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 25
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There are several excellent turnpike roads in this county. The Doylestown and Willow Grove turnpike connects with the Chel- tenham turnpike, and forms the most direct communication with Philadelphia. The Bethlehem turnpike touches the county at Lexington and runs about 2} miles on the county line. The Phi- ladelphia and Trenton turnpike passes through Bensalem, Bristol, and Falls townships, a distance of 17 miles. An extension of the Philadelphia, Bustleton, and Smithfield turnpike is now in a course of construction as far as the Buck tavern, in Southampton township, and will probably be made to Newtown in a few years. Some others are about to be constructed to connect with the Doylestown turnpike, in order to facilitate the transportation of pro- duce to market. The common roads are generally kept in good repair.
The Philadelphia and Trenton rail road is the only one in the county, passing through it about 17 miles.
The Delaware division of the State canal follows the windings of the river along the eastern border of the county for 53 miles, and terminates at Bristol.
There are eight bridges crossing the Delaware within the limits of this county, viz : the Trenton, Yardleyville, Taylorsville, New Hope, Centre, Alexandria, Milford, and Rieglesville bridges. Every bridge on the Delaware, except that at Trenton, was car -
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ried away by the great freshet on the 8th of Jannary, 1841; but they have since been rebuilt.
County bridges across the Neshaminy and other streams are nu- merous, chiefly constructed of stone, and well built.
The state of education among the people at large, though per- haps equal to that in most counties of the commonwealth, is nevertheless much inferior to what it ought to be, in a community so well able to support it. The condition of the common schools generally calls loudly for reform. The county contains 33 dis- tricts, of which only 13 had accepted the school law in 1842, and have 65 schools in operation. The non-accepting districts are chiefly in the upper part of the county. There are 151 school houses, which are generally built of stone; and the schools are open on an average about 93 months in the year.
There is at present no collegiate institution in the county, the Bristol college having been discontinued. There is an academy at Attleborough, one at Newtown, and one at Doylestown. At the latter place is a flourishing female seminary, incorporated by act of Assembly in 1838.
English is the general language of the middle and lower parts of the county; but in the upper section German is commonly spoken.
The number of churches and religious denominations in this county are as follows: Friends 18, German Reformed 11, Metho- dists 11, Mennonists 11, Lutherans 9, Presbyterians 9, Episcopa- lians 5, Baptists 4, Christians 2, Catholics 1, Free 1. Total 82.
Bucks was one of the three original counties erected by William Penn in 1682. Previous to the arrival of Penn's colony, there was a considerable settlement of English Friends in this county near the lower falls of the Delaware, who had grants of land there from Sir Edmund Andross, then governor of New York. The southern and interior parts of the county were settled mostly by English and Welsh Friends, and the northern by Germans.
William Penn had a large mansion house erected on his manor of Pennsbury near the bank of the Delaware, a few miles above Bristol, the ruins of which are still visible. It was undertaken be- fore his arrival and intended for his reception. Here he afterwards sometimes resided, and held meetings and conferences with the Indians. In 1701 he held a great Indian council to renew their covenants and take leave of them.
A town was surveyed and laid out in Pennsbury manor by Phineas Pemberton, which was intended to have been Philadel- phia; but the people who went there were dissatisfied with the lo- cation, and it was abandoned.
The Indian tribe which was originally in possession of the land comprising this county, belonged to the nation of Delawares, and were called Neshaminies, from the principal creek about which they had their residence. The remains of the renowned king Ta- mané, a celebrated Indian chief, lie buried on Prospect Hill farm, 4 miles south-west of Doylestown. His grave is in a beautiful spot by the side of a spring which flows into Neshaminy creek.
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"And since the chieftain there has slept, Full many a winter's winds have swept, And many an age has softly crept Over his humble sepulchre."
The last remains of the Delawares, under their leader Isaac Still, a celebrated Indian of some education, removed from Bucks county about the year 1775, to go, as they said, " far away from war and rum," to the Wabash.
We find in the records of the old provincial council of 1683, an order that the seal of Bucks county should be a " Tree and Vine."
In 1684, John Chapman came over from England and settled in Wrightstown. His place at that time was the farthest back in the woods of any English settlement; and the Indians, being numerous, frequented his house in great numbers and were very kind to him and his family, as well as to those who came after him; often supplying them with corn and other provisions, which in those early times were very scarce.
In 1697, the present site of Bristol, which was then called Buckingham, was surveyed and laid out as a market town by Phineas Pemberton, the surveyor general. This was for a time the seat of justice for the county, which was afterwards removed to Newtown, and subsequently in 1812 to Doylestown, where it still remains. James Harrison was the first chief justice of Bucks, and Phineas Pemberton was clerk of the court. As members of the early provincial councils, and holding other public trusts in this county, we find the names of William Yardley, William Biles, John Swift, Thomas Janney, William Paxon, Thomas Jenks, Joseph Kirkbride, Thomas Watson and others, many of whose descendants are to be found at the present day among the most respectable inhabitants of the county.
One of the earliest seminaries of learning in the State was insti- tuted about the year 1728, in Warminster township, by the Rev. William Tennent, an emigrant from Ireland. It was more espe- cially intended for the education of ministers for the Presbyterian church. From its celebrity and the materials of which it was constructed, it received the popular name of the " Log College." This institution continued to flourish for some time, and was the means of forming a number of good scholars and distinguished professional characters.
The great Indian walk makes a conspicuous figure in the history of this county. We are indebted to the reminiscences of the vene- rable Samuel Preston, as published by him in the Bucks County Patriot in 1826, for the following account of it. "It appears that in 1732, Thomas Penn, son of William Penn, came over as proprie- tary and remained about two years. He contracted with T'eed- yuscung, a noted and pretended chief, for the Indian title to all the land to be taken off by a parallel of latitude from any point as far as the best of three men could walk in a day between sunrise and sunset, from a certain chestnut tree at or near Bristol, in a north-west course. (Other traditionary accounts say this tree was
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near Wrightstown, which is more probable.) Great care was taken to select the most capable men for such a walk. The reward was five pounds in money and 500 acres of land any where in the purchase. The choice fell upon James Yeates, Solomon Jennings and Edward Marshall. This Marshall was a native of Bucks, a stout athletic man, famous as a hunter, chain carrier, &c. One of the longest days in the summer of 1733 was appointed, and the champions notified. The people collected at what they thought the first 20 miles, on the Durham road, to see them pass. First came Yeates, stepping lightly, accompanied by Thomas Penn and attendants on horseback. After him, but out of sight, came Jen- nings with a strong and steady step, and yet farther behind, Ed- ward Marshall, apparently careless, swinging a hatchet and eating a dry biscuit : bets ran in favour of Yeates. Marshall carried the hatchet to swing in his hands alternately, that the action in his arms should balance that of his legs. He was determined to win, or die in the attempt. Yeates gave out near Durham creek. Marshall kept on, and before he reached the Lehigh he overtook and passed Jennings-waded that river at Bethlehem, and hurried on, by the spot where Nazareth now stands, to the Wind Gap. That was as far as the path had been marked for them to walk on, and there was waiting the last collection of people to see if any of the walkers would reach it by sunset. Marshall only halted for the surveyor to give him a pocket compass, and started on again. Three Indian runners were sent after him to see that he walked fairly, and how far he went. He then passed to the right of Pocono mountain, till he reached Still-water. There he marked a tree witnessed by three Indians. The distance he had walked between sunrise and sunset, not being on a straight line, and about 30 miles of it through the woods, was estimated at about 110 miles. Yeates died in three days afterwards; Jennings' health was so much impaired that he died in a few years; but Marshall lived to the age of 90 years at his residence on Marshall's Island in the Delaware opposite Tinicum." Mr. Preston states that he received this account from the lips of Marshall himself.
A parallel of latitude from Still-water would have cut off all the valuable possessions of the Indians to the westward; and they, becoming alarmed, denied the right of Teedyuscung to enter into such a contract. It created great uneasiness, and they threatened war, before they would consent to such a bargain. In the midst of these perplexities, Thomas Penn returned to England, and his elder brother, John Penn, came over, who, on becoming acquaint- ed with the facts of the case, revoked the contract. This was wounding to the pride of Teedyuscung, who thus had gained nothing in the transaction ; and being a man of treacherous, cruel, and malicious disposition, he created a hostile feeling among the Indians towards the whites. Marshall never obtained the pro- mised reward for his great exploit, and his family was the first to feel the Indians' vengeance. Thus the " Indian walk" may be considered as the prime cause of rupture in the harmony which had so long subsisted between Penn's colony and the natives.
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. In the war of the Revolution this county was frequently tra- versed by American and British troops; and although we can point to no battle fields within its borders, it is not left without a witness of " the times that tried men's souls." When Washing- ton boldly determined to attack the British in their winter quarters at Trenton, he selected M'Konkey's ferry, now Taylorsville, about eight miles above Trenton, as the most favourable point for cross- ing the Delaware. Accordingly, on the night of Christmas, 1776, a night of intense cold, with a storm of mingled snow, hail, and rain, the river being covered with floating ice, he crossed the De- laware, arrived at Trenton soon after sunrise, and surprised the British and Hessian forces, who after a brief struggle surrendered themselves as prisoners of war, to the number of about 1,000 men, with all their military stores.
What is the extent of Bucks county, and how bounded ? Describe the course of the Delaware. The other principal streams. What is said of a remarkable spring ? What kind of rocks occupy the lower end of the county ? What formation lies on the north of them ? Where are the prin- cipal ridges of trap rock ? In what parts of the county is limestone found ? What minerals occur in Southampton, and in other places men- tioned ? Describe the Durham cave. What is said of the soil and of agri- culture ? Of the climate ? Name the county town, and describe its situ- ation, public buildings, &c. How is Bristol situated, and what is said of it ? New Hope ? What other villages are mentioned ? Where is the county poor-house ? What are the principal agricultural products ? Manu- factures ? Mention the several turnpike roads. What rail road and canal are in this county ? What large bridges? What is said of the state of edu- cation, and of the common schools ? Academies ? Principal religious societies, and number of places of worship? When was this county es- tablished, and by whom originally settled ? Where was William Penn's mansion house ? What tribe of Indians inhabited this part of the country ? In what year was a settlement commenced at Wrightstown ? When was Bristol laid out as a market town ? What early seminary of learning was founded in this county ? Relate some particulars of the famous Indian walk in 1733. What was the consequence ? What leading incident of the revo- lutionary war is connected with this county ?
9. BUTLER COUNTY.
Butler county is bounded by Venango on the north, Armstrong on the east, Allegheny on the south, and Beaver and Mercer on the west. Population 22,378.
The face of the country is diversified by a succession of hills and valleys, forming a rolling or undulating surface.
No river passes through this county, but the Allegheny touches the north-east and south-east corners. Numerous smaller streams intersect it in almost every direction, the principal of which are the Conequenessing in the southern, and Slippery-rock and Muddy creeks in the northern part, all of which flow westward towards Beaver river. The county is well watered by the numerous branches of these streams, and in the eastern part by some of the smaller tributaries of the Allegheny river.
Bituminous coal abounds in almost every part of the county,
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and in the middle and northern portions, iron ore of good quality is found in sufficient abundance to render it worthy of prominent consideration among the natural resources of this region. Several strata of limestone occur in different parts of the county, furnish- ing an inexhaustible source of improvement to the soil, as well as yielding a supply of lime for architectural purposes and use in the arts and manufactures.
A large proportion of the soil is rather of a sandy character and but moderately productive; in the southern part of the county it is more loamy and of greater fertility. Springs of pure water are abundant, and the climate is noted for its salubrity.
Butler, the county town, on the Conequenessing creek, is situ- ated on high ground, and commands an extensive and picturesque view of the surrounding country. The court house is a handsome brick edifice, occupying an elevated and commanding situation; the other public buildings are a substantial prison, an academy, and several well-built churches. The borough is incorporated and contains a population of 861. Harmony and Zelienople, in the south-western part of the county, are flourishing towns, beauti- fully situated in the valley of Conequenessing creek, and mostly inhabited by intelligent and enterprising Germans. The county contains a number of other flourishing villages, among which are Centreville, Harrisville, Fairview and North Washington in the north ; Prospect and Portersville in the middle ; and Woodville and Evansville in the south.
The principal agricultural productions are wheat, rye, buck- wheat, oats and some Indian corn, with live stock of various kinds. ·Several enterprising farmers have recently turned their attention to the production of silk, and with considerable success. This county has three furnaces for the manufacture of iron, some wool- len factories, numerous grist and saw mills, and several oil mills.
The timber chiefly consists of various kinds of oak, chestnut, and some white and black walnut, affording an abundant supply for domestic use ; but little of it is taken to market.
The assessed valuation of property in 1842 was $2,573,116; State tax $2,820.
Several graded roads called turnpikes, though not covered with broken stone, and hence having the distinctive name of "clay pikes," cross the county in different directions. One of these leads from Pittsburg to the town of Butler, and thence extends north-west- ward to Mercer, in Mercer county. Another of similar character leads from Freeport to Butler, and one from Harmony to Butler. These roads are excellent for travelling when the ground is hard ; but in the early part of spring, and when the soil is saturated with moisture, they become almost impassable. There is also a graded State road from Butler to Franklin, which being principally located on the ridges of high land between those places, and on a more gravelly soil, is not subject to be so much affected in consequence of the frost leaving the ground in the spring.
Butler county contains 17 school districts, all of which have accepted the provisions of the law regulating the common school
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GEOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
system, and in which 139 schools are reported as being in opera- tion, taught on an average nearly five months in the year. In the academy at Butler about 50 pupils are instructed, and in the same town is also a female seminary with nearly an equal number.
Of the various religious persuasions, the Presbyterians, Metho- dists, Seceders, and Roman Catholics are the most numerous : there are also some German Reformed, Lutherans and Univer- salists.
This county was originally included in Westmoreland, which then embraced most of the territory of Pennsylvania west of the mountains. Two districts of "donation lands," most of which lie in Butler county, were surveyed as early as 1785; but few set- tlements were made until 1796. The early settlers endured great hardship and privation, being obliged to transport most of the necessaries of life on pack horses from the older settlements. Salt was brought in this way from the country east of the mountains, and was sometimes sold as high as $18 per bushel ; while at pre- sent more than half a million of bushels of this article are produced in the adjoining counties. The first white inhabitants were mostly emigrants from the eastern part of the State, and their numbers were increased by many natives of Ireland and Germany, whose descendants form a considerable portion of the population.
How is Butler county bounded ? What is the character of the surface ? What river touches the county, and what are the other principal streams ? What valuable mineral productions occur ? What is the character of the soil and climate ? What is the name of the county town, and what are its public buildings ? Where are Harmony and Zelienople ? What other vil- lages in different parts of the county ? Mention the principal agricultural productions. What are the iron works and other manufacturing establish- ments ? What are the prevailing kinds of timber ? What is said of the roads ? Of the schools and academies ? Name the principal religious de- nominations. To what county did Butler originally belong ? What is said of the hardships and privations of the early settlers ? Whence came the first white inhabitants ?
10. CAMBRIA COUNTY.
Cambria county is bounded on the north by Clearfield, east by Huntingdon and Bedford, south by Somerset, and west by West- moreland and Indiana. Population 11,256.
This is an elevated and mountainous country, lying on the high table land west of the Allegheny mountain, with an irregular and rolling surface, furrowed by deep and precipitous ravines. Much of the county is yet covered by dark forests of pine, hemlock and other timber, in which a clearing has here and there been made by the axe of the hardy settler, who has reared his humble cottage and established his home, surrounded by the solitude of the path- less wilderness.
The principal stream is the Conemaugh, which rises by several branches on the western slope of the Allegheny, and flows west- ward across the county. . Stony creek is a large stream, which
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flows northward from Somerset county, and falls into the Cone- maugh at Johnstown. Blacklick creek rises in Cambria, by two main branches, which unite near the western border of the county and flow westward into Indiana. In the north are Clearfield and Chest creeks, which pass northward into Clearfield, and empty into the west branch of Susquehanna. All these, with many smaller streams, afford a great amount of water power, very little of which is yet improved, except by a few saw mills, and in the more settled parts of the county by flour mills.
Bituminous coal is abundant throughout most parts of Cambria county, but it is only mined for domestic consumption, except along the line of the Allegheny Portage rail road, where consider- able quantities are dug for the supply of the stationary engines at the inclined planes, and for transportation eastward on the rail road and canal. Iron ore is found in several places, but has not yet been worked. Limestone, of the quality usually associated with bituminous coal, may be obtained in various parts of the county.
In the narrow valleys along the streams the soil is productive, but on the hills it is less fertile and better adapted to grazing cattle and sheep, than to the cultivation of grain. The climate is too cold for indian corn, but oats and potatoes succeed well. The win- ters are long and severe, and frost is sometimes seen in the sum- mer months.
Ebensburg is the county town, situated on a commanding emi- nence a few miles west of the main Allegheny ridge. The pub- lic buildings are a court house, prison, academy, and three or four churches. The town is tolerably well built, and contains about 350 inhabitants. Johnstown, at the junction of Conemaugh and Stony creek, is a place of considerable business, being at the west- ern termination of the Allegheny Portage rail road, and at the commencement of navigation on the Western division of the Penn- sylvania canal. The town is in a deep narrow valley, surrounded by hills of considerable height which close around it and confine the view to very circumscribed limits. Population about 1,250. Loretto, is a village a few miles north-east of Ebensburg, in a neighbourhood chiefly settled by Catholics, who have a neat chapel erected for worship. Munster is a small place on the turnpike east of Ebensburg. The town of Beula, built some years since by a company of Welsh immigrants, is now deserted and fallen to decay.
The productions of this county are not important, and consist chiefly of lumber, coal, and such agricultural products as are suited to the soil and climate. The raising of cattle and sheep is an object of attention to the farmers, and the country being well adapted to this branch of domestic economy, it may hereafter be- come of considerable importance.
The value of property, real and personal, assessed for county purposes, is $752,316 : county tax $3,940 : State tax $1,063.
A tolerably good turnpike, leading from Hollidaysburg to Pitts- burg, crosses Cambria from east to west, passing through Ebens- burg, the county town. Another from Ebensburg by way of In-
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GEOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
diana to Kittaning, is kept in reasonably good condition. The common roads are indifferent, as is usual in a thinly settled and rough country. The Allegheny Portage rail road crosses the county from the summit at Blair's Gap, through a wild region westward to Johnstown, where it connects with the Western di- vision of the Pennsylvania canal, which extends down the Cone- maugh towards Pittsburg.
The state of education in this county is not very flourishing. The common school system has been generally adopted, and about 50 schools are in operation ; which are kept open on an average, only about three months in the year. The academy at Ebensburg has 50 or 60 pupils, but the higher branches of education are not sufficiently encouraged.
Cambria county was chiefly settled by Irish and Welsh families, and they or their descendants, with some Germans, still constitute the greater portion of the population. The Welsh language is yet spoken in many families, and is common in the streets and stores of Ebensburg. The prevailing religious denominations are Ca- tholic, Baptist and Presbyterian.
How is Cambria bounded ? Describe the face of the country. What are the principal streams, their situation and direction ? Mention the im- portant mineral productions. What is said of the soil and climate ? What is the county town, and how situated ? Where is Johnstown, and what is said of it ? Name the other towns mentioned, and describe their situation, &c. What are the principal productions ? What turnpikes, rail road and canal are in this county ? What is said of the state of education and of the common schools ? By what people was the county chiefly settled ? What language beside English is spoken? Name the prevailing religious deno- minations.
11. CARBON COUNTY.
Carbon is a new county established by an act of the Legislature in 1843, including that portion of Northamption which lies north of the Blue mountain, with one township from the western part of Monroe south of the Tobyhanna, called Penn Forest. Carbon county is bounded north-west by Luzerne, east by Monroe, south by Northampton and Lehigh, and south-west by Schuylkill. The contained population is about 7,500.
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