/T** J^ Bonk (-1 a JfOX ^ CDPfl^IGHT DEPOSm Digitized by the Internet Arciiive in 2010 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/quaintoldgermantOOrich in ^tnnsvUvvcnm a paper read before The Pennsylvania-German Society AT THE ANNUAL MEETING riegelsville, bucks county, pennsylvania October 4Th, 1912 BY JULIUS FRIEDRICH SACHSE ILLUSTRATED WITH SIXTY COPIES OF THE ORIGINAL SKETCHES LANCASTER, PA. 1915 Ipublfcation Commfttee JULIUS F. SACHSE, LITT.D. DANIEL W. NEAD, M.D. J. E. B. BUCKENHAM, M.D. Copyrighted 1915 BY The Pennsylvania-German Society Press of The New era Printing Company Lancaster, pa. \i> QUAINT OLD GERMANTOWN. By Julius F. Sachse. HE following paper was read before the Penn- sylvania-German Society at the Twenty-second Annual Meeting, held at Riegels- ville, Bucks County, Penn- sylvania, Friday, October 4, 1 9 1 2, and was illustrated by sixty lantern slides of the old landmarks, as sketched by John Richard. These views are here reproduced upon a somewhat smaller scale than the original drawings. Quaint, historic, old Germantown, was the earliest orga- nized German community in Pennsylvania, if not in the western world. The settlement was made under a grant to William Penn, founded more than two and a quarter centuries ago, and renowned for almost all these years for 1691 4 The Pennsylvania-German Society. its quaint buildings scattered along its single main street, its curious characters, singular customs of its early inhabi- tants, superstitions and folk-lore. Many of these tradi- tions and habits are still kept alive in some of the old families of the original German stock, who are now in the seventh and eighth generations from the early immigrants. This quaint townstead, when laid out by Pastorius for the Frankfort Company, was far away from Penn's pro- jected sylvan city on the Delaware, and for many years was a community in itself. But now, after the lapse of two centuries, it is one of the most fashionable sections of the great consolidated city of Philadelphia, and is officially known as the Twenty-second Ward. The peculiar straggling homes of the early settlers on the single street have given place to modern stores and houses, a network of streets has been opened through adjoining gardens and fields, and the whole plot of the old German township is now covered by an almost solidly built-up city — of homes, business houses and industrial establishments. Many of the humble, unpretentious structures, por- trayed in this work, have given place to the pretentious mansions and palatial residences of some of Philadelphia's wealthy citizens. From the very beginning of the Germantown settlement, there have been curious characters who flourished within the townstead, or in the immediate vicinity. As early as 1694 we have the arrival of the mystical community of German Pietists, under the leadership of the gentle Magister Johannes Kelpius and his follower Johannes Seelig, and later Dr. Christopher Witt and his Famulus, Daniel Geissler, both buried upon "Spook hill." Now, after two centuries, their graves are enclosed within the Quaint Old Germantown. 5 chancel of St. Michael's P. E. Church on High Street, which is built on the old Warner graveyard. A proper memorial tablet has within late years been placed upon the walls of the sacred edifice. The incentive for this act was the published history of these "German Pietists" by the present writer. Then there was Conrad Matthai, mystic and recluse, the last of these " Hermits on the Wissahickon," who died at the end of August, 1748. He was said to have been of noble birth, but his identity has never been solved. Later in the century we have Christian Lehman, a scholar of Dr. Witt, who cast nativities and horoscopes. Mention must also be made of the founders of the Dunker Church in America — Alexander Mack and his followers— who founded the First-Day (Sunday) Brethren, and Conrad Beissel and his converts, who started the Seventh-Day congregation of the Brethren. The names of the Eckerlin brothers, the Gorgas family and others of the Ephrata Community, are also identified more or less with Germantown: the former especially so by their close connection with Christopher Sauer the elder, the erratic printer of Germantown. Count Zinzendorf, Bechtel and the early Moravians who, during the middle of the eighteenth century, were active factors in the German Township, must not be forgotten. Benjamin Lay, the Pythagorean hermit, whose cave was on the York Road, was also in close communion with the Quakers of Germantown. During the Revolutionary period, the name of Christopher Ludwick, as Baker- general of the Continental Army, stands out in bold relief. Coming down to our own day, there came to German- town, about sixty years ago, a young Swede, John Rich- 6 The Pennsylvania-German Society. ards, as he was known, who worked as a gardener and day laborer. At the outbreak of the Civil War, John Rich- ards enlisted. May, 1861, in Company K, 59th Regiment, New York Volunteers. Private Richards was wounded, August, 1862, at the battle of Bull Run, also at Antietam, September, 1862. He died August 26, 1889. It was while Private Richards was convalescent at the Chestnut Hill Hospital that he began sketching some of the old landmarks and buildings of Germantown. From these crude sketches he later made drawings on zinc plates, from which an impression could be taken by the litho- graphic process. Richards's drawings were often some- what out of perspective, more or less harsh and lacking in detail, especially where he attempted to introduce figures or animals. At the same time, considering the fact that he never had any instruction in art, these sketches have a merit and individuality of their own. Their chief value, however, consists in the fact that they have preserved to us and generations to come the views and landmarks of historic and quaint Germantown of days gone by. John Richards, after his discharge from the army, re- mained in Germantown, and was given the position of sexton of Calvary P. E. Church on Manheim Street; and during his spare time made many of the sketches afore- said. Some of these views were printed many years ago by a local lithographer, and sold to residents and visitors. No attempt, however, was made at uniformity, or a proper description and location of the subjects. Some fifteen years ago, a number of these original zinc plates, together with impressions of some views previously issued, came into the possession of the present writer who, realizing their great historic value, for the present as well as future generations, has issued this edition. Thirty-three of these Quaint Old Germantown. 7 views are reductions from the identical zinc plates made by John Richards; eight are reproductions of original sketches now first published; while the remainder are from transfers made of prints from the original plates. The various views have been arranged and grouped according to their location: each side of the Main street has been taken separately, with a short legend, giving the present system of street numeration, so that the sites of these historic landmarks may be easily Identified. This Important feature was made possible by the researches and aid given to the writer by Messrs. Edwin C. Jellett and Dr. Naaman H. Keyser of Germantown. 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