USA > Pennsylvania > Ancient and historic landmarks in the Lebanon Valley > Part 15
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" Here may we sit and converse hold With those whose names in ages old Were in the book of fame enrolled.
" Here under poets' power intense We leave the world of sound and sense, Where mortals strive with problems dense,
"And mount to realms where fancy free, Above our poor humanity, Roams in a joyous ecstasy.
"Or, if through history's maze we tread, The hero, patriot, long since dead, Whose great heart for his country bled,
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A VALUABLE LIBRARY HISTORICALLY HOUSED.
"Seems once again to work and fight In superstition's darkest night For God, his fellows, and the right.
"Enough ! mere words can never tell The influence of the grateful spell Which seems among these books to dwell."
So wrote Alice C. Sawtelle in the Boston Literary World sometime since ; and we confess being seized by something of this same strange spell upon entrance of any large and well-selected library of books. Of all the apartments of a house, the library has for us the greatest charm. We are ready to confess with Frank Dempster Sherman :
Give me the room whose every nook Is dedicated to a book: Two windows will suffice for air And grant the light admission there ; One looking to the south, and one To speed the red departing sun. The eastern wall from frieze to plinth Shall be the poet's labyrinth, Where one may find the lords of rhyme From Homer's down to Dobson's time ; And at the northern side a space Shall show an open chimney-place, Set round with ancient tiles that tell Some legend old and weave a spell About the firedog-guarded seat, Where one may dream and taste the heat : Above, the mantel should not lack For curios and bric-a-brac-
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Not much, but just enough to light The room up when the fire is bright. The volumes on this wall should be All prose and all philosophy, From Plato down to those who are The dim reflections of that star ; And these tomes all should serve to show How much we write-how little know ; For since the problem first was set No one has ever solved it yet. Upon the shelves toward the west The scientific books shall rest ; Beside them, history ; above- Religion-hope, and faith, and love ; Lastly, the southern wall should hold The story-tellers, new and old ; Haroun al Raschid, who was truth And happiness to all my youth, Shall have the honored place of all That dwell upon this sunny wall, And with him there shall stand a throng Of those who help mankind along More by their fascinating lies Than all the learning of the wise.
Such be the library ; and take This motto of a Latin make To grace the door through which I pass : Hic habitat Felicitas !
Believing that my readers share with me and others this subtle charin of the collection of books, we will spend an hour or more together in looking over the largest library of rare and antiquarian literature to be found in this valley. We venture the assertion that
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A VALUABLE LIBRARY HISTORICALLY HOUSED.
there are not many private collections, and few public libraries, of greater antiquarian variety in the State, than that gathered and historically housed by Mr. Henry S. Heilman, of Sunny Side, whose residence is
MR. HENRY S. HEILMAN'S HOMESTEAD.
A VALUABLE LIBRARY.
about two miles west of Lebanon. The house in which he lives is a large and substantial stone structure a cen- tury old, and was erected by one of the sons of the pioneer Lutheran minister of this valley, Rev. John Casper Stoever. Two inscribed tablets in its front eleva- tion tell the story and sentiment of its erection as follows :
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Gott Bessegne dieses Haus und wer geht da ein und aus !
Friede Sey in Diesem haus Und mit Dehnen Welche Drauss.
- Johannes Stoever Angenes Stoeverin 17 95
Dieses Haus Erbaut ist
Anno 1795
The Heilmans and Stoevers have been intermarried and so this commodious house serves as a relic of these two old families, whose thrift, intelligence and general cleverness have brought esteem and considerable fame to botlı. The present proprietor of this homestead came into its possession through his father, who died less than a year ago, and into whose possession it came by purchase in 1837. The writer has found him quite hospitable, and so he takes the liberty of ushering his company of fellow-explorers, without further ceremony, right into the room that shelters this antiquarian library, gathered principally by this our host. It is found in the southern wing of this building, on the first floor, to which it was found necessary to build an extension, which reaches back to the very edge of the historic Quittapahilla.
Here are found a sufficient quantity of easy-chairs and rockers to rest the most weary of our historic tramps, while either from a cabinet or a full fledged
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A VALUABLE LIBRARY HISTORICALLY HOUSED.
pipe-organ, we may have our spirits soothed or re- freshed with sweet-voiced music ere we begin to ravish our eyes with the contents of the surround- ing alcoves of rarest book treasures. All around the wall, from floor to ceiling, stretchi the bursting book-cases with their antiquarian lore. Here are gathered some of the oldest and rarest books known to the bibliophile, from the tiniest specimens to the most cumbersome tomes. The library is the complement of Mr. Danner's museum, at Manheim, of rare china and crockery-ware. That shows the domestic, this the religious life of our people in colonial times. There are here found a number of the cunabulae, or cradle books, and large quantities of the earliest Bibles, and hymn- books, and almanacs, since the art of printing was invented. Among early editions or rare copies of books this library abounds. The Sauers' German Bible of 1743-first editions of Bibles printed in America and very rare-is here represented by three copies. The rarest curios of Franklin's publications here find a place, more especially such specimens of his books as were pub- lished for the German people. Among the very rarest books in this collection is one of Conrad Beisel's works, and published in 1730 by Benj. Franklin before even this German Baptist leader could muster strength to have his own press. It is probable that this volume is the only one extant, and Prof. Seidenstecher, before his recent death, had arranged to have the title page of it photographed. We give liere this title-page as follows :
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Mystische
Und sehr geheynie Sprueche Welche in der Himmlichen Schule
Des heiligen geistes erlernet Und den solgens einige Poetische Gedichte Auffgesetzt Den liebhabern und schuler11
Der Goettlichern und Himmlichen Weisheit zum dienst.
Vor
Die Saü dieser welt aber
Haben wir keine spise werden
Ihnen auch wohl ein werschlossener
Garden und versiegelter brunnen bleiben. Zu Philadelphia Gedrucht
by B. Franklin im Yahr 1740.
Among the many almanacs collected here, are the Hoch Americanish Deutcher Kalender, from 1745 to date, bound in volumes. Two of them were published by Benj. Franklin and called "Neu Americanisli Deutscher Kalender." One in 1752, when in September eleven days were dropped or cut out, viz: from the 3rd to 13th inclusive, so as to allow for the difference in time between the Old Style and the New Style of reckoning time, is also found here, and is quite rare. The sum of $100 has been set upon a perfect copy. The full list of almanacs in Mr. Heilman's possession, ranging from 1745 to 1894, all printed in Pennsylvania, is as follows: Those published by Christoph Saur and Michael Billmyer, of Germantown; by Benj.
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A VALUABLE LIBRARY HISTORICALLY HOUSED.
Franklin, Antony Ambruster, David Caeschler, P. Mueller, Henry Miller, Melchoir Steiner and Carl Cist, Philadelphia ; by Matthias Bartgis, Francis Bailey, Johann Albrecht, of Lancaster, etc., also the family il- lustrated church almanacs, as the Catholic Home, com- plete; the Catholic Family, from 1871-76; the Reformed, complete ; Lutheran, incomplete, etc .; also Webster's, Phila. Record's, Phila. Public Ledger's, the American, Frank Leslie's, Ayer's American in ten languages. All of these are bound and in good condition.
We make a hasty and partial list from memory of other rare and curious volumes we found here, as follows :
I. Almost a complete list of the more than fifty Ephrata publica- tions, some of which are original books, while others are reprints of devotional manuals bearing the imprint of this Seventh Day German Baptist press, including the "Martyrer Spiegel," Ephrata, 1748, which is a volume as large as the largest family Bible.
2. Two copies of the "Poor Man's Bible," being nothing else but a package of slips of German Scripture texts, enclosed in a wooden case -a rare curiosity.
3. A copy of Arndt's Wahres Christenthum, reprinted for the Ger- man people of Pennsylvania by Benj. Franklin, 1751.
4. "Ein Sermo von den Kleiner Brode," by Dr. Martin Luther, gehalten zu Wittenberg in 1523, and printed then.
5. Many of Sauer's publications (Germantown), who was the first American German printer.
6. A manuscript Memorial Reformation Sermon by Dr. F. H. C. Helmuth, in a hand of as perfect German script as if printed-the sermon having been delivered in Philadelphia, Oct. 31, 1817, from text, Ps. cxviii. 24.
7. A voluminous illustrated German copy of Josephus, bearing the 20
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imprint of some German publisher, dated 1569-formerly the posses- sion of some German Lebanon Valley settler by the name of Bager Boger, where the celebrated Dr. Demme, Lutheran pastor of Zion Lutheran church, Philadelphia, found it and borrowed it, keeping the same for three years, and using it as a copy for his edition (German) of Josephus, now the one mostly sold to German readers. This old copy has many annotations and corrections on margins, which Dr. Mann has recognized as Dr. Demme's handwriting. [It is said that Dr. Demme and Rev. Ernst were rival candidates for the Lebanon pastor- ate, but that Dr. Demme's preaching proved too scholarly for these people and Rev. Ernst was chosen, while Dr. Demme went to Phila- delphia. ]
8. First German Bible printed west of the Alleghenies, at Bedford, with dozens of other rare and old copies of the Holy Scriptures.
9. A copy of Rev. J. Casper Stoever's last will, and other family ar- chives.
This list gives but a faint idea of the treasures that are here collected and carefully arranged. They have cost their possessor no little time, money and research, but they must give him immense satisfaction as they speak to him of the centuries that are past. We can imagine that the encased spirits, communicating from these bookshelves of wisdom's lore are often better companions than many who still wrap flesh and blood about them. So with a courteous bow for favors shown, we shall leave our friend to himself and his mute companions, imagining that we hear him say in the language of John Fletcher :
Give me Leave to enjoy myself. That place that does Contain my books, the best companions, is
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A VALUABLE LIBRARY HISTORICALLY HOUSED.
To me a glorious court, where hourly I Converse with the old sages and philosophers ; And sometimes for variety I confer With kings and emperors, and weigh their counsels; Calling their victories, if unjustly got, Unto a strict account ; and in my fancy Deface their ill-placed statues. Can I then Part with such content pleasures, to embrace Uncertain vanities ? No : be it your care To augment a heap of wealth , it shall be mine To increase in knowledge.
CHAPTER XXIX.
THE REV. JOHN CASPER STOEVER HOMESTEAD.
LET us to-day follow the Quittapahilla Creek for half a mile in its meandering course, from where it washes by the home of Mr. Heilman, last visited, and it will lead us to an interesting relic of the first settlement of this region. It is the old mill-homestead of the Rev. Johann Casper Stoever, the first German Lutheran min- ister ordained in Pennsylvania. It is located just an eightlı of a mile south of the village of Cleona, and about two and a half miles west of Lebanon. It is a landmark of the olden times that holds for us a fasci- nating charm.
The building, which is a large and substantial stone mill-structure - originally provided with a suite of domestic apartments, and occupied by this pioneer of Lutheranism as the permanent abode of himself and family for a period of forty years-was erected in the years 1737-40. The strong and substantial character of the building required three years of time to complete it. It is a massive structure, considering the times and the meager facilities of building; in dimensions about 40 by 60 feet. Its walls, three feet thick, are most of them as solid to-day as when first erected, though composed of
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REV. JOHN CASPER STOEVER HOMESTEAD.
simple, undressed surface stones, inany of them no larger than a man's fist. The mortar is as firmi as cement, and no pen-knife has yet been found strong enough to break its cohesive service. The writer has thought that if all the Lutheran stones that first com- posed the walls of the spiritual building of this denom-
REV. JOHN CASPER STOEVER HOMESTEAD.
ination in America, had been as firmly cemented as this good Lutheran pastor bound together the stones of his earthly abode, this now honored and numerically strong denomination would much sooner have assumed firm and conspicuous proportions in this country.
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LANDMARKS IN THE LEBANON VALLEY.
Whether it was from a generous desire to supply these early settlers with bread for the body as well as for the soul, that this pastor built a mill almost simul- taneously with the church, or whether he saw in it a chance to grind more cash into his own pockets, we can not tell and would not wish to insinuate. Suffice it to say that for more than a hundred and fifty years the waters of the Quittapahilla have here turned the machinery that has ground out the one kind of grist for the customer and the other for the owner. It was either the grist of this mill, or that of his large parisli, probably both together, that made its first owner com- paratively wealthy. For at his death Rev. Mr. Stoever was the possessor, besides this mill-property, of over five hundred acres of the richest land in the valley, which, divided into three large farins, were left to three of his sons, Adam, John Casper (a Captain in the Revo- lution, whose home we visited last week), and Tobias.
This antiquated pile of masonry, constituting this pioneer minister's earthly abode, was further provided with an arched mural fortification, the foundation walls of which are still visible on the southwest corner of the building. There was also a stockade, or log-barricade, used for defense against savage foes when they made their forays in that period. And here the neighbors were frequently sheltered, when in all this community manifold depredations were committed by the red men.
The illustrious builder of this home was a native of the Electorate of Hesse, now Prussia. There he was
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REV. JOHN CASPER STOEVER HOMESTEAD.
born, December 21, 1707, the son of honorable and pious parents. After teaching school for two terms in the Rhenish Palatinate, he sailed fromn Rotterdam, with ninety of his fellow Palatinates, on the ship "James Goodwill, " and landed at Philadelphia September II, 1728. On the ship's register his name is recorded as Johann Casper Steover, S. S. (Theol. Stud.), and is dis- tinguished from another person of the same name, a near relative, who registered as Missionaire, and settled as pastor of the Lutherans in Spottsylvania, Va. The latter died a few years later at sea, on a return trip from Europe, which he had revisited. The former, after about a year's temporary abode at the Trappe, then known as Providence, Montgomery county, Pa., took up his abode at the Conestoga, near the present town of New Holland, Lancaster county, Pa. Here he lived until about 1740, when he moved to his newly-finished house on the Quittapahilla.
Wherever this young pastor dwelt, he reached out beyond, visiting his scattered countrymen and organiz- ing them into congregations. Thus we find him in charge of supplying the first Lutheran churches in Montgomery, Berks and Lancaster counties, even be- fore he was ordained. In 1732, Rev. John Christian Shultze, a Lutheran minister ordained in Germany, ar- rived in this country, and took charge of the congrega- tions at Philadelphia, Providence and New Holland, by which Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg was called ten years later. Shultze early visited Stoever, and being obliged
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LANDMARKS IN THE LEBANON VALLEY.
in less than a year to return to England and Germany to secure ininisters and money for the relief of Luth- erans in Pennsylvania, he ordained Stoever and placed him over these congregations. This ordination took place at the Trappe, in a barn, being the only place of worship this congregation could then afford, and it claims to be the first solenin setting apart to the holy office of a German Lutheran on Pennsylvania territory.
Pastor Stoever must have been a prince at organizing churches. We find his name associated with almost every Lutheran congregation that was founded during the first decade and a half after his arrival in America, in what is now Lancaster, Berks, Lebanon and York counties. At the Trappe, New Holland, Lancaster, Warwick (Brickerville), Tulpehocken, Nothkill (Bern- ville), Heidelberg (Schaefferstown), Bethel, at Jordan, Krupps, the Hill Church (Berg-Kirch), and at York, his name is associated with the laying of the foundations. Out of these small beginnings have directly grown dozens of strong congregations, and indirectly de- veloped much of the Lutheranism of this State and beyond. For it is quite certain that eastern Pennsylva- nia is the cradle of the greater portion of American Lu- theranism, that to-day numbers its communicants by many hundred thousands.
The organization of the Hill church in 1733, which, however, was long designated as "The Church on the Qui:tapahilla," doubtless led Pastor Stoever to rear his home near it. Hence, having built this abode he
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REV. JOHN CASPER STOEVER HOMESTEAD.
removed hitler from the Conestoga in about 1740, and here raised his family. Here transpired what is of domestic interest for more than the latter half of the long life of this enterprising and energetic dominie.
There are two incidents of peculiar interest asso- ciated with this ancient landmark. The ore is the friendly hospitality shown a fellow pastor and his family upon their arrival here froin the Fatherland. This family was no less a one tlian that of the Rev. John George Bager, the first American progenitor of the well known Baughers of the Lutheran Church. When this ancestor, after a brief pastorate in Simmern, Germany, arrived with his small family in Philadel- phia, October 23, 1752, Pastor Stoever, by previous ar- rangement we presumne, was there to meet him and take him to his own home "on the Quittapahilla." Here the new-comers were hospitably quartered for eight months. Meanwhile (June 9th, 1753) the third child was born unto these recent immigrants, which was named Catharine Margaret, and at whose baptisin by Pastor Stoever, the dominie's wife and hostess stood as sponsor. Rev. Bager had meantime received and ac- cepted a call as pastor from the Lutheran church of Hanover, Pa., which he served for three months before removing his family from this hospitable abode. It is worthy of mention in this connection that by a sing- ular and happy coincidence, two descendants of these friends and yoke-fellows were afterwards intimately associated as co-workers in the early history of Penn-
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sylvania College at Gettysburg-the one in the person of Dr. Henry Louis Baugher as professor of Greek and as President of the institution for a period of thirty-six years, and the other, Prof. Martin Luther Stoever, LL.D., as principal of the preparatory department and as professor of history and Latin in college for a period of twenty-eight years.
The other incident alluded to is that connected with Pastor Stoever's death. Although feeble and sickly for years prior to his demise, this energetic servant of God did not unbuckle his gospel harness until the end came. His debilitated condition, however, sometimes incapaci- tated him to leave his house, when, if possible, he sought to minister to his people there. Thus he had requested liis catechetical class of the Hill church to meet him at his home on Ascension Day (May 13th, 1779), anxious that they be confirmed on that day in order to be ready to participate with the congregation in the celebration of the Lord's Supper on the coming Whitsuntide. Accordingly the class here convened, and after a lengthy and fatiguing service of review and ex- amination, concluding with the rite of confirmation, the pastor, utterly exhausted, fell over and expired in tlie presence of his family, some members of his flock and the class upon whose heads he had just laid the hands of confirmation. His funeral took place a few days later at the Hill church, where in the adjoining graveyard his ashes repose. It is possible that the near future will see a fitting monument rise here to do honor to a life so
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REV. JOHN CASPER STOEVER HOMESTEAD.
abundant in labors and so self-sacrificing and heroic in its efforts to help and befriend others.
Before taking our leave of this interesting old mill-manse-now the property of Henry S. Heilman, who in 1879 purchased it of a Mr. Shenk, and soon thereafter undertook to make some internal repairs-let me say that much of the building's interior and exter- ior is as it was in the days of Stoever. ' Tis true, the domestic apartments have been torn out or altered, but the windows, the floors, the walls, all the main frame- work of the building remains. If the same water- wheel is not there, the same creek still supplies the power to carry on the same business. Immense tim- bers constitute the frame-work. From a heavy poplar beam that was removed at its remodeling, the writer has had carved for himself at the Miller Organ Com- pany, of Lebanon, a beautiful relic in the shape of a tray and goblets. On a two-inch walnut step was, until recently, found the name of the builder, together with the date 1737, evidently burned on with a hot iron. The hat rack of Pastor Stoever, of walnut frame- work and pegs, upon which he must have hung his great-coat or hat a thousand times and more, is still preserved. So are some of the library and closet-doors of the old manse, all made of solid walnut. Altogether, the landmark is well preserved and well worth a visit by any one interested in what is so fraught with an- cient and important events.
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CHAPTER XXX.
A VISIT TO HILL CHURCH.
LET us take our walk to-day with the pioneer Luth- eran dominie of this valley, from his mill-manse on the Quittapahilla last visited, to the church on the hill ("Berg- Kirche"), about a inile to the northwest. As we walk in the olden time it will not be difficult to imagine this pious pastor as accompanying us, for this is a journey he regularly made for nearly forty years prior to his death, and before the Revolution. There was not a little danger connected with church-going here when this first pastor was yet officiating, for we have records that frequently the people were obliged to bring their guns along to be ready to defend themselves against the attacks of the savages.
This church is the mother of all Lutheran and Reformed congregations in this vicinity. Whether it was Reformed from the very beginning the writer can- not positively assert, but we find both branches of these oft-united portions of the German Protestant church worshiping here as early as 1744. From a history of the churches in Lebanon county, given by Dr. Geo. Lochman in 1812, we learn that the congregation was gathered as early as 1733, and is the oldest church in
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A VISIT TO HILL CHURCH.
the county. According to its earliest records kept, it was called the "Church on the Quittapahilla," thoughi it seems now quite a little distance from this streamn.
The first building consisted of a rudely constructed edifice of logs. There were also hewn logs for seats,
THE HILL CHURCH ("BERG KIRCHE").
and a most primitive construction served as pulpit. The building had no floor, and there were in it no stoves for a long time, according to the prevailing cus- tom of the warmer clime of the native country of tliese German worshippers. In the coldest wintry months a wood-fire of logs was built on the outside of the churchi, around which the assembled congregation would sit
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awaiting the arrival of the minister. Even when the congregation could well afford such a luxury as a wood- stove, its introduction is said to have met with consid- able opposition. There was a rack provided for storing away their guns during worship, though frequently a few of the members stood as weaponed sentinels at the church doors while worship was being conducted. The present brick building was erected in 1837, it being the third edifice.
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