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Authored by Society president George Meiser IX |
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TEN News-Bits of Reading-Berks historical interest....
-------------------------------------------------------------- 1- Salem U.C.C. (Spangsville/Oley) cemetery stones moved 2- Holy Cross Methodist congregation to remain in Rdg. 3- Virginville Hotel reopens after repairing fire damage 4- Virginville (Greenwich Twp.) book hot off the press 5- Hessians soldiers that stayed in Rdg.-Berks (1876 data) 6- TRIX Sisters vaudeville exhibit a fascinating display 7- Attempt being made to re-do Lauer’s Park baseball field 8- Thun and Jannsen remembered in Germany 9- St. Paul’s Catholic mission church in Union to be saved? 10- Early log farmhouse in Fleetwood being razed ==================================== 1- The Reading Eagle of November 15 carried a major front-page story by Yvonne M. Wenger, headlined Unmarked Graves Dot Oley Cemetery--a progress report on the project underway at Salem United Church of Christ, Spangsville, to move 57 headstones and "remains" from the adjoining cemetery. Careful archaeology, being conducted by an experienced Phila- delphia firm, seems to indicate that the site in question might contain as many as 100 graves. Remains will be re-interred nearby in a common grave, in the southwest corner of the cemetery. All original tombstones will be preserved. The congregation and township officials have been agonizing for over a year concerning the need to use some of the burial ground for an addition to the brick 1821/1901 church, located at 307 Covered Bridge Rd., Oley Township. While some in the congregation--and in the community--probably find the graveyard project disconcerting (even though the burials were made a very long time ago), it must be realized that most 18th century congregations have displaced burial sites at some point to provide space for additions and/or larger houses of worship, possibly more than once. Typically, 18th century congregations hereabouts originally erected tiny log or stone structures with initial burials placed nearly against the building. As most of these pioneer congregations now occupy their third or fourth house of worship, with each succeeding church larger than the one supplanted, one has to conclude that moving burials has not been an uncommon occurrence. It just hasn’t happened very often in recent times. ========================================== 2- According to a recent newspaper report, the congregation of Holy Cross United Methodist Church, 333 North 5th St., Reading, decided not to vacate its magnificent edifice. Plans were to build a new church along the Boyertown Pike (Route 562), in Exeter Twp., and then vacate the congregation’s current 1893 building, which is truly one of the finest in the city. We applaud that decision! A for-sale sign now marks the property along 562 that had been chosen for the new church....the land whereupon the old, dilapidated Center House Hotel building sits. ========================================== 3- Bob Compton of the Mertztown area reports that the landmark Virginville Hotel has reopened after many months of renovation dueto extensive fire, water, and smoke damage sustained on Memorial Day. Also reported is the fact that the proprietor is again serving which might well be the best creamed cucumber salad available in a food establishment in Berks County. 
=================================================== 4- Today we received word that a new book on the Virginville area has been completed and that copies should be available almost immediately. Selling price will be around $44, postpaid. As soon as full particulars are known, you will receive more info. =================================================== 5- Two days ago someone doing research in old papers at the Society came upon a fascinating newspaper article from 1876 dealing with the Hessian soldiers who were released from Hessian Camp--upon Mount Penn, above the Lindbergh Viaduct, near East Reading--and remained in the area following the close of the Revolutionary War. As we receive many requests for information regarding local Hessians, the article will be provided in full. (It was prepared by A. S. Jones.) THE CAPTURED HESSIANS WHO SETTLED IN READING (Their Names and Occupations) "An Eagle reporter asked an old native of Reading, a retired merchant, what he knew about the Hessians that were captured at Trenton, N.J., in 1777, and brought to Reading. They were at first stationed in a grove on the bank of the Schuylkill, and in the fall of the same year removed to Mt. Penn on the eastern side of the mountain road where they built huts. The place is called the "Hessian Camp" to this very day. "I can recall the names of about a dozen Hessians of those who had been captured and stayed here after the close of the Revolutionary War. When I was a boy they were quite old men, but I recollect that some were quite fond of drink, and when they were half tight, we boys used to tease them a great deal and they got very angry. We had rhymes of naughty words that we sang out loudly when we met the drunken Hessians in the street. The rhymes were never published and they would not look well in print. "Some of the Hessians were sober and industrious. Their children and grandchildren are living and thriving in this community today. There was old SHEPP, the farmer; Casper HESS, the butcher; WHISKEYMAN, the tailor; HEIDEKAM, the post-fence-maker; GEILLY, grave-digger for many years in the First Reformed church yard; Hartman WEIL, cooper, who owned the tract of land upon which the old synagogue fronting on Second Hockley lane [Button- wood St.] was located; SCHAEFFER and BRINDLINGER, farmers; Keil, who used to peddle cakes and candy; NEIDER and WIEGAMAN. day laborers; SCHOPSKY and DROLL, professional gentleman [!]. "There was old HOLTZER, who had earned and saved $800 as a day laborer but did not want the Americans to have any of "his flesh and blood" so he spent all his money on himself. After his money was gone, he was so old that he couldn’t work any more so he lived on the township 16 years afterwards. The last of the prisoners died some 40 years ago." ========================================== 6- Currently on special display in the rear of the Society’s Connor Auditorium is a spectacular collection of photos, posters,recordings, and sheet music that honor the memory of Helen and Josephine Yeiser, known in vaudeville as the Trix Sisters. 
Carroll Lape, historian of Newmanstown whose memorabilia we feature, has spent years researching the Trix Sisters, who were born and buried in Newmanstown, walking distance from Womelsdorf. Helen Trix (1886-1951), a contralto, was very famous in her day and started making discs and cylinders for Victor and Edison in 1906. Josephine (1898-1992), a soprano, later teamed with Helen--but often sang on her own. Both were major vaudeville stars in America, England, and Paris (where they ran a casino). Helen wrote much popular music, most of which was widely published. They recorded extensively in England in the late 1920’s for both the Columbia and HMV companies. The sisters lie buried in Elias Church Cemetery, in Newmanstown, beside Alma (1890-1980), a third sister, who also sang and made a recording--"Something to Remember You By" on the Banner label, around 1928. The TRIX SISTERS exhibit closes January 15. If anyone wants to hear more of them, be aware there is a CD provided by Mr. Lape available in the Society library which may be listened to--with earphones and a little portable CD player. =================================================== 7- Linda Repetz-Werner, a graduate student at Kutztown University and a graduate assistant at Lauer's Park Elementary School, informs us that school principal Gordon Hoodak is currently working on the development of an urban education garden at Third and Walnut streets. Another phase of this project is to build a Little League baseball field on the site of the original Lauer's Park Ball Field--between 2nd and 3rd streets, north of Walnut. Mr. Hoodak has applied for a grant to build a retaining wall along Third Street, which will make it possible to continue with the ball field's construction. Babe Ruth played at the original Lauer’s Park baseball field in an exhibition game. A 16mm black and white movie film survives showing the Babe at bat at Lauer’s Park. ============================================== 8- Unusual and interesting emails are received by your editor on a regular basis. This one--dealing with Wyomissing industrialists Ferdinand Thun and Henry K. Janssen--arrived this morning: "Hello there ! Over here in western Germany in the town of Wuppertal (~ 330.000 inhab.) there are still two streets named after your meritorious citizens due to the fact that after WW I, considerable sums were donated by these gentlemen for the widows and orphans in our town. "A little info-board is attached beneath the road-denomination- shield that reads: ‘Heinrich Janssen (1866-1948) verdienter Bürger [meritorious Citizen]. "With best regards, Peter Podlewski Büchsenmacher Ferdinand-Thun-Strasse Nr.20 D-42289 Wuppertal" Supposedly, there is a Wuppertal web-site that includes a winter scene showing where Heinrich Janssen St. intersects Ferdinand Thun St. ========================================== 9- You who have been receiving these News-Bits regularly know that there has been a determined effort to save old St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Mission Church along Route 724 in Union Township. The ancient-looking, small stone church building was in regular use for about a century--from the 1840s to the 1940s. Thereafter, it slowly began to deteriorate to virtually the point of no return. In all probability, the fact that a sizable cemetery surrounds the place has been its saving grace. Moreover, and surprisingly, there are some very recent burials there. On Saturday, Nov. 16th, Robin Huiras of the Reading Eagle reported that Thomas M. Gatz, president of Union Twp. United, successfully secured permission for his organization to begin a restoration effort. Hopefully, this will start with the roof! It’s interesting to note that two previous groups had requested permission from church fathers to permit preservation efforts but received precious little encouragement. We don’t understand why there was a change of heart....we’re glad that there was! ======================================== 10- Society videographer Joe De Angelo informed us that demolition began on what everyone in Fleetwood thought was a very Victorian frame house on the main street of the borough. Twenty- five years ago it had a magnificently ornate front porch, a real show piece. In recent years, however, the property fell to ruin from want of repair. A real pity! In any event, when demolition began a day or so ago, folks were stunned to discover that minus the front porch and behind the German siding was an early LOG and stone farmhouse. On an 1873 map of Fleetwood the residence is noted as being owned by Mary Messerschmidt. 
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