*i.^* ft- .: " V.^* ■^ r..« A \.^^ <.^'\ • « • °' xft*" ■ ■ ^ " >h^ < o A Week in the Blue Mountains LLUSTRATED By HENRY W. SHOEMAKER Author of "PENNSYLVANIA MOUNTAIN STORIES", Etc. (COPYRIGHTED) (ALL RIGHTS RESERVED) 2£ To Mrs. H. W. S. ®It^ K^vttahU (Hompamnn of the Outing These Pa^es Are Sincerely Dedicated A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS The Record of a Happy Outing By HENRY W. SHOEMAKER Author of "Pennsylvania Mountain Stories", Etc. ^^ Men who undertalce only one districi are much more likely to advance natural knowledge than those who grasp at more than they can possibly be acquainted with; every kingdom, every province, should have its Own Monographer''. —Rev. (rilbert White ILLUSTRATED From Photographs by Mrs. H. W. Shoemaker Published by THE ALTOONA TRIBUNE PRESS ALTOONA. PENNA. 1914 I- /6-f ©CI.A400718 JUN 3 1915 -Ko/ INTRODUCTION. THIS is a record of an eight-days' drive through one of the most picturesque and historic sections of Pennsylvania. It is written as a plea to "see Pennsylvania first." While the United States and for- eign lands abound with interesting and romantic spots, right at our very doors, in the Keystone State, we have enough that is well worth seeing to keep travellers busily engaged for a lifetime. After one has become acquainted with his or her native state, then it is time to travel into other states or other lands. Travelling through inland Pennsylvania is attractive in many ways. The roads are, for the most part, splendid at least for horses and carriages, and any one wishing to admire scenery or study local history and traditions or to make check-lists of birds and wild flowers can find satisfaction in no other way. The hotels in the region visited in this Blue Mountain trip were above the average of excellence The beds were good, everything clean, the fare was simple but good. The landlords were invariably polite, and this feature was put to a real test, as in almost every instance our party arrived at the inns an hour or two after the regular supper hour. AVe cooked our mid-day meals in the woods, being provided with a small outfit, which consisted principally of a "roaster," a gridiron-like appliance on four legs, obtained from D. T. Abercrombie, New York, and useful in many ways, a coltee pot, a frying ])an, some cheap knives and forks, wooden dishes, and some George Washington, or instantaneous coffee. While we were armed with a permit to camp on the state lands, we probably did most of the cooking on ])rivate property. We used every precaution to extin- guish the fires before leaving, and gathered up all papers and rubbish, so as to leave the grounds as neat as we found them. The prevalence of springs of clear, pure water all through these mountains, made camping a most delightful experience. The prices at the hotels where we stopped for the nights were very reasonable, the general charge being four dollars for supper, break- fast and lodging for two persons and driver and two meals each for pair of horses. We hired our team in Reading, Avhere there are several good liveries. In order to fully enjoy the Blue Mountain country, a driver speaking Pennsylvania German is essential. This is a passport to the confidence and good will of the people, especially the older ones ; which when gained, they are ready and anxious to answer questions of all kinds. The Pennsylvania "Dutchman" is shy by nature, and inclined to be suspicious of strangers when living in remote localities, but a w^ord or two in his favorite tongue soon puts him at his ease, and he has a heart of gold. It is recommended that for reference the following books be taken on a drive into the Blue Ridge: D. C. Henning's ''Tales of the Blue Moun- tains," Chester A. Reed's "Land Birds of America," Mrs. William Starr Dana's "How to Know the Wild Flowers," "Getting Acquainted with the Trees," by 6 Horace McFarland, and a pocket map of Pennsyl- vania. We usually drove thirty miles a day, but on some occasions covered forty without any difficulty. It is hoped that others will enjoy this particularly charming drive. Henry W. Shoemaker, Fairbrook, Pennsylvania, June 26, 1914. UJ 5 ITINERARY. Date. Place. Remarks. , . ^ T> ,. T i. -lOK r Stopped at American House; ex- Arrived Reading. June 14 1914 ^^^^^^^ ^ ^^^^^^^ .^ ^^^^^ Pa 5.55 P.M. ] [ way. ,,„^. T -.r-To^ATv/r (Drove out of town through Mineral Left Reading June 15, 7.30 A.M. | springs Park. Stopped at Zoo. Arrived Kirbyville, Berks County Noon, Quaint old inn: fine scenery. . ^ -r^ . . o OA T-, TVT ( A^isited Keystone State Normal Arrived Kutztown. 2.30 P.M. | ^^^^^^ Good roads. Arrived Crystal Cave 6.30 P.M. Crystal Cave Hotel, well kept. , ^ T ^^ ., OA * ^r (Dinner at Lynnport, site of Fort Left Crystal Cave. June 16, 6.30 A.M. ) Everett Arrived Steinsville, f Fine scenery and views of Blue Lehigh County.. 6.30P.M. | Mountains. r Beautiful drive to Eckville, with ^„ ^„- . -, views of Pinnacle; magnificent Left Steinsville.... June 17, 6.30 A.M. -^ ^^.^^ ^^^^^^ mountain to Wind- [ sor Furnace. f Fine drive along "mountain road" Arrived Strauss- „ „. ^ ^ \ to Shartlesville from Hamburg. ^^'^^ ^•"^" ^ • • ' Passed near site of Fort Northkill. -.o /.OA A TXT I /isited Fort Dietrich Snyder; good Left Strausstown.. June 18. 6.30 A.M. ^ road across Blue Mountain. ( Visit I roj Arrived Pine Grove, [ Quaint old town; Filbert House Schuylkill County 6.30 P.M. | good. j" Picturesque road from Suedberg to ^ .« «^„ * T»,r I Inwood, along mountain. St. Left Pine Grove... Junel9, 7.00 A.M. \ j^^^^^.^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^p^.^^^ [ well worth a visit. 9 ITINERARY— Continued. Place. Date. Remarks. Arrived Grantville, Lebanon County. Hotel keeper at Grantville anxious 7.30 P.M. ) to please. Left Grantville. June20, 6.30 A.M. ' r West Hanover Presbyterian Grave- I yard, and sites of Manada Fort and Fort Brown well worth visit- ^1 ing-, also mountain road to Beel- ' zebub. Passed through Jones- [ town, a fine old-time town. Arrived Millersburg-, Berks County. ... [ Fine scenery, quaint atmosphere, ; polite attention at Golden Eagle 6.30 P.M. ] Hotel. Good roads all the way. I Fort Henry near at hand. C Picturesque drive to Rehrersburg ^, ^^ , - I and Stouchsburg, across hills; June 21, S. 00 A. M J ^ i m i i, i /-.i, i, 1 roads good. Tulpehocken Church; Left Millersburg. [^ very interesting. Arrived Bernville. 7 no P M 1 ^^^^ "^^^ Hotel good. A grand, old- ) style town. [ Interesting road to Reading via June22,S.30 A.M. ^ Scull's Hill and Half- Way House. I Excellent roads. Left Bernville. Arrived Reading... 10.45 A.M. Stopped at American House. 10 A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. (The Record of a Happy Outing.) IT was late in the afternoon of June fourteenth when the train neared Reading. We were reminded of the immortal Bayard Taylor's description of his approach to that city: "We presently emerged upon a slope, whence a glorious landscape opened upon my eyes. Never had I seen or imagined anything so beautiful. The stately old town lay below, stretched at full length on an inclined plane, rising from the vSchuylkill to the base of the mountain ; the river, winding in abrupt curves, disclosed itself here and there through the landscape ; hills of superb undulation rose and fell, in interlinking lines, through the middle distance, Scull's Hill boldly detaching itself in front, and far in the north the Blue Ridge lifted its dim wall against the sky. The sinking sun turned the smokes of the town and the vapors of the river to golden dust, athwart of which gleamed the coloring of the distant woods. The noises of the scene were softened and mellowed, and above them all, sweet and faint, sounded the bugle of a boatman on the canal. It was not ignorant admiration on my part, for one familiar with the grandest aspects of Nature must still confess that few towns on this side of the Atlantic are so nobly environed." And these words, written many years ago, portray the Reading of today, the nascent Paris 11 12 A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. of America. When we reached the main or ''outer'' station of the Reading Railway, great crowds of happy travellers were assembled. We pushed our way through the throngs to the cab-stand, presided over by the genial Billy Rogers. We were soon in a comforta- ble coupe, drawn by a plodding horse and being driven along the shady, sunset streets to the American House, at the foot of the majestic Penn Square. There we found more friendly faces to greet us, the proprietors, clerks and bell-boys vieing with one another to make us comfortable. After supper, in the cool of the even- ing, we rode out to the foot of Mount Penn, and boarded the gravity car for a ride through the sweet- scented woods. It was so cool and primeval in that forest-hidden route that we scarcely realized that al- most below us quarrymen were blasting away the ver- dant face of the mountain. Posterity will blame our heedless generation for this ! On the return-trip the car was filled with merry-makers, who laughed and joked until it came to a halt at the station. It was a gay, care-free scene, one not likely to be forgotten. The next morning, not much after seven o'clock, the surrey, team and driver that were to convey us to the delectable mountains drew up to the door of the hotel. I,emon Killian, our guide on many previous trips, was driver, and we were glad to see his smiling face once more. We started away promptly, through the sunlit, bright, clean, streets in the direction of the Kutztown Pike. It was dusty from many motor cars, but we could enjoy the sight of many snug farms, well-kept A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. 13 and beautifully shaded, along the way. The cherries were ripening, and the delicious odor of catalpa blos- soms was in the air. We stopped for dinner at the quaint old half-way house at Kirbyville. It was a stone structure with thick walls and low ceilings, prob- bly a century old. Tn front grew a line of huge linden trees, making the effect of a bower. After dinner we sat on the porch, as a shower arose, which layed the dust and sent travellers a-horse or on foot, hurrying to join us in our place of shelter. After the rain, the birds began singing again. There were many differ- ent kinds. Robins predominated, but there were flick- ers, orioles, brown thrushes, black birds and song sparrows. Then and there we resolved to make a list of the rarer birds we would meet with on our drive. Far oft on the Penn's Mount range we could hear a woodchopper's regular click, click, click. It must have been three miles away, but the sounds came to us dis- tinctly through the stillness. As we climbed into our surrey, a Bob White's melodious call was audible in the waving wheat field across the way. The sun was shining brightly when we drove into the shady street of old Kutztown, home of history and high thinking. We stopped before the main building of the Keystone State Normal School and inquired of a smiling, fair- haired girl if Professor Deatrick was on the premises. vShe ran into the building, coming out a moment later with the happy intelligence that he would excuse his class in five minute? and be with us. It was a short five minutes, and then the kindly-faced educator 14 A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. joined lis, taking us for a tour of the buildings of this model institution. All was bright and airy, and savoring of modern methods. We met Professor Grim, who discovered the parasite of the San Jose scale, and President Rothermel, one of this country's leading younger educators. After inspecting the un- finished library, which will be a gem of its kind, we were prepared for another treat, a visit to Mr. Henry K. Deisher's collection of Indian relics. We found Mr. Deisher a charming, polished man, interested in many things ; versatility seems to be his watchword, as he is a manufacturer, banker, farmer, gardener, florist, historian, archaeologist and antiquarian. First of all he took us through his ginseng garden, where he raises this root which is so precious to the Chinese. It grows under a covering of laths, placed a couple of inches apart, so as to resemble the forest shade. Mr. Deisher also raises Golden Seal, Senega Root, Pink Root and other medicinal plants in smaller quantities. He is also making a specialty of raising wild flowers of species in danger of extinction through the destruc- tion of their natural forest covers. But the Indian collection is worth a day's visit alone. It comprises the arrows, spears and implements of Pennsylvania Indians, as well as pottery. The gem of the collection is a Pennsylvania Indian pot, the most perfect ex- ample in existence as far as known. The collec- tion of California Indian baskets, from huge ones down to some little bigger than a shoe button, is said to be the finest in the world. As many 5 -. .'4A\ k«L "■ ■■ . ■ , ■ ■ ■ ,v . ■• u' i:i .m- i . ,' ^ - • : , • ' , •- 31 If nijf^* if^ 'M ■S:k^-..'*vy- 1 ■ V-:\ "'-?:;. -'^^^ H^-«^BoK^ ■ 5?-' ' 'ms ^^^^» ■ ..'♦^- •» li,,?,«v m ■^E|^< j^ j f" tep*: -^^^ H^^'T ■/ ^'^ :>- - ■•■■; .;3^S V ^ m^^t , 1 flW *■ " m^^^/ m Vbiii ■iliii^i^ k -T^ m Ita H^K ^^^f^V. 'li ^m ^ ..JIH ^^^^^a^ PS-.' ^^ ^^^^^>; i"S 1^ ii'-S ■'■i ^m L-* J ll^p 1 ■ ''' ' k 1 1% r 1 ^H BV;;'"^^ w^^M e-. ^ W\"^*^ ^^B ^- "^ ^mC i|::l'|8 J m^^ .^Jk ^ 1 l_y« « #^ 1 ^ t H ^ ^^^A __ ^ "mlm H^^H ^ '"'r ^K A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. 15 of the tribes which made these baskets are dying out, they can never be duplicated in the future. There is also a collection of articles belonging to the early Pennsylvania Germans, sucii as lanterns, cow-bells, spoons, dishes, mirrors, chairs, tables, sausage-makers, candle molds, rare prints, and so on. But we had to hurry away; we had promised friends that we would meet them at Crystal Cave at six-thirty. Through the delightful mellowness of the golden hour we were driven from the town. We paused once on a hill and looked back on the town, lying there so peacefully on the ridge, the buildings barely appearing above the buttresses of noble trees. Beyond were fertile fields and green hills. Surely a most inspiring spot to live in or obtain an education ' To Crystal Cave the road wound in and out among the hills, beneath a continuous canopy of trees. The quail were whistling in the meadows, the robins were carolling their even-songs, rabbits eyed us curiously from the middle of the road before hopping away into tall grass. It was a drive of sheer delight ! At last we came to a cross-roads where a fingerboard pointed : "To Crystal Cave, Yi ^^i-" I'lie road which we followed led through a narrow gorge, with steep, wheat-covered hills on either side, and a gurgling brook running through beds of calomus at the road-side. We caught sight of the strange old hotel, the home of ghosts and strange, sinister episodes, hidden behind the spreading Norw^ay maple trees. Artist Shearer, who was to meet us there, came forward, with his great white beard 16 A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. blown by the evening breeze, looking more like Le- onardo da Vinci's self-portrait in the Uffizi Gallery than ever! Landlord Kohler joined him and we were given a genial welcome. The weird old place looked unchanged, as we climbed the narrow stairs to our room — which had window^s on two sides, and was fur- nished in the style of fifty years ago — even to the marble-topped table. xA.bout a dozen of us sat down to a supper of chicken and waffles, which we enjoyed, while the good-natured landlord apologized because the fish in the Saconey did not bite that afternoon — else it would have been a fish supper, he said. After the repast we visited the cave, which alas ! had lost some of its mystery since electric lights were installed. Even the bats had deserted it, we learned. Perhaps they had gone across the hill to the pristine glooms of the Dragon's Cave at Dreibilbis ! The stars were out when we left the cavern, and we walked in single file, led by the landlord with one of his old-time copper lanterns, along the avenue of ghost-like junipers. We decided to visit the ghost-room in the attic of the hotel before going to bed ; it Avould give us an eerie feeling for retiring! Still led by Mr. Kohler and his copper lan- tern, we climbed to the floor under the roof. The door to the little room beneath the eaves was open, just as it was when a belated traveller who awoke at midnight to find the rival to his wife's affections standing by the bedside, and, after giving the fancied being a kick, which went through space and through the plastered partition, fled precipitously down-stairs. We made A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. 17 a weird appearance, grouped about in the flickering, yellow light, in the moldy, stuffy little room. On the way down-stairs we took a look at the secret room, which is between the newer and older parts of the house. There may be a ghost in that room ! Before going to bed we sat outside, in the growing gale, while the landlord told of the mysterious deaths of two of his hired men. One was found standing on his head, dead, behind the counter in the restaurant in the cellar, while the other, after spending a winter at the county- home, twenty-three miles away, became homesick and tramped back, one night, dying from exhaustion in the haymow, where he had dragged himself for a nap be- fore daylight. When we reached our room the gale was blowing furiously. We left the windows open and could hear it pounding against the ghostly old house off and on all night. The giant trees swayed and tossed, and some of them creaked and groaned. In the morning, which was very clear and comparatively calm, we found many crisp maple twigs strewn about the road and lawns. We were out at six o'clock and cHmbed to the top of a high knoll by the hotel, where we obtained a superb view of the Blue Mountains. The storm had removed every vestige of humidity and the landscape was as distinct and the sky as blue as a day in October. The atmosphere was positively cold. After breakfast we said au revoir to our good friends and started on our way. We left the little gorge, where the wind was winnowing the grain, and were soon driving along the banks of the sparkling Saconey. 18 A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. At Virginsville, or more properly Vergennesville, the Saconey merges its destiny with the Ontelaimee or "Sister" brook and flows away as Maiden Creek. We followed the Ontelaunee as far as Lenhartsville, and it was a most entrancing drive. At first the banks were lined with ancient white oaks, and we saw several green herons, which flew swiftly into the brush-wood at our approacli. Later on. hemlocks grew close to the banks, and the road was high above the stream, some- times the precipice being nearly a hundred feet. On his first drive along the (Jntelaunee, in June, 1011, the author composed the following: OUT ALONG THE ONTELAUNEE. In the sunshine sways the woodbine; The evening primrose pouting; The meadow-lark is singing, The red-shouldered blackbird winging, Out along the Ontelaunee. Shafts of light like golden arrows, Shooting through the white oak coverts; The Halcyon is skimming, A belated grebe is swimming, Out along the Ontelaunee. Antwerp blue the swelling current, Grass-green are the banks that meet it, O'er the rocks the water falling, Sweeps around a turtle lolling. Out along the Ontelaunee. A WEEK TN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. 19 There's a sweetness in the breezes, Blowing from the blooming clover; The laurel on the hill; The iris by the rill, Out along the Ontelaunee. The wild lupine and the blueweed; On a path, a bright-eyed rabbit; The pileated woodpecker provokes Squirrels' chatter in the oaks. Out along the Ontelaunee. Through the vistas loom the mountains, Spitzenberg and lofty Pinnacle, Where the graceful buzzard soars. And a wind mysterious roars. Out along the Ontelaunee. In the sunshine sways the woodbine, The partridge vine is peeping. The wood-robin's bell-like notes. The bob-white calling in the oats, Out along the Ontelaunee. Stream of rare and radiant beauty, Man's rude hands have marred it not; Where the soul expands and blesses Scenes where God His plan expresses, Out along the Ontelaunee. From Lenhartsville we drove towards Lynn- port, where we stopped for dinner. This Httle village is of some renown as having been the site of Fort Everett, built for defense against the Indians in 1.756. We made the acquaintance of a 20 A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. very cultivated gentleman, Dr. D. A. Fulweiler, who owns the site of the fort. He escorted us to the spot, which was in the centre of a wheat field, and on the outskirts of the village. He explained that he did not know that the structure had been the fort until in 1885, when his workmen, in tearing it down, called his at- tention to the musketry loop-holes. Shortly after- wards, Edward Everett, the distinguished Massachu- setts statesman, visited the village to see the fort which had been erected by one of his ancestors, and was much disappointed when he learned that it was no longer standing. Dr. Fulweiler told of the days when he was a boy, when wild pigeons were so plentiful. They flew northward in April to nest, but if they en- countered heavy snow-storms they would turn back. On one occasion the ground at Lynnport was covered with snow, and the town boys amused themselves throwing snow balls at the pigeons as they flew in vast companies over the hilltops. From the site of the old fort we continued our way to New Tripoli, which once boasted of a famous carriage works, but in these auto- mobiling, tangoing days has been succeeded by a hosiery mill. The old Lutheran churchyard, where lie many Wanamakers. Kistlers, Mossers, Trexlers, and scions of other old families, is well worth a visit. From thence we turned westward, towards the Blue Moun- tains, passing many fine highland farms. We stopped to inquire the way at the quaint old inn at Jacksonville, and paused for a few minutes at the abandoned town called Slateville, once of high repute for its slate A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. 21 quarries. The day had passed happily and quickly ; it was in the golden hour again when we drew up before the old-fashioned inn at Steinsville. Genial landlord Berk w^as on hand to greet us and we were escorted into comfortable quarters. Back of the inn is a big yard, where sales of live stock were formerly held, but which now served as a run-way for the landlord's cows and chickens. The old barn possessed that cozy appearance so notable in George Moreland's pictures. After supper we gazed at the golden light banking itself behind the Blue Mountains, being thankful to be in such a beautiful spot, and with the power to appre- ciate it to some extent. Down the village street we heard quite a commotion, and learned that a travelling show was giving a modified wild west performance. We met the showman, his wife and three little chil- dren, spending a half hour very pleasantly with them in their tent. Then we walked down the street to the creamery and made our first purchase for our ''gipsy- ing," a pound of delicious butter. At this creamery we were told that most of the output goes to a prominent dealer in Philadelphia. Then we returned to the show- man's tent and waited for the performance to begin. The roping and wild west antics were excellent, well worth the paltry sum charged for admission. The next morning dawned bright and clear; we were on the road early. The country towards Alleminga, which signified "All Wants," or everything provided, but foolishly changed to Albany, was rolling, with hay- cutting in progress, girls and women working in the 22 A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. fields. Back of everything, from every bill, above every ravine, loomed the giant outlines of the Pinnacle, the highest peak of the Blue Ridge in Pennsylvania. It closely resembles Tahawns or Mt. Marcy in the Adi- rondacks. Around its summit, which seemed to have kinship to the blue dome, graceful buzzards, or "Berks County Eagles," as they are called, were soaring. We purchased our camping outlit at Bailey's general store, in Alleminga and resumed our way towards Eckville. In this upper point of Berks County occurs the famous ^'amphitheatre' where the mountains form an almost complete circle, reminding one of the Cirque de Gavarnie in the Pyrenees. We followed the course of Pine Creek almost to its sources. It is a wild and beautiful stream ; happily much of the old pine timber is still standing, although not nearly as much as in the days when ^Artist Shearer painted his masterpieces along its rocky banks. At Eckville, or, freely trans- lated, Point-ville, we turned to the left, towards the majestic Pinnacle, whose slopes we would cross. We paused at a ruined stone house, the last building be- fore reaching the mountain, as it possessed considera- ble interest to us. In the old days it had been the home of Noah Hallman, called by his friends **Ark," a veteran of the Mexican War of 184:. The old fel- low had learned the art of rope-throwing in Texas or Mexico, and kept himself in training in a unique way. Up on the headwaters of the Lehigh River he cap- tured four young Pennsylvania lions, or panthers These he brought to his Berks County home and A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. 23 tamed. He would let them loose and send his dogs after them. When the hounds brought them to bay he would lasso the ''painters" and drag them home. The sagacious brutes soon became used to the trick and enjoyed the chase as much as did dogs or huntsman. At the barn nearest the Hallman ruins, eight wood- chuck hides \vere nailed to the side of the barn, pitiful examples of the ''game" which now attracts the attention of full-grown, supposedly red-blooded Pennsylvania hunters. Before long we were in the depths of the grand forest which covers much of the sides of the Pinnacle. Here it was that we heard the mournful note of the dove, or "rainbird," a-coo, coo, coo, the first on this drive. The road was rough, but we did not mind, as the glory of the laurel, coming into full bloom, on every side, was enough to send any one into ecstacy. We stopped at an old turkey blind where some hunter had doubtless waited for the birds to pass ; climbing up into it, we felt something of the thrill which every sportsman experiences as he enters the haunts of the game. Of course we stopped at the Panther Spring, near where, in August, 1874, two coal burners, Thomas Anson and Jacob Pfleger, had killed a mammoth Pennsylvania lion. The animal was first ob- served in Indiantown Gap, near Jonestown, and a party of thirty hunters went in pursuit. It eluded them, however, only to be brought to earth by the two intrepid nimrods of the Pinnacle. The road up the mountain was very steep ; the timber 24 A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. was nearly all gone at the top, little else was growing except sweet fern and ripening huckleberries. To the north and west grand views opened out, of mountains, forests, remote valleys, and tiny, secluded farms. Once a rufifed grouse ran before our horses, and we heard the shrill, doleful cry of several blue jays. It was warm out there in the sun, but we plodded away until we plunged into the forest again, where the road turns down towards Windsor Furnace. We were thirsty and hot, consequently hailed with delight the roar of a mountain stream, Windsor Brook, which presently greeted our ears. We drove into the site of an aban- doned hunter's camp and made preparations for our mid-day meal. We refreshed ourselves at the torrent, the water of which was so cold that it chilled our fingers. It flows like a jet from the very heart of the Pinnacle. It was near this stream that an Indian who kidnaped a white girl in the early days of Berks Coun- ty, and held her prisoner on the mountain until she died of grief, Avas captured by her avenging lover and buried alive in its bed, so that only the top of his head appeared. Today one can see the skull, with the broad brow and the shock of coarse, black hair, in the bed of the torrent, the cold water having seemingly kept this hideous ''memento" intact. We enjoyed our ''pic- nic'* immensely. The crackling fire looked well with its forest background ; everything was cooked to a nicety. After lingering and dreaming for an hour or two after the repast, listening to the brook, the birds, the happy hum of our own conscience, we reluctantly SPECIMEN OF PENNSYLVANIA INDIAN POTTERY (In Collection of H, K. Deisher, Kutztown. Pa.) A WEEK IN THE BLUB MOUNTAINS. 25 started down the mountain. We passed the ruins of the old furnace, once one of the leading industries of the northern end of the county, but enjoying most the waterfall from a rhododendron glen just above it. We drove by the new reservoir which is supplying Hamburg with the icy cold W^indsor Brook water, and came out on the public road near an old stone church. Out in the open country we could admire the Blue Mountains in all their gradeur, their air of vastness, their sweeps of immense distance deeply impressing us. From the highway we obtained an excellent view of the new State Tuberculosis Sanitarium. Surely it is an inspired spot for the location of a fort to fight the ''great white plague." Before long we were in the neat town of Hamburg, ''fairest village on the plain." We have always loved this simple, thriving, happy metropolis of Northern Berks, and never did it look neater, or livelier, than in the clear light of this June afternoon. We called and paid our respects to Editor W. O. Heinly, who publishes the "Item," a bright, newsy sheet, and he presented us with a photograph of the Blue Rocks, a great natural wonder located about four miles east of the town, at the foot of the moun- tain, where there is a field of some hundreds of acres of huge broken stones, beneath which can be heard the rumble of a subterranean stream. Above "the rocks," near the mountain's comb, is Point I.ookout, and a short distance to the west lies a large Indian burial ground. Points of interest are not lacking in the environs of "happy, 26 A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. prosperous*' Hamburg. Before leaving the town we took a look at the new posto.Hice building, where our good friend Abel H. Byers holds forth to the emi- nent satisfaction of Uncle Sam, who is soon to make it a second-class office. Then we crossed the Schuyl- kill, on the old covered bridge, pausing for a moment to admire the curious wooden weather vanes on the old bridge-tender's house. Two vanes, painted to resemble acrobats, a boy and a girl, swing Indian clubs, w^hile a third, resembling a sailor man, leaning jealously near the girlish figure, is turning a wheel. These figures have inspired at least one story. We followed the mountain road towards Shartlesville. At Seyfert's Mill, with the date 1840 on it, there is a signboard pointing towards the mountain which says : "To Schuylkill Haven, 11 mi." There is an air of wild- ness, of bleakness, about the mountain road, and the swift-flowing Northkill, and the old stone mill, that have alwavs thrilled us. We should love to follow that road some windy afternoon in autumn, when the jays were calling, the gum trees' leaves were red and the sky gray and threatening. The approach to Shartlesville is very beautiful. The town is bowered in trees, and is grouped like some old French fortress town, about a hill, on the top of which rises the ancient church, with its square brick tower. We have seen this tower on a night when the new horned-moon was behind it, shining through the mulleoned belfry, and we thought of those words of Thomas Grav, *'Within von ivv mantled tower, the OLD SIGNBOARD AT FORT DIETRICH SNYDER OLD SIGNBOARD AT FORT DIETRICH SNYDER A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. 27 mournful owl doth to the moon complain." This even- ing, in the soft light of the golden hour, it was equally and rapturously beautiful. Evening was settling fast as we turned into the road below the sadly remodeled church at Strausstown, which leads to the site of Fort Northkill, of Indian war fame — and Degler's. The old church has been cruelly marred and seems to be trying to hide its face behind the hue grove of pines, hemlocks and oaks which grow along the ridge on which it stands. The Degler home is one of the very remarkable old houses of Berks County. Below the gable is an iron plate on which is painted "1755-1886." This means that the original log cabin, built in 1755, was enlarged and weatherboarded at the latter date. In the attic is the celebrated chest, broken open by Indians in 1757. Just as the savages were stooping down to remove the treasure they were shot dead by members of the Degler family. The chest is unpaint- ed, and made of cedar wood, and, considering its age, is in an excellent state of preservation. On the broken lid are carved two hearts, with the initials "G. F. D." in the centre, the date '*1757" below. On the left of this are two lishes, crossed, on the right two Indian clubs, crossed. The chest is held together by wooden nails. It has a curious old iron lock. After inspecting this strange relic which is now owned by John \V. Henne, who married a relative of the Degler family, we strolled across the cornfield to the spring where Nicholas Long's home had been located, and where some Indian atrocities occurred. On the wav, one of 28 A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. Mr. Ilenne's relatives, a boy named John F. Noacker, picked up a Howitzer ball and several arrow points. These, he said, were frequently found in all parts of the farm. x\fter drinking from the "bloody spring," we retraced our steps to the Degler home, and were presented to Mrs. Sarah Noacker, 73 years old, a daughter of the late John W. Degler, former owner of the property, and who had been born in the historic old house. The old lady said that she had heard many Indian stories from her parents and the old people of the neighborhood when she was a young girl. The sun was now gone behind the Blue Mountain, but an afterglow of cerise and crimson bespread the evening sky. The sombre heights where once the carnage and tragedy of the redmen held sway were bathed in the dark shadows of peaceful night. It was with many thoughts of the past that we were driven towards the ancient village of Strausstown. It was after supper- time when we drove up in front of the hotel, but the landlord, Harry Paul, smilingly declared that we could not arrive too late to be served. Mr. Paul, who is descended from one of the old French Huguenot fam- ilies of Berks County, has all tlie suavity and courtesy of his race. He made our sojourn most enjoyable, and at the last minute before our departure handed us a newly-arrived Philadelphia newspaper, so that we could read how the Britishers had won the final game in the International Polo Match. It was a bright, clear morning when we departed for Schubert, which lies at the foot of the Blue Mountain. On the way A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. 29 we passed through a magnificent grove of original white oaks, the finest grove we had seen in Berks County, and doubtless one of the finest in the State. We rested and watered our horses at the Seven Stars Hotel before beginning tlie steep climb to the site of Fort Dietrich Snyder. It was a steep tug for the animals, but for us it was delightful, as we got out and walked up the road, which was well shaded and the woods filled with the biggest and fullest blown clusters of laurel that we had yet seen. The rattle and splash of a mountain stream enlivened the morning stillness. When we gained the mountain top the horses struck a trot, and we were soon in sight of the old hotel, once kept by Harry Nein, which stands a hundred feet south of the site of the fort. (3ur zest at re-visiting this historic spot was somewhat dulled when we were informed in Strausstown that old Mrs. Nein, the land- lord's widow, who for years had lived alone in the old tavern, had been removed to the county home. Two vears before we had met her and she not only showed us the exact location of the fort, but the spring where Dolly Hope, the wife of Captain Snyder, had washed her clothes. The Widow Nein's mother had been Dolly Snyder's servant, and she had been present when, in 1810, the old fort was torn down to be re- placed by the present hotel structure. Across the road is the sign-board which reads : "Blue Mountain Hotel, 1784." There is probably no older hotel stand in Berks County. Jt was used as an inn from 1781 to about 1904, a period of one hundred and twenty years. I"^nti^ 30 A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. 1t '''$> #-sJ /^ ^mu.^ Ip-vJ^ A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. 49 night-crying birds are said to contain the souls of dead Indians, and are locally known as Killorees. We stopped at the sign of the *Ved K" at old Bernville, formerly the Eagle Hotel. Now it is kept by Harry Redcay, a former acrobat, hence the name. Mr. Redcay is a kindly man and made us feel at home. In the evening we strolled along the quiet street, meet- ing Mr. F. H. Wagner, the local Justice of the Peace and a noted veteran of the Civil War, with whom we conversed pleasantly for some time. The rain was falling softly when we departed the following morn- ing, but we could see how the country looked under such conditions. We drove along the slope of Scull's Hill, mentioned by Bayard Taylor, which forms the central eminence of the Berks landscape, stopped for a moment at the quaint old Bern Church, where above the graveyard gate are these words : "Remember That We All Are Mortal.'' At the Half-Way House, built in 18+3, we turned to the right in the direction of Reading, which was seven miles away, our "week in the Blue Mountains" almost a thing of the past. All the way into town we met many birds flying about "after the rain,'' for the clouds were now lifting. We had kept a record of the number we had seen, also wild animals, and it totalled as follows : Buzzards, 26 ; Red-Headed Woodpeckers, 28 ; Flickers, 27 : Green Herons, 3 ; Ruffed Grouse, 2; Quails, 29; Blue Birds, 5; Red- Winged Blackbirds, 10; Mourning Doves, 8; Night Hawks, 5 ; Goldfinches, 9 ; Baltimore Orioles, 14 ; 50 A WEEK IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. Cowbird, 1 ; Spotted Sandpipers, 6 ; Killdeers, 15; Brown 7'hriislies, 18; Upland Plovers, 10; Red- Shouldered ITawks, 2 ; Sparrow Hawks, 3 ; Rabbits, 9 ; Red Squirrels, 20 ; Gray Squirrels, 5 ; Water Snake, 1 ; Turtles, 5. These, all told, would barely make a "bag" for the modern, rapacious pot- hunter. We made no record of the commoner species of birds, like robins, meadow larks, blackbirds, spar- rows and so on, or of chipmunks. But now the smokes and stacks of Reading rise before us, and we hear the distant roar of the town. We pass the Country Club, the new Bright residence, the Driscoll estate, the Mag- dalen Home in rapid succession, and, almost before we know it, are crossing the Schuylkill Avenue Bridge. Through a maze of paved streets, amid motors, trucks, buggies and noises we thread our way ; once more we are in front of the American House. Friendly faces greet us there, to hear all about our trip ; it is all over but the memories, which are in- destructable. And many a day, or year, if we live, will that week in the wistful, splendid Blue Mountains rise before us, setting a standard of peaceful, sane enjoy- ment that brought us well nigh to the portal of true happiness, the abode of the angels. We have been raised to a higher spiritual plane, which, please God, we may always keep. Let us hold our ambitions and dreams on a level with the highest point of the grand old mountains which we love, where our ancestors lived and died, and we will find content in this earthly sphere. Mb - sg THE HARVEST ^"-'^. -: / '-^iMi %<^^ '^•' \/ ^'MM^ %<^ V?'^-i%. i^^Bl 977 .^'\ <