J)ts£7 LOCAL HISTORY, OF- DILLSBURG. PA. •BY- A. N. ESLINGER, FIFTY YEARS A RESIDENT. WITH NOTES AND COMMENTS, FfiOM THE— EARLIEST KNOWN SETTLEMENT TO THE PRESENT 1902. PRICE 25 CENTS LOCAL HISTORY, OF DILLSBURG, PA. BY A. N. ESLINGER, FIFTY YEARS A RESIDENT. WITH NOTES AND COMMENTS, -FROM THE- EARLIEST KNOWN SETTLEMENT -TO THE- PRESENT 1902. o- DJLLSEURG BULLETIN PRINT. &1SH A. N. ESLINGER. ERRATA. On page 11 the sentence which reads: "In 1898 there was $334,057.86 less on deposit than in the year ending September 2, 1902," should read as follows: In 1898 there was $334,057.86 less deposited than in the year ending September 2, 1902. ■ ■ • - I. INTRODUCTION. DILLSBURG, PA. This town which bears the honored name of the most prominent Scotch Irish settler of the vicinity, was laid out by one of his descendants in the year 1800. The town is situated on the old Harrisburg and Baltimore road, near the South Mountain, in York county, about twenty-one miles from the City of York, the county seat of York County and ten miles from Carlisle, the county seat of Cumberland county and twenty-two miles from Gettysburg, the county seat of Adams county. Matthew Dill was one of the first settlers of the vicinity of Dilleburg, locating there about the year 1740. He came from the County of Monaghan, Ireland. He died in 1750, a large sandstone slab marks his grave in the old Graveyard near Dillsburg. His son, Col. Matthew Dill, became famous in the Revolution- ary War, for his bravery and services in the army. He obtained a free patent of land, three leagues square, on part of which Dillsburg is built. When the town was laid out there were only six houses in the place, including the old Monaghan Presbyterian Church, and there are now only three remaining of the original buildings. Two on North Baltimore street, one of them owned by D. W. Beitzel, our pres- ent Postmaster, and the other by E. A. Fishel, and ore on South Baltimore street, owned by Wm. Har- bolt. When I first knew the place in 1839, the house above named owned by D. W. Beitzel, was owned and occupied by the Rev. Anderson B. Quay, who was at that time serving the old Monaghan Church as Pas- tor. He was the father of Hon. Matthew Stanley Quay, who is at this time serving his third term as one of our United States Senators. The one owned by E. A. Fishel, was owned and occupied by John Dill, one of the descendants of the founder of Dills- burg, and the other one was occupied by John Smith, the father of John A. and Geo. W. Smith, who still reside in Dillsburg. There were two Hotels in the place. They have both been taken away and new ones built on the same stands. One was built by S. P. Nelson, deceased in 1863, the other was rebuilt by Peter Sidle in 1901. They are both excellent three- story brick buildings and are well calculated to ac- commodate strangers and travellers. But the town increased slowly until the year 1833 when it was in- corporated as a borough, with limited powers, and named in the charter, The Borough of Dillsburg. At this time the town had only about forty house, less than two hundred of a population. According to the charter the election of Borough Officers was held an- nually one week previous to the time of holding the the regular township elections. At the first election Jacob Heiges, (father of Dr. J. D. Heiges, of York City,) was a Judge of the election, and Dr. George L. Sheaie: was chosen as the Chief Burgess of the Bor- ough and Jacob Heiges was chosen Tax Collector of the borough. The borough then began to improve. The sirests were grade;! and piked and brick pave- ments ten feet wide were laid in front of the resi- dences on Baltimore street, (the main street,) which was quite an improvement, for the convenience for pedestrians to attend church and for the children at- tending school, and it proved to be a great benefit to the citizens of the borough. The principal object in writing this book is to show the present generation the origin of this borough and its growth. My sub- ject will be DILLSBURG, PAST AND PRESENT. II. ORIGIN OF DILLSBURG. Dillsburg was laid out by Col. Matthew Dill, in the year 1800. There were at this time only six houses in the place. Three of the original houses are still standing. III. FIRST CHURCH. The Presbyterian Church in Dillsburg, ecclesiasti- cally known as the Monaghan church, derives its name from the township in which it was originally lo- cated about one-fourth of a, mile west of Dillsburg. The exact year of its organization is not known, but preaching services were held as early as 1737, hence it is one of the oldest churches in the county. In 1782 Rev. Samuel Waugh became the Pastor, and un- der his pastorate "Th'e Monaghan Presbyterian" Church was rebuilt, and the location changed to the one at present occupied. It is located in Dillsburg, but it was built eighteen years (1782) before Dills- burg was laid out, on a piece of land donated by Col. Dill as a site for a church and burying ground. This was a stone structure about fifty feet long and forty feet wide. A small stone building about fifteen feet square with a fire place in it was attached to the north side. This was called the study. In 1813 the church was partly destroyed by fire. The next year, 1814, it was rebuilt, and remained in that condition until the year 1849, when it was torn down, and a brick building put in its place. In 1887 this church was remodeled by placing a tower at the southwest corner and placing a bell in it, &c. But the same church still remains and preaching services are held in it every Sabbath. The second church in Dillsburg was built by the Methodist Episcopal congregation in 1843. It was located on North Baltimore street. It was remodeled and enlarged in 1879, and at this writ- ing, 1902, it has been torn down, and the congrega- 6 tion is busy building a new one, much larger than the old one. It will be buff brick with a large tower, and it is expe?ted to be ready for services before the first of April, 1903. The third church is St. Paul's Lu- theran. This church was built in 1856. It is located on South Baltimore street. It was remodeled since it was built, and enlarged. It is a brick building, and has regular preaching every Sabbath. The fourth church was built by the United Brethren in Christ in the year 1894. It is also a brick edifice located on East Harrisburg street, and has preaching every Sab- bath. IV. FIRST SABBATH SCHOOL. The first Sabbath School known by the name of "The Dillsburg Union Sabbath School," was organ- ized about the year 1834 by Daniel Kraber and Miss Catherine Eichelberger and later the wife of Enos Young, Esq., and others in the study of the old Monaghan Presbyterian Church with between thirty and forty pupils. It continued in this building only a few years. It was then removed to the public school house. It continued its sessions there until the year 1865, when it was removed to the Metho- dist Episcopal Church, but was still continued as a Union Sabbath School. Soon after this removal in the same year, the Lutheran congregation organized a Sabbath School in their own church. In a few years after this date the Presbyterians organized a Sab- bath School in their church. This ended the old Union Sabbath School. But in 1873 the Methodist Episcopal congregation organized a Sabbath school in their church. In 1894 the United Brethren organized a Sabbath School in their new church. You will therefore notice the increase in Sabbath School effort. In 1834 one Union Sabbath School with about forty scholars in a town with a population of two hundred. At this writing we have four Sabbath Schools with about five hundred in attendance with a population of eight hundred. This you will notice is a marvelous increase of attendance. The schools are all in a pros- perous condition. POST OFFICE. The first post office was established in Dillsburg January 8th, 1816. Mr. Wm. Gillilan was the first Postmaster. His successor was Asa Sawyer. He was again succeeded by Mr. Gillilan. Dr. George L. Shearer became his successor in 1828, and served con- tinuously for seventeen years. He was succeeded by J. B. Hurst in 1845. He was succeded by Mrs. Mary Stewart in 1849. She was succeded by H. G. Sidle in 1853. He was succeeded by Alex. Wentz in 1857, and he was succeeded by Dr. T. L. Cathcart in 1861. Dr. Cathcart served two years and resigned, and in 1863 A. N. Eslinger was appointed Postmaster and he filled the office for twenty -two years in succession. A. N. Eslinger was succeeded by Lemuel Ross in 1885, and Mr. Boss was succeeded by A. N". Eslinger in 1889. Mr. Eslinger served four years and seven months and was succeeded again by Mr. Ross, who served four years. Mr. Ross was succeeded in 17.94, checks paid during the same year, $1,416,765.80, showing an in- crease in deposits during the year of $30,672.14. The present line of deposits approximates one quarter of a million dollars. In 1898 there was $334, 057. 86 less on deposit than in the year ending Sept. 2, 1902. This shows a remarkable increase in the business done in the Dillsburg National Bank. This surely speaks well for the Bank. This statement is taken from the records of the Bank by the Cashier and handed to me by the Teller. Taking the Dillsburg National Bank building for beauty and location, and its accommo- dating Officers and Directors, I can truly say that it is not very easily surpassed as a banking institution. 11 IX. MORALS OF DILLSBUKG. The morals of the town are in a fair condition as compared with other towns of the same size. As al- ready stated, we have four churches and four Sabbath Schools. There are at least five hundred people at- tending our churches on the Sabbath and fully as many attend the Sabbath Schools. Our hotels are closed on the Sabbath and so are all the other places of business. After church hours on the Sabbath, our town is very quiet. You see very few people on the streets, and it looks as though the Sabbath was re- spected. How was it forty years ago as compared with the present? Then the Hotels were kept open on the Sabbath the same as during the week. One little Sabbath School with about forty children at- tending it, most of the children running the streets. Hotels were regular loafing places for old and young. Whiskey was sold at three cents a drink. Pitching horse shoes and pennies and playing ball was a com- mon thing to do on the Sabbath at that day. All these things have long since passed away, for which we feel glad, and thank our Heavenly Father for these great reforms. But as I desire to give the past as well as the present, of Dillsburg to the public, you can plainly see that there is a great improvement in the morals in Dillsburg. But I confess that there is still plenty of room for improvement, so we must confess with the poet "On this earthly ball below The wheat and tares together grow, ' ' 12 and Dillsburg is not excepted. But when wecompare our Borough with other places of its size I think we can truly say for morals our town will compare favorably with other towns of its size. X. PUBLIC SCHOOLS. When the first law was passed by our Legislature in 1834, it was made optional with the citizens of the different boroughs and townships whether they would accept the provisions of the law or not. This was left to a vote of the people of the Boroughs or Town- ships. I said in the beginning of these articles that when Dillsburg w T as incorporated as a Borough, it was with limited powers and one of the limits was, that the Borough and the Township of Carroll should re- main as one School District, and it can be truthfully said that Dr. George L. Shearer and Thomas P. Blair. the former was a Whig, and the latter a Democrat, labored hard to get the District to accept the benefits of the law, and at an election called for the purpose. Carroll District accepted the benefits of the law as early as the year 1836. This was one of of the first districts in the County to accept the law. The Directors at once proceeded to buy a piece of ground on South Baltimore Street, and built a one- story brick schoolhouse and opened a school. About ten years after this time they found the building too small, and they built an end to it. At this same time many of the pupils were still sent into the town school from the township. The school in 1845 bad one hundred and forty-six pupils. Two teachers were 13 employed to teach this large school. They each got a salary of eighteen dollars a month for a six months term. Adding the cost of fuel it cost the tax-payers about two hundred and forty dollars a year. But in 1855, the Legislature passed an Act separating all boroughs and townships as School Districts. This re- duced the number of our pupils. But as our borough increased in population the old schoolhouse became too small, and in 1877 the directors decided to build a new one on the same site where the old one stood at a cost of thirty-five hundred dollars, with three school rooms. But in 1894 the Directors considered the one recently built too small, so they unroofed it and made it much larger and put a Mansard roof on it, and made it three stories high, with four school rooms. We have at this time three schools. The term is eight months. We pay the teachers for teach- ing the three schools eleven hundred and fifty dollars for the term, adding about one hundred dollars for fuel, it would make the cost over thirteen hundred dollars for the term. You will notice that in 1845 it cost the Borough two hundred and forty dollars to teach one hundred and forty-six pupils for a six months term, while in 1902 it costs over thirteen hun- dred dollars to teach the same number of pupils eight months. This shows quite an increase of teacher's wages, but shows likewise a great increase in the property owner's taxes. But then we are living in a fast age, and somebody must pay the bills. School and building tax in 1902 was five and one-fourth mills. 14 XL BUILDINGS. I have already stated that in 1800 we had six houses in the plaee. In 1833 when the town was in- corporated we had forty houses, but in 1902 we have two hundred and twenty, and we have a much better class of buildings than we had in an early day. Our Bank building will compare favorably with the Bank buildings of many of our county seats. Our business rooms, many of them, are large and well furnished. But I shall speak more particularly about them un- der the head of Busixess Men. XII. POPULATION. Dillsburg when first laid out in 1800. with six houses, allowing five of a family to each house, would make a population of thirty persons. In 1833 when the town was incorporated there were forty houses, at the same ratio it would make the population two hundred. In 1890 the census report makes the popu- lation five hundred and eighty-seven. But the cen- sus report of 1900 makes the population seven hun- dred and thirty-two. But at this time, 1902, our population in the borough exceeds eight hundred. The town has not grown very fast, but it has never taken a step backward. 15 XIII. BUSINESS AND BUSINESS MEN". There are at this time sixty-five business men and women engaged in the different lines of business. Some of them I will speak of in this pamphlet. There are at this time fifty-six different places of business. I have already given you a full description of our Bank and the amount of business they do. I will now describe the next business house to you, owned by K. L. Nesbit. This is a three-story brick house fifty feet front, extending back one hundred and ninety-eight feet to the public alley. The firm is do- ing business under the name of R. L. Nesbit & Co. They keep a Hardware, Stove and Furniture Store, and they carry a very large stock of nearly every kind and quality. Mr. Nesbit commenced business in 1887 in a small building located at the name place that he is doing business at this time, keeping only a hardware store at first. He prospered in his business and he then added to his hardware a. regular line of stoves and furniture, until his busi- ness increased to such an extent, that at this time he has one of the largest and finest business rooms in the county, and carries a very large stock of goods of every kind above mentioned. In the same block we have J. F. Rearick's Shoe Store. He keeps constantly on hand a large assort- ment of Shoes and Hats. We pass the printing office of which we have al- ready spoken, and come to A. K. Stray er, Carpenter and Contractor. He employs from six to twelve hands, and does a business of five thousand dollars a year. 16 We next come to C. K. Weaver's Shoe and Hat Store. He keeps constantly on hand a large assort- ment of shoes and hats. We next come to the firm of Smyser, Creager & Co.. who keep a large Hardware, Stove and Furniture Store. Mr. Smyser, the senior partner of the firm, opened a Hardware Store in the north end of the Shearer block less than four years ago. His busi- ness increased, and he took in a partner and enlarged his stock and added to it stoves and furniture. The firm also bought out the Hardware Store kept almost opposite, known as the Dillsburg Hardware Co. The firm is now known as Smyser, Cr eager & Co. They run both rooms and keep a large assortment of all kinds of hardware, stoves and furniture on hand. We next come to M. W. Briteher's Drug Store. He keeps an excellent assortment of Drugs. He also keeps the news office, and keeps on sale quite a va- riety of city daily papers. We next come to Charles Gallatin's Restaurant, where you can get j^our meals or lunch, or ice cream at all hours. Then you come to S. M. Ensminger's Meat Shop. He kills from four to five beeves a week, and keeps meat constantly on hand to accomodate customers. Then we come to John H. Dick & Co.'s Dry Goods and Grocery Store. He keeps a large assortment of dry goods and notions on hand. Then we come to the Palace Hotel, kept by Peter Sidle, of which I have already spoken. We next come to Jerry May- berry's Harness Shop, and then we come to John L. Anderson, Paper Hanger and Undertaker. Next we 17 come to C. W. Sheffer, Coachmaker, who keeps eon- stantly on hand a large stock in his line of business. We commence again at the square and we have F. M. Altland's large Dry Goods and Grocery Store. He has a large room, and he carries a heavy stock of goods. We next come to H. G. Eslinger's Clothing Store. He keeps constantly on hand a well assorted stock of ready-made clothing. We next come to the Hotel Central kept by Win. Sidle, which is well kept, but I have already referred to it. We next come to the Post Office, to which I have already referred in this book. Next we come to the Telephone Exchange kept by Lewis Blackford. Then we come to Mrs. Louisa Smith's Milliner Store. She keeps a fine lot of Ladies' Hats and Bonnets constantly on hand. Next we come to Smyser, Creager & Co.'s Hardware, Stove and Furniture Store, to which I have already referred in this book. Next we come to the clothing store kept by J. A. Lerew & Co. , where they keep constantly on hand a large assorted stock of ready made clothing. We next come to the fine Jewelry Store of N. R. Bailey. He keeps a large assortment of watches and clocks on hand and all kinds of jewelry, such as rings, breast-pins, &c, and the repairing of watches and clocks prompt!} 7 at- tended to. We next come to Miss Annie Harbold, Milliner. She keeps constantly on hand a large as- sortment of Ladies' Hats and Bonnets, &c. We then come to the Dillsburg Bakeiy owned by John Mc- Creary. This is one of the largest bakeries in Cen- tral Pennsylvania. He uses on an average fifty-five barrels of flour a week. This would be a total of 18 two thousand eight hundred and sixty barrels of flour per year. He sells in Dillsburg and in the surround- ing towns and country between fifteen and eighteen thousand dollars worth of bread, cakes and pies, an- nually. He employs from fourteen to sixteen men regularly, who do the baking and peddle his bread. Next we come to Kapp & Seibert's Large Dry Goods and Grocery Store. They have a large room, filled with goods in their line of business. Then we come to A. D. Altland, Manufacturer of Fly-Nets and Horse Collars, Jobber Saddlery Hardware, Whips, Horse Clothing and Leather. He employs as high as forty to fifty hands. Then we come down to York street and we come to L. C. Bushey's large Exchange Stable. He keeps on hand horses to sell or exchange, and deals in cattle. Win. H. Schriver keeps a large Farming Implement Store on the corner of Second and West Harrisburg Street. He keeps a large assortment of all kinds of farming implements, such as wagons, reapers, corn shellers, &c. , &c. Then we come to the large warehouse of Cook, Deardorff & Co., where they pay the highest market price for all kinds of grain, and they will sell you stone coal, phosphates, &c. , as cheap as you can buy it elsewhere. Then we come to the warehouse of S. N. Bailey & Bro. They also buy all kinds of grain and will sell you stone coal and phosphates at reasonable rates, &c. I have already referred you to the Railroad on another page of this book. Then we come to Britcher & Bender's Lumber Office. They keep a large asortment of lumber on hand. Their sales run from fifteen to twenty thousand dollars an- 19 nually. Tlien we come to Morrett Coover's Shirt and Overall Factory. It employs from thirty to forty men, girls and boys, and it is doing quite a good business. We now come to North Baltimore street, and come to M. D. Eby's Creamery, which is open every day in the week (Sunday excepted). He tells me he makes on an average about twenty-five hun- dred pounds of butter per week. That would make sixty-five tons of butter a year. And in connection with this creamery he manufactures as much as thirty-five hundred gallons of ice cream annually. The Dillsburg Ice Cream has quite a reputation for its good qualities. Then we come to Bauman and Hinkel's. Mr. Bauman makes wagons, locomobiles and automobiles if ordered, and repairs wagons and all kinds of farming implements. Mr. Hinkel manu- factures spokes for wagons and carriages for home trade, and many of them he ships to all parts of the world. He employs 7 hands. Then we have an Electric Plant that supplies the Borough with electric light, lighting all business houses, as well as private residences, and many have the electric light in their houses. Then we have John A. Smith & Co.'s Tin and Stove Store, where he constantly keeps on hand a large assortment of Stoves and Tinware. And the town has many other shops and business places. On the cor- ner of Baltimore and Church Streets we have the law offices of Logan and Logan, who are always ready to attend to any business in their line. Next we come to Dr. J. H. Graff, (Dentist), who will extract your teeth and give you new ones in exchange if you desire 20 thorn, at a very reasonable price. Next we come to S. H. Klugh. Undertaker and dealer in furniture. XIV. TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE. We have a telegraph office where you can send mes- sages to all parts of the Globe, and a telephone in al- most every business place in the town from which you can communicate to almost any place in the United States. XV. DISTINGUISHED MEN. Hon. Matthew Stanley Quay was born in Dillsburg, Sept, 30th. 1833. The old house is still standing where he was born. His history is well known. He was elected two sessions to the Pennsylvania Legisla- ture. He was twice elected Prothonotary of Beaver county, and was twice Secretary of State in Pennsyl- vania. In 1885 he was elected State Treasurer. He was chairman of the National Republican Committee in 1SSS, and at three different times he was Chairman of the Republican State Committee, and is at this time serving his third term in the United States Sen- ate, and is acknowledged by friends and his enemies of being the most successful political leader that this country ever had. Hon. John M. Bailey, of Huntingdon Pa,, was born 21 and raised in Dillsburg. He is a prominent Lawyer and was a member of the Convention that drew np our State Constitution of 1873, which was adopted by the people of this State by a large majority. He is at the present time President Judge of the 20th Judicial District of Pennsylvania. Dr. George L. Shearer was a citizen of Dillsburg for a period of fifty-two years, practiced medicine very successfully during this entire period of time. I have already said that he was the first Chief Burgess of the borough. He served quite a number of years as School Director very acceptably, and was often elected a member of the Town Council. He was one of the charter members that secured the charter of the borough of Dillsburg. He was active in all the public enterprises that proved beneficial to our bor- ough such as the early acceptance of our public schools in Dillsburg, and the State Eoad leading from Dillsburg to York, and we are also greatly indebted to him for the efforts he made to get a railroad to Dillsburg and after laboring for more than thirty years, he had the satisfaction of seeing the cars run- ning into Dillsburg. He was elected a director of the road and had the advantages of the road for only five years, 1878, when he was removed from time into eternity. He was succeeded in the directorship by his son, Dr. James M. Shearer, who survived his lather only four years. Col. S. N. Bailey was born in the year 1809, and lived in Dillsburg nearly all his life. He was the father of the Hon. John M. Bailey, of Huntingdon, to whom I have already referred. He was an intelli- 22 gent man and served three successive terms in the Pennsylvania Legislature very acceptably. He was for seven years a clerk in the Auditor General's Office in Harrisburg, and he was also a clerk in the Custom House in Philadelphia. When the Civil War broke out in 1861 he raised a company in Dillsburg and vicinity and was afterwards elected Lieut. Colonel of the 12th Regiment of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, he died in 1872. Jacob Heiges, the first judge of the election for borough officers in Dillsburg, was born in the year 1800, he moved to Dillsburg about the year 1830, and built a two story rough cast house, which is still standing, and has its original appearance yet. Mr. Heiges had the reputation of making the best chairs that were made in the county, he was a very quiet citizen, and worked at his trade until he died in 1866. He was the father of four sons and two daughters. The oldest son, John M., was elected Register of York County and later he served three years as Clerk to the Commissioners, and was also a clerk in the Register's Office and died in 1882. His second son. Dr. J. D. Heiges, is a Dentist, and is doing a good business in his profession in the city of York, he has been corresponding secretary of the York County Ag- ricultural Society for fifteen years, and is still holding the position. His third son is Prof. S. B. Heiges, common school teacher. In 1860 and 61 he taught a Normal School in Dillsburg, in 1862 with Prof. W. H. Griffith he opened Cottage Hill College, York, Pa. , County Superintendent from '64 to 1870, he was Pro- thonotary of York County for three years. He was 23 the Principal of the Soldiers Orphan School at Camp Hill and Principal of the Shippensburg Normal School. He also held a position in the Pomalogieal Depart- ment of Agriculture, as Chemist, in Washington-, D. C, and has also been a public Lecturer, and also well known correspondent of Moore's Rural New Yorker. The fourth and youngest son, George W. , was a Lawyer by profession, and practiced at the York bar, he was twice elected to the Pennsylvania Legislature, and was afterward elected Chief Burgess of the borough of York, before York was incorporated as a city, he has since died in the prime of life. The youngest daughter, Elizabeth, was married to Win. N. Seibert, Esq., a prominent Lawyer of New Bloom- held. Perry County, Pa. Jacob Lauman was a Very prominent merchant in Dillsburg, at an early day. James J. Moore was his successor in the same business for thirty -five years, and he was one of the leading citizens of Dillsburg. Henry Sidle was also a prominent business man in Dillsburg for thirty years. He was in the mercantile business and he also kept a hotel. XVI. SOLDIERS OF THE CIVIL WAR, I will now give you a brief history of our soldiers who went into the army from Dillsburg during the civil war, between the year 1861 to 1865. When the enrollment was first taken in Dillsburg in 1861, of all the men between the ages of twenty-one and forty-five, we found the number to be sixty -six, at the last draft 24 made in 1865 there were but nine men left in the borough subject to draft. This shows that out of the sixty-six men who were first enrolled, fifty-seven had entered the United States service. Below you will find the names of the men who entered the civil war from Dillsburg, between the year 1861 to 1865, as follows : Wm. Reitzel, Solomon Arnold, S. M. Chronister, Wm. Harbolt, Americus Wickey, Capt. T. B. Hurst, Solomon Smith, H. C. Smyser, Henry Lau, Dr. James M. Shearer Dr. W. D. Bailey, Wm. Arnold, of D, Wm. Arnold, of H, Andrew Weimer, J. L. McClure, D. D. Bailey, R. A. Moore, G. W. Reed, Addison Sheffer, Thomas Smith, Henry Reed, Of this number wounded. D. D. Bailey, J. L. McClure, Wm. Bittinger, John Bowman, Henry Sheffer, Abram Rhoads, Jacob Koontz, Andrew Kinter, Henry Harman, Thomas Gardner, Col. S. N". Bailey, Jacob King, George Ditmer, Geo. L. Britcher, Wm. McKeever, Mr. Uhler, Alex. McKeever, Adam Mountz. Edward Moore, Wm. Chronister, David Chronister, Dr. N". H. Shearer. tlie following were killed and KILLED. Wm. Arnold of H-, Solomon Smith, 25 Wm. Arnold of D., Heniy Harman, Jacob Koontz, Alex. Mckeever. WOUNDED. S. M. Chronister, Wm. Bittinger, G. W. Reed, Henry Sheffer, making a total of eight killed and four wounded. The names of the other sixteen I cannot recall but I can say of a truth , that at the last call for troops there were only nine able bodied men between the ages of twenty -one and forty-five that were left in the bor- ough of Dillsburg. This certainly shows that Dills- burg furnished a full proportion of her young men for the protection of the Union in the sixties. XVII. DISTINGUISHED VISITORS IN DILLSBURG, Governor A. G, Curtin and Major General George G. Meade visited Dillsburg on the third day of July, 1865. They remained in our town for about three hours. They were on the way to Gettysburg to assist in laying the corner stone of the Soldier's National Monument. The ladies of our town prepared bou- quets which were presented to them in the parlor of the Howard House, by A. N. Eslinger, in the name of the ladies. General Meade thanked the ladies and Governor Curtin thanked them in a very appropriate address. Governor Robert E. Pattison and the Gov- ernor's Troop visited Dillsburg August 18th, 1894, and stopped at the Hotel Central. They received a very cordial reception by our citizens, a procession 26 was formed, headed by the Dillsburg Brass Band, and our Chief Burgess S. N. Bailey, led the procession, followed by the Town Council and School Directors, and Ministers of the Gospel. At the Hotel Central an address of welcome was delivered by A. N. Es- lingei-, which was responded to by Governor Pattison, in a very appropriate and eloquent address, and a general reception given to the citizens of town and vicinity in the afternoon of the same day. The New York City council also stopped in Dills- burg, for dinner on their way to Gettysburg in July 1863, to look after the dead and wounded, who fell in that great battle from their stale. XVIII. MEN WHO WERE SUCCESSFUL IN BUSINESS. Henry Sidle and sons left this place for Minneapolis in the year 1863 with a capital of sixty thousand dollars nearly all made in this place in about thirty years, J. J. Moore, merchant, commenced business in Dills- burg a poor young man, when he died in 1875, his estate was worth twenty-eight thousand dollars. J. B. Hurst, came to Dillsburg soon after the town was in- corporated, a poor tailor, he left the town thirty-six years ago, worth about twenty-five thousand dollars. George Wagoner, came to Dillsburg in 1843 and was worth less than five hundred dollars, in about twenty- nine years he left the town worth about sixteen thou- sand dollars. L. H. Watts, came to town with less than three hundred dollars, in about twelve years he left for the west with over five thousand dollars, and 27 there were others that were also successful in business which I will not name in this book. XIX. COMPARISONS. In 1833 we had two small dry goods and grocery stores, each selling about ten thousand dollars worth of goods annually. We had no hardware store. No drug store. No bakery. No factories, except a small whip factory. No coach shop. No Telegraph. No tele- phone. No daily mail. No railroad. No Bank. No jewelry store. No barber shop. No clothing store. No printing press. No shoe store. No livery stable, but in 1902 we have three dry goods and grocery stores that sell about seventy-five thousand ($75,000) worth of goods, 2 hardware stores with stoves and furniture sell at least fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) worth of goods. Then we have 1 drug store, 1 cream- ery, 1 spoke factory, 1 shirt and overall factory, 1 electric plant, 3 stove and tin stores, 2 shoe stores, 3 milliner stores, 1 National Bank, 1 jewelry store, 1 bakery, 1 tailor shop, 1 coach shop, 2 undertakers, 3 furniture stores, 6 mantua makers, 2 smith shops, 1 chain shop, 2 livery stables, 1 printing office, 1 railroad office, with three trains daily, 2 warehouses, 1 lumber yard, 1 farmers implement store, 1 wagon-maker shop, 3 paper hangers, 1 dentist, 2 clothing stores, 3 barber shops, 1 net and collar factory, 1 restaurant, 2 hotels, 5 Ministers of the Gospel, 3 Physicians, 2 Lawyers. 28 All told sixty places of business at this writing, 1902. You will notice that nearly one-fourth of the houses in Dillsburg are places of business. This surely speaks well for a small town, with only eight hundred of a population. XX. INVASION OF THE CONFEDERATES. On June 28th, 18G3, part of the Confederate Army came into Dillsburg on Sunday afternoon. This was part of General Ewel's Corps. They were under the command of Col. Jenkins. They encamped over night just a short distance south of the borough. They sent squads of their soldiers into Dillsburg for provisions, such as bread, meat, coffee and tobacco, &c, and offered to pay for it in Confederate script, but it was worthless to our people. They left the camp on Monday morning the 29th, after taking all the good horses in the borough and from the farmers all around the country. On the following Wednes- day, July 1st, 1863, the battle of Gettysburg opened, and the cannonading could be heard distinctly in Dillsburg, and on the same day Stuart's cavalry passed through Dillsburg. They numbered probably about eight thousand, under the command of General Fitz Hugh Lee and General Wade Hampton. They robbed the stores in Dillsburg, and the post office of all the money and stamps and even the postmaster's overcoat, and all the goods they could find in the stores. Fitz Hugh Lee led his brigade up to Carlisle, 29 bombarded the town, and burned the United States Garrison, located there at that time. General Wade Hampton led his brigade out north as far as John Mumper's farm, where he camped for the night. This place is about one and one-half miles north of the Borough. But before morning they got word to come to Gettysburg immediately, so they all left during the night for the battlefield by the way of the mountain road through Beaver town, to the State road that leads to Gettysburg. This was the last of the Confederate army in Dillsburg, and it was a happy riddance to our town and the vicinity. XXI. IX COXCLUSIOX. The amount of money handled in Dillsburg in one year amounts to over one million eight hundred thous- and dollars, ( $1 , 800, 000. ) When I first knew the place in 1839 the surrounding country was mostly a wilder- ness. In the evening the cry of the whip-poor-will and the tree frogs could be heard around the village. But now (1902) the vicinity of Dillsburg is a beauti- ful country, well improved and produces as much grain per acre as any other community in Pennsyl- vania. In 1901 we had the water brought into town from elegant mountain springs with a fall of one hun- dred and eighty feet, which affords sufficient pressure to throw the water over the highest three-story build- ing in Dillsburg. The town is surrounded with iron 30 ore banks of both Magnetic and Hematite. Thous- ands of tons have been shipped and some is being shipped at this time. The town is also surrounded with clay called kaolin, of almost every color, to make brick and tiling. It has been tested by experts and pronounced to be of the very best quality. Dills- burg is at this time the central place of business, ly- ing between the four county seats of Dauphin, York, Adams and Cumberland and its future looks encour- aging. We also have the very best prospect for two trolley lines run into this place inside of a year, one from Dillsburg to Church! own, to form a connection with the Carlisle and Harrisburg route by way of Mechanics burg. The other from Dillsburg to Dover there connecting with the City of York, wh'ch would give the citizens of Dillsburg and vicinity the advan- tage of hourly transportation from Dillsburg to our county seat, or to Harris! urg our State Capital, or any other place in a rural district. Having known the place for sixty-three years, and being a citizen of the town fifty years, it gives the writer the advantage of knowing the place and seeing its growth and pro- gress I can write what I really know from personal observation. 31 CONTENTS. PAGE I. Introduction 5 II. Origin of Dillsburg 5 III. First Church 6 IV. First Sabbath School 7 V. Post Office 8 VI. Printing Press 9 VII. Eailroacl 10 VIII. The Bank 10 IX. The Morals 12 X. Public Schools 13 XL Buildings 15 XII. Population 15 XIII. Business and Business Men 16 XIV. Telegraph and Telephone 21 XV. Distinguished men 21 XVI. Soldiers of the Civil War 24 XVII. Distinguished Visitors 26 X VIII. Men Who were Successful 27 XIX. Comparison 28 XX. Confederate Invasion. 29 XX I. Conclusion 30 XXII. Poem 33 32 XXII. The poetry below attached was copied from an old copy found in the bottom of an old bandbox and is reproduced in this book as an old relic. DILLSBURG FARE. 1. All you that wish to see, A day spent in sport and glee, Come to the fare. 2. Rooms we have long and wide, Where you may dance and slide, We'll have music there. 3. Rum, Brandy and wine will be, Handed when call'd by thee. Come to the fare. 4. Sugar, Nutmeg and Lemon Juice, If you would rather chose, Will be ready there. 5. Figs, Reasons and Almons sweet, Will be sold in the street. Come to the fare. (>. Ribbons, Laces and earrings too The Pedlars will sell to you. Bring your Beaus there. 7. Sportsmen with horses fleet, Here can their matches meet, Come to the fare. 8. Here's half a mile of good road, Mind have your creatures shod. You can run there. 9. Likewise upon that day, From Carlisle there'll be a man there A man at the fare. 33 10. Strange things will show to you, And walk the wire too, He'll have a clown there. 11. On Tuesday the third of June, Early in the forenoon, Come to the fare. 12. As June comes but once a year, Come and join in our cheer, There will be sport there. 1817, 3 of June is the date hereof. 34 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 209 812 P LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 209 812 A