USA > Pennsylvania > A geography of Pennsylvania : containing an account of the history, geographical features, soil, climate, geology, botany, zoology, population, education, government, finances, productions, trade, railroads, canals &c. of the state : with a separate description of each county, and questions for the convenience of teachers : to which is appended, a travellers' guide, or table of distances on the principal rail road, canal and stage routes in the state > Part 1
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51
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PHILADELPHIA, FROM KENSINGTON.
A
GEOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA:
CONTAINING
AN ACCOUNT
OF THE
HISTORY, GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES, SOIL, CLIMATE, GEOLOGY, BOTANY, ZOOLOGY, POPULATION, EDUCATION, GOVERN- MENT, FINANCES, PRODUCTIONS, TRADE, RAIL ROADS, CANALS, &c. OF THE STATE;
WITH A
SEPARATE DESCRIPTION OF EACH COUNTY, AND
QUESTIONS FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF TEACHERS.
TO WHICH IS APPENDED, A TRAVELLERS' GUIDE,
OR TABLE OF DISTANCES ON THE PRINCIPAL RAIL ROAD, CANAL AND STAGE ROUTES IN THE STATE.
BY CHARLES B. TREGO,
Late Assistant State Geologist ; Member of the American Philosophical Society ; of the Association of American Geologists and Naturalists, &c., &c.
Illustrated by a Map of the State and numerous Engravings.
PHILADELPHIA : EDWARD C. BIDDLE, 6 SOUTH FIFTH STREET. STEREOTYPED BY C. W. MURRAY & CO. 1843.
F149 T78 Cajon 3
ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1843, by EDWARD C. BIDDLE,
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. .
Transter MAY 14 1948
9 8 Accensione UNsion The LIBRARY of CONGRESS
PRINTED BY T. K. & P. G. COLLINS, PHILA
PREFACE.
EVERY citizen of a free commonwealth, and more especially he who exercises the right of suffrage, should, as far as practicable, be made acquainted with the character and condition of the State over which he is one of the joint sovereigns, and for the proper government of which he is partly responsible. A consideration of the advantages to be derived from a more intimate knowledge of the physical features, population, institutions, productions, resources, trade and improvements of Pennsylvania, has led to the preparation of this volume, in the hope that it might be found ser- viceable in the cause of education, as well as acceptable to the community at large.
There is no work extant which affords that general and minute information both useful and desirable to the student, the man of business, and the traveller, who may seek for a more extended knowledge of this noble State than is to be obtained from the Geo- graphies in common use, in which but a few pages (generally three or four at most) are devoted to the description of a common- wealth containing almost two millions of inhabitants, and having a territory nearly equal to that of England in extent. To supply this defect, and to give such an account of Pennsylvania as may lead to a more full and intimate acquaintance with its actual con- dition, has been the object of the present work, which, it is hoped, will not only be found useful in families and to individuals as a book of reference, but one which may be used with advantage in our general system of school education. With this view, ques- tions have been added to each section for the convenience of teachers.
The work is divided into two parts, with a historical introduction prefixed. The first part contains an account of the general geo- graphical features of the State, its soil, climate, &c., with a de- scriptive sketch of its geology, botany and zoology; the character of its population, education, government and finances; its pro- ductions of agriculture, manufactures, mines and forests; its internal improvements, trade and commerce. In the second part will be found a particular description of each county, in alpha- betical order; embracing an account of its physical aspect, geolo -. gical character, mineral products, soil, streams, towns and villages, productions, canals, rail roads, turnpikes, bridges, &c.,-the as- sessed value of property, the state of education, colleges, academies and schools, religious denominations, natural curiosities, &c., together with historical sketches of the early settlement, and such other particulars as have been deemed worthy of notice.
With regard to the sources from which our information has been derived, care has been taken to select those upon which the most reliance could be placed, and to reject much that has been hereto- fore published which was found to be erroneous or doubtful. In
1* 5
6
PREFACE.
the course of his duties as Assistant State Geologist during four years, and on various other occasions, the author has visited most parts of the State, and has thus enjoyed opportunities of acquiring much local information concerning the different subjects embraced in this work. For a description of the geological character and mineral productions of those districts which he has not had an opportunity of examining, and for the general arrangement and classification of the various rock formations, reference has been had to the annual reports made to the legislature by the State Geologist. In our sketches of historical events, the works of Gordon and other historians of the State have been freely used; as have been also many other books and documents containing information suited to our purpose.
In order to obtain more full and complete materials for our un- dertaking, and to enable us to do ample justice to every portion of the State, letters requesting information upon various interesting subjects were addressed to such gentlemen in the different counties as were deemed most likely, from their known intelligence and ability, to afford the desired answers; but we regret to say that from only a very few of them have any replies been received. Our grateful acknowledgments are, however, due to the following named gentlemen for valuable communications respecting their several counties : Professor Jacobs of Adams, Isaac Lightner, Esq., of Allegheny, Dr. M'Crea of Berks, Dr. Cartee of Bucks, James Lesley, Esq., of Dauphin, Judge Smith and Messrs. Crozer and Painter of Delaware, George Ford, Esq., of Lancaster, and T. Nicholson, Esq., of Susquehanna. The author would also respect- fully acknowledge his obligations to those of his fellow members of the legislature who have kindly aided him with information on various subjects in the districts represented by them.
For the substance of the article on Zoology we are indebted to Professor S. S. Haldeman, and for valuable assistance in that on Education, to Professor A. D. Bache,-gentlemen whose acknow- ledged abilities and zeal in their respective pursuits, as well as their labours for the promotion of general science, are well known and highly appreciated. Whatever merit may be found in our account of the Trade and Commerce of the State, is due to the kindness of a friend whose commercial pursuits and general acquaintance with the subject have enabled him to supply our want of knowledge in this department. For the original drawings from which most of our engravings illustrative of natural scenery have been taken, we are indebted to the kind liberality of W. T. Russell Smith, an artist of acknowledged merit in his profession.
A book of this kind must, from the nature of the subject, be little else than a mere compilation. The writer is therefore aware that he can lay but small claim to originality, and will be satisfied if it shall be found that he has compiled judiciously, and his la- bours be conducive to a more intimate and thorough acquaintance with the features, character and resources of his native State.
Philadelphia, August, 1843.
CONTENTS.
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION,
FAGE 9
PART I.
OF THE STATE IN GENERAL.
. 1. Boundaries, extent, and political divisions, 25
2. Face of the country, mountains, &c., 26
3. Rivers, 30
4. Soil,
34
5. Climate,
39 41 57 75
9. Population,
84
10. Religion and morals,
86
12. Crime and its punishment,
96
13. Pauperism and the poor laws,
100
14. Government and legislation,
102
15. Defence, .
106
16. Finances, revenue and taxation,
107
17. Productions, . 110
18. Trade and commerce, 129
19. Internal improvements,
147
PART II.
OF THE SEVERAL COUNTIES.
1. Adams county, 164
2. Allegheny, 167
3. Armstrong, 176
4. Beaver,
179
5. Bedford,
183
6. Berks,
187
7. Bradford,
193
8. Bucks,
194
9. Butler, .
202
10. Cambria,
204
11. Carbon,
206
12. Centre,
209
6. Geology,
7. Botany,
8. Zoology,
11. Education,
88
.
8
CONTENTS.
PAGE
13. Chester,
216
14. Clarion,
217
15. Clearfield,
219
16. Clinton,
221 .
17. Columbia,
223
18. Crawford,
.
225 229
20. Dauphin, .
237
21. Delaware,
241
22. Elk, .
241 .
23. Erie,
243
24. Fayette,
. 247
25. Franklin,
252
26. Greene,
254
27. Huntingdon,
259
28. Indiana,
261
29. Jefferson,
263
30. Juniata,
265
31. Lancaster,
274
32. Lebanon, .
276
33. Lehigh,
278
34. Luzerne,
288
35. Lycoming,
292
36. Mckean,
293
37. Mercer,
295
38. Mifflin,
298
39. Monroe,
301
40. Montgomery,
304
41. Northampton,
308
42. Northumberland,
312
43. Perry,
314
44. Philadelphia,
340
45. Pike,
341
46. Potter,
342
47. Schuylkill,
347
48. Somerset, .
351
49. Susquehanna,
354
50. Tioga,
356
51. Union, .
359
52. Venango, .
362
53. Warren,
363
54. Washington,
366
55. Wayne,
368
56. Westmoreland, .
372
57. Wyoming,
373
58. York,
378 .
TRAVELLERS' GUIDE.
CONGRESSIONAL, SENATORIAL AND REPRESENTATIVE DIS-
TRICTS .
.
382 ·
.
212
19. Cumberland, .
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION.
THE earliest settlements made by Europeans within the limits of Pennsylvania were by a colony of Swedes, who in the year 1638 purchased from the natives the land upon the western shore of Delaware bay and river, from Cape Henlopen to the falls opposite the present city of Trenton. In 1642, John Printz, the Swedish governor, erected for his own use a handsome and con- venient mansion on Tinicum island, below the mouth of the Schuylkill, and also caused a church to be built, which was con- secrated in 1646. In this neighbourhood the principal settlers established themselves. The Dutch West India Company, how- ever, also laid claim to this territory under a grant from the govern- ment of Holland, and in 1654 they subdued the Swedes, and brought them under the dominion of the government of New Netherlands, now New York, which then belonged to the Dutch.
When the English conquered New Netherlands in 1664, the Dutch possessions on the Delaware also fell into their hands, and the whole country remained for several years subject to the En- glish governors of New York.
William Penn, the son of Sir William Penn, a distinguished admiral in the British navy, having embraced the religious senti- ments of the people called Friends, or Quakers, suffered much persecution on that account, and seems to have looked towards the new settlements in America, as a place where he might found a colony as an asylum for his persecuted brethren. Accordingly, in 1680, he petitioned King Charles II. for a tract of land lying north of the patent previously granted to Lord Baltimore, and west of the Delaware. This was readily granted to him in consideration of a debt of sixteen thousand pounds, due to him in right of his . father, from the government. The charter was dated March 4, 1681, and constituted William Penn and his heirs true and abso- lute proprietaries of the province of Pennsylvania, saving to the crown their allegiance and the sovereignty .* He and his heirs and deputies were empowered to enact laws with the assent of the freemen of the province, to erect courts of justice, and generally to administer the government, provided that nothing should be done repugnant to the laws or sovereignty of England. No tax or duty was to be laid on the people or their property by the king, unless by consent of the proprietary, governor or assembly, or by act of parliament.
* This Charter is yet preserved and hangs in a frame in the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth at Harrisburg.
9
10
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION.
Soon after this, Penn published an account of his newly acquired territory, and offered the land to purchasers at the rate of forty shillings per hundred acres, with a quit rent of one shilling per annum forever. His offers were soon embraced and several com- panies of emigrants sailed from London and Bristol to take posses- sion, landing in December 1681, at Upland, now Chester. They were chiefly of the society of Friends, and being temperate, indus- trious and economical, conducted themselves in the difficulties and hardships of their new situation with so much prudence and cir- cumspection as to avoid most of the dangers to which a new colony is usually subject. Their success induced others to follow, and so early as August 1683, the population was estimated at four thousand. Penn himself soon followed the first colonists, and landed at Newcastle, October 24, 1682.
He immediately proceeded to establish his government over the infant province, and convened an assembly which met at Chester on the 4th of December. This first legislature of Pennsylvania, during a session of three days, enacted three laws. 1. An act an- nexing the Lower Counties to the province. 2. An act naturaliz- ing the Swedes, Dutch, and other foreigners in the province. 3. The " great law," comprising the laws agreed on in England as a general system of jurisprudence.
The conscientious Penn still regarded the Indians as the rightful possessors of the soil, and invited them to a conference at Shacka- maxon, (now Kensington,) where they assembled in great num- bers. Here a formal treaty of peace and amity was made; they were paid for their lands, and departed for their forest homes full of love and admiration for the great and good Onas, as they called Penn. This treaty, simple but sincere, remained inviolate for seventy years. Voltaire says, "It was the only treaty between these people and the Christians that was not ratified by an oath, and which was never broken."
The city of Philadelphia was laid out at a place called by the Indians Coaquannock, between Wicacoa, now Southwark, and Shackamazon. During the first year eighty houses were erected, and the establishment of various mechanical arts, as well as a profitable trade soon gave strength to the infant city. Fresh arri- vals of emigrants poured into the province from England, Wales, and Germany. The Welsh settled upon the Schuylkill some miles above Philadelphia, and the Germans, establishing themselves on the north, founded the village of Germantown. Four years after the grant of the charter to Penn, the province contained twenty ' settlements, and Philadelphia two thousand inhabitants.
In August 1684, Penn having received intelligence that his presence was necessary in England, concluded to leave the colony for a time, and return to the mother country. He had established a government, and beheld his people happy and prosperous in their civil and religious liberty. He appointed five commissioners of the provincial council, with Thomas Lloyd as president, to ad- minister the government during his absence. Shortly after his arrival in England, King Charles II. died, and was succeeded by
11
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION.
James II. The troubles in England, during the reign of that prince, involved Penn and his colony in difficulty, and after the revolution of 1688, which placed William and Mary on the throne, Penn was several times imprisoned, in consequence of his religion and his supposed adherence to the cause of the fallen monarch. The government of Pennsylvania was taken into the hands of the king, who appointed Colonel Fletcher, at that time governor of New York, to administer the affairs of the province. There seems to have been little cordiality of feeling between Gov- ernor Fletcher and the people of the province, and with the pro- vincial assembly he was continually engaged in disputes and con- tentions.
The suspicions which had so long rendered the king unfriendly to Penn, were at last removed. He had friends among the leading men who were in the confidence of the sovereign ; he was heard before the privy council, honourably acquitted, and restored to his proprietary rights by patent dated August 1694. He now desired again to visit Pennsylvania, but being prevented by pecuniary difficulties, he continued William Markham as deputy governor. The colonial assembly differing with the Governor, and complain- ing that their chartered privileges had been broken, a new frame of government was agreed upon, more democratic than the former, and defining more explicitly the powers of the assembly, and the duties of the several officers. This, however, does not seem to have been sanctioned by Penn, and continued in force only until he arrived in the province in 1699.
On this second visit he was accompanied by his family, and pro- bably designed to spend the remainder of his life in Pennsylvania.
The house which he occupied, and in which his son John Penn was born, is still standing at the southeast corner of Second street and Norris' alley. The front has since undergone some altera- tions. but enough of the old fashioned peculiarity of the structure is still visible, to distinguish it as a relic of the olden time.
William Penn's house, as in 1700.
12
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION.
The proprietary was far, however, from finding quiet and repose. The colonists were still dissatisfied, and demanded further con cessions and privileges ; the intercourse with the Indians, and the question of negro slavery also furnished sources of continual trouble and anxiety. He was, moreover, engaged in a dispute with Lord Baltimore, the proprietor of Maryland, concerning the boun- dary line between the two provinces ; a controversy which lasted many years, and was at last settled by Mason and Dixon, who were appointed commissioners for the purpose, and who finally established the boundary line in 1768, and set up a hewn stone at every mile along it, many of which are yet standing.
Penn, having determined to return to England, in order to satisfy the colonists, prepared once more a new frame of govern- ment for the province, still more liberal, and conferring greater powers on the colonial assembly .. This charter the three lower counties, Newcastle, Kent and Sussex, refused to receive, and separating from Pennsylvania elected an assembly for themselves, still acknowledging the authority of the governor.
In November 1701, Penn sailed for England, leaving Andrew Hamilton as his deputy, whose administration was embittered by the disputes of the assembly. Penn was harassed by complaints, and made several changes in the administration. At length wea- ried with the continual dissensions and controversies in the pro- vince, and finding his health declining, he resolved to transfer the government of Pennsylvania to the crown, still retaining his right to the soil and the quit rents. He addressed an admirable letter to the assembly, in which his wisdom and affectionate con- cern for the future welfare of the province are strongly marked. He died in 1718, leaving his interest in Pennsylvania as an in- heritance to his children, which they continued to possess until the revolutionary war, when their claim was purchased by the Com- monwealth for 130,000 pounds sterling, about 580,000 dollars.
After the death of William Penn, a dispute arose concerning the validity of his transfer of the government, and it again de- volved to his sons John, Thomas, and Richard Penn, by whom it was held, under different deputy governors, until the revolution. In 1729 upwards of six thousand emigrants arrived, and for several years following the influx was very great,-principally from Germany and Ireland. They settled chiefly in the counties of Northampton, Berks, Lancaster, York, Cumberland, Bedford, Northumberland, and Westmoreland, forming a thriving and industrious people, and introducing a variety of useful arts, and manufactures. The Germans seem to have acted with admirable foresight in locating their settlements on some of the best soil in the province for agricultural purposes ; and we still see their wealthy descendants occupying the rich limestone valleys where their ancestors from the "Father land" first reared their humble dwellings and found a happy home.
Thomas Penn arrived in 1732, and two years afterwards John Penn, the senior proprietary visited the province. Patrick Gordon was the deputy governor from 1726 to 1736, and during
13
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION.
his administration the province increased in population, improved in morals, and prospered in commerce. Large quantities of grain were shipped to Lisbon, and the vessel frequently sold as well as the cargo. Provisions were shipped to the West Indies, in return for which sugar, molasses, and specie were obtained ; and a trade with Madeira, the Azores and Canary islands also flourished. The laws relating to inspections were revised, an auctioneer was appointed, and an insolvent law passed. Some troubles respect- ing land titles occurred in consequence of the land office being closed during the minority of Richard and Thomas Penn, from the death of their father to the year 1732. Vacant lands were oc- cupied without title by emigrants, frequently sold and resold, and great confusion was produced by a proclamation from the proprie- tary requiring payment under the penalty of ejectment. Pay- ments were procrastinated, warrants were vacated, resurveys were made, and a compromise was frequently effected as the only mode of avoiding trouble and difficulty.
On the breaking out of a war between Spain and Great Britain in 1739, Pennsylvania was called upon for her quota of men and money for the general defence of the colonies. The assembly re- fused on the ground of religious scruples, and further stated that the colony, being so remote from the sea, was not likely to be attacked by the enemy. They, however, voted three thousand pounds for the use of the king ; but subject to such conditions that the governor refused it, and raised money by the sale of bills on the English government. Many other subjects of difference arose between the governor and the assembly, which at last grew to such a height as seriously to impede the public business. In order to sustain himself and his party, the governor removed from office those persons who were opposed to his views; a precedent which seems to have been followed by the governors of this State to the present day. The effect of this practice upon the public good is, however, questionable as to its benefit; for the rewarding of party services by appointments to office must always incite men to be- come partizans for the sake of office, and men of merit, integrity, ability and purity of character must be sacrificed to make room for party favourites, even of notorious incapacity or of doubtful honesty.
At the election of 1742, the two parties prepared for a trial of strength. The Quaker or country party was most powerful in the counties ; while the friends of the governor, or gentlemen's party, were strongest in the city. As some of the proceedings relative to this election bear considerable resemblance to those of our own times, we shall describe them more particularly than would other- wise be necessary. The freemen of the whole county of Philadel- phia, held their election at the court house in Market street, and the inspectors were chosen in the morning by the voters assembled. The country party collected to the number of a thousand, a great number of them being Germans, and proceeded to nominate their candidates for inspectors. The governor's party offered to divide the number of inspectors equally, but this was refused on the 2
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