USA > Pennsylvania > Berks County > Kutztown > The centennial history of Kutztown, Pennsylvania : celebrating the centennial of the incorporation of the borough, 1815-1915 > Part 19
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J. Daniel Sharadin, Jeff. C. Hoch, Wilson B. Kutz, Nicholas W. Kieffer, Nathan S. Schmehl.
HOPE CEMETERY
On April 8th, 1861, an application was filed for the opening of a new burial ground which is now known as Hope Cemetery. It adjoins the old burial plot belonging to St. John's Union Church. The petitioners of Hope Cemetery were: Samuel Schwey- er, William Hine, Daniel Bieber, David Kutz, John W. Bieber, Jacob R. Heffner, Chas. W. Esser.
I. Pringle Jones, President Judge of the Berks County on September 17th, 1861, granted the petition.
The first Board of Trustees were: Henry Schmick, Jacob R. Heffner, William Hoch, George S. Kutz, Gabriel Klein, Daniel Yox-
FAIRVIEW CEMETERY AND FAIRVIEW MANSION (Fistt Grave Indicated by Arrow)
theimer, William Heine, Charles S. Kutz, and J. Daniel Wanner. The officers of the board were: George S. Kutz, President ; Charles W. Esser, Secretary, and William Hine, Treasurer.
The present board are : Jacob S. Swoyer, John A. Schwoyer, George Wink, David D. Kutz, James Schaeffer, C. D. Herman, Sanı- nel S. Heffner, George Glasser and Fred N. Baer. The officers are: David D. Kutz, President : Jacob S. Swoyer, Secretary, and James Schaeffer, Treasurer.
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CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF KUTZTOWN
THE POST OFFICE
In early times postal facilities were very limited. Even so late as 1835 the citizens of the vicinity, in order to enjoy the read- ing of their paper, "The Neutralist." with- out great delav. "were forced to organize societies, the object of which was to eke out the deficiencies of their postal accommo- dations. Thus, at a meeting of its sub- scribers in Rockland, August 1, 1835, they bound themselves, each in his turn, under a penalty of fifty cents, to bring the paper from the printing office every Wednesday and deliver it on Thursday morning at the
store of Thomas Oyster." ( Ermentrout).
The first post office in the county was at Reading, established March 20, 1793. Next was Hamburg. July 1, 1798. Kutztown was third, July 1, 1805. Subjoined is a list of the postmasters, as furnished May 21, 1915. to the Centennial Historical Committee by Daniel C. Roper, First Assistant Postmaster General, through the kindly services of Postmaster Llewellyn Angstadt. It will be noted that until September 19, 1835, the official spelling of the name of the town was "Cootstown."
Office
Postmaster
Appointment
Cootstown, Pa.
Jacob Harman, Est.
1805, July Ist
Henry Heist
1806, Oct. I
Joseph Heist 1821, Feb. Q
Name changed 1835, Sept. 19
Joseph Heist 1835, Sept. 19
C. B. Bast
1851, Feb. 25
George J. Fister
1853, May 5
H. F. Bickel
1857. Dec. 4
Charles Helfrich
1861, June 25
66
Daniel Bieber 1865, Mar. 2
Jacob C. Geehr
1865, Dec. 6
H. F. Bickel
1867, April 19
Jonathan Bieber 1869, April 10
C. H. Bieber 1880, Oct. 4
William Sander 1885, April 8
66
M. T. Donmoyer
1880, May I
(First Presidential Postmaster )
Wm. R. Sander 1894, May 3
46
Tohn P. S. Fenstermacher 1808, May 12
66
Llewellyn Angstadt
1914, Mar. 20
Note-The first appointment made as Third Class was that of M. T. Donmoyer (Re-appointed ) by President Harrison, April 26, 1890.
So far the First Assistant Postmaster Gen- eral. The following notes may be added :
Under Henry Heist and Joseph Heist was the post office was conducted in a stone building, which, burned down in 1859, stood where Jacob H. Stump's house now stands. Joseph Heist was a cripple, a hunchback, with one side of his face disfigured with a birthmark.
C. B. Bast kept the post office where now W. S. Christ has his store.
George J. Fister, brother to Col. T. D. Fister, sorted the mail in the building where now jeweler Wm. E. Myers regulates time- pieces.
In 1857 Hiram F. Bickel removed the office to where Alvin S. Christ's stationerv store now is. During his second term of office, 1867-1869, he had it in the D. L. Wartzenluft building, then owned by the Rev. J. S. Herman.
Charles Helfrich had the office where now is the Keystone Five and Ten Cent Store, the property of the D. B. Snyder Estate. For a time, however, while he was post- master he was located in the frame house of Mrs. Isaac Strasser, on the northeast corner of Main street and Strasser alley, where now is A. M. Herman's Ten Cent Store.
Capt. Daniel Bieber, grandfather of Con- gressman Arthur G. Dewalt, kept the office at the same place.
Jacob C. Geehr, succeeding Bieber, re- mained in the same building for a time and then moved to Daniel R. Levan's building. on the corner of Main and Greenwich streets.
Jonathan Bieber, grandfather of Rev. Milton T. Bieber and Dr. U. S. G. Bieber. moved the office to the house now occupied by Charles A. Hottenstein, D. D. S.
Clinton H. Bieber, son of Captain Daniel Bieber, and uncle of Hon. A. G. Dewalt. continued in the same place.
William Sander moved the office to his
Date of
Kutztown, Pa.
CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF KUTZTOWN
119
home farther up town, next to the home of Dr. N. Z. Dunkelberger.
Milton T. Donmoyer, living in the Levan house, corner of Main and Greenwich streets, re-established the office in the quar- ters occupied some twenty years before.
William R. Sanders, becoming post- master, took the office back to the Sander home.
John P. S. Fenstermacher started in where C. D. Herman's clothing store now is. Later he fitted up the room occupied by the office in his own home until a few days ago.
Llewellyn Angstadt beginning in the Fenstermacher house has within the last
few days removed the office to its present location, which now, greatly improved and more than ever suited to the purpose, is for the third time the home of the Kutz- town post office.
No one seems to have any recollection of the first postmaster, Jacob Harman, or of the location of the office while he was in charge.
The present office force consists of Llewellyn Angstadt; postmaster ; Jonathan Dietrich, assistant postmaster; Mrs. Lynn Koch, clerk; Samuel N. Angstadt, sub- clerk.
There are seven incoming mails daily and eight outgoing and four rural routes.
CHARLES O'NEIL Who was a familiar figure in Kutztown years ago
The above is a picture of Mrs. Mary Schlenker at her spinning wheel. She was married to Josialı Schlenker and they were the parents of 17 children, five of whom are living. Mr. and Mrs. Schlenkerwere natives of Greenwich. She died at Grimsville in 1901
[20
CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF KUTZTOWN
THE PRESS OF THE CENTURY BY CONRAD GEHRING
It is at the request of the historical com- mittee that I reduce to writing my exper- iences as an humble representative of the press which was one of the strong forces in the development of Kutztown in the century just completed. At the outstart I want to mention that the newspapers were only the mouthpieces of a strong progres- sive spirit that prevailed in Kutztown from away back and in every new movement the papers had the solid backing of a noble and aggressive citizenship. Whatever the pa- pers advocated in the line of progress was heartily supported by a class of citizens of which every community might be proud. In every movement that was proposed by the papers the only question was, "Is it right?" and if the answer was in the affirma- tive, every man put his shoulder to the wheel, and it was right in the end. In the century which is being celebrated now the writer can only cover 37 years by per- sonal experience, but that, of course, is an essential part of the century.
Kutztown was enterprising from the start and the need of a newspaper was felt in its early existence. An attempt was made to publish a German weekly before the forties, but no success was attained until a man by the name of Hawrecht established the Geist der Zeit. Mr. Hawrecht was a man of literary attainments and published a German paper that was a credit to him- self and the community. The writer in his early life had access to the files of the Geist der Zeit, but they subsequently disappeared much to his regret. No doubt they are still in existence and the future historian may be able to obtain them and thereby open a splendid source of information about Kutz- town before the Civil War. As it is, the writer has to start from the time of his personal knowledge.
How I GOT To KUTZTOWN
When I entered the office of the Penn- sylvanier, a German paper, published at Lebanon, Pa., as an apprentice to the print- ers' trade (then a boy of 17 years), I be- came acquainted with Daniel Miller, a jour- neyman and as things were then conducted in printing offices, considered the foreman of the shop. The Pennsylvanier was the leading and money-making paper of the county, because the language of the people was Pennsylvania German and all the sales of farm stock, commonly called "vendues,"
characteristic of German Pennsylvania to this day, were published in the German paper and well paid for. There were two prosperous English weeklies, The Courier, published by Warth and Reinoehl, ( Repub- lican), and the Lebanon Advertiser, (Dem- ocratic), published by William Breslin, which, as the language changed, gained in circulation whilst the Pennsylvanier was bound, for the same reason, to go back- ward. The relation between Daniel Miller and myself developed into a fast friendship.
"Dan," as I always called him, was am- bitious and a fine type of the brainy Penn- sylvania Germans. Having little schooling the printing office became his university, where he pursued his studies with a zeal that made him a fluent writer in English and German and an author and publisher of renown.
In the Grant campaign of 1868, when Berks county had no German Republican organ, the enterprising leaders of the "Grand Old Party" collected a fund and started a German campaign paper under the name of Republikaner von Berks. When Grant was elected and the fund exhausted Daniel Miller bought the Republikaner von Berks, built up a good circulation and laid the foundation for his successful publishing house. He asked me to go along to Read- ing as foreman of his office and complete my apprenticeship with higher pay. I ac- cepted the offer. Dan subsequently ob- tained the contract to publish the Reformirte Hausfreund, edited by Rev. Dr. B. Baus- man, of sainted memory, and later establish- ed the Reformed Church Record, besides publishing numerous books.
Whilst working in this capacity I formed many fast friendships, among these was a German confectioner and ice cream manu- facturer, who had his place at the southeast corner of Sixth and Franklin streets. He was well educated and a poet of consider- able ability. One day in the fall of 1871 he sent a messenger to the office requesting me to call at his place, as he had a matter of great importance to discuss with me. When I got to his place he introduced me to a stranger of nearly middle age, as the publisher of the Kutstown Journal. His name was Isaac F. Christ. Mr. Christ, who had been a farmer and school teacher, with no knowledge of the printing trade, but with considerable enterprise, had begun the publi- cation of the Kutstown Journal, a German
121
CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF KUTZTOWN
weekly. Not being a printer himself, he liad to depend upon employed help for the editorial and mechanical work of the paper, whilst he himself conducted a DOOK store and the business office. His last editor and printer had just left him in the furch and ne applied to his friend Kuler whether he coulant recommend him a steady man who would ht the place. Mr. Kuler answered in the affirmative and sent for me. It took but a short time to come to terms and I prom- ised to come to Kutztown on the big fair day ( Thursday ) of the following week. 1 did as promised, looked the plant over and made an agreement. The first number un- der my editorial and mechanical manage- ment appeared on Thursday, November 10, 1871. The paper had been established Feb. 1, 1870, shortly after the Kutztown branch of the Allentown and Auburn Railroad had been opened, which was the first railroad connection in the old town's history. The first editor was Charles Kolbe, of Doyles- town, Bucks county, and he was followed by Fred. Konietzky, who had formerly worked on Rosenthal's Reading Post.
Incidentally it may be mentioned here, that Mr. Rosenthal had bought the hand press and other material of the defunct Geist der Zeit and Der Neutralist which had flourished in Kutztown for many years before the Civil War. The publisher of the Geist der Zeit was Mr. Hawrecht, already mentioned. He raised a conspicuous fam- ily of sons and daughters. The writer had the honor of starting housekeeping in the home on Walnut street which Mr. Haw- recht built for himself. When the Ohio fever broke out, Mr. Hawrecht, with his printing outfit and family, moved to Ohio, but later came back and in partnership with Charles Wink published Der Neutralist.
How KUTZTOWN LOOKED
The writer started for the Kutztown fair and for what proved to be the field of his labors for an average life-time. After leav- ing Reading he was a stranger in a strange land. There were then on the East Penn branch of the Philadelphia and Reading sys- tem only three trains connecting for Kutz- town, one in the morning, one at noon and one in the afternoon. There was then, as there has been ever since, a special train on account of the big day of the Kutztown fair, but the writer took the regular morn- ing train. As a matter of course, every farm, every village, every stopping point. the hills on the right, the flourishing rich valley on the left, every person entering or leaving the train, their language, manner of speech and bearing was a subject of ob-
servation and study. It was soon evident to the writer that his lot had fallen in one of the best sections of the grand State of Pennsylvania and among a class of people who for straightforwardness, integrity, in- dustry, thrift, hospitality and unaffected, un- pretentious friendship has no superiors.
At Topton, so named because it is the highest point on the East Penn Railroad, between Reading and Allentown, the pas- sengers had to change cars for Kutztown. The branch to Kutztown was the only com- pleted link of the projected Allentown and Auburn Railroad. Approaching Kutztown the stranger from the car window tried to "size up" the town. It stretched up from the Saucony Creek, in two pretty compact lines of houses to the top of a commanding emi- nence on which was visible the original building of the Keystone State Normal School. There was one parallel street only partly built up, Walnut street ( then pop- ularly called back street, or in Pennsylvania German hinnerstross.) There were four lateral streets, Greenwich, Noble, White Oak and Baldy's Lane, but only sparsely built up. The one-arch masonry bridge across the Saucony looked too small for the watershed of the stream, and this first impression was verified when the usual spring flood came next season. Then the bridge looked like a diminutive fort lost in a raging river. On the right, going up Main street, was an old log house, while on the left were Daniel J. Sharadin's tan- nery and residence, strong signs of thrift and prosperity. For the rest of the stretch the houses were a varie! picture of con- struction, some of substantial limestone, a few of broad-board frame, with side bench- es on the stoop, and most of them of brick and modern looking. All of them presented an air of prosperity and contentment. The steady march of progress has not only mod- ernized the entire aspect of the town but extended and broadened it in every direc- tion until today it is one of the prettiest and most wide-awake little cities in the Key- stone State.
THE CRADLE OF THE PATRIOT
The printing office of the Kutstown Journal, which was destined to develop into a prominent publication house, was neither remarkable for size, arrangement nor comfort. But it answered its purpose and was only the first unit of a more com- prehensive plan. The building, erected in the rear of Mr. Christ's bookstore and resi- dence, next door to the time-honored Pen- sylvania House, was of frame about 16x20 feet, one story, with a two-story annex
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CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF KUTZTOWN
in the rear. Mr. Christ had bought from Ritter and Hawley, publishers of the Reading Adler and Reading Eagle, the old Hoe railway press, which had done service for the Reading Gasette, the forerunner of the weekly Eagle. The press took up by far the greater part of the room. The type cases, stone and edi- torial desk were lined up against the one
side and rear wall. The annex was built of light frame and could not be used in cold weather. Inside of two years, however, Mr. Christ built a second story on the original unit and had the whole plastered. After that there was ample room, good light and the whole place comfortable.
About this time Kutztown started upon an era of progressiveness and prosperity. Business was booming and everybody fell in with the spirit of the times. Besides flourishing stores there were three banks, also a private bank; they were the Kutz- town National Bank, founded by one of the most aggressive spirits kutztown ever had, Col. Thos. D. Fister ; the Kutztown Savings Bank, of which A. J. Fogel, formerly of Fogelsville, was the head, and the Peabody Savings Bank, conducted by J. Daniel Wan- ner and his son, Solon A. The private bank was that of Dr. Ed. Hottenstein, the father of a prominent family of physicians. Every- thing was booming and the printing office kept pace with the times.
Prof. John S. Ermentrout, the first prin- cipal of the Keystone State Normal School, a scholarly man, of the salt of the earth, had turned Catholic and became a mem- ber of the faculty of St. Charles Barromeo Seminary, Philadelphia. 'The board of trus- tees elccted as his successor Rev. Dr. A. R. Horne, then city superintendent of Wil- liamsport, an educator and author of re- nown. As his term as city superintendent did not expire until the spring of 1872, Prof. N. C. Schaeffer, a son of Maxatawny township, one of the first graduates of the new Normal School and a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College, was made acting principal in the interim. At the ex- piration of the interim Prof. Schaeffer went to Germany to complete his education in the leading universities of the Fatherland. The reader, of course, will at once perceive the connection between the then acting principal and the present famous head of education of Pennsylvania, an educator of world-wide fame.
When Rev. Dr. Horne arrived in Kutz- town he brought with him the National Educator, an educational monthly, which he founded in his early career and which
was then published by contract from the Journal office.
Being somewhat ambitious and possessed of a strong desire to run his own plant, the writer entertained a proposition from his former boss to go to Snyder county and revive the defunct Middleburg L'olksfreund. Accordingly he resigned his Kutztown posi- tion, to take effect April 1, 1873, and went to Middleburg. Whilst he succeeded in raising quite a respectable subscription list, he soon discovered that because of the tran- sition of language, there was no future for him in that field and he kept his eye open for better fields. When in the fall of the same year he had occasion to go to Phila- delphia to participate in the parade in honor of the dedication of the new Masonic Tem- ple, he concluded to go home by the way of Kutztown, in order to mcet some of the friends he had left there. Arriving at Top- ton, to change cars for Kutztown, he met Isaac F. Christ, the proprietor of the Kutz- town printing office, who at once extended to him a flattering offer to come back to his old place with the privilege of naming his own salary. The offer was accepted and Conrad moved back to his old stamping grounds.
When the writer left for Middleburg his position as editor and superintendent was filled by Emil Meister, also a Swiss by birth and a scholarly man. He went from Kutztown to Baltimore to take charge of the Baltimore Wecker, a prominent German daily. While thus engaged in journalistic work he incidentally studied for the Luth- eran ministry and was ordained as a minis- ter of the Lutheran Church of the new school, or what was then and still is known as the General Synod. He accepted a call to Lancaster where he built up St. Stephen's church and made quite a name for himself as an organizer and author of German church publications.
THE PATRIOT ENTERS THE FIELD
The writer foresaw that owing to the fact that the public schools laid stress on the English language and German was only taught in the home, the Sunday Schools and catechetical classes, the German would in course of time be superceded by the English. The territory was in a state of transition so far as language was concerned. Hc proposed to the publisher, Mr. Christ, that we start a new paper, half English and half German, which could keep apace with the transition, increase its English part and finally become an English paper. The publisher saw the matter in the same light and the result was the American
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CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF KUTZTOWN
Weekly Patriot. The first number appeared Saturday, May 16, 1874. The editorial an- nouncement explained its intents and aims in the following words: "Instead of stating in a long article how and what we will do, we simply refer our readers to the present number, which will show them that the paper contains English and German read- ing matter and is especially adapted to that class of Pennsylvania Germans and those families who are educated in the one and are anxious of acquiring the other lan- guage. We hope and believe that our ef- forts in furnishing our community with reading matter especially adapted to its var- ious classes will be properly appreciated and a large subscription list be the re- sponse.'
A CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP
Among the many apprentices who were initiated into the black art at this office and made names for themselves was Alfred B. Urick, a native of Lebanon county. He left the office to take a business course in Eastman's Business College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. After the lapse of some time he came to Kutztown and proposed to the writer a partnership to buy the plant if the owner was willing to sell. Mr. Christ was willing and the printing office passed to the ownership of Urick and Gehring. This was in March, 1875. The first numbers under the new management appeared April 1, 1875. Mr. Christ retained the book store and sub- sequently turned it over to his son, Alvin S. Christ, who conducted it successfully for about two decades, improving it from time to time and in his early career connecting with it a job printing office that turned out good work.
The new firm of Urick and Gehring en- joyed a prosperous era and improved the plant as time went on. In the first summer it introduced steam power and added much new job type. Feeling hampered by the rear location of the printing office, it looked around for a prominent front location on Main street. The opportunity presented it- self, when D. B. Snyder, a progressive citi- zen completed a desirable three-story brick business house, on Main street, next door to his residence. The first floor of the spac- ious building was intended for a drug store of Mr. Snyder's son-in-law, J. F. Brein- inger, whilst the second floor, with an easy stairway, lent itself nicely to the purposes of a growing printing office.
1876-CENTENNIAL-A GREAT YEAR
The dawn of the centennial year of the declaration of American independence (1876) found Kutztown well prepared and
in line with the best communities of these great United States to do honor to the shining event. The spirit of patriotism was wide awake and willing to do and celebrate. The local journals led by increasing their size from seven columns to eight columns to the folio page and making other im- provements. Besides they were untiring in advocating and supporting every move. ment tending to glorify the valorous deeds of the fathers, who not only declared, but also achieved American independence and laid the solid foundation for this great nation of the West.
ANOTHER CHANGE OF FIRM
In the course of time the partners came to the conclusion that a partnership in this kind of business was not desirable and ami- cably agreed to dissolve. The writer sold his interests to Mr. Urick, but retained his position as editor, etc., under the sole pro- prietor. The dissolution went into effect April 1, 1877.
The growth of the business again re- quired more room and when Dr. T. S Trexler, a prominent physician, erected sev- eral business houses between the Keystone House and his residence, Mr. Urick rented the one nearest the Keystone House and moved the printing office to that place. The removal occurred on the ninth anniversary of the Journal, the first week in February, 1878.
This was a desirable place for a business of this kind. Mr. Urick opened a book store on the first floor, with the business office in the rear. On the second floor were the composing and editorial rooms, while the power presses were housed in the base- ment. When Mr. Urick added a Potter news and job press the plant was in a position to. and did, turn out some excellent job work, such as the annual catalog of the Keystone State Normal School which from vear to vear demanded a higher class of work, com- mensurate with the wonderful progress of the famous institution itself. Books and half-tone work were issued equal to the productions of competing cities.
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