USA > Pennsylvania > Ancient and historic landmarks in the Lebanon Valley > Part 9
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LANDMARKS IN THE LEBANON VALLEY.
tions of time, and been displaced about twenty-two years ago by a new structure of frame. It is now owned by the Donges Bros. of the Myerstown inercantile firm, and the farmn is in present charge of Mr. Dechert. But the westernmost homestead is quite ancient. It has all
ItY
...
THE IMMEL HOMESTEAD.
the characteristics of age, such as its broken front door, its wall closets, its fifteen-incli wide oak flooring, its large and wide Queen Anne mantel and fire place, and its solid masonry, well preserved. Only the tiles have given place to shingles, the former stored beside the home, which if they were old-fashioned German waffles -a thing they much resemble-should have been de-
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A WALK OVER HISTORIC GROUND.
voured long ago. We should think they would "take " as relics among the descendants of the Immels and Governor Shulze, quite as well as such hot-cakes. For here it was that the future Governor of our State visited when a youth, and in his best suit and smiles.
There was a charming daughter in this home in his day, then presided over by Leonhard Immel, who had completely captivated this young aspirant's heart. Was she a member of his father's choir at Tulpehocken, famous and enchanting for her singing, or only a meek and modest member of the flock, winsome for her piety or her blushing beauty ? The writer cannot tell. But the charm went forth from her life that landed Cupid's dart, and left it quivering in the heart of the pastor's noble son, which made him doubtless repair once a week to this ancient fireside for healing. We took interest in finding the identical room in which this courtship was held, unchanged by any modernization whatever. The interior arrangement of this house might well serve as a model, so well is the space utilized. The stairway is convenient to every apartment and yet out of the way. The rooms communicate and are accessible from the hall, in which is a large fire-place and Queen Anne oak mantel, that speaks of the charms and poetry of rural life in winter. The farm is now the property of Mrs. Capt. John H. Bassler, a sister of Rev. Dr. Mosser, of Reading. The following inscription we found on a sandstone still preserved in the front eleva- tion :
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LANDMARKS IN THE LEBANON VALLEY.
HANNES
IMMEL
ANNA
BARBARA.
17
59
This "Hannes Iminel " was the father of Leonliard Immel, whose name has already been alluded to and his tombstone transcribed in our last chapter, who was the father of Mrs. Gov. Shulze, and the progenitor of the Immels still found in this community, one of whom fills the honorable position of banker at Myerstown. Mr. Zartman is farming the plantation where these illustrious ancestors raised their earlier crops.
Next west to Immnels is the Spangler home. This original homestead is now also divided into two farmns. The westernmost home is the site of the first dwellings, and those now standing are considerably over a century old. The barn contains a stone bearing date of 1782, with initials of "G. Sp." and "B. Sp." This farm is now owned by Miss Cora Kilmer, while the east half is the property of Mr. Henry Hauck.
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A WALK OVER HISTORIC GROUND.
Next we come to the most historic and wealthy ancient homestead of them all. It is the reputed Ley (Lei) homestead and is located at the source of the Tul- pelocken, about two miles west of Myerstown. Here from among limestone rocks springs forth the Tulpe-
THE ANCIENT LEI (LEY) HOMESTEAD, MODERNIZED BY MR. SAMUEL URICH, (PRESENT OWNER).
hocken, like Minerva from the head of Jove, a full- grown stream and daughter of the mighty deep. Here the Indians had reared a village of wigwams and buried their dead, many of wliose bones and relics have been disinterred during the making of recent excavations.
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Here the wealth y German emigrant Lei pitched his tent and took up 1000 acres of land. In 1769 he, or his son, built the second house which is still standing, re- inodeled and enlarged by its present owner, Mr. Samuel Urich, into one of the most palatial abodes of the county. But even in the days of its erection it was already a mansion. It has a lovely site on a hillock fronting the south. Its walls, now ivy-covered in part, are of regular dressed limestone, with sandstone trimmings. Two sandstones in its front elevation read as follows :
O MENSCH
GEDE @ -+ NCK
DER LE |TST - EN STUN
EVA MAGDALE
17
NA LEI . IN
69
GOTT . GESEGNE
DIESES . HAUS . UND
ALLES . WAS . DA. GED
EIN OD ER AUS.
1769
MICHAEL
LEI
Hither General Washington came with some of his staff officers, such as Generals Hiester, Keim and Ermen- trout of Berks county, and others, for a few days' hunt
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A WALK OVER HISTORIC GROUND.
and recreation. It is supposed this happened in 1777, when Washington's army occupied Valley Forge, inas- much as a letter extant-addressed by Washington to Gen. Wayne, from Reading Furnace, September 17, 1777-shows him to have been in this valley then. It may also have been in November, 1793, when President of the United States, inasmuch as he spent the night of the 13th of that mnonthi and year in Womelsdorf, where the Ermentrouts then lived. Tradition has the follow- ing story of this visit. One day about half a dozen riders reined up their horses in front of this hospitable abode, then still comparatively surrounded by a forest. It chanced that Mrs. Lei and a "redemptioner" woman by the name of Sherk-ancestor of the present Sherk family of this valley-who served here, were washing clothes at the wash-house in their bare feet and scant loose habits. Their attention was called by these strange yeomanry-soldiers amid great embarrassment and confusion. The strangers presently made known their names and purposes, whereupon the men folks were summoned from the fields, who soon responded to speak and act the words and deeds of welcome. Soon plans were consummated for a two or three days' fishing and hunting sport, for all of which the guests were prepared and the host was soon ready. In the southwest room, known as the Blue Room, of this ancient hospitable abode, the host, who was a Revo- lutionary Captain, spent the evenings with his illus- trious visitors, while the southeast room on the second
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LANDMARKS IN THE LEBANON VALLEY.
floor is still pointed out as the bed-room of the great General. This latter was always the private sleeping room of the late Rev. Isaac K. Loose, of Bethlehem, when he visited his old home, the property having fallen into the Loose hands after it slipped out of those of this original owner and his descendants, which oc- curred through heavy losses in coal speculation in the time of Christian, a son or grandson. Many other noteworthy incidents cluster about this place which would be interesting to the average reader, but space forbids their mention.
Both the original Michael and Eva M. Lei are buried at the Union graveyard at Myerstown, in the shadow of Frieden's Lutheran church, herein described. He died in 1824 (born 1739), and she in 1815 (born 1744). Here also lies buried their son Christian, who was born in 1762 and died in 1832, having been, as we have seen, a member of the building committee of the church. His wife, Anna Catharine (Coppenhoffer), died by accidental poisoning January 11th, 1822, and lies buried by his side. Their son, Christian, died a few years ago at Pinegrove, a nonegenarian.
But we must go on in our westward march. By going a mile up the pike from this place and turning north an eighth of a mile at Mr. Cyrus Baney's palatial residence, we will reach the farm of Mr. Henry Tice of West Myerstown. There are stones in the large house showing that it was erected by Philip and Eve Tice in 1821, who were descendants of the first settlers here,
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A WALK OVER HISTORIC GROUND.
whose original house contains an anvil-shaped stone in its gable, reading thus :
M. T.
1744.
This is the house from which was taken the richly- finished walnut door now on exhibition in Mr. George M. Stanley's store of Lebanon. It consists of 356 pieces, inlaid and carved. Not a nail is used in its construc- tion. Here it swung 'on its curious wrought-iron hinges for a century and a half, letting in and out suc- cessive generations of Tices. We will let an imaginary swing of this door bring to an abrupt close the wander- ings over historic territory we have taken in this chapter.
CHAPTER XIX.
ENCAMPED NEAR LEBANON.
FOR the past four months I have conducted my army of explorers through the historic field lying east of Leb- anon, and have been making constant approaches to- wards this desired haven. In these weekly marches I have taken my army, like Coxey did his, through slush and snow. But as Coxey finally ended his notorious march towards Washington by his arrival in the Na- tion's capitol, so I can now announce having at last reached the confines of this Queen City of our lovely and interesting valley, and that for to-day we have encamped just east of Lebanon county's capital. Whilst we propose to "take the city" also, it is not for any hearing not already gained nor for the righting of any wrong that I plead, except it be to arouse from its long, non-appreciative slumber this latter generation of noble Germans, to do greater honor and remember more kindly the bravery, industry, energy and heroic endur- ance, which its first American ancestors have here manifested.
Having come as far as Avon, where the soaking rains during this week suggested shelter in side-tracked box-cars or in the engine and tender that here a year ago,
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ENCAMPED NEAR LEBANON.
long kept flying to and fro, like a weaver's shuttle, keeping the Annville and Myerstown street railway from crossing the P. & R. R. R. tracks, let us from this camp reach out to a few historic spots lying near by, and take time to reflect on the stream of earnest activity and travel that has surged about this place even as the angered Quittapahilla, having its rise near by, has this week lashed its swollen waves over cultivated fields and much-travelled highways.
Directly to the south of our halting place (Avon) lies the Stager homestead, which has a history of struggle and early peril worthy of note, and still contains an ancient landmark in the shape of an old house.
The following account will be of interest : In 1746 Frederick (?) Stager, (rather John 'Barnhard,) here took up 500 acres of land purchased from the proprietors for five pound sterling. He reared a small log house upon it, presumably the same year or the one following, which is still standing. It has marks of antiquity and interest to the curious in its outside stairway leading to the loft, its old-fashioned doors and quaint wrought-iron hinges, its fire place and its 14-inch wide oak planks for flooring. One of his descendants, probably his son, Adamı Stager, in 1782 reared the large stone farmi-house that now constitutes the farm dwelling place. It is large and commodious-a specimen and token of the growing wealth of these first families. Among the old deeds still preserved among the family archives, is one of parchment, given by Michael Tice and Rudolph
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LANDMARKS IN THE LEBANON VALLEY.
Kelker, executors of said Adam Stager, conveying 200 acres of this farm to Frederick Stager. This deed was given June 5, 1818, and is recorded in our county courts, as is attested by this document in the handwriting of the ex-Gov. J. Andrew Shulze, who was then recorder
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LEBANON VALLEY FARMER.
of the county. The original farm was thus divided and now is part of four farms, some of which-the western- most portion-is however still in the Stager name of the fifth or sixth generation.
The old homestead is the possession of Mr. Joseph Heilman, a descendant of the Heilmans of Heilman- dale. This gentleman holds a relic of gold that is truly
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ENCAMPED NEAR LEBANON.
worth more than its weight in that metal, inasmuch as lie has refused a very handsome offer by some others of the family. It is a solid gold ring witli a setting of some amber-colored, precious stone. This has been handed down from generation to generation from the first American ancestor of this family, Hans Adam (John Adam) Heilman, who received it as pay, in lieu of cash, from a neighbor in about 1738 or '39 for two months' labor, namely, grubbing away the scrub-oak and alder-bushes that grew as the first crop on what is now a part of the paradisaical valley of the Heilmans, northwest of Lebanon. This Hans Adam "was a man of stirring energy, and he not only made his arm felt in the clearing of the forest, but he took a prominent part in the religious and social affairs, and was one of the founders of the old Hill Church, and an elder of the same as early as 1745." The first house erected by him is still said to stand on the premises of his great-grand- child in Heilmandale. He married Maria Catharine Stager, and this shows the connection and how the Stager homestead is in part in Heilman hands. These early Heilman ancestors are buried at the Hill church. The Stagers, disinterred some twelve years ago from a private burial plot, now sleep at Kimmerling's grave- yard. Mr. Joseph Heilman also found here recently an old copper penny bearing the image and superscription, not of Cæsar, but of another tyrant, viz. : King George the Third of England. The coin has on one side the face of this monarch with the name "Georgius III
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LANDMARKS IN THE LEBANON VALLEY.
Rex ;" on the obverse a harp and crown with the date "1782."
This old Stager homestead was the scene of a fierce skirmish between the Indians and the white settlers during the French and Indian war period, when one white man was wounded and two Indians are said to have been killed.
But being detained here for a while, let us look into the malarious basin and checkered history of the once busy but now idle and defunct Union Canal, leading by our temporary encampment. This once enterprising internal state water-way has an interesting history. As long as the "great ditch " remains open, a relic of the past, the present should be concerned to keep alive the data of its construction and usage.
It seems that already in 1760, by authority of the Provincial Assembly, a survey was made through this valley to construct an internal water-way to connect Philadelphia with Pittsburg, or the Delaware with the Ohio. The route selected was up the Schuylkill to Reading, and thence by the course of the Tulpehocken and Swatara Creeks to Harris' Ferry, whence the West Branch of the Susquehanna should afford a route towards the western destination-a distance of 582 miles from Philadelphia. The Revolutionary war put an end to this movement. After the settlement of the struggle for independence by the Colonies, other States mnoved in the direction of canal building, and Pennsylvania was likewise stirred from its slumber on this question,
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ENCAMPED NEAR LEBANON.
when on September 29, 1791, the legislature took action incorporating a company to connect the Schuylkill with the Susquehanna by a canal. Such men as Robert Morris, the financier of the Revolution, David Ritten- house, the astronomer, Dr. Win. Smith, Provost of the University of Pennsylvania, and Tench Francis, were among its commissioners. Accordingly work was commenced on lands lying between Lebanon and Myers- town as early as the spring of 1794-just 100 years ago. Had my army of explorers been halted in their march a century ago, where I have made them pitch their tents to-day, they might have seen the first shovelfuls of earth thrown out of the ditch that still stretches throughout the length of our valley. They might also have seen such distinguished men as those named above inake surveys in these parts. Let us therefore step softly, for any spot of earth pressed by the feet of such men as Rittenhouse, Morris or Dr. Smith, must be to the historian and student of any kind regarded as holy ground.
But alas ! the enterprise failed, at least temporarily. After the expenditure of several hundred thousands of dollars operations were suspended in consequence of public remonstrances against the powerful corporation, until in 1811 this company, with another company known as the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal Company, reorganized into what became the Union Canal Com- pany, which new organization pushed this old dream of internal State navigation into a reality. The State
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LANDMARKS IN THE LEBANON VALLEY.
continued to grant aid by "a guarantee of interest and a monopoly of the lottery privilege." Hence by 1821 operations could be continued because of financial en- couragement received. Six years later the project was completed, and in 1827 the first boat passed up this waterway, past Lebanon. This was the "Alpha of Tulpehocken." Not far from two millions of money had been expended in the construction of the canal- the first constructed canal in America. It is doubtless due to this "maritime highway" that the valley and county of Lebanon have attained to the wealth and commercial standing that characterize them to-day.
But another highway passes our temporary quarters here. It is the Berks and Dauphin turnpike, along which we have been slowly approaching this point, and which was constructed even before the canal was com- pleted, viz. : in 1816 and 1817. It was also liberally aided by the State making large subscriptions to its stock. It is said to have cost an average of $3, 800 per mile. Let us look into the faces of its travelers for the past seventy-five years. Before the day of railroads it was the one chief thoroughfare between Lebanon and Reading and between Lebanon and Harrisburg. It leads through the heart of the valley, and is known to have conducted in their travels such national characters as Presidents Van Buren in 1836, and William Henry Harrison in 1840, during their respective presidential campaigns-the former travelling east and the latter westward-going in opposite directions, as their politics
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ENCAMPED NEAR LEBANON.
lay in opposite courses, yet both landing in the same White House at last. There are men still living who recall these campaign jaunts, and how a party of Whigs accompanied Harrison from Myerstown in a tally-ho coach, shouting themselves hoarse for old "Tippecanoe and Tyler too." The same year that Harrison traveled over this route his Democratic Vice-Presidential oppo- nent (Col. Richard M. Johnson) also passed over this highway. His admirers made the welkin ring all along the route for this man, who, in the celebrated hand-to- hand battle with Tecumseh, had the nerve to ride up to the famous red-skinned chief and shoot him down at his horse's head, though in the terrible scrimmage about the dying chief he himself received severe wounds.
But who shall call up the armies of great and small men that have been carried over the Philadelphia & Reading R. R. branch, stretching parallel with the pike throughout the length of our valley, and sweeping by our to-day's imaginary camping ground? What an array of Presidents and would-be Presidents, of Gov- ernors and legislators and politicians, great and small ; of learned doctors, and gifted ministers, and actors of repute, and statesmen, and base ball clubs, and excur- sionists, and business men, and immigrants, and visitors generally; what travelers for sight-seeing and for health and for pleasure it has swept by this spot! Much of the American world has gone over this line, and many a foreigner, too-even the Liberty Bell preferred this
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LANDMARKS IN THE LEBANON VALLEY.
route home from the World's Fair last year-but no one ever traveled through a finer country or a more prosperous community for agricultural and honest thrift. Hence, having reached the acme of reflection and in thought capped the climax of this valley's past prosperity, we will break up our camp and prepare to march into Lebanon by another week or two.
CHAPTER XX.
. THE HEBRON MORAVIAN CHURCH.
JUST midway between our camping grounds of last week and the heart of the city of Lebanon, located on the pike, nestles the ancient village of Hebron. It was so named by the Moravian missionaries, who here founded a congregation as long as a hundred and fifty years ago; and the name was of course taken from Scripture, as this denomination, so full of the knowl- edge and spirit of Scripture, wove religious names and sentiments into their daily life in this new world, and especially the names of Bible localities into their settle- ments and congregational life. It is this very pretty custom of this church that has given us in eastern Pennsylvania such Bible-named communities as Bethle- hem, Nazareth, Emaus, Hebron, Bethel and Lebanon, and such piously-dubbed settlements as Gnadenhütten, Friedens, and so forth.
The town of Hebron is older than Lebanon itself, and the first nucleus of houses here, together with its " Gemeinlein " (little congregation), of the United Brethren of the Moravians, is first of all spoken of in the early annals of this church as "on the Quitopehille." Here quite a colony of Germans had settled before 1742,
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the year in which a hundred and twenty of the Mo- ravians of the Bethlehem church, just founded, resolved, in their glowing zeal for the Master, to divide them- selves into two halves, one portion of which should be sent forth as missionaries two by two, while the other half should abide and work for the former's support. Accordingly the province of Pennsylvania, and especi- ally the frontier line, where mostly the Germans had settled, was selected as missionary ground. These disciples started on their evangelistic tours with a five weeks' circuit before them. The result of this enter- prise was the establishment of their congregations at Lititz, Lancaster, Donegal, Bethel of Swatara, Hebron, "on the Quitopehille," Heidelberg, Tulpehocken, Oley, Emaus, Gnadenhütten, etc. - some of which have since become extinct, or else reverted to the Lutherans and Reformed, from among which denominations most of these early converts were made.
It would seem as if the names of the Apostles and other Bible characters had been given to these itinerant brethren, as we have them spoken of as Brothers John and Peter and Matthew and Joseph, etc., in the early annals of this church. It is quite likely, however, that they were simply known by their Christian names, in- asmuch as "Brothers Joseph and John"-so frequently mentioned in the Diary of the Hebron church, the evi- dent founders of this congregation-were doubtless the same as Brothers Joseph Powell and John Hagan, the missionaries, whose evangelistic tour led them to these
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THE HEBRON MORAVIAN CHURCH.
parts. We find these same brethren a few years later active among the Indian mission at Shamokin (now Sunbury) founded in September, 1742, by the instru- mentalities of such men as Count Zinzendorf, Bishop Boehler, Conrad Weiser (interpreter and leader), Henry Leinbaclı, and by John Martin Mack and wife, and Anna Nitschman.
The preaching of these missionary brethren, doubtless because of its pungency and its warm breath of Gospel life and because of a great lack of preaching by their own denominational pastors of these German Lutherans and Reformed, caused many of the most pious and earnest of them to fall in with this heroic movement for the dissemination of the Gospel. The thought of proselytismi or denominational propagandismi did not enter the minds of these unsuspecting men, thirsty for the water of life. Hence it comes that such leading Lutherans as Conrad Weiser and Peter Kucher, and such Reformed as Heinrich Xanders and others, be- came early identified with this church, many of whom remained loyal to the church of their adoption unto death, while some, as Conrad Weiser, returned to their first love, their mother church.
The history of the Hebron Church is a long and checkered one, full of interest to every student of his- tory. We feel confident in saying that there is not a congregation within the county that has a more mi- nutely written history than this one. The happy cus- tom of the Moravian Church of requesting its resident
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LANDMARKS IN THE LEBANON VALLEY.
pastors to keep faithfully a full diary of events trans- piring within the congregation, or occurring within tlie community or country at large, lias here preserved a record of local and national events that is one of the
THE HEBRON MORAVIAN CHURCH.
richest treasures to the historian and antiquarian any- where to be found throughout all this valley. The writer was recently shown a pile of old journals-almost as high as the publications that confronted Luther at the Diet of Worms-which is simply a library of ten or twelve large volumes of manuscript church records and memorabilia of this Hebron Gemeinlein in the hand-
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THE HEBRON MORAVIAN CHURCH.
writing of its successive pastors. As this church, erected in 1750, and in part still standing on property now owned by Mr. David Fulmer (but alas! this portion of a once sacred structure, hallowed alike for its associa- tions with church and state, is now used as a cow stable!) was used during the Revolutionary War as a place of incarceration for several hundred of Hessian prisoners, this diary is of intense interest during this period. The church was then in pastoral charge of Brother Bader, who is found, in the style of Cæsar in his Commentaries, to speak of his untoward experi- ences at this time. He commits to the safe keeping of his Daily Journal, a great many complaints and murmurings over the misbehavior of his rude prisoners and the none too exemplary conduct of their guards. Now it is their noise, then their carousals and sprees, that he complains of. Their filthy persons and habits form the occasion of still further criticisms. Again he has a tirade against the injustice of dumping the Luth- eran Church prisoners upon him, when he was about getting rid of his supply.
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