Historical and biographical annals of Berks County, Pennsylvania, embracing a concise history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families, Volume I, Part 13

Author: Montgomery, Morton L. (Morton Luther), b. 1846; J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago : J. H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1018

USA > Pennsylvania > Berks County > Historical and biographical annals of Berks County, Pennsylvania, embracing a concise history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families, Volume I > Part 13

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The building of concrete bridges has latterly been encouraged by the county commissioners ; for, from 1905 to 1909, they caused the erection of thirteen bridges, twelve of which were re-enforced concrete, costing together upward of $40,000. The Dauber- ville bridge, crossing the Schuylkill, built in 1908, is a particularly fine sample; four arches, each 75 feet, costing upward of $20,000.

PRIVATE BRIDGES .- The following private bridges were erected across the Schuylkill by individuals or stock companies, and toll was exacted until they were purchased by the county and made free :

Windsor Haven (Shoemakersville)

.1862

Mohr's (Mohrsville)

1837

Althouse's ( Leesport)

1835

Leize's

1833

Kissinger's (now Schuylkill Avenue)

1810

Bell's (at Tulpehocken)

1833

Birdsboro

1845

Monocacy

1871

Douglassville

1832

LARGEST COUNTY BRIDGES

SCHUYLKILL RIVER, 18

Style

Length

Built

Freed

Douglassville

Wooden

340

1832

1885

Monocacy

Iron

302

1870

1887

Birdsboro

Wooden

462

1845

1886

Exeter

Iron

440

1893

Poplar Neck

Wooden

504

1832

1883

Lancaster Avenue

Iron

1555

1876

(1831) |1883

Penn Street

Iron

924

1884

(1815 ) |1883

Schuylkill Avenue

Iron

674

1892

(1810) 1892

Leize's

Wooden

236

1833

1890

Stoudt's No. 1

Wooden

240

1857

Stoudt's No. 2

Wooden

1891

Leesport

Wooden

170

1835

1886

Mohrsville

Wooden

268

1837

1886

Shoemakersville

Wooden

194

1862

1886

Bern Station

Iron

208

1896

Hamburg

Wooden

202

1828

1883

Dauberville

Concrete

|300

1908

TULPEHOCKEN CREEK, 14

Bushong's

Wooden

330

Wertz' Mill

Wooden

204

1867

Van Reed's

·Wooden

144

1866

Reber's

Wooden

129

Blue Marsh

Wooden

120

1846

Stamm's

Iron

153

1887

Speicher's

Iron

200

1878

Conrad's

Wooden

145

1839

Schaeffer's Ford

Iron

1889

Sunday's Mill

Iron

1903

Krick's Mill

Beam Deck

1900

Charming Forge

Wooden

186

1872

Womelsdorf

Stone Arch

153

1816

Scharff's

Concrete Arch

180

1902

MANATAWNY CREEK, 9

Egolf

Iron

141

1882

Glendale

Wooden

101

Pine Iron Works

Wooden

154

1855

Weidner's

Iron

103

1898

Fisher's

Wooden

129

1854

Heist's

Iron

142

1878

Earlville

Wooden

130

1856

Baum's

Iron

134

1878

Griesemer's Mill

Wooden

124

ONTELAUNEE CREEK, 12

Schlegel's

Wooden

101

1812

Wiley's

Iron

202

|1883

Maiden-creek

Stone Arch

311

1854

Evansville

Tubular

165

1874

Moselem

Wooden

145

1851

Virginville

Wooden

164

Dreibelbis

Wooden

172

1869

Lenhartsville

Wooden

182

1868

Greenawalt's

Wooden

1033 1875

Albany

Iron Pony

1884

Kempton

Wooden

103

1887

Trexler's

Stone Arch

161 |1841

RAILROAD BRIDGES .- Thirteen substantial bridges have been erected across the river by the several railroad companies operating in the county, viz .:

Philadelphia & Reading Railroad, four-one near Tuckerton-high arch, built of stone; one, of iron, at Birdsboro; and two, of iron, on "Belt Line," one above Reading and the other below.

Lebanon Valley Railroad, one, within limits of Reading, built of iron.

Berks County Railroad (now Schuylkill & Le- high), three-one at and two below Reading, built of wood.

Pennsylvania Schuylkill Valley Railroad, five- one near Hamburg; one at Reading and two below ; and one at Douglassville ; all built of iron.

ROADS AND TURNPIKES

INDIAN PATHS .- There were paths through this section of country long before Reading was laid out. The "Schuylkill Ford" was a central point for the Indians. Nature would seem to have selected the site for the town rather than the Penns.

TULPEHOCKEN ROAD .- The earliest mention of a road in this vicinity is the road which was marked out in 1687, from the Delaware at Philadelphia to the Susquehanna, by way of this ford, and was known for many years as the "Tulpehocken road." In 1768, a road was regularly laid out from Read- ing to the Susquehanna, at "Fort Augusta," by way of Middletown (now Womelsdorf) and Rehrer's Tavern (now Rehrersburg), over the Blue and Broad Mountains, in pursuance of a petition from a considerable number of inhabitants of the county. The report was presented to the executive council on Jan. 19, 1769. The road began "at the east end of Penn street, in the town of Reading, and extend- ed through the same to the banks of the river Schuyl-

Cross Keys

Iron

354

Stoudt's Ferry (Tuckerton) 1857

HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

kill, west 346 perches ; thence south 87 degrees, west 33 perches across said river; thence four courses westwardly with a total distance of 1,457 perches to Sinking Spring Town; thence by fifteen courses, westwardly, a total distance of 2,814 perches to Second street, in Middletown (now Wommels- dorf) ; thence across the Tulpehocken creek, and by way of John Rice's tavern and Nicholas Kinser's, northwestwardly to Godfried Rehrer's tavern (now Rehrersburg), and thence by way of Henry Derr's house to Fort Henry, and. over the Blue mountain, etc., in a northwestwardly course to Fort Augusta."

Berks and Dauphin Turnpike .- Fifty years after- ward, this road from Reading to Middletown, and thence westwardly through Dauphin county, be- came a turnpike, a company for this purpose hav- ing been incorporated in 1805, under the name of "Berks and Dauphin Turnpike Company." The turnpike, however, was not begun until in 1816, just after the Penn street bridge had become passa- ble. It was finished in 1817, and it was maintained successfully for nearly ninety years. In 1905, the company voluntarily released the toll charge for use of pike by removal of toll-gates, to a point two miles west of the bridge; and it was freed to Werners- ville, eight miles, in 1906 by the assessment of dam- ages.

A. SACE

OLEY.

ALSACE CHURCH.

NEVERSINK.

CENTRE TURNPIKE.

FERRY.

MAIDEN-CREEK.

FERRY

RIVER

FCRG

SCHUYLKILL.

SCHUYLKILL

TULPEHOCKEN."

LANCASTER.

PLAN OF ROADS TO READING

MAIDEN-CREEK ROAD .- A road was surveyed by Samuel Lightfoot in 1745, from Francis Parvin's mill, near the mouth of the Maiden creek, south- wardly to the ford, the present site of Reading, in almost a straight line about six miles in length, and confirmed in June of that year. In 1753, it was regularly laid out from Reading northwardly, and extended to Easton by commissioners from Berks and Northampton counties who were ap- pointed by the executive council at Philadelphia.

Hamburg and Schuylkill Gap; and northwestwardly over Broad Mountain, by way of a point now Aslı- land, to Sunbury. A company for this purpose was incorporated in 1805, called "Centre Turnpike Company." The turnpike was completed shortly before 1812. It was operated successfully and tolls were exacted until 1885, when it was abandoned.

OLEY ROAD .- In September, 1727, a petition was presented to the court at Philadelphia for a road to extend from the "Lutheran Meeting-house" at the Tulpehocken creek to the highroad at the "Quaker Meeting-house," near George Boone's mill, in Oley. Eight years afterward, the court appoint- ed Mordecai Lincoln, Marcus Hulings, James Thompson, Peter Robeson, Benjamin Boon and Thomas Potts to lay out this road from the high- road westwardly to the Schuylkill ford. They re- ported a road at June session, 1736, which began at the ford, and proceeded a little south of east, in almost a direct line, to a road called the "King's Highway." Its eastern terminus was at a point now Amityville.

Perkiomen Turnpike .- The road just mentioned was the road to Philadelphia for many years, until a road from a point near the "Black Bear Inn," by way of Bishop's Mill, to a point near Molatton church, now at Douglassville, was substituted. In 1810, a turnpike was authorized to be constructed on this latter road from Reading, by way of "White Horse Tavern" (Douglassville) and Pottsgrove. to Perkiomen Mills, at Perkiomen creek. In 1811, commissioners were named, and they immediately commenced its construction, completing it in four years at an average cost of $7,000 per mile. It was made free in 1902.

In 1822 the State held subscriptions of stock in the three turnpike companies, as follows: Berks and Dauphin, $29,000 (individual subscription $63,- 905) ; Centre, $80,000 (individual subscription $62,000) ; Perkiomen, $53,000 (individual subscrip- tion $133,000). Length reported: first, 34 miles ; second, 75 miles ; third, 28 3-4 miles.

Oley Turnpike .- The road from the "Old Phila- delphia Road," near Schwartzwald Church, to the King's Highway ( Pleasantville to Amityville) was laid out and confirmed in 1755. The "Oley Turn- pike" is constructed on this road from Jackson- wald eastward. The company for this superior, well-kept turnpike was incorporated in 1862. The road extends from "Black Bear Inn" to Pleas- antville, ten miles, and the total cost was $50,000.

SCHUYLKILL ROAD .- A road was ordered by the court of Lancaster county in 1750 to be laid out from Chester county line, in Caernarvon township, in a northwestwardly direction to Reading. It was surveyed by George Boone, and reported in 1751. This is the road from Warwick Furnace, by way

Centre Turnpike .- A turnpike was constructed on this road from Callowhill street in Reading, over of Plow tavern and Green Tree tavern, through the "long hill" (at cemetery) to the mouth of the Union, Robeson and Cumru townships and along Maiden creek, and thence northwardly by way of the western bank of the Schuylkill, to the Tulpe-

INDUSTRY OF COUNTY

hocken road opposite Reading. It was twelve and a half miles in length.

southwardly to Flying Hill, in 1753.

Alsace Church Road, from Reading northwardly through Alsace township, in 1753.

Lancaster Road, from Reading southwestwardly through Cumru township, in 1762.

Sunbury Road, from the fork in the Schuylkill above the Blue Mountain to the fork in the Sus- quehanna at Sunbury-fifty-five miles, in 1770.

Bern Road, from Reading northwestwardly over man in 1789, and traveled weekly between Read- the Schuylkill at a point now occupied by the ing and Philadelphia for the transportation of pas- Schuylkill avenue bridge, through Bern township, in 1772.

Alsace Road, from Reading eastwardly through Alsace township into Oley, to a point in the "King's Highway" (supposed to be near Friedensburg, and now called the Friedensburg road), in 1776.

PLAN OF ROADS TO READING .- The accompanying plan will indicate in a general way how the promi- nent roads extended from Reading during its earlier history, and these have continued to be the chief thoroughfares for travel till now.

STATE HIGHWAYS .- The substantial improvement of the public roads was a subject of discussion for many years, but it was not until 1905 that any special legislation was secured. The taxpayers of Berks county immediately began to show their ap- preciation of the State's liberality. Cumru town- ship was the first to take practical steps by ordering the improvement of that portion of the Lancaster road from the Schuylkill river to the Three-Mile- House in Shillington, commonly called the "Three- Mile-House-Road," and it was constructed under the supervision of the State Highway Commissioner by Adam R. Leader of Reading, as the contractor, during 1905-06-07, at a total cost of $18,326; of which the county paid one-sixth and the township one-sixth. This section of road had been used a great deal for driving purposes for many years and this marked improvement increased its use. Some time before 1905 it had been improved by the ex- penditure of a considerable sum of money (about $500) with the assent of the township supervisors, which had been collected mostly from the drivers of speedy horses at Reading.

STAGES

The first coach in New England began its trips OTHER ROADS .- Neversink Road, from Reading in 1744. The first stage line between New York and Philadelphia (then the two most populous cities in the Colonies) was established in 1756. The trip was made in three days. When the Revolution be- gan, most of these public conveyances ceased to run, and they did not take the road till the return of peace.

The first public conveyance at Reading was a two-horse coach. It was instituted by Martin Haus-

sengers and letters. The distance was about fifty- one miles, and the passage was made in two days. The fare was two dollars, and letter carriage three pence. During that year, he transferred the estab- lished business to Alexander Eisenbeis, who operat- ed it two years, and sold it to William Coleman. From that time onward, for nearly seventy years, without intermission, the Coleman family were prominent throughout eastern Pennsylvania for their connection with this great enterprise.

Soon after Coleman had obtained possession of this stage line, he extended it westwardly, by way of Womelsdorf and Lebanon, to Harrisburg; and northwardly, by way of Hamburg, Orwigsburg, Sharp Mountain Gap and over the Broad Mountain, to Sunbury. In 1818, the stages ran twice a week from Philadelphia to Sunbury. They left Philadel- phia on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 3 A. M .; ar- rived at Reading at 5 P. M., and lodged at Ham- burg on the same days; and on the following morn- ings left at 3 A. M. and arrived at Sunbury on the succeeding days at 10 A. M. And they ran thrice a week from Philadelphia to Harrisburg-Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays; leaving Philadelphia at 4 A. M., lodging at Reading, and arriving at Har- risburg the next evening. The same order was ob- served in returning.

In 1820 William Coleman died. His widow car- ried on the stage lines for a year, when their sons John and Nicholas purchased and conducted them. In 1823, they ran weekly stages to the southwest to Lancaster, over a natural road, in length thirty- two miles; and. to the northeast to Easton, over a natural road, in length fifty miles.

In 1825, Colder & Wilson ran the "mail stage"

The next township to take up the matter success- fully was Washington and in 1908 the State Depart- between Reading and Harrisburg three times a ment looked after the construction of a new high- week. The passenger fare was 50 cents to Womels- dorf ; $1 to Lebanon, and $2 to Harrisburg. way from Barto to Bally and thence toward Shultz- ville and Shultz's grist-mill, upward of three miles. The total cost, including fine concrete bridge, was about $43,000, of which the county paid one-eighth and the township one-eighth (the reduced propor- tion having been caused by the amended road law of 1907).

In 1826, a combination was made between the Colemans, Jacob Peters, and Colder & Co., to run a daily line of stages between Philadelphia and Harrisburg via Reading. The stages left Philadel- phia daily except Monday at 4 A. M., dined at Read- And the third township was Amity, for the im- provement of the road from Amityville, via Weaver- town, to the Monocacy creek, about two miles ing, lodged at Lebanon, and proceeded to Harris- burg next morning. Returning, they left Harris- burg daily, except Tuesday, in the afternoon, lodged at Lebanon, took breakfast at Reading next morn- in length. It was constructed in 1908, including a ing and arrived at Philadelphia at 8 P. M. Through superior concrete bridge. 3

fare, $6; to Reading, $3.

HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

From, the beginning till 1826, the stage-coach in nus of the canal mentioned at Reading, along the use was called a "steamboat"-an uncovered wagon, Schuylkill to the Delaware river at Philadelphia. capable of holding twenty passengers. Then a These canals were to be part of a great scheme conceived by an association of enterprising individ- uals in order to promote internal improvements, whereby Philadelphia and Pittsburg were to be connected by water communication. sharp competition arose between three lines; first, the "Old Line" (Coleman's), which conveyed the mails; second, Reeside & Platt's; and third, Milti- more & Mintzer's. A new and improved stage- coach was introduced as a consequence, called the "Troy Coach." It held eleven passengers, with room for five or more on top. In 1830, the com- petition was full of life. The rates were reduced one-half. But the "Old Line" forced the others to withdraw. Its mail contracts were a great support and enabled it to bear the pressure. It had a hun- dred horses always on hand.

DECLINE OF STAGES .- The stage business contin- ued active and profitable in the several directions from Reading till the introduction of the railways, when it was discontinued. The stage-coach could not compete with the railroad train, or horse-power with steam-power; and in this respect, as in others, the fittest and strongest survived. The discontin- tance on the several lines was as follows: From Philadelphia, 1838; from Pottsville, 1842; from Harrisburg, 1858; from Allentown, 1859 ; from Lan- caster, 1864.

The following stage lines (all carrying merchan- dise and passengers, and several also mail) are still operated to and from Reading to accommodate the public :

Boyertown line, via Yellow House, daily. 17 miles

Friedensburg line, via Stony Creek Mills. daily ... 9 miles Pleasantville line, via Oley Turnpike, tri-weekly .. 14 miles Bernville line, via State Hill, daily. 14 miles Terre Hill line, via Angelica, tri-weekly 16 miles

Hummel's Store line, via Green Tree, daily 15 miles

Strausstown and Womelsdorf line, daily 12 miles

Strausstown and Hamburg line, daily 12 miles

Millersburg and Myerstown, daily S miles

CANALS

Great internal improvements in this country were first projected in Pennsylvania, and the enterprise of her early citizens directed public attention to the establishment of canals and turnpikes for con- venient transportation. In 1690, William Penn suggested the idea of connecting the Susquehanna and Schuylkill rivers by means of a canal, but it was not acted upon. Seventy years afterward, this idea was again considered, and then a survey was made by David Rittenhouse and others. A course was marked out for a canal between these two rivers, but nearly seventy years more elapsed be- fore the great scheme was realized and put into practical and successful operation.

On April 2, 1811, an Act was passed to incor- porate "The Union Canal Company of Pennsyl- vania." The name was chosen because the new corporation was really a union of the old Schuyl- kill and Susquehanna and the Delaware and Schuyl- kill Canal Companies. The preamble recited that those corporations had made strenuous efforts to carry out the objects of their charters, but failed. A new company was formed by the stockholders of the old corporations, but seventeen years passed before the canal was finished. The first canal- boat, which went west, left Philadelphia on March 20, 1828, by way of the Schuylkill canal to Read- ing, and thence by the Union canal to Middletown, arriving at the latter place on the 23d. The event was duly celebrated at Middletown. There were seventeen Union canal boats in service in July, that year, and over two hundred were in operation be- fore the end of the year.

The length of the canal was 793 miles, with 91 locks, 8 basins, 93 bridges, 16 dams, and 17 aqueducts. From the summit (four miles east of Lebanon) to the mouth of Tulpehocken creek the distance was 37 miles. This section of the canal was 26 feet wide at bottom, and 36 feet at water surface; depth of water, 4 feet, and width of tow- ing path, 10 feet.

The number of locks required to overcome the fall of 310 feet was 52. The locks were faced with dressed sandstone; chambers 83 feet wide and 75 feet long ; and lifts varying from 5 to 8 feet. About 1855, the locks were enlarged to correspond with the locks of the Pennsylvania canal, from the Swa- tara eastwardly to Reading.

The success of this canal was dependent upon the construction of a similar canal along the Schuyl- kill, in order to encourage traffic from the Sus- quehanna to Philadelphia by way of Reading. A company had been chartered in 1815 for this pur- pose, which began the improvement desired, and finished it in 1825.

In 1830, the canal was extended along the west- ern bank of the Schuylkill, three miles below Read- ing, to the Little Dam, having its outlet in the Big Dam, about a thousand feet farther down. But

UNION CANAL .- In 1791, the Legislature of this portion was washed so badly by the freshet Pennsylvania passed an Act incorporating the of 1850 that it was rendered useless, and connec- Schuylkill and Susquehanna Navigation Company, tion was made with the Schuylkill canal at a lock for the purpose of connecting the two rivers by a near the Harrisburg bridge. At this point, about canal, and facilitating traffic ; and in 1792, another 1828, the company had constructed a dam called company was chartered, under the name of the Del- "Union Dam" (commonly known as "Lotz's aware and Schuylkill Canal Company, for the pur- Dami"), for the purpose of forming a connection pose of extending a canal from the eastern termi- with the Schuylkill canal; and this was the only

INDUSTRY OF COUNTY

connection till 1855, when the canal was extended declared that the lottery rights of the company to a point opposite "Jackson's Lock," at the foot of Sixth street, where connection was afterward made.

In order to form an idea of the extent and growth of the business over this canal, soon after it was completed, the following statistics are presented :

For the week ending May 27, 1831, 80 boats passed Reading going down, 45 loaded with lumber and coal, and the others with flour, whiskey, castings, etc .; and 60 passed going up, 17 loaded with merchandise. For the week ending June 14, 1835, 125 loaded boats passed down, and 112 loaded boats passed up. Some years after- ward, the tonnage and tolls were as follows:

Tons Tolls

1847

.139,256 |$91,356

1848.

153,222 95,953

1849

148,332 86,800

The boats were diminutive, being only 18 tons' capacity at the opening of the canal; afterward, in 1828, increased to 23 tons; and afterward, the size was increased until 1845, when the capacity was 60 tons.

LOTTERY PRIVILEGES .- The amount of money · raised in the course of the prosecution of the canal enterprise, between the Schuylkill and Sus- quehanna rivers, was enormous, not so much from the actual cost of the improvements as in the waste- ful way in which the money was raised, and the amount taken from the community which did no good to the undertaking. The capital of the two companies was insufficient for the execution of the work, and the Legislature granted them power to raise money "by way of lottery." The whole offered a shorter route and quicker method of com- amount specified in the grant was $400,000, of munication between the Susquehanna and Delaware rivers. The opening of the Lebanon Valley rail- road from Reading to Harrisburg in 1857, through the same section of territory, proved the final and crushing blow to the Union Canal Company. From that time onward it began to decline more and which the Schuylkill and Susquehanna Company was to have two-thirds, and the Delaware and Schuylkill Company one-third. This Act was passed April 17, 1795, and under it the companies exer- cised the privilege of issuing lottery tickets. Un- til 1810, the companies had realized only $60,000, more until it was finally abandoned, about 1890.

a sum wholly insufficient for their purposes. They complained that their affairs "had fallen into dis- order and embarrassment; that they were covered with reproach and ridicule," and that the public confidence was impaired. This led to the union of the two corporations in 1811. In the Act, the lottery privileges were renewed; and, as the com- pany had not made much by their own management, they were empowered to sell or assign their lottery rights to any persons whom they might select. So the company leased out the lottery privileges and under this arrangement the lotteries became very successful. The managers took in large amounts of money, but the Canal Company did not have much added to their funds, and a report to the Legislature stated that the lottery managers made many millions, while the Union Canal Company got but $269,210. This caused great scandal.

'An Act was passed for the suppression of lot- teries in Pennsylvania after March 1, 1833, which

were exhausted, and prohibited the sale of lottery tickets of any kind after Dec. 31st of that year. But, as a compensation for the privileges taken from the company, the Governor was authorized to subscribe for one thousand shares of stock on behalf of the State of Pennsylvania.

The lotteries of the Union Canal Company were drawn at stated periods from the gallery of the stairs in the tower of the State-house, which led to the upper chambers, and the drawings were at- tended by hundreds of persons.

The canal was supposed to be the only possible means of conveyance, except by the common road, long after all the companies connected with the navigation of the Schuylkill had been chartered. But the Columbia railroad, under the management of the State, began to be a rival of the Union canal in bringing produce and passen- gers from the Susquehanna as soon as it was finished. The movement for its establish- ment commenced in 1826, when a company was incorporated to build a railroad from Lancas- ter and Columbia to Philadelphia. The plan not proving successful, in 1828 the State authorized a survey and followed it up in after years by ap- propriations, under which the work was carried on. The road was finished to Lancaster in April, 1834, and opened through to Columbia in the summer of 1835. Just as soon as this means of transportation was finished, the Union Canal Company lost a large share of its business and prospects. The railroad

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Historical and biographical annals of Berks County, Pennsylvania, embracing a concise history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families, Volume I, Part 13

Author: Montgomery, Morton L. (Morton Luther), b. 1846; J.H. Beers & Co Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Chicago : J. H. Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 1018

Author: Montgomery, Morton L. (Morton Luther), b. 1846; J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago : J. H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1018