USA > Pennsylvania > Berks County > History of Berks county in Pennsylvania > Part 82
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The first poor persons were admitted on Octo- ber 21, 1825, from Reading. Their names were William Hydecam, aged eighty-three years, and Dorothea, his wife, aged eighty-one years. In November, 1825, Saul Gordon was admitted -from Hereford township. He is in the institu- tion still, having been there continuously for a period covering sixty years.
During the first year, 1825, one hundred and thirty inmates were admitted. The average number of inmates in the institution annually since 1868, was as follows :
Year.
No.
Year.
No.
1868
335
1877
547
1869
294
1878
613
1870
311
1879 573
1871
353
1880
464
1872
333
1881 439
1873
329
1882
445
1874
365
1883
454
1875
451
1884
395
1876
498
1885 373
POST-OFFICE .- The postal department of the public service is classed with the internal im- provements of the county. We have as yet no " public building " to dignify the service and give it that substantial prominence which it deserves, by reason of its extensive business ; still, it must be associated with transportation, and therefore given a place in this chapter.
The first attempt to systematize and regulate postal communication in the American colonies was made by the British government in 1660. And this subject received the attention of Wil- liam Penn shortly after his arrival in Pennsyl- vania, he having, in July, 1683, issued an order
1 Public meetings also assembled in this room.
" The Masonic Lodge occupied it for many years.
469
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
for the establishment of a post-office at Phila- delphia. The postal facilities, however, in this early period, were only such as were afforded by personal accommodation among the colonists.
Benjamin Franklin was appointed postmaster at Philadelphia, and in 1753 a deputy postmaster- general. The delivery of letters by the penny post began in the latter year, and also the
Franklin
In 1692 the rate of postage to and from | Philadelphia, within a radius of eighty miles, was four pence halfpenny.
The office of Postmaster-General for America was created by Parliament in 1704, and shortly afterward stage-coaches were introduced to run between Boston and Philadelphia. In 1737
practice of advertising letters which remained in the office at Philadelphia.
In 1774 Franklin became obnoxious to the British government, and he was therefore dis- missed. This caused private arrangements to be made for carrying letters, and, as a consequence, the postal service did not contribute any revenue
470
HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
to the British treasury. In 1775 the colonies established their own postal department, and on July 26th, in that year, Benjamin Franklin was unanimously chosen Postmaster-General. This was an important action in connection with the movement for independence. In 1792 rates of postage were established, which remained unchanged for over fifty years. They were, for every single letter, as follows :
From 1 to 30 miles. 6 cents.
30 60
8 "
60 100
10 66
100 " 150
12}
66
" 150 " 200
15
20 " 250
17
250 350
66
20
66
4
350 ' 450
22 66
Over 450 miles
25
66
Reading Office Established .- Within a year afterward the first post-office in the county was established at Reading. This was on March 20, 1793. The department had been in practical existence for nearly twenty years. Our population was large and business transactions were numerous. But correspondence was lim- ited. Letters had been carried for several years previously by a private stage-line to Philadel- phia and Harrisburg, at the rate of three pence postage, and about the year 1800 they began to be carried to Sunbury once a week on horse- back, and to Lancaster and Easton once a week in a private two-horse carriage. After the stage-coach had become a fixed mode of trans- portation for people and light articles of merch- andise, at regular intervals, postal matter then began to be carried by them from place to place.
Departure and Arrival of Mails .- In Oc- tober, 1803, the departure and arrival of the several mails were as follows, according to a published notice by the postmaster of Reading :
"1. To Philadelphia-departs every Monday and Thursday at 4 A.M., and arrives every Tuesday and Friday at 8 A.M. ; and returning, departs from Phila- delphia every Tuesday and Friday at 4 P.M., and ar- rives at Reading every Wednesday and Saturday at 8 P.M.
" 2. To Northumberland-departs every Thursday at 6 A.M., and arrives every Friday at 4 P.M. (in sum- mer, and at 6 in winter); and returning, departs every Saturday at 5 A.M., and arrives at Reading every Sunday at 6 P.M.
"3. To Carlisle-departs every Thursday at 6 A.M., and arrives every Friday at 3 P.M; returning, departs every Saturday at 5 A.M., and arrives at Reading every Sunday at six P.M."
Mail-Stages .- In 1811 William Coleman ad- vertised the following schedule for his " mail- stages " to Philadelphia, Northumberland and Harrisburg :
" The stage for Philadelphia leaves every Monday and Thursday morning; and returning, leaves Phila- delphia every Tuesday and Friday afternoon.
"The stage for Northumberland leaves every Wed- nesday afternoon, and arrives at Sunbury1 every Thursday evening; and returning, leaves Sunbury every Saturday morning, and arrives every Sunday evening, reaching Philadelphia the following even- ing.
"And the stage for Harrisburg leaves every Sun- day and Thursday morning, and arrives at Harris- burg in the evening of same days; and returning, leaves Harrisburg every Wednesday and Saturday morning, and arrives at Reading in the evening of same days."
And in the same year, Weyandts & Levan advertised the following schedule for their " Lancaster and Easton mail-stage :"
"Our mail-stage leaves Mr. Sebring's tavern, at Easton, every Monday morning, takes fresh horses at Kutztown, and arrives the same evening at Mr. Wil- liam Coleman's Reading Hotel, from which it starts every Tuesday morning, via Lititz, and arrives in the afternoon of same day at Mr. John Michel's tavern, at Lancaster. In returning, it leaves every Wednes- day morning, and arrives at the Reading Hotel on same evening, starting from there next morning and arriving every Thursday evening at Easton. The fare for passengers is three dollars, or a five-penny bit per mile, allowing passengers to carry fourteen pounds weight of baggage."
In 1828, an independent line of tri-weekly stages having been put upon the route between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, via Reading, two mails were afforded every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at Reading, at noon and at five P.M. This line went into operation on Novem- ber 11, 1828. The combination or "Old Line" began carrying daily mails in 1826.
A daily mail between Reading and Mount
1 Sunbury was the terminus in Northumberland County, two miles south of the town of Northumberland. It was then, as it is now, the county-seat.
471
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
Carbon, to and from the respective places, was established April 1, 1829.
The mails were carried by stages till the in- troduction of the railways from the several places south, north, west and east; then the passenger train was substituted. The changes were made as follows: From Philadelphia, 1838 ; from Pottsville, 1842; from Harrisburg, 1858 ; from Allentown, 1859 ; from Lancaster, 1864.
There are a number of stage-routes which ex- tend from Reading into and through districts of the county not reached by railroads. They are as follows :
Daily, except Sunday .- To Millersburg, via Lein- bach's and Bernville; to Gouglersville, etc .; to Mohn's store, etc .; to Boyertown, via Stonersville and Yellow House; to Shanesville, via Oley Pike; to Pikeville, via Stony Creek Mills and Friedensburg.
Tri- Weekly .- To Krick's Mill, via Cacoosing ; to . Hummel's store, via Angelica; to Garfield, via Lower Bern.
Stamps .- No postage stamps were issued by the National government till August, 1847, when two denominations were issned-five cent and ten cent. The idea of using postage stamps had been first suggested in 1841. Pre- viously postage had been collected entirely in money; and in all cases pre-payment was optional. The two denominations mentioned continued in use four years ; then new denomi- nations for one cent and three cents appeared, and shortly afterward others for five, ten, twelve, twenty- four, thirty and ninety cents. In 1861 this series was called in by Montgomery Blair, Lincoln's Postmaster-General, and a new series issued. July 1, 1863, the first two-cent stamp appeared, which was to accommodate local postage. In March, 1869, J. A. J. Creswell, Grant's Postmaster-General, brought out a new series, but they did not come into favor, and after two months were superseded by a series of the denominations of one, two, three, five, six, ten, fifteen, thirty and ninety cents. And a year afterward the following designs were adopted for these stamps : One cent, Franklin ; two cent, Jackson; three cent, Washington ; five cent, Jackson ; six cent, Lincoln ; ten cent, Jefferson ; fifteen cent, Webster; thirty cent, Hamilton ; ninety cent, Perry. Designs of
persons on stamps in honor of distinguished representative men of our country, had been in use from their first introduction, particularly of Franklin and Washington.
Post-Offices. - The following post-offices have been established in the county till 1886: They number one hundred and thirty, being an average of one post-office to every thousand in- habitants. They are arranged in the order of their priority.
No. Name. Date.
1. Reading. March 20, 1793
2. Hamburg July 1, 1798
3. Kutztown .. July 1, 1805
4. Morgantown January 1, 1806
5. Womelsdorf. July 1, 1807
6. Rehrersburg. May 27, 1818
7. Longswamp, April 18, 1822
8. Blandon. November 2, 1825
9. Klinesville. December 16, 1825
10. Bethel December 21, 1827
11. Brower .January 7, 1828
12. Dale January 25, 1828
13. Colebrookdale February 4, 1828
14. Boyertown February 14, 1828
15. Oley March 14, 1828
16. Brumfield. March 27, 1828
17. Geiger's Mill. March 27, 1828
18. New Jerusalem May 26, 1828
19. Douglassville. March 3, 1829
20. Grimville January 14, 1830
21. Shartlesville. February 9, 1830
22. Hereford March 6, 1830
23. Joanna Furnace .December 29, 1830
24. Sinking Spring
June 25, 1831
25. Stouchsburg. March 22, 1832
26. Bernville. August 16, 1832
27. Shoemakersville January 14, 1833
28. Pikeville. March 12, 1834
29. Pricetown February 6, 1835
30. Lobachsville. April 10, 1835
31. Baumstown December 21, 1835
32. Mohrsville. May 10, 1836
33. Gibraltar June 16, 1836
34. Tuckerton. January 26, 1838
35. Earlville. August 2, 1838
36. Molltown. August 30, 1839
37. Virginsville. August 30, 1839
38. Lower Bern June 12, 1841
39. Albany December 23, 1845
40. Moselem Springs January 14, 1846
41. Stonersville. January 18, 1847
42. Monterey May 19, 1847
43. Strausstown November 18, 1847
44. Robesonia Furnace. .February 28, 1849
45. Crosskill Mills .October 16, 1849
472
HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
No. Name. Date.
46. Siesholtzville.
.November 8, 1849
47. Tulpehocken.
March 19, 1850
48. Clayton
June 21, 1850
49. Birdsboro'
January 6, 1851
50. Leesport ..
January 21, 1851
51. Manatawny
March 19, 1851
52. Spangsville
September 19, 1851
53. Fleetwood.
.February 16, 1852
54. Leinbach's.
.February 16, 1852
55. Beckersville
.February 18, 1852
56. Host ..
April 22, 1852
57. Bechtelsville.
May 7, 1852
58. Greshville.
February 10, 1853
59. Dryville.
May 3, 1853
60. Wernersville
May 3, 1853
61. Fredericksville.
August 20, 1853
62. Landis' Store
August 20, 1853
63. Maxatawny
November 5, 1853
64. Mount Ætna
.October 2, 1854
65. Lenhartsville.
December 11, 1854
66. Gouglersville
July 16, 1855
67. Monocacy
January 29, 1856
68. Knauer's.
March 3, 1856
69. Moselem
July 8, 1856
70. South Evansville
July 8, 1856
71. Windsor Castle
July 18, 1856
72. Wintersville.
July 10, 1857
73. Temple.
July 20, 1857
74. Mohn's Store
November 6, 1857
75. Mertztown
December 8, 1857
76. Cumru
March 6, 1858
77. Kirbyville
October 31, 1859
78. Bower's Station
June 25, 1860
79. Lyons Station.
October 25, 1860
80. Topton.
August 29, 1861
81. Exeter.
December 25, 1861
82. Maiden-creek.
April 18, 1862
83. Eagle Point.
.August 14, 1862
84. Fritztown
November 12, 1862
85. Alsace.
February 12, 1863
86. Upper Bern
August 28, 1863
87. Hill Church
May 27, 1864
88. North Heidelberg.
June 22, 1864
Earl
2
89. Lower Heidelberg
July 1, 1864
Exeter
6
90. Krick's Mill
September 11, 1865
91. Hiester's Mill
December 2, 1865
92. Yellow House
May 9, 1866
93. Mountain
September 19, 1866
94. Shanesville.
May 2, 1867
95. Centreport.
June 11, 1868
Rockland.
2
Ruscomb-manor.
1
96. Stony Run
January 11, 1869
97. Scarlet Mill.
August 4, 1869
98. Hummel's Store.
.September 29, 1869
99. Griesemerville
June 29, 1870
100. Lime-Kiln.
June 29, 1870
No. Name. Date.
101. Jacksonwald.
November 11, 1870
102. Pine Iron-Works
.February 24, 1871
103. Little Oley.
April 21, 1871
104. Monocacy Station
May 13, 1872
105. West Leesport.
.September 30, 1872
106. Huff's Church.
March 2, 1874
107. Trexler ..
November 9, 1874
108. East Berkeley.
March 12, 1875
109. Bern
May 23, 1878
110. Cacoosing.
June 6, 1878
111. Stony Creek Mills May 20, 1879
112. Meckville.
December 17, 1879
113. Berks.
December 23, 1879
114. Vinemont
April 19, 1880
115. Garfield.
.June 25, 1880
116. Kempton
May 17, 1881
117. Barto's
March 16, 1882
118. Angelica.
May 22, 1882
119. Eckville.
September 8, 1882
120. New Berlinville
February 23, 1883
121. Bally
August 7, 1883
122. Schweyers.
April 14, 1884
123. Shamrock Station
May 14, 1884
124. Schubert
June 6, 1884
125. Shillington
July 14, 1884
126. Lorah
December 5, 1884
127. Athol.
January 6, 1885
128. Walter's Park
March 3, 18851
129. Krumville
July 7, 1885
130. Calcium
July 7, 1885
Their Distribution .- The foregoing post- of- fices are distributed throughout the county in its several political divisions as follows:
EASTERN DIVISION (80).
Manatawny Section.
Reading
1
Boyertown
1
Alsace.
2
Kutztown
1
Amity
.4
Colebrookdale
1
District.
2
Greenwich 4
Douglass
3
Longswamp
4
Maiden-creek
5
Maxatawny
5
Ontelaunee 2
Perry
2
Richmond. 4
Windsor
1
-
43
1 Discontinued shortly after ward.
37
Washington
.6
Ontelaunee Section.
Fleetwood.
1
Hamburg
1
Topton .
1
Albany 6
Hereford
3
Muhlenberg.
2
Oley .4
Pike
.. 3
473
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
WESTERN DIVISION (50).
Tulpehocken Section.
Schuylkill Section.
Bernville.
1
Birdsboro'
1 Womelsdorf. 1
Brecknock 2
Bern .6
Caernarvon 1
Bern, Upper 2
Cumru 5
Bethel.
.3
Robeson 5
Centre. 2
Spring
3
Heidelberg 1
Union
2
Heidelberg, Lower. .. 5
-
Heidelberg, North. 2
19
Jefferson 1
Marion 1
Penn
Tulpehocken. 3
Tulpehocken, Upper. 3
31
TELEGRAPH.
In 1844 the telegraph was successfully in- troduced for the transmission of messages by electricity. The first message was sent through a wire elevated on poles, between Washington and Baltimore, May 27, 1844. Congress had in March previously appropriated thirty thou- sand dollars to Prof. Morse for the purpose of enabling him to make experiments with his instrument to demonstrate the practicability of his invention.
PHILADELPHIA, READING AND POTTSVILLE TELEGRAPH COMPANY .- A company was incor- porated under the name of Philadelphia, Reading and Pottsville Telegraph Company, by an act passed March 15, 1847, for the purpose of making, using and maintaining telegraph lines between Philadelphia, Reading and Pottsville, and the following commissioners were appointed to effect an organization of the company :
From Philadelphia .- John Tucker, Peter Bosquet and Morris S. Wickersham.
From Reading .- G. A. Nicolls, Isaac Hiester, H. H. Muhlenberg, Samuel Bell, M. S. Richards, John S. Richards, William Strong, Joseph L. Stichter and R. W. Packer.
The company was duly organized in April, 1847, and the telegraph line was successfully es- tablished shortly afterward. Communication was completed between Philadelphia and Reading May 10, 1847, and the first message then for- warded to Reading related to the Mexican War. This line has been maintained since. The
length of the main line from Philadelphia to Pottsville is one hundred and one miles; the length of the main lines in Pennsylvania is 8732 miles, and the total length of wire is 3086₺ miles. In 1884 it had 392 stations, 800 instruments in use, and 689 persons em- ployed in operating and maintaining the line ; and it forwarded during that year 381,454 messages. The total cost of the line and its equipment is $254,059.48.
Upon the construction and operation of the several other railroads running from Reading, telegraph lines were extended to the several places-Harrisburg, Allentown, Columbia, Lan- caster, etc.
WESTERN UNION .- The American Tele- graph Company introduced a line of telegraph here in 1863, and, in 1865, the Western Union Telegraph Company. These two then formed a union; and the lines have been operated since under the latter name. In 1879 this company and the Philadelphia, Reading and Pottsville Telegraph Company effected an arrangement for co-operation ; since which time they have operated their lines here together.
LEHIGH .- The Lehigh Telegraph Company was organized in Allentown, and opened an office at Reading in September, 1880. It formed a connection with the principal cities in the United States through the American Union Telegraph Company. This connection was continued for a year and a half, and then changed to the " Mutual Union " for an equal period. It was operated under this name till January, 1884, when its lines, etc., were trans- ferred to the Bankers' and Merchants' Telegraph Company. This company is now operating the wires under the name of the United Lines Tel- egraph Company, by which it is known through- out the country.
TELEPHONE.
The telephone was introduced in Reading by Henry W. Spang, in October, 1879. He or- ganized a system of communication in the city and carried it on successfully till November, 1880, when he formed a stock company for the purpose of erecting and maintaining telephone lines and exchanges in Berks, Montgomery, Schuylkill and Lebanon Counties, under the name of East
474
HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
Pennsylvania Telephone Company. The stock subscribers were Henry W. Spang, Mrs. Mary Spang, Isaac Y. Spang, Daniel Spang, C. Hol- ton, F. S. Jacobs and H. D. Van Horn. This company extended the system-making connec- tion with Pottstown, Pottsville and Lebanon- set up an increased number of instruments, and operated it successfully till January 1, 1883, when the entire business, including wires and instruments, was transferred to the Pennsylvania Telephone Company, a similar organization, which had extended its wire to Lebanon from Harrisburg. This latter company has conduct- ed the business since 1883. It has now in use and successful operation seven hundred and nine miles of wire and six hundred instruments, of which five hundred are in Reading and one hundred in the country districts.
The first telephone company in the State was organized at Philadelphia, November 14, 1878. The introduction of this improvement has been of great convenience and advantage to the busi- ness men of this community. The telegraph was a wonderful step in advance of the postal and express deliveries, which had been the com- mon means of communication carried on through the agency of steam; but the teleplione was a marvelous step in advance of even the telegraph-for instead of writing, forwarding and reading messages and letters, which required both labor and time, communication was facili- tated and business men were enabled to speak with each other directly, as it were, face to face, without any loss of time. It is like the great agent, electricity, upon which it is based-the embodiment of dispatch.
CHAPTER XIX.
POLITICS AND CIVIL LIST.
Election Districts-Political Sentiment of County -- Promi- nent Representative Men-Offices by Special Legislation -Political Parties -- Political Festivals-State Conven- tions and Mass-Meetings at Reading-List of Officials- Biographical Sketches.
by William Penn, in the laws agreed upon in England on April 25, 1682, in reference to the government of the province of Pennsylvania, for free and voluntary elections. The right of election was given to every freeman of the province. A freeman was defined to be " every inhabitant that is or shall be a purchaser of one hundred acres of land or upward; and every person who shall have paid his passage and taken up one hundred acres of land at one penny an acre, and have cultivated ten acres thereof ; and every person that hath been a ser- vant or bondsman and is free by his service that shall have taken up fifty acres of land and cul- tivated twenty thereof; and every inhabitant, artificer, or other resident that pays scot or lot to the government."
At that time the territory comprising Berks County was occupied by Indians alone. Not a single white man had settled upon it. This is strange. And only two hundred years ago ! There was no need for election laws, nor for dis- tricts to facilitate elections aud their returns. Within one hundred years afterward, many permanent settlers had entered the territory. The necessity of government in all its forms had become apparent. Townships had been organized and the county had become erected with all its offices. Independence had been de- clared ; and government " of the people, for the people, and by the people " had been established. And elections of various local officers had been made. But no special records have been trans- mitted to enable us to understand how and with what results they were conducted. The elections for county officials were held at Reading from the beginning of the county in 1752 till 1789, when the county was divided into election districts.
In 1785 the county comprised one election district ; and all elections were directed to be held at the court-house, in the county-town, Reading. No additional returns could be found, excepting those hereafter mentioned for 1788.
In 1789 the county was divided into five election districts, and the electors of the several townships in the respective districts were re-
ELECTION DISTRICTS .- Provision was made | quired to vote at the places named :
475
POLITICS AND CIVIL LIST.
Reading (1st District, at the court-house).
Reading.
Exeter.
Alsace.
Heidelberg.
Bern.
Maiden-creek.
Brecknock.
Oley.
Caernarvon.
Robeson.
Cumru.
Ruscomb-manor.
Kutztown (2d District, at public-house of Philip Gehr).
Greenwich.
Maxatawny.
Hereford.
Richmond.
Longswamp.
Rockland.
Hamburg (3d District, at public-house of John
Moyer).
Albany.
Brunswick.
Bern, Upper.
Windsor.
Tulpehocken (4th District, at public-house of Godfrey Roehrer).
Bethel.
Tulpehocken.
Pinegrove.
Amity (5th District, at public-house of William Wit- man-called "White Horse ").
Amity.
Earl.
Colebrookdale.
Union.
Douglass.
There were then twenty-nine townships and one borough-Reading. The electors of twelve divisions voted at Reading. In the perform- ance of this political duty many of them came a distance of fifteen miles. But this was an improvement on what had been required four years before-those living in the townships farthest removed from Reading having been required to travel from twenty-five to thirty miles.
Subsequently, for a period of three-score years, till 1851, additional districts were erected to facilitate the elections. And afterward four boroughs were incorporated and the wards of Reading multiplied. As a matter of historical interest, they are here presented in the order of priority :
Forest, 1791, at public-house of Isaac Bonsall, in Robeson, comprising Caernarvon, Robeson and Union.
Muthart's, 1794, at public-house of Joseph Muthart, in Colebrookdale, comprising Colebrookdale District, Earl and Hereford.
Womelsdorf, 1797, at public-house of Conrad Stouch, Womelsdorf, comprising Bethel, Tulpehocken and that part of Heidelberg northwest of Hain's Church.
Pinegrove, 1797, at public-house of Jacob Gunckel, in Pinegrove.
Marquart's, 1798, at the public-house of Philip | Binkley.
Marquart, in Robeson, comprising Brecknock, Caer- narvon, Robeson and part of Union. Not used in table; vote included in district Forest.
Orwigsburg, 1798, at public-house of John Ham- mer, comprising Brunswick and Manheim.
Croll's, 1799, at public-house of Michael Croll, in Greenwich, comprising Albany and Greenwich.
Mahantango, 1802, at public-house of Michael Artz.
Bethel, 1803, at public-house of Michael Miller. Tulpehocken, 1809, at public-house of Henry Horsh. Hereford, 1811, at public-house of George Hooff, called at times " Hooff's."
Keely'8, 1812, at public-house of Henry Keely, in: Douglass, comprising parts of Amity, Colebrookdale, Douglass and Earl ; discontinued after 1820.
Shartle's, 1812, at public-house of George Shartle, in Bern, Upper, comprising parts of Tulpehocken, Upper, and Bern, Upper (now Shartlesville).
Oley, 1814, at public-house of Jacob Kemp (now about a mile south of Friedensburg, on the road to Yellow House).
Ruscomb-manor, 1815, at public-house of Jonathan Price, Pricetown.
Rockland, 1816, at public-house of Andrew Shiffert (now at New Jerusalem).
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