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 43

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 43

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HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

1890, securing the stones from the Wyoming Valley Eighth street, where larger facilities were provided in Pennsylvania; also concrete and cement work. and Mr. Ruth became the sole owner. His produc- He employs from 10 to 30 hands.

Sandstone work for building operations was common before 1890; but since then it has not been popular, being used only in a limited way. MATTRESSES :

The manufacture of metallic cornice and orna- mental work for churches, public buildings and dwellings was started at Reading by William T. Hain and A. J. Geissinger in 1872 at No. 824 Court street. In 1873, Hain became the sole owner of PANTS FACTORIES :

the business and he has carried it on since at the same place. His work is forwarded to all parts of Pennsylvania. He employs from 3 to 5 hands.

William B. Yeager started in 1886 and has con- tinued till now, employing from 6 to 10 hands.

Daniel H. Sohl started in 1895, and employs 12 hands. He is also engaged in manufacturing sheet- metal specialties for automobiles, etc. PAINTS :

Aaron Wilhelm began the manufacture of paint at Easton, Pa., in 1857, and continued the business there until 1871, when he removed to Reading. His brother William H. was then as- sociated with him under the name of A. Wilhelm & Bro., and they continued the business until 1878, when William H. retired and Walter S. Davis was admitted in his stead. From that time the firm traded as A. Wilhelm & Co. In 1889 Aaron Wil- helm died and a company was incorporated under the name of "The A. Wilhelm Co.," of which Charles W. Wilhelm became president and Walter S. Davis secretary and treasurer, they serving these positions until the present time. They manu- facture paints of every description and ship them to all parts of the country through distributing houses at Boston, Baltimore, Buffalo and Pitts- burg. The establishment was situated on Poplar street beyond Walnut until 1902, and until then was the largest paint enterprise in Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia. In 1902 it was removed to Exeter street, in Reading, and there it has con- tinued in active and successful operation until the present time. The average number of hands em- ployed is 75.

tions are forwarded to all parts of the United States. He has continued there until the present time, em- ploying from 5 to 10 hands.

In 1887 F. H. Morgan, after being in the employ of the Wilhelm works for some years, began the

In 1896, Frederick G. Hodges came from Wil- manufacture of paints in a limited way with James mington, Del., and located at Reading for the Ruth as a partner, on Court street above Second, manufacture of mattresses and springs for beds. He has carried on the business successfully until the present time, and now employs 16 hands. METALLIC CORNICES :

and in 1890 William G. Moore became associated with them. They located the works at Eleventh and Muhlenberg streets and carried on the same exten- sively. In 1896 H. H. Jackson and Jenkin Hill be- came the purchasers when Mr. Morgan established a place for himself at No. 122 Wood street, where he has continued until the present time, employing several hands.

In the year 1885, Solomon Hirshland and Isaac Samuel started a pants factory, trading as the Reading Pants Manufacturing Company, and carried it on until 1891, when Hirshland became the sole owner. In 1896 he located at No. 533 Penn Square and has continued there until now. He does a large and successful business and employs from 25 to 30 hands.

In 1895, Albert J. Brumbach established a fine three-story brick factory at Fourteenth and Muhl- enberg streets for the manufacture of pants out of his own woolen cloths produced at the St. Law- rence Mills in Exeter township. He employs 100 hands.

In 1904, J. G. Leinbach & Co. also began the manufacture of pants and vests from their own cloths, which they produced at the Reading Woolen Mills, and they have since produced great quan- tities, employing about 80 hands.

PAPER :

The Reading Paper Mills is a corporation organized in 1886 with a capital of $300,000, for the purpose of operating three superior mills in the manufacture of fine book and plate paper. The following sketch embraces the important facts of the three establishments :

Penn Street Mill .- In 1841 Philip Bushong, a prominent and successful distiller, moved from Reamstown to Reading, purchased a large brick building at the foot of Court street on the west side of Front (which had been occupied for several years previously as a machine shop) and converted it into a distillery. He carried on the business of dis- tilling whiskey there until 1865, when he substi- tuted the manufacture of paper, equipping the building with the necessary machinery for that pur- pose. He died in 1868. The mill was then carried on for several years by his son George and his son-in-law Alexander Jacobs for the estate, and afterward by his sons Jacob and Henry until 1887, when it was sold to the corporation named.

B. Frank Ruth was employed in the Wilhelm works from 1873 to 1884, when he organized a company for the manufacture of paints of all kinds, fillers for wood and iron, varnishes, japans, putty, etc., consisting of himself, C. Edward Hecht and Edward Scull. They traded as B. F. Ruth & Co. and established a mill at No. 229 South Eighth street. They carried on the business until Packerack Mill .- In 1838 Asa Packer and Rob- 1894, when the mill was removed to No. 210 South ert W. Packer purchased a large lot of ground at

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the foot of Bingaman street adjoining the Schuylkill automobiles and ornamental work. He employs canal from Daniel Seiders, a boat-builder, and 5 hands. erected thereon a large warehouse for storing mer- Robert McLean started trading as the Ideal Pat- chandise in connection with operating boats on tern Works in 1905. He employs 2 hands. the canal. In 1853 the premises were sold to George 'PICTURE FRAMES AND GILDING: R. Frill, who then converted the building into a large gristmill, and he and Solomon Brubaker car- ried on the milling business until 1872, when it was sold to Jacob Bushong, Henry Bushong and George B. Connard, and changed into a paper-mill.

Godfrey Graeff, a German, came to Reading in 1858, and carried on the business of gilding and manufacturing picture-frames of all kinds at No. 635 Penn street until 1871, when he was succeeded by Francis Woerner, and Mr. Woerner remained This mill was then operated by Mr. Connard for at the same stand until 1892, when he located at

some years, and afterward by him, Christopher Loeser and James Symington, trading as the Read- ing Paper Company until 1882, when George F. Baer became the owner; and after the organiza- tion of the Reading Paper Mills, it was conveyed to the corporation. The building was enlarged and improved and subsequently an addition was built to it to supply a department for coating paper.

Tulpehocken Mill .- Samuel Bell owned and op- erated a gristmill at the mouth of the Tulpehocken creek, in Bern township, for a number of years,

Reinhard Rieger learned this business under Mr. Woerner and continued with him from 1874 to and subsequently until 1866 it was known as the 1879, when he went to Philadelphia to learn more Kissinger Mill. Then Benjamin F. Schwartz and about it. In 1883, he returned to Reading and be- William H. Schwartz became the owners. They gan business for himself on Sixth street below converted it into a paper-mill, and carried on the Penn, where he continued with increasing success until 1900, when he removed to No. 5 North Fifth street, where he has continued until the present time. He employs 4 hands.

manufacture of paper for two years. George W. Bushong then purchased the mill and operated it successfully until 1876, producing a superior grade of paper which had a wide reputation and came to be known in the market as the "Bushong Paper." The mill was afterward operated by different par- ties until 1882, when George F. Baer became the owner, and in 1887 he conveyed it with the two mills mentioned to the Reading Paper Mills.

The three mills have been operated by the cor- poration named very successfully until now, the Penn Street Mill producing fine book and plate papers; the Packerack Mill, book and coated pa- pers; and the Tulpehocken Mill, manila paper ex- clusively. The product of the first two mills has been disposed of principally to publishers and lith- ographers in the United States for fine book work; and of the last in the United States and England for making sandpaper. Hands employed number 300, with James M. Miller as the general manager. The officers of the company are: George F. Baer, president ; James N. Mohr, vice-president; Charles A. Bushong, treasurer; and Heber Y. Yost, sec- retary.

PATTERN WORKS :

In 1900, Howard F. Hawk started trading un- der the name of Reading Pattern Works for the which has carried on the plant until the present manufacture of all kinds of patterns. He employs 3 hands.

In 1908, Henry Adams and William Betz began rad B. High, secretary-treasurer.

trading as the Mt. Penn Pattern Works and they employ 2 hands. They are successors of Daniel Spruce street below Third by Eisenhower, Fink & Madlem, who started at Reading in 1874 and con- tinued until his decease in 1906.

No. 22 North Fifth street, where he continued actively and successfully engaged in the business until his decease in 1903. His son Oscar L. Woern- er succeeded him and he has carried on the busi- ness successfully until the present time. He made several displays of paintings by local artists, which attracted much favorable attention and his enter- prise in this behalf was highly appreciated. He employs from 5 to 7 hands.

Jarius W. Ziegler started in the business in 1900, and he employs from 3 to 5 hands. PLANING MILLS :

In the year 1869, George Gasser, Sr., came to Reading from Myerstown, established a plan- ing-mill at Ninth and Green streets, and car- ried it on successfully until his. decease in 1887, having traded under the name of Northeastern Planing Mill. It was afterward carried on by dif- ferent parties until 1903 when the Northeastern Planing Mill Company became the owner and it has since operated the plant in a successful man- ner, with 45 to 50 hands. John L. Rhoads has been the president, treasurer and manager of the company, and Daniel C. Roth the secretary.

From 1835 to 1855, William B. Hertzel was a prominent builder at Reading and he then estab- lished a planing-mill which was operated by him successfully until 1872. It was afterward run by different parties until 1893, when the F. Shunk Planing Mill Company became the owner, and it was operated by this company until 1902, when it was succeeded by the Penn Planing Mill Company,

time, employing about 65 hands. The officers of the company are: Harry Shunk, president; Con-

In 1874, a planing-mill was established on

Co., and operated by them until 1877, when the firm name was changed to Fink & Co .; it was op-

In 1906, J. S. Creitz established a pattern works erated by this company until 1894, and afterward for supplying patterns of all kinds for machinery, by different parties until 1901, when it came into

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HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

the possession of the Sheeder Planing Mill Com- RUGS: pany, with Benjamin F. Sheeder as president, which has carried on the plant since in a success- ful manner, employing 15 hands.

The Neversink Planing Mill Company, Ltd. (Frederick Hendricks, Joseph H. Wade and John H. Bechtel as partners), was organized in 1901 for carrying on a planing-mill along the Lebanon Val- ley railroad at Gordon street, and has since oper- ated the plant successfully, with 30 and 40 hands employed. This mill is equipped for cabinet work as well as general mill work, which is a specialty. ROPES, CORDS, AND TWINES :

The first ropewalk conducted at Reading was established there in the year 1829 by Thomas Jackson, an Englishman, along the southerly side of the Schuylkill canal between the Lancaster bridge and Jackson's lock. He then employed 5 hands and manufactured all kinds of ropes and twines. By 1850 he had developed his plant so as to employ from 15 to 20 hands. The superinten- dent of the Schuylkill canal, Samuel Griscom, pat- ronized him extensively, whereby he came to make nearly all the ropes for the company and for per- sonal owners of boats.

In 1850 the large freshet swept away his factory, and he located on First Hockley lane, between Eighth and Ninth streets (now beyond Greenwich street), transferring the plant from the extreme southern end of the city to the then extreme north- ern end. He erected a large two-story building and continued to manufacture ropes and twines by hand-spinning. About 1862 his business in- creased very much and he then introduced machin- ery, increasing the employes to 25. His ropewalk was built to the length of 1,450 feet. In 1875 his son Henry H. was admitted as a partner, and from that time the business was conducted under the name of Thomas Jackson & Son.

The senior partner died in 1878, when the entire plant became the property of Henry H. Jackson, but the firm name was continued. The business has been carried on very successfully until now. The works comprise three mills, and employ 150 hands. The productions are fine manila, sisal and jute ropes and cordage, twines and packing yarns of different kinds, which are forwarded to all parts of the United States.

This ropewalk has been the only establishment of its kind carried on at Reading. Other persons were engaged in the business of manufacturing ropes, cords and twines at different times, in a lim- ited way, but it was previous to 1860.

William H. German has been connected with this plant as the chief clerk since 1890.

RUBBER STAMPS AND STENCILS :

F. S. Kelley started manufacturing rugs out of rags in 1907, at Reading, and has continued until now, employing 4 hands.

SAND AND SPALLS :

For a period of upward of forty years sand has been removed from the base of Mt. Penn, near the extension of Buttonwood street, and the parties who engaged in the business of supplying sand from that vicinity for building purposes were Anthony Brown and William Sweimler; and the. son of the former is still engaged in the business.

Mr. Sweimler was succeeded by John Roth, and Gallagher & Brisse, and since 1904 by Gallagher Brothers (John and James), who employ from 12 to 15 hands and remove annually about 7,000 tons- of superior sand for all purposes, with the aid of a crusher.

James Gallagher has been doing business there also since 1905 as the Construction Supply Com- pany in supplying sand and spalls. He employs. from 10 to 15 hands.

George L. Kestner, Jr., has operated a sand works. adjoining, for upward of ten years, employing sev- eral hands and a crusher. He has named his place "Alsando."

Haak Crusher .- Michael Haak owned a tract of land on the northern declivity of Mt. Neversink and there he opened a place in 1850 for supplying gravel and building sand. Operations were carried on in a limited manner until 1895, when the heirs of Mr. Haak with George E. Haak as manager put up a crusher plant, and since then they have supplied large quantities of sand for buildings and concrete paving, also large quantities of sienna paint.

SEWER PIPE :

E. S. Fox & Co. manufacture large quantities of sewer pipe at their Terra Cotta Works since 1870. SHIRTS :

The manufacture of men's and boys' shirts at Reading was begun by Samuel L. McCulloch about 1872, and he carried on the business for a number of years; and during that time it was carried on also by William Laramy.

Nathan N. Sprecher began making shirts ex- tensively in 1886, and he continued until 1890, when he was succeeded by John G. McGowan. In 1895 he established a large gents' furnishing store in the Y. M. C. A. building, No. 630 Penn street, and he continued there until his decease in 1907, when he was succeeded by his brother, J. Wallace R. McGowan, who then incorporated The John G. McGowan Company to continue the busi- ness, including the manufacture of shirts. The

In 1873, Francis H. Paff began making rubber company employs 5 hands in this department.

stamps, stencil work of all kinds, police badges and corporation seals ; and in 1882 he located his shop at No. 60 South Seventh street, where he for a year Mr. Brusstar became the sole owner. has continued since, manufacturing the articles named on orders.

In 1880, James S. Brusstar and Albert C. Weile engaged in the business and after trading together He then operated the factory until Jan. 1, 1898, when his brother, George M. Brusstar, and Henry

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M. Rettew were admitted as partners. Since then where this great enterprise has continued until the they have traded as James S. Brusstar & Co. The present time, with increasing success. The employes firm solicits orders for custom shirts of all kinds have come to number 700 and the daily product has in Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, in been increased to 10,000 pairs of infants', children's which a large trade has been established. They employ 50 hands.

Albert L. Smith came from Trenton in 1882 and of the company are: Frederick W. Curtis, presi- located at Reading, opening a gents' furnishing store at No. 431 Penn Square. In 1887, he began the manufacture of men's and boys' shirts, which he continued until his decease in 1904, when he was succeeded by his son, who has since carried on the business, employing 5 hands.

S. Liebovitz and his two sons located at Reading in February, 1909, for the manufacture of men's and boys' shirts, and on April 1st established a factory on the third floor of the P. & R. R. Co. shop at Seventh and Chestnut streets, where they have become extensive manufacturers, employing upward of 150 hands. They are interested in num- erous factories of this kind, the largest being at Reading, Pottstown, Myerstown and New York City.

In March, 1908, George H. Kaufman and Charles H. Wesley began trading as Reading Shirt Com- pany, for the manufacture of men's and boys' shirts ·of all kinds, made out of woolens, percales and madras. They employ from 40 to 50 hands and their factory is located at Seventh and Bingaman streets.

In October, 1908, S. K. Cohn and I. Sattenstein began to trade as Wide-awake Shirt Company, for the manufacture of men's and boys' shirts. They employ from 30 to 50 hands.

Isaac M. Fidler started in 1889 at No. 1042 But- tonwood street, and has continued until the pres- ent time, employing from 10 to 12 hands.

SHOES :

Curtis & Jones Co .- Frederick W. Curtis and of ground at Eleventh and Marion streets and Frederick S. Jones came to Reading and embarked erected a superior three-story brick structure 50 in the wholesale and retail shoe business in the old by 250 feet and leased it for a term of years, with an option of purchase, to the Grimshaw Brothers, who then equipped it with machinery for the man- ufacture of silk, costing about $75,000. Academy Building on Penn Square and continued for three years when they sold out the retail depart- ment and started the manufacture of infants' and children's shoes at No. 527 Penn Square, occupying the second, third, and fourth floors of the building, in connection with the wholesale business. They remained there until 1883, when they removed their plant to the Felix Building, northwest corner of Fifth street and Penn Square. They then employed 25 hands and produced 500 pairs daily.

They carried on the mill successfully until Jan. 1, 1908, producing large quantities of dress goods, linings, thrown silk, and yarns, which were shipped to New York. Then they became an in- corporated body, trading under the name of Grim- shaw Brothers Company, and the plant was trans- ferred to this company which has since operated it, employing from 300 to 400 hands, mostly girls. The officials of the company are: John Grimshaw, president; David H. Grimshaw, treasurer; and George Grimshaw, secretary.

In the year 1889 they erected a substantial four- story brick factory at Fifth and Court streets which they supplied with the latest improved machinery to meet the demands of their rap- idly increasing business, and they then employed On Jan. 9, 1889, the building was blown down 175 hands and produced 2,000 pairs daily. In 1902, by a tornado, the most destructive storm that ever upon the incorporation of the company, the plant visited Reading. The mill was in full operation at the time. Many of the hands escaped, but 17 was removed to a much larger and more improved building at Nos. 724-732 North Eighth street, were killed and over 100 injured. A public meet-

and misses' Goodyear-Turn shoes, which are shipped to all parts of the country. The officers dent; Frederick S. Jones, secretary-treasurer ; and Clement H. Quinn, manager.

Penn Shoe Company was incorporated in 1902 for the manufacture of infants' shoes. Its plant is located at No. 320 Maple street, and employs 100 hands. It has been operated very sucessfully, and its goods are shipped to all parts of the world. The officers are Daniel F. Printz, president and manager ; Samuel H. Fulmer, treasurer.

In 1906, Charles W. Sharman and George A. Raab, trading as the Crescent Shoe Company, be- gan the manufacture of children's shoes at No. 222 Pearl street, and have continued until now, employ- ing about 50 hands.

There are numerous boot and shoe makers at Reading, numbering upward of 150, who manu- facture for customers in a limited way, but their attention is chiefly directed to repairing.

SILK :

Grimshaw Mill .- In the year 1887 John, George and David Grimshaw, trading as Grimshaw Broth- ers, came from Paterson, N. J., for the purpose of establishing a silk-mill at Reading and operating it in connection with their large plant at that place, if properly encouraged in their proposed enter- prise. In this behalf, a number of public-spirited citizens organized an association and secured sub- scriptions, amounting to $65,000. The building committee comprised Henry Eppihimer, George D. Stitzel, Lewis Kremp, Jerome L. Boyer and William Rosenthal, who purchased a half-block

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HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA -

ing of citizens assembled in the Court-House on since 1893. There are only eight other factories Jan. 10th for supplying aid to the suffering fam- in the United States, but their product is mostly ilies, and altogether $12,000 was received from the gold and silver frames. people of Reading and elsewhere, which was judi- ciously distributed by a committee appointed for that purpose.

In 1905, Charles Steiner and William H. Talcott associated together as the Steiner & Talcott Silk Company, for the manufacture of broad silks, 36 inches wide, in all colors, and have since carried on the business at Nos. 234-240 Moss street, employ- ing 85 hands.

SLATE SINKS:

Martin R. Hoch has manufactured slate sinks for dwellings since 1894, and employs 3 hands. His trade is mostly local.

Slate mantels constituted a prominent industry for thirty years until about 1900; then they became too costly and the business was discontinued.

SOAP :

In 1883, Franklin K. Miller began making fulling, laundry, scouring and toilet soap, and also wash- ing powders for local customers. His factory was established on Eighteenth street, near Perkiomen avenue, and there it has continued until the present time. He employs 4 hands and produces annually about 400 tons.

SPECTACLES :

In the year 1871 Thomas A. Willson erected a three-story brick factory for the manufacture of spectacles and equipped it with machinery es- pecially designed by him. He began operations in 1872 and then established the only place in the world at which were made all the parts that consti- tuted a complete pair of spectacles. The sand for the lenses was ;obtained at Berkshire, Mass., and the steel wire for the frame was also obtained mostly in Massachusetts. The lens was tinted. All kinds of spectacles were made and a large business was developed that ex- tended throughout the world. In 1885 employment was giyen to 240 persons, and the average daily production was 3,800 pairs. The several machines were manufactured in the factory under Mr. Will- son's direction and they are perfect specimens of superior workmanship. Owing to the great compe- tition in trade, the manufacture of lenses was dis- continued in 1886, and these are now imported from Europe in great quantities, of which a large stock is kept constantly on hand. Now the factory is devoted entirely to the manufacture of low-priced and medium grades of spectacles and this factory and that of the Pennsylvania Optical Company, also at Reading, are the only ones in the United States which produce exclusively the cheaper grades of steel spectacles and eye-glasses. The daily production is 10,000 pairs, and the average number of hands employed is 200. The proprie- tor's son, Frederick Willson, has been manager

In 1886 William W. Essick started making cheap spectacles and eye-glasses at his home on Third street, near Franklin, and continued there until 1901, when he moved into a large factory which he established at No. 125 South Fifth street. He enlarged this plant in 1906. He now employs 120 hands, manufactures daily nearly 1,000 dozen, in- cluding goggles, and ships his productions to all parts of the world. He has been trading from the beginning under the name of Pennsylvania Op- tical Company.

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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 43

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