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 16—47372-1 OPO 
 
Poetical History 
 
 of 
 
 Berks County 
 
 Written for the Sesqui-Centennial, 
 March //, I902, 
 
 By 
 
 D, B. Brunner, Ji. M. 
 
 Teacher of the Business Branches in the 
 
 Boys' High School, 
 
 and 
 
 Chairman of the Sesqui-Centennial 
 
 Committee of the County. 
 
 This Poem icill be sent by mnll to any address at 
 10 cents a copy or $1.00 for 20 copies. 
 


 POETICAL HISTORY 
 
 OF 
 
 sBERKS COUNTY. 
 
 We live in a progressive age, 
 
 Full of auspicious signs; 
 An age of steam and telegraphs 
 
 And 'phones and trolley lines — 
 An age of hurry, haste and bustle 
 
 In every occupation, 
 An age of science and refinement 
 
 And liberal education. 
 
 All men are moving rapidly. 
 
 Determined to succeed; 
 And every business is dispatched 
 
 With an electric speed. 
 
 The grand electric telegraph 
 
 O'er continent and ocean. 
 And the untiring printing press 
 
 With its incessant motion, 
 Have recently annihilated 
 
 Long distance, time and space. 
 And brought the nations of the globe 
 
 Together, face to face. 
 
 We look far out into the future, 
 
 So promising and vast. 
 And are too apt, then, to forget 
 
 The history of the past. 
 
 We have a thousand plans in view 
 
 To perfect and effect. 
 And do not take a moment's time 
 
 To take a retrospect — 
 
To view the hardships of the people 
 
 In their rude habitations 
 And see them struggle in their trials 
 
 For many generations. 
 
 I want to give you a pen picture, 
 That all of you may know, 
 
 The drear condition of "Old Berks" 
 Two hundred years ago. 
 
 INDIANS. 
 
 Two hundred years ago! "Old Berks" 
 Was owned and peopled then 
 
 By a degiaded, barbarous race 
 Of copper colored men. 
 
 The Delawares, the owners then. 
 
 Divided as a nation, 
 Into the Turkey, Turtle, Wolf, 
 
 According to location. 
 
 They lived in towns and villages 
 
 Near by a flowing spring, 
 And every Indian burg and town 
 
 Was governed by a king. 
 
 They lived in wigwams built of sticks, 
 Shaped somewhat like a cone, 
 
 And covered with raw hides and bark 
 Without the use of stone. 
 
 They had to have warm clothes and 
 shoes 
 
 Against the winter's cold, 
 And yet they had no markets where 
 
 These articles were sold. 
 
 They plowed and dug, and planted corn. 
 
 Without a horse or mule. 
 And they had not for many years 
 
 A steel or iron tool. 
 
 They had no looms to make their cloth 
 
 For articles of wear. 
 They tanned the skins of animals 
 
 Such as the deer and bear. 
 
 They had no matches to strike Are, 
 For warming in cold weather, 
 
 Whene'er they were in want of flame 
 They rubbed two sticks together. 
 
They had no powder, guns nor balls, 
 To shoot the game when near, 
 
 But they were very fleet of foot 
 And eas'ly caught the deer. 
 
 They lived upon the corn they raised. 
 And this they ground, when pounded, 
 
 Their meat they gathered from the 
 game 
 With which "Old Berks" abounded. 
 
 The fish were numerous in the streams. 
 And these they speared by dint 
 
 Of some convenient pole or stick, 
 Tipped with a slender flint. 
 
 The Indian towns and villages 
 And where they were located; 
 
 Their number and the size of each, 
 Can be correctly stated. 
 
 The great amount of Indian relics 
 
 Which are still to be found, 
 Denote beyond the slightest doubt, 
 
 Their certain camping ground. 
 
 And where we find the largest heaps 
 Of quartz and jasper shreds. 
 
 These are the places where they chipp'd 
 Their spears and arrowheads. 
 
 A large and an important town 
 
 Was aptly situated. 
 Where the industrious city of Reading 
 
 Is happily located. 
 
 This town extended from the Schuyl- 
 kill 
 
 Out to th' Mineral Spring, 
 And of this large and central town, 
 
 Manangy was the king. 
 
 Another town along the Schuylkill 
 With Dick's and Fritz's isles. 
 
 Extended from Angelica, 
 A distance of four miles. 
 
 This town extended o'er a large 
 And fertile piece of ground. 
 
 Where many of the finest relics 
 Have recently been found. 
 
The Oley Valley, circumscribed 
 
 By fine and lofty hills 
 And permeated in all sections 
 
 By numerous rippling rills, 
 With all its woods and lofty trees, 
 
 Made this a fine location 
 And very well adapted for 
 
 An Indian habitation. 
 
 Then, Maxatawny was a town, 
 
 And as its name declares. 
 Abounded in all kinds of game, 
 
 Especially in bears. 
 
 The relics that are gathered here 
 
 Show one important fact. 
 Their artisans were men of skill 
 
 And of the finest tact. 
 
 The next two villages in line, 
 
 Adjoining Maxatawny, 
 Were situated on Moselem, 
 
 And on the Ontelaunee. 
 
 A town of very great importance 
 
 And densely populated. 
 Was at Sacunk where Virginsville 
 
 Is charmingly located. 
 
 The population here was dense; 
 
 More implements are found 
 Than anywhere in Berks upon 
 
 The same extent of ground. 
 
 The relics used in playing games, 
 
 Are very numerous here. 
 And that it was a place of gaming. 
 
 Is absolutely clear. 
 
 They seemed to meet here every year 
 To hold their annual fairs; 
 
 To hold athletic contests and 
 To show their flinty wares. 
 
 I have observed that implements. 
 
 Found fifty yards apart. 
 Were made of different minerals 
 
 With different skill and art. 
 
 This strange diversity of relics, 
 Has nowhere been excelled, 
 
And shows that here lemaikable 
 Assemblages were held. 
 
 The land of turtles, Tulpehockon, 
 
 A town a few miles long. 
 Was once a sub-tribe large in number, 
 
 Brave, warlike, fierce and strong. 
 
 The relics and the numerals used 
 
 Are nearly all the same. 
 This shows that all the sub-tribes dif- 
 fered, 
 
 But in their local name. 
 
 That Indians were quite numerous her i, 
 Each one well understands; 
 
 Because one hundred thousand relics 
 Are in collectors' hands. 
 
 You must remember that these Indians 
 Had no hard-tempered tools, 
 
 They had no churches and no halls. 
 Nor had they any schools. 
 
 They had no patent saws nor planes. 
 
 Nor any sharp steel axes, 
 They paid no revenues to king 
 
 No school nor city taxes. 
 
 They killed their game with quartzite 
 spears 
 
 And this almost at will, 
 And dressed it with their jasper knives 
 
 With readiness and skill. 
 
 They used the thin bones of the deer 
 
 For needles and for pins, 
 They cut the hides with jasper knives 
 
 To make their moccasins. 
 
 For their canoes they burned the trees 
 
 And then they went about. 
 With fire and axe until they had 
 
 The whole log hollowed out. 
 
 INDIAN TOWN AT READING. 
 
 Now if you can imagine that 
 You stood upon Mount Penn, 
 
 And see the city, mills and shops. 
 And other works of men, 
 
 And then imagine also that 
 
The ruthless hand of fate 
 Had razed all buildings from the land 
 
 And made it desolate, 
 And that no steam car could be seen. 
 
 No mills and furnace fires, 
 No farms, nor stores nor printing press. 
 
 Nor telegraphic wires; 
 But everything as far as seen. 
 
 In nature's ancient dress, 
 Unchanged by any art of man— 
 
 A total wilderness; 
 And that you saw no human beings 
 
 On acres cultivated, 
 Except a barbarous tribe of men, 
 
 Where Reading is located. 
 Now if you can portray these scenes. 
 
 Your graphic views will show 
 A vivid picture of "Old Berks" 
 
 Two hundred years ago. 
 
 EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 
 
 But by and by more settlers came. 
 By thousands, not by scores. 
 
 To seek a place of liberty 
 Upon America's shores. 
 
 The mode of life between the white man 
 
 And his benighted brother. 
 Did not agree in anything, 
 
 But different from each other. 
 
 When Philadelphia was well settled 
 
 Adventurers went forth. 
 And as the tendency was then • 
 
 They usually went north. 
 
 And as the settlers gradually 
 To northern parts proceeded, 
 
 The Indians just as speedily 
 From year to year retreated. 
 
 The earliest settlement in Berks, 
 
 According to old deeds 
 Was made in seventeen hundred one 
 
 By enterprising Swedes. 
 
 This settlement was just two miles 
 
 South of Monoc'cy Hill, 
 The place was called Molattan then 
 
 But later, Douglassville. 
 
 6 
 
This was upon the border line 
 
 Of peace and civilization, 
 Where Penn's officials and the Indians, 
 
 Oft met in consultation. 
 
 Mounce Jones in seventeen hundred 
 sixteen. 
 
 With more than usual care. 
 Put up a dwelling house and fort 
 
 That is still standing there. 
 
 In this historical old house 
 
 The Indian chiefs would meet 
 The officer of Penn's domain 
 ^ To plan, consult and treat. 
 
 The settlers spread through Amity 
 
 By slow but sure degrees 
 Built houses, and prepared the land 
 
 By felling woods and trees. 
 
 The settlers moved toward the north 
 Through woodland; dale and glen. 
 
 And made a settlement in Oley 
 In seventeen hundred ten. 
 
 This township had an Indian town 
 
 And one of fine location. 
 And this the settlers wisely chose 
 
 For their own habitation. 
 
 By new arrivals every year 
 
 The settlers multiplied, 
 And, with their fortune they appeared 
 
 Content and satisfied. 
 
 But here occurred years later on 
 
 As I shall then relate. 
 One of the greatest church events 
 
 That happened in the state. 
 
 QUAKERS. 
 
 Friends in the meantime settled land 
 Down from the Manatawny 
 
 Along the grand Monocacy 
 Up to the Ontelaunee. 
 
 The land along Monocacy 
 Was rich in wood and soil. 
 
 And was most wisely chosen by 
 The hardy hands of toil. 
 
The eastern part of Exeter 
 
 Was very fertile land, 
 And in its woods and lofty trees 
 
 Was beautiful and grand. 
 
 Here Colonel Daniel Boone was born, 
 
 When accurately reckoned, 
 In seventeen hundred thirty-two, 
 
 October twenty-second. 
 
 I still remember, when a boy, 
 
 And with apparent ease. 
 The large extensive tracts of woods 
 
 And their majestic trees. 
 
 Here lots of game of every kind 
 Must have been freely found, 
 
 And this had given Boone a taste 
 For larger hunting ground. 
 
 GANAWESE. 
 
 The Ganawese on the Potomac 
 
 Did not appear to thrive. 
 And asked to move to Tulpehocken 
 
 In seventeen hundred five. 
 
 Manangy, then, the Schuylkill chief, 
 Asked Penn for his approval. 
 
 And showed some cogent reason for 
 Their permanent removal. 
 
 The officers infoi'med Manangy 
 
 That they would all agree 
 Provided that the said Manangy 
 
 Would give a guarantee 
 For their continued good behavior 
 
 While in their heighborhood. 
 And then Manangy guaranteed 
 
 Their conduct should be good. 
 
 PENN'S TITLE. 
 
 King Charles the II. owed the Penns 
 Some sixteen thousand pound, 
 
 And gave them for this debt, this state 
 With all the minerals found. 
 
 But when they sold their right and title 
 The Penns received, in fine. 
 
 One hundred thirty thousand pounds 
 In seventeen seventy-nine. 
 
But Penn desired to live in peace 
 
 With every Indian band 
 And to obtain their will and friendship, 
 
 He paid them fOr their land. 
 
 Up to this time the land was settled 
 
 Without one molestation. 
 And yet the Indians ne'er received 
 
 One cent of compensation. 
 
 Then in the year of seventeen eighteen 
 He paid them for their land 
 
 Including- all below South Mountain, 
 In full of all demand. 
 
 Among the articles he gave 
 
 For this large piece of land, 
 Were thirty bottles, thirty gimlets 
 
 Some shoes of English brand. 
 Three hundred large tobacco pipes 
 
 And thirty pewter spoons. 
 One hundred of the best iewsharps 
 
 To play their Indian tunes. 
 One hundred needles for their wives 
 
 And thirty common combs. 
 And thirty pounds of coarse brown su- 
 gar 
 
 To sweeten things at homes. 
 
 PALATINES IN NEW YORK. 
 
 Lieutenant Governor. William Keith, 
 In seventeen twenty-three. 
 
 Rode up to Albany. New Yoi'k, 
 And thence to Schoharie. 
 
 Here many Palatines had fled 
 
 From European thrall, 
 With promises of land and homes 
 
 And happines'^ for all. 
 
 But when he saw the Palatines 
 
 Ruled by official knaves. 
 And robbed of every civil right 
 
 And treated worse than slaves. 
 He gave them, then, with best intent, 
 
 A pressing invitation 
 Tn choose land on the Tulpehocken 
 
 For their new habitation. 
 
 The hardships of the Palatines 
 Increased from year to year 
 
Until they, in the next four years. 
 Began to mutineer. 
 
 Then thirty and three families 
 
 No longer could forbear; 
 Came to the land of Tulpehoeken 
 
 And humbly settled there. 
 
 SASOONAN PROTESTS. 
 In seventeen hundred twenty-eight 
 
 Some day late in the spring, 
 Was present at a council meeting 
 
 Sasoonan, their chief king. 
 Who said that he was much surprised 
 
 That Christians took their land 
 For which they were not paid, and this 
 
 He could not understand. 
 
 They then unfolded all their deeds 
 Which Penn had ever made, 
 
 And found that for this fertile land 
 The Indians were not paid. 
 
 CONRAD WEISER. 
 In seventeen hundred twenty-nine 
 
 More Palatines came here, 
 And with them came J. Conrad Weiser, 
 
 A man without a peer. 
 
 He built a house in Heidelberg, 
 
 Along the public way. 
 And there it stands quite well preserv'd 
 
 Yet at the present day. 
 
 What Washington was to the states 
 
 In freedom, peace and war, 
 C. Weiser was to our state, 
 
 A prudent counsellor. 
 
 The Indians knew his words were true, 
 
 And readily believed them. 
 For Weiser never talked to them 
 
 And afterward deceived them. 
 
 The white men knew his honesty 
 
 From years of intercourse, 
 In influence and character 
 
 He was a man of force. 
 
 In counsel he was logical. 
 In mental vigor great, 
 
 10 
 
And was a noble benefactor 
 
 To county and to state. 
 The fact is that had it not been 
 
 For Welser's personal force 
 The loss in the French- Indian war 
 
 Would have been vastly worse. 
 
 The place of meeting Indian chiefs 
 
 Which was in Amity still, 
 Was changed to Conrad Weiser's house 
 
 From famous Douglassville. 
 
 PAID FOR LAND BETWEEN THE 
 SOUTH AND BLUE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 To pacify the Indian chiefs 
 
 In seventeen thirty-two, 
 The Penns bought all the land up to 
 
 The Kittatinny Blue. 
 
 This tract included most of Berks 
 To the Blue Mountain's crest 
 
 And from Northampton in the east 
 To Dauphin in the west. 
 
 Now it may interest all of you 
 
 If I in part explain 
 What Penn gave to the Indian chiefs 
 
 For this immense domain. 
 
 Among the articles, he gave 
 
 Were kettles, hats and shoes. 
 Some twenty guns and fifty hatchets 
 
 To hollow their canoes; 
 A lot of powder, lead and hoes. 
 
 One hundred twenty knives. 
 Some paint and sixty pairs of scissors — 
 
 A pre.sent for their wives; 
 And, lastly, fifty pounds in money, 
 
 And with this little sum 
 Tobacco and tobacco pipes 
 
 And fifty gallons of rum. 
 
 ALL INDIANS HAD LEFT THE 
 COUNTY IN 1732. 
 Remember that the Indian chiefs 
 
 Had sold their hunting gi'ounds. 
 And moved their towns and counci fires 
 
 Some miles beyond our bounds. 
 
 The kings and chiefs made annual tours 
 With wampum as their token 
 
 11 
 
Of friendship and goodwill to Penn 
 From their chief town, Shamokin. 
 
 These chiefs would stop and spend some 
 days 
 
 With honored Conrad Weiser, 
 Because they knew in him they had 
 
 A friend and sympathizer. 
 
 He took them down to Philadelphia, 
 Where he was rightly known; 
 
 And managed their affairs as well 
 As he dispatched his own. 
 
 He brought them back to Heidelberg 
 And entertained them there; 
 
 He knew their wants and gave to them 
 Large quantities of fare. 
 
 Now Weiser never had a dread 
 
 Nor did he ever fear 
 Because he always sent them off 
 
 In evident good cheer. 
 
 OTHER SETTLEMENTS. 
 Caernarvon township, just above 
 
 The southern bound' ry line. 
 Was settled by the Welsh already 
 
 In seventeen twenty-nine. 
 
 And in the meantime settlers came 
 
 And filled the eastern vale. 
 Composed of Washington and Hereford 
 
 And fertile Colebrookdale. 
 
 These people are devout and known 
 
 By their religious rites. 
 As Schwenkfelders and Catholics, 
 
 And some as Mennonites. 
 
 These settlers moved along the land 
 With slow but constant motion. 
 
 And swept o'er all the country like 
 The billows of the ocean. 
 
 This civilizing power spread 
 In more than one direction. 
 
 And in the course of thirty years 
 Had covered every section. 
 
 There were no drones among these men, 
 They did not come to roam, 
 
 12 
 
They fled from tyranny and came 
 To build themselves a home. 
 
 Imagine these industrious people 
 
 To take a piece of land. 
 And not a house to shelter them, 
 
 But saw and axe in hand, 
 Cut down the trees, adjust the logs 
 
 By hard, incessant toil. 
 And clear the land of wood and trees 
 
 And cultivate the soil. 
 
 In thirty years this county made 
 (To some it may seem strange) 
 
 A quick and rapid transformation — 
 A great and wondrous change. 
 
 Convenient places for a house 
 
 Were usually selected, 
 And then a transient house and barn 
 
 Were speedily erected. 
 
 They cleared the land and tilled the soil 
 
 And cultivated lots; 
 The rugged, ancient wilderness 
 
 They changed to garden spots. 
 
 THE CHURCHES. 
 As soon as houses had been built 
 
 To shield against the weather, 
 The people of a neighborhood 
 
 All freely joined together, 
 And built small churches and school- 
 house 
 
 At a select location, 
 To give their people and their children 
 
 A Christian education. 
 
 The early settlers were all men. 
 Known for their faith and piety, 
 
 And practiced daily their convictions 
 Of truth, love and sobriety. 
 
 They lived in peace and happiness, 
 
 And treated all men fairly. 
 And when they sold or bartered goods 
 
 They always acted squarely. 
 
 This process of development 
 
 In every man's career, 
 Went on without an obstacle 
 
 And grew from year to year. 
 
 13 
 
The churches were built far apart, 
 And they were small and few, 
 
 But they received a strong impulse 
 In seventeen forty-two. 
 
 A number of Moravian brethren 
 Had, years before this, planned, 
 
 To Christianize the heathen Indians 
 In this new, promised land. 
 
 They had established mission stations 
 
 At eligible places, 
 Where they instructed all they met, 
 
 Both white and Indian races. 
 
 In seventeen forty-two they had 
 
 A great religious rally 
 Of many white and Indian men, 
 
 Down in the Oley Valley. 
 
 Count Zinzendorf and Bishop Nitsch- 
 man 
 Preached in the barn of a Van Dirk, 
 And brothers Henry Rauch and Buett- 
 ner 
 Helped them in this religious work. 
 
 A large concourse of whites and Indians 
 Had come from far and wide. 
 
 To hear the word of God expounded 
 And to be edified. 
 
 According to Loskiel's report, 
 This was a sol'mn occasion. 
 
 The spirit of the Lord pervaded 
 This ardent congregation. 
 
 A band of Delawares were present. 
 
 Just partly civilized. 
 And three who had come from New 
 York, 
 
 Confessed and were baptized. 
 
 These Indians were no doubt the first, 
 
 Themselves to consecrate. 
 And be baptized in Christian faith. 
 
 In this great Keystone State. 
 
 So great was the enthusiasm 
 
 On this divine occasion, 
 That preaching was prolonged a day 
 
 And night without cessation. 
 
 14 
 
The brethren took their turns in preach- 
 ing. 
 
 And preached with all their might. 
 The Indians sat composedly, 
 
 And listened all the night. 
 
 KINGS AT WEISER'S. 
 In August seventeen forty-two 
 
 A hundred chiefs and kings 
 Had gone to Philadel. to treat 
 
 About some tribal things. 
 
 They were in charge of Conrad Weiser, 
 
 With whom they did repair 
 To Heidelberg where Weiser lived, 
 
 And entertained them there. 
 
 How long he entertained them there 
 
 Is not exactly known. 
 But he did not defray the cost 
 
 With money of his own. 
 
 The state gave him five hundred dollars 
 
 And to this liberal sum 
 The Indians made a kind request 
 
 For twenty gallons of rum. 
 
 While they remained with Conrad Wei- 
 ser 
 
 Without a strife or breach. 
 Count Zinzendorf and William Zander 
 
 Came there to talk and pi-each. 
 
 At first they turned away from them 
 With strong signs of declension; 
 
 But after Weiser spoke to them 
 They gave them their attention. 
 
 LUTHERAN CHURCH. 
 The Rev. Dr. Muhlenberg 
 
 Came with the hope and view 
 Of working up the Lutheran Church 
 
 In seventeen forty-two. 
 
 He went into the settlements. 
 
 And frequently baptized. 
 He preached wherever people gathered, 
 
 And taught and catechized. 
 
 He gave the church an impetus, 
 And people consolation, 
 
 15 
 
And planted there the Luth'ran Church, 
 Upon a firm foundation. 
 
 REFORMED CHURCH. 
 Next came the Rev. Michael Schlatter, 
 
 The faithful pioneer 
 Of the Reformed denomination, 
 
 To preach their doctrine here. 
 
 The Lutherans and the Reformed 
 Moved forward hand in hand, 
 
 And in their work they took a firm 
 And an aggressive stand. 
 
 READING. 
 
 Up to this time there were no towns. 
 
 Nor villages projected, 
 Nor were there any schemes or plans 
 
 For government effected. 
 
 There was no central place of trade. 
 
 Where settlers could apply 
 When they had anything to sell, 
 
 Or if they wished to buy. 
 
 With this important view in mind, 
 
 To bring about this state. 
 The Penns laid out the town of Reading 
 
 In seventeen forty-eight. 
 
 COUNTY. 
 
 The settlers were quite numerous. 
 
 And had already pressed, 
 North to the Blue, and from Lehigh 
 
 To Lebanon in the west. 
 
 They had no means of taking then 
 
 A census of the polls, 
 The population was considered 
 
 About ten thousand souls. 
 
 The courts were held in Philadelphia 
 
 Too far for many a one. 
 Where all transfers of property 
 
 And legal work was done. 
 
 To get this great convenience. 
 Two hundred signers prayed 
 
 Lieutenant Governor Thomas that 
 A county should be made. 
 
 16 
 
And in compliance with their prayer 
 Their wishes were respected, 
 
 And March llth, fifty-two, 
 ■^erks County was erected. 
 
 One hundred fifty years ago, 
 
 Do not forget the date. 
 That is the great memorial day — 
 
 The day we celebrate. 
 
 PEACE FOR FIFTY-FIVE YEARS. 
 
 For fully fifty and five years 
 The white and Indian races 
 
 Had dwelt in peace and real friendship 
 And in adjoining places. 
 
 They bartered such things as they had, 
 
 Dealt fairly on both sides, 
 The Indians always seemed content 
 
 And fully satisfied. 
 
 On some occasions wicked men 
 Would rob them in their trade. 
 
 But the officials always saw 
 That fair returns were made. 
 
 The Indian chiefs and white men met 
 
 On numerous occasions, 
 And for their warm continual friendship 
 
 They gave congratulations. 
 
 There was no conflict and no strife 
 
 For fifty and five years, 
 Nor was there ever any cause 
 
 Of terror or of fears. 
 
 Now after such a lapse of time 
 
 You surely would contend. 
 That such a long continued peace 
 
 Would never, never end. 
 
 But soon some of these friendly Indians 
 
 Became a murderous band, 
 And murdered, robbed and burned the 
 houses 
 
 Through this once peaceful land. 
 
 They fell upon the quiet people 
 While on their farms engaged. 
 
 And sometimes killed whole families, 
 The young as well as aged. 
 
 17 
 
They scalped the fathers and the moth- 
 ers, 
 
 In very many places, 
 And murdered them most horribly 
 
 Before their children's faces. 
 
 FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 
 
 The cause of this was a dispute 
 
 (Historians assign) 
 Between the English and the French, 
 
 About a boundary line. 
 
 The English and the colonies, 
 
 United on one side. 
 And on the other part, the French 
 
 And Indians were allied. 
 
 Those horrible barbarities 
 
 Were frequently repeated, 
 Until the French and Indian allies 
 
 Were routed and defeated. 
 
 You cannot at this present day 
 
 Without a shudder read 
 The murder of the Reichelderfers 
 
 A most inhuman deed; 
 Nor of the cruel killing of 
 
 The Gerhart family. 
 In seventeen hundred fifty-six 
 
 In northern Albany. 
 
 Deep-seated feelings of revenge 
 
 Our throbbing bosoms fill. 
 When we peruse the Myers' fate, 
 
 Just north of Shartlesville. 
 
 The fear and terror of Fort Northkill 
 The people's mind distressed, 
 
 And still more at Fort Dietrich Six, 
 In Bethel further west. 
 
 The capture of Regina Hartman, 
 
 And her devoted mate. 
 Is the most thrilling incident 
 
 That happened in this state. 
 
 The murders of the Palatines 
 
 Their sufferings and fear, 
 Along the famous Tulpehocken 
 
 Can't be related here. 
 
 18 
 
If you desire a full account 
 
 Of Indian depredation, 
 Read Brunner's "Indians of Berks 
 County" 
 
 For further information. 
 
 AFTER THE FRENCH AND INDIAN 
 WAR. 
 
 But after a durance of five or six years 
 With all its concomitant horrors and 
 
 fears, 
 The strength of the French in this war 
 
 was expended. 
 And all its severity and terror had 
 
 ended. 
 
 The Palatines were with discourage- 
 ment filled 
 
 When they saw their near friends 
 either captured or killed. 
 
 Discouraged by losses of houses and 
 farms, 
 
 Life seemed to be shorn of its loveliest 
 charms. 
 
 And Weiser on whom the good people 
 relied. 
 
 In the meantime, unhapp'ly had sick- 
 ened and died. 
 
 In seventeen sixty, thirteenth of July, 
 
 At his Heidelberg home, where his 
 ashes still lie. 
 
 And had it not been for the friendly re- 
 lations 
 
 Between Conrad Weiser and Iroquois 
 nations 
 
 Through murder and capture w^hich all 
 men deplore 
 
 The Palatines then would have suffered 
 much more. 
 
 But after the war which all settlers 
 
 deplored, 
 And when a safe quiet -and peace were 
 
 restored 
 The Palatines then with new vigor and 
 
 toil 
 Began to build homes and better the 
 
 soil. 
 
 19 
 
New settlers arrived and acquired more 
 land, 
 
 The number began to increase and ex- 
 pand, 
 
 And in a few years the people regained 
 
 Their former contentment and happi- 
 ness reigned. 
 
 And scarcely had these hapless people 
 paid for 
 
 The losses sustained in the French-In- 
 dian war, 
 
 And before they could realize it was 
 discovered 
 
 That over their future another war 
 hovered. 
 
 In the fifties they fought for the Eng- 
 lishman's land. 
 
 Defended their homes under English 
 command; 
 
 For French domination they had no af- 
 fection, 
 
 But wished to remain under English 
 protection. 
 
 REVOLUTION. 
 
 But soon after all the French forces 
 were quelled 
 
 They shortly discovered that they were 
 compelled 
 
 To fight with more vigor for home and 
 possession. 
 
 Against the tyrannical English oppres- 
 sion. 
 
 They strugg"led for years with their 
 means and their might, 
 
 And fought for their homes, for freedom 
 and right. 
 
 And gave the stamp Englishmen well- 
 deserved licks. 
 
 In seventeen hundred and seventy-six. 
 
 And to this there was but a simple so- 
 lution, 
 
 And that was America's great Revolu- 
 tion, 
 
 They fought against burdensome taxes 
 on tea 
 
 And other necessities till they were 
 free. 
 
 20 
 
Battalions were marshalled in every 
 section, 
 
 Under the wise guidance and able di- 
 rection 
 
 Of Colonels Dan Hunter, Dan Udree, J. 
 Weaver, 
 
 Balser Gehr, Henrv Spyker and Captain 
 George Beaver. 
 
 A areat many men of the young and the 
 
 old 
 Throughout the whole county were 
 
 early enrolled, 
 To battle for freedom and manfully 
 
 fight 
 To establish sound peace, independence 
 
 and right. 
 
 The colonies were without funds and 
 
 resources^ 
 And not the means of collecting their 
 
 forces 
 To fight the drilled soldiers completely 
 
 equipped 
 Which, with ammunition, old England 
 
 had shipped. 
 
 The city of Reading for fitness and size. 
 
 Was made a great depot for army sup- 
 plies. 
 
 And when these supplies with balls and 
 ammunition 
 
 Were to be ti-ansported with loads of 
 provision. 
 
 The farmers were called, upon such an 
 occasion. 
 
 To bring in their wagons and make 
 transportation. 
 
 For six years and six months, or at 
 
 least, thereabout. 
 The fate of their triumph was often in 
 
 doubt, 
 Sometimes they were hopeful, and then 
 
 in distress, 
 But their efforts at last were crowned 
 
 with success. 
 
 Now in this long struggle 'gainst tyran- 
 ny's might. 
 
 They gained their desired independence 
 and right; 
 
 21 
 
Though through this long warfare the 
 
 men became poor. 
 Yet their independence and freedom 
 
 were sure. 
 
 Overburdened with taxes to pay the 
 war debt 
 
 And not a state banli or full treasury 
 yet, 
 
 The old "Continental Shinplasters" be- 
 came 
 
 Worth less in their value as well as in 
 name. 
 
 This long agitation of war had engaged 
 
 The minds of the young as well as the 
 aged, 
 
 It had all departments of business af- 
 fected 
 
 And even the farming was somewhat 
 neglected. 
 
 But after a struggle for many a year. 
 
 The prospect of freedom had filled them 
 with cheer; 
 
 They looked at the future with heart- 
 felt delight, 
 
 Because independence was clearly in 
 sight. 
 
 The county already in full operation 
 
 Then followed our state's new organi- 
 zation; 
 
 And this was the second step in the 
 great plan 
 
 Of gaining the full independence of 
 man. 
 
 And lastly to perfect the work they had 
 
 wrought. 
 For which they had aimed and for 
 
 which they had fought. 
 The union of states so nobly begun — 
 E Pluribus Unum, from many the one. 
 
 George Washington chosen the first in 
 
 the line 
 In seventeen hundred and eighty and 
 
 nine, 
 And then Thomas Mifflin one year after 
 
 date 
 
 22 
 
Was chosen chief magistrate of our 
 state. 
 
 These triple relations of county and 
 
 state 
 Imposed upon people new duties of 
 
 weight, 
 And then they began with unbounded 
 
 delight 
 To exercise thence their long coveted 
 
 right. 
 
 When the union of states had a solid 
 foundation 
 
 The county and state were in full oper- 
 ation. 
 
 The people took hold of the plow and 
 spade 
 
 And turned their atention to farming 
 and trade. 
 
 It was then that the people dropped 
 war and its cares , 
 
 And gave their attention to domestic 
 affairs. 
 
 They took their war guns from the field 
 of the battle 
 
 And looked after farms and the care of 
 the cattle. 
 
 They stored their old muskets in gar- 
 rets and nooks 
 
 And beat their worn swords into fit 
 "pruning hooks." 
 
 The houses were built with more com- 
 fort and style. 
 
 The people began to be happy and 
 smile. 
 
 More churches were built for worship 
 and song. 
 
 More schools were established for teach- 
 ing the young. 
 
 PROSPERITY. 
 
 The burdensome taxes incurred in the 
 
 war 
 Were getting much less, they were 
 
 largely paid for. 
 While many a settler with his children 
 
 and wife 
 Came to settle down for the enjoyment 
 
 of life. 
 
 23 
 
The settlers were bound by the friend- 
 liest ties, 
 
 The houses increased both in comfort 
 and size, 
 
 For mutual protection, they labored in 
 union. 
 
 In honor and friendship they lived in 
 communion. 
 
 With such a kind sympathy toward 
 
 each other, 
 They all were as friendly as brother to 
 
 brother; 
 Honest traffic among them was always 
 
 maintained. 
 And on these conditions prosperity 
 
 reigned. 
 
 The rapid additions to their population 
 Their zeal in religion and civilization, 
 Demanded that larger provision be 
 
 made 
 To expedite husbandry, business and 
 
 trade. 
 
 To supply these demands new machine 
 
 shops and mills 
 Were built in the valleys and up on our 
 
 hills. 
 To fashion the iron which furnaces 
 
 made 
 Into proper utensils for farming and 
 
 trade. 
 
 Small furnaces had been already in 
 
 blast. 
 And quantities of the best iron were 
 
 cast, 
 At Colebrookdale, Oley, at Hopewell 
 
 and Pine, 
 At Pool and Joanna, the iron was fine. 
 
 The people began to collect in com- 
 munities 
 
 In places that offered increased oppor- 
 tunities 
 
 For suitable markets and centres of 
 trade. 
 
 Where they could dispose of such 
 things as they made. 
 
 24 
 
Each centre at first, though of little re- 
 nown 
 
 Grew year after year to a village or 
 town; 
 
 But later it crystallized into a borough, 
 
 To make the community perfect and 
 thorough. 
 
 BOROUGHS. 
 
 Kutztown is the oldest, as might be ex- 
 pected. 
 
 And Womelsdorf was soon after 
 erected; 
 
 Busy Hamburg located just south of 
 the hills, 
 
 And Birdsboro' known for its furnace 
 and mills. 
 
 Both Fleetwood and Boyertown claim 
 
 some attention, 
 And for their large mills they deserve 
 
 special mention; 
 But Centreport, Bernville and Topton, 
 
 you know, 
 Are young and have time to develop 
 
 and grow. 
 
 The same may be mentioned of Len- 
 
 hartsville, too. 
 And Bechtelville, for the two boroughs 
 
 are new. 
 While West Leesport, the youngest, an 
 
 infant concern. 
 Was recently carved from the township 
 
 of Bern. 
 
 THE FIRST NEWSPAPERS IN THE 
 COUNTY AND POSTOPPICE. 
 
 The people sought channels and swift 
 avenues 
 
 To get the state, county and all local 
 news; 
 
 And then to supply this new longing 
 of m.an. 
 
 The Adler its flights and existence be- 
 gan. 
 
 It fluttered e'er since with its tireless 
 
 wings, 
 And over a century old, it still brings 
 Intelligence weekly in its certain flight 
 
 25 
 
To the German inhabitants' joy and 
 delight. 
 
 In eighteen and sixteen this wish mul- 
 tiplied, 
 
 And for this same knowledge the Eng- 
 lish men sighed, 
 
 And to gratify those who were English 
 in tongue. 
 
 The Berks-Schuylkill Journal came 
 ■ happ'ly along. 
 
 Remember, as early as eighteen and 
 ten, 
 
 The county had but five postofRces 
 then; 
 
 Now one hundred and sixty bring us 
 and our neighbors 
 
 Light merchandise, letters and news- 
 bearing papers. 
 
 JOSEPH HIESTER ELECTED 
 GOVERNOR. 
 
 While the men were concerned about 
 
 farms and their cares 
 They gave some attention to public 
 
 affairs; 
 And some of the statesmen at this early 
 
 date 
 Became very famous throughout the 
 
 whole state. 
 
 In reading the history of th' county, 
 
 we learn 
 That in eighteen and twenty J. Hiester, 
 
 of Bern, 
 A man of integrity, honest and square, 
 Was elected to fill the Governor's chair. 
 
 Throughout his whole life Joseph Hies- 
 ter was great; 
 
 He was a great honor to county and 
 state, 
 
 And the first one to issue a recom- 
 mendation. 
 
 For a system of public and free educa- 
 tion. 
 
 26 
 
GENERAL, PROGRESS. 
 
 Reading had at this time but a small 
 population. 
 
 And not a s'ood place for trade and 
 speculation; 
 
 Philadelphia was then the great centre 
 of trade, 
 
 And there is where all the great bar- 
 gains vifive made. 
 
 To this market the farmers hauled pro- 
 duce and grain. 
 
 And purchased such things as to farm- 
 ing pertain. 
 
 The country storekeepers drove down 
 the "old road," 
 
 And on every trip they had a big load 
 
 Of farmers' produce, such as butter and 
 eggs; 
 
 And brought in return full barrels and 
 kegs 
 
 Of sugar and nails and much other 
 stuff, 
 
 From velvets and silks to tobacco and 
 snuff. 
 
 But traffic and business increased very 
 fast, 
 
 And soon it became so enormous and 
 vast, 
 
 That the Schuylkill Canal, with this sole 
 expectation, 
 
 Was built in the twenties to aid trans- 
 portation. 
 
 The boats were too slow but carried 
 
 great weight. 
 But in a few years they were quite out 
 
 of date. 
 Then high in the thirties, the railroad 
 
 was made 
 To expedite traveling, commerce and 
 
 trade. 
 
 Thus with the same speed that trafRc 
 
 was moved. 
 All business and factories and farming 
 
 improved. 
 This progress was constant and really 
 
 incessant. 
 From the county's erection right down 
 
 to the present. 
 
READING. 
 
 Now when we look backward just two 
 
 hundred years, 
 And study the homes of the first 
 
 pioneers, 
 What wondrous vicissitudes have taken 
 
 place 
 In such a comparative shortness of 
 
 space. 
 
 The industrious settlers who came from 
 
 all lands, 
 With their families — axes and spades 
 
 in their hands — 
 Removed the great forest in Penn's 
 
 large domain 
 And made the land blossom with fruit, 
 
 corn and grain. 
 
 Behold the pen picture I now shall pre- 
 sent 
 
 Of the changes the county of Berks un- 
 derwent; 
 
 Look carefully then, I profoundly im- 
 plore you, 
 
 While the great panorama moves brisk- 
 ly before you. 
 
 See the wilderness through which the 
 
 Indians once stormed, 
 Through decades of wearisome labor, 
 
 transformed 
 To the beautiful garden-spots where 
 
 you reside 
 In houses and mansions where gods 
 
 might abide. 
 
 Without the delay of a moment of time, 
 I beg you to hasten Penn's Mountain to 
 
 climb, 
 And when you've ascended the Tower, 
 
 then view 
 The valley between the South Mountain 
 
 and Blue. 
 
 You'll see a rich country with excel- 
 lent soil, 
 
 So rendered by industry, labor and toil. 
 
 And checkered with farms and dwell- 
 ings to date 
 
 That are in no county excelled in the 
 state. 
 
 28 
 
You'll see where the old Tulpehocken 
 flows down. 
 
 And unites with the Schuylkill above 
 our town, 
 
 And these with some thousands of ob- 
 jects you glean. 
 
 Present a most glorious and rapturous 
 scene. 
 
 At. the base of Mount Penn, you there 
 
 will find, spreading, 
 The prosp'rous and beautiful city of 
 
 Reading. 
 Instead of the huts of a barbarous race 
 You'll find grander buildings now fill- 
 ing the place — 
 Many prominent mansions along our 
 
 hills, 
 Large furnaces, shops and industrial 
 
 mills, 
 And churches with steeples and spires 
 
 that rise. 
 Which, in their grave majesty, point to 
 
 the skies. 
 
 Instead of the whoop of Manangy the 
 king, 
 
 Which echoed from Schuylkill to Min- 
 eral Spring, 
 
 You'll hear the loud sound of the steam 
 whistle swell, 
 
 And the soft, mellow notes of the 
 "church going bell." 
 
 The Mineral Spring Valley, though nar- 
 row and short. 
 
 Now an elegant winter and summer re- 
 sort. 
 
 Was once a romantic and desolate glen, 
 
 And a fitting retreat for uncivilized 
 men. 
 
 But the hand of refinement and civili- 
 zation. 
 
 Has recently wrought a complete trans- 
 formation. 
 
 And the glen with its trees, that are 
 lofty and slender, 
 
 Has gained very much in its beauty 
 and splendor 
 
 By aiding pure nature in every part, 
 
 29 
 
With embellishments and decorations 
 of art. 
 
 The rivulet with its swift current and 
 
 bridges, 
 And murmuring cascades o'er small 
 
 stony ridges, 
 With other improvements, adds beauty 
 
 and grace 
 And makes of this glen a most elegant 
 
 place. 
 
 SCHUYLKILL VALLEY. 
 
 Contrast the nice houses, the land and 
 
 its tillage. 
 With the wigwams and huts of the long 
 
 Indian village, 
 And the Delaware tribe, with the white 
 
 population, 
 From Angelica southward to Exeter 
 
 Station. 
 
 The country has changed and improve- 
 ments were made. 
 
 With the axe and the saw, the pick and 
 the spade. 
 
 The shops of the Red Men have left 
 only traces 
 
 And the mills in the valley have taken 
 their places. 
 
 The passenger whistle and engineer's 
 bell 
 
 Now echo so sweetly through Klapper- 
 than dell, 
 
 Instead of the shout of the chief with 
 his bow 
 
 Who reigned in the valley two centu- 
 ries ago. 
 
 OLEY. 
 
 The township of Oley once covered with 
 trees, 
 
 Now stripped of the wood axid changed 
 into leas — 
 
 Once the home of the Indians as well as 
 the lair 
 
 Of the swift-footed deer and the wan- 
 dering bear. 
 
 Had later a furnace in one of its 
 groves, 
 
 30 
 
For casting the best of pig iron and 
 stoves, 
 
 And to this belonged further up in a 
 gorge. 
 
 As an aid to the furnace, a well equip- 
 ped forge. 
 
 And when the good people of Oley had- 
 
 made 
 A boom in the forge and the cast iron 
 
 trade, 
 They turned their attention to 'nother 
 
 pursuit, 
 To the culture of grain, potatoes and 
 
 fruit. 
 
 And now the fine farms in such high 
 cultivation, 
 
 Arouse in the mind the profound admi- 
 ration, 
 
 Of every intelligent farmer, and all 
 
 Who may give the rich men of Oley a 
 call. 
 
 MAXATAWlSTY. 
 
 Maxatawny, a level and beautiful plain. 
 Productive of bountiful measures of 
 
 grain. 
 Has indeed undergone, though this may 
 
 seem strange, 
 A remarkable and a most wonderful 
 
 change. 
 
 The wigwams that formerly covered 
 
 the meads, 
 The tall and dense woods with the 
 
 brush and the weeds. 
 Have all been removed, save only one 
 
 trace. 
 A^nd Kutztown now covers the elegant 
 
 place. 
 
 While Kutztown is known as a beauti- 
 ful town 
 
 'Tis the Keystone State Normal that 
 gives it renown; 
 
 It stands like a beacon upon the sea 
 shore. 
 
 And illumines the county with practical 
 lore. 
 
 31 
 
ONTELAUNEE VALLEY. 
 
 Moselem, once owned by the Indians of 
 
 yore. 
 Was lately well known for its furnace 
 
 and ore; 
 The scenes on the old Ontelaunee are 
 
 charming, 
 And the land is well suited for grazing 
 
 and farming. 
 
 Sacunk up at Virginsville which was, 
 in short, 
 
 The Indians' dear Mecca or annual re- 
 sort, 
 
 Is now a small village, though quiet 
 and plain, 
 
 Where real content and prosperity 
 reign. 
 
 TULPEHOCKEN. 
 
 But let us now go from the mouth of 
 the Sacon, 
 
 To the banks of the old and renowned 
 Tulpehocken, 
 
 Once the scene of barbarity, murder and 
 ravages, 
 
 Of a horde of most cruel and blood- 
 thirsty savages. 
 
 No part of our interesting history pre- 
 sents 
 
 A list of such horrid and stirring 
 events, 
 
 As the land of the old Tulpehocken did, 
 when 
 
 It was plundered by fiends who were 
 once friendly men. 
 
 The Palatines ne'er did the Indians a 
 
 . harm. 
 And yet they destroyed oft the crops of 
 
 the farm. 
 Burned houses and buildings, and after 
 
 the wrecks. 
 They murdered without a distinction of 
 
 sex. 
 
 The three Heidelbergs and Marion, just 
 west. 
 
 The two Tulpehockens and Bethel at- 
 test 
 
 32 
 
The suffering's and fear in the French- 
 Indian war. 
 
 And sufferings all civilized people ab- 
 hor. 
 
 But the woe of the Palatines ended at 
 last, 
 
 And the people have almost forgotten 
 the past; 
 
 Indiff'rent about their forefathers' de- 
 spairs 
 
 They are more concerned in their fu- 
 ture affairs. 
 
 BERKS COUNTY. 
 
 Berks County is well and abundantly 
 
 blest 
 From Hereford in the east to Bethel in 
 
 the west. 
 And from Caernarvon, all townships in 
 
 order. 
 To Tilden and Windsor and Albany's 
 
 border. 
 
 The farms are well managed with heed, 
 
 care and taste. 
 And no land is allowed to lie fallow or 
 
 waste; 
 The houses are mansions of beauty and 
 
 grace, 
 And every appointment is right in its 
 
 place. 
 
 The crops are all good and the cereals 
 are fine. 
 
 The grapes that r,re raised give us ex- 
 cellent wine; 
 
 We get the farm products with lots of 
 good cherries. 
 
 And in season we get an abundance of 
 berries. 
 
 The factories are running by day and 
 by night. 
 
 And lighted by brilliant electrical light. 
 
 The men and mechanics have constant 
 employment 
 
 With leisure sufficient for rest and en- 
 joyment. 
 
 33 
 
The steam cars and trolleys almost to 
 perfection 
 
 Extend through the county in every di- 
 rection, 
 
 And convey many people who in a great 
 measure 
 
 Are traveling for recreation and pleas- 
 ure. 
 
 The county and city are amply sup- 
 plied 
 
 With churches and schools, our boast 
 and our pride; 
 
 The young are instructed by compe- 
 tent teachers. 
 
 And the older are counseled by eloquent 
 preachers. 
 
 Everv wise and intelligent reader now 
 
 blesses 
 The telepragh, telephone and printing 
 
 presses, 
 For rathering the news of the world 
 
 every day. 
 And giving it to him without a delay. 
 
 There may be no booming, but business 
 
 is fair, 
 Of traffic and commerce we have our 
 
 share; 
 There may be but few things in which 
 
 we excel. 
 But in general the county has done very 
 
 well. 
 
 What wonderful progress and changes 
 
 took place 
 Within our bounds and the county's 
 
 short race. 
 But what may betide, come tell us. O! 
 
 seers. 
 In the coming one hundred and fifty 
 
 fleet years. 
 
 And may the good people of this fa- 
 vored county 
 
 Enjoy the full measure of nature's rich 
 bounty. 
 
 And may their success at this Sesqui- 
 Centennial, 
 
 Lose none of its vigor, but may be per- 
 ennial. 
 
 S4 
 
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