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 26
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The county is generally mountainous, and there is but little arable land except in the valleys of the southern part, where the soil is adapted to cultivation and tolerably productive. The Blue mountain is the southern boundary : north of this is a succession of smaller ridges called by various names, such as Fire-line hill, Mahoning ridge, &c. Mauch Chunk mountain is on. the west of the Lehigh: beyond this is the Broad mountain extending to the eastward of the river, and still further east is the Pocono moun- tain. North of the Broad mountain are Spring mountain and Bald Ridge.
The rocks of the Blue mountain are gray and reddish sandstones (IV) having an inclination to the north-west ; and overlying them, in the valley
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north of the mountain, are the variegated and red shales (V) and the lime- stone (VI) next above in position. The coarse fossiliferous sandstone (VII) succeeds, forming a range of sharp irregular hills parallel with the moun- tain. All these rocks may be seen exposed near the river, above the Le- high water gap. Next is the olive slate (VIII) and the red shale and sand- stone (IX) extending on the east of the river to the Pocono and Broad mountain, and on the west to the Mauch Chunk mountain, below the town. In this mountain is the sandstone (X,) and above it the red shale (XI,) which surrounds the eastern point of the southern anthracite coal field. In the Broad mountain an axis of elevation brings up the sandstone (X,) and in the valley of Quakake, beyond it, we have the red shale (XI) beneath the pebbly conglomerate (XII) of Spring mountain, which under- lies the Beaver meadow coal basin.
The southern anthracite coal field, extending eastward from Schuylkill county, terminates in a point a little to the west of the Lehigh river at Mauch Chunk. The mountains which form the edges of the coal basin on each side are about 500 feet above the adjacent valleys. On the north side of the basin the channel of Room run cuts deeply into the mountain, and exposes nine beds of coal, from 5 to 28 feet thick, making a total thickness of 111 feet. On the south side, which has not been so fully examined, are found beds of 50, 20, 15 and 9 feet. The northern beds are mined at Room run, and the coal conveyed on a descending rail road, 5 miles in length, to the landing at Mauch Chunk, where it is deposited in the boats. At the old Summit mine, nine miles west of the river, the coal bed is from 50 to 60 feet thick, and lies as a saddle on the top of a hill nearly as high as the main mountain, the coal being uncovered and quarried in open day. About thirty acres in extent have been worked from this bed, the product of which has been upwards of 1,100,000 tons. A descending rail road of nine miles extends from this mine to the river, on which the loaded cars descend by gravitation, and are hauled back to the mine by mules which ride down with the trains of coal, in large cars constructed for the purpose, feeding composedly during their rapid descent; and then refreshed and invigorated by the ride, lustily apply themselves to the work of drawing back the empty cars to the mine.
The second or middle coal field, lying north of the Broad mountain, ex- tends into the north-western corner of Carbon county, where a number of excellent beds of coal, from 4 to upwards of 20 feet thick, have been opened and are worked in various places. From the Beaver meadow mines a rail road has been constructed to the Lehigh at the mouth of Qua- kake, and thence down the river to Parryville, 53 miles below Mauch Chunk. The Hazelton mines are four miles north-west of Beaver meadow, and lie in Luzerne county, near the line of Carbon : a rail road from these communicates with that from the mines of the Beaver Meadow Company. A number of other coal companies have commenced operations in this pro- ductive region. The quantity of coal sent to market from this district in 1842 amounted to 272,126 tons.
Lumber is also an important item in the productions of this county. In the north-east are vast forests of white pine and other valuable timber, for which the construction of the Lehigh Naviga- tion Company's improvements above Mauch Chunk have afforded an outlet to market. A very great amount of lumber is produced from the numerous saw mills recently erected near the Lehigh, and is transported in boats down the Lehigh navigation and Delaware division of the State canal, being usually preferred by the dealers to rafted lumber, and commanding a more ready sale.
This county derives most of its value from the improvements of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, who with a zeal, perse- verance and industry which has rarely been equalled,' and over-
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coming difficulties which would have proved insurmountable ex- cept by the most determined and skilful perseverance, have con- verted a river, useless ín itself for purposes of navigation, into one of the most noble and capacious lines of canal and slackwater na- vigation in the Union. But for the completion of this work, the vast mineral and forest wealth of the whole region on the upper Lehigh, as well as the incalculable amount of coal in the neigh- bourhood of Mauch Chunk, must have remained useless and un- productive, and a country now teeming with an active and indus- trious population would have continued to be a savage wilderness.
Beside the river Lehigh there are a number of large and rapid streams, having a great amount of fall, and yielding a vast amount of water power, but little of which has yet been made productive except for saw mills. Aquanchicola and Big creeks fall into the Lehigh on the east side, above the Blue mountain; and Lizard and Mahoning creeks on the west. Nesquihoning flows eastward along the south side of the Broad mountain, and Quakake in the same direction on the north. In the pine swamps of Penn Forest, east of the Lehigh, are Hays' creek, Hickory creek or Griffith's run, Muddy run, and several others, propelling numerous saw mills.
Mauch Chunk.
Mauch Chunk is the principal town, and intended to be the seat of justice for the county. It is on the west bank of the Lehigh, 12 miles above the gap by which that river passes through the Blue mountain ; 46 miles by the navigation from Easton, and nearly 30 from Allentown. The situation is romantic and pic- turesque, the town being encircled by steep mountain acclivities,
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which rise in some places precipitously from the river to a height of 800 or 1,000 feet. It is a place of some resort during the sum- mer season, from the many attractions and objects of interest which it presents to visiters. The coal mines, the inclined planes, and all the machinery and appliances necessary for mining, trans- porting and shipping coal may be seen here on a large and im- proved scale; while the pure mountain air, gushing fountains of the coldest and purest water, with beautiful views of wild, and sublime mountain scenery, give additional charms to the place. Besides the extensive operations in coal, several other branches of business are successfully pursued. There is a furnace and an iron foundry, mills, stores, work shops for various me- chanical and manufacturing purposes, and a printing office from which a weekly newspaper is published.
Lehighton, Weissport, and Parryville are small towns on the Lehigh below Mauch Chunk. Lausanne and Nesquihoning are on Nesquihoning creek. Beaver meadow village is on the turn- pike 12 miles north-west from Mauch Chunk. Lowrytown is on the Lehigh, above the mouth of Quakake creek.
There is a turnpike road from Mauch Chunk to Berwick on the North branch of Susquehanna, passing by Beaver meadow, Ha- zelton and Conyngham.
When was Carbon county established, and from what counties was it taken? How is it bounded ? What are the principal mountains ? What is said of the coal beds at Room run ? At the Summit mine ? How is the coal conveyed from these mines ? At what several places is coal mined north of the Broad mountain ? By what means conveyed to the river ? How many tons of coal were sent from the Lehigh region in 1842 ? What other important production is mentioned ? What improvements have been of great importance to this county ? What would have been the character of the country without this work ? Mention the principal streams, their situ- ation and course. What is the chief town and how situated ? What ex- tensive business is carried on here ? Name the other towns in this county and where situated. What turnpike road in the county ?
12. CENTRE COUNTY.
Centre county has Clinton on the north, Union on the east, Mifflin on the south-east, Huntingdon on the south, and Clear- field on the west. Population 20,492 by the census of 1840.
The face of the country is diversified by high mountain ridges ranging from north-east to south-west, with deep valleys inter- vening. Tussey's, Brush and Nittany mountains are in the east and north-east; Bald Eagle mountain extends across the county near the middle ; and north-west of this is the Allegheny mountain.
The geological features of this county are varied and interesting. East of the Bald Eagle mountain the valleys are of the great limestone forma- tion (II), bordered on their margins next to the mountains by the overlying slate (III). This mountain and the high ridges south-east of it are of sandstone (IV). North-west of Bald Eagle mountain, along the valley in which flows Bald Eagle creek, we have the red and variegated shales (V), and the fossiliferous limestone (VI), next in order. Above this is a thin belt of the fossiliferous sandstone (VII), not always perceptible. From 18*
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GEOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
this to the south-eastern base of the Allegheny, or rather of the hills which jut forward from that mountain, is a belt two or three miles wide, occupied by the olive slates and sandstones of the next formation (VIII), and above this the red shale and red and gray sandstones (IX), which form the steep front of the Allegheny. Passing over the intermediate formations, we find on the high lands beyond the summit, in the vicinity of Snowshoe and Philipsburg, beds of bituminous coal, which have been opened in some of the most accessible places, and the coal transported to the country east of the mountain.
But the most valuable mineral production of Centre county is its iron ore, which is found abundantly in the limestone valleys, and extensively mined for the supply of furnaces. It is of the kind usually found in the limestone regions of this formation, and called brown argillaceous ore; appearing under a variety of forms and of different degrees of purity. That called pipe ore occurs in parallel cylindric columns, closely cemented together, and is usually esteemed as one of the best kinds. Hollow lumps of ore are common, the interior of which is lined with crystalline hema- tite having a polished surface, like glazed earthen-ware. Much of it is open, porous or cellular, occurring in large amorphous masses, disseminated through the earth in which it is imbedded, without any apparent regularity or order of deposition. These ores yield by chemical analysis from 50 to 60 per cent. of metallic iron ; but the product obtained from the furnace is somewhat less than this amount.
The soil of Nittany, Penn's and other valleys in this county, may be classed among the most productive lands in Pennsylvania, and form a fine agricultural district. In some parts, however, as in other limestone regions, the want of water is severely felt, and wells are often sunk to a great depth without success. The streams, after running a short distance, frequently sink into the fissures of the limestone rock and disappear. The mountain ridges separating these valleys are generally steep and rocky, unfit for agricultural purposes, and only valuable for the timber which grows upon them. Along the Allegheny mountain, and in the elevated regions beyond its summit, the country is mostly wild and uncultivated, containing but few settlements. Pine, hemlock, sugar maple, and other useful kinds of timber grow here, and lumber to some amount is produced.
Most of the streams in this county empty into Bald Eagle creek, which flows north-eastward to the West branch of Susquehanna. Its larger branches afford water power for furnaces, forges, rolling mills, saw mills, flour mills, oil mills and other manufacturing establishments. Three flourishing woollen factories are in opera- tion in the county. Moshanon creek flows along the western side of the county, and the West Branch of Susquehanna forms the north-west boundary.
The climate is healthy, and considerably colder than that of the lower counties in the south-eastern part of the State ; but milder than in the northern counties beyond the Allegheny. At Belle- fonte, in January 1841, the mercury in the thermometer fell to 25° below 0, and in July of the same year rose to 95º. The mean
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annual temperature is about 4° below that of Philadelphia, 3º below Lancaster, 1º above Somerset, and 4º above M'Kean.
Bellefonte is the county town, handsomely situated on Spring creek near the north-west side of Nittany valley, in a fertile and salubrious neighbourhood. It is a well built and flourishing place, containing the usual county buildings, with an academy and four or five churches. Population 1,032. This town derives its name from a large and beautiful spring in its vicinity. From this spring the town is supplied with water, which is raised by machinery into a reservoir on an eminence about 90 feet above the level of the spring. These water works were first erected in 1808, and have since been rebuilt and improved.
Milesboro is two miles north of Bellefonte, at the junction of Spring and Bald Eagle creeks. Philipsburg is on the Moshanon, at the western side of the county, 25 miles west of Bellefonte. Aaronsburg, Milheim, Earlysburg, Boalsburg and other villages are in the valleys of the eastern part of the county.
The agricultural productions are wheat and other kinds of grain, pork, beef, live stock, &c., much of which finds a market for the supply of the workmen and horses employed about the iron works in the county. Iron is the chief article of manufacture, the mate- rials being supplied from the ore banks and mountain forests; and 16 furnaces, 10 forges and 4 rolling mills are in operation, which are estimated to produce from 15,000 to 18,000 tons of iron an- nually. The surplus productions of this region find their way to market by the Bald Eagle navigation, or otherwise, to the West branch of Susquehanna, or are sent across by land to the Juniata canal.
The assessed valuation of property subject to county tax in 1842 was $5,137,802; county tax $5,789; State tax $6,289.
Centre county has several good turnpike roads, the principal of which is that from Lewistown to Bellefonte, and thence westward towards Erie.
There are 17 school districts in the county, which have nearly all accepted the common school system under the law ; 67 schools are reported as being in operation, and are kept open from 3 to 8 months in the year. In the academy at Bellefonte upwards of 50 pupils are instructed, and at the same place is a female seminary with nearly an equal number.
This county was originally settled principally by German and Irish families, whose descendants still constitute a majority of the population.
What counties lie adjacent to Centre ? Describe the face of the country and name the principal mountains. Where is coal found in this county ? Iron ore, and of what kind? Describe the several varieties of this ore. What is said of the soil, timber, &c. ? What are the principal streams ? What are the manufacturing establishments driven by water power ? What is said of the climate ? Name the county town, its situation, &c. Where are Milesboro and Philipsburg ? What other towns are mentioned ? What are the agricultural productions ? What is said of the manufacture of iron, the number of iron works, and the quantity produced ? How do the sur- plus productions of the county reach a market? Mention the turnpike
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GEOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
roads. What is said of schools and academies ? By whom was the county principally settled ?
13. CHESTER COUNTY.
Chester county has Berks on the north, Montgomery on the east, Delaware on the south-east, the states of Delaware and Maryland on the south, and Lancaster on the west. Population 57,515. It is one of the three original counties, having been es- tablished with Philadelphia and Bucks in 1682 by William Penn.
The surface is diversified by gentle hills and fertile valleys; but can no where be called mountainous. The most considerable ele- vations are the North and South valley hills, which extend west- ward from the Schuylkill, and a ridge called the Welsh mountain, in the north-western corner of the county.
Much of the soil is of an excellent quality and highly pro- ductive; those portions which are not naturally of so fertile a character have been so improved by the use of lime as a manure, and by judicious cultivation, as to yield good crops of grain and grass. This is one of the finest agricultural districts in the State, and by the enterprise and industry of the intelligent farmers who inhabit it, has been made to present a beautiful and luxuriant pic- ture of the neatness, order and productive prosperity of Pennsyl- vania husbandry.
A minute description of the interesting geological and mineralogical fea- tures of this county would far exceed the limits prescribed by the plan of this work ; the following brief sketch is all that can be given. The rocks in the southern part of the county, or that portion which lies south of the Great Valley, belong chiefly to the stratified primary class, consisting of gneiss, mica slate and talc slates, with occasional veins or dikes of granitic, sienitic and trap rocks ; and including numerous local beds of limestone and of serpentine. The limestone is usually white, light gray or bluish, and frequently crystalline or granular.
A variety of interesting minerals occur in this part of the county, for the discovery of many of which we are indebted to the examination and re- search of a number of intelligent gentlemen of the county, who have mani- fested an interest in the investigation of the subject. In East and West Goshen townships are found talc, asbestus, amianthus, magnesite, steatite, octohedral crystals of iron, quartz, cyanite, staurotide, amethyst, jasper, garnet, actynolite, schorl, &c. In East Bradford, besides most of the minerals last mentioned, are zircon, brown tourmalin, adularia, and litho- marge. Newlin township also contains a great variety, among which are chalcedony, agate, sapphire, corundum, beryl, green tourmalin, oxide of titanium, indurated asbestus, radiated quartz, &c. In East Marlborough are chromate of iron, oxide of titanium, iserine, &c., and near Unionville, zircon, beryl, epidote, tremolite, diallage and feldspar. In Pennsbury occur arragonite, sahlite and augite, the latter containing crystals of sphene ; and in a white limestone above Chad's ford, are found crystals of brucite. West Marlborough affords fine specimens of fibrous, radiated and crystal- lized tremolite,-also scapolite, fluate of lime, magnesite and dolomite. Red oxide of titanium is found in the vicinity of Chatham, and at other places in London Grove township. Chrome ore and silicate of magnesia, though found in small quantities associated with the beds of serpentine in different parts of the county, seem to be most abundant in the south-west, in the townships of East and West Nottingham, where they have both been mined to some extent for use in the chemical manufactories of Balti
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more. Many of the above named minerals, together with a variety of others, are not confined to the townships particularly mentioned, but occur in various other places within this region.
That portion of the county called the Great Valley is included between two ridges which pass westward from near the Schuylkill, gradually ap- proaching each other and bringing the valley nearly to a point towards the western boundary of the county. The rock of the south valley hill is principally a talc slate ; while in that on the north we find a sandstone (I) overlying a belt of gneiss rocks north of the valley. The valley between the bases of these ridges is occupied by a belt of limestone which extends westward from the Schuylkill in Montgomery county, becoming gradually narrower until it terminates in a point beyond the Lancaster county line. Extensive quarries of limestone are opened at many places in the valley, for the supply of lime to the adjacent country ; the demand being great, and annually increasing as its value for the purpose of a manure becomes more fully appreciated. In some parts of its range this limestone is light coloured or white, semi-crystalline or granular, affording, where the layers are sufficiently thick and solid, a superior marble for architectural pur- poses. Much of that used in the Girard college and other buildings in Philadelphia has been obtained from quarries a few miles east of Down- ingtown. At other places within the valley a handsome dark blue and va- riegated marble is found.
North of the Great Valley is an extensive area occupied chiefly by pri- mary rocks of the gneiss order, in which feldspar, hornblende and quartz are the prevailing constituents. Mica and talc slates are much less com- mon than in the region south of the valley. Small dikes and hills of trap rock are not uncommon ; and a number of small beds of altered crystalline limestone occur, in which are found crystals of plumbago and other mine- rals. There is iron ore in Vincent township, in the neighbourhood of the Yellow springs, and at other places. A vein of titaniferous ore occurs in gneiss rock, near Isabella furnace.
In the north-eastern part of the county, the primary rocks are overlaid by the middle secondary red shale and sandstone, the southern border of which extends from the Schuylkill by Valley Forge and Kimberton to French creek, and thence up that stream north-westward towards Mor- gantown in Berks county. Iron ore is sometimes found in this formation, and is dug at the Warwick mine and other places in the neighbourhood of Morgantown.
Chester county is watered by numerous streams, of which the largest are the Schuylkill and Brandywine. The Schuylkill flows along the eastern side of the county, separating it from Montgo- mery as far as to the mouth of Valley creek. French creek is a considerable stream, rising on the southern border of Berks county, and flowing eastward to the Schuylkill at Phoenixville; a few miles further south is Pickering creek. The Brandywine rises in the north by two main branches, and runs southward nearly through the middle of the county into the state of Delaware, emptying into the Delaware river below Wilmington. In the south-west are several branches of Elk creek, running southward into Maryland. Octoraro rises near the head of the Great Valley and flows southward, forming the western boundary of the county to the State line, where it enters Maryland and falls into the Sus- quehanna five miles above Port Deposit.
West Chester, the county town, with a population of 2,152, is pleasantly situated in a healthy and productive neighbourhood, on the high grounds east of the Brandywine, about 27 miles west
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GEOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
from Philadelphia. The town contains a court-house, a new and spacious prison constructed on the principle of solitary confine- ment; a market-house, a bank, and eight or ten houses for public worship, belonging to various denominations. There is also a public library, and a cabinet containing an extensive collection of mineral, botanical, zoological and other specimens, illustrative of various branches of natural science. In the town and its vicinity are several academies and boarding schools, which are generally well conducted and enjoy a deserved reputation. The inhabitants are no less distinguished for their morality and industry than for their attention to literature and science; and few, if any, country towns in the State offer a more agreeable and intelligent society than is to be found in this place. The taste displayed in the erection of numerous handsome public and private buildings, and the general air of neatness and good order which prevails, are in accordance with the character of the population. Its facility of access, its pleasant and healthy location, and the interesting cha- racter of the surrounding country, combined with its other attrac- tions, make it a favourite place of resort for numerous visiters.
The town is abundantly supplied with excellent water by means of works erected for that purpose.
Downingtown is a considerable village on the east branch of, Brandywine, where crossed by the Lancaster turnpike; and also on the Philadelphia and Columbia rail road. It is situated in the Great Valley, and surrounded by fertile and productive farms, with substantial stone buildings, presenting an aspect of comfort and wealth, combined with pleasant scenery and most other cir- cumstances which conduce to rural enjoyment.
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