USA > Pennsylvania > Montgomery County > Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, a history, Volume I > Part 42
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45
Royersford-This borough was incorporated by decree of the Quar- ter Sessions Court, dated June 14, 1879. Twenty-nine landowners of the territory constituted a majority residing within the proposed limits. The first officers were appointed as follows: Adam Grander, judge; Allen S. Keeley and Silas S. Swarthy, inspectors. This borough is located on the eastern shore of the Schuylkill river, on the line of the Philadelphia & Reading railroad, and is thirty-two miles from Phila- delphia and sixteen miles out from Norristown. The general landscape is beautiful scenery. Its name is derived from the ancient ford over the Schuylkill at this point. The ford was named for the land owner Royer, who settled there very early. For many years there have been numer- ous manufacturing plants here. In 1884 historian Bean said there were at that date a population of more than one thousand; residences num- bering two hundred; two hotels, three dry goods stores, numerous groceries and shops, a drug store, marble shop, and sundry lesser places of business. David Gow was appointed postmaster in 1842 and was suc- ceeded by Daniel Schwenk in 1860.
The present borough officers are: John U. Islett, burgess; I. M. Schellinger, president town council (recently deceased) ; B. I. Latshaw, vice-president; E. S. Brownback, Daniel Mowrey, Joseph Walters, Josiah Halteman, Ira Latshaw, Arthur Richards, Charles Hurder, Jonas Moyer, Edward Keefer, and Alvin Harley. The treasurer is Fred H. Grander ; secretary, Benjamin Detwiler ; and A. J. Anderson, tax collec- tor. The bonded indebtedness is now $19,200. The borough has an excellent line of schools, the buildings now being valued at $75,000. The churches of the place include many denominations-Methodist, Bap- tist, Lutheran, United Evangelical, Brethren, Mennonites, Reformed and Episcopal. The population to-day is known to be 3,500, and in addition to the many church societies mentioned it supports good lodges of Masons, Odd Fellows, Independent Americans, Sons of America, Knights of the Golden Eagle, Owls, and an Eastern Star lodge auxiliary to the Masonic fraternity.
The story of the present industries here is best told by a list of the
380
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
various manufacturing plants now in operation, some many years old and others of a later origin, but each and all doing a paying business in their line and bringing thrift and wealth to the borough: Bard Manu- facturing Company, makers of screws, etc .; Buckwalter Stove Company ; the Granfer Stove Company ; Floyd Wells Stove Company ; Bush Broth- ers, mill supplies; Cann & Saul, steel products; Diamond Glass Com- pany, bottles ; E. Cut Knitting Company, underwear ; Hill Top Machine Company, machine work; International Woodenware Company, iron stands, etc .; Keystone Structural Iron Works, structural iron goods; National Knitting Company, underwear; W. H. Newborn & Company, bottles; Peerless Stove Lining Company; Rising Sun Embroidery Works; Royersford Foundry and Machine Company, foundry work; Royersford Hosiery Company, stockings; Royersford Needle Works, sewing machine needles; Royersford Spring Bed Factory ; Snow White Bleachery Company ; Rogers & Company, fire brick. The products from these many mills find their way to almost every portion of the globe and give employment to hundreds of working men. Of the banking interests, see chapter on Banks and Banking.
The Buckwalter Stove Company was founded in 1866, when Joseph A. Buckwalter and his brother, Henry L. Buckwalter, removed to Roy- ersford, and with C. S. Francis, Henry Francis and John Sheeler organ- ized the firm of Francis, Buckwalter & Company. This concern went into operation January 1, 1866, with a small capital and about fifty men. They manufactured stoves, agricultural implements and the Buckwalter cherry seeder. The Buckwalter brothers were the inventors, and what is rather unusual, they excelled in business qualifications as well. Orders for their goods multiplied rapidly, and the small factory was soon operated to its limit.
In 1870 C. S. Francis withdrew from the business, but no change was made in the firm name. The following year the firm found the capacity of their works too limited for their growing trade, and erected buildings and nearly doubled the capacity of the plant. About two years later, Mr. Henry Francis retired from the firm. The interests of C. S. Francis and Henry Francis were both purchased by the remaining partners, and the firm name was changed to Sheeler, Buckwalter & Company. The demand for their products continued to grow, and in 1875 a plan was laid out for the erection of additional buildings, and the following year con- struction was started. These plans have been substantially followed in the building up of the present large enterprise.
Shortly thereafter Mr. Sheeler died, and the Messrs. Buckwalter pur- chased the Sheeler interests and continued the business under the firm name of Buckwalter & Co., and this name continued until 1887. In 1882, Henry L. Buckwalter died, leaving only Joseph A. Buckwalter of the original group of five men who started the enterprise, but Mr. Buck-
BUCKWALTER STOVE COMPANY, ROYERSFORD
381
BOROUGHS
walter shouldered the additional responsibility and continued the busi- ness under the old style until 1887, when the present corporation was formed under the name of the Buckwalter Stove Company.
In 1888 the plant was increased by the addition of a six-story brick warehouse, increasing the capacity of the plant to about twenty-five thousand stoves and ranges per year. From its very start, this company has built a reputation for honest goods, has employed the best workmen and the best material obtainable, and has maintained an enviable reputa- tion for square dealing with its customers, and has contributed much to the development of the industry. Notable among its achievements was the introduction of the plain finished stoves and ranges, and the enam- eled stoves and ranges. Enameling was started in 1908, and was looked upon at that time as an additional means for selling stoves. It was not believed possible to develop a large enameling business, but to-day this company finds that the enameled range constitutes a large portion of its trade, and nearly every stove manufacturer in the country has followed the lead of the Buckwalter Stove Company in putting out enameled goods.
The buildings of this company cover about fifteen acres of floor space, with an output of about fifty thousand stoves and ranges a year. The buildings are all of solid construction, and are sprinkled throughout. The factory is served by the Philadelphia & Reading railroad and the Penn- sylvania railroad, both of which have switches entering the plant. Buck- walter stoves and ranges are sold from Maine to Florida, and from New Jersey to California.
The officers of the company are as follows: Joseph A. Buckwalter, president; A. L. Buckwalter, vice-president and superintendent; Dr. Joseph A. Buckwalter, treasurer ; F. J. Stephenson, secretary.
Red Hill-Late in the seventies a post office was established at this point. This "hill" is located on the old turnpike road, about one mile below the former village of Hillegassville. At that time there was a store kept there, the proprietor of which was selling out, and there being no other place for a post office to be housed, it was moved to the store at what is now Red Hill. This village had its real beginning in 1836, when Jacob A. Hillegass built a large general store building as well as a spacious dwelling house. In 1884, records of the place show that the place then consisted of about a dozen dwellings, a schoolhouse belong- ing to the Upper Hanover district, a blacksmith shop, a tailor shop, a cigar factory, and a few other business interests. As the decades have passed, this has come to be a good trading point; has about eight hun- dred population ; it is a station of considerable importance on the Read- ing line ; has its general stores, shops, hotel, churches, and all that goes to make up a small Montgomery county borough. The place was incor- porated in 1902.
382
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Rockledge-This borough, really suburban to the city of Philadelphia, was carved from out the civil township of Abington, in the extreme eastern portion of Montgomery county. It is in close proximity to the borough of Jenkintown, on its west border. It has no industrial inter- ests to mention, but is a fine residential spot and there are hundreds of good residences, also the usual number of general stores and shops. In 1920 the census reports gave it as having a population of 3,045. It is on a branch of the Reading railroad, and has really more interests in Phil- adelphia than it has, commercially, with Montgomery county.
Souderton-Souderton is situated on the line of the North Pennsyl- vania railroad, about twenty-seven miles distant from Philadelphia. It also now has easy access to and from outside points, by means of the electric cars, usually running every hour. The Union National Bank (see Bank chapter) was established here in 1876, on a $90,000 capital. For an account of schools, see Educational chapter. The churches now represented in the borough are the Reformed, Brethren in Christ, Evan- gelical, Mennonites and Lutheran. The present borough officers include these: H. A. Groff, burgess; the clerk of the borough is Mr. Goettler, the newspaper man of the place ; H. S. Souder, vice-president of the com- mittee of ways and means. The industries found here are the four clothing factories, the stocking factory and silk mills, all of which are of the smaller size, yet the total persons employed nearly the year round is considerable for a place no larger than Souderton. Then there are the three cigar factories and a cigar box factory.
West Telford-The ground on which stands the village or borough (as it is now) was purchased in 1737, by Conrad Detterer from Hum- phrey Murray. It originally embraced about one hundred and twenty acres, the major part being on the Montgomery county side of the line. The County Line road was opened up through here in 1752. It stands within a prosperous agricultural section, and this, with a small amount of local retail business, called for a bank, and its history will be seen in Banking chapter in this work. It has a population of about one thou- sand; the 1920 census gave it 927. It is out of municipal debt, has numerous school and church interests. The churches are the Methodist Episcopal, Lutheran and Reformed denominations. The present burgess is C. A. Paulus; the clerk is postmaster, H. C. Lampoe; treasurer, A. S. Kulp. Of the producing industries of West Telford it may be said there are here found a shirt factory, a clothing factory, two cigar factories, all of which do a thriving business. Just across the county line is Telford. This place is also a borough of some importance, but not being in Mont- gomery county needs not our attention.
Trappe-The history of this vicinity dates away back to what the present residents are pleased to term "ancient days." This is the oldest
OLDEST LUTHERAN CHURCH IN U. S., TRAPPE-INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR OF OLD SWEDISH CHURCH, BRIDGEPORT
383
BOROUGHS
village within Upper Providence township, and was originally called Landau. Samuel Seely bought one hundred and fifty acres in the village, October 19, 1762. This land is on the west side of the turnpike and is nearly opposite the Lutheran church. Simetime about 1763, Mr. Seely divided the land into town lots and called his new town site Landau, but at the other end of the town others were busy making a name for the town, too. The first licensed hotel of Montgomery county shows that in 1784 a license was issued by the court to George Brook for "the Trap Hotel, Providence township," and it was renewed in that form many years thereafter. Notice the spelling, one "p." Time went on and finally it was being advertised and spelled with two "p's," and still later an "e" was added, making it read "Trappe," as it is usually known to-day by everyone. The post office was established in 1819, and its first post- master was John Todd. Here was built the first Lutheran church in America that was still standing in good shape when Bean wrote his Montgomery county history in 1884, and he says of this historic build- ing: "The Augustus Lutheran Church, Trappe, is the most noted of all the churches in the county. The old building was erected in 1743. Ten years before this time, the Lutheran church was organized in Providence township. The cornerstone was laid May 2, 1743. Rev. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg arrived from Germany, and became the pastor and built the church in 1743." It was he who has credit for founding the Lutheran church in America. In days of the Revolutionary War, he complained that Trappe had no hotel, whereas before the war it boasted of three very good inns. It is still noted as a hotel point for travelers and tourists, especially in summer. The Lanib Hotel and the Fountain House are both very aged and are kept up in good repair and conducted by natural- born landlords.
Trappe of to-day is an incorporated borough, its municipal history only going back about thirty years. Its present burgess is Elmer Burns : its clerk is Frank Shalkop; and the treasurer, Edward Beckman. The population is about four hundred and twenty-five. The borough has an indebtedness of $12,000, running thirty years at five per cent. interest. The indebtedness of the local school district is not heavy, and the best of schools obtain here. In 1922 the present two room schoolhouse was completed at a cost of $20,000. The postmaster, Frank Rushong, has held the position for thirty years, under six Presidents. The churches of the borough are the Reformed, Methodist Episcopal, and Lutheran, the last-named oldest of them all. A good firehouse was erected for the borough in 1912. 'The Lamb hotel has had more than one hundred annual licenses granted it, while the Fountain Inn has had one hundred and seventeen granted to it. The present landlord, who is also treasurer of the place, Edward Beckman, has been in charge of the hotel for twenty- six years. The only thing to remind one of a lodge here is the Pomona
384
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry. Street cars run to and from Norristown nearly every hour in the day.
West Conshohocken-This was incorporated as a borough in 1874, its territory being taken from Upper Merion and Lower Merion town- ship. It stands on the right bank of the Schuylkill river, opposite the borough of Conshohocken. The Pennsylvania and Reading steam rail- ways pass through the place. Here history tells us there were lively times when the British and Continental armies were both in these imme- diate parts. Industry was first well planted here. It was here that the first textile mills to produce woolen yarns and immense amounts of woolen goods for the surrounding territory started. Also large amounts of pig iron were produced. For many years the industries dwindled to almost nothing, but in recent times have materially revived again, and now make worsted yarns, paper fibre, and numerous chemicals. In 1910 the population was 2,202, but now many more. A couple of years ago the borough indebtedness was only $20,000, and of the school dis- trict $21,000. Richard Clinton is present burgess. There is excellent fire protection in way of an effective fire company and modern appliances.
The churches here found are: Free Baptist; St. Gertrude Roman Catholic; Balligomingo Baptist Church, founded in 1840; the Holiness Christian Church; and others. The clubs and lodges for fraternal and benevolent works are numerous among the different classes of people. Washington and his army forded the river at this point in the month of December, 1777. Increased traffic called for a bridge here and the first one was constructed in 1833, the Matson Ford bridge. This was superseded in 1872 by an iron structure which served until recently, when a modern concrete bridge was constructed at great expense. Street car and steam railroad service makes travel to and from the cities only a matter of a few minutes' ride.
-------
NORRISTOWN VIEWS-ELMWOOD PARK PICNIC GROUNDS, HIGH SCHOOL, DE KALB STREET, AND BARBADOES ISLAND
CHAPTER XXXI. NORRISTOWN BOROUGH.
Norristown, the seat of justice for Montgomery county, is situated on the east bank of the Schuylkill river, sixteen miles northwest of the city of Philadelphia. Since its extension in 1853 it is about two miles square, and in 1885 surveyed out near 2,300 acres, and was then divided into seven wards for municipal governmental affairs. Its front along the river is fully two miles, and extends back about the same distance. At its north is Norriton township; on its southeast is Plymouth town- ship; on the south and southwest is the Schuylkill river. It was created a borough by act of the General Assembly, March 31, 1812, with an area of 520 acres. All its territory was taken from Norriton township, save about 158 acres from Plymouth township in 1853. Within its limits there are two streams entering the Schuylkill, the larger being Stony creek, seven miles long; two of these are in the borough proper, and this rapid stream at one time propelled six gristmills, two sawmills, besides other manufacturing plants. Saw Mill run rises in Whitpain ยท township, is four miles in length, and in its course used to run a grist- mill, a sawmill and a clover huller. The population of Norristown has increased rapidly at different periods in its history. The United States census gives figures as follows: In 1820 there were 827 inhabitants; in 1830, 1,009; in 1840, 2,937; in 1850, 6,024; in 1860, 8,848; in 1870, 10,753; in 1880 it had 13,163; in 1900, 22,265; in 1920 it had 32,819. In May, 1883, Norristown contained 281 licensed retailers and dealers, besides 29 hotels, 13 restaurants, eight liquor stores and two breweries. Going back to 1840, the stores only numbered fourteen ; in 1858 they had grown to 108, and in 1876 to 193. In 1790 the place only had 18 houses ; in 1832 it had 151; in 1850, 1,006; in 1860 it had 1,662 dwellings, occupied by 1,673 families. The place was early devoted to manufacturing. Early in the eighties the industries had come to be listed as follows: Ten cot- ton and woolen factories ; two furnaces and iron works; three foundries, two tack works, two shirt and two hosiery factories; three lumber and planing mills; two merchant flour mills, oil and glass works, gleaner and binder, with lesser industries.
Civil Government-By an act of the Assembly dated February 8, 1847, the borough was divided into what was termed Upper and Lower Wards. Again in 1852 it was divided into Upper, Middle and Lower Wards. May 12, 1871, it was further divided into First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Wards. In December, 1881, the Sixth Ward was created by the Court of Quarter Sessions. The next change in wards was when on May 20, 1884, First Ward was divided, and from it the Seventh
Mont-25
386
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Ward was made, and comprised all the territory within the borough limits westward from Chain street, as it extends from the Schuylkill north to Elm street. The present number of wards is eleven.
Before going into a detailed account of the municipality of Norris- town, with a list of its more important officials, it is well to know the vital facts connected with the history of the place before it was an incor- porated borough. The village of Norristown, or rather the spot selected as the county seat, in 1784, when Montgomery county was separated from Philadelphia county, consisted of the new county buildings, a mill at the foot of Swede street, schoolhouse, two stores, three taverns, a dozen or not to exceed twenty dwellings, with less than one hundred inhabitants. The public buildings were erected on the natural grade of the earth, Swede street, descending to Egypt (now Main street), which was so steep as to be difficult to use; accordingly, years afterwards, it was excavated some depth, leaving the "court-house yard," as it used to be called, several feet above the street, and a retaining wall erected against the bank, which remained until about 1855, when the square was graded, terraced, and inclosed by the borough of Norristown. At the time the wall improvement was made (supposed about 1804) a small one-storied stone building was erected at the southwestern corner of the square, on Main street, for the accommodation of the "Pat Lyon" fire-engine, in which it remained stored until the removal of the old court-house and improvement of the public square, before stated.
It should be remembered that Norristown did not become a borough until 1812, which was twenty-eight years after the county was organ- ized and Norristown was selected as the county seat. Prior to 1810 there were no means of crossing the Schuylkill river except by the crude fer- ries, but during that year the Flat Rock bridge between Lower Merion and Manayunk, and about that date the Pawling bridge for the Ridge road, between Lower Providence and Chester county, were built. But in 1821 the Schuylkill was spanned by another bridge at Pottstown. As early as 1815 there had been an act passed for a bridge at Norristown, but for want of funds was not undertaken until 1828-29, when a fine arched foot and carriage-way of 1,050 lineal feet was built at a cost of $31,200. This is the old covered bridge. Up to about 1820 the river front at Norristown was but farming land, and previous to the DeKalb street bridge, just mentioned, that street was not opened up much below Lafayette, and between the line of Washington street and the river it was only a rough uneven cart-road so steep as to be almost impassable to carriages. It may be said that up to 1816 Norristown and Pottstown, the only boroughs of the county, had improved little beyond a cross-road village. In that year David Sower's weekly newspaper (the "Herald" of to-day), records the extent of Norristown thus: "Near one hundred houses, including public buildings, one clergyman, five lawyers, five taverns, and a daily stage to Philadelphia." But a new era was ushered
0
m
NORRISTOWN CHURCHES TRINITY REFORMED-ST. PATRICK'S-ALL SAINTS
387
BOROUGHS
in for this county and borough in 1826, when the canal was completed, this great work extending from Philadelphia to Port Carbon, in Schuyl- kill county, one hundred and eight miles, and cost $2,966,480, or about $27,000 per mile. It consisted of sixty-three miles of canal proper, and forty-five of slack-water navigation, made so by thirty-four dams. The original one hundred and nine locks, eighty feet long and seventeen broad, were enlarged in 1846, and so increased in capacity as to pass boats of one hundred and eighty tons, instead of sixty as before ; and the shipping of coal, which began the first year at 16,776 tons, increased steadily until by 1857 it had reached 1,275,988 tons, notwithstanding a railroad compe- tition had been fully established. But the most important result of this great achievement to our county was the creation of water-power, taken up and utilized at Norristown and Conshohocken. Previous to this time there had been no manufactory of cotton or other textile fabrics in our county on the line of the Schuylkill, driven by its water-power. In 1826 McCredy's cotton factory and a white lead and stone sawing mill were erected and soon went into operation, and not long after a rolling and nail mill, all driven by water-power drawn from the Navigation dam at Norristown. At Conshohocken, also, another stone mill, a gristmill, sheet iron works and spade factory of James Wood & Sons were put into operation by the surplus water of Plymouth dam. Within the limits of Montgomery county, and between it, Philadelphia, and Chester, the Navigation erected six dams, the lowest of them at Manayunk, hardly inferior as a source of power to that on the Merrimac at Lowell, Massa- chusetts. The next important era in Norristown was the coming of the Pennsylvania railroad in 1834, and the Philadelphia & Reading in 1838, with other lines now controlled by those two great systems of steam railway.
From 1847 on to the period ending in the seventies and eighties, there were many excellent borough improvements in way of public buildings, etc. These were described in 1883 as follows:
Norristown Insurance and Water Company's works, erected 1847, and greatly enlarged, with new basin, 1879; Montgomery Cemetery, 1848; Norristown Gas Company's works, constructed 1853; market- house, covering the square from Airy to Marshall, built about 1855; Norris City Cemetery, founded 1858; Montgomery National Banking- House, erected 1854, and First National building, 1869; Farmers' Mar- ket (formerly Reiff's), established about 1868; Norristown Library building, erected 1859; Odd Fellows' Hall, erected 1850; Soldiers' Mon- ument, nineteen feet high, erected in the public square, 1870; Music Hall, with accommodations for Masonic lodge and post office; West- ern Market House and Hall, at Kohn and Marshall streets. Conspicu- ous among Norristown's latest public improvements is the great State Hospital for the Insane. The fire department of the borough consists of the Norris, Humane, and Montgomery Hose and Steam Fire Engines, and the Fairmount Hose or Hook-and-Ladder Company. All of these associations have erected large three-story brick engine houses with
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.