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 37
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
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
The Juniata river is in the southern part of the county ; its course for about five miles after passing Jack's mountain being south-eastward, when it turns suddenly north and then to the west, and after a course of several miles approaches within a few hun- dred yards of its channel above the bend. It then turns north-east- ward, and pursues that general course into Juniata county. Kishi- coquillas creek flows out of the valley of that name, through a gap in Jack's mountain, and falls into the Juniata at Lewistown. A little below is the mouth of Jack's creek.
Lewistown, the seat of justice, is a flourishing place containing upwards of 2000 inhabitants. Its favourable location on the Juniata river, the state canal, and the great northern turnpike, at a point which forms the outlet from the rich and productive valleys on the northward, has rendered it a place of very considerable business. The public buildings are a handsome new court house, a stone prison, a bank, an academy, a neat Episcopalian church, a large Methodist meeting house, and places of worship for a Lutheran and a Catholic congregation.
McVeytown, formerly called Waynesburg, on the Juniata, 11 miles above Lewistown, is an incorporated borough with a popu- lation of 350. Newton Hamilton is a small town in the south- western part of the county. Belleville and Allenville are flourish- ing villages in Kishicoquillas valley.
The soil of the valleys is generally productive ; but that of Kishi-
297
MIFFLIN COUNTY.
coquillas is eminently so, being one of the most fertile, beautiful and well cultivated tracts in Pennsylvania. It is about 30 miles in length and from three to four in breadth; inhabited chiefly by Germans of a peculiar religious society called Amisch, a peaceable, moral and industrious people, who appear to follow the Scripture injunction, " study to be quiet and mind thine own business."
Excellent crops of wheat, corn and the other kinds of grain usually cultivated, are grown in these valleys ; great numbers of cattle and hogs are raised by the farmers, and flour, pork and other agricultural products to a large amount are annually sent on the canal to the eastern markets. There are 3 blast furnaces, 2 forges and 2 foundries for the manufacture of iron, for which purpose the mountain forests furnish charcoal in abundance. There are also several woollen factories, and other manufacturing establishments.
The assessed value of property taxed by the county in 1842, was $4,513,297 : county tax $6,506.
The Juniata division of the Pennsylvania canal, and the north- ern turnpike from Harrisburg to Pittsburg, both pass through Mif- flin county. There is also a turnpike from Lewistown to Belle- fonte, which continues thence to Erie.
Education on the common school system is general ; all the dis- tricts, ten in number, having accepted the provisions of the law. There are 63 schools established, and instruction is given during an average of 63 months in the year. Societies for the promotion of moral and benevolent objects have been instituted, and the cha- racter of the inhabitants is generally moral and intelligent.
The most numerous religious denominations are Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, and German Reformed; there are also some Baptists and Episcopalians. The inhabitants are mostly de- scendants from Irish and German families ; many of the latter con- tinue to speak their own language.
Much of the scenery along the banks of the Juniata, in this county, is of the same wild and picturesque character which gives such va- ried and romantic beauty to the shores of that river, throughout most of the distance from its source in the dark and solitary glens of the Allegheny mountain, to its junction with the placid waters of the Susquehanna. High mountain ridges rise abruptly from the river, with towering cliff's, whose gray and naked summits have braved the storms of a thousand winters, still standing in their sublime and quiet grandeur, as unchanged by the shock of the tempest as by the sighing of the summer breeze; and there they will stand for ever, bidding defiance to the elements and to time, until, at the word of Him by whom they were created, " the everlasting moun- tains shall be scattered, and the perpetual hills shall bow." In this wild and romantic region, the charms of our native scenery are displayed in all the beauty of their original rude and primitive character. The tree-clad mountain, the towering precipice, the beautiful river pursuing its quiet course between the hills,-the desert loneliness and the savage grandeur which reign around, af- ford to the lover of nature many a scene for delightful contempla- tion,-many a quiet secluded spot where he may rest in undis-
298
GEOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
Juniata river.
turbed meditation, and, far removed from the works of man, de- rive lessons of wisdom and good from those of the Creator so magnificently displayed around him.
How is Mifflin bounded ? Describe the face of the country, and the prin- cipal mountains. What is said of its geological features ? Mention the range of some of the principal rock formations ? What two varieties of iron ore occur, and where found ? Describe the course of the Juniata river. What creeks are mentioned ? Describe the county town and the advan- tages of its position ? Where is Mc Veytown, and what was it formerly called ? Mention some of the other towns, and their situation. What is said of the soil of the valleys? Give a description of Kishicoquillas valley, and its inhabitants. What are the productions of this county ? Iron works and manufactories ? Canal, and turnpikes ? What is said of education, societies for moral and benevolent purposes,' &c .? Principal religious de- nominations? From whom are the inhabitants chiefly descended ? De- scribe the scenery along the Juniata river.
39. MONROE COUNTY.
Monroe county was erected in 1836 from parts of Northampton and Pike. It is bounded on the north by Wayne and Pike; on the east by the river Delaware; on the south by the Blue mountain, which separates it from Northampton, and on the west by Carbon and Luzerne. Population 9,879.
The face of the country is irregular, being diversified by moun- tains, hills and valleys. The Kittatiny or Blue mountain on the south, and Pokono in the west, are the principal mountains ;
299
MONROE COUNTY.
Chesnut hill, Prospect hill, and other elevated ridges are situated between these mountains.
The geological character of the county may be understood from the fol- lowing brief sketch. Along the northern side of the Blue mountain is a narrow belt of red and variegated shale (V,) succeeded on the north by a limestone (VI) of no great thickness. Then follows the coarse fossiliferous sandstone (VII) forming a sharp, rocky ridge nearly parallel with the moun- tain. On the northern side of this we come upon the olive slate formation (VIII,) the lower beds of which are in some places so calcareous as to form a rough, slaty limestone, containing masses of chert or flint, and also shells and other fossil remains. Approaching towards the foot of Pokono moun- tain, we encounter the red sandstones and shales (IX) next in position above the olive slate ; these form the southern front of the mountain, and extend through the country immediately south-east of it. Passing over Pokono, we meet, in the rocky elevated region beyond its summit, the hard coarse sandstone (X) which belongs to the next formation.
The soil of the valleys in the south and east, where limestone and calcareous slate occur, is good, and some fine farms show that agriculture may be successfully pursued in this region. Fur- ther northward, towards the Pokono mountain, the soil is less productive ; but is cultivated and improved to some extent. North of Pokono is a high rolling table land, rocky, and having in many places a wet swampy soil. This region is mostly covered with timber, very thinly inhabited, and only valuable for the pine and other lumber produced from it.
Monroe county is well watered : the Delaware river flows along its eastern side, and the Lehigh forms part of its western boundary, separating it from Luzerne. There are also many large creeks which flow towards these rivers. Brodhead's creek runs south- ward from Pike county, and near Stroudsburg receives the waters of Pokono and McMickle's creeks from the westward, after which it empties into the Delaware two miles above the Water gap of the Blue mountain. Further eastward is Marshall's creek, which unites with Brodhead's creek near the Delaware. The Bushkill is a large stream which partly forms the boundary line between Monroe and Pike. In the south-west are the branches of Aquan- chicola and Big creeks, which run towards the Lehigh ; and in the north-west the Tobyhanna, a large stream, issues by several branches from the ponds and swamps in the wilderness beyond Pokono mountain, runs westward and falls into the Lehigh below Stoddartsville; being, at their junction, nearly as large as the Le- high. The streams generally descend rapidly from the more ele- vated parts of the country, and afford an incalculable amount of water power for useful purposes ; some of which is employed by saw mills, flour mills, &c., but by far the greater part is yet un- improved.
Stroudsburg is the seat of justice, situated in a pleasant valley in the south-eastern part of the county, about four miles from the Delaware. The court house, prison, and other public buildings have been constructed more with a view to economy than to ar- chitectural ornament or effect. The borough contains 407 inhabi- tants, and though not a place of very active or extensive business,
300
GEOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
is gradually increasing. There are some good flour mills in the neighbourhood, and a forge on Brodhead's creek, below the town.
Dutotsburg is a small village on the Delaware, a mile above the Water gap, established many years ago, but has never been a flourishing place.
In addition to the agricultural productions of this county, lum- ber from the extensive forests in its northern and western parts forms a valuable and important article of manufacture and trade. White pine timber is yet abundant on the waters of the Lehigh, and since the improvement of the navigation from Mauch Chunk to Stoddartsville has been completed, settlements have been made and many excellent saw mills built in this hitherto almost inacces- sible region. A large territory, but a few years since so solitary and unfrequented as to be called " the shades of death," has now become a scene of lively industry, valuable and important for its forest productions. Besides the pine, there is abundance of hem- lock, double spruce, oak, chestnut, wild cherry, and other valua- ble timber. The sportsman finds this an attractive region ; deer and bears are common, and trout may be caught in most of the streams.
The turnpike road from Philadelphia to Wilkesbarre passes through this county, entering it at the Wind gap of the Blue mountain and leading north-westward across the Pokono moun- tain to Stoddartsville, on the Lehigh, where it enters Luzerne. Owing to the nature of the country, and its being in many parts but thinly settled, many of the common roads are rough and ne- glected. Some, however, have been improved by funds appro- priated by the commonwealth, and are in tolerable condition.
According to the assessed returns of property subject to county taxation for 1842, the valuation is $1,945,510: State tax $2,084.
The state of education is improving, and the common school system is generally adopted. There are 11 school districts, and 75 schools are reported as being in operation under the law, which are kept open on an average about 4 months in the year. There is an academy, and also a female seminary at Stroudsburg, both tolerably supported.
Monroe county has a population of a mixed description :- in the southern and western parts are many Germans who yet speak their own language.
The religious denominations are various. Presbyterians, Lu- therans, Methodists and Baptists are the most numerous : at Stroudsburg are some Friends who have a meeting house at that place.
When, and from what counties was Monroe erected, and how is it bounded ? What is the nature of the surface ? Name the principal moun- tains and hills. Give a brief sketch of the geological features of the coun- try. What is said of the several varieties of soil ? What are the rivers ? Mention the principal creeks and their general course. What is said of the amount of water power ? Describe the county town. Where is Dutots- burg ? What are the principal productions ? What is said of the forests on the waters of the Lehigh, and their products ? What turnpike road crosses the county ? Give some account of the condition of education and
301
MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
of the schools and academies. What is said of the population, and of the religious societies ?
40. MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
Montgomery county has Bucks on the north-east, Philadelphia on the south-east, Delaware and Chester on the south-west, and Berks on the north-west. Population 47,241.
The surface is pleasantly diversified by hills and valleys; in the north are some rough and rocky eminences, but no part of the county can be termed mountainous.
The soil is generally productive and well cultivated: a consi- derable portion is naturally fertile, and much of that which is of poorer quality has been so much improved by manuring and care- ful tillage as abundantly to repay the farmer for his labour. Some elevated ridges in the middle part of the county have a rather wet and cold soil; but may be made to yield tolerable crops of grass and grain.
In the south-east the rocks are chiefly of the primary class, gneiss and mica state predominating, with occasional veins of coarse granite and horn- blende. In Lower Merion township is a belt of serpentine, which also appears on the east side of the Schuylkill, with an accompanying steatite or soap stone rock, which has been extensively quarried on both sides of the river. It also contains talc, dolomite and other minerals. A rather peculiar bed of rocks, consisting chiefly of feldspar and quartz closely and intimately combined, containing also small scales of talc, and occurring in rather thin and flat layers, enters the county near the south-east corner and passes westward in Edge hill, south of Willow grove ; dividing west of the turnpike into two portions, one of which extends south of the limestone into Barren hill near the Schuylkill, and the other westward along Sandy run until it is lost beneath the overlying red sandstone.
The limestone formation of the great valley, in Chester county, extends eastward into Montgomery ; occupying a considerable portion of Upper Merion township, and crossing the Schuylkill between Spring mill and Norristown. From the Schuylkill it ranges eastward through Plymouth and Whitemarsh to Sandy run, and terminates in Abington township west of Willow grove. Beds of talc slate and other rocks are found in some places alternating with the limestone, and veins of quartz are not uncom- mon. The limestone itself is by no means uniform in its quality ; some of its beds yielding lime of much greater purity than others. In general, however, the lime burned from it is highly esteemed, and immense quan- tities are produced for the supply of Philadelphia and the adjacent country. In Upper Merion township, in the vicinity of the Schuylkill, there are numerous and extensive quarries where kilns have been erected for burn- ing the stone upon the spot; the canal and rail road affording great facilities for transporting the lime to market, as well as for bringing coal to the kilns for fuel. An immense amount of stone is also conveyed to other places to be burned. There are likewise extensive quarries on the east side of the river below Norristown. A very large quantity of lime is also burned in Plymouth and Whitemarsh, which is taken by wagons to the city, and for many miles into the adjacent country on the north and eastward, where it is in great demand for building and agricultural purposes.
Several large marble quarries are worked near the turnpike, about 13 miles from Philadelphia, affording varieties of white, dark blue, and clouded marble, which has been extensively used in the city for architectural and ornamental purposes. Iron ore occasionally occurs in the neighbourhood
26
302
GEOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
of the marble quarries, and also near Spring mill and Conshehocken on the Schuylkill, where it has been dug to some extent.
On the north of the limited area in the southern part, occupied by the primary rocks and limestone already described, the middle secondary red shale and sandstone formation extends over most of the remainder of the county. The southern border of this formation overlies the primary rocks near the south-eastern corner of Montgomery, and extends westward to the Schuylkill about a mile below Norristown, where it crosses into Upper Merion and passes thence into Chester county. In the northern part of Montgomery this formation is interspersed with ridges and dikes of trap rock, which, in the vicinity of Sumanytown and in other places, form rough and rocky hills. In the neighbourhood of these eruptions of trap, the red shale has been mostly changed to a hard blue or purplish rock, often very compact, and ringing under the blow of a hammer like cast iron. Klin- gleberg, or Ringing hill has received its name from containing rocks of this character. Some of the ridges in the middle part of the county, re- mote from any visible locality of trap rock, contain the blue altered strata of shales and sandstones ; the change in their character having probably been effected by the agency of trappean matter beneath, which has never reached the surface, but the heat of which has been sufficient to change the texture and colour of the superincumbent red shale strata, and convert them into the compact, hard, blue rocks which so frequently appear within the limits of this formation. The soil derived from these altered rocks is usually of a rather cold, wet, and heavy nature, and is much less esteemed for cultivation than that of the red shale and sandstone.
On Perkiomen creek, near the Schuylkill, mines have been sunk to con- siderable depth, from which the ores of lead, copper and zinc were formerly obtained ; but mining operations have been for some years discontinued at this place.
The principal stream is the river Schuylkill, which forms the south-western boundary of Montgomery to the mouth of Valley creek, below which, on the west side of the river, are the town- ships of Upper and Lower Merion, belonging to this county. Perkiomen is a large creek flowing southward from the northern part of the county, and falling into the Schuylkill about six miles above Norristown. Wissahiccon and Pennypack creeks both rise in the south-east of Montgomery, and run southward into Phila- delphia county ; the former emptying into the Schuylkill and the latter into the Delaware: Skippack and Swamp creeks are branches of the Perkiomen. Manatawny creek enters in the north-west from Berks county, and falls into the Schuylkill at Pottsgrove.
Norristown, the seat of justice, is a neat and well built town, on the east side of Schuylkill, 16 miles above Philadelphia, con- taining a population of about 3,000. Its public buildings are a handsome court-house, a county prison, an academy, a bank, and several churches. Since the construction of the works belonging to the Schuylkill Navigation Company, and the Philadelphia and Norristown rail road, this place has rapidly improved, and has now become of some importance as a manufacturing town. A number of cotton factories have been erected, as well as establish- ments for dyeing and printing cotton goods, nail works, and vari- ous other manufactories of different kinds. Having a direct com- munication with Philadelphia by rail road, and being located in a healthy and pleasant situation, it is a place of considerable resort from the city. Several newspapers are published here; and
303
MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
societies have been instituted for various moral, literary and chari- table objects.
Trappe is a thriving village on the Reading turnpike, nine miles above Norristown.
Pottstown, or Pottsgrove, is a pleasant and flourishing borough, containing upwards of 700 inhabitants, situated near the Schuyl- kill in the north-west of the county. Both the rail road and turn- pike from Philadelphia to Reading pass through the town.
Sumanytown is in the north, inhabited mostly by Germans.
Jenkintown, Abington, Willow-grove and Hatboro are pleasant villages in the south-east, all situated on the old York road. There are also numerous other villages scattered throughout the county.
A considerable portion of Montgomery is in a high state of cul- tivation, and its agricultural productions are numerous and im- portant. Most kinds of grain cultivated in the state are grown here, and hay, potatoes, butter, fruit and other articles for the Philadelphia market are produced in abundance. The products of the dairy alone are estimated to amount to $402,681 annually. Lime, limestone, and marble also constitute a considerable item in the wealth of this county, producing an annual income of more than $250,000.
The manufacturing operations are numerous and extensive. There are four furnaces and five forges and rolling mills for the manufacture of iron. At Conshehocken, on the Schuylkill, 12 miles from Philadelphia, are works for rolling sheet iron, where that article is produced in a style of excellence unequalled in this country, and nearly resembling the famous Russia sheet-iron. There are 11 cotton and 8 woollen factories, 12 powder mills, 9 paper mills, about 130 flour and grist mills, 30 oil mills, several mills for sawing marble, and numerous other works for the pro- duction of various articles of manufacturing enterprise.
Several important public improvements pass through Montgo- mery. The Philadelphia and Columbia rail road crosses the south- western corner ; the Philadelphia and Reading rail road, and the Schuylkill navigation, extend along the Schuylkill through the whole length of the county ; and the Philadelphia and Norris- town rail road forms a communication between the county town and the commercial capital of the State.
There are many excellent turnpike roads: those leading from Philadelphia to Lancaster, Reading, Bethlehem, and Doylestown all cross different parts of the county, and others are connected with them in various places. For the number and excellence of its bridges, Montgomery surpasses most counties in the State. In addition to several across the Schuylkill at different points, there are on most of the leading roads expensive and substantial stone bridges ; one of which, over the Perkiomen, is of great length, built of solid masonry at a cost of $60,000.
In some of the townships considerable attention is paid to edu- cation, and schools are well supported; but in other districts this important subject is much neglected. There are academies in Norristown, Pottstown, Lower Merion, and one at Hatboro called
304
GEOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
Lollar academy, after its founder, Judge Lollar. Of the 32 school districts only 13 have accepted the common school system as established by law, and have 63 schools in operation under its pro- visions, which are kept open for instruction upwards of 8 months in the year, on a general average.
Of the various religious denominations, the most numerous are Presbyterians, German Reformed, Lutherans, Methodists, Bap- tists and Friends.
The early settlers were mostly Welsh and Germans, who estab- lished themselves here soon after the founding of the colony by William Penn, and whose descendants still constitute a great ma- jority of the population. The Welsh language has become nearly or quite extinct; but German is still generally spoken in the north- ern townships.
By what counties is Montgomery bounded ? What is the character of the surface ? What is said of the soil? Describe the geological features of the south-eastern part. What is the extent of the limestone formation, and where is it extensively quarried ? Where are marble and iron ore found ? What formation extends over most of the county north of the limestone ? Where have lead, copper and zinc been obtained ? What river is in this county ? Describe the course of Perkiomen creek. Wis- sahiccon and Pennypack. What other creeks are named ? How is Nor- ristown situated and what is said of it ? Trappe ? Pottstown ? Sumany- town? What other villages and where ? What are the chief products of agriculture ? Value of lime, limestone and marble ? Mention the iron works. Other manufactories. What public improvements in the county ? Turnpike roads? Bridges ? What is said of education ? Academies ? Common schools ? Religious societies ? By whom was the county first settled and when ? What language besides English is still spoken ?
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.