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THREE News-Bits of Reading-Berks historical interest...
============================================== 1- Matthew K. Morris dies, an Historical Society member 66 years 2- A rare painting shows what becomes of the creek-water that flows through Mineral Spring Park and disappears "down a hole" in Pendora Park 3- News-Bits recipients’ interesting observations about Andrew Robeson’s unusual gravestone at St. Gabriel’s at Douglassville =============================================== =============================================== 1- We report with regret the passing of Matthew Krause Morris who joined the Historical Society of Berks County in 1936. He had been a life member, a membership category that ceased to exist many years ago. At the time of his demise, on December 23, 2002, he had been a resident of a retirement home in Nazareth, PA. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2- Those who have walked through Mineral Spring Park in East Reading are keenly aware of the creek that flows southward through the park, from Egelman’s to a dressed-stone enclosure in the upper reaches of Pendora Park. The site is almost directly beneath the Lindbergh Viaduct. Inside that stone enclosure, the water disappears into the bowels of the earth. Let’s digress momentarily to note that the aforementioned creek, on old maps indicated as Rose Valley Creek, sits in the middle of a narrow valley (Rosenthal) that separates two mounts. Most folks assume that both mounts have the same name. Not true. Two very old maps refer to the one closer to Reading as "Mount Penn." The other (near Arner’s Restaurant) is "Mount WASHINGTON." Returning to the matter at hand... People walking in the area of the water’s disappearance often wonder what happens to the creek once it drops down the hole. Many years ago it flowed at grade level, meandering southwesterly through East Reading, and eventually it emptied into the Schuylkill River near Eckerts’ Furnace in southwest Reading--below the Bingaman St.- Lancaster Ave. Bridge. Maps exist that show the creek’s flow-path. Two or three mills--and one distillery--used this surface water at one time. And, yes, there were bridges here and there. There was once a large pond (small lake?) in the area behind the Perkiomen Ave. Public School, now the library site. Early on, it was used to harvest ice. Then it was used for fishing! Then it was filled in with the coal-ash of most homes nearby. It took years to level the area. Now, hundred-year-old dwellings occupy the site. As the area far south of Penn began to develop, especially after construction and enlargement of the Cotton Mill---at 9th and Cotton, in the period after 1850---small makeshift bridges were no longer practical or desirable. Something had to be done. The answer, of course, was to build a big tunnel underground. And a big tunnel it is. Some readers might recall that parts of this old-time subterranean waterway started to collapse maybe a decade of so ago. I can recall seeing supports to stabilize structures in the vicinity of the Union Fire Company on 15th St., south of Perkiomen Avenue. Bottom line: The tunnel ends at the Schuylkill at a site that used to be on the south side of Eckerts’ Furnace. A rare, huge, old painting at the Historical Society--on the second floor--shows the tunnel’s mouth. See it on the extreme right side of the painting. Notice the Schuylkill Canal towpath goes over the top. 
Remember, if you can’t access the picture through email, go to http://www.berkshistory.org/histsoc/news.html -------------------------------------------------------------- 3- About a dozen readers emailed to remark on various aspects of the gravesite of Andrew Robeson, shown on a recent News-Bits release. Other than the fact that his headstone is the oldest in Berks and that it’s unique in regard to hardness and color, several commented on the double-dating. Just above ground level one can see the inscription indicating that Andrew died Feb. 19, 171920. That's 1719 by the Julian calendar; 1720 by the Gregorian calendar. 
Gary Albright and Laurel Miller both emailed with comments too valuable not to share. Those of you with any interest in old cemeteries and gravestones, read on and learn--just as I did. I thank both for taking the time to share their thoughts. ------------------------ Gary Albright began..... I saw your interesting note on the tombstone of Andrew Robeson. I have never before seen a tombstone that gave the year in both the Julian and Gregorian dates. It seems a bit odd to me that this tombstone, dated 1719/20, should do so since the Gregorian calendar was not adopted by the English-speaking world, including the American colonies, until 1752. Did the congregation at St. Gabriel's, which was founded by Swedes, use the dual dates? (I don't know when Sweden adopted the Gregorian calendar, but it seems likely they would have done so at the same time as most of the rest of Europe, rather than waiting two centuries like the English.) Or is it possible that the stone was recarved at some time after 1752? [[[ We resolved that it was never recarved. ]]] ----------------------------- Laurel Miller, authoress of the new LEINBACH family history, which now is in stock at the Historical Society, wrote the following: Just wanted to put in my two cents about the double dating. I think the reason that you don't find it on tombstones is that there just aren't very many tombstones left (if any) in Berks Co. that pre-date 1752. Moreover, in other parts of the country (like New England), where older stones do exist, they wouldn't have had to worry so much about the preponderance of German, so they probably adhered strictly to the English way. I have seen the double dating used in church records in PA, and perhaps even in Germany, as well as in court records. From my readings on the subject, I don't think it was that uncommon to use the double dating in the business world on both continents during that period. Even English writers talk about the legal and the civil year. It had to be confusing for commerce between England and the continent when, for 2-1/2 months they were in different years. Sometimes they used the notation O.S. or N.S. to differentiate, sometimes the double dates. George, you might want to look at the section on the calendar in my introduction to the book--I'm pretty sure I cited some sources, either there or in the Historical Sources page at the end of the narrative chapters. I'm sure, as well, that the stone was never recarved. ------------------------ Gary concluded: Thanks for your comments on the double-dating on the tombstone, and for Laurel Miller's, which you passed along to me. I don't think that the fact that St. Gabriel's was originally a Swedish congregation is the answer. According to The German Research Companion by Shirley J. Riemer, Sweden did not adopt the Gregorian calendar until 1 March 1753, more than five months after the British. Apparently many predominantly Protestant countries and areas did not adopt the new dates until the 18th century. And according to Philip Pendleton's book on the Oley Valley, which also pictures the tombstone, Andrew Robeson was a Scot, though he married a Swede and lived among the Swedes in Berks. I think the answer is probably that dual-dating was in use prior to the official adoption of the Gregorian calendar, especially in areas like Pennsylvania where the population was a mix of various ethnic and religious groups. And the reason I've never seen a stone with the dual dates is undoubtedly the fact that there are so few tombstones left that predate 1753. And even among those early stones that do survive, there would only be one year for the majority of them, since the dual dates affected only those who died from January to March. -------------------------- In closing, those of you with some level of interest in the subject just explored might wish to print out and keep these comments as you’ll not find them in print elsewhere. ============== gmmix ========== end ====== |
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