History of Berks county in Pennsylvania, Part 126

Author: Montgomery, Morton L. (Morton Luther), b. 1846
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts, Peck & Richards
Number of Pages: 1418

USA > Pennsylvania > Berks County > History of Berks county in Pennsylvania > Part 126

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

MARKET-DAYS .- The charter established two market-days for every week-Wednesday and Saturday. The weekly markets began during the fall of 1766. Butchers and farmers attended regularly for the sale of meat, vege- tables, butter, eggs, etc., some twice a week, others once. The markets opened in the morn- ing. No regular hour was fixed at which to begin sales. The market people would gener- ally be at their stalls very early, some, indeed, soon after midnight, and so timely as to be able to take a nap in their wagons before the town- people came to buy their articles; and this they did with wonderful persistence through all sea- sons of the year. We cannot imagine what trials they frequently endured through the cold winter mornings for the sake of selling their goods to get a little cash. What labor to pro- duce them, what energy to carry them to mar- ket, what patience to sell them ! And this cus- tom of selling goods at the market-place in the highway, mostly without shelter, continued de- cade after decade for over one hundred years, from the time when the town contained about

1 These days were selected-it was said-to celebrate the birth-days of the King and Queen of Great Britain, who reigned in 1766.

" Some of the older residents stated that only one day was observed, and that the people collected mostly about the lower market-honse. See charter of 1783.

3 Berks and Schuylkill Journal, October, 1847.

747

READING.

one thousand inhabitants till the number had grown beyond thirty-three thousand. This was a long period to continue going to the same place for the same purpose, without any im- provement in respect to comfort and convenience of both the seller and the buyer. The subject of private market-honses in the several sections of the city was agitated for several years pre- viously. The movement met with general op- position from the property-holders and business men on Penn Square. After considerable dis- cussion the Councils passed an ordinance on April 30, 1870, favoring the removal of the public market-houses. This action encouraged private enterprise, and steps were immediately taken towards the erection of private market- houses to the east and west, and to the north and south of Penn Square. Their utility and excellence were practically demonstrated imme- diately after their completion.

PENN SQUARE .- The public square of the town, formerly called " Market " and latterly " Penn," and its improvement, have received much consideration, without any practical re- sults. The old court-house stood in the centre from 1762 till 1841, and the old market-houses to the east and west of it from 1766 to 1871. Immediately after the court-house had been re- moved, in 1841, various suggestions were pro- posed for the improvement of the square. The " odious market-houses" were to be removed and double rows of American forest-trees planted, and a statue of either William Penn or Conrad Weiser was to be erected on the site of the old buildings. These improvements were proposed to be made by certain generous, public- spirited individuals, "without a cent of charge to the town," provided the Town Council gave its consent. Seven years elapsed without suc- cess. The centennial year (1848) of the found- ing of the town arrived, and again the spirit seized the party of improvement. A public meeting was held January 22, 1848, with the following officers: Hon. Samuel Bell, presi- dent; William H. Keim, secretary ; and Dr. H. H. Muhlenberg, treasurer; for the purpose of perfecting the plan and awakening general public spirit for the improvement of the square. The following resolution was adopted :

" Resolved, that the proposed statue be that of WILLIAM PENN, on account of its appropriate charac- ter and feasibility, and to commemorate the centen- nial anniversary of the foundation of Reading in 1748, by the Penn family, on ground given by them to the citizens for public purposes in Penn Street and Penn Square, the materials to be of Berks County iron and sandstone, and the work executed in Reading."

Various committees were appointed and the subscriptions were to be not less than one dollar and not more than two dollars. These com- mendable efforts, however, proved unavailing. A score of years elapsed before the odious mar- ket-houses were even removed, and a generation ·has passed away, leaving the square without public improvement of any kind. This is rather surprising, especially when we consider the general education, enterprise and wealth of the community, and the introduction of a large and increasing new element. We are not want- ing in distinguished persons or events worthy of a monument. If conspicuous places are selected for churches, around which certain sects can gather and become enthusiastic in a religious sense, why cannot the square be ornamented with a monument to signalize the nobility and generosity of William Penn, the public services of Conrad Weiser, the devotion of our people in the cause of independence, the honorable and prominent career of Joseph Hiester, the heroism of our noble company of men-the Reading Ar- tillerists in the Mexican War, or the great sacrifices we made in the cause of the Union of our States, around which our whole community could gather and become enthusiastic in a patri- otic sense? It is said that a monument here would be a great obstruction. But do we not permit obstructions at some places and even encourage them at others, notwithstanding that they do not subserve a purpose to compare with that which a monument in Penn Square would subserve in the development of a noble local pride for that achievement which it would be specially designed to signalize ?

WATER-WORKS .- For over seventy years the inhabitants of Reading were almost entirely supplied with water from cisterns, wells and pumps. The water was mostly limestone in quality and generally unpalatable, especially to those persons who were not accustomed to its

748

HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

peculiar taste. It was unfit for washing pur- poses and those who had no cisterns were com- pelled to fetch water from the river Schuylkill. After the borough came to possess a population of four thousand, these sources became too few in proportion for convenience and certainty of supply. Accordingly, in 1819, the subject of " Water-Works " was agitated ; and this agita- tion resulted in the incorporation of a company for supplying the people with water. An act of Assembly was passed on March 16, 1819, whereby the " Reading Water Company " was created. The commissioners appointed to ob- tain subscriptions of stock (four hundred shares) were John Spayd, Frederick Heller, John Addams, George de B. Keim and John Berkin- bine. This enterprise proved a success. The company purchased land in Alsace township, along the western declivity of Penn's Mount, to the northeast of Reading, which included a large and inexhaustible spring of water, com- monly called " Hampden Spring," and pro- ceeded without delay in the construction of a reservoir at the head of .Penn Street, into which they conducted the spring water. Their pro- gress was so rapid that by July 19, 1821, the water was let into the reservoir ; and by Octo- ber following, it was conducted through the principal streets.1 The spring was situated one mile and sixteen perches from the reservoir, with an elevation of one hundred and sixteen feet above it ; and it discharged constantly from day to day about seventy gallons of pure, moun- tain water a minute, or about one hundred thousand gallons a day. The water was con- ducted by gravity through earthen pipes two and a half inches in diameter, laid three feet below the surface. Some of the pipes were of logs. The reservoir was constructed of stone, with a capacity of one thousand hogsheads. From the reservoir to the " Old Court-House " (Fifth and Penn Streets) the distance was three thousand four hundred and fifty-nine feet, with a fall of eighty-eight feet. The pipes through the streets were mostly of iron,

varying from two to four inches in diameter. By 1833 the money expended in this great im- provement exceeded twenty thousand dollars. Then two hundred and fifty families were sup- plied with water, and the annual income was about fifteen hundred dollars. The population was about sixty-five hundred. Apparently about one-fourth of the inhabitants were supplied with water by the water company. This would indicate a considerable encouragement of the enterprise. The company increased its capaci- ties and facilities with the growth and demands of the borough, and continued to supply the people till the borough grew into a city, and for eighteen years afterward, when (1865) the company sold its rights, properties, etc., to the " City of Reading" for three hundred thousand dollars. The citizens were, therefore, greatly indebted to the "Reading Water Company " for the introduction of pure, soft, spring water, which was suitable for all purposes. Instead of being forced, in most cases, to carry water for some distance, it was delivered to them at their doors.

In the introduction of the water from Bern- hart's Creek during the year 1858, the company excavated a tunnel in length ten hundred and sixty-six feet through the hill upon which the Alsace Church is situated. The greater part was cut through slate-rock.

The water-works comprise four reservoirs : City Reservoir,1 Antietam Lake, Bernhart Lake and Hampden Reservoir.

The City Reservoir was constructed by the Reading Water Company, the first basin in 1821 and the second in 1848, and was included in the transfer by the company to the city on April 1, 1865. These basins were enlarged in 1872, at an expense of $16,869.21. Their total capacity is 5,132,000 gallons,-northern basin, 2,087,000 gallons ; southern basin, 3,045,000 gallons. This is a superior improvement.

Immediately before the purchase of the works of the Reading Water Company, the City Councils, by a special committee, had suc- ceeded in obtaining the Ohlinger mill property in Alsace township, with the view of eventually

! Edelman Spring, introduced in 1838 ; Mineral Spring, in 1853 ; Beruhart, in 1858; and subsequently, by the city, the Antietam, in 1874.

1 See cut p. 466.

749

READING.

constructing water-works at that point. It was this purchase, effected principally through the careful negotiations of Levi J. Smith,1 that induced the water company to sell their prop- erties for three hundred thousand dollars, having shortly before demanded from the city more than five hundred thousand dollars. The price paid for the Ohlinger property was seven thou- sand dollars. For some years afterward the subject of an increased water supply was agi- tated very earnestly by Councils and by the citizens generally, in order to accommodate the demands of our rapidly increasing population and manufacturing establishments. After in- vestigating all the surrounding streams of water, Councils determined to appropriate the waters of Antietam Creek, and to convert the mill-property into a large reservoir, for which purpose it was, by its situation, well adapted. The improvement was made during the year 1874, affording to the city a storage reservoir with a capacity for thirty million gallons.2 A large sum of money as damages was paid to "the several property holders situated below the lake on the creek.

The total expense to the city exceeds one hundred thousand dollars.

The Bernhart Dam was included in the transfer by the Reading Water Company to the city, in 1865, and has since been much enlarged and improved. Additional improvements are now being made. It is situated in Muhlen- berg township, half a mile beyond the city limit.

The Hampden Reservoir is a large storage basin in the northeastern section of the city. It was constructed during the years 1882, 1883 and 1884, at an expense of about one hundred thousand dollars.

Two springs also afford a water supply-Edel- man and Mineral. The Edelman Spring is situated in Alsace township and is constructed for a storage reservoir. It has a flow of fifty thou- sand gallons per day, and is conducted by a separate pipe to the city reservoirs. And the Mineral Spring is situated within the eastern city limits, and has a daily flow of one hundred and twenty thousand gallons.

The daily minimum flow of the streams and springs of water which supply the city is esti- mated to be as follows :

Gallons.

Antietam Lake. 950,000

Bernhart Lake

600,000

Edelman Spring

50,000

Hampden Spring 80,000

Mineral Spring3

120,000

Total daily supply 1,800,000

The total storage capacity in the several reser- voirs is 133,132,000 gallons, distributed as fol- lows :

Gallons.

Antietam Lake. .60,000,000

Bernhart Lake.

41,000,000

City Reservoir. 5,132,000

Hampden Reservoir. 27,000,000

In 1882 the total length of main and dis- tributing pipes was 271,748 lineal feet or 51.47 miles. This has been much increased since. The total cost of the reservoirs, pipe, etc., was then estimated at nine hundred thousand dollars.

COMMONS AND PARK .- A large tract of land which lay at the base of Penn's Mount and contained abont fifty acres was known as the "Commons" for over one hundred years after the town was laid ont. By the language of an act passed on the 17th of February, 1852, it would appear that this tract (in reality about eighty-five acres in area) had been " reserved by the proprietaries of Pennsylvania as a free and public commons for the dwellers in said town" at the time when they laid out the town. Notwithstanding the "tradition " that this land belonged to the town and had been occu- pied by the dwellers as a " commons" for fifty years, the authorities of the borough permitted a sale thereof, by the attorney for the Penns, to the commissioners of Berks County on Novem-

1 Mr. Smith was an active and enterprising citizen of Reading for many years. He was a millwright by occupa- tion and a highly esteemed man for his social and political integrity. He represented the Seventh Ward in Select Council during 1865 and 1866, officiating as president for a year ; and he served as a water commissioner from 1867 till 1883, a period covering sixteen continuous years. He died in 1886.

2 In 1880 the dam was heightened and the capacity in- creased to sixty million gallons, supposed by some to have a capacity for one hundred million gallons.

3 Not used for some years.

750

HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

ber 19, 1800, for the nominal consideration of four hundred and forty dollars. And from that time till 1884 the county claimed to own it. In 1839 the county commissioners sold thirty-five acres of the tract, comprising that portion which lay east of Tenth Street and north of Walnut for the distance of one thou- sand two hundred and eighty feet.

In June, 1850, about thirty acres were in- closed by a fence, the inclosure extending from the " Hill Road" to Washington Street, and from Eleventh Street to the eastern boundary line. Upon the organization of the Agricul- tural Society of the county, the county commis- sioners leased the tract to them for the purpose of holding an annual " Fair ;" which then erec- ted exhibition buildings, constructed a circular race track (one-third of a mile in circumfer- ence), etc. In 1865 the track was increased to a half-mile in length, and then the remaining part of the " commons" to Walnut Street on the north was inclosed.

In 1852, through the enterprise and influ- ence of Hon. Henry A. Muhlenberg, then State Senator from Berks County, an act of Assembly was passed which provided-

"That it shall be the duty of the commissioners of the County of Berks, and they are hereby authorized and required to convey in fee, to the mayor, aldermen and citizens of Reading, in trust for the use of said citizens, for the sole purpose of establishing a public park and parade ground forever and for no other pur- pose, object or design whatsoever, the ‘public com- mons,' containing forty-nine acres and one hundred and thirty four perches. And that, immediately upon such conveyance, 'it shall be the duty of the mayor, etc., to cause the whole of said lot to be enclosed for the purpose of a public park and parade ground, to fill up the water gullies, and otherwise level the surface of the ground, so far as may be necessary, to cause walks to be laid out, trees planted, and such other steps to be taken as will best carry out the true intent and meaning of this act, always, however, reserving a sufficiently large space of clear ground to enable any portion or the whole of the volunteers of Berks County to use the same as a parade ground, which may also be used for the celebrations of the Agricul- tural Society, for public meetings and other similar purposes."

But nothing was done. It would appear from this inaction that the public spirit of the officials, both of the county-seat and county,

was utterly unworthy the generous impulse of the Penns, and, afterward, of the General As- sembly. The expense of this improvement would have been insignificant, compared with the general benefit to the community. And what is rather surprising, was the continued public indifference to this commendable pro- ject thence till now, a period extending over thirty years. We may well ask, where were the men of station, of influence, of wealth, of culture, of enterprise during this period ?- what were their feelings inasmuch as such re- markable indifference was constantly exhibited. toward public improvement ?

In 1878 a movement was made to improve that part of the commons which lay between the prison, the turnpike and the Hill road. Prominent in this movement were property- holders in the vicinity, including Abraham B. Bechtel, David F. Lotz, Hiester Clymer, Henry S. Eckert, William E. Good, Charles K. Hillegass, Adam Schwartz, Charles Breneiser, William Arnold, Samuel H. Kutz, Abner K. Stauffer and others. Over six thousand dollars were collected and appropriated toward the im- provement, and their proceedings in this behalt were entirely successful. The sheds of the Agricultural Society were removed to the northern portion of the " fair-ground," and the small tract was inclosed. David F. Lotz, as- sisted by John Knabb, was untiring in his ef- forts, and he succeeded in having the surface prepared, walks and roads laid out, trees planted, etc. During the hot summer of that year he and Mr. Knabb worked faithfully and without compensation, and accomplished much toward the improvement of the place. The Harbster Brothers presented an iron drinking- fountain, which was placed at the main en- trance; P. F. Eisenbrown presented a fine, large and unique marble drinking-fountain, which was placed toward the upper end ; and John D. Mishler presented a marble drinking- fountain, which was placed at the southern en- trance. And since that time the City Councils have taken charge of it, though not kept in the same fine and promising condition in which they received it.

LAUER MONUMENT .- A fine bronze monu-

751

READING.

ment of Frederick Lauer was erected in the City Park, in 1885, by the Brewers' Association of the United States. It has the following in- scriptions on the four sides :

[Front.] To FREDERICK LAUER, of Reading, Pa. The United States Brewers' Association, of which he was the first president, has erected this monument in grateful remembrance of his unselfish labor for the welfare of the brewing trade in this country.

[Rear. ] The CITY OF READING Commemorates the public and Private virtues of an honored citizen by the grant of this location. Erected A. D., MDCCCLXXXV, The year of the twenty-fifth Convention of the United States Brewers' Association.

[East.]

His zeal sprung from his firm conviction that in striving to advance the brewing trade he was working for the cause of National Temperance.

[West.] Let his example lead the brewers of this country to maintain Good-Fellowship. to Preserve their Association and to defend their rights.

In 1884 proceedings were instituted by the City Councils to obtain a deed for the entire tract of land inclosed, and now occupied by the Agricultural Society ; but the Court of Common Pleas refused to award a writ of mandamus against the county commissioners to compel them to execute the deed which was prayed for. The matter was carried to the Supreme Court and the judgment was reversed ; but the deed has as yet not been delivered to the city of Reading, granting and conveying the "com- mons" to the corporation, the matter being still, as the lawyers say, in fieri.

CITY HALL .- The Borough Council organ-

ized in the old court-house in 1783, and there it assembled year after year until the new court- house was erected, when it removed its place of meeting into that building. In 1847 the City Councils organized there-the Select branch in the room on third floor, south side, next to the stairway, and the Common branch in the oppo- site room, on the north side; and they continued to meet in those rooms till the city of Reading purchased the property on the northeast corner of Fifth and Franklin Streets-then an old- fashioned, low, two-story brick building.

City Hall was erected by Councils in 1870. The total expense was about twenty-six thou- sand dollars. It comprises the "lock-up," the battery for the electric alarm, offices for the several city officials, Council chambers, and a large hall, the latter being occupied by lodges of the Masonic order. It is situated on the northeast corner of Fifth and Franklin Streets. Daniel Spohn, a prominent and successful buil- der in his time, was the contractor.

FIRE COMPANY BUILDINGS .- For many years the early fire companies owned their own buildings in which they kept their apparatus ; but when the city government began to contrib- ute more liberally towards their encourage- ment, it became the owner of the buildings. Now it owns all the buildings of the several companies, excepting that of the Liberty Fire Company. The buildings are all fine, substan- tial structures, elegantly furnished. They are situated as follows :

Rainbow, Eighth and Court; Junior, Walnut below Seventh; Reading, Franklin above Sixth; Never- sink, Third and Court; Friendship, Franklin and Peach ; Liberty, Fifth and Laurel; Hampden, Elev- enth and Greenwich ; Keystone, Penn above Front; Washington, Muhlenberg above Ninth.

INCREASE OF BUILDINGS .- The following table shows the remarkable and continuous growth of Reading in respect to buildings, from 1842 to 1859.1 The columns represent the sev- eral wards of the city :

1 In 1840 seventy-seven houses were erected. In 1841 the total number of buildings in Reading was one thousand three hundred and sixty-five. In 1849, Richard Clark, of Philadelphia, published a large map of Reading, four feet square, by which it is shown that then two-thirds of the city was south of Penn Street.

752

HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

N.W. N.E. S.E. S.W. Spruce.

Total.

1842

...

1843

...

120

1845

61 182

1846

246

1847.

85.

360

1848.

65.

348

1849.

42.

255

1850.

20.

133

1851

19 .. 99

1852

11.

1853

1854.

107

1855

123

1856

210

1857

266

1858.

157

1859

204

448

697

680

470

549

3127

The following figures indicate the total num- ber of new buildings erected annually in the city since 1860:

1860

.186

1873 .457

1861

115

1874

*300

1862

114

1875.

270

1863

1876 123

1864

*100

1877 113

1865

*100

1878. 38

1866

*200

1879.

.175

1867

363

1880

205

1868

,509

1881

248

1869

488

1882 350

1870

466

1883

295

1871

448

1884

436

1872

307

1885

396

* Estimated.

In 1873 the city of Reading had the smallest ratio of individuals to each building of all the cities in the United States, excepting Toledo, the ratio of which was a very small fraction less. Our ratio was a little more than five persons to each dwelling.

Persons to

Families. Dwellings. Each Dwell'g.

Reading.

6,932

6,294

5.39

Philadelphia

127,740

112,366

6.01

Allegheny

10,147

8,347

6.37

Scranton.

6,642

5,646

6.21

Toledo.

6,457

6,069

5.20

POST-OFFICE .- The post-office in Reading was established in 1793. Shortly afterward other offices were established in different parts of the county and the people found them a great

convenience ; and they have increased from de- cade to decade till now. The total number of post-offices now in the county is one hundred and thirty.1

The letters at Reading office were called for altogether till about 1835 ; then a man by the name of Sheirer began to carry letters of many individuals not in business throughout the bor- ongh at a cent a letter. He was succeeded by William Taylor, who continued till 1848, and earned by his labor in this position about five dollars a week. Hamilton Mills and Joseph Barrett then carried for less than a year. Wm. Ruckman entered upon this service in 1848 and continued to carry letters till 1861, a period cov- ering thirteen years. He carried letters at two cents for each letter and earned from twelve to fifteen dollars a week. Samnel B. Ruth, Al- bert Miller, Christian Schultz and Benjamin Guinther succeeded him, the latter two carrying till 1864, when the government established the free delivery system. These men were recom- mended by the postmaster and appointed by the department at Washington.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Berks county in Pennsylvania, Part 126

Author: Montgomery, Morton L. (Morton Luther), b. 1846 Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts, Peck & Richards Number of Pages: 1418

Author: Montgomery, Morton L. (Morton Luther), b. 1846
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts, Peck & Richards
Number of Pages: 1418