USA > Pennsylvania > Berks County > The story of Berks County (Pennsylvania) > Part 12
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Meckville is a small hamlet about six miles west of Millers- burg near the county line. In the store of the village is the post -. ... office where daily mails are received from Lebanon.
Freystown is situated on the road leading from Rehrersburg to Jonestown. There is one store, a cigar factory, a cider mill and an apple-butter cookery. The town was long noted for its tanneries, but these have been abandoned.
BRECKNOCK.
The early settlers of this township were Welsh and the name is probably taken from a division in southern Wales. The town- ship was settled in 1729 and erected in 1741. A portion of this township was retained as a part of Lancaster County when Berks was organized. Some of it was also taken to form Cumru. The highest elevation is Kindt's Point about one thousand feet high.
Four fine streams of water rise in this township. Alle- gheny Creek has several mill sites which are still used. At one of these, below Bowman's Mill, John Bowman carried on the wool carding and cloth fulling business. Liquor was distilled in this township before 1800. Next to farming, fruit culture is the chief occupation of the people.
The Reading & Southwestern Electric Road passes through the northern corner of the township.
Knauer's is the principal business center. It has an up-to- date hotel and a large implement trade.
Alleghenyville and Hummel's Store are other villages.
CAERNARVON.
Caernarvon Township is situated in the extreme southern part of Berks County. The territory was settled by the Welsh about 1700. They came from a county in Wales which
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bore the same name. They named the range of hills bordering the south side of the township the Welsh Mountains. The Conestoga creek has its source in this township. The township comprises about 8,500 acres with an assessed valuation of $450,000. Part of the town- ship is situated in the beautiful Conestoga Valley and part in what is known as the Forest Hills. The Conestoga Pike was laid out through the centre of this valley and was one of the main highways between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh before the railroads were built. All merchandise and farm products were transported on Conestoga wagons which were large wagons with white canvas covers and were drawn by six horses, or mules. To accommodate this traffic there were taverns about a mile apart in the township and it was a common sight to see a dozen of these large teams leave one of these taverns at one time.
First copper mine. The Township has numerous deposits of iron ore, none of which are in operation. Jones' Mine situated in Caernarvon Township is the site of the oldest copper mine in this country. Years ago ithe copper ore was hauled in wagons to Phila- delphia and shipped to England. Vast quantities of iron ore were also shipped from this mine.
There are numerous water-powers in the township, some of them in use, others abandoned. For many years a woolen mill oc- cupied one of these power sites and was considered quite an industry as it had the largest spinning machine in this country. It was abandoned in 1874, and the machinery taken to Reading and in- stalled in a factory .:
Villages. The principal village is called Morgantown, named in honor of Colonel Jacob Morgan, an officer of the Revolution, who laid out the town on his land. His home is still standing situated one mile north of Morgantown, on the Reading road which was at that time known as Cherry lane, Col. Morgan's private driveway, taking its name from the fact that the Colonel planted cherry trees on both sides of this road. General Washington visited Colonel Morgan during the winter the army was at Valley Forge. This was one of the few times Washington was in Berks County. *
East of Morgantown a mile and one-half stands the former home of Lieut .- Col. Jonathan Jones, a Revolutionary officer, who
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THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY
was with Arnold in 'his Quebec campaign. Adjoining the Morgan tract was the Clymer tract, which family were prominently identi- fied with the history of this county.
Joanna, on the Wilmington & Northern Railroad, has an im- portant milk station that was established in 1909.
Education. In 1827 the citizens of Caernarvon built a school house in which a pay school was held until the public school law was passed, and Caernarvon was the first township to adopt the free school system. The people have always taken a great interest in education, and adopted of their own accord the free text book in 1874, leading the county again in this movement. The earliest settlers were Episcopalians. The Methodists came into the town- ship about 1830. Later the Conestoga Valley -became settled by the Amish, a German set who dress plain, somewhat like the Quakers. They speak the Pennsylvania German language among themselves, but this language is very little used in Caernarvon Township.
CENTRE.
Early History. This township was taken from Bern and Upper Bern and organized in 1843. It was named so from its central loca- tion. In 1857 a small portion, comprising about twelve acres, was taken from Centre and added to Bern.
Several Indian paths lead through this township, by which the Indians could come unobserved, fall upon the exposed farm houses and retrace their steps before an alarm could be spread. This thought filled the minds of the early settlers with the greatest anxiety.
An incident happened in Centre during the summer of 1757 which shows that the Indians were sometimes aided by a certain class of whites disguised as Indians in committing depredations. In a letter from James Reed to Governor Denny, dated Reading, July 27, 1757, is the following statement: "It is with great uneasiness I must inform Your Honor that the day before yesterday four white men took away from a plantation, thirteen miles from this town, one Good, a lad about sixteen years old; and carried him to four Indians about eight miles from the place where he was taken. The white men and the Indians all got drunk, and the lad happily made his escape in the night."
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The winter of 1758 was very severe and on account of the severity of the weather the people were not molested by the Indians, but they felt less secure because Fort Northkill had been abandoned, and they were very apprehensive of an attack as soon as the snow had melted and the weather became fair.
GRAIN CRADLE.
Industries. From the earliest colonial days, saw mills and grist mills have been operated on the banks of Irish Creek. As farming always has been the leading occupation, some enterprising people engaged in the manufacture of articles needed on the farm. Near Belleman's Church grain cradles were manufactured when that was the only means of harvesting the grain. Another much needed article on the farm is the rake, which is being manufactured several miles west of Centreport, along Irish Creek. The Reber Wagon Works, near Centreport, turn out a superior farm wagon. The ice- dam near the mouth of Irish Creek covers about thirty acres, and the storage house nearby has a capacity of more than twenty-five thousand tons. It is known as the Dauberville Ice Plant, and was established in 1888.
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Towns. The borough of Centreport lies in this township.
Mohrsville is a thriving town. The depot was built in 1841, and the hotel opposite in 1851.
Shoemakersville Station, several miles north, was located in 1862.
Centreville (Garfield), in the southwestern section of the town- ship, has been a business place for many years.
COLEBROOKDALE.
Colebrookdale Township was settled in 1720 and organized in 1741. It was named after Colebrook, a district in England. The early settlers were Englishmen, who were familiar with the manu- facture of iron. It was the discovery of iron ore in 1720 along Iron- stone Creek, within the present limits of Boyertown, which caused these men to take up large areas of land. A furnace was immediately built along this creek and the mines opened, but it was not until about 1845 that the Colebrookdale mines began to be worked extensively. The Phoenix Iron Company began to operate the mines in 1854, when they put up the first engine. Since that tinie very much ore has been removed. Next to the Cornwall mines near Lebanon, these are the largest in the state. There are four shafts. The ore yields from fifty-five to fifty-six per cent. of metallic iron. . Owing to the fact that the mines are very deep, enormous quantities of water must be pumped out.
Industries. Besides the iron industry, there are many other noteworthy enterprises in the district. A large tannery was operated east of Boyertown for many years, and the streams of the township have long been used to furnish power for mills of various kinds. In the vicinity of Boyertown,. a large amount of choice fruit is being raised, and the locality is noted for its fine apples and peaches.
The borough of Boyertown lies in this township.
New Berlinville is a village one mile east of Boyertown. A store, hotel and implement house are the chief business places.
Morysville lies about one mile west of Boyertown. It contains a mill and a few other business places.
Engelsville is located in the southern part of the township. Coop- -
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ering has been the principal business for a number of years. Bricks are manufactured to a considerable extent.
Gabelsville is a small town north of Boyertown along the Oley Valley trolley line. It has a few business places.
CUMRU.
The first settlement in this township was made in 1732, and the township was organized in 1737. It was named Cumru after a district in Wales, whence many of the settlers came.
An attempt to divide the township was made in 1842. This was not successful. Another attempt was made in 1845 which also failed. A third attempt was made in 1850 and this proved successful.
General Mifflin's farm was located in this township. John Penn accompanied by Judge James Biddle visited the General while on his way from Reading to Harrisburg. The following is an ac- count of his visit :
"The General and Mrs. Mifflin received us in a neat farmhouse, and being very early themselves, provided a second breakfast for us, though it was only half-past seven. He took us around some of his improvements, and I rode with him to various points of view which commanded the town of Reading and circumjacent hills and valleys. He farms about twelve hundred acres, and has a Scotch farmer who conducts the business; one hundred acres of meadow land he waters. A neighbor of the General's is one of the marrying Dunkers. They live in their own houses like other countrymen, but wear their beards long. General Mifflin, with agreeable frank- ness and affability, pressed us both to stay for an early dinner, to which we sat down about one o'clock. After dinner I mounted my horse and came into the Carlisle road about three miles off at Sinking Spring."
The County Home. The farm, which in Revolutionary times, was owned by Thomas Mifflin, was purchased by the county in 1824 for the purpose of providing a home for the poor people of the county. It is located three miles from Reading on the Lancaster Road and contains four hundred seventeen and one-fourth acres. The first building was finished in 1825. This has since been known
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THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY
as the Main Building, and other buildings, such as the "Insane Build- ing,".and "Hospital", have been added since. During the first year one hundred and thirty persons were admitted to this home, and thereafter the number increased until 1878 when the home contained as many as sixteen hundred thirteen. At present there are about two hundred fifty.
The Wyomissing is the most important stream of the town- ship. At the mouth of the creek opposite Reading almost since colonial days have been located mills. A number of mill sites are located on the banks of this stream. In these old mills carding was done and clover was hulled; the water-power was used to saw wood, manufacture hats, draw wire and bore out and grind rifle barrels. David Pennypacker manufactured guns complete on the banks of this stream as early as 1786.
The Hat Industry. The Hendel Hat Factory was established in 1878. It employs many hands and has been operated by the Hendels since the time of its erection. The place is now called Hendelton.
In 1884 Orr and Sembower erected a plant for the manufacture of engines. The firm known as the Millmont Works was incor- porated in 1890.
The manufacture of stoves, ranges and heaters was begun by the Prizer Painter Stove Company at Millmont in 1889.
The Chantrell Tool Company began business at Millmont in 1892. They manufacture household specialties and builders' hard- ware.
The Belt Line, extending through Spring and Cumru Townships, was built to relieve some of the congestion of the P. & R. Railroad. At Millmont also is located the ice-house of the Angelica Ice Com- pany. This company has various plants along the Angelica Creek, and can store many thousands of tons of ice.
The Mt. Penn Ice Company also has an ice plant in this town- ship.
A plant to dispose of the garbage collected at Reading was built in 1902, about a mile south of Grill Village. At the mouth of
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Wyomissing Creek the Metropolitan Electric Company has estab- lished a large and powerful plant for the purpose of furnishing light and power.
The Globe Rendering Company, whose object is to manufac- ture oils, fertilizers and poultry food out of slaughter house offals, was established in 1909. .
A property containing twenty acres of land, upon which has been built the Mother House of the St. Bernardine Sisters, is lo- cated in this township. Sixty-five teachers are connected with this institution.
The boroughs of Shillington and Mohnton lie in this township. Oakbrook, Millmont, Gouglersville, Grill, Angelica, Hendelton and Edison are the villages of Cumru.
DISTRICT.
District Township was organized in 1759. In that year the County Commissioners divided the large territory comprised with- in the borders of Oley, forming a new township out of the eastern part. Because this lay between Oley proper and Colebrookdale, is was frequently referred to as the district lying between the two, so when the time came to select a name for the new township, it was called District.
In 1849 about eleven hundred acres were added to this town- ship in the eastern section. The part added was taken from Here- ford Township. The highest point in the township is eleven hun- dred feet above sea level.
Industries. During its early history there were mills and tan- neries along the small creeks, and ruins of them may still be seen. The chief occupation of the people is farming.
Towns. Landis Store is in the central part of the township. A tavern was built about 1800. The building is still standing. The post office was named after Samuel Landis, who first opened it in 1853.
Fredericksville is situated in the northwestern part of the township. It was named after David Frederick, who built the first house.
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DOUGLASS.
It is probable that the first settlements were made by the Swedes, but many of the early records show that settlers came from the Palatinate. Through this township led the pathway of the Wolf Indians and the settlers on their way to Amity and Oley. The name is of Scotch origin, and is supposed to have been sug- gested by the petitioners. The township was erected from a part of Amity.
The early settlers had their share of trouble with the savages. It is said that in 1728 eleven Indians, part of a small local tribe, - which was not represented in the council, came to this section armed and painted for war. They plundered and took provisions by force. A brief battle was fought between them and twenty set- tlers, in which several were wounded on each side. The people in the community rallied and the savages fled.
Industries. The first iron manufactured in Pennsylvania was made in this section. One of the principal industries is the Pine Iron Works, near Pine Forge. The product is diamond and ribbed steel plates, which are in demand in all civilized countries.
The Colebrookdale foundry, near Colebrookdale station. estab- lished about 1837, manufactures flatirons, meat choppers and other household utensils. It is in a flourishing condition.
On the south side of Rattlesnake Hill is located a stone crush- er that is preparing hundreds of tons of rock to serve useful pur- poses in building and macadamizing.
The iron industries are located along the Manatawny and Ironstone Creeks, which originally furnished the exclusive power.
The soil, though not superior, is still the most valuable asset of the people, who have for many years derived enough from it to give them a comfortable living. Fully five thousand peach trees flourish in this section and yield rich returns to their owners.
Pine Forge is the principal railroad station and has a number of business places. - The post office is located about one-fourth of a mile from the station.
Little Oley is the next town in size and lies about two miles north of Pine Forge. Greshville is a village about a mile from Little Oley. Other places are Colebrookdale Station, Ironstone Sta- tion and Bramcote.
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EARL.
Earl was a part of Oley Township until 1781, when the inhabitants petitioned the court for a new township which was granted the same year. It contained ten thousand eight hundred eighty-two acres, but in 1852 a part of it was annexed to Pike, reducing the area to nine thousand five hundred twenty acres. Its name was derived from a title of nobility.
The First Settler. Peter Clous was the first settler. He took up land in the northern part and opened a public house near the present site of Shanesville. Many old people reside in this town- ship. Betsy Trout, who recently died, was one hundred and one years old.
The first public house in the township was opened at the foot ot Long Hill in what is known as Woodchoppertown. The early elections were held in this house, but it has long since been changed to a dwelling. Koch's tavern in the northern part of the township was abandoned many years ago.
About 1800, a forge was erected on the Manatawny near Earl- ville. It was abandoned in 1868 and made into a saw mill. A fulling mill was operated for many years near the mouth of Trout Brook, near which was also a powder mill. There was also a small furnace on Furnace Creek, and a pioneer oil mill along the small stream in the northern part of the township. The oil mill was changed to a grist mill, which was abandoned in 1883. The tanning business was carried on near Worman in the early part of the nineteenth century and a large amount of charcoal was burned on the hills. "
Ore mines. Many years ago iron ore was mined on Nagle Hill and hauled to Monocacy. The ore that was taken out of Furnace Hill was converted into pig iron by the small furnace there. About five years ago the Manatawny Bessemer Ore Company began to operate the mines in the hills of Earl.
Fancy Hill (one thousand feet) contains iron ore.
Graphite has recently been discovered in Powder Mill Valley and mica in Furnace Valley. The Oley Valley trolley was built through the township in 1901 and the Manatawny Railroad to con- nect the mines with the Pennsylvania Railroad near Stowe was com- menced in 1912.
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THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY
Shanesville is a village of about twenty houses. It was named after. John Shane, who owned the land upon which the town was founded.
Earlville is a village along the Manatawny in the western part of the township.
EXETER.
The settlers who first made their homes in Exeter, arrived there in 1718. In 1741 the township was organized. It was so named after a district in England whence the first settlers came. Tobias Collet, Daniel Quair and Henry Goldney took up a tract of one thousand acres on the east side of the river. This was called the London Con- pany. In 1699 Penn had granted to this company six thousand acres of land in Pennsylvania.
The Lincoln Home. One thousand acres of the same was granted by the company to Andrew Robeson. It was this Robeson tract that later came into the possession of Mordecai Lincoln, who had two sons: Thomas and Abraham. Abraham emigrated to Kentucky in 1782, where he was killed by the Indians. He left three sons: one
LINCOLN HOME.
of these (Thomas) was the father of Abraham Lincoln, who later be- came President of the United States.
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The Boone Home. A part of this same tract was granted to Squire Boone, of Philadelphia County, the father of the famous Ken- tucky hunter. Boone was born in this township in 1733 on a farm
BOONE HOME.
which is about one mile north of Baumstown. The building where he was born is still standing though it has been much improved. His father and family left the township in 1750. Later he went beyond the mountains, where he met with his experiences with the Indians.
Industries. The water-power of the Antietam propelled the first mills. Near the Alsace line is one of them, which for many years was in the possession of the Warner's. The mill below this was at one time used to bore rifles. A paper mill and a grinding mill were also located on the stream. A hat factory and an oil mill for a time did a prosperous business. The St. Lawrence mills have been operated for quite a long time. They manufacture, by the use of improved ma- chinery, all kinds of fabrics. On the same stream, in 1828, there was erected a mill which was abandoned a number of years ago, and in its place was put a small feed mill.
A fulling mill was located on the Monocacy just where it enters this township. The largest mill in the township was also on the
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THE STORY OF BERKS COUNTY
Monocacy. It was operated by the water of a race almost a mile long. It is supposed that the Boone family were among these early promoters.
The Brumbach mills were established in 1853 for the manufac- ture of woolen goods. In this township also was erected in 1870 what was known as the Seidle Forge. It produced forge iron for locomotive engines. The Brooke Furnace, also in the township, has an annual production of twenty-one thousand tons. It is a part of the plant of the Brooke Iron Company and was established in 1872.
The principal towns in the township are the following: Black Bear, Jacksonwald, St. Lawrence (Esterly), Stonersville, Stonetown, Baumstown, Birdsboro Station, Lorane, Neversink Station, Klapper- thal and Oley Line (Limekiln).
GREENWICH.
Greenwich was organized in 1740. It derives its name from Greenwich, England. The first settlers were Germans, who set-
SCENE ALONG THE SACONY.
tled along the Ontelaunee and Sacony.
Indian raids extended into this township. In March, 1755, a mill belonging to Peter Conrad was burned by the Indians. At the same time a neighbor's barn was burned and his wife killed. Numerous Indian relics are still found.
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The township furnished soldiers for each one of the important wars' of the United States.
Industries. The township has always been well supplied with mills. Tanneries, clover mills, grinding mills, grain cradle factories, carding mills and oil mills have all existed in their time, but these now are things of the past. Distilleries were common, and whiskey and applejack were taken to Philadelphia and sold at thirty-five and twenty-five cents a gallon, respectively.
The Maidencreek furnace at Lenhartsville made pig iron for many years, and a forge was located south of Lenhartsville, but only the ruins remain.
Red slate for paint is quarried in the northern part. Build- ing stone is common, and valuable limestone is plentiful in the southern section.
The borough of Lenhartsville lies in this township.
Klinesville is two miles east of Lenhartsville. A man named Kline put up a log building and kept a store there before 1800.
BLUE ROCKS, GREENWICH TOWNSHIP, BLUE MOUNTAINS.
Krumsville is three miles east of Klinesville. It is a flourishing village. It was formerly known as Smithville.
Grimville is near the township line. Before the days of railroads this was an important business place. A tannery was for a long time the leading industry.
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Dreibelbeis is a flag station along the Schuylkill & Lehigh Rail- road. Mills have been operated since Revolutionary times.
Liscum is a small place three miles north of Kutztown.
A Natural Curiosity. The Blue Rocks, in the northwestern part of the township, are a natural curiosity and are much visited by historians, scientists and others. The Blue Mountains near them rise to a height of sixteen hundred feet. The location is in the extreme point of Greenwich, very close to the line of both Albany and Windsor.
HEIDELBERG.
Many of the early settlers in this township came from a district of the same name in Germany and named their township after their home in the fatherland. These first settlers were connected with the settlement of the Tulpehocken district. The first settlements were in the neighborhood of Womelsdorf. It was a part of Lan- caster County until 1752. Different attempts were made to divide the township but they failed, until 1842 when the eastern portion was erected under the name of Lower Heidelberg, and the northern portion three years later as North Heidelberg.
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