History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 14

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Evans, Samuel, 1823-1908, joint author
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1320

USA > Pennsylvania > Lancaster County > History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 14

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The institution continued under the management of Carothers. Additions were made to buildings, and the number of pupils were steadily increasing. Principal Carothers, however, did not satisfy the State authorities in his supervision. A change was con- templated by the school department. Finally Pro- fessor Jesse Kennedy, then principal of the MeAlister- ville S. O. School, was prevailed upon to purchase the property at Mount Joy and assume control of that school. Hle took possession on the 1st day of December, 1867.

The reputation of Kennedy inspired public confi- dence. Ilis efficient administration attracted children to the school until there were in attendance nearly three hundred pupils. Improvements were made in yards and buildings, requiring large expenditures of money. The institution rapidly rose in rank to a po- sltion among the best of the State.

The various departments of the school were organ- ized under a code of thorough system in this admin- istration, and the discipline characterized by strict conformity to the method and practice of parental authority in the old New England home. During the ten years Mr. Kennedy was principal of this school he educated and schooled for the active duties of life quite a number of young men and women, whose life and influence have been an honorable tes- timony of his careful training and instruction.

Congressional aspirations induced Kennedy to ne- gotiate with Senator George W. Wright, of Mercer County, Pa., for the sale of the school property. It was bought, and Senator Wright took possession in Sep- tember, 1877. The change was again a fortunate one. The new proprietor combined with keen executive ability a long and successful experience in schools of this kind. He fully understood the wants and neces- sities and wisely anticipated the wishes of his stu- dents. The comfort and happiness of the children were made prominent features. A home feeling was created that moulded a sentiment for this institution among officials and the public as "a pleasant and happy children's home." New pupils were admitted, swelling the attendance to three hundred and thirty- five, the maximum, and averaging through the en- suing years to the present about three hundred per annum. A two-story frame building was erected ; play-rooms for inelement weather built; pipes con- ducting water from the town reservoir were laid and distributed to the various departments ; other changes were made calculated to strengthen the comfort and convenience of the institution ; a mikler policy in the general discipline of the school was inaugurated, and a new era dawned upon its already prosperous record. Happy days and a contented spirit prevailed among the wards, time sped unconsciously, and warmest words were spoken by its occupants.

Among the principal instructors employed from its foundation were I. M. Gable, from 1869 to 1872, now a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church ; George G. Kunkle, three years principal teacher, and now superintendent public schools, Bethlehem, Pa. ; George W. Geiger, two years, now engaged in some Western business; Joseph M. Martin, from 1877 to spring of 1880, now financial clerk of firm of William- son & Foster, Lancaster, Pa .; M. J. Brecht, from 1880 to fall of 1883, now superintendent of public schools Lancaster County ; and J. B. Hipple, a young man of recognized professional merit, its present principal and educator.

Col. Wright has continued as the able manager of the home. While engrossed in various business in- terests; he ever jealously guarded the trust contided to his charge. Hundreds have gone out from his fos- tering care to combat with life's ditliculties to achieve honor and distinction. A brief resume of the inner life in the institution under the senator's administra- tion will give the reader a more intelligent idea of

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HISTORY OF LANCASTER COUNTY.

the nature and object of these schools. The boys wear a full blue cadet uniform, with State buttous, while the girls are well dressed in neat modern styles of flannel and Gerster goods. Personal cleanliness is taught, and all the children receive regularly an entire bath once a week. The industrial training receives marked attention. Every child obtains daily practice in the regular routine labor of domestic and farm work. The girls are taught to sew by hand and ma- chine, to cut and fit ordinary clothing, to do fancy work, to bandle the flat-iron as well as the pen or drawing-pencil.

In moral and religious culture, the child has been taught to appreciate the beautiful in life, the excel- lent in character. Sabbath-school has been held in the home every Sabbath. Church attendance is en- joined as a regular Sabbath duty. Worship, accom- panied by scriptural talks, has been held regularly morning and evening in the chapel.

Visitors are always welcome. Each department is thrown open to public inspection every day. The management encourage visits, as shown by the royal way it takes care of them while guests. Military in- struction is given the boys daily. They must master the evolutions of army discipline, together with the manual of arms.

The Mount Joy school enjoys the esteem of the intelligent community in which it is located, and stands high in the affections of the orphans and their mothers. It has done and is doing a noble work, of which the State may be justly proud.

Banking .- The first financial establishment in the borough was the Mount Joy Savings Institution, which was incorporated in 1853. By a supplement to its charter this was made, in 1860, the Mount Joy Bank, and in 1865 it was organized, under the national banking law, with the name Union National Mount Joy Bank. At the time of the original organiz ition, in 1853, Henry Eberle was made president and An- drew Gerber secretary and treasurer. In 1860, J. G. Hoerner was elected president, and in 1865 he was re elected, and still holds the office. Jacob R. Long, the present cashier, has held that position since 1856. Originally the capital of the bank was $50,000, and it is now $125,000.

Manufacturing forms, in proportion to the size of the town, quite an extensive industry. The earliest enterprises in this line were of the kind common to all villages, wagon-making and blacksmithing. The earliest manufacture of other character than these was that undertaken by one Brady, who carly in the twenties began making axes upon a small scale. The business was subsequently carried on by his sons, who enlarged it and for a time were very successful, but finally abandoned the industry when larger works in other localities came into competition with them. Following are brief notes upon the most important of the present mantifactories :

The agricultural implement works conducted by

Messrs. Marsh & Comp were established in 1853 by a stock company. In 1857-58, Marsh Brothers came in possession of the works, and carried it on until 1872, when they were succeeded by John A. Grier. He in turn was succeeded by the present firm in 1876. This firm has" materially enlarged its facilities for manu. facturing, and has several extensive buildings, in which about thirty men are employed. They manu. facture improved mowers and reapers, land-rollers, separators, portable engines, and other heavy ma- chinery.

Another large manufactory of farm machinery is carried on by the firm of Geyer & Metzler, which grew out of and is the commercial descendant of John Snyder, who began the manufacture of edge-tools in Mount Joy about 1848, and five years later entered upon the manufacture of threshing-machines, horse- powers, etc. In 1872 the firm of Walgemuth & Geyer was formed, and continued the business up to the death of the senior partner in 1876. The present partnership was formed in 1881, and the manufacture of reapers, mowers, threshing-machines, separators, horse-powers, engines, and boilers continued and enlarged.

The Mount Joy Roller Process Flouring-Mills, con- ducted by Brandt & Manning, were erected in 1855 by Gabriel Bear. J. M. Brandt rented the mill in 1867, and purchased it in 1873. In 1881 he took Mr. Manning into partnership, and very soon thereafter the Hungarian process rollers were substituted for the old-fashioned burrs. This necessitated an addi- tion to the original mill, which is substantially built of stone, four stories in height, and covering an ares forty-five by fifty feet. In 1882 a Chase (Chicago) elevator was erected, which affords storage room for upwards of twenty-five thousand bushels of grain. Fifteen men are employed, and a seventy-five horse- : power engine is used to propel the machinery. The output of this will is about one hundred and fifty barrels per day.

The Landis Coach-Works, one of the most impor- tant manufacturing establishments in the borough, employing about twenty-five men, and turning out excellent work upon an extensive scale, are carried on by A. B. Landis. The works were established by Christian Landis, in 1824, in East Hempfield, and removed to Mount Joy in 1858 by the present pro- prietor, who succeeded his father in 1843. Mr. Landis has a very large Southern, as well as Northern, patron- age, and his manufactory is constantly run to its fullest capacity.

D. Root, Son & Co. are engaged in the manufactura of plows, cultivators, corn-planters, corn-shellers, shovel-plows, harrows, etc. The business was com. menced at Bird-in-lland, in 1851, by D. Root, and removed to Mount Joy in 1868. Mr. B. M. Root was admitted to a partnership at that time. In 1877 the firm was reorganized, it then being composed of B. M., A. F., and A. B. Root. In the fall of 1881, A. F.

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Root's interest was transferred to A. D. Root, and the present partnership was thus formed. This firm has a building of stone, three stories high, and sixty by twenty-five feet in extent, and several others aggre- gating several times that area. The buildings are supplied with the best machinery, and it is driven by a seventy-five borse-power engine.

The Mount Joy Gray Iron Casting Company was founded in 1881 for the manufacture of H. S. Staut- fer's patent post support and Sholl's reversible blind and shutter drop-hinge. Other specialties were af- terwards added until a full line of small hardware articles and toys were produced. The business was originally established by Mr. Stauffer, and Mr. S. N. Eby afterwards became a partner. The works employ about twenty-five men, are supplied with a twenty horse-power engine, and have a melting cupola of three tons capacity.

The Mount Joy Malt-House, owned by Philip Frank, employs twelve men in the manufacture of superior malt from Canadian barley. The proprietor began buying and selling grain on a small scale in 1856, and entered his present line of business in 1858. His malt obtained such a reputation that he was soon obliged to erect the building which he now occupies, containing five floors, and covering a space forty by one hundred and seventy-four feet.

Furniture was manufactured in Mount Joy many years ago by Martin Spickler. He was bought out in 1874 by D. H. Engle, who, having enlarged the facilities for manufacturing, is now doing an exten- sive business.

. The Press .- The Mount Joy Herald, which is the leading journal of the town, is one of the oldest news- papers in Lancaster County outside of the city. It was originated in 1854 by Frank H. Stauffer, who is now a popular writer of fiction. In 1863, J. R. Hof- fer, the present owner and publisher, bought it from Mr. Stauffer, assuming active control in March of that year. It was started as a four-column folio, but soon enlarged to a six-column folio. With the ex- ception of widening the columns to thirteen and a half ems primer, Mr. Hoffer published the Herald in the same size and form until 1880, when he supplied the office with a cylinder press and steam-power, and enlarged the paper to an eight-column folio. The Herald is and ever has been Republican in politics, and is a valuable local journal ably conducted.

The Star and News, as its name implies, is the prod- nct of a consolidation of two newspapers. These were the Milton Grove News and the Mount Joy Star. The latter paper was originally published in Master- sonville, on the 8th of November, 1872, by David Courtney and Joseph Stigler, and was a five-column folio. Mr. Courtney retired, and Mr. Stigler removed the paper to this place in April, 1873, where it was rechristened the Mount Joy Star, and soon transferred to L. M. and Harry Gallagher, whose names first ap- peared at its column head on May 14th. One year

later Harry Gallagher retired, L. M. Gallagher re -: maining as editor and L. D. Gallagher becoming pro- prietor. The paper at this time was enlarged to seven columns, and during the year L. M. Gallagher became proprietor. In January, 1878, L. D. Gallagher be- came the publisher, and Milton M. Leib the editor. The other branch of the paper was started March 20, 1875, by J. R. Missemer and S. L. Brandt, under the title of the Milton Grove News, with J. J. Sprenger, of Lancaster, as publisher. After one year's life it was suspended, but was revived Nov. 23, 1876, by J. R. Missemer, editor and proprietor. The papers were merged in 1879 under the title as given at the outset of this paragraph. It has since been conducted by J. R. Missemer, and of late changed from the old form to a six-column quarto.

Water-Works add to the attractiveness of the town as a place of residence. They were built in 1873-74 by the borough, the action having been au- thorized by a vote taken in 1872. The borough se- cured water-supply and water-power by purchasing the old Hiestand mill, on Little Chikis Creek. The water is forced from here to a large reservoir on the ridge by the Mount Joy Cemetery, whence it flows through mains to nearly all parts of the town, afford- .ing an effective means for fighting fire, as well as for sprinkling the streets and grass-plats. The cost of the works, with the mill, was forty thousand dollars. The building committee consisted of Samuel Kurtz, William Kuhn, and John M. Brandt. From the first William Kuhn has been superintendent, and he is at present in that office.

Gas-Works were constructed in 1879 by a char- tered corporation organized by T. S. C. Lowe. Most of the business houses and some residences are lighted by the medium which these works furnish, but the consumption is not large.

Friendship Fire Company, No. I, was organized Jan. 27, 1868. The officers then elected were : Presi- dent, Henry Shaffner; Vice-Presidents, 11. B. Dun- lap, John A. Grier ; Secretary, F. A. Ricker ; Assist- ant Secretary, J. E. Iloffer ; Treasurer, A. B. Landis ; Chief Engineer, R. P. Kelly ; Assistant Engineers, M. Himelspark, Aaron Sinaling, Ilenry H. Kriner, W. F. Brown, Henry S. Coover, James F. Youtz, George Buckius, Jr .; Chief Hose Director, Robert Whitehead ; Assistant Hose Directors, F. G. Pennell, William MeNeal, Jr., J. G. Metzger, Henry Peffer, Albert Culp, Jonas E. Risser, W. H. 1. Gillums ; Investigating Committee, J. W. Gilbert, A. B. Culp, H. II. Kriner; Trustees, William Brady, Charles C. Marsh, John Hildebrand ; Collector, Jacob Shelley ; Messenger, Col. F. E. Nagle. The members who or- ganized the company on the 27th day of January, 1868, were Henry Shaffer, I. B. Dunlap, John A. Grier, F. A. Ricker, J. E. Hoffer, A. B. Landis, R. I'. Kelly, W. F. Brown, Henry S. Coover, James F. Youtz, Michael Ilimelspark, Aaron Smaling, Henry II. Kri- ner, George Buckins, Robert Whitehead, F. G. Pen-

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HISTORY OF LANCASTER COUNTY.

nell, William McNeal, Jr., J. G. Metzger, Henry Pef- fer, Albert Culp, Jonas E. Risser, A. B. Culp, W. H. H. Gillums, John W. Gilbert, Jacob Shelley, John Hildebrand, Harry H. Nissley, Jerry Hagy, William Brady, John L. Gates, J. V. Long, W. R. Hartman, A. S. Brady, J. T. Miles, Owen P. Bricker, William C. Grier, Stephen J. Owens, Peter Waltz, Charles C. Marsh, Harrison Helman, John Fenstermacher, Cu- vier Spangler, Lewis Grogg, L. D. Gallagher, J. D. Good, H. Sholl, Col. F. E. Nagle, M. P. Seltzer, Jolın A. Huber, Samuel Riddle, Michael Drabenstadt, James Bell, A. B. Welsh, J. S. Welsh, Henry Hel- man, Jacob S. Carter, B. M. Greider, John H. Dula- bon, S. Donavan, A. K. Martin, Jacob Fenstermacher, Samuel Kurtz, Philip A. Pyle, . Levi Ricksecker, H. Austin Brady.

The membership at present is the same in numbers as it was at the date of organization. The company is supported by an annual appropriation from the borough Council; has a good first-class Button & Blake hand-engine, which, however, has been in dis- use since 1875, as a pressure sufficient to throw water over any house in town is placed on the pipes direet from the water-works in time of fire.

The present officers are: President, Levi Rick- secker; Vice-Presidents, M. Himelspark and Peter Waltz; Secretary, F. G. Pennell; Treasurer, Philip A. Pyle; Chief Engineer, S. M. Warner; Chief Hose Director, M. Himelspark.

Casiphia Lodge, No. 551, F. and A. M .- This lodge was constituted Sept. 21, 1877, with eighteen charter members. The first officers were J. V. Long, W. M .; Rev. William B. Brown, S. W. ; R. N. Long, J. W. Meetings are held Friday, on or before the full moon of each month, in a room over Philip Pyle's drug-store expressly fitted up for Masonic purposes. The present number of members is forty- nine, and the lodge is in excellent financial condition. The present officers are Henry N. Nissley, W. M .; Dr. James P. Zeigler, S. W. ; Henry L. Stager, J. W .; and William M. Speva, Treas.

Mount Joy Lodge, No. 277, I. O. of 0. F .- This lodge was chartered by the Grand Lodge of Penn- sylvania, Nov. 7, 1847. Its first officers were : N. G., John Kolp; V. G., Robert Dysart ; See., Jacob L. Nagle ; Asst. Sec., John L. Long ; Treas., John Pat- terson. The present officers are : N. G., J. B. Hipple ; V. G., Harrison Helman ; Sec., F. G. Pennell ; Asst. . See., C. M. Hershey ; Treas., Levi Ricksecker; Trus- tees, J. V. Long, William Kuhn, and C. M. Hershey. The present number of members is sixty-three. The lodge meets on Tuesday evening of each week in a well-furnished hall ; pays to its siek or disabled mem- bers five dollars per week benefits, one hundred dol- lars on the death of a member, and fifty dollars on the death of a member's wife. The lodge has at the present time a well-invested fund of over five thou- sand dollars.

Cave Lodge, No. 301, K. of P .- This lodge was

instituted June 22, 1871. The officers then elected were: V. P., W. S. Bruckart; W. C., Joseph A. Schlegelmilch ; V. C., M. M. Brubaker; R. S., J. Vergor Long ; F. S., J. W. Roland ; Banker, B. F. Eberle; Guide, Ilarry Sholl; I. S., Henry B. Culp; O. S., Henry F. Brandt. The lodge has a member- ship at present of one hundred and twelve. On July 1, 1873, the titles of the various officers were changed by the Sovereign Grand Lodge. The present officers are: C. C., William Mooney ; V. C., Dr. John J. Newpher; Prelate, S. M. Rupp; M. at A., J. B. S. Zeller; M. of E., M. Himelspark; M. of F., M. M. Brubaker; K. of R. and S., F. G. Pennell; I. G., John W. Brandt; O. G., George Haines.

Otsego Tribe, No. 59, I. O. R. M., was instituted in September, 1865, with the following members, viz .: John M. Culp, R. P. Kelly, William R. Hartman, A. D. Reese, A. B. Culp, and B. F. Eberle. A. B. Culp was made Sachem, R. P. Kelly, Senior Saga- more, and Mr. Eberle, Treas. The lodge has now fifty-eight members, and is in a flourishing condition, having about sixteen hundred dollars invested in various ways for its own use.

Cemeteries .- The oldest incorporated cemetery association is that which established and now con- trols Mount Joy Cemetery, which consists of six acres of land on a gently rising ridge, just north of the borough. This land, together with two acres since sold to the borough, to afford a site for the water- works reservoir, was purchased from Peter Heilman, soon after the association was formed in 1863. It has since been very tastefully laid out, and richly beauti- fied by the planting of ornamental trees and shrub- bery. Nearly eight hundred and fifty burials have been made in the cemetery during the twenty years since it was laid out. The records show that the date of incorporation was Aug. 19, 1863, and the incorpor- ators B. M. Greider, John Myers, George Wengar, C. M. Martin, Henry Stager, F. A. Ricker, David Brady, Henry Bechtold, S. P. Beckley, David U. Stoner, Alexander Patterson, Lewis P. Brudy, J. M. Culp, F. H. Stauffer, Dr. J. L. Zeigler, A. G. Good, H. H. Landis, Samuel Eshelman, J. R. Hoffer, Henry S. Myers, Alexander D. Reese, Peter Bruner. The officers were: President, George Wenger ; Secretary, J. R. Hoffer ; Treasurer, B. M. Greider; Superinten- dent, Jacob Lawrence.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.

JAMES AGNEW PATTERSON.

The subject of this biographical sketch is the grandson of James and Margaret Aguew Patterson and the son of James and Mary Watson l'atter- son. The ancestry of the family having been more fully given in the sketch of Judge D. W. Patterson, renders repetition here unnecessary. James Agnew

Fas, A, Patterson 11

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MANHEIM BOROUGH.

was born Sept. 26, 1810, in Rapho township, on the east bank of the Little Chikis. His youth was spent on the farm of his parents, the log school- house of the neighborhood, supplemented by a brief season at Mount Joy, affording him all the opportu- nities for education then at command. He early adopted agriculture as a calling, and soon became proficient in the management of a farm. He was married Nov. 14, 1844, to Miss Sarah M., daughter of Thomas Sterrett, of Rapho township. Their children are Mary W., Martha S., J. Howard, William S., Margaret J., and one who died in infancy. Of these Mary W. and William S. survive. The death of Mrs. Patterson occurred in the fall of 1858. By the removal of his father to Mount Joy, Mr. Patterson, just previous to his marriage, became the occupant of the homestead, on which he resided for several years. He later, desiring a respite from active labor, re- moved to Mount Joy, which has since been his place of residence. He has been identified with the in- terests of the borough and active in projects having for their object its advancement. All efforts towards the promotion of the canse of education have received his cordial co-operation ; the Monnt Joy Academy, now the Soldiers' Orphans' School, numbering him among its earnest supporters. He has also served for several terms as school director.

In politics Mr. Patterson was formerly an Old-Line Wbig and an Anti-Mason, and later became a Repub- lican. Ile is not, however, a strong party man, giving his ballot for men of integrity and capacity irrespec- tive of party ties. Ile is a gentleman of retired habits of life and of no political aspirations. Ilis name will, therefore, not be found on the roll of office-seekers or those who bear the palm of victory in the struggles for place and preferment. Mr. Patterson is in his religious convictions a Presbyterian, and an elder in the Donegal Church of that denomination.

CHAPTER XXXII.

MANHEIM BOROUGH.

THE borough of Manheim is situated ten miles north of Lancaster, and on the Reading and Colnm- bia Railroad. It lies wholly within the township of Rapho, and its eastern boundary is partially co-exten- sive with it, being the mill-race and the Big Chikis Creek.

terest to Henry William Stiegel, who immediately thereafter laid out the town of Manheim. The name of the town was derived from the village of Manheim, in Baden, from whence Stiegel came.

Early History .- At the time of the formation of the town there were two houses standing within its limits. These were both log structures, and one of them is yet standing on South Prussian Street. In 1762 there were five houses standing, at least two of them built by Stiegel. Ile first built a house on West High Street, near Market Square, afterwards on the northeast corner of East High Street and Market Square. This last house is now standing, though it has been nearly rebuilt, and is now the property of Henry Arndt. The office built by Stiegel, on the corner of North Charlotte Street and Market Square, is still standing. Among the earliest settlers in the borough were the Heintzelman, Minnich, Keiser, Long, Nauman, Wherly, and Stauffer families. John Heintzelman built the first hotel, the Black Horse. This house is now standing upon South Prussian Street, though no longer used as a hotel.

Andrew Bartrufl' was the first store-keeper. The store was located on North Prussian Street, and was also used for many years as a hotel. It was burned down April 19, 1861. The Spread Eagle Hotel was established about 1804, and owned by John Bartroff.

Legendary History .- Of Henry William Stiegel, or Baron Stiegel, as he is generally called, there are a great many stories told, and though they are prob- ably exaggerated, there may be some foundation in fact. He was certainly a very eccentric character, and of a decidedly energetic and speculative disposi- tion. Upon the top of the house corner High and Prussian Streets, built by him, was a cupola in which was stationed a watchman. Stiegel made frequent trips from Manheim to Elizabeth Furnace in a large coach drawn by four (some say eight ) beautiful horses. Upon his approaching the town it was the duty of the watchman to fire a cannon, used for that purpose, to let the people know of his arrival. Immediately upon hearing the sound of the cannon the people flocked to the house, and a band of music, made up from among the employés of the factory, proceeded to the cupola, and the baron made his entrance into the town amidst the firing of the cannon, the sound of music, and the cheers of the inhabitants. Amoug many tales of his eccentricity is a story of recorded fact that the lots upon which the Evangelical Lu- theran Church was built were deeded to them for the consideration of a red rose, to be paid yearly upon de- mand. It is a matter of record that this was paid at two different times; whether these are the only de- mands made for the rent it is not possible to state.

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History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 14

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Evans, Samuel, 1823-1908, joint author Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : Everts & Peck Number of Pages: 1320

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Evans, Samuel, 1823-1908, joint author
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1320