;),0000 'PIENNSYLVANIA A GUIDE TO THE KEYSTONE STATE 00000000000000000000000000008000QQQO 00000000 Compiled by workers of the Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Pennsylvania AMERICAN GUIDE SERIES : , . ILLUSTRATED CO-SPONSORED BY THE PENNSYLVANIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION AND THE UNIVERSITY IF 'NSYLVANIA OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS * NEW YORK - From the Bequest of Professor of Art History Walton James Lord 1917-1982 THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES 6PENNSYLVANIA A Guide to the Keystone State COPYRIGHT 1940 BY THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA FIRST PUBLISHED IN DECEMBER 1940 PENNSYLVANIA STATE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION Statewide Sponsor of the Pennsylvania Writers' Project FEDERAL WORKS AGENCY JOHN M. CARMODY, Administrator WORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION HOWARD 0. HUNTER, Acting Commissioner FLORENCE KERR, Assistant Commissioner PHILTr- 4TTHEWS, State Administrator PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA All rights are reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or parts thereof in any form. Introduction T g1HiE Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has a rich offering to display to those who seek to know America. Its natural resources, its scen- ery, its people and their manifest interests illustrate a vivid section of the contemporary life of the Nation. But there is more to be discovered than the life of today and its conditioning environment. There is the past, and in few regions on this continent is there as much of the significant past preserved in proximity to the vibrant present. It is an interesting adventure to review that past, to make an inventory of the Commonwealth's successes, its failures, its triumphs, and its disap- pointments during the three centuries since white men first crossed its threshold. Here are presented the highlights of man's accomplishments within the Commonwealth from early days to the present, together with descriptions of those spots which nature, man, and retrospect have made interesting and important. So rich a treasure house cannot be best explored in ignorance or under the inspiration of whim or vagrant fancy, so those who know the State have sought to share their knowledge. This volume has been written by citizens of the Commonwealth for their neighbors, and to their neighbors within and without Pennsylvania they offer it. Roy F. NICHOLS University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania June 27, I940 I Foreword IT HAS become a trite saying that 'Pennsylvania Has Everything,' but the difficulty has been that few people know where to find it. Penn- sylvania: A Guide to the Keystone State is the most valuable aid to see- ing and knowing Pennsylvania yet made available to the general public. The historic and scenic treasures of the Keystone State are here located and charted definitely and accurately as never before. This volume, probably not without error despite the careful reading of numerous consultants, cannot be expected to tell all that might be written on the historic heritage of the Commonwealth or the contemporary scene. That would take several volumes. But here are the highlights of Pennsyl- vania. From its pages emerge new bits of information as to our role in making modern America. New sites and vistas are opened for the inspec- tion of the tourist; old ones are called to mind more fully. The Gwide is a valuable and interesting book. It should be a contribution to better citizenship through making Pennsylvanians conscious of their traditions and backgrounds. In these troubled times such a work may well aid in the preservation of those fundamental values so essential to the maintenance of our democracy. S.K.STEVENS State Historian PennsylvaniaHistorical Commission Harrisburg,Pennsylvania July 3, I940 80000000000000000000000000000008000000000000000000 Preface WTTTITHIN the boundaries of what is now this great Common- j/~f wealth, where a handful of Swedes for forty years had lived V ~in peace and friendship with the Indians, William Penn, the English Quaker, laid the foundations of an experiment in government that might well be termed a well-spring of modern democracy. Here, from the four corners of the earth, came people of numerous racial groups and creeds with their different cultures, customs, and tongues. In Pennsylvania there existed no relentless policy of Indian extermination, no exiling of religious dissenters, no witch burning, no widespread traffic in slaves, no barriers of race, religion, politics or class to keep courageous hearts and willing hands from attaining security, freedom, and happiness. Today the descendants of the first pioneers, together with those of later immigrants who sought the opportunities afforded free men, have grown to more than ten millions. They enjoy that priceless heritage and are living witnesses to the fulfillment of those concepts and ideals. Is it not fitting, therefore, that such cherished shrines as Independence Hall, the Nation's birthplace; Valley Forge, where the cause of liberty lived through its darkest hours; and Gettysburg, where the Union sur- vived its greatest wound; should all rest within the borders of Pennsyl- vania? This volume, one in an extensive series of guides to the American scene by the WPA Writers' Program, relates this story of the Keystone State in addition to serving as a conventional guidebook. It was begun by the Pennsylvania Unit of the Federal Writers' Project under the supervision of Paul Comly French, final writing, research, condensation, and editing was completed by this Project sponsored by the Pennsylvania Depart- ment of Public Instruction. The Pennsylvania Historical Commission acted as co-sponsor in its preparation, and the University of Pennsylvania served as co-operating sponsor to publish. While space precludes listing all past and present workers on units throughout the State who have contributed to its preparation, credit for long and thorough research is due Charles Bomze, Clyde Portlock, and X PREFACE Samuel Schaeffer. Major contributions to the text were made by Kath- erine Britton, Irving Ignatin, George Lucey, Samuel Putman, and James Tighe. Tours were road-checked by Elmer W. Cloud, George B. Reeves, Joseph Schulhoff, and Jacob Silverstein. Architectural descriptions were supplied by Richard Fernbach and Thomas Wharton. Charles V. Waters served as copy reader for all manuscripts, and Joseph A. Kilcullen as pro- duction consultant. A list of other consultants will be found in the ac- knowledgments. The book was edited by Grant M. Sassaman, with James M. Moore as editor of the tours section. All maps were prepared by staff cartographers under the direction of William J. Hagerty. As the Guide went to press before the i940 census figures were avail- able, the 1930 figures are used throughout the text. There is, however, an alphabetical list of the preliminary I940 figures in the Appendices. C.C.LESLEY State Supervisor September i, i940 PennsylvaniaWriters' Project 00000000000O00O0000000000000000000000000000000000 Contents INTRODUCTION, By Roy F. Nichols v FOREWORD, By S.K.Stevens vii PREFACE ix PRACTICAL INFORMATION xxi CALENDAR OF ANNUAL EVENTS xxvii Part I. The General Background PENNSYLVANIA TODAY 3 THE PHYSICAL STATE 6 THE INDIANS i8 HISTORY 24 ETHNIC GROuPS AND THEIR FOLKWAYS 59 MINE, MILL, AND FACTORY 71 TRANSPORTATION 86 THE FARMS 97 RELIGION 103 EDDUCATION II3 LITERATURE 122 GROWTH OF TTHE PRESS I33 THE THEATER '45 MUSIC 15I ARTS AND CRAFTS 158 ARCHITECTURE i69 Part II. Cities and Towns ALLENTOWN I8i BETHLEHEM i86 CARLISLE 195 CHESTER 202 EASTON 209 EPHRATA 2I5 ERIE - 220 Xii CONTENTS GETTYSBURG 227 HARRISBURG 237 LANCASTER 246 PHILADELPHIA 255 PITTSBURGH 294 READING 3I4 SCRANTON 322 STATE COLLEGE 330 WILKES-BARRE 334 WILLIAMSPORT 34I YORK 346 Part III. Tours TOUR I (Port Jervis,N.Y.)-Matamoras-Milford-Carbondale-Scranton- Towanda-Mansfield-Smethport-Kane-Warren-Corry- Union City-Junction with US 20 [US 6-6N] 355 Section a. New York Line to Scranton 355 Section b. Scranton to Mansfield 36r Section c. Mansfield to Kane 365 Section d. Kane to Junction with US 20 370 TOUR 2 Milford-Stroudsburg-Lansford-Tamaqua-Pottsville- Millersburg [US 209] 373 TOUR 3 (Phillipsburg,N.J.)-Easton-Bethlehem-Allentown-Harris- burg-Lewistown-Ebensburg-Pittsburgh-(Weirton,W.Va.) [US 22] 380 Section a. New Jersey Line to Harrisburg 38i Section b. Harrisburg to Lewistown 385 Section c. Lewistown to Ebensburg 388 Section d. Ebensburg to West Virginia Line 393 TOUR 3A Allentown-Reading-Ephrata-Lancaster-(Conowingo,Md.) [US 222] 395 Section a. Allentown to Reading 396 Section b. Reading to Lancaster 397 Section c. Lancaster to Maryland Line 399 TOUR 3 B Ebensburg-Indiana-Kittanning-Butler-New Castle- (Youngstown,Ohio) [US 4221 400 TOUR 4 (Lambertville,N.J.)-New Hope-Norristown-West Chester- (Wilmington,Del.) [US 202] 405 TOUR 5 (Trenton,N.J.)-Morrisville-Philadelphia-Media-(Rising Sun, Md.) [US I] 412 TOUR 6 (Trenton,N.J.)-Morrisville-Philadelphia-Chester-(Wilming- ton,Del.) [US i3] 420 TOUR 7 Philadelphia-Norristown-Reading-Lebanon-Junction with US 322 [US 422] 425 CONTENTS Xiii TouR 8 (Camden,N.J.)-Philadelphia-Lancaster-York-Gettysburg- Chambersburg-Greensburg-Pittsburgh-(Chester,W.Va.) [US 30] 436 Section a. New Jersey Line to Lancaster 437 Section b. Lancaster to Chambersburg 442 Section c. Chambersburg to Pittsburgh 447 Section d. Pittsburgh to West Virginia Line 454 TouR 8A Lancaster-Middletown-Harrisburg [US 230] 455 ToUR 8B Junction with US 3o-Latrobe-New Alexandria-Apollo-Leech- burg-Kittanning [State 98i, 8o, 380, 66] 458 TouR 9 (Bridgeport,N.J.)-Chester-Ephrata-Harrisburg-Lewistown- State College-Brookville-Franklin-Meadville-(Wiliams- field,Ohio) [US 322] 460 Section a. New Jersey Line to Harrisburg 46i Section b. Lewistown to Junction with US ii9 466 Section c. Junction with US 2 19-1 19 to Ohio Line 469 TOUR I0 (Binghamton,N.Y.)-Scranton-Pittston-Northumberland- Selinsgrove-Harrisburg-Carlisle-Chambersburg-(Hagers- town,Md.) [US i i] 472 Section a. New York Line to Northumberland 473 Section b. Northumberland to Harrisburg 48I Section c. Harrisburg to Maryland Line 482 TouR IoA Scranton-Stroudsburg Easton-Philadelphia [US 6ir] 485 Section a.