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 34
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There are five classical academies in the county, in which are taught the ancient and modern languages, mathematics, chemis- try, natural philosophy, &c. These academies are situated as fol- lows: The Lancaster county academy, in the city of Lancaster ;
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GEOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
the Litiz academy at the village of Litiz, a Moravian settlement, 8 miles north of Lancaster; the Mountjoy institute, at the village of Mountjoy, on the Harrisburg and Lancaster rail-road, 12 miles from Lancaster; the Susquehanna institute, at the borough of Marietta ; and the Strasburg academy, at the borough of Strasburg.
In the city of Lancaster is Franklin college, founded in 1787, and designed for the education of Germans in their own language and habits. In that year the state endowed it with 10,000 acres of land, worth $30,000, and the following year added a military store house and two lots of ground in the city, valued at $2000. This institution was long kept only as a grammar school ; but is now, by a recent act of assembly, connected with the Lancaster county academy, in which there are three professors and teachers.
There are in this county 141 places of public worship, as fol- lows : Presbyterians 19, Episcopalians 4, Quakers or Friends 9, Methodists 21, Mennonists 32, Lutherans 17, German Reformed 13, Moravians 3, Seceders 2, Baptist 1, Seventh-day Baptist 1, Albright or Evangelical 3, Roman Catholic 3, Winebrenerites 3, Universalist 1, New Jerusalem or Swedenborgian 1, Free Churches 4, African or Coloured 4.
The first settlements in Lancaster county seem to have been made by a company of French or Swiss Huguenots, who, about the year 1709, established themselves in the valley of Pequea ; being kindly received by the Piquaw Indians, with whom they lived for many years in friendship and harmony. In 1718 they were joined by a body of German Mennonists ; and the influx of Germans soon became so great as to awaken distrust and appre- hension. In 1727, Governor Gordon informed the executive council that " it would be highly necessary to concert proper mea- sures for the peace and security of the province, which may be en- dangered by such numbers of strangers daily poured in, who being ignorant of our language and laws, and settling in a body together, make, as it were, a distinct people from his majesty's subjects." Happily, however, the good governor's fears on this subject were groundless ; for the strangers were soon found to be a quiet and industrious people, and attentive to their civil and religious duties. An act of naturalization was passed in 1729, admitting them to the rights and privileges of British subjects. Great numbers of Irish settlers also established themselves about the same time in the southern part of the county.
In February, 1729, on a petition of " the inhabitants of the up- per part of Chester county" setting forth the inconveniences to which they were subjected on account of their great distance from the county town (Chester) and the want of justices, constables, &c .- commissioners were appointed " to run a division line in the county of Chester, and settle the boundaries of a county to be erected in the back parts of this province towards Susquehanna." On a return of the survey being made, it was ordered (May 2, 1729) that the upper parts of this province, described as aforesaid, be erected into a new county by the name of Lancaster county .? ' In the same year a loan of £300 was granted by the assembly,
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through the influence of John Wright, one of the leading inha- bitants in public affairs, for the purpose of erecting a court house and jail in the new county.
About the year 1760, the murders and depredations committed by the Indians became so frequent as to keep the inhabitants in a state of constant alarm. A company of rangers was raised by the settlers to act as a guard upon the frontiers of the county, and pre- vent incursions from hostile bands of savages. But where the in- habitants were unprotected, or fancied themselves secure, they were attacked at night, and their cabins being set on fire, they were aroused from their sleep by the flames, and murdered by the mer- ciless enemy. That these outrages were perpetrated by Indians could not be denied; but of what tribe or from what quarter they came, was not so easily ascertained. Suspicions were excited against the Christian Indians at Conestoga and the Moravian Indians in Northampton county, who had always shown the most friendly disposition towards the white settlers. An armed band of the in- habitants of Paxton and Donegal townships attacked the Indian village at Conestoga, at a time when most of the men were ab- sent, and inhumanly slaughtered the women, children, and a few old men whom they found in the village. The Indian men, who had been absent at the time when this outrage was committed, were afterwards placed for protection in the prison at Lancaster; but fifty men of the same party who had attacked the village, unexpect- edly entered the town on a Sabbath, when most of the inhabitants were at church, forced open the prison and put the Indians to death. So expeditious were they in this affair, and so little vigi- lance or disposition was shown by the authorities to detect and apprehend them, that they escaped punishment.
How is Lancaster county bounded ? What is said of the valley, and of its soil ? What kinds of rock are in the southern part, and of what nature is the soil? What formation occupies the country north of the limestone ? At what place are large quantities of iron ore obtained ? What other valu- able mineral productions occur ? Mention the principal streams. Mills and manufacturing establishments. How is the city of Lancaster situated and when was it founded ? By what rail roads and canals does it commu- nicate with other places ? What manufactures are carried on ? What is said of the public buildings ? Churches ? Mechanics' institute ? Acade- mies and schools ? By whom was this city first settled, and by whom at present chiefly inhabited ? In what year was the seat of the State govern- ment removed from Lancaster to Harrisburg ? How is Columbia situated, and what is said of its trade and business? When was it founded, and what public buildings does it contain ? Bridge, rail roads and canals ? Where is Marietta, and what is said of it? Elizabethtown ? Manheim ? Washington ? Strasburg ? What other places are mentioned ? Name the principal agricultural products of this county. Timber. Tanneries, breweries and distilleries. Describe the various canals and rail roads in this county. The turnpike roads. What is said of the progress of educa- tion, and of the common schools ? Name the several academies. Give some account of Franklin college. Religious societies and number of churches. Where, when, and by whom were the first settlements made in Lancaster county ? What people soon followed in great numbers ? When was the county erected, and from which of the three original coun- ties was it taken ? Relate some of the troubles which occurred with the
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GEOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
Indians. Give some account of the attack upon the Indian village at Co nestoga, and the events which followed.
32. LEBANON COUNTY.
Lebanon is bounded on the north-east and east by Schuylkill and Berks; south by Lancaster ; and west and north by Dauphin. It contains a population of 21,872.
Being situated mostly within the Kittatiny valley, the physical features and geological character of this county are similar to those of Berks and Dauphin, between which it lies. Along the southern border are hills of sandstone and trap rock, and in the same region we find the middle se- condary red shale extending northward from Lancaster into the edge of Le- banon. North of this is a broad belt of the valley limestone (II,) extending to a line nearly parallel with, and a little north of the Reading, Lebanon and Harrisburg turnpike, where it joins the slate formation (III,) the next member of the series. Within the range of this slate, in Lebanon and the western part of Berks counties, thin strata of limestone frequently occur, and belts of the slate are observed which are red, brown and yellow, thus differing from the general dark bluish colour of this formation. In the northern part of the slate region are some thick beds of coarse gray sand- stone, occasionally containing imbedded pebbles. These may be observed in the hills on both sides of the Swatara creek, about three miles above Jonestown. Near Jonestown, on the south, are hills of trap rock, the in- fluence of which has produced some curious and interesting modifications in the geological features of the neighbourhood.
The northern part is mountainous. Proceeding northward from the Blue mountain, to the county line on the Fourth mountain, we pass, in suc- cession, over the intermediate formations between the sandstones of the Blue mountain (IV) and those of the Second mountain (X). In the valley of Stony creek is the red shale (XI,) and above it, in the Third and Fourth mountains, the pebbly conglomerate and sandstone (XII) next below the coal. In the narrow trough between these two mountains is the extended south-western point of the Pottsville coal basin.
Magnetic iron ore is found among the hills in the southern part of the county : it is mined at Cornwall, where specimens have been obtained yielding 70 per cent. of metallic iron. Indications of other varieties of iron ore occasionally appear, and in the limestone formation argillaceous and pipe ore has been dug in several places.
Lebanon, though one of the smaller counties of the common- wealth, is distinguished for the fertility of its soil, and the value of its agricultural productions. The limestone land is generally considered the best ; but in the calcareous portions of the slate for- mation there are many excellent and highly productive farms. Wheat, rye, indian corn and oats, are the principal grains culti- vated, which, together with potatoes, hay, pork, beef and live stock, constitute the staple productions. The surplus produce is sent by way of the Union canal, eastward to Philadelphia, or westward to the Susquehanna. Several furnaces and forges are situated within the county, at which a considerable quantity of iron is made. Various other manufactures are carried on, chiefly for home supply.
The largest stream is the Swatara, which issues from the moun- tains in the north and flows southward to Jonestown, where it re- ceives a branch from the eastward called the Little Swatara. Then
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LEBANON COUNTY.
turning westward, it flows by a winding course into Dauphin county, and falls into the Susquehanna at Middletown, nine miles below Harrisburg. Quitapahilla creek rises near the town of Le- banon and runs westward to the Swatara, into which it empties near the Dauphin county line. Another branch of the Swatara is Indian creek, which flows southward from the mountains in the northern part of the county. The Tulpehocken rises east of the town of Lebanon, and flows eastward into Berks county towards the Schuylkill. All these, together with many smaller streams, afford a great number of excellent mill seats, and many good mills are in operation at which flour is extensively manufactured.
Lebanon, the seat of justice, is a pleasant town, beautifully situ- ated in a rich and populous neighbourhood, on the turnpike, 24 miles east of Harrisburg and 28 west of Reading. It is an incor- porated borough, and contains 1,860 inhabitants. The buildings are chiefly of brick or stone, the streets regularly laid out, and the whole town has a neat and pleasing aspect. It contains a hand- some brick court house, a stone prison, a bank, an academy, and several well built churches. The Union canal passes along the northern side of the town, adding much to its facilities for business.
Jonestown is a considerable village on the Swatara, in the north- ern part of the county. Myerstown, on the turnpike 6 miles east of Lebanon ; Annville and Palmyra on the same road, the former 5, and the latter 10 miles west of Lebanon, are the other principal villages.
The assessed value of property subject to taxation for county purposes, in 1842, was $8,761,450: county tax $15,019; State tax $12,770.
A good stone turnpike, leading from Reading to Harrisburg, crosses Lebanon county from east to west. Another turnpike branches from this near Hummelstown, in Dauphin county, and passing through the south-western part of Lebanon, extends by Ephrata in Lancaster, to Downingtown in Chester county. The common roads are generally kept in good order.
The Union canal passes through the whole length of the county from east to west, and has greatly increased the means of trade. The summit level, between the waters of Tulpehocken and Quita- pahilla creeks, has been deeply excavated through the limestone rock, and lined with plank to prevent leakage. This level is chiefly supplied with water raised by artificial means from the Swatara, and conducted, partly in hollow hooped trunks, several miles to the canal. Water is also raised from the Quitapahilla, near the town of Lebanon, by steam power, and conducted to the canal. An important branch of this navigation passes up the Swatara, through the northern part of Lebanon, to Pine Grove in Schuylkill county, by which large quantities of coal are brought from the mines in that neighbourhood.
The state of education is by no means flourishing, not being sufficiently encouraged by the people in general. The importance of a proper education of youth, and its influence upon the habits and character in after life, do not seem to be well considered or
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properly understood where the acquisition of wealth is deemed of much more importance than the cultivation of the mind. Ten school districts are included in the county, of which only three have adopted the common school system. There is an academy and a female seminary at Lebanon, each reported to contain about 40 pupils.
The Lutherans are the most numerous religious denomination : there are about 20 churches in the county, several of which are large and well built edifices.
The population consists almost exclusively of Germans, who generally use their own language, though most of them are able to speak English. They are a frugal and industrious people, generally devoted to the culture of their farms, the abundant pro- ducts of which supply them with most of the necessaries and comforts of life. Much of their clothing is of their own manufac- ture, and foreign luxuries find but little encouragement among a people accustomed to supply their wants by the productions of domestic industry.
How is Lebanon county bounded ? What is said of its physical features and geological character ? In what parts of the county are limestone and coal ? Where is magnetic iron ore found ? What other varieties of ore occur, and where ? For what is this county distinguished ? What is said of the soil ? Mention the staple productions, and how sent to market. What is said of iron works and manufactures ? Describe the situation and course of the Swatara. Quitapahilla. Indian creek. Tulpehocken. What is the name of the county town and how situated ? Mention the other towns and their situation. What turnpikes are in this county ? Describe the Union canal and how supplied with water. What is said of the state of education ?- of the schools and academies ? What religious society is most numerous and what is said of the churches ? What is said of the population and of their habits ?
33. LEHIGH COUNTY.
Lehigh county is bounded on the north by Carbon, east by Northampton, south-east by Bucks, south-west by Berks, and north-west by Schuylkill. Population, by the census of 1840, 25,787.
The face of the country, soil, and geological features are similar to those of the other counties which lie chiefly within the Kittatiny valley.
In the south-east are the hills and ridges belonging to the South moun- tain range, of primary formation, with some narrow valleys of limestone between them ; then the white sandstone next to the primary rocks ; north of this a broad belt of the valley limestone; and then the dark slate which extends to the sandstone of the Blue mountain on the northern boundary.
Iron ore is abundant : the magnetic variety is found on the hills in the southern part of the county, but has not been mined to much extent : brown argillaceous ore occurs in many places near the edge of the limestone for- mation at the base of these hills, particularly along their northern side. Some of the most productive mines, however, are in the limestone range, in the neighbourhood of the Lehigh river, north of Allentown; and others near the junction of the limestone with the slate, towards the northern part of the county.
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LEHIGH COUNTY.
Roofing slate of good quality is found near the Lehigh, where a large quarry of it has been worked for several years. The lower beds of slate, adjoining the limestone, in the neighbourhood of Siegfried's bridge, yield good hydraulic cement. Near Trexlerstown, eight miles south- west from Allentown, is an iron mine from which, in addition to the ore, an earth is obtained, so highly charged with sulphuret of iron, as to be advantageously used for the manufacture of copperas. Considerable quantities of it are transported to Philadelphia, by the canal, for this purpose.
In those parts of the county where limestone prevails, the soil is excellent and very productive ; the slate region is less' fertile ; and the gneiss rocks of the southern hills are covered with a soil which, though rough and stony, well repays the labour of culti- vation.
The Lehigh river forms most of the eastern boundary, until, near Allentown, it turns to the eastward and flows into Northampton. The other principal streams are Saucon creek in the south-east, Little Lehigh in the south, and Jordan creek, flowing south-east- ward through the middle of the county, and falling into the Lehigh near Allentown. The county is tolerably well watered for agri- cultural and manufacturing purposes, most of the larger streams affording good mill seats in sufficient number.
Allentown is the seat of justice, handsomely situated on high ground, a little west of the Lehigh river, and commanding a fine prospect of the surrounding country. The houses are mostly of brick or stone, the streets wide and convenient, and a general air of comfort and prosperity is apparent in the place. It is an incor- porated borough and contains 2,493 inhabitants. The public buildings are a court house, a prison, a bank, an academy, a large and handsome building erected for a homeopathic college, and several neat churches. The town is supplied with water from a large spring at the foot of the hill on which it is built. A pump, worked by a water wheel turned by the stream, raises the water into a reservoir in the highest part of the town, from which it is distributed by pipes laid through the streets. A considerable trade is carried on here in lumber brought down the Lehigh, and in country produce. The county contains also a number of villages, the largest of which are Emaus, Millerstown, Trexlerstown and Foglesville.
The most important productions are those of agriculture. In a fertile region like this, an industrious population naturally look to the tillage of the soil as their surest dependence for support and profit. Considerable progress has, however, been made in many branches of manufacturing industry, and the developement of the mineral resources of the county has not been neglected. The iron ore of this region supplies material for the operation of several fur- naces, one of which has been lately erected on the Lehigh, three miles north of Allentown. It is of large size, and constructed ex- pressly with a view to the smelting of iron with anthracite coal by means of the hot blast. The water power is supplied from the canal of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, and the fur- nace, together with the blowing and air-heating apparatus, is con-
24
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GEOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
structed in a superior manner. It has been in successful operation since the summer of 1840.
Assessed valuation of property subject to county taxation, for 1842, $10,766,248; county tax $13,947; State tax $6,943.
. The roads and bridges are generally good, and kept in a state of creditable repair : there are several bridges across the Lehigh, and one over Jordan creek at Allentown, a large and expensive stone structure, handsomely designed and well executed.
The improvements constructed by the Lehigh coal and naviga- tion company have been of inestimable value to the people of Lehigh county, by affording a cheap and ready means of trans- portation for produce and merchandise, as well as a considerable home market. By means of this navigation a large amount of their surplus provisions, flour, hay, &c., is sent up the river to Mauch Chunk and the timber region above; while that which is destined for the Philadelphia market is sent downwards to Easton, and thence by canal to Bristol and Philadelphia, merchandise being brought back in return.
In Lehigh, as in most of the other German counties of Penn- sylvania, the people have not been distinguished for their atten- tion to the cause of education. There are fourteen school districts, of which only four have accepted the common school system . under the law. The academy at Allentown is reported to contain about 50 pupils; but it is believed that the higher branches of education are not much encouraged.
Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Moravians are the prevailing re- ligious denominations. Most of the inhabitants are descended from German families, and the German language is generally used throughout the county. A majority of the people, however, understand English, and are able to speak it when necessary to converse with persons who do not speak German.
By what counties is Lehigh bounded ? Describe the several geological formations. What varieties of iron ore occur, and in what places ? Where are the slate quarries ? In what places are hydraulic cement and copperas earth found ? What is said of the several varieties of soil ? What river is in this county ? Name the other principal streams and their situation. De- scribe the county town. How is it supplied with water ? What trade is carried on here ? Mention the principal villages. What are the most im- portant productions ? Describe the furnace on the Lehigh above Allen- town. What is said of the roads and bridges ? Mention some of the ad- vantages derived by the people of this county from the works of the Lehigh Navigation Company. What is said of the state of education ? Name the principal religious societies. From whom are most of the inhabitants de- scended, and what language is generally spoken ?
34. LUZERNE COUNTY.
Luzerne county has Wyoming and Susquehanna on the north; Wayne on the east; Monroe on the south-east; Carbon and Schuylkill on the south; and Columbia and Lycoming on the west. The population of Luzerne by the census of 1840 was 44,006; but Wyoming county having been since taken from it,
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LUZERNE COUNTY.
with a population of nearly 11,000, leaves Luzerne with about 33,000 inhabitants.
The surface is generally mountainous; much of it is wild, rough and uncultivated ; but many of the valleys have a fertile soil and are improved with well-tilled and productive farms. The bottom lands along the river, and most of the region known as the valley of Wyoming, have an excellent soil and constitute a beau- tiful and productive agricultural district.
Wyoming valley, including that of Lackawana, is a long elliptical basin, bounded by high mountain ridges on the south-east and north-west sides, which, uniting at the two ends, enclose the valley in the form of a canoe. The average height of the ridge on the south-east is about 1000 feet, and of that on the north-west about 800. The range on the south-east is called Wyoming mountain in the south and Moosic in the north; that on the north-west is called Lackawannock, Shawney, Nanticoke, &c., in differ- ent parts of its course. The length of the valley, from its extreme south- western point on the Susquehanna below Nanticoke, to its north-eastern extremity on the Lackawana above Carbondale, is nearly 70 miles, and its average breadth about 5 miles. It constitutes a separate coal field, the mountains which enclose it containing the formations which immediately underlie the coal series, with their rock strata inclining towards the middle of the valley, thus forming a trough or basin in which the coal measures are contained.
The first ridge along both sides of the valley usually contains the pebbly conglomerate rock (XII) which lies next below the coal ; beyond this is a red shale (XI) commonly appearing in a depression or sometimes in a little valley between the first and second ridges ; and outside of this is the hard, coarse, gray sandstone (X) which forms the main ridge of the enclosing mountains. This is succeeded by a broad encircling belt of the red shales and sandstones (IX) next beneath, which spread out on the west as far as to the North mountain, being divided, however, on the south-west by an axis containing a pointed belt of the underlying olive slate (VIII,) passing north-eastward from Columbia county, and terminating east of Harvey's lake. The anticlinal axis prolonged eastward from Montour's ridge, brings up another belt of the olive slate, which extends eastward from the river at and above Berwick, up the Wapwallopen valley, sinking away to the east under the red shales and sandstones (IX) of the next superior formation. These red rocks, dipping southward, stretch along the north side of Nesco- peck mountain, which is capped with gray sandstone (X,) having south of it, in Nescopeck valley, a red shale (XI) reaching to Buck mountain, on which is the conglomerate rock (XII) dipping southward beneath the strata of the middle anthracite coal field, a considerable portion of which is within this county. The mines of the Hazelton, Laurel hill, Sugar-loaf, Buck moun- tain, and other companies, are near the line dividing Luzerne and Carbon counties.
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