Fifth in a series of nine 1904-1905 newspaper articles in which two old-timers are portrayed reminiscing about the Lykens Valley of the past. The two fictional characters, the “old railroader” and the “patriarch,” wander into the offices of the Elizabethville Echo, Elizabethville, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania at different times and tell a concise, folksy history of the valley.
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Local Reminiscences for Home Historians
When the Patriarch had thawed out a little he began stroking his hoary beard and was soon warmed up to his subject.
“Yes indeedy,” said he, “when I see all these nice girls and bright boys-a-promenading around with fine clothes on their backs, I can’t help thinking of the early days when leather breeches were all the fashion, and men, women, boys and girls had to wear ’em for they had nothing else.
“You see, the early settlers had but mighty few sheep and it took a couple of seasons to get wool enough for a pair of homemade breeches or a wammus. Nothing could save ’em from wearing deerskin, for that was a heap plentier. Families were a sight bigger than now and everybody seemed to join in to run up the census figures. But then, the men were a whole lot different, – they helped to cook and look after some of the other housework, while nowadays most of ’em establish homes for the sake of a settled boarding and lodging place.
“In those days folks didn’t go shopping or run to the store and the Store Box Committee hadn’t organized yet. Why, tain’t more’n 65 years ago when Lykens folks got most of their store things at Josiah Bowman‘s store at the Forge. Coal mining was one of the infant industries then and just about one trip a week was made with from eight to ten truck-loads. Only thirty men worked in the mines and all the capital invested was $150,000 just what the new breaker at Big Lick, alone, cost.
“But what was done at all, was done well. I tell you our parent stock was the sturdy stuff that’s sterling, as men and women go. None of us need be ashamed of our grandpaps, – German, Scotch-Irish, Swiss-French, educated in the Hard Knocks Seminary and getting their degrees in the wailing wilderness with the mercury conferring ’em at 16 below nil.
“Take the fine little country-place over here, – Uniontown. The first settlers there were Germans and Swiss-French, – good people, and their virtues keep lingering there from generation to generation. A Mr. John Snyder laid out the town in 1818. There were one hundred lots in all and seventy-five of ’em were sold at $30 apiece. The balance went for half-price. Those days it was called Snydertown and some folks still call it that. Later on the name of the post-office was changed to Pillow, in honor of Gen. Gideon J. Pillow. The people had to go to Berrysburg to vote until it became a borough.
“And there’s Berrysburg, which was laid out the following year, – in 1819 by John Adam Heller. Say, who hasn’t heard of Heller-Shtettle? Our own John Paul Jr., surveyed the town for Heller, and not long after it was called Berrysburg, after the mountain called Berrys. Berrysburg Seminary was organized about 1850 and reorganized in 1876 when it was conducted in the town hall. It was built by Rev. G. S. Bosler and the first teacher in 1854 was Edward Witman. The work of this school stimulated education in the Upper End and contributed in great measure to the intelligence of all the underlying country. Its graduates, practically without exception, are honored members of society and useful citizens of the four corners of the land. Yes indeedy, and Berrysburg to-day is strong and educationally alone, but is making great strides along industrial lines and commercially. There’s a lot of talk about Who’s Who these days but you needn’t go out of Lykens and Armstrong and Powl’s Valleys to find out. What’s What, – look at our prosperous tons and – you can write a dozen books alone ‘etc.
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From the Elizabethville Echo, 19 January 1905.
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