was purchased from the Indi- ans. The Friends made the first settlement in this new region. They took up large tracts along the Maiden Creek, also called Onte- launee. Many Germans followed and soon the entire region between the South Mountains and the Blue Mountains was divided into districts for local government, so that by 1750 there were twenty districts. These districts were connected by a small number of roads. One of the most important of these extended from the Tulpehocken settlement in the west in a southerly direction, and crossed the Schuylkill at the site of the present Penn Street Bridge. A road extended from this ford to the north and south. The o'ne to the north was known as Maiden Creek Road and the one to the south the Schuylkill Road. The place of meeting of these three roads thus became the site of the most flourishing town of the county. The distance from Lancaster, the place where the Court for what is now Berks County was held, was so great that as early as 1738 the citizens of the region 46 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY of the northeast side of the County of Lancaster petitioned the Lieutenant Governor of the province for a new county that was to be bounded as the map accompanying the petition indicated. The principal reason stated for a new county was the distance from the court at Lancaster. A copy of the petition, signed by 172 subscribers,, is still in the possession of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia. The Governor referred these petitions to the Assembly, but the Assembly took no action. The petitioners waited six years, when they sent another petition, which was again laid upon the table. A number of similar petitions were presented, and meanwhile York County was organized in 1749 and Cumberland in 1750, both out of the western portion of Lancaster. This encouraged the petitioners of Berks County, and in 1751 they presented another petition, which was read a second time and then laid over to the next meeting of the Assembly. Still they were not discouraged, and the next year they presented yet another petition. Erection of county. The act which made it a separate county was finally passed March 11, 1752. It extended from the northern boundary of Philadelphia, Chester and Bucks, northwest to the New York State line. Of the present county the territory to the east of the Schuylkill River was taken from what was then Philadelphia County, and that on the west of the Schuylkill was taken from Chester and Lancaster Counties. On the eastern side of the river were the following divisions or townships : Albany, Alsace, Amity, Colebrookdale, Douglass, Exeter, Longswamp, Maidencreek, Maxa- tawny, Oley, Richmond and Ruscombmanor. Those on the western side were as follows: Bern, Bethel, Brecknock, Caernarvon, Cumrn, Heidelberg. Robeson and Tulpehocken. Reduction of the county. As early as 1749 settlements were extended bevond the Blue Mountains. The fork of the Susquehanna soon became an important center and what is now Sunbury was more than seventy-five miles away from Reading, the County Seat. Petitions for a county north of the Blue Mountains were numerous, and Northumberland was erected in 1772. It comprised about one- PURCHASES AND ORGANIZATION 47 third of the State and included three-fourths of what had been Berks County. Fort Augusta, which later became Sunbury, had been an important post during the French and Indian War and was made the County Seat. The discovery of coal in what is now Schuylkill County caused the opening of roads and canals and building of furnaces and forges and the clearing of farms. Population increased rapidly ana a new county was erected March 11, 1811. Most of what is now Schuylkill was taken from Berks and the remainder from Northampton. Twentv applications have since then been made for forming other counties, which should be taken in part from Berks, but all have failed. CHAPTER IV. CONRAD WEISER AND COUNT ZINZENDORF. Conrad Weiser was born in Germany in 1696. His father. John Conrad Weiser, who came to America with his family at the expense of Queen Ann settled at Sche- nectady, New York, in 1713. Here he was often visited by an Indian chief who proposed to take young- Conrad to his wigwam. The father consented and the boy went to live with the Six Nations. He was at this time about fourteen years old. He remained about a year when he returned to his father, who meanwhile had moved to Schoharie. In 1720 he mar- ried and in 1729, with hi.- wife and chil- dren, he moved to Tulpehocken and lo- cated a short distance east of Womels- dorf. Many of Weiser's friends had pre- ceded him to Tulpehocken, having found that the titles to their land at Schoharie were defective. The lands in Tulpehocken on which they settled were not purchased from the Indians until nine years later. The Indians considered Weiser as an adopted son and when, in 1721, Sir William Keith, governor of Pennsylvania, desired to secure the friendship of the Iroquois he sent Weiser to their Council Fire. He succeeded in making a treaty with the red men and for many years thereafter was the Indian interpreter for the government. In the year 1737, he was sent to Onondago, N. Y., at the de- sire of the governor of Virginia. He departed quite unexpectedly, toward the close of February, on a journey of five hundred miles, through a wilderness, when there was neither road nor path, and Conrad Weiser. CONRAD WEISER AND COUNT ZINZENDORF 49 at a time of the year when there was little chance of procuring food from the Indians. His only companions were a Dutchman and three Indians. In May, 1738, he again went to Onondago, in company with Moravian missionaries, to the Indians. They suffered many hardships but experienced also some remarkable proofs of the kind Providence HOME OF CONRAD WEISER, WOMELSDORF. PA. of God. Having 'been without provisions for several days, they found a quarter of bear hung up for the use of travelers by an Indian hunter who could not carry it, according to a prevalent custom among the Indians. At this time 'he had taken his residence in Reading, where he still acted as Indian agent and commissary, having extended powers granted him for that purpose. When the contest between the French and the English for the possession of the St. Lawrence and Ohio Valley began, it was Conrad Weiser who many times held the Iro- quois on the side of the English. He was appointed a justice of the peace by the Governor of the Province in 1741. At the organization of Berks County in 1752, he- was appointed one of the first judges in which capacity as president judge he acted until he died. Nearly all 'his official correspondence is dated Tulpehocken or Heidelberg though he must have lived very muc'h of his time in Reading. In 1751 'he erected a building- where Stichter's 'hardware 50 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY store now stands and here he conducted a store which was the princi- pal trading post in this section. He built the first hotel that was erected in Reading. His daugh- ter was married to Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg, one of the most noted and best educated religious workers in the colonies. The Lutheran church, which was built in 1748, and the parsonage of his son-in-law, 'both of which Weiser often visited, may still be seen in Trappe, Montgomery County, as they were more than one hun- dred and fifty years ago. It was Conrad Weiser's grandson, Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg, who was the famous "Fighting Preacher" of the Revolution, and who was the 'hero of that stirring war poem, "The Rising in 1770," by Thomas Buchanan Read, which ends thus: The great bell swung as ne'er before; It seemed as it would never cease ; And every word its ardor flung From off its jubilant iron tongue Was, "War! War! War!" "Who dares!" — this was the patriot's cry, As striding from the desk he came, — "Come out with me in Freedom's name, For her to live, for her to die?" A hundred hands flung up reply, A hundred voices answered, "I." Weiser had secured a large amount of land, some of which tradi- tion says he got in the following manner : Chief Shikellimy went to Weiser, saying, "I had a dream. I dreamed that Tarachawagon (Weiser) had promised me a rifle." Conrad, we are told, handed over the gun. Some days later Weiser had his dream. He took it to the old chief, saying, "I dreamed that Shikellimy presented me with a large and beautiful island nestled in the Susquehanna river." The chief, we are told, deeded over the land, and then said, "Conrad, let us never dream again." Weiser left to his five sons and daughters all the land he owned. In less than eight months after he made his will he began to decline CONRAD WEISER AND COUNT ZINZENDOEF 51 in health. During the summer of 1TG0 he started out from his home in Reading to visit his farm in Womelsdorf, where he died ihe next day, July 13, 1700, from what was then called a violent attack of the 111 ^^^fSWSPW 8 ^ *^ CONRAD WEISER'S GRAVE, WOMELSDORF, PA. colic. He was buried on his farm. His remains still rest in the little private burying ground near the present town of Womelsdorf, and are marked by a very modest grave stone, bearing the following in- scription, although it is almost illegible : This is the resting place of the once honored and respected Conrad Weiser who was born November 2d, A. D. 100(5, in Afstaedt, County of Herrenberg, Wurtemberg, and died July 13, A. D. 1700, aged 03 years, 8 months and 13 days. He was a friend of Washington. A bronze tablet in the west wall of Stichter's hardware store, Fifth and Penn Streets, Reading bears the following quotation: "Posterity will not forget his' 52 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY services."' These words were spoken by Washington as he stood by the i-rave of Conrad Weiser at Womelsdorf. CONRAD WEISER MONUMENT, IN FRONT OF WOMELSDORF HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING. This memorial was purchased with money contributed by the school children of Berks County, at the suggestion of Professor CONRAD WEISER AND COUNT ZINZENDORF 53 William M. Zechman, then County Superintendent. It was erected in 1!K)7. Eighty dollars of the fund remained after all bills had been paid and this amount is now in the hands of the Berks County Historical Society and will be used to preserve the tablet. To further honor the memory of this distinguished pioneer the Camps of the Patriotic Order, Sons of America, in Berks County, erected a monument in front of the Public School Building in the borough of Womelsdorf. This memorial was dedicated September 25, 1909. Its cost was $1,000. Count Zinzendorf. Count Zinzendorf, a Moravian Missionary, came to Berks County about 1741, where he was known by the Germans as "Brother Louis." He was greatly interested in the con- version of the Indians. He visited Weiser at Tulpehocken and from him learned the deep religious nature of the natives. He preached at various places in the county, and with his daughter, Benigna, accompanied Weiser to Shamokin. He was so "LEVAN'S BARN," EAGLEPOINT, PA.. WHERE THE FAMOUS COUNT ZINZENDORF PREACHED. delighted with this trip that he decided to go to Wyoming and preach to the Shawnees. Weiser had cautioned him of the ferocious nature of these Indians, and was restless about his friend, so he started across the untrodden waste toward Wyoming and came just in time to save his life. CHAPTER V. BORDER WARFARE AND FRONTIER FORTS. Tedysucung. Tedysucung, whose home was in the Pocono Mountains, was a tall, straight-limbed warrior, who became the last and great king of the Delaware Indians. The doctrine of the breth- ren of returning good for evil, little suited his nature, and it was with no Christian spirit that he saw his brethren injured by the whites and their hunting grounds changed into fields. When his untamed brothers asked him to be their king, he forsook his Christian teachings for ambition and revenge. The revenge of Tedysucung was confined chiefly to the lands along the mountains. From their lurking places in the forest he would lead a small group of savage warriors, ruthlessly burning with the torch and murdering with the tomahawk all the booty and the prisoners that they could not carry back with them to their re- treats in the woods. The de- fenseless settlers were harassed by their unseen foe by day and by night. The settlers were scalped or tomahawked or car- ried into captivity far worse than Nightly the horizon was reddened by fire and daily there hung around it a cloud of smoke which marked the progress of the fiendish invaders. Their progress of death and destruction was to appease a revenge which was as continuous as it TEDYSUCUNG. slavery, for a coveted ransom. BORDER WARFARE AND FRONTIER FORTS 55 was unmerciful. Tedysucung and his bands in the mid-winter made hundreds of homeless wanderers who knew not whither to turn for safety or shelter. Hundreds in sheer desperation deserted their homes because of the swift destruction they knew was coming. Surely the iniquity of the sins of their fathers was being visited upon the children. In the Revolutionary War, Tedysucung was the great Indian hero. He was wise, brave, cunning, and faithful to his followers. He loved fun, was quick in seeing the weakness of his enemy, and was cutting in his remarks to those who opposed him. He lived at Gnadenhutten for six years and frequently visited the settlers along- the mountain. He was very fond of the Moravians. Like other Indians, he could not resist the temptation of drink. It is reported that he frequently consumed a gallon of whiskey a day. He was burned to death while asleep in his cabin. Two monuments are erected to his memory in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. Trouble along the frontier. The days of William Penn were no more. The Indians were disappointed. The manner in which they had been deprived of their land at the forks of the Delaware, as a result of the Walking Purchase, angered them. The French in the north fanned their feelings of discontent and ill-will into a flame of hatred and revenge. They were led to believe, after the death of Braddock, that now was the opportunity to destroy all settle- ments thus far made and again gain possession of the hunting grounds of their fathers. There was no limit to the false reports which the French of the north spread among them. They were told that if they remained true to the teachings of the Moravians their corn would rot on the stalk, their streams would go dry, the wild game would seek other lands and the fish would die in the streams. The French flattered the Indians and tried to get their help in every possible way. They stirred them to deeds of blood along the entire frontier. Every day witnessed new deeds of horror, which they committed with all the cruelty of which their nature was capable. The whole border was in terror. The farmers deserted their dwellings and fled to the towns for safety. 56 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY Franklin builds forts. This condition of affairs thoroughly aroused the people of the lower settlements. Letters were written to Governor Morris to make provision to protect the settlers from the merciless savages. He responded by sending Benjamin Franklin to take charge of building a series of forts along the Blue Ridge Mountains: Work on these frontier defenses was started in 1750. He built a fort near where Lehighton now stands, which was called Gnadenhutten. When it was completed Franklin returned to Philadelphia and others continued his work. A line of forts. The Government had determined to build a line of forts from the Susquehanna to the Delaware about twelve miles apart. They were placed near the settlements and were intended as places of refuge in times of danger. The Indians, how- ever, followed the guerilla mode of warfare and secretly fell upon small numbers of their enemy. It is almost a matter of wonder how men, capable of treaties as the Indians were, should be guilty of such brutality and ferocity as were practiced in the northern portions of Berks County from 1754 to 1763. Fort Henry. This fort was located in Bethel Township, about three miles west of Millersburg and one mile west of Round Top Mountain. It was about fifty yards from the old Shamokin road that leads over the mountain. The spot is elevated so that the guards could see in every direction. Fragments of pipes and stones from the old foundations are now the only remains to mark the spot. It was erected on the property of Dietrich Six by the people for their protection. The records make mention that several times the people fled to this fort. It is not definitely known when the fort was com- pleted or abandoned. It was one of the most important in the whole line from Shamokin through Tulpehocken to Philadelphia. A French officer was captured at this fort and examined in Reading in 1757 by Conrad Weiser, James Read and Thomas Oswald. He stated that the Indians had a great number of prisoners whom they would not be willing to give up. It was proven that he had been in the locality of the fort once before and that his partv had killed and scalped a German and took seven children prisoners. Nothing: was done to him. BORDER WARFARE AND FRONTIER FORTS 57 Fort Northkill. This fort was about two miles east of Strauss- town in Upper Tulpehocken Towns'hip on the Northkill, a small stream that flows into the Tulpe'hocken Creek at Bernville. Commissary Young on June 20, 1756, wrote: "The fort is about nine miles to the westward of the Schuylkill, and stands in a very thick wood, on a small rising ground, half a mile from the middle of Northkill Creek." On October 1, 1757, there was an attack in the neighborhood of the fort. A request for aid was sent to Conrad YVeiser at Reading, and Captain Oswald then sent two lieutenants with forty men to give relief and assistance. Brunner says: "I visited the spot where the fort stood, Novem- ber 26, 1879. There is a large heap of ground close by, from the excavation of the cellar or underground chamber into which the w omenand children were placed for se- c u r i t y. The ground fell into the cavity and the au- tumn leaves. have been J! 1 blown into it for one hun- dred and twen- fort northkill. ty-five years, so that by this time it is nearly full." John W. Degler lived a short distance from this fort. When the Indians became unfriendly he moved his family near the fort that they might be under the protection of the soldiers stationed there. The Indians heard of this and ransacked the house. Among the articles damaged was a chest brought from Germany which is still in possession of his descendants. The chest is made of cedar wood, unpainted, the edges being held together by bands of iron. It was split completely in the middle by the Indians and was later fastened together again by bands of iron placed across the ends but the lid is still in two parts. The date upon the box is 17.17, and this is the year in whic'h the deed is supposed to have been committed. 58 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY The stockades were logs about eighteen feet long, cut in the woods in the vicinity of the fort and planted in the ground as closely as possible. Some of the old residents of the neighborhood say that they can recall when the stockades were still in position and higher than the ceiling of a room. Fort at Dietrich Snyder's. This in reality was made more as an observatory rather than as a fort. It was only one and one-half miles from Fort Northkill and afforded a splendid view of the coun- try for a radius of ten miles. Buildings set on fire could readily be seen at this area and reported to the commander at Northkill at once. By constant vigilance the presence of the Indians could be detected, and they could be driven away. The building stood along the road that leads from Strausstown to Pottsville and has been con- verted into a hotel. Fort Lebanon or Fort William. The next of the forts was Fort Lebanon. It was situated at the Forks of the Schuylkill beyond the Blue Mountains near the outlet of the Little Schuylkill and was built in 1?.~)4. It was really a short distance beyond the present county line near Port Clinton. At times it was called Fort Wil- liam and even Fort Schuylkill. It was built upon an elevation that contained but few trees. The stockades were made of logs, planted side by side and pointed at the top. Each log was fourteen feet high. The fort was 100 feet on each side and contained a log house thirty by twenty feet. There was a spring in the fort. At one time the fort sheltered forty families. It was built in three weeks and much of the material was furnished by the people in the vicinity. Fort Franklin. After the massacre at Gnadenhutten Franklin built Fort Allen at what is now Weissport. When that was com- pleted he sent Foulk to build another between it and Lebanon. It was named in honor of Franklin. It was about fort}- feet square with two log houses at the opposite corners. It was also called Fort Allemangael, or Albany. This fort stood in Schuylkill County north of Albany Township. A block house and several other buildings stood on the road between Fort Franklin and Fort Allen in which soldiers and pro- BORDER WARFARE AND FRONTIER FORTS 59 visions, no doubt, were stationed. One of the men in charge of these forts made trips from one to the other several times a week. Great excitement prevailed in the entire province after the sur- render of General Braddock. The forts were but feeble preparations for defense. The people lived far apart and were not prepared to defend themselves or the forts. The settlers knew their weakness but too well. Many staid in their homes and trembled with fear while many more fled. During the French and Indian war about 150 of the inhabitants of the county were killed and about thirty more were captured. The Indians always approached the settlers quietly, burned and murdered, then departed speedily, so that after all, it is not strange that during the eight years of warfare only four Indians were killed in the entire county. Regina. Very many of the early settlers of the county came from Palatinate, Germany, to seek a place of religious freedom. One of these families (Hartman) consisting of father, mother, two sons and two. daughters left Wurtemberg and settled in Berks County. The parents were pious, God-fearing people who taught their children to pray and read the scriptures and to sing, there being no school and few neighbors. On a bright autumn morning the mother and the youngest son went to the mill, little thinking of the awful greeting that would await them upon their return. As was the custom they waited until their grists were ground then retraced their journey. It was that delightful season of the year when the trees were colored in all the gorgeous autumn hues, the sumacs were arrayed in red and among them appeared the deep rich green of the rhododendron and pine, the birds were gathering in Hocks to have, as it were, their last delightful frolic before saying good-bve to their homes in the hills and woodlands and mio-ratino- REGINA. 60 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY to the land of perpetual summer. As onward they journeyed the mother and son talked fondly of home and their hopes of the future ; when they arrived home they were horror-stricken to find the father and the oldest son murdered and scalped by the Indians and the two girls, Barbara, twelve years of age, and Regina, ten years old, taken away as captives. As the Hartman girls were led away they saw a sweet little girl only three years old tied to a fence. This child cried bitterly and called for mamma in German. She was also taken along. About a month later some hunters found the body of Barbara. The dreadful tomahawk had done its work. Regina and the little girl were taken to some obscure part of the mountains where they were kept until a number of them could be collected, when they were marched to New York. In the journey the younger ones were tied on the backs of the older ones and in this manner they were compelled to proceed over stony paths, through rough, briery underbrush until they were weary and footsore, and their clothing nearly all torn from their bodies. When they lodged at night all the prisoners were tied together by the arms. A bed was made of brush and leaves. A sapling about six inches in diameter was cut and split through the middle. A notch was cut into each half so deep that when placed together the notches were large enough to hold the leg of the prisoner just above the ankle. The prisoners were compelled to lie upon a bed of brush and leaves in a row, while a leg of each was placed in one of the notches of the sapling and the two parts of the sapling were then securely bound together with hickory withes and fastened to the ground with stakes. A large number of the prisoners were taken several hundred miles. Here they were parted and Regina and her companion were taken a hundred miles farther, where both were given to a cruel squaw who had one son. Regina was compelled to gather wild potatoes and beans, which grew in the part of the State in which she lived. Her Indian name was Sawquehanna. After a time she submitted to her fate with patient resignation, learned and accepted the Indian modes of life and learned to speak their language. Often she took her companion away from the hut BORDER WARFARE AND FRONTIER FORTS 61 to some secluded spot in the forest and again and again they said the prayers of their childhood and sang the songs she learned at home. Days, months and years succeeded, and Regina changed with them. She changed from girlhood to womanhood, from civilized life to that of dwellers of the forest, and lived with the Indians for nine long years without a civilized wash or dress. Changes were very great and very numerous, so no wonder if her former relatives no longer recognized her voice or her features. Colonel Bouquet, who had charge of the English army, had included in the articles of peace a condition that all children who had been taken captive during the war should be returned. As many as could be secured were collected at Pittsburgh, partly clothed against the December cold, and then taken to Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Notices were printed in all the newspapers that all the parents Whose children had been taken captive during the war should come to claim them. The anxious mother went to Carlisle hopeful that she might find her long lost child. The captives were all drawn up in a line. The mother walked back and forth along the line several times, but could find no resem- blance of her Regina. When taken captive she was ten years of age and now when the mother was trying with aching heart to find her as she walked along the line she was nineteen, and the change was so great that her mother failed to recognize her. Colonel Bouquet asked the mother if there was no mark about the girl by which she could be identified, and she remembered not one. lie then asked if she could not do something which the girl might remember. She replied that they used to sing some hymns at home. When requested to sing, she stood before the line and sang in German : Alone and yet not alone am I, Though in this solitude so drear, I feel my Saviour always nigh, He comes the weary hours to eheer; I am with Him and He with me, Even here alone I cannot be. 62 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY In an instant Regina sprang from the line, embracing the singer and sobbing "mother." She joined her mother in singing again the 'dear old song of their cabin home. When they were ready to depart Regina's companion clung to her with tears and begged to be taken along. The record and tradi- tion relate that her wish was granted. CHAPTER VI. BERKS COUNTY RECORDS IN THE NATION'S WARS. The Revolution. After the passage of the Stamp Act and the Boston Port Bill, great excitement prevailed in Reading. Through these acts the people of Boston were visited with suffer- ings and losses. This won for them the sympathy of all the colon- ists. When the news reached Reading meetings were held at which a series of seven resolutions were adopted condemning the action of the British government. The people of Berks Countv during the whole war were active in all the movements to estab- lish independence. They were represented by delegates at vari- ous conferences and they contributed their quota of men and money during the entire contest. A Committee of Correspondence was appointed in the county which met at Reading, January 2, 1775, and agreed to propose a convention to be held in Philadel- phia on January 2?> ) 1775. When the news of the battle of Lexington reached Reading a company of men was formed who wore crape for a cockade, in token of sorrow for the slaughter of their brethren. Each town- ship in the county resolved to raise and discipline a troop of men. Each company consisted of one captain, three lieutenants, four sergeants, four corporals, a drummer, and sixty-eight privates. The pay was as follows: Captain, $20 a month; lieutenant $13^; ser- geant $8 ; corporal $7^ ; drummer, $7^ ; private $6^. They sup- plied their own arms and clothes and the term of their enlistment was one year. Jones' company. The company of Captain Jonathan Jones pro- ceeded to Canada. They marched six hundred miles, traveling 64 THE STORY t/F BERKS COUNTY by way of Easton, the Hudson River, and Albany, and arriv- ing at Quebec in the latter part of March. They suffered very severely and after the army re- treated from Quebec, they re- turned to secure some valuable papers that had been left be- hind. They were with Arnold in his pursuit of the British af- ter the battle of Cedars and took part in the battle of Three Rivers. They shared the ter- rible sufferings of the army in its retreat to Ticonderoga, and helped to prepare it to resist the attack of the British. Later they acted as a part of the es- cort of Martha Washington into Joseph hiester. Philadelphia. Joseph Hiester. Of all the men from Berks who were active in revolutionary times, none accomplished more than Joseph Hiester, a native of Bern Township. When the excitement of the war began, Hiester was only twenty-three years of age but he was not too young to heed his country's call. He was sent as a dele- gate to the Provincial conference held at Carpenter's Hall, Phila- delphia, and upon its adjournment carried the spirit for indepen- dence back to Reading. On July 10, 1770, he called together his fellow citizens by the beat of the drum and made a speech upon what he considered the condition of affairs in the county. After he had aroused their patriot- ism to a desirable point, he told them that he wished to raise a com- pany of volunteers to march to the assistance of Washington, who was then in New Jersey. At the conclusion of his remarks he laid forty dollars in money on a drumhead, and said, "I will give this sum as a bounty to the first man who will volunteer to become a part of the company and march to the aid of the commander-in- BERKS COUNTY RECORDS IN THE NATION'S WARS 65 chief. I will also pledge myself to furnish the company with blankets and the funds necessary for their equipment." He had hardly completed speaking when Mathias Babb stepped forward, took the money from the drumhead, and signed the arti- cles. Notices were sent through the entire community and meet- ings were held. In ten days Hiester had collected ninety-six men, who were promptly organized. The men of this company soon learned to admire their leader. About the time the company was formed Henry Haller desired to be made the colonel of the com- pany. Haller well knew that if Hiester was a candidate he could not be elected. Hiester, therefore, consented to refrain from being a candidate and Haller was made colonel. Haller had hardly been chosen, when Edward Burd came to Hiester, stating that he would like to be made major, but that he could not be elected if Hiester were a candidate. Hiester again made way for Burd. This spirit of self-sacrifice and willingness to serve was one of the most admirable traits revealed by any of the men during the entire war. He gave them the place of honor and distinction and expressed his willingness to serve in the ranks if in that way the cause of his country could be advanced. At Elizabcthtown they learned that General Washington had marched to Long Island. Some of his company declared that they would not march any further. Hiester called the men into line, made them an effective speech, pleading with them and asking that the entire company march forward with him to join Washington and fight for freedom. All but three responded. When the march began these three could not refrain from going with the company. Thev marched to Long Island and joined in the battle, where some were killed and others wounded. Hiester himself was captured and con- fined for six weeks on board the prison ship "Jersey.'' He was removed to another prison ship and later was put on board the ship "Snowmentor." On these prison ships his food was poor and his treatment exceedingly cruel. He became sick and was so feeble that he was compelled to crawl upon his hands and knees to go up and down the stairs. He was deprived of all of his clothing and money. He was exchanged in December, and then returned 66 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY to Reading. After lie had regained his strength he rejoined the army of Washington and remained with lhs troops until the term of service had expired. When the attack upon New York was over General Joseph Read requested him to raise additional volunteers. Hiester secured six hundred and fifty men and joined Read's army in New Jersey. For tins action he was highly complimented by Read. He received an honorable discharge at the close of the war and returned to his home. His unselfish conduct in the service of his people, his devotion to the best interests of his country and his willingness to sacrifice his own welfare for the men of his company made him one of the most popular men of the county. Hessian Prisoners at Reading. Many of the prisoners who were taken at the battle of Saratoga as a result of the surrender of Ihirgovne were sent to Massachusetts and Connecticut. From there they were taken to Maryland and Virginia. On March 3, 1781, they HESSIAN LOG HOUSE. were ordered from these states and sent to Pennsylvania. President Read, the chief authority of the state, requested Congress not to send them to Reading. BERKS COUNTY RECORDS IN THE NATION'S WARS 67 His request, however, was not heeded. On May 13, they ar- rived at Lancaster and by the 16th about ten hundred and fifty of them reached Reading. Some of them were accompanied by their wives. Three persons were appointed to select a location for plac- ing these soldiers and a place about one-half a mile to the east of the city was selected. Here the prisoners were quartered in log huts. The place has since been known as "Hessian Camp." On February 23, 1782, a lieutenant of the county was ordered to call out the militia to guard the prisoners at Reading. Nothing remains of these huts but a very near reproduction of one of them may be seen in the rooms of the Historical Society at Reading. It is a well known fact that many of the prisoners were hired out in various parts of the county to serve in the farming or manufacturing communities. Conway Cabal. While the British Army was living its gay life in Philadelphia and Washington's army was suffering the pangs of cold and hunger at Valley Forge, affairs in Reading were considered reasonably safe and many families went there to avoid falling into the hands of the British. Besides its regular citizens and those who had come for safety there was generally a group of visitors and gentlemen from the army who came to have a season of gaiety with their friends. The dissipations of cards, sleighing parties and balls, were numerous. General Mifflin at this time was at his home in Reading, complaining because he did not seem to be in favor with Washington. He seemed to feel that Green had the favor of Wash- ington which he did not bestow upon others. Gates, who had been placed at the head of the army of the north about the time when Schuyler had prepared everything for victory, was doing everything he could to take advantage of the laurels which Schuyler had won. .Gates, Mifflin and Conway engaged in a plot to remove Washington from command. The plot was conceived at Reading. Some his- torians locate the place of meeting in a low one-story building on the south side of Penn street and others in a two-story building for many years called the "Fountain Inn." Captain Wilkinson was on his way from Saratoga to York, where Congress was then assembled, with despatches concerning the surrender of Burgoyne. Tt is reported that he repeated to Gen- G8 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY eral Sterling the substance of one of the letters which Conway had written to Gates. Lee had been exchanged and returned to Valley Forge about the same time. He also shared in the scheme. Just how Washington was to be removed is not known. Sad indeed is the picture. While the British in Philadelphia danced and gambled these mischief makers were plotting and dis- cussing the ruin of their chief. They had a personal grudge against Washington and were willing to do anything to place Gates in his place. But the movement failed and Washington gained the love and admiration of mankind. He retained the confidence of the nation and reached that exalted pedestal which makes him "First in war. first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." WASHINGTON IN PRAYER AT VALLEY FORGE. The veterans. A number of the men who had gone to war from Reading returned home in safety. In 1823. they held a public BERKS COUNTY RECORDS IN THE NATION'S WARS 69 meeting for the purpose of introducing Andrew Gregg as a candi- date for governor. There were then thirty-nine of them. In 1S4I) the census report showed that there were living in Reading nine soldiers of the Revolution. Washington Visits Berks. After the defeat of Washington at Brandywine in 1777, he retreated to Pottstown. It is said he asked a Quaker the road to Reading, but there is no record that he visited the Berks Capital at this time. In November, 1793, he visited Lebanon to inspect the canal that was being built between Philadelphia through Reading to Lebanon and Middleton. Upon returning he spent the night of November 13th at Womelsdorf. On the next day "The Reading Unparthey- ische," the first German newspaper in the county, had this article : "Yesterday evening the inhabitants of this town had the pleasure of entertaining the President of the United States, George Washing- ton." After tendering him an address lauding him for his work, he made the following reply : "The attention which you show me and your approval of my efforts afford me the greatest pleasure." In front of the house where he was stopping the people congregated, fired guns, and shouted in German, "Lang lebe, George Washing- ton." He passed through Reading the next day and remained about two hours inspecting the city and commenting upon its ex- cellent location. The next year, 1794, the inhabitants of Western Pennsylvania resisted the collection of tax on distilled liquors, an important in- dustry in that part of the state. An army was collected from Penn- sylvania, New Jersey and Maryland which was to gather at Carlisle. Since the new government was brought to a severe test Washington decided to accompany the expedition. He, his private secretary, Bartholomew Dandridge, and Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, started from Philadelphia in a carriage and came to Read- ing by way of the Trappe. On October 1, he wrote in his diary the following: "Left the Trappe early and breakfasted at Pottsgrove, 11 miles. We reached Reading for dinner, 19 miles farther, where we found 70 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY several detachments of infantry and cavalry preparing for the march to Carlisle." From Pottstown he came by the way of the old Philadelphia Road, along whose course can yet be seen the milestones marking the distance to Philadelphia. He passed through Douglassville, Amityville, Weavertown, Friends' Meeting House, Stonersville and Black Pear. Many people from Oley and vicinity joined his party to Reading He stopped for a day and a night at the Federal Inn, now the Farmers' Bank. This building was erected in 1763 by Adam Witman. Michael Wood was the landlord. After the visit the inn was known CHAIR IN WHICH WASHINGTON SAT. ag ^ u^ Q f Washington .» While at Reading, Washington visited a former comrade-at-arms, Daniel Rose, the clockmaker, whose house, with its beautiful flower garden, stood near the inn. The rush-bottomed arm-chair on which he sat while at the Rose house is carefully treasured by the Daugh- ters of the American Revolution at Reading. It can be seen at the Historical Society's quarters on Court street. They also have a settee from a house at Sinking Spring upon which the General sat and par- took of refreshments while making a short call on his friend. Dr. Palm. His diary of October 2, has the following: "An accident hap- pening to one of my horses occasioned my setting out later than was intended. I got off in time, however, to make a halt at Womelsdorf, 14 miles and to view the canal from Myerstown, towards Lebanon and the locks between the two places which seemed admirably constructed. Reached Lebanon at night, 28 miles." From Lebanon he went to Carlisle and accompanied the army to Chambersburg, Cumberland and Bedford. The insurrec- tionists seeing- the determination of Washington were ready to BERKS COUNTY RECORDS IN THE NATION'S WARS 71 sue for peace and the matter was settled. Washington left Bed- ford for home October 21. Fries' rebellion. During the early part of Adams' administra- tion a tax was imposed which required the assessors to measure and register the panes of glass in windows. This was called a house tax and was very unpopular. John Fries, an auctioneer and soldier in the Revolution, wearing a plumed hat and carrying a pistol and a sword at his side and with Whiskey, his little dog. running after him marched from place to place to the sound of life and drum and addressed the Germans upon the injustice of the house tax. A United States marshall arrested twelve of his men and con- fined them in the Sunn Inn, at Bethlehem, and Fries, with a num- ber of followers went to their rescue. When he appeared at the inn with somewhat more than one hundred and twenty followers the marshall had to give up his prisoners and Fries came out vic- torious. By order of President Adams, Gov. Mifflin called out the militia and Fries was captured in a swamp south of Allentown. He was tried in Philadelphia for high treason, convicted and con- demned to die, but President Adams pardoned him. Among the troops called out to quell the above insurrection was Captain Montgomery's company of Light Dragoons, of Lan- caster. Their way to the place of excitement was through Read- ing. Upon arriving here they insulted a number of people and cut down certain "Liberty Poles." These ungentlemanly deeds caused a correspondent of the Reading Adler to publish a letter criticising their conduct. Upon their return they heard of the letter which made fun of them. In their anger, they took the proprietor forcibly to the market house and gave him a number of lashes. The county militia. There were mustered into service from Berks County two battalions of militia in 1777; one under the command of Colonel Daniel Hunter, containing 348 men, and the other under Colonel Daniel Udree, containing 297 men, making a total of 645 men. These men were called out by Colonel Jacob Morgan, the principal military officer of the county, at the direc- 72 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY tion of the Executive Council. They were placed under General Armstrong, who at the battle of Brandywine commanded the left wing which was stationed down the river to protect the fords sev- eral miles below Chadd's Ford. After the battle of Brandywine, Howe returned to capture the military stores at Reading. Immediately two additional battalions of county militia were mustered into service. One was commanded by Colonel Michael Lindermuth, containing 283 men, and the other by Colonel Joseph Heister, containing 258 men. Militia at Valley Forge. At the battle of Germantown General Armstrong was sent near to the mouth of the Wissahickon Creek, where Washington expected to drive the British and compel them to surrender. It so happened, therefore, that, as at Brandywine, the Berks County militia did not take part in the actual battle. There were present 1,016 men from Berks County. When Washington was at Valley Forge most of these men were stationed about one and one-half miles east of Barren Hill. The War of 1812. After the Revolutionary War, the United States Government passed laws whereby foreigners could become naturalized. The British Government, however, contended that a British subject could not be naturalized, and claimed the right to stop all United States vessels and search for British seamen. It is said that within a period of eight years they captured nine hundred vessels and impressed over six thousand seamen into their navy. This continued until, finally, affairs got to the point where it could be endured no longer, and war was declared. Governor Schneider issued an order requiring that four thousand troops should promptly be raised to carry on the war. Companies from Berks. When the news of Perry's victory on Lake Erie reached Reading, the citizens celebrated the event by a grand illumination. After Washington had been taken twelve com- panies were organized in the county and left in August, 1814, but after six months' service they returned home, having participated in no engagement. Daniel Udree, of Oley, was major-general of the second brigade. Eight companies served under Lieutenant-Colonel Jeremiah Schappell, of Windsor, three under Lieutenant-Colonel BERKS COUNTY RECORDS IN THE NATION'S WARS 7S John Lotz, of Reading, and one, the Reading Washington Guards, under Captain Daniel De B. Keim. English families at Reading. During the war a law was passed which required Englishmen to remove into the interior part of the country at least f.fty miles from the seacoast. A number of these families left Philadelphia, came to Reading and stayed at the Tyson Inn. The city of Washington was taken during their stay at the inn and this news caused them to rejoice and to express their satisfaction by holding a festival and dance. The people of Berks County, how- ever, were heartily in sympathy with the war and they did not like this reveling and rejoicing. Tn the midst of their carnival they were suddenly attacked by a party of citizens and it is said that if a num- ber of English-speaking men of Reading had not come to their assistance, they would have been driven out of the city that night. The Mexican War. When the excitement, due to the annexa- tion of Texas, began, the discussion soon reached Reading. On the 20th of May, 1840, a town meeting was held at which the course of President Polk was commended. Three volunteer companies offered their services to the President. One was the Reading Artillerists; another the Washington Grays, and the third the National Grays. A town meeting was held in the Court House for the purpose of providing means to aid the soldiers. G. A. Nicolls, of the Philadel- phia and Reading Railroad Company, offered them free passage over the railroad. The town council authorized a loan of $1,000 and appropriated that sum to provide the soldiers and to furnish relief to their families. The same amount was given by the County Com- missioners on the recommendation of the Grand Jury. The services of the Reading Artillerists, numbering 102 men, were accepted. Doctor Wurts, United States Surgeon, pronounced them the finest body of men who had yet passed into the service. They traveled by railroad to Harrisburg, thence to Carlisle and Chambersburg. They had hardly succeeded in having their arrange- ments for the camp completed, when one night at one o'clock thev found fifteen inches of water all over their camping ground. There was no other shelter nearby, so they had to endure the water until they were ordered into a transport ship called "Ocean," which took 74 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY them to higher ground on Lobos Island. They were on the island for three weeks, when they started for Vera Cruz. The company was engaged in the following battles: Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo, Chapul- tepec and some minor engagements. When the war was over they were ordered home about the middle of June, 1848. Their march to Vera Cruz, where they took boat and sailed for New Orleans, took about a month. They proceeded by the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to Pittsburgh, from which place they traveled by canal to Harrisburg and thence by railroad to Reading. Upon their arrival at home they were given a brilliant reception. So great was the enthusiasm, it is said, that some of the people in the parade carried Captain Leoser from the station to his residence upon their shoul- ders. Twenty-two of the men of Berks County died in Mexico from sickness contracted there. Four died from wounds and one was killed in battle. THE CIVIL WAR. The county militia. The experience of the Revolutionary war taught the lesson that it was necessary to have trained soldiers in readiness at all times. As early as 1770, Pennsylvania adopted a sys- tem of military training which was carried out until after the Civil War. Every able-bodied male citizen, between the ages of 18 and 45 years was obliged to serve in the militia. In 1856 Berks County had 24 companies. These were arranged in six battalions. Whit-Monday was observed as "Battalion Day" when these militia; men were brought together and drilled in military tactics. These events were held at prominent places in the county, especially in Reading. They were great annual attractions and stimulated patriotism in the heart of the young. Vast crowds gathered to witness the drilling and to participate in the festivities and amuse- ments of the occasion. As the relations between North and South became more and more strained Battalion Day became a more serious occasion and the militia men were given an opportunity of forming a better con- ception of camp life and military discipline. Reading had two com- panies of artillery: the Reading Artillerists and the Ringgold Light Artillery. BERKS COUNTY RECORDS IN THE NATION'S WARS Berks county responds to the call. For years there was a great contention between the North and the South as to the exten- sion of slavery, and when Lincoln became president, the FIRST DEFENDERS MONUMENT. (City Park). southern states commenced to secede. Fort Sumter was captured and Lincoln called for 75,000 troops to defend the Union, for in his inaugural address he had said that "the Union must and shall be preserved." The call for troops created great excitement in Reading. Captain James McKnight promptly offered his company of Ringgold Light Artillery. This was the first body of men to respond to Lincoln's call. Each man of 'his company was a hero indeed. They were the first to offer their services as well as their lives if necessary for the preservation of the union. The citizens of Berks County may well be proud of this record. No response to their country's call was ever made more promptly or more generously. The feeling for maintaining the Union, and upholding the Con- stitution was strong. Berks sent to the front ninety-three companies 76 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY and five regimental bands. In the public meetings that were held party lines were disregarded and prominent men of all parties were the leaders who upheld Lincoln and his administration. Among the people of the county who opposed the way the war was carried on, none could be found who were unwilling to do their part in maintaining the Union. When it was feared that the county might be invaded Penn Square presented an animated scene. Men were enlisted, drilled,, and marched to the tune of the fife and drum which thrilled the com- munity to its very center. Two encampments, one in 1862, and an- other in 1863, in Reading, afforded a chance to learn what prepara- tions were being made. Large and enthusiastic meetings were held to prepare for protection against invasion. The county raised over |SOO,000 for war purposes. Nor do the men deserve all the credit for the prompt and patriotic response they made to Lincoln's call. Just as the Ringgold Light Artillery were preparing to take the train to proceed to the front in response to Lincoln's call, a number of ladies of Reading met in the parlor of Mrs. Dr. Uiller Luther, at Xo. 530 Penn Street, and formed what was called the "Ladies' Aid Society." It was the aim of this society to supply the soldiers in actual service with clothing and such other things as they might need. They selected a place at which materials were gathered and then sent to the front. This activity was continued during the entire war and tons of material were forwarded. This was the first society of the kind organized in America, so that Berks County has the honor and distinction not only of having sent the first soldiers to the front, but also of having been the first to provide for the comfort and welfare of those that were sent. A military hospital was fitted up in Reading in the main building of the Agricultural Society and the Ladies' Aid Society took an active part in providing for the needs of one hundred and thirty patients whom it was possible to accommodate. Drafting soldiers. When the call for troops became too fre- quent, and the response by volunteers no longer supplied the number of men needed, the government was compelled to resort to the draft. BERKS COUNTY RECORDS IN THE NATION'S WARS 77 A draft had to be made each of the following- years: 1802. 1863 1864 and 1865. In the first 1, 242 men were drafted from the county; in the second, 1,554. The third draft, 52 men, was made in Ruscomb- manor only, the other districts having volunteers enough to supply the needed number of men. In 1863 Berks County was required to supply 1, 560 men. Reading, Upper Bern, Bernville. Cumru. Wom- elsdorf, supplied their share by volunteers and a draft was used to get the required number in the other districts. Excitement at Reading. When Lee invaded Pennsylvania, and captured York, Carlisle and other towns west of Harris. arg, the people became thoroughly alarmed. Many families from the Sus- quehanna Valley with some of their belongings passed through Reading toward Philadelphia, but after the battle of Gettysburg they returned to their homes. It was at this time that the Mayor of Reading, Joseph B. Hover, sent the following appeal to the peo- ple of the county: "Arouse ! Freemen ! "Whereas, we have reliable information that a large rebel army is now near Harrisburg, and have possession of York, Carlisle and •other towns west of Harrisburg, and will soon be in Berks County if not checked, at a meeting held in the Court House June 27. 1863, in Reading, it was resolved to call a meeting on Sunday morning at 9.30 o'clock, on Market Square to begin forming and enlisting men, and continue to do so, we therefore urge all able-bodied men, rich and poor, to come forward from the county, early on Monday morning, to meet us in Reading, and at once proceed to Harrisburg to check the invaders." The Veterans. The war covered the period from 1861 to 1865 and many of the 8,500 men who were furnished by this county were either killed in battle or died in southern prison pens. Many who returned were crippled for life. The citizens vied with each other in doing honor to the vet- erans who had endured the hardships of battle. Many of the dead were brought to their homes and buried with honors, while the living were welcomed in a manner fitting the splendid work they had performed. 78 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY On the 30th of May in each year since then the people of each community have gathered in the cemeteries of the county and held exercises commemorating the valor of the soldiers. Annually a flag is placed upon the grave of each departed soldier by the sur- viving veterans or by some society in the community designated by them. Almost every cemetery in the county has its quota of soldier graves. The most prominent burial place is Charles Evans ceme- tery, Reading, where a splendid monument was erected in 18s; by two grand army posts of the city. COMPANIES FROM BERKS. Three Months' Service, 1861. Regt. Co. Name Captain. 25th, A — Ringgold Light Artillery James McKnight 25th, C — Ringgold Light Artillery Henry Xagle 1st, G — Reading Artillerists '.. George W. Alexander 5th, H — Union Light Infantry Frank M. Cooley 7th, C — Washington Artillery George S. Fferbst 7th, D — Pennsylvania Artillery Albert F. Rightmyer 7th, G — Reading Rifles Isaac Schroeder 14th, A — Union Guards David A. Griffith 14th, E — Keystone Infantry John A. Shearer Three Years' Service, 1861-64. Regt. Co. Name Captain. 32d, A — Reading Artillerists Jacob Lenhart, jr. 32d, D — Mechanics' Infantry William Briner 32d, F — Washington Guards Washington Richards 36th, I — Berks and Lebanon Counties. Joseph G. Holmes 44th, L — Reading Troop ..J. C. A. Hoffeditz 44th, M — Reading Cavalry Thomas S. Richards 46th, E — Reading Rifles Cornelius Wise 48th, D — Berks and Schuylkill Counties. Daniel Xagle 50th, B — Ellsworth Zouaves Hervey Herman 50th, F — Reading Light Infantry William H. Diehl BERKS COUNTY RECORDS IN THE NATION'S WARS 79 50th, H — Union Light Infantry Thomas S. Brenholtz 5oth, B — Washington Legion John C. Shearer 50th, K — Cavalry, Berks & Philadelphia. Stehen H. Edgett 70th, G — Reading Dragoons George E. Clymer 71th, G — Berks and Adams Counties. . . William J. Bart 80th, L — Cavalry, Berks & Northumb'ld. Charles C. McCormick 83d, I — Reading & Harrisburg Robert W. McCartney 88th, A — Junior Fire Zouaves .-George W. Knabb 88th, B — Xeversink Zouaves Henry R. Myers 88th, H— Union Guards David A. Griffith 93d, B — Union Zouaves John E. Arthur 03d, G — Reading & Norristown Alexander C. Maitland 03d, K — Berks & Lebanon Counties. . . . David C. Keller 96th, G — Hamburg Light Infantry James M. Douden 104th, H— Berks County William F. Walter D — Independent Battery George W. Durrell 5th, M— Battery U. S. Artillery James McKnight Nine Months' Service, 1862-63. Regt. Co. Name Captain. 128th, A — Washington Infantry L. Heber Smith 128th, B — Muhlenberg Infantry William McNall 128th, E — Reading Artillerists William H. Andrews 128th, H — Felix Light Guards John Kennedy 128th, I — Reading Iron W r orks Guards.. Richard H. Jones 128th, K — City Guard George Newkirk 151st, E — Onteiaunee Jacob S. Graeff 151st, G — Bemville Levi M. Gerhart 151st, H — Upper Tulpehocken William K. Boltz 151st, I — Berks & Schuylkill William L. Gray 151st, K — Longswamp James W. Weida Volunteer Militia, 1862. Regt. Co. Name Captain. 2d, G — Fifth Ward Guards Franklin S. Bickley 11th, E — Nicolls Guards Dr. Charles H. Hunter 80 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY 1 1th, I — McKnight Guards Nathan M. Eisenhower 20th, G — Liberty Fire Zouaves William Geiger 20th, H — McLean Guards Samuel Harner 20th, I — Halleck Infantry Frederick S. Boas 20th Berks County Cavalry Samuel L. Young Drafted Militia, 1862, Nine Months' Service. Regt. Co. Location Captain. 107th, A — Womelsdorf Jonathan See 167th, B — Reading Charles Melcher 107th, C— Oley Peter Y. Edelman 107th, D — Ontelaunee Samuel A. Haines 107th, E — Spring Hiram H. Miller 107th. F — Marion Joseph Groh 167th, G— Washington William A. Schall 167th, H— Pike Abraham H. Schaeffer 107th, I — Richmond Jonas M. Schollenberger 167th, K— Rockland Edward F. Reed 179th, I — Reading Amos Drenkel 170th, K — Amity John B. Wagoner Volunteer Militia of 1863. Regt. Co. Location Captain. :Ust, H — Reading David A. Griffith 42d, A — Reading William F. Walter 42d, B — Reading Samuel Harner 42d, C — Reading John E. Arthur 42d, D— Robeson William D. Smith 42d, E — Reading John McKnight 42d, F — Robeson Bentley H. Smith *42d, G — Ontelaunee . . . Samuel A. Haines 42d, H— Reading John Obold I 42d, I — Birdsboro Edward Bailey 42d. K — Heidelberg Jacob Deppen 58th, G — Reading Joseph G. Holmes BERKS COUNTY RECORDS IN THE NATION'S WARS 81 53d, A — Reading Richmond L. Jones 53d, B — Reading Jacob Lehman Independent Artillery — Reading. ...William C. Ermentrout 100 Days' Service, 1864. 20th, G — Reading George W. Ashenfelter 194th, I — Reading Henry E. Quimby 105th, A — Reading Henry D. Markley 195th, B — Reading Harrison Maltzberger 19Gth, I — Reading George S. Rowbotham One Year's Service, 1864-65. 192d, F— Reading John Teed 195th, A — Reading Henry D. Markley 198th. D — Reading Isaac Shroeder 198th, G — Rockland William L. Gninther 205th, B — Reading Joseph G. Holmes 205th, E— Reading William F. Walter 205th, H — Rnscombmanor . Franklin Schmehl Regimental Bands. 5th, Reading City E. Ermentrout, leader 25th, Ringgold John A. Hoch, leader 20th, Bernville ... Henry S. Grime, leader 46th, Birdsboro Richard J. Stanley, leader 88th, Reading City E. Ermentrout, leader War with Spain. For years the people of America sympa- thized with the inhabitants of the island of Cuba who were suffering from the tyrannical oppression of Spain. When early in 1898 the United States battleship Maine was blown up in Havana harbor, en- tailing the loss of 200 American sailors, feeling against Spain became so great that on March 29 Congress declared war against that coun- try and officially recognized the independence of Cuba. When President McKinley called for 125,000 volunteers the patriotic spirit was aroused in our county and the Reading Artil- lerists responded. Under the command of Captain Samuel Willits they proceeded to Mount Gretna, where thev were mustered into 82 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY service on May !), with the Fourth Regiment of Pennsylvania. This regiment went to Chickamauga, where John C. Hintz, first lieutenant of Company A. died. On August '2 they landed in Porto Rico and went to the support of the advancing army at Guayama. They took their position on a hill and were ready to fire when the news of the "Peace Protocol" was circulated. Active opera- tions now ceased and they were put on outpost duty near Ponce. They were mustered out of service November 1(5 and received a cordial welcome when thev returned home. CHAPTER VII. INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT. COLONIAL LIFE. Homes. In the early colonial days the furniture in the smaller houses was usually of home manufacture. Benches made of slabs and stools having three legs served as chairs and couches. Beds were often simple frames b u i 1 t. against the wall on which were mattressess stuffed with corn husks or straw, cut into lengths of about four inches. Leaves and brush at times even re- placed the straw, for to the colonists "a hard the kitchen fireplace. day's work made a soft bed." The kitchen was usually large and had a large hearth in which the fire for heating was kept. Light at first was furnished by the old-fashioned "fat lamp." This was followed later by the tallow candle in the manufacture of which Franklin's father was engaged. The molds in which they were made may yet be seen in the old home- steads, but they are seldom used. The tallow candle was replaced by the coal oil lamp with which all of us are familiar. Gas and electricity followed and are now fast replacing all other means of illumination. Several pipe lines which conduct oil from the oil regions to the seaboard, pass through the county. Matches were unknown and fire was kindled by means of the flint stone. The stone was struck with A ™ lamp.° 1L a piece of iron, producing sparks which were caused 84 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY to strike punk. By blowing or fanning a flame was started. As this was a tedious and uncertain method the colonists were care- ful not to allow their fires to go out. When through neglect or accident the fire happened to die out it was nothing unusual to borrow a shovel- fid of burning embers from a neighbor and carry them for a long distance. Market value of articles about 1800. Wheat $1.80 a bushel, rye 60 cents a bushel, oats 25 cents a bushel, corn 72 cents a bushel, flour $9.25 a tallow candle, barrel, ham cents a pound, beef 4 cents a pound, sugar 12 cents a pound, butter 12 cents a pound, eggs 8 cents a dozen, labor 40 cents a day and rum $1.00 a gallon. ^ Farming implements. The farm- "^7/ £-f— H=fe^ ~ ^ U1 8' implements were verv crude. Plows and harrows were made of wood and usually drawn by oxen. The harness was made of ropes or raw deer skin. The skins were twined and twisted together and then dried. These often served as traces. Grain and grass were cut by means of sickles, which were later ^."cP"" ' "-" /Sf ' «£> replaced by the scythe and the grain cradle. Threshing was done by causing the oxen and horses to walk back and forth over the grain or by means of a flail with which the grain was beaten. Clothing. Rut little was known of cotton in those days in Rerks County. The sheep furnished wool. The flax was dried, beaten, broken and spun into cloth out of which the moth- ers made home-spun garments. At times knee breaches were CARRYING FIRE FROM THK NEIGHBORS. INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 86 OLD PLOW made of deerskin. The shoes, worn generally only in winter, were made of leather tanned in the locality. Reading, from its first days was a center for mak- ing hats, and some of the imple- ments used in the early manufac- ture of hats may still be seen in the rooms of the historical soc- iety. The iron industry and early furnaces. The iron industry was early carried on throughout the eastern portion of the State. The first stoves in America were made in Berks County. They consisted of five plates which were put together like a box, the sixth side being walled into the large chimney. The plates were heavy and were molded when men did not know nearly so well how 7 to use hot metal as we do today. The early furnaces made what the set- tlers needed. When it was found that the stove just described was not very service- able, one of the pioneer iron men made a new model which had an oven that could be used for baking. It was an old-fashion- ed box stove such as some of us have seen in our younger days. It stood upon legs like a sewing machine and was about three feet long and one and one-half feet wide, with a small hearth extending in front of it. There was an opening in the top for a pipe. One of these stoves was shown at the World's Fair, Chicago, 1893. It has lettering and flowers on it, much after the fashion of our stoves today. Upon it may be read: "Hereford Furnace, 1767, Thomas Maybury." On the door is inscribed: "Made llfi?" It is the oldest stove in America and, having been made in our coun- SPINNING IN A COLONIAL HOME. 86 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY ty, we should feel justly proud of it. It is now in possession of the Berks County Historical Society. To operate one of the charcoal furnaces at which stoves, and cannons and cannon balls for the Revolutionary war were made, many men were required. Thomas May'bury, at times, had as many as forty and even employed the Hessian prisoners. Much draft was necessary to furnish the amount of heat required to melt the iron. Water wheels were usuallv used to furnish the OLDEST STOVE IN COUNTY. power to do so, and for this reason the furnaces were located along the streams. It is supposed that there were at least six of those early furnaces located in our county. INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 87 In 1838 there were eight furnaces for manufacturing pig iron at which 3790 tons of iron were made in one year: 4300 bushels of charcoal were used in its making; and 200 men were employed. At the same time there were two rolling mills which made the pig iron into usable form. At that time the county contained two scythe factories which manufactured 2000 scythes. This was before the days of the mowing machines and reapers and binders. There were seven gun factories which during the year turned out 370 guns. At the same time there were seven ore mines in operation in the county from which 1200 tons of ore were taken by 73 miners. Nine limestone quarries were also in operation. In them 170 quarry men were employed. There were 300 lime kilns which during the year burned 065,000 bushels of lime. Burning charcoal. There were usually about a dozen w r ood- choppers who cut down our giant forest trees at the rate of fifty cents a cord. The teamsters generally using a sled with greased runners and a yoke of oxen, dragged the wood to the hearth. The best and most trusty men were the charcoal burners. A level circular space was cleaned and in the center were placed one or more poles from three to six inches in diameter. Around these the wood in pieces about four feet long was piled upon the ends. Three lengths were placed one on top of the other. When completed, the pile of wood was about forty feet in circumference, twelve feet high and shaped like a cone. The center poles were then withdrawn and the hole was filled with chips and dry shavings. The whole was then covered with leaves upon whic'h was placed a layer of ground to a depth of several inches to make the whole pile air tight. The chips and shavings were then lit. and holes were made at the bottom along the outer edge so that the fire would burn downward. Two burners were usually on hand. The fire was allowed onlv to smoulder, or kept as a "dead fire." The heap had to be closelv watched so that one side would not burn faster than the other, this being regulated by opening and closing the openings previously men- tioned. The time to burn such a "heap or pit" varied from two davs to a week. When completed the heap was only half its original size. Heaps often contained 700 bushels of coal. 88 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY The burners lived in huts made like the Indian wigwams, except that the poles were covered with dirt and leaves. Their bill of fare usually was "flitch and potatoes for breakfast; potatoes and flitch for dinner; and for supper they had one or the other over again." And yet they were a jolly set of fellows. The burden of their song always was: "There is nothing pleasanter under the sun Than sitting by the fire till the taters are clone." The charcoal was later taken to the furnace where it was used to melt the iron out of the ore. RIVERS AND CANALS. Early navigation of the Schuylkill. The Schuylkill is the largest stream of the county and from the time of the first settle- ments it afforded a means for travel and exchange of products. It furnished the early settlers a supply of fish which were cheap and Wholesome meat. In order to catch the fish easily and in large num- bers those who lived upon its banks built dams, mears. and racks, into which the fish were driven by fishermen or men upon horses. These dams became a hindrance when the river was to be used for boating. It was the custom of the farmers in the count}- to take their wheat down the river in boats. These boats were usually hewn out of the log of a single tree, and at times carried as much as seventy bushels of wheat. These boats would get fast at various dams, when to preserve their load, the boatmen were compelled to leap into the river. The dams were spoiled and quarrels followed. A number of the boatmen finally lodged complaints with Squire Boone of Oley Township, and secured a warrant to remove the dams. The fishermen did not care for the boatmen or their warrant and they came to blows. The affair was settled and the boatmen were allowed to carry their loads to the Quaker city. It was some time before the trouble was ended. The Swedes used the Schuylkill to transfer their skins as early as 1716, and used this means of going to mill, church and store.- Among the hills of the upper Schuylkill an abundance of pine and hemlock timber was found. The first settlers soon 'began to cut the trees and built rafts to float produce down the river, the rafts being INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 89 later sold for lumber. These rafts would be hurriedly loaded when there was a rise of water and rafts and cargoes would be floated down the river. Some knowledge of the extent of the business done by these may be gained from a statement in a Reading newspaper in 1802: "Within the present week was taken down on the Schuylkill to the mills and the city of Philadelphia in boats in one day from this place the following articles: 1,201 barrels of flour. 1,425 bushels of wheat, 17 tons of bar iron, 1,402 gallons of whiskey, 305 pounds of butter and 500 pounds of snuff, The whole amounted to upwards of one hundred and sixty tons, and would require, in the present con- dition of the roads, at least one hundred and sixty teams of good horses to haul the same to market."' Union Canal. Many of the great schemes for improving this country in its early days were originated in Pennsylvania. In 1791, the Legislature passed an act which incorporated the Schuylkill and Susquehanna Navigation Company, which was to connect these two rivers by a canal. The idea had first been suggested by Penn about a hundred years before, and the first survey was made by David Rit- ten'house and others in 1762. The route selected was from Reading along the Tulpehocken and Swatara to Middletown. This was the first canal ever surveyed in America, canals and turnpikes being unknown at this time, even in England. The Delaware and Schuylkill Canal Company was chartered in 179:2. It was to connect Philadelphia and Reading by a navigable waterway. These canals were to be a part of a great net- work of waterways that should connect the large cities in the state, with the intention of extending the chain to Lake Erie and the Ohio River. Very little was done toward building either canal until 1811, so the members of the old companies formed a new company called the Union Canal Company of Pennsylvania. They were authorized to build a canal from Philadelphia to Lake Erie. The new managers went to work, but capital was scarce, and it was more than seven- teen years before the work was completed from Reading to Middle- town. The first boat, called the Pair Trader, left Philadelphia, March 120, 1828, and went by way of Reading to Middletown, where it ar- 90 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY rived on the 23d. In July of that year there were seventeen canal boats in use and by the end of December of the same year there were over two hundred. The highest point in the canal was four miles east of Lebanon. From there east to the mouth of the Tulpehocken creek is 37 miles, while the total length of the canal was seventy-nine and one-half miles. A s'hort distance west of Lebanon a tunnel was constructed through which the waterway passed. This was the first tunnel in the L nited States. In order to get some idea as to the value of the canal when completed one needs but remember that in 1831, in one day, eig-hty boats passed through the canal toward Philadelphia. ( )f these, forty-five were loaded with lumber and coal, the others with flour, CANAL BOAT PASSING STOUTS' FERRY BRIDGE. whiskey, castings and the like. On the same day, sixty boats passed in the opposite direction and sixteen of these were loaded with, irerchandise. This was the purpose it served in the days of its greatest usefulness. After the completion of the Lebanon Valley INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 91 Railroad to Harrisburg, traffic on the canal began to grow less, and in 1884 it was altogether abandoned. Schuylkill Canal. The first coal was sent over the Schuylkill River in flats owned by Abraham Potts in 1821. In the same year, mention is made of several flats which passed down the river, loaded with coal. In the early days there were shanties stationed along the river for the accommodation of these flat boat voyagers. They were known as boat houses. To these the boaters often resorted for lodging and provisions. The Schuylkill Navigation Company was incorporated in 1814. It was formed to provide means of carrying coal, lumber and mer- chandise from Port Carbon. Schuylkill County, to Philadelphia. At that time teams were the only conveyance between Philadelphia and Reading. The building of the canal was begun in 1817. It was completed in 1827. Its total length was 108 miles. It cost $3,- 000,000. COXF.STOGA WAGON". There were three special boats loaded with guests that descend- ed the canal when it was completed. The first was the "Thomas Oaks," named after the engineer under whose direction much of the canal was built. This boat was occupied by Governor Joseph Hiester, managers and engineers of the company, and invited guests. The second boat was named "Stephen Guard." It was occupied by voung ladies and gentlemen from Reading. The third was the 92 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY "DeWitt Clinton," which was named after the famous promoter of the Erie Canal in New York, and hore a cargo of agricultural implements. In Lewis Dam the boats were anchored, and Charles Evans, Esq., delivered an appropriate address. The "Thomas Oaks" went only as far as Pottstown, when it was drawn back to Reading by one horse, at the rate of nearly six miles an hour. The "Girard" and "Clinton" proceeded ten miles further down the canal and returned to Reading about twilight. Value of canals. In the early days of the canal it cost forty cents to carry a hundredweight of produce from Reading to Phila- delphia by .stage, and twelve and one-half cents by canal. The toll from Port Carbon on a ton of coal to Philadelphia was one dol- lar and sixty-eight cents. Owing to the increase in coal trade the canal was enlarged in 1846 so as to allow the passage of boats carrying a burden of one hundred and eighty tons through the whole course. The depth was at no place less than five and one-half feet and the width sixty feet. In 1857 the canal was used to transport 1,275.088 tons of coal to Philadelphia. The distance from Pottsville to Philadelphia would often be made in a day and a half. Horses and mules were used to tow boats after 1826. Before that they were pulled by men pushing against a stick fastened to the rope that pulled the boat, called the tow line. A trip from Port Carbon and return usually required six weeks. The business of the canal company was good. In 1842, over 500,000 tons of produce were taken through the canal. Dividends were high and shares which originally cost fiftv dollars were sold as high as one hundred and seventy-five dollars. The boats were about seventeen feet wide, one hundred feet long and carried about ninety tons of coal. For a time the company offered a premium for making a trip quickly. In 1870 the canal was leased to the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company for 000 years. TURNPIKES AND OTHER ROADS. Tulpehocken road. Up to the war of 1812, Berks was chiefly an agricultural count}. No provision had been made to sup- INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 93 ply the land with a fertilizer of any kind. It was about this time that the value of lime for this purpose was discovered and it came into general use. The fact that slacked lime, when mixed with sand, would harden and serve as plaster for building', was learned about the same time. Lime kilns "were erected and the hauling of wood to the kilns and lime to the towns and fields made the need of roads and bridges felt more keenly, just as automobiles today cause the building of macadamized roads. Many cross roads and many less im- portant roads were also built and the- streams were spanned with bridges. ,.,,.. lllilpAfcSi. , 1857. It extends from Sinking Spring to Columbia, a distance of forty miles. It was completed in 1864. Wilmington & Northern. On April 20, L864, an act of Assem- bly was passed authorizing a number of commissioners to build a road from some point on the Philadelphia & Reading to anv 100 THE 8TORY OF BERKS COUNTY place in Chester County. The company was called the Berks and Chester Railroad Company. In 1800 authority was given to con- nect a road with the Delaware and Pennsylvania State Line Rail- road. After the combination had been made it was called the Wil- mington and Northern Railroad Company. It was open for travel from Wilmington to Coatesville in 180!) ; to Birdsboro in 1870 ; and to Reading in 1874. For a time the road had an independent pas- senger station in Reading. In 1882 arrangement was made by which the trains were run into the Philadelphia and Reading Rail- road station. The latter company now controls it. Colebrookdale. The Colebrookdale Railroad Company was incorporated by an act of assembly passed in March, 1805. It re- ceived authority to construct a railroad from Pottstown to Boyer- town. This road was finally completed and opened for traffic in November. ISO!). It was later extended to Barto. On January 1, 1870, the Colebrookdale Railroad was leased to the Philadelphia and Reading. Schuylkill & Lehigh. The Berks County Railroad Company was incorporated by the Legislature in March, 1871. A number of commissioners were appointed who were authorized to construct a railroad from a point near Birdsboro through the city of Read- ing, and to connect with any railroad which was then constructed in Lehigh County. The railroad was finally completed and began its traffic in July, 1874. It extends from Reading to Slatington. It was mortgaged and sold to another company, who went under the name of the Schuvlkill and Lehigh Railroad Company. It is now operated by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company under a lease. The road is about forty miles long. Pennsylvania Schuylkill Valley. The Phoenixville, Pottstown and Reading Railroad Company and the Philadelphia. Norristown and Phoenixville Railroad Company were united into one com- pany in 1883, under the name of the Pennsylvania Schuylkill Val- ley Railroad Company. Xot long afterward the Pennsylvania Rail- road Company leased it and constructed a railroad from Philadel- phia to Reading. This road was opened for traffic to the people INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 101 of Reading on November 15, 1884. This road has its Reading sta- tion at the foot of Penn street, and in order to permit its construc- tion at this point, the old wooden Penn Street bridge was removed and a costly iron one erected in its stead, which has since been re- placed by a modern re-inforced concrete viaduct. Not long afterward another company was incorporated and went by the name of the Reading and Pottsville Railroad Com- pany. This corporation constructed a railroad from Reading to Pottsville, which continued; the railroad from Philadelphia. It was opened for traffic on Dec. 7, 1885. The Pennsylvania Railroad Company leased this line in 1885. Allentown. In January, 1870, a railroad was projected by the Allentown Railroad Company, which extended from Allentown to Port Clinton. This railroad was never finished, but it was built from Topton to Kutztown. It was also leased by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company. HORSE CAR. Other railroads. Authority was granted to the manufacturers of Reading to build a railroad from the Lebanon Valley Railroad to a point near the Reading das Works. This railroad was nec- essary in order to carry their goods to and from the shops. The road was at last completed and began to carry on its traffic in the year 1863. It is nearlv two miles in length. Its oper- 102 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY ation went on for about ten years under this company, when it was afterward operated by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Com- pany, who used it for receiving and delivering freight. In 1902 the belt line was opened, from a point on the main line of the P. &. R. Railroad, several miles above Reading, to a point on the same line two miles below Reading. It was built to relieve the great congestion through Reading. There is also a railroad from Trexlertown to the ore mines near Kline's Corner, in Longswamp, and another from Alburtis to Rittenhouse Gap, also in Longswamp, with a branch to Seisholtzville, Hereford Township, where good building granite is quarried. Projected railroads that have not been completed are the Al- lentown. from Kutztown to Port Clinton, the South Mountain from Hamburg to Jonestown, with a branch from Reading to Strauss- town. A railroad is now being built from the ore mines in Earl Township to Stowe. Trolley roads. Reading had a street railway as early as 1S74. The cars were drawn by horses. It was not until 1888 that the first electric railroad was built in the county. It extends from Reading to the Black Bear Inn. When the first car moved along without horses it was quite a curiosity, and many people came from a distance to see this new method of propulsion. Many were so anxious to take a ride that they crawled into the car through the windows. The Stony Creek line was built in 1890. It extends from Mt. Penn to Stony Creek Mills. In 1892 electricity was introduced as a motive power on the Reading Street Railways. In 1!>02 the Boyertown road was built. It extends from Carsonia Park to Boyertown. In 1908 a road was opened from Boyertown to Potts- town. In 1904 a road was built from Black Bear to Birdsboro. The Mohnton line was put into service in 1890. In 1894 it was extended to Adamstown, where connections are made for Lan- caster. The \\*omelsdorf road was opened in 1894, extending from Reading to Womelsdorf. It is intended to build a line from Womels- dorf to Mverstown, and thus connect with the lines' to Lebanon and Harrisburg. INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 103 In 1002 the Temple road was opened, and in 10(14 a line was extended to Kutztown where it connected with the Allentown road, built in 1808. It is intended to build a line from Temple to Hamburg and one from Lyons to Macungie. These trolley lines have stimulated build- ing operation in suburban towns to a remarkable degree, and g-ave the sections through which they run a splendid service in handling passengers, freight and mail. SCENIC RAILROADS. In 1.800, the Mt. Penn Gravity Railroad was built. It is in- tended altogether for pleasure and sig'ht seeing. At first the cars were drawn to the summit of the mountain by locomotives, but for a number of years electricity has been used for this purpose. From the summit the cars descend by gravity over a road that winds through the hills and brings the cars back to the starting point. The road covers a distance of nine miles. The Neversink Mountain Railroad was built in 1880. It extends from 0th and Penn Streets, Reading to Klapperthal, a distance of eleven miles. The motive power is electricity. These roads afford magnificent scenery and are traversed an- nuallv bv thousands of visitors. CHAPTER VIII. EDUCATION. Among the 11,294 German Protestants who came to America in 1700, there were eighteen school-masters. In the early days of the county the schools were under the direction of the church. The teachers often were sub-preachers and in addition to their school duties they had catechetical classes, read sermons, baptized children, and wrote out baptismal certificates. Parochial schools. In those early days there were the paro- chial schools which were conducted under the direction of the church. They were always under the direct control of the pastors OLD PAROCHIAL SCHOOL, KUTZTOWN, PA. and managers of the church. The -children of the poor were taught gratis, and the teachers as a rule were good. These schools were usually held in the church building or in a school house on the EDUCATION 106 same premises. George Steifel was teacher in the school connected with the Reformed Church at Tulpehocken as early as 1731. The Lutheran Church in the same place employed Casper Luthecker, a tailor, to teach school, read sermons, and catechise children prior to 1735. The Longswamp congregations employed Frederick Holl- wig as teacher and cantor as early as 1753, and at Oley a parochial school was being conducted before 1718. The Lutheran Church in Richmond Township secured one hundred acres of land for a parsonage and a school house. A school house has stood close to the church for a longer time than anyone can remem- ber. The following is taken from the records of this congregation: "That it is our most earnest desire that the teacher, as well as the preacher, shall be fairly compensated, so that he can live with his family like an honest man, without being obliged to engage in any business foreign to his profession. To this end, the teacher and the preacher shall have the land and the house upon it free, as long as they officially serve the congregation, and, as far as it is reasonable, they may use the same as serves them best." Quaker schools. The Friends had three such parochial schools ; one in Maidencreek, another in Robeson and another in Exeter. The one in Exeter was begun about 1790 and continued until 1800, when the school property was sold to the township. At this school, however, a "Subscription" was paid and it was attended b) others as well as Friends. In 1738, there were seventv families of Friends living in Maidencreek Township. From the records of 1781 we learn that : "At Maidencreek a school is kept by Thomas Pearson, a Friend, who is at present engaged for a vear; has fifteen scholars entered for that time, and eight quarterlv, at the rate of forty shillings each." The school was under the direction of overseers, chosen by employers. This school was held in an old loo- school house, which was replaced by a stone building in 18(17. This structure is still stand- ing. During the early part of the last century this was the only school house in that section of the county. A Committee on education was appointed by the church or meeting, as it was called, and this committee engaged the teachers, visited the school, and had charge of the building. Here teachers !06 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY were paid by those who sent pupils and in cases of those who were too poor the expenses were paid by the committee if the parents were members of the meeting. Many of its pupils later came from quite a distance though it never was a regular boarding school. Persons from Reading who wished to prepare themselves for sur- veying are reported to have attended this school. The school was continued until 1871 and in the days of its greatest usefulness it spread the desire for learning for which the locality has ever been noted. Catholic schools. Father Schneider became rector of the "Mission of Goshenhoppen" in Washington Township in 1741, and in a small room of his dwelling house he taught school as early as 1743. His dwelling had two stories, one room on each floor. It is still standing, and is the oldest school house in the county. It is used as part of the present rector's dining room. The school is said to have been kept open, without interruption, to the time of the free schools, and, what is strangest of all, it is kept open from year to year at the present time, to all intents and purposes a parochial school, yet within the range of the common school law. Moravian schools. The Moravians erected a building for school purposes in Oley as early as 1742. This building was framed forty-one feet square and three stories high. The first story was divided into four rooms with large open fire places. The second was divided into two halls, one for public worship and the other for school purposes. A new building was erected about 1776. This is still standing. Pay schools. These schools were managed by private indi- viduals. All who attended them had to pay. As a general thing the teachers were not as good as in the parochial schools, and as no rec- ords were kept but little that is definite can be said of these schools. They existed in every community. About 1765 Baron Stiegel became school-master of such a pay school at Womelsdorf. He came to America before 1750 and engaged in the iron business. He lived in a castle, like a German baron, until he was imprisoned for debts. He served but a short time as teacher when he disappeared. About twenty years later an old white-haired hermit, looking like Rip Van Winkle, was found on the mountain about nine aniles southeast of EDUCATION 107 Womelsdorf, in his dying moments. Many of the early teachers were probably employed on the theory that he who can do nothing else can at least teac'h school. Father Christ, the great-grandfather of Dr. Nathan C. Schaeffer, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, built a house and set it apart for a school house on the old Christ home- stead about two and one-half miles northwest of Kutztown. Until Greenwich Township accepted Free Schools this house was used for school purposes. Peter Wanner, kept such a pay school, in 'his own dwelling in Maidencreek Township, for many years. Charity schools. Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg and Michael Schlatter were the leaders in the Lutheran and Reformed Churches, in America in colonial times. Muhlenberg visited Tulpehocken in 1743, and from that time on he directed the activities not only of the Lutheran churches, but of the schools connected with them as well. Schlatter's great desire was to see a school house connected with every church. In order to raise the money to accomplish this he went to Europe to secure funds to pay ministers and teachers. He re- turned the following year with men and money to instruct the poor Germans. Through his efforts a society was formed in England for the education of the Germans of Pennsylvania and to its funds the English king gave 1,000 pounds, and many of the nobles of England gave freely. The children of the English and Germans were to be instructed in catechisms approved by their parents and catechisms were to be printed in both languages. Six trustees were appointed to manage the fund and among them was Conrad Weiser, the father-in-law of Muhlenberg, and Schlatter was the general superintendent. There were two of these charity schools established in Berks County. One was at Reading and the other at Tulpehocken. Free schools. The Pennsylvania Germans always favored educa- tion, but they did oppose free schools. They did so not because free schools were to increase the educational advantages but because tfhey were to separate education from religion and take from the church and the clergy educational duties that they had exercised in some instances for a century. They felt sure that the success of the free schools meant the death of the church, and could not or would not 10P THE STORY OF BERKS CODNTY see how the state could support education without separating it from religious influences of all kinds. Many of the people valued free education as they valued free speech and free religion, and yet thoroughly distrusted state control. The Germans were also especial- lv fearful lest state control would permanently establish the English language and exclude the German. While many Germans opposed these free schools, yet many of the most influential Germans favored them. The first governor that ever took a decided stand in their favor was a Pennsylvania German. Governor John Andrew Shultz, of Tulpehocken Township, favored free schools as early as 1827. The following sentence is taken from one of his messages to the state legislature: "What nobler incentive can present itself to the mind of a republican legislator, than a hope that his labors shall be rewarded by insuring to his country a race of human beings, healthy, and of vigorous constitution, and of minds more generally improved than fall to the lot of any considerable portion of the human family?" Even after the system was established through the efforts of Governor Wolfe, and others, a fierce war was waged against it and not until 1867, when the last district wheeled into line, was it established. In 1834 was passed the act which provided for the education of all the children of the Commonwealth at the expense of the public treasurv. This was one of the most important laws that the Penn- sylvania legislature ever enacted. The State Constitution adopted in 1790 provided that the legislature "shall provide for the establish- ment of schools through the state in such a manner that the poor may be taught gratis." An act to provide for the education of all the children of the state was passed in 1802 and approved in 181)4. According to this law those who were able to pay were required to do so. In 1809 the act of 1804 was again amended, and other changes were made from time to time. Eor thirty years the people had labored to establish a good school system, yet in 183:! less than 24,000 children attended the schools of the state at public expense, most of which were taught by incompetent teachers. These schools were called "pauper schools," and were shunned by the rich and poor, since the children were classified as pay and pauper pupils. EDUCATION 109 Free school act of 1834. A society favoring the establishment of free schools was formed in Philadelphia in 1827. Correspondence was opened with the leading men of every county, statistics were collected, and a unity of effort was secured. In 1834 a law was passed which made the schools free to all. This act inaugurated a new era in the education of the county. It provided that a tax should be levied on all taxable property and inhabitants ; that townships and towns should constitute school dis- tricts ; and that the managing of the schools should be left to six directors elected by the people. The legislature was authorized to appropriate funds, annually, from the state treasury to aid the work of education. In 1835 a powerful effort was made to repeal the free school act of 1834. A bill repealing the law was passed by the Senate and the next day, (April 11, 1835), was discussed in the House. Hon. Thaddeus Stevens, a member from Adams County, made the speech which won the victory for free schools. Governor George Wolfe, the unflinching friend of the free schools, promised to use the veto power if necessary to keep the law in force, and so sacrificed his political friends. Governor Wolfe was followed as Governor by Joseph Ritner, a Pennsylvania German, who was a firm advocate of the free school law. He resolved that the law should be en- forced, and it was. Some of the arguments for the free education of all of the chil- dren w r ere that such education would create idleness, vice and crime ; and that the money required would bankrupt the state. On the day for the opening of the final battle between those favoring free education and those who opposed it. the chaplain in his open- ing prayer besought the Almighty God "to lav bare His strong right arm and save the state from the poverty and bankruptcy which were sure to follow if the people were to have their propertv wrested from them for the free education of all the children." Early school buildings and furnishings. From such records as exist it seems that the great majority of school houses that ex- isted during the colonial days were made of logs with stones, clav and dirt to fill out the spaces between them. In this building there 110 THE STOKY OF BERKS COUNTY EDUCATION 111 was generally a dirt floor and but little furniture, except benches made of slabs. The only means of heating was an open hearth EIGHT-CORNERED SCHOOL HOUSE. beneath a large chimney, upon which logs were burned. A new style of building came into use just about the time of the close of the Revolutionary War. This new type was built of stones and the walls were made so that the house had eight sides. This shape was also very much used for meeting houses. The walk were often three feet thick, plastered and whitewashed on the in- side. A building of this kind may yet be seen at Sinking Spring. It is now used as a dwelling. Instead of individual adjustable seats and drinking fountains and automatic ventilating arrangements, these buildings had a slop- ing shelf built against the sides of the walls. Upon this books, paper, and slates were rested, while the school work was going on. A horizontal shelf was placed below the flat one and upon this were placed such school things as were used by the pupils. A table with small or low benches around it stood near the middle of the room for the smaller pupils. As many as eighty pupils were often enrolled during the winter season in one school. The school 112 THE STORY OF B3RKS COUNTY was not overcrowded so long as any more children could be placed upon the benches. The door was usually on the southern side and the master's desk was directly opposite. Truly it could be said : "Within the master's desk is seen, Deep scarred by raps official, The warping floor, the battered seats, The jack-knife's carved initial." Wooden blackboards early decorated the walls. They were hung above the desks and in order to write upon them the children had to climb upon the sloping desks and sit upon their knees. A large iron wood stove stood in the middle of the room and often nearly roasted the little ones who sat near it. The wood was furnished by the patrons of the school and chop- ped by the larger boys. This was exercise far more vigor- ous than the manual training of our days. School exercises. The writ- ing was done upon foolscap paper with quill pens which the master made and kept in repair. The copy was set in a good, firm, bold, legible hand by the master and usually old wood stove. contained some worthy senti- ment, such as, "A rolling stone gathers no moss," or, "A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds." The Testament or the Psalter were the readers. The master was also often the leader of the church choir and therefore the singing in the schools was usually excellent. The punishments were often very severe and cruel, but the order was generally good. EDUCATION 113 The little red school house followed those of stone, and these, in turn, are giving way to the centralized consolidated schools and school building's. OLD FRANKLIN ACADEMY, KUTZTOWN. Keystone State Normal School. The Franklin Academy was founded at Kutztown in 1836, and the Fairview Seminary in 1860. Professor H. R. Nicks was its first principal. He opened the school with three pupils, one of whom was Nathan C. Schaeffer. Bv April 1861, there were 41 on the roll and by 1863 there were 85 students. Professor Nicks and County Superintendent Frmentrout were the leaders of the movement that changed this academy into the Keystone State Normal School. A building costing $6,500 was erected on a tract of five acres of land. In this building, in the fall of 1S(»4, Professor Nicks opened what was known as Maxatawny Sem- inary. The academy was changed into the Normal School in 1866, when the cornerstone of the first building was laid. Academies. The YVomelsdorf Academy was established in 1828 and continued until 1855. A second (Union Academy) w^as established in 1866 which continued until 1876. 114 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY EDUCATION 115 The old Tulpehocken Academy was located one mile west of Stouchsburg, and was founded in 1831. The Stouchsburg Academy was founded as a stock concern in 1838 and continued until 1862. Mount Pleasant Seminary was begun in Boyertown in 1S42. The Kallynean Academy was also conducted at this place for a short time. A private school was conducted at Amityville as early as 1820. An academy was started in 1842 which flourished for ten years. Several academies have flourished in the vicinity of Birdsboro. The first school house was built in 1820, and the Philomathean Academy in 1855, and the Birdsboro Academy in 1866. The Oley Academy was located at Friedensburg and was estab- lished in 1859. In 1875 a fine boarding house was erected to accom- modate the students of this school. It has since become a township High School. County superintendents. The office of County Superintendent of schools was established in 1854. He is elected every four years by a convention of all the school directors in the County. In Berks he receives a salary of $2,500 a year. He is paid by the state. It is his duty to license teachers, except those who have state certificates or normal diplomas, to visit the schools of the county, conduct County and District Institutes and have general supervision of the schools. Under the school code the Superintendent of Berks may appoint two assistants. Following is the list of those who have served as County Super- intendent together with their terms of service: Win. A. Good 1854-1860. John S. Ermentrout 1860-1860. David B. Brunner 1869-1875. Samuel A. Baer 1875-1881. David S. Keck 1881-1890. Wm. M. Zechman 1890-1896. Fli M. Rapp 1896- William A. Good. William A. Good was the first county super- intendent of schools. He was born at Philadelphia in 1810, and came 116 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY to Reading in 1851. He was elected in June, 1854, and served until 1860. Ft>r the first year 'his salary was .$250, but when the people saw what was required and noted the work accomplished, his salary was raised to $1,000. Air. Good, though mild in 'his ways, was a hard worker. He understood the prejudices of the people, and accomplished more for the schools of the county than many gave him credit for. His name will be c'heris'hed as the pioneer in the cause of the common school education of Berks County, as long as the system, which his labors made popular, will continue to flouris'h. John S. Ermentrout. John S. Ermentrout was :iie second super- intendent of the county, filling the office for three terms, from I860 to 1869. Professor Ermentrout was born in Womelsdorf. His salary for the first term was f 1,000; for the last two, f 1,250. Professor Ermentrout was, so to say, "to the manor born," and accomplished much for the schools of his county. In I860, the average salary paid to the teachers of the county was $21.75; in 1860, it was $ 32.15. By moving among the people, in his peculiar, suave, and easy way, he did much to reconcile them to free schools. Professor Ermentrout must always receive credit for being the first to assert publicly, both at home and abroad, the riglits and excellencies of the German element. He boldly asserted the truth, that they have as much brains as any other class of people. and, if they arc properly educated, they make the very best class of citizen:-.. The establishment of the Keystone State Normal School is due to Professor Ermentrout as much as to any one individual. It is the crowning work of his administration. During the last two years of his term, he acted as principal of the above institution, and his brother, James N. Ermentrout, Esq., was deputy superintendent. David B. Brunner. David B. Brunner was superintendent from ISO!) to 1875. His salary for the first term was $1,250; for the second term, $1,800. Professor Brunner was born in Amity. He was the first superintendent of the county, who rose from the position of a common school teacher to this high office. Before his election to the EDUCATION 117 superintendency he had charge of a classical and scientific school in Reading. His was an administration of hard and earnest work. To Professor Brunner is due the honor of inculcating views throughout the county in regard to buildings and furniture. He delivered a great many lectures on the sciences, of which he made a specialty. He aimed at introducing a course of study into the different districts, by having them adopt district programs. Samuel A. Baer. Samuel A. Baer was elected in 1875, and served two terms. Salary $1,800. He was born near Kutztown in Green- wich Township. In the pursuance of his duties as superintendent, he endeavored to keep in view three essentials: First. To raise the standard of the teacher. Second, To urge the practice and use of the English language. Third, The adoption of a standard course of stud)'. In his report to the state superintendent in 1877, Professor Baer gave a very complete history of the educational movement in Berks. He traced its development from the days of the old log sc'hool house beside the pioneer church to the academy, the first free school, and the normal school. David S. Keck. David S. Keck was born in Lehigh County, October 0, 1851', and there acquired his early education in the public schools. When ten years old he left home to make his way by his own exertions, working for a time in the iron-ore mines of Lehigh County. Ambitious to extend his education, he attended the Normal School at Kutztown, from whic'h he graduated in 1874. He taught public schools in Lehigh, Berks and Luzerne counties, officiated as principal of the High School of Hamburg from 1874 to 1877. and as superintendent of the Model Department at the Normal School at Kutztown, from 1877 to 1881, when he was elected County Super- intendent. He served three terms — nine years. After his retirement, he served the U. S. Government in the capacity of Superintendent of Indian Schools and later he became teacher of history and grammar at the Kutztown Normal School. William M. Zechman. William M. Zechman was born in Penn Township, Berks County, in a lock-house along the old Union Canal. 118 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY At an early age he was appointed to teach in his native township. He graduated from the Kutztown Normal School in 1883 and in L890 was elected County Superintendent. He became one of the most enthusiastic advocates of the Free Text Book System in Pennsylvania, and succeeded in securing the adoption of the system in about half the townships before the law was enacted. At his suggestion, the Berks County Teachers' Reading Union was organized. School libraries were advocated during his term of office, and quite a number were started. He was instrumental in organizing the School Directors' Association and the prime mover in erecting a memorial in honor of Conrad Weiser. Eli M. Rapp. Eli M. Rapp was elected County Superintendent in 1896, and has served continuously ever since. He was born in MODERN TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL-CONSOLIDATED. Friedensburg, Oley Township, March 20, 1865; was educated in the public schools of Oley and Maxatawny, Oley Academy. Normal EDUCATION 119 School at Kutztown and University of Pennsylvania. He taught mixed country schools in Penn and Pike, the grammar grade at Lyons, the Pligh School at Fleetwood and served for five years as the supervising principal of the Hamburg schools. He is an active member of the National Education Association and a life member of the State Educational Association. As a student of country life problems and a worker for rural betterment, he has attained a national reputation. The high rank and efficiency of the schools of Berks County are largely due to his untiring and enthusiastic labors. CHAPTER IX. GOVERNMENT. Finances. The task of raising money to conduct the govern- ment in a just and satisfactory manner is a difficult one. and in no country has it been done with entire success. ( )ur plan of taxing, to us, seems the best that has yet been tried, but even in this coun- try this opinion is far from heing unanimous. Every tax should he levied so as Not to be easily evaded; to bear with proportionate hardship upon all, and to be easily and cheaply collected. Kinds of taxes. The taxes levied in the county are the follow- ing: 1. A Property Tax. This is a tax upon all property, real estate and personal, which people may possess. Personal property includes bonds, mortgages, building loan shares and the like. Under the present law the assessments are made in the fall of the year. Each person is given a blank form by the assessor upon which he is requested, under oath, to state the amount of all the bonds, mortgages, and money on interest which he may have. These blanks are later used by the assessor to make up his report. Property other than personal is called real estate. In order that tax may be levied upon it. its value must be determined. This is done every third year when the assessor makes his assessment. The assessor is supposed to rate real estate at its full value, but it is seldom rated higher than two-thirds of its value. 2. Occupation Tax. All offices and posts of profit, professions, trades and occupations, and all men above the age of twenty-one years who do not follow any particular occupation or calling must be assessed. In Berks these occupations are assessed in grades varying from $50 to $1,000. 3. A Collateral Inheritance Tax. This tax is collected by the state on sums of money inherited by persons who are not members GOVERNMENT 121 of the immediate family of the deceased person whose estate is being" divided. 4. Dog Tax. A tax of fifty cents is levied on each dog. 5. Mercantile Tax. Each merchant pays a tax of $2.00, and in addition, one mill on every dollar's worth of business that he trans- acts. The mercantile appraiser requires each merchant to fill out a blank form in which he states, under oath, the volume of business transacted by himself during the year. 6. Liquor Licenses. The tax derived from liquor license is the same throughout the state. In cities of the third class, like Read- ing, it is $550, of which $50 goes to the state, $100 to the county, and $400, less the County Treasurer's fee, to the city. In boroughs the license is $200, of which $50 goes to the state, $30 to the county and $120, less the Treasurer's fee, to the borough. In townships it is $100, of which $25 goes to the state, $15 to the county and $0(1. less the Treasurer's fee. to the township. The monies returned to the districts must be applied to the im- provement of the highways. The county collects a license of $10.75 from each 'huckster. The state collects a license from each brewer, distiller, auction house, circus, theatrical troupe, pool room, broker and from amuse- ment houses in which vaudeville performances are given. A state tax is also collected on the capital stock of corporations, insurance companies and automobiles. Levying the taxes. An estimate of the probable expenditure for the year is made annually by the state, the county, the city, the boroughs and the townships for various purposes. As each of these parties know how much is collected and about what is to be raised by a property tax, each fixes its own rate of taxation. This is usually expressed by mills on each dollar's worth of property. A tax duplicate is made out, on which is indicated the amount of each kind of tax that the various individuals must pay. Collecting the taxes. The tax rates of the state, county and township are usually added together, the amount to be paid by each person computed and sent to the tax collector in one statement and collected in one sum. He turns over to the county treasurer all 122 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY the state and county taxes, and to the local authorities their share of the tax collected. In townships and boroughs the tax collectors are elected. In the city they are appointed by the county commissioners. The school boards levy and collect their own taxes. In townships and boroughs, in order to encourage prompt pay- ment, a rebate of five per cent, is allowed on all taxes paid within ninety days after the tax duplicate is received by the assessor. The full amount of the tax is required for all amounts collected between September and January, and a penalty of five per cent, is paid on all taxes after January 1st. Real estate on which the taxes are not paid will be ordered sold at public auction, the county officers deducting the amount of taxes and the cost of the sale, turning over the balance to the former owner of the property. A certain amount of time is allowed the former owner in which he may redeem his property by paying the amount of tax and the cost of the sale. Party, politics, nominations and elections. In each locality there are men who believe in the same principles of conducting the government and who favor the election of men of their party to the various offices. This has been true from the beginning of the government of the United States. Hardly had the first election of Washington taken place, before differences of opinion arose as to the methods of raising revenue, of conducting banks, and interpret- ing the constitution. The men who believed in a liberal interpreta- tion of the constitution and a strong central government at Wash- ington were soon organized into a political party called Federalists, and the men who upheld the strict construction of the constitution and strong State governments were A nti- Federalists. Washington, Adams, and Hamilton were the leaders of the former; Jefferson, Madison, and Jackson of the latter. The question of interpreting the constitution and the tariff was the one that had the greatest effect in shaping the history of political parties in the United States. After the origin of national parties, it took but little time till party lines were drawn in the county. Each party maintains a national, a state, city, county, township, or borough committee. GOVERNMENT 123 These committees care for the interests of their party in their respec- tive localities. The advantages of such government are numerous, though the three following are usually given : 1. The party not in office watches the party in office very keenly and so keeps the party in power from injurious legislation. '2. The party not in power keeps up the discussion of the politi- cal questions so that the public in general is kept well informed. 8. Party organization enables voters to act together for carry- ing out any policy, or for electing any candidate who may mutually be agreed upon. Who may vote. In the County voters must be registered on a list which the assessors are required to prepare at least sixty days previous to the election. In the city each voter must appear before the registration board in his precinct and register in person. A. voter in Pennsylvania must have these qualifications : 1. He must be a male citizen of the State. 2. He must be twenty-one years of age. 3. He must have been a citizen of the United States at least one month before the election. 4. He must have resided in the State one year before the elec- tion unless having been born in the State, or formerly a voter there, if he has returned after being a citizen elsewhere, he must reside in the State but six months. 5. He must have resided in his election district at least two months before election. (j. If twenty-one years or more old, he must have paid a State or County tax within the past two years, and at least a month be- fore election. Many young men vote on age. This is possible only when they are between twenty-one and twenty-two years of age. Under these circumstances paying tax is not necessary. Primary elections. One primary election is held each year by all parties at the same time and place and under the same rules. The fall primary at which candidates for municipal offices are nominated, is held on the last Saturday of September in odd-numbered years. The spring primary, at which candidates for State offices are nom- 124 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY mated and delegates to State and National conventions are elected, is held on the second Saturday of April in even-numbered years. The ballots for each party are furnished by the County Com- missioners, but the expense of holding the primaries is borne by the State. The polls are open from 2 P: M. to S P. M. Xo liquor dare be sold between 1 P. M. and P. M. The election officers re- ceive half pay. General and municipal elections. All officers are elected on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November. At the general election, held in even-numbered years. State and National officers are elected. At the municipal election, held in odd-num- bered years, township, borough, city and county officers, as well as election officers, are elected. The polls are open from 7 A. M. to 7 P. M. The ballots are furnished by the County Commissioners and the names of all can- didates appear on one sheet. To have the names of its candidates appear on this ballot, a party must have polled at the last election at least two per cent, of the highest number of votes cast for any State office. By filing proper nominating papers persons may have their names printed upon the ballots. Blank spaces are left on the ballots on which the voter may write the name of any person for whom he may wish to vote. In the same column of the regular election ticket are printed the names of all the candidates foi the same office. The county bears the expense of their preparation, and the}- must be placed into the hands of the election officers of each voting district on the day before the election. Extreme caution must be exercised that they are properlv sealed ; for it is considered a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of $1,000, or one year's imprisonment, for any one except an election officer to have one of the regular ballots outside of the voting room, either before or after the election. More ballots must be sent to each polling place than the known number of voters, to be sure to have enough on hand to replace such as may be spoiled by imperfect marking. Specimen ballots of both the primary and regular elections may be procured of the election officers during the election. GOVERNMENT 125 In each election district there is elected biennially a Judge of Election and two Inspectors. These are supposed to represent two different political parties. Each inspector appoints a clerk from his own party. These constitute the election officers. They are sworn to conduct the election fairly, secretly, and honestly, and may be punished if they neglect or fail to do so. The judge, in- spectors and clerk each receive $3.50 a day for their services on election day and the judge of election receives $1.00 a day for filing his report. Each party usually has watchers at the election. These may challenge voters whom they think are unqualified to vote. The inspectors have the power to decide upon the qualifications of such persons, and in case they disagree, the judge mav decide the ques- tion. The rooms in which the election is held must have a ballet box and a table around which the officers may sit. There must be present the ballots, the lists of registered voters, and in various parts of the room cards containing directions as to how to proceed in preparing and casting the ballots. Separated from the remainder of the room by a rail, there are from three to eighteen booths, screened so as to hide the upper part of each voter's person, that no one is able to see how he marks his ballot. When the voting stops the officers must spend all their time inspecting and counting the votes until the task is completed. Bal- lots improperly marked are not counted. The reports of the re- sult of the election are taken by the judge to the court house, where they are filed with the proper officials. After the election, the ballots and a record of their count is put into the ballot box. and this is then given to the Justice of the Peace for safekeeping until the next election. In the city all ballot boxes are returned to the court house. Election expenses. Each candidate for nomination or election, whether successful or not, must file with the Clerk of Quarter Ses- sions a sworn statement of his expenses. This must be done within fifteen days after a primary election and within 30 days after a general or municipal election. If his 126 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY expenses are less than $50, a sworn statement to that effect is sufficient. \\ hat are considered legitimate expenses under the law are for printing, traveling, correspondence, meetings, rent, clerks, trans- portation of voters, etc. Candidates are liable to fine or imprison- ment or both for incurring illegitimate expenses. TOWNSHIP, BOROUGH AND CITY GOVERNMENT. Every acre of ground in the county is either under township, borough or city government, as well as under the government of the county, of the State, and of the United States. It is the government of the county, of the city, borough, and township with which as citizens of Berks County we come into the closest touch. These smallest areas for governmental purposes vary in size, shape and population. A new township may be created by dividing an old one when, after having received an order from the Court of Quarter Sessions, its citizens vote for such division, or when a petition is presented to the same court requesting such division. Such a petition must, however, be signed by the owners of twenty- five per cent, of the assessed valuation of the property within the proposed new township. Townships and boroughs and cities are political units, and as such, they can own, buy and sell property, borrow money, levy taxes and collect them, sue and be sued in courts of law. They are what is called municipal corporations. THE TOWNSHIP. The elective officers of the township are: Two Justices of the Peace, Constable, Assessor, three Supervisors, five School Directors, Tax Collector, three Auditors and the Election Officers. Justices of the Peace. Justices of the Peace are elected for a period of six years. The Justice holds a petty court for both civil and criminal cases. He issues warrants for the arrest of persons charged with crime. Any civil suit in which the amount involved is not over $300 may be brought into his court. His decision is final, however, onlv in suits involving $5.33 or less. lie administers GOVERNMENT 127 oaths, attests signatures, and may issue search warrants, or per- form a marriage ceremony. He may receive in his court suits coming from an}- part of the county, but not from any other county. Persons arrested by the constable are usually brought before him for trial. He generally hears nothing but evidence against them, and releases them, or, in default of bail, sends them to jail as he thinks their case may warrant. In some of the minor cases, he may himself punish them by fine or imprisonment. He fixes the amount of bail upon wnich a prisoner may be released from jail until the time of his trial, and he decides whether the bail procured by the prisoner is satisfactory. A person whom he refuses to release on bail may be removed from jail only by a writ of habeas corpus (have you the bod}) issued by the court. He has the au- thority to hold inquests in the absence of the coroner. He is paid by fees. Constable. The constable is elected for a term of four years, and his general duty is to preserve the peace of the township. He performs for the petty court of the Justice of the Peace the same duties that the Sheriff performs for the county courts. When au- thorized to do so, he serves summons on witnesses, searches the premises of suspected persons for stolen goods and arrests parties suspected of crime. He has the authority to arrest parties violating the law without the usual warrant of the Justice of the Peace. He posts the official notice of the township election, and is sup- posed to be present at court to report any violations of the law that may have taken place in the township. He notifies persons of civil suits brought against them before the Justice of the Peace. Like the Justice of the Peace, he is paid by fees. Assessor. The assessor is elected every four years. His duties keep him busy for about three months in the year. He is supposed to put a value upon all property once every three years. This is called the triennial assessment. In the two vears which intervene he values new buildings which mav be erected and makes such alterations in the valuations of the property as the changes of the year may have made necessary. He makes a list of all monevs invested by the people living in his district which is sent. 128 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY to the State capital, and on the basis of this report the investors are required to pay a tax of four mills to the State. Taxes of every kind are levied on the valuations fixed by the assessor. The County Commissioners may change the values so fixed, and in case they fail to do so, or if dissatisfaction is felt with their decision, appeal may be made to the courts. A valuation is placed upon the occupation of every voter in the township by the assessor. All the taxes are levied on this basis. Farmers do not pay taxes on an occupation valuation. Parties having no real estate must pay an occupation tax within the two years next preceding the election at which they desire to vote in order to be allowed to do so. Every assessor makes out a list yearly of all the voters in the township. Assessors receive $2.50 a day for each day's work. Tax Collector. The Tax Collector is elected every fourth year. He collects all of the township taxes except in some instances where road tax is collected by the supervisors, and school tax by a collector appointed by the School Board. He receives as pay a commission varying from two to five per cent, on the money lie collects. His term begins on the first Monday in April next after his election. He is required to give good security for the faithful performance of his duties. School Directors. Townships, boroughs and cities are divided into school districts according to their population as follows : 500,000 or more population, first class; 30,000 to 50,000, second class; 5,000 to 30,000, third class; less than 5,0011. fourth class. All townships in Berks belong to the fourth class and each has five school directors who serve for six years. They appoint teachers and fix their salaries; they build new school houses when they deem it necessary and see to the care and repair of the old ones; they fx the length of the school term and adopt the course of study; they levy the school tax and furnish the books and supplies needed. The directors of the entire county meet annually, and in May of every fourth year they convene to elect the County Superintendent. Women are eligible to be school di- rectors and county superintendents. The only time women vote in GOVERNMENT 129 this State is as School Directors when they may vote for County Superintendent. School Directors receive no salary. The Secre- tary of the School Board often receives pay for his services, and the law allows the treasurer a commission of not more than two per cent, on the money expended. The State now appropriates $7,500,000 annually for school pur- poses, to the various school districts. One-half of this is divided in proportion to the number of teachers regularly employed, and one- half in proportion to the number of children between six and six- teen years residing in the respective school districts. It costs about $35,000,000 to conduct the schools of Pennsylvania for one year. No teacher may be paid less than $45 a month. Supervisors. Each township has three supervisors. They re- pair and keep in order the roads and bridges of the township and erect guide posts and to meet the expense of so doing they levy a tax which may not exceed ten mills on the dollar. In some town- ships the custom of "working out" the road tax prevails. By this plan each taxpayer is given an opportunity to work at the mending of the roads at a fixed amount per day, usually $1.50, until the amount of tax levied upon the individual is worked out. The Supervisors must divide the township into one or more districts. If there is but one district they appoint a superintendent of roads for the whole township. If there are more a roadmaster is appointed for each district. Such appointee s'hall work on the road himself and oversee the work of others. The pay of the supervisor is from $1.50 to $3.00 a day for actual service. A township making improved roads according to the plans of the state, receives from the state an amount equal to 50 per cent, of the road tax collected. Auditors. The auditors are elected for a term of four years, and it is their duty to audit the accounts of the township officers and see, that the taxes are properly collected and spent. A copy of their report must be filed with the court and at least five printed copies posted in conspicuous places, in the township. In addition it is the duty of the auditors to settle disputes concerning the building of line fences and to appraise sheep when killed by dogs ; 130 THE STORY OF BERK8 COUNTY They receive $2.00 a flay for each day they are actually engaged in their duties. THE BOROUGH. Reasons For Borough Government. Township government does very well for a locality where a small number of people are scattered over a large area. When, however, a large number of people attempt to live in a small space so that pavements, street lights, a water sup- ply, and sewers must be provided, the township form of government will no longer meet the needs, and borough government is organized. When it is desired to establish a borough the majority of the voters of the village petition the Court of Quarter Sessions for the same. Notice of t'he petition is then published in at least one paper for a period of thirty days, after which, if the court approves the petition, the borough is incorporated. As the borough increases in size, if the majority of voters request it, t'he court may divide it into wards. Borough Council. Laws and regulations for the management of borough affairs are made by t'he Council. Such laws or rules are called ordinances. The Council is made up of men called Councilmen, Wiio are elected for four years and serve without pay. In boroughs having but a single ward there are seven Councilmen and their term is four years. A borough which has been divided into wards has from seven to nine Councilmen. Under the control of the Council are such things as levying taxes, paying bills, and, when necessary, borrowing money. It may mac- adamize the streets, provide lights, build fire houses, construct sewers, and furnish a water supply. It arranges for the cleaning of the streets, and provides protection against loss by fire. The Council must draw an order upon the treasury for all the borough bills before they can be paid. It employs each year a borough surveyor, a treasurer, a secretary and a solicitor and a roadmaster. All ordinances which pass the Council by a majority vote become a law in the borough, if signed by the Burgess; when he is unwilling to sign them he vetoes them, in which case they become an ordinance only if they again pass the Council by a two-thirds vote. Chief Burgess. The Burgess is the executive officer of the borough. He is elected for four years and can not succeed himself. It is 'his duty to sign or veto t'he borough ordinances, and see that GOVERNMENT 131 those signed are enforced. He has the power to arrest offenders' against t'he ordinances; he may decide upon the guilt and punishment of offenders arrested by the police. It is his duty to attend the first meeting of a newly elected Council, and, if necessary, help in its organization, having even the right to vote if the votes are evenly divided. The Council may allow him an annual salary of not more than $100 per 1,000 inhabitants for the first 5,000 and -foil for each additional thousand. Other Borough Officers. The Assessor, the Auditors, the Justices of the Peace, the Constable, and the School Directors in a borough have duties similar to those holding the same offices in a township. THE CITY. A borough with a population of 10,000 or more may become a city, if a majority of the voters so decide. The city has a charter given to it by the State which names the powers it may exercise. The charter is granted by the State Legislature and may be amended or repealed by it at will. In Pennsylvania, cities are divided into three classes, according to population — First class cities have a population of 1,000,000 or more; second class cities, 100,000 to 1,000,000 and third class cities, 10.000 to 100,000. Reading is a city of the third class. Under its charter the city arranges for police protection, for the punishment of crime, for the care of public health, for securing light, a water supply and for the disposal of sewage and waste as well as for trans- portation, hospitals, libraries and museums. The Mayor. The chief executive of the city is the Mayor. He is elected by the qualified voters and serves for a term of four years. It is his duty to enforce the ordinances of the city council and the laws of the State. If he cannot do this with the assistance of the police he may call upon the Sheriff of the county for help. He sub- mits messages to the council upon the condition of the city or rec- ommending measures for its consideration. He has the power to veto ordinances passed by the council. He appoints city officers bv and with the advice and consent of the council, and he may remove the same for good cause if the official be given a hearing 132 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY and an opportunity to answer the charges made against him. He cannot succeed himself. His salary is fixed by the city council. City Council. The City Council is divided into two branches — select and common. Each ward is represented by one councilman in each branch. Select councilmen serve four years and common councilmen two years. The council has only such powers as arc- allowed it by the city charter. Its powers are exercised usually through acts called ordinances, which are framed and enacted after the manner followed by the legislature in enacting laws for the government of the State. One of the most important powers of a city council is the grant- ing of franchises to street railway, gas, electric light, water and other public service companies to construct, maintain tracks, wires, pipe lines, etc. City Controller. The city controller is elected for a term of four years. His salary is fixed by the Council. He audits the ac- counts and counter-signs all warrants drawn upon the Treasury. City Treasurer. The city treasurer receives and pays out all monies. He is elected for a term of four years. As receiver of taxes he is allowed a commission and in addition is paid a salary fixed by the Council. Aldermen. Each ward elects an alderman for a term of six years. His duties and jurisdiction are similar to those of a justice of the peace in a borough or a township. Other City offices. The city council elects a city solicitor, who is its legal advisor, a city engineer, and a city clerk. The chief of the Fire Department is appointed 'by the Mayor. School Controllers. The city schools are managed by a Board of nine school controllers, who are elected for a term of six years. This board elects a superintendent, a secretary and a treasurer, and fix the salaries of their officers. COUNTY GOVERNMENT. The oldest political divisions of the State are the counties. Some counties were organized while the State was yet a province. A new county may be organized only by act of the State Legisla- ture. The State Constitution provides that no new county may be GOVERNMENT 133 established, nor an old one reduced in size so as to have an area of less than 400 square miles or a population of less than 20,000 in- habitants. Officers. The county officers are: Two Judges of the Court, and one Judge of the Orphans' Court, each of whom serve ten years; a Sheriff, a Coroner, Prothonotary, Register of "Wills, Recorder of Deeds, Controller, Treasurer, Clerk of Quarter Sessions, District Attorney, three Commissioners, three Directors of the Poor, nine Prison Inspectors, all of whom serve for four years; County Solicitor, Mercantile Appraiser, County Superintendent of Schools. All county officials, except the County Superintendent, Solici- tor and Mercantile Appraiser are elected at the November elec- tion in odd-numbered years. To be eligible to hold one of these offices, the holder must have been an inhabitant of the county for one year. The officers who have the care and keeping of import- ant public records are required by the State Constitution to have their offices at the county seat. The Sheriff and the Treasurer may not hold the office for two successive terms. County Commissioners. The County Commissioners have charge of the business interests of the count}-. They control the court house, county bridges, and the like. They fix the rate of the county tax, provide the ballots, and secure the voting places for all elections. They give instructions to the assessors and may change the valuation of property as fixed by the assessors. They appoint the county solicitor, the mercantile appraiser, clerks for their office, janitors for the court house and a bridge inspector. They also appoint annually a collector of county taxes in each city ward. The three are elected at one time, but\each voter may vote but for two candidates. This allows one of the candidates of the minority party to be elected. In case of a vacancy, the Court of Common Pleas may appoint the person who is to complete the term ; but the party so appointed must always be some one who voted for the commissioner whose place he is to take. Commissioners may be re-elected. The salary of each is $4,000 a vear. 134 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY Sheriff. It is the duty of the sheriff to keep the peace in the county, and to carry out such orders as he may receive from the court. He may make arrests, and is supposed to disperse such riots and disturbances as may occur. He may deputize as many persons as he may think necessary to assist him in this, and if he is unable to secure peace in this manner, he may call upon the Governor for aid. He has charge of accused parties during their trial, places them into confinement, or executes them by hanging, if the court so ord- ers. When a prisoner is sent to the state penitentiary, it is the Sheriff who takes him there. The Sheriff, also, serves all orders or writs issued by the Judge ; he sells at public auction all properties on which the taxes have not been paid ; and after a writ of execu- tion has been issued, he sells the property of debtors at "Sheriff Sale." He is custodian of the jury wheel. He serves a notice upon all who have been selected to appear at court at a specified time. He advertises national, state and county elections. He appoints deputies who may act for him in his absence. His salary is $6,000 a year, but the office must earn this amount in fees, otherwise he receives what the office earns. In case of a vacancy in the office of Sheriff, the Governor ap- points one, who serves until the next regular election. Coroner. Whenever a. person dies suddenly or suspiciously, or in some unusual manner, it is the duty of the Coroner to investi- gate the cause of death; and if suspicious circumstances exist, he selects a jury of six men to assist him in holding an inquiry. Such an inquiry is called an inquest and the men making it are known as a coroner's jury. If the jury concludes that murder was commit- ted, it is the duty of the Coroner to so report to the District At- torney. In a report which the coroner must make to the Clerk of Quarter Sessions, he must state that the party came to death by whatever the jury decides was the cause and that certain suspicions of foul play do or do not exist. The coroner is allowed $5.50 for viewing a body and empaneling a jury, and $2:75 for summoning inquest and returning inquisition, and mileage of 10 cents a mile GOVERNMENT 135 for each mile traveled. His bill is sent to the controller and, if approved by him and the commissioners, is paid. In case of a vacancy in the Sheriff's office, the coroner fills the vacancy until an appointment is made by the Governor. A Justice of the Peace may hold an inquest in the absence of the coroner. His salary is $2,000 a year, provided the fees of his office amount to that sum. The Prothonotary. This officer is Clerk of the Court of Com- mon Pleas, which tries the civil cases. He keeps the record of the civil suits, selects by lot, from the jurors present, a jury to try each case, and administers the oath to them, as well as to witnesses. He affixes the seal of the court to all documents requiring- it, and issues all writs and summons ordered by the court. The record of all bonds to mortgages, judgments and mechanic's liens, which he is required to keep, are open to public inspection. In his office, also, is kept a record of all persons naturalized, and of registered physicians. He copies and sends to the Secretary of the Commonwealth the returns of county, state and national elections. He is eligible for re-election. His salary is $6,000 a year, provided the fees of his office amount to that sum. County Treasurer. This officer is responsible for the keeping* of the money of the county. He receives all the taxes, fines, licenses, and such State taxes as are collected in the county. He pavs the State taxes to the State Treasurer, but with the county taxes he pays all bills approved by the County Commissioners and County Control- ler. Recorder of Deeds. According to the laws of Pennsyhania it is necessary that all deeds which are made out whenever a tract- of land changes ownership must be recorded in the office of the Recorder of Deeds. Mortgages, charters of corporations, and other documents are also recorded in this office as are the bonds of the county officials. The recording of mortgages, liens, and releases is a matter that can never be too promptly attended to, since such papers become valuable only after they are recorded. Priority of claim in mortgages is established by the time when each was recorded, and not, as is often supposed, by the time when each was given. In per- 136 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY sonal property, priority depends upon the date when the Sheriff receives the writ of execution. This date he carefully marks upon the writ. The time of presenting- each document for recording is placed upon its back. In the case of mortgages, even the minute is care- fully noted. He receives $4,000 a year, provided the fees of the office are sufficient. Register of Wills. The wills of deceased persons are kept by the Register of Wills. Each will usually contains two witnesses and the Register calls upon them to swear that the signature was made by the party whose will is in question. If neither of these parties is to be found, he may establish the validity of the signature by such other witnesses or evidence as he may consider sufficient. Should one of the parties interested in the estate deem such wit- nesses or evidence insufficient, they procure a "caveat" to restrain the Register from probating the will, and then parties wishing it 'probated, under the circumstances, may make an appeal. An appeal may also be made after the will is probated. The disposal of the property of deceased persons is an import- ant matter. When the Register receives a will, legally drawn up, properly witnessed and signed, he decides that it is valid in every respect, and this is called probating the will. The person named in the will to settle the estate according to the conditions named in it, is called the executor or executrix as the case may be. The Register gives this party authority to carry out the provisions of the will by giving him "Letters Testamentary." If no will has been left, or if the will lias been destroyed, or is illegal, the law provides that the Register shall appoint an administrator or an administra- trix to whom he gives "Letters of administration" to settle up the estate in question. The control of the estates of deceased persons rests with the Orphans' Court, of which the Register of Wills is the Clerk, and appeals from the decision of the Register in the probating of wills must be made in the same court. Not only does the Register keep the will, itself, but he also makes an exact copy of it in a book especially provided for this pur- pose. He keeps a record of the acts of executors and administra- GOVERNMENT 137 tors in the discharge of their duties. They must file an inventory within thirty days, but they have a year to close up the entire ac- count, which is not done until the releases of all parties interested are filed. His salary is $1,000 a year, which must be earned in fees. The Register of Wills also issues marriage licenses. A blank form is filled out in which is stated the age, occupation, and relation- ship of the parties. In case either or both of the parties are less than twenty-one years of age, they must receive the consent of their respective parents or guardian. This consent must be acknow- ledged by an officer legally qualified to administer oaths. When the foregoing conditions are complied with, the Clerk gives to the parties a license whereby a minister of the gospel, Jus- tice of the Peace, or other officer justified by law, may unite them in matrimony. After the marriage, the party performing the cere- mony fills out a blank form called a "Marriage Certificate," which he gives to the parties married, and sends a copy of the same to the Register, to be kept on file in his office. Clerk of Quarter Sessions. The Clerk of the Courts is the clerk of the Quarter Sessions and of Oyer and Terminer. He calls up and swears the witnesses and jurors of these courts, and keeps the records of the proceedings of each of them. The laying out of new roads is controlled by the Court of Quarter Sessions, so also is the granting of liquor licenses. The issuing of all orders or papers re- lating to these is done through his office. The reports of the town- ship and borough elections are kept in his office. He issues certifi- cates of election to the successful candidates in all township and borough elections in all cases except that of the justice of the peace, who is commissioned by the Governor. The salary fixed by law is $4,000 a year, to be earned in fees. District Attorney. It is the duty of the District Attorney to prosecute in court parties charged with committing crimes in the county, and to bring before the Grand Jury indictments against any and all persons against whom a criminal charge is entered. To be eligible requires a two years' experience in the practice of law, and re-election is always allowable. He may appoint assistants. In Berks he has two. His salary is $4,000 a year. 138 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY Jury Commissioners. The Jury Commissioners are two in number. It is their duty, in connection with the judge, to fill the jury wheel and to draw the jurymen to serve at each term of court. In his selection the Sheriff, who is custodian of the jury wheel, is present to see that no one interferes with the names in the wheel, and the Judge is also present to supervise the work. They each receive f 500 a year. The Jury Commissioners are elected for four years and no voter can vote for more than one, thus giving the minority party an op- portunity to elect one. In filling the jury wheel, the purpose is to apportion them among the election districts of the county. Prison Inspectors. The prison inspectors manage the jail. They receive $250 a year for expenses. There are nine of them. Directors of the Poor. The paupers of the whole county are kept in the Almshouse, located at Shillington. The county elects three Directors of the Poor. They manage the Almshouse and determine who should be admitted. Children between two and six- teen years of age are supported outside of the Almshouse. These officials each receive a salary of f 1,000 a year. County Controller. The County Controller is the general fiscal agent of the county. He scrutinizes all bills and counter-signs war- rants, and audits the accounts of all other county officials. His salary is $4,000 a year. County Surveyor. The County Surveyor had important duties when there was public land to be measured and sold. Since this is all gone, he has but little official business. He receives a salary of $300 a year and has no regular duties. Mercantile Appraiser. This officer appraises the value of the business done by the various merchants of the county, who pay a state tax according to this valuation. He receives 50 cents for each place of business visited and six cents for each mile traveled. He is appointed annually by the County Commissioners. County Solicitor. The County Solicitor is appointed by the county commissioners. He is their legal advisor. The County's Relation to the Courts. All the courts of the county are state courts. Since they are the courts in which cases are first tried, they are sometimes called county courts. There are fifty- GOVERNMENT 139 six such courts in Pennsylvania. They were created by an act of the State Legislature. For court purposes, the sltate has been divided into fifty-six districts. The divisions are made entirely along county lines, and since there are sixty-seven counties in the State, it can at once be seen that not all the districts can consist of a single county. Berks County is a district by itself, and is known as the twenty-third Judicial District. Kind of Courts. There are four courts in the county — the Court of Common Pleas, which hears civil cases ; the Court of Quarter Ses- sions, which tries cases of misdemeanor, desertion, surety of the peace, and the like, and grants liquor licenses ; the Court of Oyer and Terminer, in which are conducted murder trials, forgery, arson and the like, and the Orphans' Court, in which are heard cases relat- ing to the estates of the deceased. License Court is held once each year. Here requests for new licenses or for transfer of old ones may be heard. Transfers may also be made in Quarter Sessions or in Chambers (before the Judges). The matter of granting or refusing applications for licenses to sell spiiituous liquors is its duty. Argument Court is held by the Judges without a jury. It may convene at any time. Above the courts just mentioned are two higher courts to which a case may be appealed from the lower courts. One of these is the Superior Court in which are heard the less important cases which have been appealed from the so-called County Courts ; and the Supreme Court to which are appealed only the most important cases arising in the lower courts. Above the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the Supreme Court of the United States. Appeals cannot be made from the State Supreme Courts to the United States Supreme Courts unless in cases involving more than state laws ; only cases involving a ques- tion arising under the Constitution of the United States or the laws thereof can be so appealed. The decisions of the Supreme and Superior Courts are carefully prepared and put into book form bv the state. The Judges in the lower courts are supposed to use the State Reports as the basis of their decisions. 140 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY The Judges. Berks County has its own Court House and jail. There are three judges, each elected for a term of ten years at a salary of $7,1)00 a year. Juries. Juries are of three kinds — Petit, Traverse, and Grand. The law requires that the selection of jurymen must be made from the various registry lists of the county. The Grand Jury consists of twenty-four men whose names were first drawn from the jury wheel for that term of court. If the twenty-four of them attend, one of them is excused; a grand jury may not have more than twenty-three, or less than twelve members. The principal duties of the Grand Jury are to pass upon the indict- ments presented to them by the District Attorney. They always hold their sessions in private and hear only the evidence of the ac- cusing parties. If the majority think the evidence is sufficient to in- dicate crime, they find a "true bill." If the evidence seems weak or trifling to the majority they "ignore the bill." The consent of the Grand Jury must also be given before the County Commission- ers can purchase land or erect public buildings. It must approve of the location of county bridges, and quarterly visit public build- ings and make recommendations concerning their care or repair. A Petit Jury consists of twelve men. They are chosen by lot from the number drawn from the jury wheel at the beginning of the session of court. Each case has a separate and different jury. This jury sits while cases are tried in which the Grand Jury find a "true bill." In law, to defy formally what the opposite party has alleged, is to traverse their statements. When a plaintiff makes a state- ment, he avers it to be true, and traverses what the defendant has affirmed. A jury that tries cases in which this often happens is called a Traverse Jury. It consists of twelve men and tries only civil cases. Accusation and trial in the criminal courts. The first step to institute a criminal proceeding is to bring information against any one before a Justice of the Peace. This officer issues a warrant for the arrest of the accused. The Constable usually serves the warrant and brings the accused before the Justice of the Peace. GOVERNMENT 141 He may waive a hearing for trial at court, and in default of such bail as the Justice of the Peace may deem satisfactory, he is com- mitted to jail; or, he may demand a trial before the Justice of the Peace at once. If in this trial, the Justice of the Peace thinks the case serious and the offense grave, he may determine that this is a case for court, and in default of bail, send the accused to jail. The Justice of the Peace sends the record of his proceedings in the case to the District Attorney, who informs himself of the facts in the case, and presents an indictment to the Grand Jury. Upon the back of this indictment are placed the names of the wit- nesses who are expected to establish the validity of the accusation. The Grand Jury meets in private session and hears the evidence of the witnesses who were named by the District Attorney, but the ac- cused himself is not heard. If, after the witnesses are heard, a ma- jority of the Grand Jury agree in thinking that the accused should be tried, the words "True Bill" are written across the back of the indictment, and then the party must be tried in court before a Petit Jury. If the Grand Jury finds "No True Bill," the accused is given his freedom. When the case is called for trial, a Petit Jury of twelve men is chosen from those whose names were taken from the jury wheel at the opening of the session of the court. The party on trial may secure a lawyer or a number of lawyers to assist him in his defense, and in case he is unable to do so, the court usually appoints one. The District Attorney is the prosecuting lawyer having the privilege of asking questions relating to the testimony given. When all the witnesses are heard, the attorney on each side makes his argument before the jury, after which the judge gives to the jury his charge in which he tells them what is their duty in the case, and what is the law on the question involved. Having heard the facts of the case as they are brought out during the trial and the charge of the judge, the jury now returns to the jury room where they remain without communicating with any one until they arrive at a "ver- dict." This verdict must be unanimous. The foreman presents the verdict of the jury upon the completion of its deliberations. If the verdict is "not guilty" the person on trial is at once set free; if found guilty by the jury, the accused person is either imme- 142 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY diately, or soon thereafter, sentenced by the judge. As a punish- ment, he is either imprisoned for a time, or fined, or both; in case of murder, he is executed. He has, however, the privilege of trying to secure a new trial or of appealing his case to the Supreme Court. If acquitted, he can not again be tried for the same offense; but, if the jury fails to agree, a new trial may be held at a later term of court. The judge usually refuses to discharge the jury until it has agreed. During the trial, the Court Crier sits near the judge and an- nounces the convening and adjourning of the court. To preserve order the tipstaves are at his command. He is custodian of the Law Library. Manner of conducting civil cases. The Court of Common Pleas tries law suits arising over property and other disputes. Such trials are usually called civil suits. There is no Grand Jury or District Attorney to bring an indictment. Cases are carried on much as they are in the sessions of the Court of Quarter Sessions. The jury must be unanimous to find a verdict. A Traverse fury which tries civil cases is empanneled by call- ing twenty men to the jury box and letting each side in turn reject one until eight have been removed. The person who brings the suit is called the plaintiff; he makes the complaint; the person against whom the suit is brought is the defendant. If the verdict is against the defendant, a judgment is entered upon the court records against him ; if this is not paid, the Sheriff may enforce pay- meats by selling the property of the delinquent. The party losing the suit is usually required to pay the costs. CHAPTER X. GEOGRAPHY. Berks County is located between the Delaware and the Sus- quehanna Rivers, just south of the Blue Ridge. It is in the lower central portion of the north tem- perate zone, being between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and one- half and one and one-half degrees east longitude from Washington. It is bounded on the northwest by Schuylkill 36 miles, on the north- east by Lehigh, 24 miles, on the southeast by Montgomery and Ches- ter, 28 miles and on the southwest by Lancaster and Lebanon, :\9 miles. It contains an area of 900 square miles or about 570,000 acres. Much of this area was taken from Phila- delphia Count)- on the east side of the Schuylkill, and from Lancaster and Chester on the west side of the river at the time the county was organized. It is estimated that the population of the county at the time of its erection in 1752 was about twelve thousand. Mountains. The mountains of the county are ridges of the Allegheny Mountains which extend along the eastern border of the United States. The northern ridge is the largest, and forms also the northern boundary line of the county. In the early days, few surveyors or settlers went beyond this ridge. In some of the early maps this chain was called Kittatinny, which is the Indian word for endless. In looking at the mountain from a distance it has a hazy bluish appearance, hence it was called COUNTY LINE STONE BETWEEN BERKS AND LEBANON. 144 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY It A GEOGRAPHY 145 Blue Mountain. The top of the ridge is by no means even, but it averages about 1,200 feet above the level of the sea. The Pinnacle is a projection in Albany Township, extending' to the southeast for about two miles. It is the highest point in the county, and lifts its lofty summit about 1,400 feet above sea level. Round Top is an isolated peak in the same township. Round Head, in Bethel Township, is about 1,1)00 feet high. Schuylkill Gap is the point at which the Schuylkill River breaks through the Blue Ridge at Port Clinton. The second of the ridges is called South Mountain because it is about twenty miles south of the Blue Ridge. The mountain is perhaps more widely known than any of the many elevations in the county, for upon its top, and along its slopes, in Lower Heidelberg and Spring Townships, are located a number of the most noted health resorts in the country. An attractive point is Cushion Peak, which can be seen for many miles. Upon its crest- stands a United States observatory, the only one in the count}'. South Mountain contains on its western end in Berks County a number of rock-covered projections, one of which is called Eagle Head, because during colonial times many eagles roosted upon these rocky heights, South Mountain includes the Welsh Mountains, the Forest Hill, and the Flying Hills. The Flying Hills, however, extend along the south- ern side of the Schuylkill for several miles. They were so called by the early settlers because many birds could always be seen flying there. The county also contains numerous smaller hills. "Stoudt Hill," named after its owner, is about six miles north of Reading, along the western side of the Schuylkill. "Scull Hill" is on the same side of the river and about five miles farther north. The "Oley Hills" are in that township and the "Earl Mountains" in Earl Township. "Monocacy Hill" is in Amity Township. East of Reading is Mt. Penn. It was conspicuous for the two spots which formerly could be seen for many miles, from the west. They are bare and are covered by rocks. "White Spot" was so called on account of the white stones at that point, and "Black Spot" was so named because its rocks had a darker color. The "Black Spot" is the higher and is about eleven hundred feet above sea level. 146 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY Neversink Mountain is south of the city. It is not quite as high as Mt. Penn, but overlooks the valley for miles to the southward. The graceful curves, where the river bends like an S, are distinctly seen. The point which extends to the north is known as "Lewis' Neck" and that to the south is "Poplar Neck." It is these two necks that are especially noted for the Indian relics that have been found there. The Scenic Railroads which have been built over these two mountains carry thousands of sight-seeing people each summer. Rivers and. valleys. The Schuylkill River flows through the county in a southeasterly direction and the land it drains is known as the Schuylkill Valley. The Maiden Creek, Antietam, Monocacy and Manatawny are the principal streams that flow into the Scliuyl* kill from the east. The principal tributaries of the Schuylkill from the west are the Tulpchocken, Wyomissing, Allegheny and Hay Creeks. As a rule these streams rise near the county lines and flow towards the Schuylkill. On the east some of the water of the county is drained into the Perkiomen Creek and the Lehigh River. Bethel Township is drained by the Little Swatara Creek, and its waters finally reach the Susquehanna. The Little Conestoga and Muddy Creek drain Caernarvon Township into the Susquehanna. The Lebanon Valley extends from the Schuylkill to the Susquehanna. Its eastern section is drained into the Schuylkill by the Tulpehocken Creek and the western end is drained into the Susquehanna by the Swatara. The entire valley is about fifty-four miles long and takes its name from the leading city, which is situated on the waters'head. The East Penn Valley is a continuation of the Lebanon Valley eastward. Minerals. About seventy different minerals are found in the county. Gold and silver, in very small quantities, have been found, especially in Alsace and Oley Townships. Copper is more abundant and most plentiful in Caernarvon Township. The best copper clav yields C>7 c /r. The clay runs in veins a few feet thick. The county is rich in iron. It was first mined in Colebrook- dale and Caernarvon Townships. There were more than one hun- dred mines in operation in 1SS2. which yielded more than one hundred thousand tons. This gave employment to over two thous- and men, and brought into the county that year more than a mil- GEOGRAPHY 147 lion dollars. According to Heisier's map there were twenty-five iron ore mines in the county in 1854. Much of the ore today is mined for the ocher. The northern section of the county is rich in slate and some quarrying is being done. In the central portion we have the lime- stone, and in the southern part the sandstone. In this section there are large quarries, from which are taken exceptionally hard stones, known as Trap Rock. These are extensively used in roadmaking. Caves. The limestone rocks, especially in Richmond Town- ship, have been washed out by underground waters to form numer- ous caves of various sizes, whose floors are studded with glitter- ing stalactites and whose ceilings are decorated with bright shin- ing stalagmites. At Virginsville, in Richmond Township, two streams, the Sacony, rising some eight miles to the east, near Bow- ers Station, and the Ontelaunee or Maidencreek, having its source twenty miles to the north, in Lehigh County, mingle their waters. On all sides are hills, many of them cone-shaped and varying in altitude from two to three hundred feet above the streams. The underlying rocks, mostly of limestone, lying near the surface, are seamed and broken and at various places in the bluffs along these streams openings of various dimensions are found. Crystal Cave. Crystal Cave is one of a number of underground cavities in Richmond Township. It was discovered by accident in the autumn of 1S71 by two men, quarrying stone on the hillside. After the smoke from the blast had cleared away they found that they had unwittingly opened up a cave of considerable dimensions. They penetrated deeply into the interior and returned with marvel- ous tales of underground corridors and halls richly adorned with gleaming crystals. In 1872 Samuel D. L. Kohler purchased from Gideon Merkel. 47 acres of land, including the hill containing the cave. This noted curiosity, which some regard as ranking with Niagara Falls, has been visited by more than 15,000 people. In the brief interval be- tween the discovery and the acquisition of the property by Mr. Kohler, the cave was robbed of many crystalline treasures. The new proprietor proceeded to check this inexcusable robbery by plac- ing a door at the entrance. A graded path with steps, in its deepest 148 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY ENTRANCE TO CRYSTAL CAVE. slopes, made approach easier, while stairways, handrails, and other conveniences for more comfortable exploration were placed within. There are deep crevices and one of the chasms is asserted to be over one hundred feet deep. The cave has been explored for a distance of about a thousand feet. In some places it is quite spacious, while in others the visitor is barely able to get through a small opening which leads from one chamber to another. Dragon Cave. Dragon Cave is situated about a mile north- east from Virginsville in the same township, and is said to communi- cate with Crystal Cave. This cave has been known for more than a century and a half and has attracted visitors from far and near. It is said that fishermen coming from Olev to try their luck in the waters of the Maidencreek, discovered the cave. At the time of discovery they made no exploration. Later, however, they started on an expedition, the purpose of which was to examine the interior. They entered, but failed to return at the time specified. A rescue party, sent after them, found the explorers lost in the cave. Their GEOGKAPHY 149 lights had gone out and they were in sad distress. The rescuers had avoided a like peril by taking the precaution to carry with them a long rope, one end of which was fastened at the opening so that, in case their lights should be extinguished, return might be assured. The mouth of the cave is in a field which has long been in culti- vation. The opening is five feet wide, and nearly twice as long, nearly horizontal, while the entrance proper is perpendicular for a distance of ten feet. As, in the past, animals have fallen into the cave, the mouth is now protected by a wire fence. At present three trees stand near the mouth of the cave. The largest is a maple, nine feet in circumference at the base of the trunk. This indicates great age. From the perpendicular entrance a sloping passage leads, about one hundred and fifty feet, to a small opening. To pass this, one must crawl a short distance. Beyond the way is easier. For some three hundred feet there runs a passage in which there is sufficient room to walk erect. The way is a winding one and communicates with chambers of various dimensions. To one of these apartments, the largest, from twenty-five to thirl}- feet wide, of approximated the same height, and about three times that in length, has been given the name "The Temple of the Dragon." At one end of the Temple there is a flight of stone steps, formed by nature, leading to a gal- lery above, from which point of vantage a person can look down into all parts of the temple. Other caves. Two miles from Dragon Cave, near Merkel's mill at Moselem, also in Richmond Township, is Merkel Cave. It has a perpendicular opening, possibly forty feet deep. Little can be said about it, as no one, thus far, has ventured to explore it. Dreibelbies cave is located in Perry Township near the Onte- launee. It was discovered in 1873, while quarrying limestone. The entrance is small, and a person must crawl for twentv-five feet, after which the passage becomes larger. The cave has been explored for a considerable distance, but the end has not vet been reached. The walls are lined with beautiful crystalline deposits of lime which °-listen in the rays of the light. 150 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY Joel Dreibelbies. upon whose land the cave was found, relates the following strange and somewhat amusing circumstance: One cold winter morning, some ten years after the discovery, he and a neighbor, passing by the cave, noticed the branches of a young cherry tree, which had grown up at the mouth, to be violently agi- tated. Mr. Dreibelbeis' companion was seized by a strange dread and would not approach to learn the cause of the unusual phenome- non. Disregarding the other's entreaties, Mr. Dreibelbies under- took an investigation and found a strong current of air rushing, with considerable violence, out of the cave's mouth. The current was so strong, in fact, that it was with difficulty that he could keep his hat in place. This incident is a proof that several of these caves communicate with one another. Mengle cave is about three-fourth of a mile north from Dreibel- beis cave. It is also in Perry Township. It was discovered while workmen were blasting in a limestone quarry. It has a large en- trance, but no one has ventured into it further than about one hun- dred and fifty feet and it has never been satisfactorily explored. At times the rocks at the mouth of the cave 'are heavily coated with frost, due to the congealing of the vapor with which the air from the cave is charged. Divisions of the county. The county is divided into forty-three townships, nineteen boroughs and one city. The names of the townships can be grouped into nine classes as to the origin of their names. 1. Eight of the townships are named after persons or bear the names of persons prominently connected with American history, as follows : Douglass. Jefferson, Marion. Muhlenberg. Penn, Perry, Tilden, Washington. 2. Nine have English names : Colebrookdalc, Albany, Earl. Exeter, Greenwich. Hereford. Richmond. Ruscombmanor and Windsor. 3. Six have Indian names : Maidencreek. Maxatawny. Oley, Ontelaunee, Tulpehocken and Upper Tulpehocken. 4. The fourth group comprises those names in consequence of some peculiarity of the township, either as to its products, appear- GEOGRAPHY 151 ance, or geographical location. There are six of this class : Centre, District, Longswamp, Pike, Rockland and Spring. 5. Five have German names : Alsace. Lower Alsace, Heidel- berg, North Heidelberg, Lower Heidelberg. 6. Three have Welsh names : Brecknock, Caernarvon, Ctimru. 7. Three have Bible names, or names suggesting some virtue: Amity, Bethel, Union. S.. Two have Swiss names : Bern, Upper Bern. 9. One is named after a pioneer settler — Robeson. Charitable institutions. The matter of caring for the poor, the sick, and those otherwise unfortunate has been carefully looked after in Berks. A list of charitable institutions follows: County Home, in Cumru Township, maintained with funds ap- propriated 'by the County. Bethany Orphans' Home, Womelsdorf, supported by the Re- formed Church. Lutheran Orphans' Home in Berks County, at Topton, sup- ported by the Lutheran denomination. South Mountain Asylum for Chronic Insane, near Wernersville, maintained by the State. The Reading, Homoeopathic and St. Joseph's Hospitals, Read- ing, maintained by public subscription, aided by the state. Home for Friendless Children. Reading, maintained by public subscription, aided by the State. St. Catharine's and St. Paul's Orphan Asylums, Reading, main- tained 'by churches and by subscription. Home for Widows and Single Women, Reading, maintained In- payments made by inmates upon entering and by popular subscrip- tion. House of Good Shepherd, Glenside, Bern Township, maintained by church and charity. Hope Rescue Mission, Reading, maintained by popular subscrip- tion. Beulah Anchorage, Reading, maintained by popular subscription. Berks County Tuberculosis Sanitarium, on Xeversink Mountain, maintained by popular subscription. 152 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY Weather Bureau. The Weather Bureau was established by an Act of Congress in 1870. It was first a part of the Signal Corps in the army and navy, but in 181)1 it was transferred to the Agri- cultural Department. One of the six stations in Pennsylvania is located at Reading, where it was established in the fall of 1912. The observations from these stations are telegraphed to Washington several times a day. The reports are then wired to every portion of the county and pasted up in public places. These reports are a great benefit to the farmer, to the shipper and to the public in general. SOME LEADING FACTS. Population — 183,222. 13th Congressional District (with Lehigh). 11th Senatorial District. Divided into two Legislative districts (1st, Reading; 2d, Rural Berks). 23d Judicial District. 148 Voting Precincts (city, 51; county, 07). POST OFFICES IN BERKS COUNTY (1912)— 99 1. Presidential Post ( )ffices — 8. 1. Reading Salary. $3,600 — 2 routes 2. Hamburg Salary, $1,800 — 4 routes 3. Kutztown Salary, $1,800 — 5 routes 4. Birdsboro Salary, $1,700 — 2 routes 5. Boyertown Salary, $1,700 — 2 routes 6. . Wernersville Salary, $1,400—2 routes 7. Fleetwood Salary, $1,300—2 routes 8. Womelsdorf Salary. $1,200— 9. Wyomissing Salary, $1,200— 2. Rural Free Delivery Post Offices — 29. (Seven of the Presidential Post Offices have Rural Free Delivery. The other 22 follow.) Barto 2 routes Bechtelsville 2 routes Bernville 2 routes Bethel 1 route Blandon 1 route Douglassville 4 routes Geiger's Mills 2 routes Kempton 2 routes Leesport 1 route Lenhartsville ....... .1 route GEOGRAPHY 153 2 routes Sinking 2 routes Stony C reek Mills. . . .1 route Mohrsville 1 route Stouchsburg 1 route Oley 4 routes Temple 1 route 2 routes Virginvi lie 1 route Shoemakersville . . 2 routes West Leesport 1 route 3. Post Offices hav ing no Rural Free Deli\ ery— 68. Albany Jacksonwald Mount Penn Athol Joanna New Berlinville Bally Klinesville Pine Forge Berks Krick*s Mil] Rehrersburg Berne Krumsville Rye land Bernharts Landis Store Scarlet's Mill Bowers Limekiln Schofer Calcium Little Oley Shamrock Station Centreport Lorane Shanesville Chapel Lyon Station Shartlesville Clayton Maidencreek Shillington Dauberville Manatawny Spangsville Dryville Maxatawny Stonersville Earlville Meckville Stony Run Esterly Molltown Strausstown Fritztown Monocacy Topton Gibraltar Monocac}- Station Trexler ( iriesemersville Montello Tuipehocken < Irimville Monterey Vinemont Hancock Morgantown Walter's Park Hereford Mount Aetna West Reading Host Mountain Yellow House Hummer? Store Mounta in Sunset CHAPTER XL THE TOWNSHIPS. ALBANY. Early History. Albany is the most northern township in the county. It was erected previous to 1750. Its name signifies "all- wants,'' a term given to it by the Indians because they considered it poor soil. Soon after its erection it was divided into two dis- tricts by a straight line running east and west. The northern part retained the name Albany and the southern part was named Green- wich. Both townships were named after districts in England. The first settlers were Germans, who came north along the Maiden- creek and made their homes here about 1700. They moved into that section of Albany called "The Corner," now Eckville. Here Cornelius Frees erected a log building. This was the first building in the township and occupied a dangerous position during the Indian invasions, when it was used as a fort. It is said that a man named Schoner was shot at the door and a short distance away a man and his wife were killed by the Indians. There are still some old buildings in the township that show bullet marks as relics of the fight with the Indians. At Trexler station is an old log house. It was long an inn where thirsty harvesters drove their sickles into the logs when they went into the bar-room for a drink. In this township is the Pinnacle, a spur extending out from the Blue Mountains, and rising to a height of 1G70 feet. This is the highest point in the county. Industries. The streams of Albany furnished good water- power, and soon industries sprang up along their courses. A small charcoal furnace and two forges were built before 1780, which became known as the Union Iron Works. Saw mills and grist mills were also erected. They turned the logs into lumber and the grain into flour and feed. Other small industries sprang up, such as clover mills, which the old water saw mill. separated the seed from the clover; grinding mills, used to grind sickles: turning mills, for turning gun barrels; carding-machines, which separated the seed from the flax; THE TOWNSHIPS 156 GRIST MILL. and oil mills, used to manufacture oil from the flax seed. Since 1870 some slate was quarried in this township which ranks with the best quality of the other slate regions, and lies in strata, fifteen to eighty feet below the I surface. In 1870 the Berks and Lehigh Railroad was built through this township. It was a great benefit, as it gave better facilities for marketing the different farm products. Although somewhat remote from the county seat, this township is one of the most prosperous in the county. Its chief wealth lies in its farm products. It stands first in the production of potatoes. Towns. Kempton is the principal railroad station. More potatoes are shipped from this point than any other station along the entire line from Slatington to Reading. It has quite a few business places, and two rural mail routes. Stony-Run (Wessnersville) lies about two miles east from Kemp- ton. It is about the same size as Kempton. Trexler is a village one mile from Kempton. It has a post office, which was formerly at Fetherolfsville, about half a mile away Albany Station was established by the Railroad Company in 1874, but did not become a business place until 1882. Albany is half a mile west of the station. Greenawald is a flag station in the southern section of the town- ship, near which is an old-time inn. Mountain is a small place in the northern part of the township. ALSACE. Alsace Township lies east of Reading. It was organized in 1745, and originally contained 2;»,L'70 acres. Its area was reduced : First, by the erection of Reading; second, by the erection of Muhlenberg Township ; third, by cutting off Poplar Neck and lands adjoining and adding them to Cumru : fourth, by the erection of Lower Alsace. The township was named after Alsace in Germany, the first settlers having emigrated from that place. Andrew Robeson took 156 THE SIORY OF BERKS COUNTY out the first warrant for land in 1714. This is the first notice of land taken in this section. This survey was abandoned. In 1718 Robeson purchased 1,000 acres and made provision for a settlement. Another warrant for 375 acres was taken out by Edward Farmer in 17:'».j. Industries. On account of the condition of the soil,, agriculture was and still is the chief occupation in the township. Its streams furnished abundant water-power, causing factories to spring up everywhere, those on Antietam Creek taking 'the lead. Principal among them were grist mills, saw mills, forges. Max brakes, oil mills, clover mills, paper mills and a woolen mill. Truck farming and fruit growing are leading industries. Saw mills and sand quarries are being conducted. CHAPEL ROCKS. A natural curiosity. One of the great natural curiosities of the county is to be seen in this township. It consists of a large mass of rocks piled one hundred feet high. The topmost rock is balanced and rivals, in many respects, the scenes in the Garden of the Gods. THE TOWNSHIPS 157 The whole mass is called Chapel Rocks. Hundreds of people each year visit these rocks and feel well repaid for their journey. There are no villages in the township, In the vicinity of Fies' Hotel, however, there is quite a settlement where much of the town- ship business is transacted. The township is without a post office. The mail is served by rural free delivery. LOWER ALSACE. This township was separated from Alsace in 1888. It was called Lower Alsace because of its location. It is the smallest township in the county, and contains more wood.ed land than cleared farm area. Its early history is the same as that of Alsace, from which it was taken. On Mount Penn, in 1890, was built a gravity railroad, eight miles long, that is each year becoming more popular. The Never- sink was built at the same time, and is of the same length. It is also very much used. Carsonia Park was begun in 1896, and is owned by the United Traction Company. It is quite a resort, has man)- places of amuse- ment, and is each year frequented by many visitors. Part of it lies in Exeter Township. The Stony Creek mills were established in 1864 for the manu- facture of woolen cloth. They have been operated successfully ever since. The township has extensive truck farms and vineyards. The Egelman and Antietam Reservoirs, King in this township, are parts of the Reading water supply system. Villages. The principal village is Stony Creek Mills, so named from the mills which form the chief industry. The bor- ough of Mt. Penn lies in this township and divides Lower Alsace into two parts. From Mt. Penn to Stony Creek Mills, along the Friedensburg road, there are many dwellings, some of these are nestled along the wooded hillside, affording romantic scenery. East of Carsonia Park is Melrose, a new suburban town, and west of Carsonia is Pennside. a flourishing suburb 158 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY AMITY. Early History. This township was settled by the Swedes in 1701 and was erected into a township in 171!). It was the first town- snip organized in Berks County. It was called Amity because of the friendly relations that existed between the Swedes and the In- dians. Penn issued a warrant to Edward Pennington to lay out ten thousand acres of land for the Swedes on the eastern bank of the Schuylkill in the locality of what is now Douglassville. Penn was rather anxious to get the land in the vicinity of Philadelphia for his Quaker friends, and for this reason he wanted to provide a place for the Swedes farther up the river. A small two-story stone building, the oldest house in the county, is still standing at the bridge near Douglassville on the east side of the river. A soft stone tablet, built into the front wall, indicates that the building was erected by Mounce Jones in 1716. The house has been somewhat altered. In those days the river at that point was crossed by a ford and at one time the building was used as a hotel. Swede's Church, a log building, was built before 1720. Con- ferences between the settlers and the Indians were frequently held in it. It was the first house for religious worship in the county and was destroyed 'by fire in 1831. A gravestone in the cemetery 'bearing the date 1719 is said to be the oldest tombstone in the county. The streams were earlv used to supply water-power. On the Monocacy the old Griesemer mill has been operated for many years. A little farther down is the old fulling mill. Xear the turn-pike a saw mill lias existed for many vears. The Boones had a clover and grist mill on the Manatawny which is no longer in existence. The present three- story brick mill was built about 1850. CARRYING CORN TO THE , r " TT ... . . , . , , . ,«• mill. Monocacy Hill is an isolated peak in this district. Villages. Weavertown is the oldest place in the township. It has grown but little in sixty years. A post office was established in THE TOWNSHIPS 159 1828 and named Brumfieldville in honor of Jessie Brumfield, the first postmaster. Since the advent of rural free delivery it has been abandoned. Athol (Amityville) is on the turnpike leading to the Yellow House. The village was at one time called Xew Storeville. Yellow House derived its name from the hotel at that point which is painted yellow. The post office was established in 1866. The creamery has been operated for many years. Douglassville is a station on the Reading and Pennsylvania Railroads. When some of the early Swedes left the locality much of the land was bought by Jacob Warren, who built some of the early houses. He failed in business and much of his property was bought by George Douglass after whom the place was named. Monocacy Station is a village on the railroad. BERN. Bern was settled in 1733 and erected into a township in 1738. It was named after Bern in Switzerland, whence many of its settlers came. At the time of the erection of the county the township ex- tended bevond the Blue Mountains. STONE SCHOOL HOUSE. 160 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY The Heisters, who later became prominent in the affairs of the nation, were among the early settlers. They located near the Tulpe- hocken Creek where they operated a mill. The chief occupation is farming". In the southern part the sur- face is level and the soil very productive. Along- the Schuylkill are numerous limestone quarries. Canal boats were at one time built rather extensively at Rickenbach Station, a small town south of West Leesport. Several mills were operated along the Tulpehocken at an earlv period. Parvin's tannery was one of the earliest industries. The borough of West Leesport lies in this township. Glenside, a suburban town of Reading, is situated in this district immediately across the Schuylkill Avenue bridge. Xear it is the House of the Good Shepherd, established by the Catholic Church in 1900 for the care of young girls. More than two hundred inmates can be accommodated. The Berkshire Country Club has a well-equipped club house about one mile north of Glenside. Leinbach's lies near the centre of the township and much of its public business is transacted there. Epler's church is near it. Strause, Pig's Hill and Heister's Mill are other prominent places in the township. Bern Church is close to Pig's Hill. The Schuylkill River forms the eastern boundary of Bern and along its wooded banks numerous bungalows have been erected. These are occupied during the summer by residents of Reading, who are fond of boating and swimming. The river furnishes great sport and various kinds of craft ply upon its waters throughout the warm months. UPPER BERN. Upper Bern lies in the northern part of the county. The north- ern part of Bern was cut oft and a new township erected in 1789, which was called Upper Bern. On account of its proximity to the Blue Mountains, which at this point rise to an elevation of lj500 feet,' and its distance from Reading, this district was exposed to the attacks of the Indians. THE TOWNSHIPS 161 On September 11, 1703, Commissary Seely wrote to Governor John Penn : "'This moment, at Reading, as I was sending off the express, certain intelligence came that the house of Frantz Huble, in Bern (now Upper Bern), about eighteen miles from here, was attacked Friday evening last by Indians ; he is wounded, his wife and three children carried off, and three others of his children scalped alive. two of whom have since died." The early settlers were Germans and engaged mostly in farming. The ruins of an old forge can be seen along the Xorthkill at the, base of the Blue Mountains. This shows that an iron industry was located here in the early colonial days. Places where charcoal was burned can also be found in this district. Grist mills as well as other mills have been operated in this township from the time of its earliest settlement. Berrying and Tea-picking. During the summer months, when the huckleberries are ripe, berry parties scour the mountains for this fruit. A day's berrying on top of the mountains is quite a recreation for both old and young. The picturesque views along the mountains, the meandering streams, the clear spring water, and the pure air are KEY'S TAVERN ON LINE BETWEEN BERKS AND SCHUYLKILL 182 THE teTORY OF BERKS COUNTY the best of Nature's tonics. In the Fall of the year, just before the frost sets in, tea-picking starts. We do not need to go to China and Japan for tea. A day's ramble in the mountains near the Sand Spring, the source of the Northkill, will give you a year's supply of the famous Blue Mountain Tea, which is delightful in taste and rich in medicinal properties. Shartlesville is the only town in the towns'hip. It has several hotels, a few stores and other business places. A large brick church stands on an elevation south of the town. On the summit of the Blue Mountains, along the public road is Ney's Tavern. It marks the boundary between Berks and Schuylkill. BETHEL. This is the most northwestern township in the county. Its name is derived from a place in Palestine. The first settlement was made in 1733, immediately after the Indians sold the land. A Moravian meeting house was built not far from the Swatara Creek and named Bethel. W'hen the county was erected, what up to that time had been known as Bethel Township was divided. That part not retained in Berks became a part of Lebanon County. The township as now constituted is almost eleven miles long and four miles wide. Indian troubles. Many people were killed by the Indians in the township, even though Fort Henry had been built to protect them. It stood in a depression in the mountains called "The Hole." In November, 1?55, Conrad Weiser wrote to Governor Morris for help. < )n account of Braddock's defeat in western Pennsylvania, the Indians, incited by the French under the pretense of restoring them to their coun- try, fell upon the exposed set- tlements of this township, and even Weiser's own home was in danger. While a company of men were on their way to Fort Henry, they were fired upon and several were killed fort HENRY, BUTLT 1756. and scalped. One man in this THE TOWNSHIPS 163 company, named Christopher Ury, shot a stout Indian through the breast and he dropped dead. The Indians were divided into small bands. One of these bands attacked the house of Thomas Brown, on the Swatara Creek, on a dark night. An Indian stuck his gun through a window and shot and killed a shoemaker. Others in the house, surprised at this sudden attack, defended themselves by firing out of the windows. The firing aroused the neighbors, who fired guns and made a great noise. This frightened the Indians away. That night help came from Tulpehocken and Heidelberg. Amongst these was Weiser's son, Frederick. They saw Indians running a'wav with prisoners whom they immediately scalped. Frederick Weiser found a woman, just expired, lying upon her face. Upon removing her body, he found beneath it a babe about fourteen days old. It was wrapped in a cushion. The babe's nose was quite flat. Fred- erick set it right and the child recovered. Saw mills, grist mills, clover mills, tanneries and distilleries were early erected in the township along the Little Swatara Creek, which furnished the water-power. In the Blue Mountains, which rise to an elevation of one thousand six hun- dred and twenty feet, has been erected a reservoir which furnishes water-power to run an electric light plant that pro- duces light f"r Millersburg, Strauss- town. Rehrersburg and neighboring towns. The water is dammed up and allowed to pass through a small opening under great pressure. A water-wheel here creates power for propelling dynamos that generate electricity. This is but an indication how later our children will use the power of the streams to light and heat their homes, to boil their food, etc., just as our grandfathers used them to break their flax, grind their grain and propel their forger HAND MILL 164 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY Towns. Millersburg, about twenty-five railes from Reading, is one of the principal towns. It was laid out in 1814. Its post- office bears the name of Bethel and was established in 1827. It has a good sized shirt factory. Shubert lies south of the Blue Mountains, about four miles east of Millersburg. About twenty of its people are employed in a shirt factory. Meckville is a small hamlet about six miles west of Millers- burg near the county line. In the store of the village is the post- office where daily mails are received from Lebanon. Frevstown is situated on the road leading from Rehrersburg to Jonestown. There is one store, a cigar factory, a cider mill and an apple-butter cookery. 'The town was long noted for its tanneries, but these have been abandoned. BRECKNOCK. The early settlers of this township were Welsh and the name is probably taken from a division in southern Wales. The town- ship was settled in 1720 and erected in 1741. A portion of this township was retained as a part of Lancaster County when Berks was organized. Some of it was also taken to form Cumru. The highest elevation is Kindt's Point about one thousand feet high. Four fine streams of water rise in this township. Alle- gheny Creek has several mill sites which are still used. At one of these, below Bowman's Mill, John Bowman carried on the wool carding and cloth fulling business. Liquor was distilled in this township before 18(10. Next to farming, fruit culture is the chief occupation of the people. The Reading & Southwestern Electric Road passes through the northern corner of the township. Knauer's is the principal business center. It has an up-to- date hotel and a large implement trade. Alleghenyville and Hummel's Store are other villages. CAERNARVON. Caernarvon Township is situated in the extreme southern part of Berks County. The territory was settled by the Welsh about 1700. They came from a county in Wales which THE TOWNSHIPS 165 bore the same name. They named the range of hills bordering the south side of the township the Welsh Mountains. The Conestoga creek has its source in this township. The township comprises about 8.500 acres with an assessed valuation of $450,000. Part of the town- ship is situated in the beautiful Conestoga Valley and part in what is known as the Forest Hills. The Conestoga Pike was laid out through the centre of this valley and was one of the main highways between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh before the railroads were built. All merchandise and farm products were transported on Conestoga wagons which were large wagons with white canvas covers and were drawn by six horses or mules. To accommodate this traffic there were taverns about a mile apart in the township and it was a common sight to see a dozen of these large teams leave one of these taverns at one time. First copper mine. The Township has numerous deposits of iron ore, none of which are in operation. Jones' Mine situated in Caernarvon Township is the site of the oldest copper mine in this country. Years ago ithe copper ore was hauled in wagons to Phila- delphia and shipped to England. Vast quantities of iron ore were also shipped from this mine. There are numerous water-powers in the township, some of them in use, others abandoned. For many years a woolen mill oc- cupied one of these power sites and was considered quite an industry as it had the largest spinning machine in this country. It was abandoned in 1S74, and the machinery taken to Reading and in- stalled in a factory. Villages. The principal village is called Morgantown. named in honor of Colonel Jacob Morgan, an officer of the Revolution, who laid out the town on his land. His home is still standing situated one mile north of Morgantown, on the Reading road which was at that time known as Cherry lane, Col. Morgan's private driveway, taking its name from the fact that the Colonel planted cherry trees on both sides of this road. General Washington visited Colonel Morgan during the winter the army was at Valley Forge. This was one of the few times Washington was in Berks County. East of Morgantown a mile and one-half stands the former home of Lieut. -Col. Jonathan Jones, a Revolutionary officer, who 166 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY was with Arnold in 'his Quebec campaign. Adjoining the Morgan tract was the Clymer tract, which family were prominently identi- fied with the history of this county. Joanna, on the Wilmington & Northern Railroad, has an im- portant milk station that was established in l!»(l!). Education. In 1827 the citizens of Caernarvon built. a school house in which a pay school was held until the public school law was passed, and Caernarvon was the first township to adopt the free school system. The people have always taken a great interest in education, and adopted of their own accord the free text book in 1874, leading the county again in this movement. The earliest settlers were Episcopalians. The Methodists came into the town- ship about 1830. Later the Conestoga Valley became settled by the Amish, a German set who dress plain, somewhat like the Quakers. They speak the Pennsylvania German language among themselves, but this language is very little used in Caernarvon Township. CENTRE. Early History. This township was taken from Bern and Upper Bern and organized in 1843. It was named so from its central loca- tion. In 1857 a small portion, comprising about twelve acres, was taken from Centre and added to Bern. Several Indian paths lead through this township, by which the Indians could come unobserved, fall upon the exposed farm houses and retrace their steps before an alarm could be spread. This thought filled the minds of the early settlers with the greatest anxiety. An incident happened in Centre during the summer of 1757 which shows that the Indians were sometimes aided by a certain class of whites disguised as Indians in committing depredations. In a letter from James Reed to Governor Denny, dated Reading, July 27, 1757, is the following statement: "It is with great uneasiness I must inform Your Honor that the day before yesterday four white men took away from a plantation, thirteen miles from this town, one Good, a lad about sixteen years old, and carried him- to four Indians about eight miles from the place where he was taken. The white men and the Indians all got drunk, and the lad happily made his escape in the night." THE TOWNSHIPS 167 The winter of 1T58 was very severe and on account of the severity of the weather t'he people were not molested by the Indians, but they felt less secure because Fort Northkill had been abandoned, and they were very apprehensive of an attack as soon as the snow had melted and the weather became fair. GRAIN CRADLE. Industries. From the earliest colonial days, saw mills and grist mills have been operated on the banks of Irish Creek. As farming always has been the leading occupation, some enterprising people engaged in the manufacture of articles needed on the farm. Near Belleman's Church grain cradles were manufactured when that was the only means <:>f harvesting the grain. Another much needed article on the farm is the rake, which is being manufactured several miles west of Centreport, along Irish Creek. The Reber Wagon Works, near Centreport, turn out a superior farm wagon. The ice- dam near the mouth of Iris'h Creek* covers about thirty acres, and the storage house nearby has a capacity of more than twenty-five thousand tons. It is known as the Dauberville Ice Plant, and was established in 1888. 168 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY Towns. The borough of Centreport lies in this township. Mohrsville is a thriving town. The depot was built in 1841, and the hotel opposite in 1851. Shoemakersville Station, several miles north, was located in 1862. Centreville (Garfield), in t'he southwestern section of the town- ship, has been a business place for many years. COLEBROOKDALE. Colebrookdale Township was settled in 1720 and organized in 1741. It was named after Colebrook, a district in England. The early settlers were Englishmen, who were familiar with the manu- facture of iron. It was the discovery of iron ore in 1720 along Iron- stone Creek, within the present limits of Boyertown, which caused these men to take up large areas of land. A furnace was immediately built along this creek and the mines opened, but it was not until about 1845 that the Colebrookdale mines began to be worked extensively. The Phoenix Iron Company began to operate the mines in 1854, when they put up the first engine. Since that time very much ore has been removed. Next to the Cornwall mines near Lebanon, these are the largest in the state. There are four shafts. The ore yields from fifty-five to fifty-six per cent, of metallic iron. Owing to the fact that the mines are very deep, enormous quantities of water must be pumped out. Industries. Besides the iron industry, there are many other noteworthy enterprises in the district. A large tannery was operated east of Boyertown for many years, and the streams of the township have long been used to furnish power for mills of various kinds. In the vicinity of Boyertown, a large amount of choice fruit is being raised, and the locality is noted for its fine apples and peaches. The borough of Boyertown lies in this township. New Berlinville is a village one mile east of Boyertown. A store, hotel and implement house are fhe chief business places. Morvsville lies about one mile west of Boyertown. It contains a mill and a few other business places. Engelsville is located in the southern part of the township. Coop- THE TOWNSHIPS 169 ering has been the principal business for a number of years. Bricks are manufactured to a considerable extent. Gabelsville is a small town north of Boyertown along the Oley Valley trolley line. It has a few business places. CUMRU. The first settlement in this township was made in 1732, and the township was organized in 1737. It was named Cumru after a district in Wales, whence many of the settlers came. An attempt to divide the township was made in 1842. This was not successful. Another attempt was made in 1845 which also failed. A third attempt was made in 1850 and this proved successful. Genera] Mifflin's farm was located in this township. John Penn accompanied by Judge James Biddle visited the General while on his way from Reading to Harrisburg. The following is an ac- count of his visit : "The General and Mrs. Mifflin received us in a neat farmhouse, and being very early themselves, provided a second breakfast for us, though it was only half-past seven. He took us around some of his improvements, and I rode with him to various points of view which commanded the town of Reading and circumjacent hills and valleys. He farms about twelve hundred acres, and has a Scotch farmer who conducts the business; one hundred acres of meadow land he waters. A neighbor of the General's is one of the marrving Dunkers. They live in their own houses like other countrvmen, but wear their beards long. General Mifflin, with agreeable frank- ness and affability, pressed us both to stay for an early dinner, to which we sat down about one o'clock. After dinner I mounted my horse and came into the Carlisle road about three miles off at Sinking Spring." The County Home. The ; arm, which in Revolutionary times, was owned by Thomas Mifflin, was purchased by the county in 1824 for the purpose of providing a home for the poor people of the county. It is located three miles from Reading on the Lancaster Road and contains four hundred seventeen and one-fourth acres. The r rst building was finished in 1825. This has since been known 170 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY as the Main Building, and other buildings, such as the "Insane Build- ing," and "Hospital", have been added since. During the first year one hundred and thirty persons were admitted to this home, and thereafter the number increased until 1878 when the home contained as many as sixteen hundred thirteen. At present there are about two hundred fifty. The. Wyomissing is the most important stream of the town- ship. At the mouth of the creek opposite Reading almost since colonial days have been located mills. A number of mill sites are located on the banks of this stream. In these old mills carding was done and clover was hulled; the water-power was used to saw wood, manufacture hats, draw wire and bore out and grind rifle barrels. David Pennypacker manufactured guns complete on the banks of this stream as early as 178G. The Hat Industry. The Hendel Hat Factory was established in 1878. It employs many hands and has been operated by the Hendels since the time of its erection. The place is now called Hendelton. In 1884 Orr and Sembower erected a plant for the manufacture of engines. The firm known as the Millmont Works was incor- porated in 1890. The manufacture of stoves, ranges and heaters was begun by the Prizer Painter Stove Company at Millmont in 1889. The Chantrell Tool Company began business at Millmont in 1892. They manufacture household specialties and builders' hard- ware. The Belt Line, extending through Spring and Cumru Townships, was built to relieve some of the congestion of the P. & R. Railroad. At Millmont also is located the ice-house of the Angelica Ice Com- pany. This company has various plants along the Angelica Creek, and can store many thousands of tons of ice. The Mt. Penn Ice Company also has an ice plant in this town- ship. A plant to dispose of the. garbage collected at Reading was built in 1902, about a mile south of Grill Village. At the mouth of THE TOWNSHIPS 171 Wyomissing Creek the Metropolitan Electric Company has estab- lished a large and powerful plant for the purpose of furnishing light and power. The Globe Rendering Company, whose object is to manufac- ture oils, fertilizers and poultry food out of slaughter house offals, was established in 1009. A property containing twenty acres of land, upon which has been built the Mother House of the St. Bernardine Sisters, is lo- cated in this township. Sixty-five teachers are connected with this institution. The boroughs of Shillington and Mohnton lie in this township. Oakbrook, Millmont, Gouglersville, Grill, Angelica, Hendelton and Edison are the villages of Cumru. DISTRICT. District Township was organized in 1750. In that year the County Commissioners divided the large territory comprised with- in the borders of Oley, forming a new township out of the eastern part. Because this lay between Oley proper and Colebrookdale, is was frequently referred to as the district lying between the two, so when the time came to select a name for the new township, it was called District. In 1840 about eleven hundred acres were added to this town- ship in the eastern section. The part added was taken from Here- ford Township. The highest point in the township is eleven hun- dred feet above sea level. Industries. During its early history there were mills and tan- neries along the small creeks, and ruins of them may still be seen. The chief occupation of the people is farming. Towns. Landis Store is in the central part of the township. A tavern was built about 1800. The building is still standing. The post office was named after Samuel Landis, who first opened it in 1X5:5. Fredericksville is situated in the northwestern part of the township. It was named after David Frederick, who built the first house. 172 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY DOUGLASS. It is probable that the first settlements were made by the Swedes, but many of the early records show that settlers came from the Palatinate. Through this township led the pathway of the Wolf Indians and the settlers on their way to Amity and Oley. The name is of Scotch origin, and is supposed to have been sug- gested by the petitioners. The township was erected from a part of Amity. The early settlers had their share of trouble with the savages. It is said that in 1728 eleven Indians, part of a small local tribe, which was not represented in the council, came to this section armed and painted for war. They plundered and took provisions by force. A brief battle was fought between them and twenty set- tlers, in which several were wounded on each side. The people in the community rallied and the savages fled. Industries. The first iron manufactured in Pennsylvania was made in this section. One of the principal industries is the Pine Iron Works, near Pine Forge. The product is diamond and ribbed steel plates, which are in demand in all civilized countries. The Colebrookdale foundry, near Colebrookdale station, estab- lished about 1837, manufactures flatirons, meat choppers and other household utensils. It is in a flourishing condition. On the south side of Rattlesnake Hill is located a stone crush- er that is preparing hundreds of tons of rock to serve useful pur- poses in building and macadamizing. The iron industries are located along the Manatawny and Ironstone Creeks, which originally furnished the exclusive power. The soil, though not superior, is still the most valuable asset of the people, who have for many years derived enough from it to give them a comfortable living. Fully five thousand peach trees flourish in this section and yield rich returns to their owners. Pine Forge is the principal railroad station and has a number of business places. The post office is located about one-fourth of a mile from the station. Little Oley is the next town in size and lies about two miles north of Pine Forge. Greshville is a village about a mile from Little Oley. Other places are Colebrookdale Station, Ironstone Sta- tion and Bramcote. THE TOWNSHIPS 173 EARL. Earl was a part of Oley Township until 1781, when the inhabitants petitioned the court for a new township which was granted the same year. It contained ten thousand eight hundred eighty-two acres, but in 1852 a part of it was annexed to Pike, reducing the area to nine thousand five hundred twenty acres. Its name was derived from a title of nobility. The F.irst Settler. Peter Clous was the first settler. He took up land in the northern part and opened a public house near the present site of Shanesville. Many old people reside in this town ship. Betsy Trout, who recently died, was one hundred and one years old. The first public house in the township was opened at the foot ot Long Hill in what is known as Woodchoppertown. The early elections were held in this house, but it has long since been changed to a dwelling. Koch's tavern in the northern part of the township was abandoned many years ago. About 1800, a forge was erected on the Manatawny near Earl- ville. It was abandoned in 18G8 and made into a saw mill. A fulling: mill was operated for many years near the mouth of Trout Brook, near which was also a powder mill. There was also a small furnace on Furnace Creek, and a pioneer oil mill along the small stream in the northern part of the township. The oil mill was changed to a grist mill, which was abandoned in 1883. The tanning business was carried on near Worman in the early part of the nineteenth century and a large amount of charcoal was burned on the hills. Ore mines. Many years ago iron ore was mined on Nagle Hill and hauled to Monocacy. The ore that was taken out of Furnace Hill was converted into pig iron by the small furnace there. About five years ago the Manatawny Bessemer Ore Company began to operate the mines in the hills of Earl. Fancy Hill (one thousand feet) contains iron ore. Graphite has recently been discovered in Powder Mill Valley and mica in Furnace Valley. The Oley Valley trolley was built through the township in 1001 and the Manatawny Railroad to con- nect the mines with the Pennsylvania Railroad near Stowe was com- menced in 11112. 174 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY Shanesville is a village of about twenty houses. It was named after John Shane, who owned the land upon which the town was founded. Earlville is a village along the Manatawny in the western part of the township. EXETER. The settlers who first made their homes in Exeter, arrived there in 1718. In 1741 the township was organized. It was so named after a district in England whence the first settlers came. Tobias Collet, Daniel Ouair and Henry Goldney took up a tract of one thousand acres on the east side of the river. This was called the London Com- pany. In 1699 Penn had granted to this company six thousand acres of land in Pennsylvania. The Lincoln Home. One thousand acres of the same was granted by the company to Andrew Robeson. It was this Robeson tract that later came into the possession of Mordecai Lincoln, who had two sons: Thomas and Abraham. Abraham emigrated to Kentucky in 1782, where he was killed by the Indians. He left three sons: one LINCOLN HOME. of these (Thomas) was tne father of Abraham Lincoln, who later be- came President of the United States. THE TOWNSHIPS 175 The Boone Home. A part of this same tract was granted to Squire Boone, of Philadelphia County, the father of the famous Ken- tucky hunter. Boone was born in this township in 1733 on a farm BOONE HOME. which is about one mile north of Baumstown. The building where he was born is still standing though it has been much improved. His father and family left the township in 1750. Later he went beyond the mountains, where he met with his experiences with the Indians. Industries. The water-power of the Antietam propelled the first mills. Xear the Alsace line is one of them, which for many years was in the possession of the Warner's. The mill below this was at one time used to bore rifles. A paper mill and a grinding mill were also located on the stream. A hat factory and an oil mill for a time did a prosperous business. The St. Lawrence mills have been operated for quite a long time. They manufacture, by the use of improved ma- chinery, all kinds of fabrics. On the same stream, in L828, there was erected a mill which was abandoned a number of years ago, and in its place was put a small feed mill. A fulling mill w^as located on the Monocacy just where it enters this township. The largest mill in the township was also on the 176 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY Monocacy. It was operated by the water of a race almost. a mile long. It is supposed that the Boone family were among these early promoters.- The Brumbach mills were established in 1853 for the manufac- ture of woolen goods. In this township also was erected in 1870 what was known as the Seidle Forge. It produced forge iron for locomotive engines. The Brooke Furnace, also in the township, has an annual production of twenty-one thousand tons. It is a part of the plant of the Brooke Iron Company and was established in 1872. The principal towns in the township are the following: Black Bear, Jaeksonwald, St. Lawrence (Esterly), Stonersville. Stonetown, Baumstown, Birdsboro Station, Lorane, Neversink Station, Klapper- thal and Oley Line (Limekiln). GREENWICH. Greenwich was organized in 1741). It derives its name from Greenwich, England. The first settlers were Germans, who set- SCENE ALONG THE SACONY. tied along the Ontelaunee and Sacony. Indian raids extended into this township. In March, 1755, a mill belonging to Peter Conrad was burned by the Indians. At the same time a neighbor's barn was burned and his wife killed. Numerous Indian relics are still found. THE TOWNSHIPS 177 The township furnished soldiers for each one of the important wars of the United States. Industries. The township has always been well supplied with mills. Tanneries, clover mills, grinding- mills, grain cradle factories, carding mills and oil mills have all existed in their time, but these now are things of the past. Distilleries were common, and whiskey and applejack were taken to Philadelphia and sold at thirty-five and twenty-five cents a gallon, respectively. The Maidencreek furnace at Lenhartsville made pig iron for many years, and a forge was located south of Lenhartsville, but only the ruins remain. Red slate for paint is quarried in the northern part. Build- ing stone is common, and valuable limestone is plentiful in the southern section. The borough of Lenhartsville lies in this township. Klinesville is two miles east of Lenhartsville. A man named Kline put up a log building and kept a store there before 1800. BLUE ROCKS, GREENWICH TOWNSHIP, BLUE MOUNTAIN'S. Krumsville is three miles east of Klinesville. It is a flourishing village. It was formerly known as Smit'hville. Grimville is near the township line. Before the days of railroads this was an important business place. A tannery was for a long time the leading industry. 178 THE STOEY OF BERKS COUNTY Dreibelbeis is a flag station along the Schuylkill & Lehigh Rail- road. Mills have been operated since Revolutionary times. Liscum is a small place three miles north of Kutztown. A Natural Curiosity. The Blue Rocks, in the northwestern part of the township, are a natural curiosity and are much visited by historians, scientists and others. The Blue Mountains near them rise to a height of sixteen hundred feet. The location is in the extreme point of Greenwich, very close to the line of both Albany and Windsor. HEIDELBERG. Many of the early settlers in this township came from a district of the same name in Germany and named their township after their home in the fatherland. These first settlers were connected with the settlement of the Tulpehocken district. The first settlements were in the neighborhood of Womelsdorf. It was a part of Lan- caster County until 1752. Different attempts were made to divide the township but they failed, until 1842 when the eastern portion w r as erected under the name of Lower Heidelberg, and the northern portion three years later as Xorth Heidelberg. The Weiser Farm. The Weiser farm contained two hundred and forty-eight acres of land, selected probably more on account of the abundance of water and valuable timber than fertility of soil. Many very old buildings yet remain standing in this township The remains of Conrad Weiser rest as they were interred many years ago. The spot will continue to become more noted as the early history of the nation becomes better known. A tannery was located on the old State Road east of Womels- dorf as early as 1 TOO. West of Robesonia most excellent lime has been produced for many years. The stone here quarried yield a large percentage of good lime. The Robesonia Furnace was located on Spring Creek, south of Robesonia. In rebuilding the stack in 1844, a most serious acci- dent occurred in which seven men were killed. So much damage was done that the plant was remodeled. It now employs about two hundred men and produces about two hundred tons of iron daily. THE TOWNSHIPS 179 Bethany Orphans' Home was established in 18(>7 one mile south of Womelsdorf by the German Reformed Church. It was BETHANY ORPHANS' HOME. destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1.881. It cares for many orphans, a small percentage of whom come from Berks County. The borough of Womelsdorf lies on the boundary between this township and Marion. Robesonia is the largest town and has made application to be- come a borough. Here is located the township high school. It has quite a few business places and is splendidly located. NORTH HEIDELBERG. Heidelberg Township originally contained about thirty-seven thousand acres. Part of its territory was taken to form Lower Heidel- berg in 1842. One year later a small portion was taken to form Marion. In 1845 a petition was presented to the court for another division. It was granted, and North Heidelberg was erected. Many of the early settlers were Moravians. It was so named on account of its location. On the Tulpehocken, which forms the northern as well as the western boundary of the township, there have been saw and grist mills for years. At some of the mill sites whiskey was formerly distilled. On Spring Creek, saw and grist mills built years ago are still sawing and grinding. The chief occupation of the people is farming. The principal business centre is Klopp's Store (North Heidel- berg). It has a store, hotel, implement house and a creamerv. 180 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY LOWER HEIDELBERG. Heidelberg Township was reduced in 1842, when Lower Heidel- berg- was made a separate township. Ten years after the erection of the township a petition was filed for dividing Lower Heidelberg. Commissioners were appointed to draw the line and make a report to court. They reported favorably and suggested Cacoosing as the name of the new district. Objections were filed and the proposed new township was not erected. Small brooks running from South Mountain were made to turn mills. One of the first was built in 1755. There was a paper mill on Spring Creek before 1800. This was later turned into a joiner's shop. Gun barrels next were made here and then it was turned into a woolen factory. The old Berkshire Furnace has historic interest. It was a small charcoal furnace, erected before 17G0. The ore was mined in what is now Spring Township. The Reading Furnace was built upon Mill Creek and the Berkshire Furnace was abandoned because of lack of water. A paper mill was started near the mouth of the Cacoosing Creek in 1825, and continued in the Van Reed Family for more than seventy years. It has been operated from time to time by various parties. Mountain Resorts. This township has become famous for its magnificent health resorts. They follow in order of their establish- ment : Wenrich's Grand View was established in 1849. It has been greatlv improved since that time. The Walter Sanatarium has been improved and enlarged several times since it was erected in 1877. It is one of the most noted resorts of its kind in the country. 'Grosch's Sunset House was built in 1870. It has been .much improved and enlarged and is now known as Sunset Hall. Preston's Sunny Side was established in 1880, and operated successfully ever since. It is now Galen Hall. The Hossler Highland House was started by James Schaffer in 1800. It was later bought by James Hossler, who has conducted it successfullv ever since. THE TOWNSHIPS 181 The Wernersville State Asylum was established in 1894. It is located west of Wernersville. This site was selected bv a commission WERNERSVILLE STATE INSANE ASYLUM. appointed by the governor. It contains five hundred and forty acres of land and building's valued at five hundred thousand dollars. Xew buildings are constantly being added. Villages. Wernersville is eight miles from Reading on the Lebanon Valley Railroad. It is one of the finest towns in the county, and contains the township high school. Brownsville is in the western part of the township. The Lower Heidelberg post office was established here in 1864. The name is derived from a family who early kept a store in the village. Blue Marsh (Stateville) is in the northern section of the town- ship. It has been so called for one hundred and fifty years. Lorah (State Hill) is at the top of the hill, southeast of Blue Marsh. Cacoosing is located in the eastern section along Cacoosing Creek. HEREFORD. The name of this township was derived from a district in Eng- land. The first settlers were nearly all German Schwenkfelders, but the name was probably given by the English iron masters. It was settled in 1732, and organized in 1753. A large portion of the original township was taken to form Washington. 182 THE STORY OF BERK8 COUNTY Indian Depredations. The lower part of the county was dis- turbed very little by the Indians, but in March, 1750, they ventured as far south as Hereford. The Pennsylvania Gazette says, "On March 22, one John Krauscher and his wife and William Zeth and his boy, about twelve years old, went to their place to find the cat- 1 tie, and on their return were fired upon by five Indians, who hid themselves about ten perches from the road, when Zeth was mortal- ly wounded in the back; Krauscher's wife was found dead and scalped and had three cuts in her right arm with a tomahawk. Krauscher made his escape, and the boy was carried off by the enemy." Industries. The water-power furnished by the Perkiomen has been used for years to turn the mills of this township. Potteries, oil mills and saw mills have all flourished in times past. On the west branch of the Perkiomen many years ago there was a small charcoal furnace. Iron ore mining has been carried on in the northern part of the township for many years. In the western part of the township was located the Mayburg Furnace, where a celebrated stove was manufactured, as well as many other useful articles needed in the colony. In the dam of this furnace may be seen a flat stone with a hole in the center, where the Indians formerly ground their corn. The pestle which fits the hole is in the possession of the owner of the property. An excep- tional quality of granite is quarried near Siesholtzville. Towns. Siesholtzville is named after a former hotel keeper at that place. The first public place was opened about 1800, and the post office in 1849. Huff's Church is on the west branch of the Perkiomen, and is quite a business centre. Treichlersville lies in the eastern part of the township. Here- ford post office was established here in 1830. Hereford lies a short distance northwest. Harlem is a small place south of Siesholtzville. Clayton and Chapel lie near the Montgomery County line. JEFFERSON. Jefferson was a part of Tulpehocken until 1851, when it was organized as a separate township. It was named after the first Demo- THE TOWNSHIPS 183 cratic President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. Its early history is closely associated with that of Tulpehocken and Heidel- berg. It is bounded on the south by the Tulpehocken Creek, along whose course many of the Indians and the early settlers traveled. Mills of various kinds have been operated for many years, not only along the Tulpehocken, but also on its tributaries, the Little Northkill and Mill Creek. Tulpehocken (Schaefferstown) is the principal village and busi- ness centre. Krick's Mill (Cross Key) is situated on the Tulpehocken. LONGSWAMP. This township touches the Lehigh line and is located in the east- ern part of the county. It was settled in 1734 chiefly by the Germans, who came from Goshenhoppen and Oley. The first person to come here is said to have been a man named Berger, who settled in Long's Dale. These early settlers found the land low and swampy, covered with sour grass and thickets, and for this reason gave it the name it still retains. An Early Church. The Longswamp Church, established in 1748, was one of the earliest churches of the county. In its cemetery may be found the graves of a number of Revolutionary soldiers, the township having furnished two companies — one commanded by Charles Crouse and the other by Henry Egner. Frederick Heelwig taught school in this township before 1752 and also served as tax collector. The first assessment, made in 1754, shows that there were fourteen single and sixty-eight married men taxed. The soil of the towns'hip is excellent and its farms are noted for their production of wheat and corn. The streams of Longswamp supplied abundant water-power for a number of forges, furnaces and grist mills, remains of which may still be seen. A charcoal furnace was in operation on the Little Lehigh as early as 1797. This later became the Mary Ann Furnace, where were cast the first stoves for burning anthracite coal. These were long known as the "Lehigh Coal Stove." A mill for grinding gypsum has been abandoned. A number of clay works have been operated 184 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY during the past thirty years. Their product is used in the manu- facture of wall paper. Ochre has been produced since 1882 and graphite since 1880. Iron ore was discovered as early as 1752. The mines at Rittenhouse Gap and Oreville have for many years yielded excellent ore. The former is no longer operated. It is reported that nearly every farm in the township is underlaid with iron ore. Brandywine Hill and the Glen are much visited 'because of the beauty of their scenerv. Towns. Longswamp Centre is one of the oldest villages. It contains a rug mill and a splendid second grade Township High School, being the first established in the county. Red Lion, Maple Grove and Schweyer's are mining towns. Shamrock is the name given to one of the railroad stations. It was so called from the plant which was found while the railroad was being built. Mertztown, the largest village, contains a number of manu- facturing establishments, among which are a flour mill, an asbestos factory and an ochre plant. Hancock contains a planing mill. Henningsville is located on the mountains in the southern section. The borough of Topton lies in this township. MAIDENCREEK. This township was named after the stream that flows through it. It was settled in 1732 chiefly by the Quakers, and erected into a township in 1710. In 1810 the township was divided and the west- ern section was called Ontelaunee. This word means Little Daugh- ter, so called by the Indians because the creek flowed into the Schuylkill. Settled by Quakers. The Quakers were the pioneers of this township and the old building once used as a Quaker Meeting House and school house near Stone Bridge, is a silent index of their educa- tional sentiment. They were for education and peace, and it was chiefllv due to their friendly relations with the Indians that the people of this township were unmolested. THE TOWNSHIPS 185 OLD QUAKER MEETING HOUSE, MAIDENCREEK. In 1750 the Assembly declared war upon the Delawares and Shawnese and offered rewards for Indian scalps. This caused many of the Quaker members to resign and Quaker rule in Pennsylvania declined. The chief occupation of the people is farming. There are lime- stone quarries at different places and excellent lime is burned. Near Evansville is one of the most up-to-date cement mills in the state. There is also a small plant near Molltown. This is the onlv township in the county in which this industry is carried on. The rolling mill at Blandon employs many hands and shows the thrift in the iron industry. Towns. Blandon is the largest town and is noted for its iron manufacture. Molltown has a few business places. Evansville is about one-half mile west of Evansville Station. It contains a store and a mill. Calcium (Maidencreek Station) has a grain house and coal yard. Limestone and lime are shipped from tin's point. Maidencreek (Halfway House) is about one mile north of Blan- don and has a few industries. 186 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY MARION. Marion Township is situated on the western boundary line of Berks County and adjoins Lebanon County for a distance of seven miles. The township was erected out of the Tulpehocken section in 1843, and named after the distinguished general, Francis Marion. First Settlers. The first settlers in this section were Germans from the Palatinate. Most of them had originally landed at New York in 1712, but being imposed upon and deceived the}- migrated by way of the Susquehanna River and the Swatara Creek and set- tled on the Tulpehocken, close to Stouchsburg. It was in this township in a house still well preserved, now occupied and owned by Dr. Isaac W. Newcomet, that Conrad Weiser, Peter Speyker and other noted councillors held their conclaves to devise way and means to pacify the Indians who were endangering the lives of the settlers in the northern part of the county. Among these early Palatines were the Reeds, who settled on the Tulpehocken as early as 1723. The land on which the first of them lived was a tract of one hundred and forty acres, and it has been in the Reed family for many years. On the farm is an old house partly built in 1741), and remodeled in 1804. It is of logs, weatherboard, and has many timbers to support the upper floors,. The house contains an old clock which has always been a part of the furniture. It is supposed to have been running since 1704. One of the first churches in Pennsylvania and possibly the first Lutheran Church in the state, was erected in 1727, near the con- fluence of the Tulpehocken and Millbach Creeks. The first build- ing was of logs, roughly hewn and had no floor. This church has been rebuilt three times, and now a modern brownstone build- ing bearing the original name, Reed's Church, has been erected in the town of Stouchsburg. The cemetery is on the original site. Beautiful springs and flowing water of two streams and the heavily wooded forests of this section were an incentive to attract both the Indians and the whites. An old report states that a traveler in the province in 1732 paid a miller at Tulpehocken one pound and five shillings for ten THE TOWNSHIPS 187 bushels of meal, delivered to Sassoonan, an Indian chief, who was in want of provisions. So a mill must have existed there at that early date. A grist mill was at one time located where the turnpike crosses the stream below the junction of the Millbach and the Tulpehocken, but when the Union Canal was built it was removed. Nearly op- posite to this old site was an old carding mill which was still used in 1885. A short distance farther up the Millbach, was operated, in 1776, an oil and flax-carding mill. The first Sunday school of the neighborhood was organized in this mill about 1834. On the Tulpehocken, south of Stouchsburg, a clover mill was built by Peter Sheets. In this locality also was operated a dynamite factory by Henry W. Stump. The entire plant was carried away by two terrific explosions on the afternoon of November 7. 1884. Much damage was done and the factory was never rebuilt. The streams furnish excellent water-power for flour and saw mills. A shirt factory and tobacco factory, and a wheelwricdit and blacksmith shop are among the industries. The surface con- sists of slightly rolling limestone soil, having no waste land. It is occupied by thrifty and energetic farmers, and has often been called, "The Garden Spot of Berks." Charming Forge was established in what is now Marion in 1740. A part of the forge site including the water-power was pur- chased by the borough of Womelsdorf in 1006 to manufacture elec- tricity for lighting the dwellings and streets. Church used as a Fort. A Lutheran Church is one mile east from Stouchsburg, and one and one-fourth miles north of the turnpike It is one of the largest congregations in the county. The land on which the church was built was donated and much of the labor was furnished by the people living in the vicinity. Since the early settlers were constantly in danger of Indian attacks, the building was so arranged that it could be used as a fort in case of attack. A vault was made in the earthen floor where the ammunition was stored. During its early historv there was no pastor, but in 1733 Casper Leutbecker, a tailor by trade, taught school and served the con- 188 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY gregation as a substitute preacher. This led to trouble which Count Zinzendorf tried to settle. These troubles continued until the Moravians finally withdrew and a part of the congregation built a new church about one mile west of Stouchsburg. A Reformed congregation was organized in this township about 1745. Its first building was made of logs, on the south corner of the old cemetery near the present parsonage. Another church was built in 1772 and a third one in 1853. The Rev. Michael Schlatter was one of the first preachers. It was he who went to Europe to secure preachers, teachers and funds to carry on the work of the church and the school in the cojonies. It was the Parochial School of the Reformed Church at this place that received aid from the charity funds which Schlatter received in Europe. The Tulpehocken Academy was founded in 1831, and the Stouchsburg Academy in 1838. Stouchsburg, the only town in the district, contains about four hundred inhabitants. The town was named after a man named Stouch, who was the first inhabitant. MAXATAWNY. Maxatawny is an Indian word which means Bear's Path Creek. The first settlement was made in 1732 and just ten years later, in 1742, the district was organized into a township. The Indians remained in this township a long time after they had gone from the others. It is said that many of them are buried here. The frequent cultivation of the ground has eliminated all traces of them, but many of their relics were found during tiie early days. A Revolutionary Encampment. After the Battle of Brandywine in 1777, a regiment of the American army encamped on the farms now owned by the Hottensteins, and upon leaving they took all cf the horses and wagons on which they could lay their hands. Quite a number of the inhabitants of the township took part in the Revolu- tionary War, and were taken prisoners. In this township is the famous Centennial White Oak of Penn- sylvania. On the 15th of September, the baggage train of General THE TOWNCHIPS 189 CENTENNIAL WHITE OAK. Washington found shelter under and around this famous tree. One foot above the ground the tree measures twenty-eight feet in circum- ference and ten feet above this its branches stretch forth, seme of which are three feet in diameter. Paper mills were operated on the Sacony near Kutztown for a long while. On Mill Creek was the first mill in the township, and with it was also conducted a tannery. Furnaces. The East Perm Furnace w-as built in 1871. The propertv has changed hands a number of times. At Bowers a small furnace was built in 1883. The property was so badly damaged by a storm that it was never repaired. The iron ore in the township is of a good quality. Much of the ore Which went to the Sally Ann and Mary Ann Furnaces many years ago. was mined in this township. Twenty-five year:, ago iron ore was mined in Longswamp. Maxatawny and Richmond Townships. These mines at one time yielded very large quantities of ore. Nearly all of them have now been shut down. The old Fair Ground which had been established on the south- west side of Kutztown by the Agricultural Society has been abandon- ed. In 1905 a new place was selected and made suitable for Fair purposes. 190 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY The Keystone State Normal School was established in Max- altawny near Kutztown in 1866. It has since grown to be one of the leading Normal Schools in the state. The borough of Kutztown lies in the township. Lyons is a prosperous village on the Easj: Penn Railroad. The post office, Lyon Station, was established in 1860. Bowers is located on the East Penn Railroad, one mile east of Lyons. Monterey is a village on the Easton Road. Maxatawny (Rothrocksville) is near the Lehigh County Line. It was named after Dr. Jonas Rothrocks. Schofer lies one mile east of Monterey. Old Barn. Near Eagle Point is Levan's Mill. The barn recently razed was used by Count Zinzendorf as a church. Zinzendorf was a pious German nobleman and the leader among the Moravians. MUHLENBERG. Muhlenberg Township is situated along the east bank of the Schuylkill, immediately north of Reading. It was not erected as a separate township until 1851, when it was formed out of the western part of Alsace Township. It was named after Rev. Henry A. Muhlenberg, a noted Lutheran minister of this county. The first settlers were Germans, who crossed the Irish Mountain from Oley by way of Laurel Run Valley about 1737. About the same time a number of Germans also pushed their way up the Schuylkill Valley from Philadelphia and entered the township along the Schuylkill above Reading. A number of old stone houses erected before the Revolution are still in existence in the township. According to tradition there was an Indian village along the Laurel Run Creek at the foot of the Irish Mountain, at or near the spot where the Temple Furnace now stands. This seems to be borne out by the fact that many Indian relics were found by the early settlers in that particular section. Industries. The earliest settlers engaged mostly in farming, but at a very early date the Mt. Laurel Furnace was erected by the Clymers at the extreme eastern end of the township. The fine quality of the limestone used in the erection of the first houses also THE TOWNSHIPS 191 indicate? that the limestone quarries, for which the township is noted, were operated at a very early date. With the growth of Reading, fruit, dairy and truck farming became a leading industry. Other prominent industries are the Muhlenberg Brewery, Eisenbrown's Granite and Marble Cutting Establishment, the' Reading Quarry Company, the Temple Malleable Steel Com- pany for malleable steel products ; the Temple Sand Company pro- ducing and shipping about one hundred tons of sand per da}' ; the Mt. Laurel Water Company, engaged in the manufacture of soft drinks, and the filtering, bottling and marketing of large quantities of water from the famous Mt. Laurel Spring; a cigar factory, stock- ing factories, the Prospect Dye W^orks at Hyde Park, and the Laurel Dale Brick Yard at Laurel Dale. Several grist mills were erected at an early date along the Laurel Run and the Schuylkill. Within the last ten years a number of subur- ban towns have sprung up in the township, all of which are growing rapidly. The Temple Furnace was established in 1804. In 1873 the com- pany secured a special charter. In 1900 its charter was changed so as to enable the corporation to operate coal mines. It produces 40,(100 tons of pig iron annually. Towns. Temple, a town with a population of about one thou- sand, is situated three miles north of Reading. It is noted for iron, sand, limestone and stocking industries. Tuckerton is a village of about three hundred people, and is sit- uated along the Centre Turnpike. It has several business places. Hinnershitz Church is located here. Hyde Park is a suburb immediately to the north of Reading, with a population of about twelve hundred. It contains the two newly- erected Alsace Churches, ranking among the finest and most modern in the county. It has varied industries and a number of prominent business places. Rosedale is a new suburb along the East Penn Railroad. Spring Valley is a small village to the east of the East Penn Railroad and is one-half a mile north of Reading:. 192 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY Frush Valley is a village along the East Perm Railroad, about two miles north of Reading. Mt. Laurel, a small village at the northeastern end of the town- ship, is one mile east of Temple and has been noted for many years as the home of the Mt. Laurel Furnace. Xorthmont is a new suburb north of Reading, part of it being within the city limits. Muhlenberg is a village along the Pennsylvania Schuylkill Val- ley and the Schuylkill & Lehigh Railroads and is situated one mile north of the city. Fairview Brewery and Muhlenberg Brewery are also in this township. St. Michael's Seminary was founded in 1894 for the education of young ladies. It is now a sanatarium. The premises include fifty acres of ground and a superior building. The Fair Grounds were es- tablished in the township in 1888. They cover an area of twenty-four acres and cost forty thousand dollars. OLEY. The territory comprised in Oley Township is one of the most fertile sections of the State. The name is derived from Olink, which in the Indian language means a kettle. The township was erected in 1740. Originally it was much larger than it is at present. Earl, Exeter, Pike and Rockland were organized from territory belonging to Oley. Early History. The first land sold was a. tract of five hundred acres which William Perm conveyed to John Stashold, of England, in 1682. This tract was bought by John Hoch in 172S and part of it is still in the possession of his descendants. The first settler was John Keim. In 1008 he bought a tract of land on the head waters of the Manatawny and in 1700 settled there. In 1712 Isaac DeTurk settled on a tract of three hundred acres near what is now Friedens- burg. The land is still in the possession of his descendants. Abraham Levan came in 1715, Jonathan Herbein before 1720. Jean Bertolet in 1720, John Hoch and John Voder in 1728, and David Kauffman before 17:12. Some of these settlers were Huguenots and had fled from France on account of religious persecution. THE TOWNSHIPS 193 OLEY MORAVIAN CHURCH. The inhabitants of Oley were interested in education at an early date. The Moravians came into the township soon after 1740. They organized a congregation and also established a school which was attended by a considerable number of students, some of whom came from distant places. The church is still standing and is now used as a dwelling. The Oley Reformed congregation, which was organized in 1736, also established a school, which was maintained until free schools were established in 1849. The Oley Academy was established at Friedensburg in 1857 and was successfully maintained until 1905, when it was changed into a township high school. Oley was the home of some of the most prominent men who took part in the Revolutionary War. John Les'her was a member of the Assembly and of the Constitutional Convention. He was a member of the committee which drew up the ''Declaration of Rights." He was also appointed by the government as commissioner to pur- chase supplies for the Continental Arm}-. General Daniel Udree was a colonel during the Revolution and a Major-General in the 194 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY War of 1812. He was twice a member of Congress and for six years a member of the Assembly. Daniel Hunter was a colonel in the Continental Army. He commanded a regiment at Trenton and at Brandywine. Daniel DeTurk commanded a company in the Con- tinental Army. Before the white people came Oley was inhabited by the Indians. Several of their villages were located in the Oley valley. The Indians of Oley belonged to the Wolf Tribe. It is said that in the middle of the seventeenth century, before Oley was settled, a battle was fought between the Indians and a company of prospectors where the Oley churches now stand. Industries. The principal streams are the Manatawny, the Monocacy, Beaver Creek, Furnace Creek and the Little Mana- tawny. They furnish abundant water-power and some industries sprang up along their courses. Along the Manatawny, at what is now Spangsville, the Oley Forge was started in 1740. A furnace was erected at a later period. The first furnace was erected by Diedrich Welker on land granted to him in 1744. This was called the Shearwell Furnace. The Oley Furnace, located along Furnace Creek, was built in 1772. Both were operated as late as 1783. In 1801 Daniel Udree became the owner. He made a success of the business and became wealthy. At his death in 1828 he was the heaviest taxpayer in Berks County. Grist mills and saw mills were erected at various places, most of which are still operated. Several paper mills, woolen factories and oil mills were also erected. The first National Bank of Oley was chartered in 1007. It is located in Friedensburg. The Reading and Boyertown trolley line passes through the township. Towns. Oley (Friedensburg) is the principal village. Its population is about five hundred. It contains two churches, a bank, the township high school, three schools of lower grade, a knitting mill and a number of business places. Other villages a*re Manatawnv (Pleasantville), Griesemersville and Spangsville. THE TOWNSHIPS 195 ONTELAUNEE. This township was formed by dividing Maidencreek in 1849. Moses Starr in 1721 bought five hundred fifty acres along the Maiden- creek and soon after erected a mansion on the tract. After the Indians released this section in 1732, so many Quakers came up along the Schuylkill and occupied the land that in twenty years most of the land in this township was owned by them. Balthaser Schalter, a native of Germany, settled on a tract at Schuylkill Bend. Schalter's Church in Alsace Township was named after one of his sons. From the many Indian relics found, it is evident that there was a large body of Indians in this district. These relics have been found mostly along the Maidencreek, and there are some varieties that have been found nowhere else in the county. Industries. The chief occupation of the people is farming. Grain mills, fulling mills and paper mills have all existed, but the grain mills only remain. The Leesport Furnace was started in 1852. In 1899 the Lees- port Furnace Company bought the plant. A pumping station to increase the water supply of Reading was established at the mouth of the Maidencreek in 1899. Its capac- ity is thirty million gallons of water a day. A filtration plant has also been erected near the pumping station. The Glen-Gery Country Home was established in 1904, on the old- Wily Mill property. Towns. The principal town is Leesport. It has quite a num- ber of business places. The township high school is located a short distance from the town. East Berkeley lies near the mouth of the Maidencreek. It has a tannery, a grist mill and a few other industries. Ontelaunee Station, near Schuylkill Bend, and Gernants in the northern section of the township, are other villages. PENN. Penn was formed into a township in 1841, by reducing both Bern and Upper Bern. It was so named after Father Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. John Conrad, a member of the Moravian Church, was one of the early settlers who came into this section chiefly from the Tulpehocken settlement on the west. Many German settlers also followed the Tulpehocken from the south. 196 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY Industries. Along the Tulpehocken and the Northkill, there were erected at an early date grist mills, saw mills and various other mills. Near Bern Church, in the southern section, there was at one time a gun barrel factory. Most of the people are engaged in farming. Near Bernville there existed for many years one of the best foundries in that section of the county. At Pleasant Valley are the Gruber Wagon Works, where some of the best farm wagons in the country are built. During the life of the Union Canal, South Bernville was a great business place, where grain, lumber and coal was handled. On Plum Creek a grist mill was operated for many years. The mill-dam covered quite an area. The borough of Bernville lies in this township. Obold (Mt. Pleasant) is quite a business place, having different industries. Pleasant Valley is about one mile southeast of Obold. Scull Hill lies in the northern part of the township. It is gen- erally called Penn Valley, and is the business centre in that section. PERRY. Some men who lived in Windsor Township served in the war of 1812. When this township was organized they had influence enough to have the name of the hero of Pake Erie selected as the name of the township. So it is called Perry. Captain John May and thirty-five men of his company came from this township. An act passed in 1821 provided that the township of Perry should be a separate election district, and it was not until 1852 that the town- ship was actually established. The first log building of Zion's Church was built in 1761. The industries are chiefly farming. Near Virginville is a stone quarry from which flagstones of fine quality and large size are taken. On Plum Creek, about a mile east of Shoemakersville, is a mill site on which a mill has been operated for many years. A new building has been erected which is equipped with modern ma- chinery. Upon its banks is also a tannery, a part of which build- ing was erected in 1810. Near Shoemakersville is also a pottery. The Shoemakersville Clay Works for the manufacture of glazed sewer pipes was established in 1807. THE TOWNSHIPS 197 The Shoemakersville Mill was built about 1840. It is operated by Plum Creek and the Schuylkill. It is supplied with modern ma- chinery. The Clay Works were purchased in 1908 by the Glen-Gery Brick and Cement Company for the manufacture of vitrified brick for building and paving- purposes. The Inlaid Tile Company was organized in Reading, but in 1908 was transferred to Shoemakersville. Its machinery was im- oorted, and it is the only plant of its kind in the United States. An Old Mansion. Shoemakersville is the largest village in the township. It is on the Schuylkill at the mouth of Plum Creek. It SHOKMAKKR HOME. was named after Henry Shoemaker. The stone mansion which he built in 17S<; is still in use. The Pennsylvania Railroad built a neat depot in 1885. The Philadelphia & Reading Station was only built after the Toll bridge across the Schuylkill had been built by the Windsor Haven Bridge Company. Most of the progress of the town has been made since then. It is quite a manufacturing town. Mohrsville lies on both sides of the Schuylkill. The Reading Station was placed there in 1841, and the Pennsylvania in 1885. It was named after the Mohr family, who earlv engaged in trade. 198 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY Five Locks Station is about three miles north of Shoemakers- ville. PIKE. Pike Township was taken from Oley in 1812. It was so named becanse in its streams in colonial days this variety of fish was very plentiful. A part of Rockland Township was added to Pike in 1842. Die Berg Maria (Anna Maria Young), a truly pious woman, for many years lived alone on the farm in the home of her ancestors on the top of one of the Oley Mountains. Her cottage was as good a model of neatness and order as her life was of Christian living. She died in 1819, aged seventy years. The Moravians or Hern- huters, to whom she belonged, came from Hernhut, a place in Ger- many. They were the first to teach Christianity to the Indians. From their mission in Oley they set out to preach to the savages in different sections of the county and state. It was the friendly relation between the Moravians and the Indians that saved Pike and the neighboring districts from bloodshed. Count Zinzendorf was one of the two bishops. The leading industry is farming. In the early days lumbering was important. When John Keim took up land and settled near Lobachsville, about 1718, some of the heaviest timber in the county could be seen there. Only recently large walnut trees were cut down and exported. The township is well supplied with saw mills and grist mills. Pikeville is located in the most fertile part of the township. Lobachsville is the oldest village. It was named after Peter Lobach, who owned the land as early as 1745. Hill Church, in the southeastern section, is so named from the church. These towns have quite a few business places. Pikeville, like other places in the the old-time mail carrier. county, had a post office for many years, but the mail is now served bv rural delivery. THE TOWNSHIPS 199 RICHMOND. The land of which this territory is composed was settled in 1732 and the township was erected twenty years later. It was so named after a place in England. The Indians called it Mnssealv (Moselem). Along the Maidencreek which forms its northwestern boundary, in the vicinity of Virginville, there was one of the densest Indian settle- ments in the county. Here the Sacony empties into the Maidencreek, which, the Indians called Sacunk (outlet of a stream). The relics are found over a large area and are more varied than usual.- loel Dreibelbis. an old resident, has a fine collection, most of which he found on his farm. It is said that the section known as "the Hat" had very little heavy timber and that the early settlers could see their cattle for quite a distance, when looking from a hill. The old Moselem Church was one of the first buildings erected in the countv. Valuable Ore Mines. The Moselem ore mines have been work- ed for many years and furnished most of the ore for the Moselem Furnace which was operated near the mouth of Moselem Creek. This furnace was the leading industry in that section up to about thirty years ago when it was abandoned. There are a few other iron ore mines in the township. About thirty years ago, Richmond, Maxatawny and Longswamp had over one hundred mines, but of these only a few are now in operation. The Maidencreek. Sacony and Moselem furnish, good water- power and there are a number of mills along their banks. The town- ship contains some of the finest farms in the county. Moselem Creek has its source in a big spring, about two miles east of Moselem Springs. Here a large volume of water gushes out of the earth in remarkable clearness. When discovered, the stream was filled with trotit. On this account, the Indians gave it the name Moselem (trout stream). Towns. Fleetwood Borough lies in this township. Virginville is the largest town. It has a number of business places. Moselem Springs is the business center. Kirbvville lies about one mile west of Moselem Springs. 20!) THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY OCTAGONAL CHURCH, MOSELEM. Moselem ha? a few business places/ The remains of M'oselem Furnace and the old, unoccupied houses in the vicinity, are silent reminders of a more prosperous day. Walmittown is a small business place one mile west of Fleet- wood. Crystal Cave is located in this township. Mefkel's Mill and Lesher are other villages. ROBESON. Robeson was a part of Chester before the erection of Berks. It was settled in 172(1, and erected intto a township in 1729. In those days Andrew Robeson owned about twenty-three hundred acres of land. He was a man of wealth and social position and the township was named after him. The iron industry was begun early ; Bird's Forge was established in 174(1; Gibraltar Forge in 1770; and Joanna Furnace in 1700. In 1845 a petition was presented for the division of the township, but the matter was left to a vote of the people, who decided very strongly against it. THE TOWNSHIPS 201 The Joanna Charcoal Furnace was erected in 1790. In 1877 this plant had a capacity of one hundred tons of iron a month, and employed fifty men. The Gibraltar Iron Works were opened in 177(1. The Seyfert family secured possession of it in 1835. Carding mills, scythe factories and sickle factories have all flourished in this town- ship in their time, but all of them have disappeared. Saw mills and grist mills are still in operation. One mile south of Birdsboro are the Trap Rock Quarries. They ship crushed material to all parts of the country. Much of the area is woodland, and quite a few people are en- gaged in lumbering, but most of the people are farmers. The burn- ing of charcoal is still carried on in this section. Towns. The borough of Birdsboro at the mouth of Hay Creek, is located in this township. Gibraltar lies at the mouth of Allegheny Creek and has a few- business places. Beckersville and Plowville are situated about two miles apart on the Mdrgantown road. Plowville was so called because the tavern had a plow painted on its sign. — WHITE BEAR INN. Scarlets Mill ("White Bear) is on the Wilmington & Northern Railroad. It was so called on account of the sign at the tavern. 202 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY This tavern is probably the oldest building in the county having a liquor license. Trap Rock, Cold Run and Joanna Heights are other railroad stations on the Wilmington & Northern Railroad. Joanna Furnace lies in the southern section of the township. Seyfert, Robeson and Clingan are stations on the Pennsylvania Railroad. ROCKLAND. Rockland Township was organized in 1758. Prior to that it was a part of Oley. It took its name from the numerous rocks it contains. Boulders thirty feet long, fifteen feet wide and fifteen feet high may be seen. Certain collections of rocks are known as Shott's Head and Guinther's Head. Near the latter there is a succession of rocks one hundred twenty feet long. This is the watershed of the town- ship and from this point the water is drained south, east and west. The early settlers were Germans, who migrated northward from Olev. In 1842. a part of this township was taken and annexed to Pike. GROSSCUP HOME, RESIDENCE OF AN EARLY BERKS JUDGE. Water-power. Saconv and P>eaver Creeks have for many years turned mills of various kinds. Grim's mill on the Saconv has been remodeled recently and now does the grinding by an up-to-date process. Ro'hrbach's mill was destroyed by fire some time ago, and has not been rebuilt. Roth's mill is near Dryville and Keller's in the western part of the township. THE TOWNSHIPS 2U3 On the Sacony was also located the "Sally Ann" charcoal furnace. It was built in 1811, and was operated until 1S79. The Rockland Forges were operated for more than seventy years. General Daniel Udree operated one with Hessians and Redemp- tioners. On Beaver Creek was manufactured paper and birch oil. A kind of clay has been found from which chinaware is made. A pottery was also operated in the vicinity. A granite, very much like Vermont granite, is found near New Jerusalem. There is a marble saw mill on the Sacony near Grim's mill, where large blocks of marble are sawed into desirable sizes. It has been in operation since 1864. None of the early mines are now in operation. Towns. Dryville was so named as a post office. It had pre- viously been called Stony Point. The village contains a store, a hotel, a creamery and a number of residences. Xew Jerusalem, located near the center of the township, contains a store, a creamery, a wheelwright and a blacksmith shop and a church. Rural delivery teams serve the mail from Oley, Fleetwood and Mertztown. RUSCOMBMANOR. This township was erected in 1 To!), and named from a district in Wales, Ruscomb, The Penns requested 10, 11(10 acres to be set apart in this locality for their use, and the tract was called "Manor CIDER PRESS. 204 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY of Ruscomb." It is probable that the early settlers were attracted chiefly by the springs of excellent water. They located here about 1730. Two grist mills and a clover mill at one time were in operation in the township, but only one grist mill is now in use. The glue factory and tanneries which once existed in the vicinity of Pricetown, as well as the foundry and forge, have all been discontinued. The district also contains five or six iron mines which at one time em- ployed quite a number of hands. The only town is Pricetown. It was named after the Prices, who were early connected with its history. In 1802, Martin Price became the owner of twelve acres of ground, which was part of a much larger tract owned by the Prices, and laid it out in lots. Pricetown soon grew and became quite a stopping place for trav- elers. It now has three churches, two hotels and one store. The post offices at Pricetown and Basket were discontinued, when Rural Free Delivery was introduced. The Dunkard meeting house, built in 1807, is one of the oldest buildings in the township. It was the fourth congregation of this denomination organized in the county. Services are still conducted in this building. SPRING. In 185(1 Cumru was the largest and most populous township in the county. Two unsuccessful attempts were made to divide it, but a third attempt in 1850 was successful and Spring was organized as a separate township. It received its name from a large spring near the central portion. On account of the limestone fissures the spring frequently disappeared, and was therefore known as Sink- ing Spring. Whites Murder Indians. In 1728 Tocacolie, an Indian, and two Indian women, were cruelly murdered by Walter and John Winter, near Cacoosing. At this time there were only three counties: Philadelphia, Chester and Berks, and all of Berks west of the Schuylkill, belonged to Chester County. Morgan Herbert and John Roberts were found to be implicated in the murder. The Winters and Herbert were captured and tried in the Chester County Court. The Winters suffered the extreme penalty of the law, but Herbert THE TOWN8HIP8 205 was acquitted. The Governor was anxious to punish the criminals and insure peace with the natives. He moved a delegation of In- dians to Philadelphia, where they received many presents, and thus the Cacoosing tragedy ended. Farming is the leading occupation. Fritztown had a paper mill as early as 1770. A distillerv and a saw mill were later built near it. A tannery was established in Sinking Spring in 1840. Grist mills, paper mills and oil mills have all been operated on the banks of the streams of this township. The Belt Line for relieving the traffic on the Reading road ex- tends through the township. The Montello Brick Works are situated a mile south of Sink- ing Spring. In 1889 a second plant was established at Wyomissing, which has grown very much since that time. The Hillside Stock Farm for breeding fast horses contains about one hundred and sixty acres, and is situated about two miles south of Sinking Spring. A mile west of Gouglersville is the Spring Valley Stock Farm. It contains about two hundred acres, and was set apart for stock purposes in 1002. Towns. The largest town is Sinking Spring, now a borough. "Weitzelville is two miles from Sinking Spring. Fritztown is one mile southwest of Weitzelville. The store house was built as early as 1840. Yinemont is a station on the Lancaster & Columbia Railroad. It was so named because of the vineyards and fruit trees that nourish here. Springmont was founded in 1005, and West Lawn in 1007. The boroughs of West Reading and Wyomissing also lie in this township. TILDEN. This township was taken from L/pper Bern in L887 and organ- ized as a separate district. It was named after the unsuccessful candidate for the presidency in 187G. It lies just south of the Bine Mountains, and its northern boundary is only a short distance from the site where Fort Lebanon or Fort William stood. This fort was erected in 1754. It was one hundred feet square, had stockades 206 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY fourteen feet high, a spring- within, and also a house thirty by twenty with a large store-room. It was built in three weeks and protected over a hundred families in that vicinity. During the French and Indian War small detachments of sol- diers scoured the woods between Forts Henry. Northkill and Leb- anon almost daily. On the 2?>rd of July. 1754, the commander of Fort Northkill marched along the mountain through Upper Hern and Tilden to Fort Lebanon where he remained during the night. Upon his return the next day. he learned that a boy fourteen years old was carried away by the Indians. The report later came to him that during the night the boy had made his escape while the Indians were drunk. They had tied him and made him lie between them. The Hamburg Vitrified Brick Company was established in this township in 1891. The Mack Brothers, of Philadelphia, purchased it in 1806. Nine kilns are operated and ten million bricks are manu- factured annually. Most of the people are engaged in farming. Grist mills have been in operation in this district for many years. Berks (West Hamburg), Bern Station and Upper Bern are the towns. Each has a number of business places. TULPEHOCKEN. The name of this township was taken from the stream by that name. The term is of Indian origin and means "'Land of Turtles." It was organized as a district in 172!), when it was a part of what was then Chester County. A French trader was captured on the banks of the Susquehanna in 1707 and taken to Philadelphia by way of Tulpehocken. The trader had his feet tied together below the horse's belly. This is the first mention of the word Tulpehocken the records contain. The first settlement was made in 172.% before the Indians had actually released the land. This led to trouble which was settled by a special treaty in Philadelphia in 1728. These early pioneers were the German settlers, who had come from the Palatinate, and had lived on the Hudson since 1712. In 1720 Conrad Weiser and his family joined the Palatines at Tulpehocken. THE TOWNSHIPS 207 The township was reduced in size by the formation of Upper Tulpehocken in 1820, Marion in 1823 and Jefferson in 1851. Industries. Tulpehocken was looked upon as a promised land by the early settlers. It was one of the most noted sections in the country, and after the Indians released the land in 1732 the people, who were mostly engaged in farming, prospered. Tulpehocken was not only a place for consultation between the white settlers and the Indians, but it was the most important business centre in this sec- tion of the state. Many of the Indians were already using the tools and implements used by the settlers, and came many miles to Tulpe- hocken, where the nearest blacksmith resided. Rehrersburg is the largest town. It was laid out about 1803. Lots were disposed of by lottery and for a long time were subject to ground rent. The post office was established in 1818. Mt. Etna was so called when the post office was established in 1S10. It is located on high ground in the southwestern section of the township. Host lies in the southeastern section and Wintersville in the southwestern part. UPPER TULPEHOCKEN. The name was derived from an Indian word which means turtle. A petition for the division of Tulpehocken was presented to the court in 1820. The name of Perry was suggested. This name was not satisfactory to a large number of the people. Several more petitions, suggesting other names, were presented to the court. The Court confirmed the proceedings and named the new township Upper Tulpehocken. This ended the controversy. Its location determined the name. Forts. About two miles east of Strausstown on the Northkill was built Fort Northkill in 1754. It stood in a very thick wood on a small rising ground. It was thirty-two feet square, built of lo^s placed upright in the ground, and within was a log house. Along the road leading from Strausstown to Pottsville, on top of the Blue Mountains, and about two miles north of Fort North- kill stood Fort Deitrich Snyder. It served more as a watch house 208 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY than a fort, for from it could be detected the presence of Indians for a radius of many miles. Farming always has been the leading- industry. Various kinds of mills have flourished for many years. The mills and forges of Joseph Seyfert were on the Northkill. There are some mills now in operation that have the latest improved machinery. The only town in the township is Strausstown, about nine miles west from Hamburg. The post office was established in 1847. It is quite a busy town, having different business and manufacturing places. UNION. Two portions of land were joined in forming this township and so the name Union was selected. One portion was taken from Chester County and another from Lancaster when the county was organized in 1752. The first tract of land was taken up in '1684 by Hans Monson, but it was soon transferred to Peter Yocum. The first settlement was made in 1705. The chief business of the township is farming. The water-power of the streams has been used for many years to turn fulling mills, oil mills and feed mills. Distilleries were not lacking. The Hope- well and Monocacy furnaces were prominent in the very early colo- nial days. The Hopewell furnace was built in 1765. It was in the hands of the Buckley family for more than eighty years. Unionville (Brower) is the oldest village in the township. The post office was established in 1828. Candlesticks, lamps and coffee mills were at one time manufactured here. About 1830 the place also contained a foundry. Mount Airy is near Birdsboro and has not grown extensively. Monocacy lies between Mount Airy and Unionville. Geigertown is a station on the Wilmington & Northern Rail- road. Geiger's Mills is about one mile distant from Geigertown. WASHINGTON. This township was cut out of Colebrookdale and Hereford. It was named in honor of George Washington. In 1681 Penn granted a tract of more than one thousand acres to a Philadelphia THE TOWNSHIPS 20« merchant named P'owel. In 1724 much of this tract got into the possession of Jacob Stauffer, a shoemaker of Skippack. Some ot the land is still in the possession of his descendants. A number of Schwenkfelders settled in this district about 1837. These thrifty settlers felled the trees, sawed them into usable lumber and built houses; they made wagon wheels out of their oak trees; they plaited horse-collars out of straw; twisted traces out of hemp, and raised flax and wool which they spun into thread and wove into cloth for their own wearing- apparel. Some Mennonites settled in the vicinity of Bally, and a Jesuit missionary founded a church there as early as 1743. Early Industries. Dale Forge was operated successfully for many years. The West Branch of the Perkiomen in a distance of about three miles operated as many as twelve water wheels at one time. Two of them were forges and three were furnaces. Swamp Creek has propelled oil and clover mills. At Barto a valuable mine of iron ore was in successful operation for many years. Iron ore exists in various spots, but not in sufficient quantities to make mining a paying business. The Norway Furnace at Bechtelsville was operated by various parties for many years. The Weiss and Elsie forges were erected near Dale in the early part of the century. It was the iron which was found in the vicinity of Barto that led to the building of the Colebrookdale Railroad. Agricultural products are the chief wealth , of the district. Bechtelsville and Bally, situated in this township, are now bor- oughs. Eshbach, Barto, Churchville, Dale and Passmore are the other towns located in this district. WINDSOR. It was settled in 1740 and established into a township in 1752, It was so named after a place in England, whence some of the early settlers had come. There is a reputed Indian burying-ground a few hundred yanl> west of the Blue Rocks, about five miles east of Hamburg, at the base of the Blue Mountains. In 187!*, D. B. Brunner examined one 210 THE STORY OF BERK8 COUNTY of these graves, and found nothing; so he decided there were no Indians buried there, but he could not determine what caused the mounds. The Windsor Furnace was built soon after the township was settled. It was located near the base of the Blue Mountains in the northeastern part of the township. A forge for the manufacture of bar-iron, a saw mill and a grist mill were early made a part of the furnace property. The Delaplane Furnace, near Windsor Castle, was operated for nearly a hundred years from the time of the Revolu- tion. The Keim Furnace was situated a short distance north of Hamburg. There are still several mills in the district. The borough of Hamburg lies in this township. Windsor Castle is three miles southeast of Hamburg. The post office was established in 1856. The creamery at this place was at one time one of the most important in the county. THE TOWNSHIPS 211 93 id a o O* a *-> IMPORTANT STATIS- i o > 5 O" J. a 3 TICS OF THE TOWN- r? a « *3 a> 01 > SHIPS. 1912. ■a o> •a 0) o 0> to a m S-. 3 o CO c c a 73 0> a S- o 03 01 03 cd 9 Z to '5b 03 a u u 0) 3 S-. o a r a. O a o 01 u >> S- 01 a o Si OQ H < fc Tj U S H tt ^ J p- fc 1. Albany 2. Alsace 3. Lower Alsace. 4. Amity 5. Bern 6. Upper Bern. . 7. Bethel 8. Brecknock . . 9. Caernarvon . 10. Centre 11. Colebrookdale 12. Cumru 1 3. District 14. Douglass 15. Earl 16. Exeter 17. Greenwich . . 18. Heidelberg .. . 19. N. Heidelberg 20. L. Heidelberg 21. Hereford .... 2 2. Jefferson .... 23. Longswamp . 24. Maidencreek 25. Marion 26. Maxa tawny . 27. Muhlenberg . 28. Oley 29. Ontelaunee .. 30. Penn 31. Perry 32. Pike 33. Richmond . .. 34. Robeson .... 35. Rockland . . . 36. Ruscombmnr 37. Spring 38. Tilden 39. Tulpehocken 40. U. Tulpehckn 41. Union 42. Washington . 43. Windsor . . . . 1740I1752|39|1, 1718|1745|11| |1888| 5 1701 1719 18J1, 1733|1738 20|1, |1789|18| 1733 1739;38|1, 1729(1741116 1720|1729!l2| |1843|20|1, 1720|174l| 8|1, 1732 1737|23i4, il759|10| 1720J1752J12 1, |1781|13| 1718H741J26I2, il740|28|l, 1732 1734114 1, 1845113 1842|28|4, 1732ll753 , 15 1, I1851I16I 1734 1761|22|2, 1732|1746;i3il, 1184311611, 173211742^3011, I185lil6|3, 1712|1740[22[2, 18491 8 1841119 1821J18 1812|13 1732|1752|21 1720[1729|32 jl758| 16 1749'1752|14 1850121 11887113 1723!1729!23 (1820|20 1715'1752|2l|l |1839|13|1 1740 1752|23| 224112 7621 6 758| 5 356 10 682|l3 801 6 775|14 8401 6i 2 845] V 4 280 9| 2 394| 9| 1 422|22| 5 541 4 123 874 745J16 359|11 891111 626 5 006 22 066| 8 7451 7 271|16 941 11 007| 7 914115 200J15 028 14 2431 7 010| 9 ,737112 738| 6 ,678|14 ,459|19 ,100| 8 ,059| 9 796(191 5 ,000| 7| 2 ,520|14 ,010| 8 ,280| 9 ,674| 8 581 5 84 32 18 56 68 36 85 49 35 67l 37 70i 1 36 49 58 66 110 38 46 99 52 41 93 39 84 40|1 65 38 58 65 49 85 79 55 42 66 47 58 43 55 (i.x 48 488 321 401 507 918 298 764 327 300 427 5201 652(1 207| 383| 382| 885| 4691 6461 201 157 384 275 744 655 427 760 ,516! 7031 400J 403| 576| 290 623 818| 415| 496| 818| 3481 568 390| 5361 552| 2611 319|22 190 3 255 30 390 32 445|23 200J17 477|30 238114 244(19 327117 400J19 ,054|33 139 15 276 14 242| 4 730|49|10 375|24| 4 478(251 4 169(121 1 940!48|10 288|24| 3 190| 8 631|34 516(32 315114 750 26 992 63 539141 292118 285|16 432122 191(13 465(19 631 31 299113 307 27 872(44 254' 9 442126 259|l3 382|17 433 31 146| 5 2 1 9 3 5 1 3 1 8 3 9 2 4 2 5 1 4 2 3 1 3 1 6 1 2|$ 1 1 2| 31 1 4 2 1 1 1 5 1 2 2 3 2 1 1 3 2 1 3 1 1 3 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 3 1 1 3 2 2 1 2 2 1 599,667 254,903 448,440 799,260 1,091,185 421,657 878,505 372,265 420,428 714,933 638,466 1,804,615 198,965 407,284 232,582 1,473,086 649,704 1,225,356 1,971,723 450,745 542,766 467,726 867,403 1,142,930 887,766 1,426,132 1,697,500 1,375,059 665,472 624,937 821,710 245,022 1,056,205 865,946 394,480 357,579 1,804,040 495,027 893,006 453,440 495,869 641,740 399,768 CHAPTER XII. BERKS BOROUGHS. BALLY. The borough of Bally is located in the eastern section of the county in Washington Township. It was incorporated in 1912. Within its borders is included the historic Catholic Church of the Most Blessed Sacrament, established by a Jesuit missionary in 1743. It was the first Catholic church in the county. The Men- nonites have two churches in the borough. Connected with the Catholic church is a parochial school. The borough also has a two-roomed public school building. Among the industries of the town are a planing mill, hosiery mill, silk mill and pantaloon factory. The First National Bank of Bally furnishes a place of security for the money of the community. BECHTELSVILLE. In 1890 an area of about one hundred and ninety-four acres was taken from Washington Township and incorporated into a borough. It was named after the Bechtel family that was prominent in the locality when the county was organized. It is three miles from Boy- ertown on the Colebrookdale Railroad. The erection of a large iron furnace in 1875, added much to the growth of the town. The post office was established in 1852. The Patriotic Sons of America have a fine three-story cement-block building which contains their hall. Industries. The three-story stone grist mill is the largest in- dustrial establishment in the place. It is equipped with the modern roller process. A mill has been operated at this point for about seventy years. A chopping mill and planing mill is operated in the southern end of the town. A creamery is located near the latter mill. The town contains a cabinet-making shop, carriage factory, bakery, marble yard and cigar factory. The knitting mill is large and furnishes employment for about fifty people. BERKS BOROUGHS 213 The large blast furnace, which was operated for a number of years has been abandoned. The cinder is now being used in cement work. A large crusher is in operation and the slag shipped from it is a valuable product. BERNVILLE. Thomas Umbenhouer's father lived in Bern, Switzerland. When he laid out this borough in 1819, he named it Bern after his father's native town. The Union Canal was built along the Tulpe- hocken Creek in 1828 and passed near the borough. This helped the growth of the town. For a long time it was an important ship- ping point. When the Lebanon Valley Railroad was built the traffic of the Canal declined and it was later abandoned entirely. This was injurious to the town. The nearest station is Robesonia, seven miles to the south. A branch of the South Mountain Railroad was pro- jected from Reading to Strausstown through Bernville. The people of the locality subscribed liberally, but the road was never built. The projected road-way is still visible but the money subscribed was a total loss. The town was incorporated in 1851. GRAIN HOUSE, BERNVILLE. Military Encampment. A military encampment was held in this borough in 1841. William H. Keim was the principal officer in 214 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY command, and Berks County was represented by seventeen of the twenty-three companies in the county. Governor David Porter re- viewed the companies on dress parade. The encampment was a great success. The Bernvillc Cornet Band served as a part of the twenty-sixth regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, for nearly a year during the Civil War. It consisted of thirteen musicians. They were mustered out of service by an act of Congress in 1802. Rural free delivery routes have been established from Bern- ville. Stage routes from Reading by way of Bernville to Millers- burg and from Robesonia to Bernville have existed for many years. With the building of the Union Canal, industries sprang up. Tanneries and foundries were successfully conducted while the Canal furnished a means of shipping. The principal industries or places of business now existing are the following: — several stores, a creamery, an electric light plant, a saddlery, a hosiery mill, a drug store, two hotels, two bakeries and a bank. The two churches are in Penn Township just outside the bor- ough limits. The first church was established by the Lutherans in 1745. BIRDSBORO. William Bird established at 'this place one of the first iron in- dustries of the State. The first forge was erected in 1740, and others later. Air. Bird took up several thousand acres of land along Hay Creek, where he erected a grist mill and a saw mill. During Revolu- tionarv times, his son was one of the largest producers of iron in America. Birdsboro was already a considerable town at the time of the erection of the county. The Brooke family became identified with the town about 1800, and no small part of its growth is due to their influences. It was in- corporated into a borough in 1872. The water is supplied from a reservoir Which was improved and enlarged by the Birdsboro Water Company in 1000. Electric lights were installed in 1806, and the protection against fire was much improved in 1005. The three steam railroads and the trolley lines increased the growth and importance of the town. BERKS BOROUGHS 215 Industries. The Brooke Iron Company has the largest in- dustrial establishment in the town. When the Brookes obtained possession, they called it the Birdsboro Foundry and Machine Com- pany. They now employ about four hundred hands. The Bird mill has been rebuilt a number of times. It was equipped with rollers for making flour in 1879, but since 1898 it was used almost exclusively as a chopping mill. The town also contains a glove factory, a creamery, a hosiery mill and two shoe factories. A weekly newspaper is published. Several bands practice regu- larly. The Birdsboro Cornet Band served in the Civil War. Freshets. The most important freshets of the Schuylkill oc- curred in 1786, 1839, 1850 and 1902. In the freshet of 1850, the water rose twenty-five feet above its ordinary level and swept away the bridge over the Schuylkill, which had been erected only five years before. It was rebuilt and is still in use. A ford was reported at this place as early as 1778, when it is said the water was less than one foot deep. In the flood of 1902 the water w^as seven feet deep on Main street. FOYERTOWN. David Powel secured a patent in 1718 for much of the land that is now included in this borough. Iron ore was discovered shortly after- ward and a furnace was ouilt in 1720. This furnace was called Cole- brookdale, after a town in England. It was the first industry of its kind established in Pennsylvania. When the township was erected in 1741 it was named after the furnace. In 1835 the town was regularly laid out and in 18GG it was incorporated into a borough. Henry Boyer was one of the first settlers. He secured his land from Henry Stauffer in 1709. Mr. Boyer started a hotel and a general store and in time the place re- ceived the name it now bears. An attempt to establish a borough was made in 1851, but this did not succeed. The town is located on the Colebrookdale Railroad eight miles from Pottstown. A trolley line from Reading to Philadelphia passes through the borough. A line connecting Boyertown with Pottstown by way of Ringing Rocks was completed in 1908. THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY BOYERTOWN MINES. The Mennonites in 1710 built the first church on land donated by Henry Stauffer. A Great Catastrophe. A great catastrophe occurred in Boyer- lown, January 13, 1908. An entertainment under the auspices of one oFthe sunday Schools was in progress in Rhoads' Opera House. A calcium light was used. Something went wrong with one of the tanks, there was an explosion, and the place caught fire. One hundred and seventy-one persons lost their lives. Industries. Iron ore has been mined for one hundred and fifty years. It is of superior quality. Four shafts have been sunk, measur- ing, respectively, live hundred, five hundred and fifteen, six hun- dred and fifteen and seven hundred and twenty feet. Powerful engines are used to hoist the ore and pump the water. It is one of the largest iron ore mines in Pennsylvania. There are two large cigar factories, which employ many hands. One factory annually produces twenty million cigars. A cigar box factorv is also operated. BERKS B0R0UGH8 217 The largest industrial plant of the town is that of the Boyer- town Burial Casket Company. It consists of four large four-story buildings. More than three hundred hands are employed. About one hundred caskets are shipped daily. Other industries are as follows : A machine shop, two bakeries, furniture company, carriage factory, foundry, knitting mill, paper box factory, marble yard, butcher shop, printing offices, livery sta- bles, tinsmith shops, different kinds of stores, several hotels and two banks. The first newspaper published here was issued in 1858, and the Berks Count}- Democrat is still one of the leading weekly papers of the county. The town is well supplied with light and water and has excellent protection against fire, having two organized fire com- panies. CENTREPORT. Centreport was organized into a borough in 1884. The first public house was erected in 1818, and with it was conducted a general store. In 1857 the tavern was separated from the store, and when the borough was erected, it remained in the township. The post office was established in 1868. A creamery, established in 1891, is still conducted. The knitting mill established in 1895 was destroyed by fire in 1901. A shirt factory was started in 1908. The manufacture of cigars was dis- continued some years ago. A saddler shop is still conducted. The furniture factory is an important industry, and the general store the leading business place. A confectionery and ice cream store is con- nected with the post office. The granite works, wagon works, implement house and black- smith shop are just outside the borough limits. Centreport has been the business place for Centre and adjoining townships for many years. The railroad station, Mohrsville, is two miles awav. FLEETWOOD. Fleetwood is a thriving borough twelve miles northeast of Reading, along the East Penn Railroad. One of the earlv settlers was a man by the name of Cox, who built a log house alono- what 218 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY is now Franklin street, and the town was called Coxtown. A stone building, the Eastern part of the present Fleetwood House, was erected in 1775. It is the oldest building in the town. It is said it contained the sign of a crow, and so the place was sometimes called Crowtown. Upon the completion of the East Perm Railroad in ===^rv OLDEST LOG HOUSE IN FLEETWOOD, OVER 100 YEARS OLD. LATELY RAZED. 1859, the town was named Fleetwood after two surveyors, Fleet and Wood. Its growth was slow. It had only about thirty houses in 1800, but since then it increased rapidly, and became the center of trade for the farmers of the north and south. A town plan was laid out in 1808, and the town incorporated into a borough in 187:5. The post office was established in 1852. Industries. The first important industry was the Fleetwood Foundry in 1864 for the manufacture of farming machinery. It was successfully conducted for many years, but in the winter of 1903 the plant was destroyed by fire. The largest industry is the Fleetwood Metal Body Works, em- ploying many hands. The other industries are the following: A silk mill, three hosiery mills, granite works, implement shops, two roller mills, one bakery, one creamery, three coal and lumber yards, tool works, pick works, printing office, paper box factory, different kinds of stores and four hotels. BERK8 BOROUGHS 219 In 1841 Saint Paul's Union Church was erected. It is a stone building and is situated a short distance outside the borough. There are three other churches in the town. The bank was established in 1907. Water works were established in 1889, and when the trolley line was built in 1904, electric light was introduced. HAMBURG. This borough was organized in 1837 and divided into two wards in 1886. The town was laid out in 1779, when it was called "Kaercher- town" after its founder. The turnpike from Reading to Pottsville was constructed in 1812, and the canal in 1824. These greatly aided the growth of the town. Stages ran over this pike in 1842. Boat building for many years was one of the leading industries of the town. The Reading Railroad was opened in 1842, and the Pennsylvania in 1885. The post office was established in 1798. Telegraph connection was made in 1847, and the telephone introduced in 1881. A severe rainstorm caused a flood in the town in 1906. Some of the streets were flooded to a depth of three feet. One man was drowned and others narrowly escaped with their lives. The wells became contaminated resulting in an epidemic of typhoid fever, which caused the death of a number of people. Industries. Many industrial plants such as distilleries, brewer- ies, boat building, tanneries, brick yards, wool factories and the like have existed at various times, but most of them have been abandoned. The grist mill was the first industry in the town. It has been in operation for about a century and a quarter. The following are the principal manufacturing establishments : — Hamburg Plow Works, Bleaching Works, Boiler Works, Bottling Works, Broom Factories, Carriage Factories, Cigar Fac- tory, Creamery, Electric Light and Power Plant, Engine Works, Flour Mills, Foundries, Gas Works, Greenhouse, Hosiery Mill, Ice Cream Factories, Knitting Mills, Silk Mill, Piano Factory! .Stove Foundry and various stores and lumber and coal yards. The following newspapers have been published : — The- Schneli- post, The Advertiser, The Rural Press and The Berichter. The Ham- burg Weekly Item has been issued since 1875. and since 1888 it has met with increasing success. 220 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY A State Tuberculosis Sanitarium is now being built near Ham- burg. This will be a very large institution and capable of accom- modating four hundred patients. The building will be located on a hill, a mile beyond the town in Windsor Township. KUTZTOWN. The borough of Kutztown was incorporated in 1815. It was the second borough of the county, Reading having been the first. George Kutz laid out the town in 1771. The first dwellings were built soon thereafter. The borough now contains seven hundred and forty-two acres. Being an inland town its growth was slow. The East Penn Railroad was opened for travel in 1859 and in 1870 the branch was built from Topton to Kutztown. This gave the place new life and its growth has since been steady. The electric railway from Reading to Allentown passes through the borough. Henry Deisher has a collection of Indian relics that is one of the finest in the country. It contains about twenty-two thousand specimens consisting of arrow-heads, spear-heads, knives, scrapers, axes and the like. He also has a collection of various kinds of baskets made by the Indians. With the coming of the railroads, manufacturing establishments increased. Almost four hundred hands are employed. The following is a list of the places of business : Shirt factory, knitting mil!, creamery, marble works, carnage factory, silk mill, shoe factories, flour mill, foundry machine works, paper box factory,, brick yards, cigar factories, black- smith shops, wheelwright shops, tailoring e s t a b lishments, a b o u t twenty PIONEER HOUSE, KUTZTOWN, PA. BERKS BOROUGHS 221 stores, eight hotels, law office, two printing plants, and a few smaller industries or business places. Banks and Newspapers. The First National Bank was organized in 1871. This was removed to Reading. The Kutztown National Bank was organized in 1897, and in 1909 the Farmers' Bank of Kutztown was established. The borough is well supplied with water and a municipal electric lighting plant was installed in 1905. There is a well equipped Fair Ground which has one of the best half-mile racing tracks in the State. The Kutztown Park is the pride of the borough. During the summer Sunday School picnics and family reunions are held there almost daily. The Kutztown Journal is a German newspaper that has been published since 1870. The Kutztown Patriot, an English paper, has been published since 1874. The Normal Yidette is a paper of the Keystone State Normal School, which is located immediately west of the borough. Its first issue appeared in 1891, and it aims to keep the graduates and friends informed as to the School's condition. The town has four churches and one of the finest High School Buildings in the State. LENHARTSVILLE. The Lenhart family settled at the point where this borough is located long before the county was organized. The borough was in- corporated in 1887, but the town bore the name one hundred years earlier. It is located in Greenwich Township along the Maidencreek. The post office was established in 1854. In the town there are two hotels, three stores, a blacksmith shop and about fifty houses. Several grist mills gave the town prominence from its early history and made it a business center. It was the center for several stage lines for many years. The Maidencreek Charcoal Furnace was erected in 1854, a short distance from the village. It became an important shipping point when the Berks County Railroad was built in 1874. There is a flourishing shirt factory employing twenty-five hands. Lenhartsville has long been quite a summer resort. Pure drink- ing water is derived from mountain springs. The Maidencreek, one of the county's picturesque streams, flows by the town and affords splendid fis'hing. 222 THE BTORY OF BERK8 COUNTY MOHNTON. This town is in the Wyomissing valley five miles from Reading. In 1840 it contained a small log-house, and some pasture land, overgrown with brambles. Benjamin Mohn secured possession of it soon thereafter and erected a mill. The manufacture of hats became an important business. The house which Air. Mohn erected was later changed into a tavern. Factories soon were built upon the creek and houses were erected upon the adjoining hills for the people who were employed in them. The post office was established in 1857, and the borough in 1007. The Wyomissing furnishes good water-power and different factories sprang up along its course. Besides grist mills and wool- hat factories, a gun-barrel factory was operated for a number of years. The town now contains bakeries, cigar factory, grist mill, cotton lap factory, hosiery mills, paper box factory, planing mills, saw mill, shirt factories, wheelwright shops, electric light plant, water works and the like. The Mohnton Auditorium is the largesl in the county, outside Reading. The Reading and Southwestern Electric Railway passes through Mohnton to Adamstown where it connects with a line to Lancaster. The town has three churches and a bank. Pennwin is a new town near the eastern border of the borough. MOUNT PENN. Dengler's, a suburb of Reading was incorporated as a borough in 1902 and named Mount Penn. George Dengler. a prominent citizen of the place, owned most of the land before 1866. The tavern he conducted at this place was a popular stopping place for teamsters on their way to Philadelphia with grain. The post office was established in 1884, and the town was supplied with water in 100.°>. The Aulenbach Cemetery was established in 1851, and the Antietam filtering beds, belonging to Reading, in 1005. The first industry in the town was a carriage factory, which was opened in 1S K> 1912. -a c d o p. o 3 V. z -/. 78) oersons. 236 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY OLD COURT HOUSE. Reading as a Borough. (1783 to 1847.) At the close of the Revolution, Reading contained two thousand people, of whom about nine-tenths were Germans. It was incorporated into a borough in 17S3. At this time Womelsdorf, Hamburg, Kutztown and Birdsboro were laid out as towns. The first newspaper was published in German, in 1789, and the first post office was established in 1793. A daily mail was received from Philadelphia. Letters were sheets folded and sealed with red wax. THE CITY OF READING 237 The first bridge across the Schuylkill in the vicinity of Reading was erected in 1810, near where the Schuylkill Avenue bridge now crosses the river. The first Perm Street bridge was erected in 1816, and in 1831 the first bridge was erected across the river at the foot of Bingaman Street. OLD PENN ST. BRIDGE. Three Fire Companies, in addition to the Rainbow, were organ- ized during this period. They were: Junior, 1813; Reading, 1819; Neversink, 1829. A costly fire occurred May 5, 1820, when six valu- able buildings on Penn Street were burned. WATER COMPANIES ORGANIZED. Wells supplied the water exclusively until 1821, when the Read- ing Water Company was organized. A reservoir was erected at the head of Penn Street, and the water from Hampden Spring conveyed into it through wooden pipes. The spring had a daily flow of 100,000 gallons. The present Court House was built in 1840, and the railroad was completed to Reading in 1838. 238 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY PRESENT COURT HOUSE. Prominent Visitors. John Penn visited Reading in 1788. He came to sec for himself the town laid out by his brothers. He re- mained two days. President Washington visited Reading in 1704. While here lie stopped at the Federal Inn. Lafayette's visit to America in 1824, caused the erection of triumphal arches and torch light processions in Reading, though Lafavette himself was never there. President Van Buren visited THE CITY OF READING 239 iP^^*™19 if ' LtoJ^'f ||jpi ^^ Wz&3jl&%a ^**' < ; ; & 1 jlWWUWKft fe: WsGXZffifyffi &*^fe J :■: !| Tf ||L|Pi s 4' / Si |fl|., : : : : ; _£. ; £ *'■ ^Swllli ^WwPJ k ^l&i ■ • * ;'pl' ( 'i» g * , £y&2ss w^3> ASKEW BRIDGE, NORTH SIXTH STREET. Reading' in 1839, enroute from Harrisburg to Easton. He was paid special honor because the year before he had selected Henry A. Muhl- enberg, a citizen of Reading, as minister to Austria. General Scott visited the town and the great "Military Encampment" in 1842. Reading Today. Reading is fifty-eight miles from Philadel- phia, and Harrisburg, the Capital of the State, is fifty-four miles west. The city lies in a rather narrow valley which slopes from Alt. Penn toward the Schuylkill. Xeversink Mountain rises to a height of eight hundred (800) feet and ends rather abruptly at the Schuylkill. Sur- rounding its base and ascending its slopes, like nestling chicks, are the homes and the factories which shelter and support its thrifty in- habitants. To the north the buildings skirt the foot of Mount Penn and spread themselves, as if eager to include the rich fields which form one of the finest agricultural regions of the State. From the top of Xeversink on one side may be seen the city with its roofs, its towering buildings and its spires ever pointing upward, and on the other, eight hundred square mi.les of rich, waving, rolling, farming country through which the winding Schuylkill draws a gleaming silvery line. Mount Penn. 1,110 feet high, skirts the northern portion and like a sleeping giant lazily stretches itself to the northeast. From 240 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY its summit the streets may be seen crossing at right angles, and the trolley cars, as it were, noiselessly groping their way through them. In 1910, the population of Reading was 96,071. This was 3,929 short of the necessary 100,000 to make it a second-class city. It is the largest third-class city in the State. City Officials. Every four years the voters of the entire city elect a Mayor, Controller, Treasurer and three Assessors. The town is divided into sixteen wards and the voters of each one of these elect a select councilman for four years and a common coun- cilman for two years. Each ward also elects an Alderman for a term of six years, a Constable for four years, and an Assessor for four years. The Mayor, Councils and other officials, appoint many officers. The following is the list : Chief of Police, Sergeants and Patrolmen, Commissioner of Markets, Building Inspector, Plumb- ing Inspector, City Scavenger, City Clerk, four Water Commission- ers, Citv Engineer, City Solicitor, three Commissioners of Public Works and Clerks and Members of the Board of Health. The active force of the police department consists of the Chief of Police, Clerk, six Sergeants, a Superintendent of Fire Alarm and Police Patrol, seventy-four Patrolmen, two drivers, two Police Telegraph Operators, two Turnkeys, one Scavenger, one Janitress. one Matron and an assistant Inspector of Poles. The Police and Fire Alarm system of telegraphing is main- tained under the management of one man. The Building Inspector is appointed by the Mayor. In his office is kept a record of all building operations in the city. He also has charge of the inspec- tion of telegraph and telephone poles of which there are more than eight thousand located in various parts of the city. Volunteer companies furnish protection against fire. About five thousand men belong to the thirteen companies that have been formed for this purpose. The fire apparatus belongs to the city and is valued at one hundred thirty-eight thousand dollars. There are eighty-five miles of opened streets. Many miles of pavements are kept in order. To pave, clean and repair these thoroughfares is no small task. As much as eighteen thousand dol- lars is required for this purpose. THE CITY OF READING 241 Sanitary Provisions. About seven thousand dollars is spent yearly by the Board of Health to make the city as healthy a place as possible. The Plumbing" Inspector is a very important factor in doing this. A City Market Commissioner tests the scales, milk and products of various kinds to see that the purchasing public is honestly treated. The office of Milk and Meat Inspector has recent- ly been created. Garbage is disposed of by a modern scientific process in a large up-to-date plant. Householders furnish utensils to store refuse matter and a contractor receives one dollar and ninety-four cents a ton for disposing of it. It is removed twice a week. Twenty-two thousand five hundred dollars a year is re- quired for this work. The water works, to supply Reading with water, have been owned since 1821. During the year just passed more than four billion gallons have been used. The main source of supply is the Maidencreek. There are now in use five open sand bed filters, and sixteen covered sand bed filters have recently been constructed. One hundred and thirteen miles of pipes are needed to bring the water to all parts of the city. Industrial Conditions. Since the founding of the city much of its food stuffs have been secured in the surrounding farming districts which are noted for their richness. In addition to this, in its market houses there are found on sale all the products of the south, the west and the north. Located near the great coal beds, an abundant supply of coal at a low rate has been a special stimulus to industries of all kinds, especially iron. Located as it is on the Reading and Pennsylvania Railroads, there is excellent freight service. The Reading Car shops are vast and furnish employment to thousands. Electric transportation is well arranged, there being- two local lines, three mountain lines and six lines to suburban towns. More than nineteen million passengers are carried an- nually. Ever since colonial days Reading has been a manufacturing town. The hat-making industry was second only to that of Phila- 242 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY delphia in those days. The city is credited with having four hundred eighty-two manufacturing establishments, twenty-four thousand one hundred and forty-five wage earners and the value of the pro- ducts manufactured is given as $51,135,000, and in each of these it leads Scranton, which has a larger population. Several large blast furnaces are now operated in the city ; establishments for the manufacture of stoves, hardware, automo- biles, bicycles, dye, textile, candy and paint are constantly busy ; and its leaf tobacco warehouses and factories are numerous, there being about a hundred cigar factories. Education. Reading has always been known for its excellent schools. There are in all forty-six school buildings, one being especiallv devoted to administration. The teachers and supervisors NEW PENN STREET BRIDGE. number three hundred and twenty-six, and about twelve thousand children are enrolled. The High School building for boys, and that for the girls, are both modern structures that represent the best in architecture and adaptability to the purpose for which they were erected. The* night classes are especially well attended. The Young Men's Christian Association has more than twelve hundred mem- bers and a new building has been constructed at a cost of $200,000. THE CITY OF READING 243 FIRST SCHOOL HOUSE. Reading has had a free public Library since the beginning of the present century. A splendid new building was erected on the southwest corner of Fifth and Franklin Streets in 1912. Organizations for Civic development, and Parents' Associations are all helping to educate. So do the sixty-two churches which the city contains. The noblest and the best men have always so ar- ranged the educational affairs as to build up high ideals of what constitutes proper social service which each individual should render, and conserve the manhood and womanhood of each successive gen- eration of its inhabitants. Their lives exemplified the truth of the following stanza : "What makes a city great and strong? Not architecture's graceful strength, Nor factories' extended length ; But men who see the civic wrong And give their lives to make it right, And turn its darkness into light." THE CITY OF READING 245 LEADING FACTS —1912. 1. Founded — 174S 2. Incorporated- — 1783 3. Post Office established— 1793 4. Area — 3,965 acres 5. Census— (1790) 8,410; (1S47) 12.(100; (1910) 96,071 0. Railroads — (7 steam, 9 electric and 2 scenic) — 18 7. Miles of Street — 85 8. Parks — 295 acres 9. Market Houses — 10 10. Pumping Stations — 2 11. Reservoirs — 12. Cost of Water Works— 13,949,558 13. Places of Amusement — 21 14. Charitable Institutions — 13 15. Churches — 91 10. Schools— 47 (335 teachers) (13,000 pupils) 17. Banks— 14 IS. Newspapers — 19 19. 'Mercantile Licenses— 1700. 20. Retail Liquor Licenses — 174 21. Registered Voters— 18,234 22. Property Valuation— .K)4,958,975 23. Trolley Lines — 43 miles 24. First Fire Company organized — 1773 25. Number of Fire Companies — 13 20. Value of Equipment of Fire Companies — f 135,750 27. First Newspaper — 1789 28. First Railroad— 1S3S 29. Water Company organized — 1S21 30. City Hall erected— 1870 31. Post Office built— 1889 32. The County has — 34 Wholesale Liquor Dealers, 7 Bottlers, 3 Distillers, Brewers CHAPTER XIV. OUR NATIONAL FLAG. Previous to the Revolutionary War, the colonies used a variety of fla^s on which were patriotic mottoes. Among' these might be mentioned the Pine Tree Flag, the Rattlesnake Flag, and the Liberty Flag, all of which were used during the first year of the Revolution and earlier. The first flag used by Washington was unfurled at Cam- bridge, Massachusetts, on Jan. 1, 177(5, when he took command of the Continental Army. This flag was similar to the British flag, only that thirteen stripes were ad- ded to it to represent the thirteen original colonies. It was called the Union Jack. On June 14, 1777, Congress adopted the first National flag. Gen. George Washington, Robert Morris, and Col. George Ross were the committee appointed by Congress that devised this new flag. They called on Mrs. Betsey Ross of Philadelphia, who was noted for her skill as a needlewoman, and proposed that she should put together a flag after a design furnished in a pencil drawing by Gen. Washington. It is related that Mrs. Ross changed the star to five points. Gen. Washington having at first suggested six points. It is also related that the flag was made out of a soldier's white shirt, a blue army overcoat, and a red flannel petticoat. This flag contained thirteen red and white stripes and thirteen wdiite stars in a blue field arranged in a circle. The stars and stripes were to represent the thirteen original colonies BIRTH OF OUR FLAG OUR NATIONAL FLAG 247 The idea of making stars and stripes on our flag was probably obtained from Washington's coat of arms. This new flag was first raised at Ft. Stanwix (now Rome), N. Y., on Aug. 3, 1777, and was first carried in battle at Bfandywine, Sept. 11, 1777. Paul Jones first raised it on the ocean, and Captain Robert Gray first carried it around the world. In 1795, Congress passed a law that a new star and stripe is to be added ever}- time a new state is admitted. By this method the stripes got narrower every time a new state was admitted to the Union ; but this was remedied by Samuel E. Ried of Xew York, who suggested that it was best to have thirteen stripes on our flag to represent the thirteen original colonies, and as many stars as there are states in the union, and that every time a new state was admitted, a new star was to be added to the flag on the Fourth of July, next succeeding the admission. Mrs. Ried and her lady friends made a Hag as suggested by her husband, and this was adopted by Congress on April 4, 1817, and on July 4. 1818, it was unfurled to the breeze on the Nation's Capitol. In the army flag, the stars are grouped in the form of a large central star; and in the navy flag, they are arranged in parallel rows. The colors of the flag are red, white, and blue; red stands for defiance ; white for purity and blue for fidelity. The flags for our navy are made in the navy yard at Brooklyn. X. Y., and the floor of the room in which they are made, is the pattern of the flags. The largest flag made by the nation is 34.86 ft. long, and 13.12 ft. wide. The material used in manufacturing our flags has to stand a severe test. It is steeped for 24 hours in fresh water, then it is taken out of the water, strong soap applied, scrubbed, rinsed, and dried. Then it is exposed to the direct rays of the sun for 18 hours. If it stands all these tests, and does not fade, it is accepted by the Govern • ment. CHAPTER XV. PUBLIC OFFICIALS. FOREIGN MINISTERS. Henry A. Muhlenberg, to Austria. 1S3S-1S40 J. Glancy Jones, t<> Austria, 1858-1861 FOREIGN CONSULS. John Endlieh, at Basle, Switzerland Henry May Keim, at Prince Edward Island CONGRESSMEN. Daniel Heister, 1789-1797 Joseph Heister, 1797-1807, 1S15-1S20 Matthias Beichort. 1807-1811 John M. Ilyneumu. 1811-1813 Daniel Udree. 1813-1815, 1823-1825 Ludwig Worman. 1821-1822 William Adams, 1825-1829 Henry A. Muhlenberg, 1829-1S38 George M. Keiin, 1838-1843 John Ritter, 1843-1847 William Strong, 1S47-1853 J. Glaucy Jones, 1851-1853, 1S54-1S5S Henrv A. Muhlenberg. Jr.. 1S53-1S54 William II. Keim. IS58-1859 John Schwartz, 1859-1800 Jacob K. McKenty, 1S80-1861 Sydenham E. Ancona, 1S61-1867 J. Lawrence Getz, 1867-1873 Heister Clymer. 1S73-1SS1 Daniel Ermentrout, 1881-1889, 1S97-1899 David B. Brunner. 1889-1893 Constantine J. Erdman, 1893-1897 Henry D. Green, 1899-1903 Marcus D. Kline. 190:5-1907 John II. Rotherinel, 1907 STATE OFFICIALS. Charles Biddle, Supreme Executive Councillor, elected li.v I he Legislature. 1784-1787 Joseph Heister, Governor, 1820-1823 Gabriel Heister. Surveyor General, appointed by the Governor, 1824-1830 Frederick Smith. Supreme Associate Justice, appointed by the Governor. 1828-1830 Jacob Sallade, Surveyor General, appointed by the Governor. 1839:1845 John Banks, State Treasurer, elected by the Legislature, 1S47 William Strong; Supreme Associate Justice. 1857-1868 William M. heister. Secretary of State, ap- pointed by Governor. 1858-1860 William II. Keim. Surveyor Geueral. 1S60-1861 Warren J. Wocoward, Supreme Associate Jus- tice. 1874-1879 David MeMurtrie Gregg, Auditor General. 1892- 1895 SENATORS. Joseph Hiester, 1790-1794 Gabriel Hiester, 1795-1790. 1S05-1S12 Christopher Lower. 1797-1S04 John S. Hiester. 1809-1812 Charles Shoemaker, 1S13-1S16 Matks J,,hn Biddle. 1S17-1S20 Conrad Feger, 1S21-1824 George Sehall, 1S25 1828 Daniel A. Bertolet. 1S2S-1S32 Paul Geiger, 1833-1836 John Miller. 1837-1810 Samuel Pegely, 1S4MS46 John Potteiger, 1847-1849 Henry A. Muhlenberg. 1S50-1852 William M. Hiester, 1S53-1S55 John C. Evans, 1S56-1S5S Benjamin Nunnemarher. 1S59-1S60 Heister Clymer, 1861-1S66 J. Depuy Davis. 1867-1873 Daniel Ermentrout, 1874-1SS0 Edward H. Shearer. 1881-1884 Prank R. Brunner. 1885-1888 Henry D. Green, 1S89-1S96 \V. Oscar Miller. 1897-1900 Edwin M. Herbst, 1901 ASSEMBLYMEN. Moses Starr. 1752-1754 Francis I'arvin, 1755 Thomas Yorke. 17.>j-1757 James Boone, 1758 John Potts. 1759-1701 John Boss. 1762-1704 Adam Witman, 1765-1766 Edward Biddle. 1767-17S1 Henry Christ, 1771-1781 Valentine Eckert. 1770-1779 Henrv Haller. 1776-1781 . John Lesher. 1776- 1781 Johnafhon Jones. 1779-1780 John Hiester, 1782 Gabriel Hiester, 1782, 1787-1789, 1791. 1S02- 1804 Baltzer Gehr, 1782. 1786, 1792-1799 Daniel Hunter, 1782 Benjamin Weiser, 17S2 Joel Bishop, 1782- 17s4 Daniel Clymer, 1783-1784. 1787. 1791 Chris. Lower, 1783-1785. 1793-1794. 1796 Abraham Lincoln, 1783-1786 John Ludwig, 1783. 17S9. 1790 1792 John Patton, 1783 George Ege, 17S3 Nicholas Lotz, 1784-1786. 1790-1794 John Rice, 1784 Henry Spyker, 17S5-1786 David Davis, 17S5-1788 Martin Rhoads, 1785 Philip Kraemer, 1786-1787 Joseph Hiester, 1787-1790 Charles Biddle. 1788 Joseph Sands. 178S-1790 Daniel Brodhead. 1789 Daniel Leinbaeh, 1790 James Collins, 1791 C. Shoemaker, 1792-1801. 1810. 1812 Paul Groscup. 1792-1798 John Christ, 1795-1796 John Spayd. 1795-1810 Peter Frailey, 1797-1801. 1810-1812 William Lewis., 1797-1798 D. Rose, 1799-1804. 1803-1808. 1811-1812 Daniel Udree, 1799-1803. 1S05 William Witman, 1800-1805 Frederick Smith. 1802-180:" Isaac Adams, 1S04-1S05 PUBLIC OFFICIALS 249 Jacob Rhoads, 1804-1 SOS, 1S09 Jacob Epler, 1S05, 1S16 Elias Kedoay, 1S06-1807 Valentine Probst, 1806-1S0S Jacob Schaeffer. 1S06-1S0S John Bishop, 1806 Daniel Yoder, 1807-1808 Bernard Kepner, 1'SOS Jacob Schneider. 1800 David Kerbv, 1S09-1S12. 1815, 1817 John M. ITvneman. 1809 James MacFarland. 1S09 Adam Ruth, 1810-1811 Courad Feger. 1811-1814 John Miller. 1813. 1815 Jacob Krebs. 1813-1814 John Adams. 1813-1814 Jacob Sassaman, 1813 George Marx. 1814 Jonatlion Hudson. 1814 Daniel Kerper, 1815 Daniel Rlioads, Jr.. 1815-1817, 1822 Jacob Dreibelbis. 1815 Christian Haldeinan. 1816 D. Hottenstein, 1816. 1822-1824. 1827 William Schoener, 1817 God fried Roehrer. 1817. 1820, 1823 Michael Graeff. 1817-1819 Joseph Good. 1818-1819 Jacob Levan, 1818-1819 Blisba Geiger. 1818 Jacob Griesemer. 1818-1819 John Neikerch, 1819. 1822 John Kohler, 1820 Abraham Mengel. 1820 John W. Roseberry. 1820 George Gernant. 1820-1821 Samuel Jones. 1821 Joseph Good. 1821 Jacob Rahn. 1821 Jacob Schneider. 1821 William Adams. 1822-1824 John Gehr. 1822-1823 William Audenreid. 1823-1824 Henrv Bnver. 1824-1827. 1832 James Rverhard, 1824-1826 George Rahn. 1825-1827, 1828 Jacob Gehr. 1825-1826 George M. Odenheimcr. 1825 Daniel A. Bertolette. 1826-1828 Michael Graeff. 1826 Philip A. Good. 1827-1829 Mordeeai Lewis. 1828 John Stauffer. 1829-1831 Thomas J. Roehrer. 1829-1830 George Klein. 1829 Paul Geiger. 1829-1831 John Wanner. 1830-1832 John Potteiger. 1831-1834. 1842-1844 William High. 1&32 Peter Klein. Jr.. 1833-1834 Benjamin Tyson. 1833 Jacob M. Snvder. 1833-1834 Adam Schoener. 1834. 1839-1840 William Hottenstein. 1835-1836 Lewis W. Richards. 1835 John Ulrich, 1835-1836 John Jackson. 1835-1837 John Sheets. 1836-1837 Michael K. Boyer. 1837 S. Pegley. 1837 1839. 1848. 1849. 1851 Jacob Walborn, 1838-1839 Abraham Hill. 1838-1839 James Geiger. 1838 Henrv Flannery. 1840-1841 Peter Filbert. 1840 Daniel B. Kutz. 18401841 Robert M. Barr. 1841 Samuel Moore. 1841-1843 John Shenk, 1842-1843 Joseph Bachman, 1842-1843 Henry W. Smith, 1844-1845 John C. Evans, 1844, iS50-185_' Alfred J. Herman. 1S44 Jacob Tice, 1845-1840 Michael Hoffman. 1845-1846, 1857 Henry G. Stetler. 1845-1846, 1848 Charles Levan, 1840-1847 John Long. 1847-1848 John C. Myers, 1847-1849 Jacob Graeff. 1847 William Shaffncr. 1849-1850 Daniel Zerbey. 1849-1850. 1853 Alex S. Feather, 1850-1851 Jacob Reifsn.vdcr. 1851-1852 Isaac Yost, 1852-1853 George Dengler, 1852-1853 Jacob Wicklein 1853-1854 John P.. Smith 1854 George Shenk, 1854-1856 Daniel V. R. Hunter. 1854 Jeremiah Mengel, 1855 John F. Linderman. 1855 Samuel Shearer, 1855 Andrew M. Sallade, 1855 J. Lawrence Getz, 1856 1857 William Heins, 1856-1857 Benjamin Nunnemacher, 1856-1858 Michael Hoffman, 1857 Edmund L. Smith. 1858-1859 Amos Weiler, 1858 Solomon L. Custer. 1859-1860 Augustus F. Bertolet. 1859 Joshua S. .Miller, 1860 Elijah Penn Smith, 1860-1861 Michael P. Boyer, 1861 Henrv B. Rhoads. 1801. 1805-1867 Charles A. Kline. 1862-1864 Daniel K. Weidner. 1S62-1S63 William X. Potteiger, 1862-1864 John P. Missimer. 1864-1806 Frederick Harner, 1865-1807 Richmond L. Jones, 1867-1S6S Henrv S. Hottenstein. 1868-1869 Henry Brobst. 1868-1870 Aaron T. C. Keffer. 1870 1S72 Hiram H. Schwartz. 1870-1872 John A. Conrad. 1871-1873 Benjamin E. Dry. 1873-1876 Michael MoColIough. 1S73-1S74 Aaron Smith, 1874-1876 Daniel L. Batdorf. 1S74-1S76 Nicholas Andre. 1S75 Joseph B. Conrad. 1875-1878 George D. Shaeffer. 1877-1880 Stephen J. Smith. 1877-1880 James Liggett. 1879-1882 John H. Riegel, 1870-1882 C. A. Seidel, 1881-1884 George K. Loral] 1ssi-]SS4 Isaac Z. Deck. 1883-1886 James \V. Sponagle, 1883-1886 Ben ia min C. Baer. 1885-1888 L. P. G. Fegley, 1885-1888 N. S. Kauft'man. 1887-1800 John E. Pautsch. 1887-1890 C. W. Kutz. 1889-1892 Samuel B. Keppel, 1801-1804 F. Leonard Reber, lsoi-1894 Jacob B. Herzog. 1803-1800 Cyrus J. Rhode. 1895-1898 Jacob M. Weible, 1S95-1S98 Charles B. Spatz. 1897-1900 Frank II. Naftzinger. 1899-1902 Lot W. Reiff 1W.I 1902 Elmer E. Squibb, 1001 1904 Francis \V. Balthaser. 1901 1906 Thomas K. Houck, 1903 1906 250 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY Jacob A. Lesher, 1905-1906, 1909-1910 Howard G. McGowan, 1907-1908, lliUHH- Irwin M. Sharman, 1907-1910 David H. G. Kuser, 1907-1910 George C. Herman, 1911-1912 E. W. Billman, 1911-1912 Howard W. Body, 1913 B. Morris Strauss, 1913 Daniel A. Rothenberger. 1913 JUDGES- 1752- ■ * Conrad Weiser, 1752-1760 Francis Parvin. 1752-1761 Anthony Lee Jonas Seely. 1732-1766, tr69 Henry Harvey 1752-170:' William Bird. 1752-1755 William Maugridge, 1750-1766 -Moses Starr, James Boone. Jacob Levan, 1752-1762 James Read. Peter Spycker, 1703 James Diemer. 1700-1771 John Patton. 1700-1775, 1777 Nicholas Harmony. 1760-1771 Henry Christ. 1700-1771. 1784-1790 Sebastian Zimmerman. 1707-1771. 1778-1784 Joseph Millard, 176S-1769 Jacob Morgan, 1768-1769. 177::. 1774-1777 George Douglass, 1708-177::. 1775-1784 (Jorge Webb 1770-1771. 1774 Thomas Butter. 1770-1771 Benjamin Lightfoot. 1771 1774 Mark Bird. 1775-1776 Daniel Brodnead, Balthaser Gehr, 1775-1784 Jonathan Potts, 1770-1777 William Eeeser, 1778-17S4 Thomas Dunlap, James Diemer, Peter Spycker, 1770-1790 Henry Christ. 1777-1784. ITS Jacob Shoemaker. 1777 James Bead, 1777 Daniel Hiester, 1777 Jacob Weaver. 1777-17N4. 1784 John I.udwig. 1777-17S4. 1784 Benjamin Shott, 1777 Christopher Schultz. 1777 Samuel Ely, 1777-17*4. 17S4 Jacob Waggoner. 1777 Daniel Rothermel, 1777 John Old, 1777 Charles Shoemaker, 1777-1784, 1784 Thomas Parry. 1777 Michael Lindenmuth. 1778 Gabriel Hiester. 1778 John Guldin, 1780 Valentine Eckert, 1784 Paul Groscup, 1784 John Eckert, 1784 Henry Christ. 1784-1790 James Bead. Daniel I.evan. Valentine Eckert. 1785 John I.udwig. 1785 Jacob Morgan. Charles Shoemaker, 1785-1790 Paid Groscup, Jacob Weaver. 17S5 John Eckert. 17S6 17^7 John Otto. 1786-1787 Matthias Reichert, 1788-1790 John Otto, 1785 Matthias Reichert, 1788-1791 Nicholas Hunter. 17ss Egcdius Meyer, 1777-1784, 1784 Jacob Morgan, 1777-1784. James Diemer. 1788-1791 Egedius Meyer. 1789-1790 John Christ. 1789-1790 1784 PRESIDENT JUDGES. Jacob Bush, 1791-1805 John Spayd, 1806-1809 Robert Porter, 1810-1831' Garrick Mallery. 1833-1835 John Banks, 1836-1846 J. Pringle Jones. 1847-1848. 1851-1861 David P. Gordon. 1849-1851 W. J. Woodward. 1801-1871. 1871-1874 Jeremiah Ilagenman. 1875-1879, 1880-1889 James N. Ermentrout, 1890-1908 Gustav A. Endlich, 1908 ADDITIONAL LAW JUDGES. Henry Van Reed, 1360, 1875 Jeremiah Hagenman, 1869-1874 Augustus S. Sassaman, 1876-1880 James X Ermentrout, 1887-1889 Gustav A. Endlich, 1890-1908 Win. Kcrper Stevens, 1908-1909 George W. Wagnci 1900 ORPHANS' COURT JUDGES. Hiram H. Schwartz. 1883 1891 U. Willis Bland. 1891-19 ASSOCIATE JUDGES James Diemer, 1791-1819 George Ege. 1791-1818 Matthias Reichert, 1.791-1797 Joseph Hiester, l'j'91-1794 Nicholas Lotz 1;'93-1800 Benjamin Morris. 179S-1809 Gabriel Hiester, 1819-1823 Charles Shoemaker, 1820-1822 William Wituian, 1823-183S Jacob Schneider, 1824-1829 Matthias S. Richards, 1829-1845 William Darling, 1830-1838 William Addanis, 1839-1842 John Stauffer, 1843-1851 William High. 1846-1850 Samuel Bell, 1851 Daniel Young. 1851-1850 William Heidenreich, 1851-1850 David Schall. 1856-1860 George I). Stitzel. 1850-1S66 Charles Kessler. 1806-1871 David Kutz. 1866-1870 Henry Rhoads, 1870-1871 George W. Bruekman. 1871-1870 Daniel Buskirk, 1871-1876 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. Evan Price, 1752-1753 Edward Drury. 1752-1750 John Godfrey, 1752-1701 Jacob Lightfoot, 1753-1750, 1759-1«62 Thomas Butter. 1750-1759 William Reeser. 1757-1700 Samuel High, 1700-1703. 1773-1.. o Christian Witman. 1761-1764 John Hughes, 1762-1765 Frederick Weiser, 1703-1700 Richard Lewis. 1704-1767 Isaac I.evan. 1765-176S Nicholas Harmony. 1700-1709 Christian Merkel. 1707-1771) Jacob Snyder. 1709 1771 PUBLIC OFFICIALS 151 John Jones, 1769-1772 Henry Rightmeyer, 1770-1773 Davis Brecht, 1771-1774 Abraham Lincoln, 1772-1778 Michael Brecht, 1774-1777 Christian Lower, 1776-1779 John Kerlin, 1777-17S0 Adam Witman. 1778-1781, 17S4-1787 TUomas Jones, 1779-1782, 1783-1786 Thomas Parry, 1780-1783 Daniel Messersmith, 1781-1784 Michael Forry, 1782-1785 Conrad Eckert, 1785-1791 Daniel Leinback, 1786-1789 John Keim, 1787-1790 Jacob Boyer, 1789-1792 Jacob Bower, 1790-1793 John Riegel, 1791-1794 George Lorah, 1792-1795 Philip Miller. 1793-1796 Peter Kersehner, 1794 IT'.iT William Witman. 1795-1798 Nicholas Dick. 1796-1799 Isaac Adams, 1797-1800 Jacob Rhoads, 17981801 Peter Feather, 1799-1802 Jacob Epler, 1800-1803 Casper Merkel, 1801-1804 John Cunnius. 1802-1805 Daniel Voder. 1803-1806 Adam Knth. 1804-1807 Henrv Halm. 1805-1808 Henry Hottenstein. 1806-1809 Nicholas Leib. 1807-1810 Jacob Miller 1808-181] Valentine Boyer, 1809-1812 Daniel Until. 1810-1813 George Boyer. 1811-181 1 Jacob Gehr, 1812-1815 William Addams. 1813-1816 George Shreffler. 1S14-1S17 Daniel Levan, 1815-181S William High, 1816-1S19 Peter Stichter, 1S17-1S20 Ge< rire N. Lechner. 181S-1821 Peter Knabb, 1S19-1S22 David Hrisrht. 1820-1823 George Kemp. 1821-1824 Frederick Stanim. 1S22-1S25 Henry Reeser, 1,823-1826 John Wanner. 1824-1827 Jo'hn Potteiger, 1S25-182S John Halm. 182(1-1829 Stanley Kirby. 1827-183.0 George Gernant, 182S-1S31 Anthony Bickel, 1829-1S32 Doniel K. Hottenstein. 1830 1 ^::."> John Filbert. 1831 1834 Jacob Goodman, 1832-1S3" Daniel Snyder, 1833-1836 John Deysher, 1834-1837 John Y. Cunnius. 1895-1838 John Seibert, 1836-1839 David Kutz. 1837-1840 Michael Reigsnyder. 1838-1841 George Weiler. 1839-1842 John Long, 1840-1843 William Arnold. 1841-1844 John Sherman. 1842-1S45 Adam Leize, 1843-1846 Frederick Printz 1844-1S47 Micdiael Gery, 1S45-184S David Yoder. 1846-1849 Charles Fichthorn. 1S47-1S50 Conrad Clouse. 1848-1851 Thomas Shaner. 1849-1852 Joseph A. Schneider, 1850 1^">3 John McGowan, 1851-1854 Benjamin Kutz, 1852-1855 Jacob Young, 1853-1856 Gabriel Filbert. 1854-1857 William Knabb. 1855-185S Samuel Summons, 1856-18"9 D. L. Wenritfh, 1857-1S60. 18:13-1866 William Miller. 1858-1S61 John F. Moers. 1S59-1862 Paul Wenrich, Sr.. 1860-1863 J. Dona newer, 1861 George K. Lorah, 1861-186* H. R. Hawman. 1862-1865 Adam Stein. 1S04-1S67 William S. Young. 1865-1871. LS79-1881 Jacob Schartol. 1S66-1869 Benjamin l.evan. 1867-1870 John I.. Mover 1869-1872 William Rahn, 1S70-1S73 Joseph Mnthart. 1S71-1S74 David Lord. 1872-1873 Henry Seidel, 1873-1S74 William Fry. 1873-l'S7o William Ouibenhauer, 1874-1875 Henrj W. Smith. 1876-1S7S William Davidheiser 1876-187S William G. Moo"e. 1S76-1878 John Walborn, 1879-1881 Jeremiah R. Guldin. 1879-1881 Samuel G Hatfield, 18S2-1884 Peter Spang, 1882-1884 David ('. Keller. 1882-1884 John L. Wagner. lS8o-1887 Samuel K. Fisher, 1885-1887 David C. Keller, 1888-1890 Samuel G. Herbine. 18S8-1S90 Cyrus Levan, 1888-1890 'Samuel R. Deppen. 1891-1893 Cyrus W. Kauffman. 1891-1893 Jacob II. Ueeser. 1891-1893 Franklin Seidel. 1894-1896 Jeremiah Ilartman. 1894-1896 Henry Stover 1894-1896 John Wuueh, 1S90-1S99 George K. Linderman. 1897-1899 Wesley K. Loose, 1897-1899 Charles E. Stangier. 1900-1902 Alfred Gunkel, 1900-1902 Frank II. Meyer. 1900-1902 John W. Slipp. 1903-1905 Harry L. Johnson. 1903-1905 Oliver II. Sanders. 1903-1905 James M. Y'erger. 1906-1908 James F. Fis'her. 1906-1908 Chester B. Cleaver. 1906 Vmw Jacob M. Bordner. 1909-1911 Augustus R. Anderson. 1909-1911 Eugene I. Sandt. 1909 Nicholas .1. Kutz. 1912 Nicholas Rapp. Jr.. 19PJ CONTROLLERS. Joseph X. Shomo. 1901 John F. Ancona. 1902-1904 Horace F. Livingood, 1905-1907 Ambrose l. Rhoads, 1908-1911 Daniel K. Hoch, 1912 TREASURERS. Jonas Seely, 1752-1768 Christopher Witman. 1768-1779 Daniel Levan, 1779-1789 Daniel Messersmith. 1789-1807 1814-1817 John K. Messersmith. 1807 1809 1817-1820 Daniel Rhoads, 1si'i)-l823 David Bright. 1823-1835 Peter Nagle, 1835-1843 Henry Xatclo, 1843-1845 1809-1811, 1811-1814, 252 THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY* William Arnold. 1845-1847 Henry Hans. 1847-1849 Adam Leize. 1849-18.-1 William Ermentrout, 1851-1853 Charles VanHeed, 1853-1855 George Feather, 1855-1859 David riank, 1859-1801 William Herbst. 1861-1803 John Kurtz, 1803-1805 Isaac R. Fisher. 1865-1867 Charles H. Fritz. 1807-180.9 Samuel Merkel, 1869-1871 Abraham Y. Yoder. 1871-1873 Hiester M. Nagle, 1873-1875 Abraham H. Shaeffer. 1876-1878 Adam M. Dundore, 1879-1881 John Kersehner. 1882-1884 John S. Holtzman, 1885-1887 David W. Mogel, 1888-1890 Isaac F. Mareh. 1891-1893 Amendon Bright, 1894-1890 Cosmos D. Kutz. 1897-1899 Alfred K. Rentsehler. 1900 1902 Edwin G. Ruth, 1903-1905 Henry II. Fry, 1905-1908 William M. ('roll. 1909-1911 William D. Reeser, 1912 SHERIFFS. Benjamin Lightfoot. 1752-1754 William Boone, 1755-1750 Thomas Lincoln, 1757-1758 _„„„_„, Jacob Weaver, 1759-1700. 1763-1,64 Henrv Christ, 1701-170.2 Jasper Scull. 1765-1707 Jacob Shoemaker. 1768-17(0 George Nagle, 1771-1773 Henrv Yanderslice. 1774-1, Daniel Eevan. 1777-1779 Henry Iloffa. 1780-1781 Philip Kraemer. 1782-1784, 1.91-1793 Peter Filbert, 1785-1787 Jacob Bower. 1788-1790 Peter Frailey. 1794-179". John Christ. 1797-1799 Nicholas Bick, 1800-1802 John Spveker. 1803-1805 Conrad Feger. 1800-1808 George Marx. 1809-1811 Baniel Kerper, 1812-1814. 1824 1820 Peter Anrand. 1815-1817 John Miller. 1818-1820 Henrv Betz. 1821-1823 John ' Bickel, 1827-1829 James Sillyinan, 1830-1832 Henrv Bowman, 1833-183.. George Fox, 1830-1838 Henrv Binkley, 1838-1841 Daniel Esterly. 1841-1844 George Gernant. 1844-1847 John S. Schroeder. 184 < 18..0 John Potteiger. 1830-1853 John Manderbach. 1853-1856 Jeremiah B. Bitting. 1856-1859_ Abraham R. Koenig. 18. .9-1 862 Tobias Barto, 1862-1865 William B. Albright. 1865-1868 Evan Mishler. 1808-1871 George R. Yorgey .18,1-18.4 Alfred C. Kemp. 18, ..-18, 7 Levi M. r.erhart. ™™*™ George D. Boyer. 1881-1888 eorfe B Schaeffer. 1884 1886 Fias Becker. 1887-1889 George T>. Pahrenbach 189^1892 Frank H. Schmeok. 1893-189.. Frank Brobst. 1890-1898 Albert F. Mogel, 1899-1903 Jacob S. Sassaman. 1904-1900. John C. Bradley, 1907-1911 Thomas G. Werley, 1912 PR0TH0N0T ARIES. James Read. 1752-1775. 1777 Thomas Dundas. 1770 Jacob Shoemaker. 1778 Daniel Levan. 1779-1789. 1791 John Otto, 1790 George Eckert, 1792-1800 John S. Hiester, 1801-1808 Gabriel Hiester. 1809-1S17 Samuel D. Franks. 1818 John Adams. 1S19-1S20. 1824-1S26. Marks John Biddle. 1821-1823 Jacob Sallade. 1827-1829 Alex. H. Witman. 1836-1838 Benjamin Tyson. 1839-1842 Daniel Young. 1S42-1845 Peter Strohecker, 1845-1848 Michael K. Rover. 1848-1851 Charles II. Hunter. 1851-1854 Josiah Hearing. 1854-1857 David Fister, 1857-1800 Adam W. Kauffiuan. 1800 '80 ! Jonathan L. Reber, 1863-1866 Wellington B. Griesemer. i860 1869 George K. Levan. 1869-1872 Ephraim Armstrong. 1872-1875 Charles F. Rentsehler, 1870-1878 Amos Weiler, 1879-1881 William D. Althouse. 1882-188' Levi F. Dietrich. 1885-1887 Daniel H. Sehwever. 1888-1891! Joshua R. Burkev. 1891-1893. 1894 William II. B. Seboenly. 189! Oliver J. Wolff. 1895-1897 Danicd It. S.hmeck. 1898-1900 John G. Rhoads, 1901-1903 Edward J. Morris. 1904-1900, Eldrldge Zimmerman. 1907-1909 Thomas F. Adams. 1910 RECORDERS. James Read, 1752-1750 Henrv Christ. 1777-1789 John Christ. 1790-1791 Jacob Rower, 1792-1799 Peter Frailey, 1800-1808 Jacob Schneider. 1809-1817 John Adams. 1818 Daniel Rhoads. 1819 1820 John Miller. 1821-1823. 1830- ia35 John Frederick Smith. 1824-1829 Joseph Allgaier. 1830-1838 John Green, 1839 William Wunder. 1839-1842 Henrv II. Maurer. 1842 1845 Jolm W. Tyson. 1845-1848 Israel R. Eaueks. 1848-1851 John Bush. 1851-1854 Hiram S. Getz, 1854-1857 Nicholas Heckman, 1857-1860 Charles X. Keller. 1800 1863 rsaac I.. -nicks. 1863-1866 Henrv R eider, 1800-1809 Daniel Hummel. 1809-1872 Charles Hill. 1872-1875 Jefferson M. Keller. 1870-1878 William Zimmerman. 1879-1881 Isaac M. Bechtel, 1882-1884 W. Benton Stolz, 1885-1887 James F. Dumn. 1888-1890 .las. W. Sponagle, 1895-1897 Daniel II. Rieser. 1898-1900 Prank F. Dressier. 1901-1903 PUBLIC OFFICIALS 253 Henry H. Holzman. 1904-1906 Jeremiah A. Bausher. 1907-1909 Wilson B. Zcllor. 1910 REGISTERS. James Read, 1752-1774 Collinson Read, 1770-1776 Henry Christ, 1777-1789 John Christ, 1790-1791 Jacob Bower. 1792-1799 Peter Frailey, 1800-1808 Jacob Schneider, 1809-1817 Daniel Rhoads 1818-1820, 1824-1829 Peter Aurand. 1821-1823 George Smith. 1830-1835 William Zeber, 1836-1838 Joel Ritter, 1839-1842 John Green. 1842-1845 Isaac Ely. 1845-1848 Joseph Ritter. 1848-1851 Jacob Snell, 1851-1854 Daniel Buskirk. 1854-1857 Tobias Barto, 1857-1860 Benjamin R. Dry. 1860-1863 Michael S. Thirweehter. 1863-1866 J. Daniel Wanner. 1866-1869 Hiram S. Getz, 1869-1872 Henry S. Croll, 1872-1875 Peter Y. Edelman, 1876-1878 Solomon S. Kindt, 1879-1881 Jonas, M. Sbollenberger, 1882-1884 Amnion S. Strunk, 1885-1887 Albert H. Fegley, 1S8S-1890 Henry D. Strunk, 18P1-1893 William H Schaeffi r. 1894-1896 George B, Miller. 1897-1899 Devi £ Mabry. 1900-1902 William R Kemmerer. 1903 1905 Wilson >1 Dumn. 1906-1908 George R Gregory, 1909-1911 John J Newman, 1912 CLERKS OF QUARTER SESSIONS. Ja:ne. Bead, 1752-1776 James Whitehead, 1777177s Hem Cirrisl 1779 Daniel Levan, 17SO-1791 (icorg. E-ckert. 1792-1799 John g, Hiestor 1S00-1S0S Gabriel Hiester, Jr.. 1809-1812. 1814-1817 John M, Hyneman 1813 Samuel D. Franks. 1818 John Adams. 1819-1S20 Henry M. Richards. 1821-1822 Jacob Marshall. 1S23 Jacob Sallade, 1824-1S26 Nathaniel P. Hobert. 1827-1829 Philip A. Good. 1830-1832 William Schoenei', 1833-1835 Charles Troxell, 1836-1838 William II. .Miller, 18.;'.) Samuel Myers, 1839-1842 John L. Rightmyer, 1842-1851 Zacharias H. Mauivr. 1851-1854 Edwin H. Brockway, 1854-1857 Joseph S. Hoyer. 1857-1860 James Bell, 1S60-1S63 Francis Roland. 1S63-1866 Levi M. Gerhart, 1866-1869 Adam H. Sailor. 1S69-1872 Jacob H. Ilain. 1872-1875 Mahlou A. Sellers. 1S7U-187S Enoch S. Matthias, 1879-1881 Isaac Eckert, 1SS2-18S4 Morris II. Shaeffer. 1885-1887 Henry (;. Ileinly. 1888-1890 William II. Sallade, 1891 1893 Henry .1. IIoll. 1894-1895 Edwin T. Brown. 1895 Harry J. Dunm. 1896-1898 Daniel A. Bausher. L899-1901 Jacob B. Esser. 1902-1904 Peter S. IIoll. 1906-1907 Samuel T. Bordner. 1908-1910 Lawson G. Dietrich, 1912 DISTRICT ATTORNEYS. Jacob Hubley. 17S9-1S17 Frederick Smith, 1818-1820 1824-1827 Charles Richards, 1823 Daniel J. I Hester, 1822-182: 1 , Joseph II. Spavd. 1828-1829 Joseph I). Biles. 1830-1S31 Alexander L. King. 1832-1835 George G. Karclav 1836*1838 J. Pringlo Jones. 1839-1846 Peter Filbert. 1S47-"184S John S. Richards. 184D-1S50 Jeremiah Hagenman. 1850-1856 Jacob J. McKontv, 1856-1859 James B. Beehtel, 1859-1S62 Daniel Ernientront. 1862-1865 Wharton Morris, 1S65-186S Edward II. Shearer, 186S-1S71 Deter D. Wanner. 1871-187-1 Henry C. G. Reber. 1875-1877 William M. Goodman, 1878-1880 Hiram V. Kauffman, 1881-1883 Israel H. Rothennel. 1884-1886 Jere.miah K. Giant. 1887-1889 W. Oscar Miller. 1890-1892 Frank K. Fl I, 1893-1895 Adam B. Rieser. 1896-1898 Abraham H. Rothennel. 1899-1901 George W. Wagner, 1902-1904 Ira G. Kutz, 1905-1907 Harry I). SChaeffer, 1908-1911 Harvey F. Ileinly. 1912 MAY 29 1913 -> ^ -^ ^ v « ^ v ^ ** V .% *N -A _N ^ V ?-%, %$' «r J -p .*> cfc ^ "^ \ v -^. o /_ " • *o ^ ? / N N x° °x. *>. -> ^ .i\ - \ \ v o V \/; ^^ ^^: ,V ^ ^> iN" - •K^ rS ^ OO 1 ^ V - ^