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    I found this Historical Sketch of Reamstown on the internet. Therefore, I do not know its accuracy, but looks pretty reliable.
       All of the text below is duplicated from the original source site, which was:
         http://www.horseshoe.cc/pennadutch/places/pennsylvania/lancasterco/towns/reamstown/reamstow.htm
           Some more links to information about the Pennsylvania Dutch Germans and history can be found on the bottom of the source above.


    From Historical Sketch of Reamstown, Pennsylvania, Rev. John R. Albright, 1951

    Preface


    Most people like to took back over the events that occurred many years ago. They are happy and yet awe-stricken to walk over ground that has been hallowed by the footsteps of both the great and the lowly of by-gone days. Those of us who either live or have lived in Reamstown have just that kind of a feeling as we think of the history of our community. We are proud of our town and we are striving to have it progress so that people who live fifty or seventy-five years from now can look back over the events of the days through which uie are living and think that we have made some small contribution to its ever-lengthening history.

    This historical sketch was first written in 1947 in response to a request by the president of the Memorial Park Association, to prepare some sort of booklet for the tledicatiort of the Memorial Park which would include not only the usual order Of ceremonies and the advertisements used to help defrav the expense of the booklet, but something that would be more lasting in the form of an historical sketch of the fou,n. The account was written and printed in the program booklet for the dedication by the Ensinger Printing Service in Adamstown. Quite a number of copies were distributed at that time and many helpful and encouraging comments were expressed about it.

    Nothing more was done about the history until the Spring of 1951 when Herbert Ream, president of the Ream Family Clan, and Norman Ream, historian of the clan, came to Reamstown and in- quired about the possibility of holding the annual reunion this year in Memorial Park. The clan held a reunion on August 25, 1925 and also one on August 21, 1926. Since that time it has been held elsewhere. On this occasion, however, the officers of the clan felt they wanted to come "back home" to Reamstown again. For this event it was felt that a revision of the historical booklet, including some pictures of places and events of interest would be appreciated by the members of the Ream Clan. It is with the hope that this short account of the doings of the people of Reamstown in the past might inspire the residents and friends of the town in the present and in the future to hold fondly in their memories the town of their birth and livelihood. With this thought in mind, this booklet is presented to you.

    REAMSTOWN MEMORIAL PARK ASSOCIATION
    Oran B. Boose, President
    REAMSTOWN, PENNA.
    July 18, 1951.



    Historical Sketch of Reamstown, Pennsylvania


    The beginning of the settlement of the comniunitv which later received the name of Reamstown goes back to the little town of Leimen, Germany. There Johann Eberhard Ream (born October 6, 1687) followed the trade of a baker. He was married to Anna Elisabeth Schwab (born October 10, 1692), daughter of Jost (Joseph) Schwab, also a baker. For the sake of more freedom to worship Almighty God after the dictates of his conscience and with an eye open to the promise of a rich, new life in the new world, Mr. Ream took his wife and their two children and moved with his wife's parents and their children to America. The date of their entry into this country is somewhat uncertain but the most reasonable supposition is that they came sometime late in the year 1717. They settled at a place called Conestoga in what is now eastern Lancaster County. At the time they came, however, Lancaster County was still a part of Chester County.

    In the minutes of the Board of Property of the Province of Pennsylvania is to be found an item dated February 24, 1724, stating that "Eberhard Ream of Conestoga asked for a grant of 200 acres of land along a branch of the Conestoga Creek. The land included an Indian settlement named 'Cocalico'. It was stated also that he had the Indians' permission and that he could pay the purchase money down."

    It must have been some time in 1723 or 1724 that Eberhard Ream moved his family which later numbered eleven children, into this new section of land, inhabitated only by a colony of Indians living somewhere along the Cocalico Creek. The name Cocalico is an Indian word which is translated 'den of snakes'. Ream's wagon load of furniture and household goods was hafted under the spreading branches of a large oak tree where he pitched his tent, There he lived with his family until he had time to cut trees and build a log cabin for a more permanent dwelling place. Many people have asked,why he settled in this location. The answer seems to be that he found in this place a good spring of water. Most early settlements, we find, were made where water was easily attainable.

    At this place the family lived by themselves for the first few years. Their nearest white neighbors were twelve miles to the north along Mill Creek near the present site of Newmanstown. The Indians along the Cocalico were friendly, however, and the Ream children as they grew up played with the Indian children and went hunting and fishing with them.

    The Reams were not a poor family, for the old records show that Eberhard was gradually acquiring patents for more land. To get an idea of how much land he had acquired, by the Fall of 1750, he had received patents for more than 900 acres of land.

    Although the Reams bad no white neighbors nearer than twelve miles away when they moved, it was not long until other settlers had moved into the area, for as early as July 1728, a baptism is recorded on the records of the Muddy Creek Church. The first log cabin church building of the Muddy Creek Church was erected about the year 1733 and both a Lutheran and a Reformed pastor had been called. In the year 1732, the Ephrata Cloister was established and in ihe following year, 1733, Ulrich Shirk settled on 1500 acres of land at or near the present community of Schoeneck. This indicates that there must have been a sudden and steady growth of settlement in this section of the country. Eberhard Ream and the members of his family were members of the Muddy Creek Reformed Congregation during the years following 1745.

    In the year 1759, Eberhard made a distribution of some of his extensive holdings of land among his children. This division is important to us for it was the following year that one of the sons, Tobias Ream, took part of his share of the land and divided it into building lots.

    He laid out the town which he chose to call Zoar. (The name of the town presumably comes from the ancient Biblical town of Zoar 'the word means small' which once stood along the southeast coast of the Dead Sea. Its location is considered now to be covered up by the waters of the southern end of the Dead Sea.)

    In 1760, Tobias Ream (born 1733, died 1807) laid out ninety-five building lots each 66 feet wide and 297 feet deep containing 72 Porches. These lots were sold upon the ground rent plan. The yearly tax was approxi- mately $1.35 per lot with the curious exception that the corner lots were considered less valuable. These payments were continued until the year 1880 when the lot owners purchased the ground rent titles from the lteirs of Frederick Ream who then owned them. Within the first few years after the lots were laid out, sixty-five of them were sold. Houses were erected upon them, some of which still remain.

    In 1772, the road leading from Reading to Lancaster was opened up, This was called the King's Highway. In the same year a stage coach line was opened up along this road. This event marked a decided step forward for the small community, for the I own of Lancaster which had been laid out in 1730 and the town of Reading which had been laid out in 1748 now had a highway connecting them. Reamstown was about midway between the two places. This brought about a condition which was to be helpful for the growth of Reamstown. It became a stopping off place along the road for travelers. This made it profitable for hotels to operate. The presence of hotels in the town at a later time made it possible for the Circus to stop here.

    Several of these hotels were started at a very early date. They were opened soon after the highway was built. It is known that the Cross-Keys Hotel was open for business on the site now occupied by Slater's Restaurant, some time before the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Another hotel, the Continental House, stood on the site now occupied by the Odd Fellows Hall. This hotel had back of it a building which was used as bar- racks for a local group of militiamen who were being trained for defense during the early part of the Revolution. It was this building which was used as a hospital for wounded soldiers who were brought here after the battle of Brandywine, which was fought September 11, 1777. The building in which the soldiers were hospitalized was torn down about the year 1850. A score or more of these soldiers died of their wounds and were buried in the local cemetery.

    The town, which Tobias Ream originally named Zoar, was renamed in honor of its founder, Reamstown. It Las not been clearly determined when the change in name came about, but it is known that some of the official reports that were sent out from the town during the Revolutionary War bore the name of Reamstown or Rems Town. The writer of this account has in his possession at the time of this writing the original deed for lot No. 50 dated April 13, 1772, transferring the lot of ground from Tobias Ream and his wife to Daniel Dift, a weaver. The wording is: "in a certain town. called Zoar or Reamstown."

    When the Post Office was first established in 1803. the name was officially listed as Rhemstown. A few years later the spelling was changed to Reamstown.

    Reamstown was at one time the seat of Cocalico Township, which then comprised the present townships of East Cocalico, West Cocalico, Ephrata, and a part of Clay, as well as the Boroughs of Adamstown, Denver, Ephrata, and Akron ' It was here that the voters of this large area came to cast their ballots on election day.

    The first cemetery in this area was Ream's Cemetery, or more populary known today as Reddig's Cemetery. The land was set aside August 31, 1762, by Andrew Ream, one of the sons of Eberhard Ream, as a family burial place. One acre of land was given and on it also was to be built a Lutheran and Reformed Church. Nothing more of this church or plans for it is to be learned from the histories. It is in this cemetery that the early Ream ancestors are buried. The gravestones of Eberhard and Elizabeth. his wife, are now barely legible.

    Translated into English, the, stones read as follows: "Here rest the bones of a very honest dear old grandfather John Eberhard Rihm, born 1687 in Europe, married in the year 1711, with Elizabeth Schwab, came 1717 to America, where his family of ten (elsewhere we learn there were eleven) children increased to 150 souls. He fell asleep in Jesus the 22nd. of August 1779, his age 92 years." "Here lies buried of Eberhard Rihrn, his wife Elizabeth, nee Schwob, born in Europe, at Diren, the 10th. of October 1692. In marriage she lived 49 years, 7 months, 18 days. Passed away the 4th of March 1761, her age 68 years, 4 months, 22 days.

    The land for the cemetery in Reamstown was first deeded by Tobias Ream and his wife Juliana to Andrew Ream and Jacob Rupp (trustees) in the year 1773 "for the purpose of a free schoolhouse, and for the building of a church 'Lutheran and Presbyterian (Reformed)', and for a burying ground." The original old schoolhouse was built and used on this lot prior to the building of the Church building. The school was built in 1810 and torn down iit 1860. The Jacob Rupp mentioned hire was married to Juliana Ream, daughter of Eberhard's son, Abraham Ream.

    In tracing the history of the churches of the community, the first reference to be found is that in 1742, Count Zinzendorf the leader of the Moravian Church. preached in Eberhard Ream's home. Three years later a school house and church was built on the land of Henry Haller, Sr., which must have been nearby. Some difficulty arose between Eberhard Ream and the leaders of the Moravian Church which caused him to have his name listed as a member of the Reformed Congregation at Muddy Creek. Most of the Reams and the other people of the community must have been members of one or the the other of the congregations at Muddy Creek during these early years.

    The foundation for the Salem Lutheran and Reformed Church building was laid June 4, 1815. The finished building was dedicated June 8 and 9. 1817. This was the first church building in Reamstown. Other dates and incidents of interest in connection with the history of these two congrega tions are: the purchase of the bell which is still in use, in the year 1848. it is a bell weighing 304 pounds and cost $114.40. The first pipe organ for the church was bought in October 1859 for the sum of $500. This organ was in constant use until the Fall of 1948 when it was replaced by a two-manual Durst pipe organ costing $3,788.00. It was dedicated at a Service held November 14, 1948.

    The Union Sunday School, which was organized in 1834, held its sessions in the adjoining school building until that building was torn down in 1860.

    In the year 1907 the church building was extensively remodeled. It was changed from the old colonial styled building with a gallery on three sides of the building and wine-glass shaped pulpit, to the present two storied building, At this time also a tower was added to the structure. A later renovation of the first floor portion of the building was carried out during the summer of 1944.

    At the present time, the Rev. W. S. Brendle is pastor of the Evangelical and Reformed Congregation and the Rev. John R. Albright is pastor of the Lutheran Congregation.

    St. Paul's Evangelical Congregational Church in Reamstown dates back to the middle of the nineteenth century when a number of the residents of the town followed the teachings of Jacob Albright, the founder of the religious group. At first they worshiped in a private home. In 1855, a plot of ground was donated by Jerry Myer Salada, on which a small stone church was built. The building at that time was heated by a stove which stood in the middle of the aisle and was lighted by oil lamps. The church was dedicated on November 4, 1855 by Bishop John Seybert, the first Bishop of the church.

    About the year 1886, need was felt for more space and greater convenience; so the church was remodeled and enlarged by a frame addition which was built on the rear of the building, and a furnace was put in the basement. During the alterations, The congregation worshiped in an unused Universalist Church which was then standing on a part of the present Reamstown Cemetery. The foundation of this old building is still standing in the Cemetery covered by a layer of topsoil a foot or move beneath the surface. St. Paul's congregation enjoyed a steady growth until the time came in 1931 when ground was broken for a new house of worship. On January 24, 1932, the present brick edifice was dedicated. The minister at the time of this writing is the Rev. Richard D. Miles.

    The Church of God is the youngest of the congregations in the town. Its history goes back to the year 1929, when a group of people met together for worship in Christ Chapel, which is commonly known as Shimp's Chapel, near Reamstown. This faithful group of people worshiped there regularly until February 10, 1934, when the aforementioned Evangelical Congregational Church building was sold at public sale. They bought the church building and took possession of it on July 4, of that same year. In April 1935, the decision was made to cast their lot with the Church of God, which has its headquarters at Cleveland; Tennessee. The Rev. Paul Baughman came in May of that year and conducted a revival. He was called as pastor of the new congregation which then had a membership of six. During the summer of 1936 a remodeling program was carried out which included some inside im- provements, a new roof, and a coat of paint on the building. A Service of Dedication was held July 4, 1936, at which time the state overseer, the Rev. C. H. Blankenship officiated. Since that time the congregation has enjoyed a steady growth. The Rev. Marvin Dupree is the minister at the present time.

    During the passing years, quite a numberr of industries were built up in Reamstown. Small factories opened up from time to time, many of them located in the homes of the operators. The following is a list of some of these industries and the men who are remembered in connection with them.
    John Lietz, blacksmith; Adam Musser, saddler; John Musser, tanner; John Graft, shoemaker; Michael Raezer, tailor; Andrew Ream, tinsmith and hatchetmaker; Elias Weitzel, spinning wheels; George Ream, wagonmaker; John Tamaney, cabinetmaher, and John Gunder, chairmaker. At one time there were seven cigar factories and three cigar box factories in operation. There was a hat factory. a distillery, a tannery, a tile kiln, and a pump manufactory.

    A printing establishment was opened in Reamstown in 1822 by Peter Montelius. The printery changed hands several times since that. Richard Ream owned it, then Rudy Hahn took it and sold it to J. G. Garman and Brother who moved it to Denver and converted it into the Denver Press.

    Elias and John Leinbach had a little factory in which they made grandfather clochs, between the years 1788 and 1810.

    The Reamstown Fair was an annual institution for many years. It was somewhat different from the fairs today. Races were held on a straight race track which was built from the road to a point at the rear of the field where it became hilly, in a field of what is now the Pierce Lesher farm. Dances were held in connection with the Fair on floors built in front of the various hotels in town. To these dances "lads and lassies came from miles around to trip the light fantastic. They came barefooted. When they came to the Cocalico they washed their feet, combed their hair, etc., and made ready to enter the town in style." Others of them came by team from Churchtown, Morgantown, etc. The last Fair was held in 1853, after an unbroken record of seventy-five years duration.

    For a number of years a circus played in Reamstown. The row of lots along the north side of Church Street was a field which at that time extended from the cemetery to the old school building which stood on the location now occupied by the Evangelical Congregational Church.

    One or two houses stood along there at that time but the field was used by the circus people as a show place. One summer, about the year 1875 or 1876, a big balloon was raised in that field. When the foundation was laid for the house now occupied by C.K. Grant, the cinder pile was dug up where the balloon ascent had begun. The balloon rose high into the sky to the awe and admiration of all who saw it and sailed a short distance where it came down into an apple tree of a nearby orchard.

    The town at the present time, in the year 1951, contains quite a number of thriving industries which bring to its people a considerable degree of prosperity.

    The Hope Hosiery Mill was established in Reamstown in 1911. It was a branch of the mill in Adamstown established a number of years previously by Homer L. Stork. It was built here because there was experienced help to be hired who lived here and it was reasonably close to the railroad station in Denver from which the socks are shipped. In 1913, the mill was moved from its first location along Main Street to its present building on Church Street. At the present time, the mill, witli its twenty workers, has a procluction capacity of over 131,000 dozen pairs of men's work socks a year.

    The Reamstown Hosiery Mill, operated by Ralph and George Smith of Mohnton, opened its doors in August 1938 in a building which. had formerly housed a cigar factory.' The mill was opened in this location in an effort to utilize local labor in the manufacture of full fashioned ladies' hosiery. At the close of World War II operations were suspended and the mill stood idle until 1950 when it was sold to Mr. Frank Stevenson of West Lawn, Penna., and his two sons. The Stevensons reopened the plant under the name of the Elizabeth Ann Hosiery Mills, Inc. At the time this account is being written the mill is employing twenty-eight workers and has an output of 30,000 dozen pairs of women's hosiery a year.

    The Boose Aluminum Foundry began its operations in 1933 when Oran B. Boose opened up a little shop in a shed back of his home. He First produced cast aluminum novelties. After a while he began casting furnace blowers and also took on job casting. On August 25, 1935, his shop caught on fire and burned to the ground. By the first of October of the same year he had built an up-to-date aluminum Foundry on its present location and was ready for business. His business increased to the extent that he could hire others to work for him. During the war years the demand for aluminum products was so great that the foundry did 100% war work. More help was needed. more equipment had to be installed and as a consequence more floor space was required. Another building was constructed in 1945, having a floor working space of 10,000 square feet, requiring the employment of ninety-nine men. This increased the capacity of the plant to 125,000 pounds per month. The foundry is equipped with all modern conveniences, labor saving, and safety devices.

    There are three hatcheries in or near Reamstown, operated by Haldeman, Faust, and Horst. There are two cigar factories, one operated by H. H. Good, and the other by A. K. Mellinger. The latter was recently bought from W.' W. Sweigart who had operated it since 1932. At the time of this writing the Mellinger factory is not in operation.

    Among the grocery and general stores of the town, Good's Store, now operated by Clifford Good, is the oldest. This store has been operated at this location for many years. Before it came into the possession of Walter Good. the father of Clifford Good, it was operated by Curtis Swartz, Isaac Fritz, Jacob Reddig, Abram Myers and others. The Rearnstown Post Office is located in this store building at the present time.

    The Lesher Store has been in operation since 1905, when Hoyer Lesher opened up a general merchandise and grocery store in the house on the square across Water Street from the Hotel. This house had been used years before as an office and residence for Dr. Ream. The store remained here un- til the present Lesher Store building was built in 1911. In the new building, Mr. Lesher had much more floor space at his disposal. He therefore branched out into the furniture, rug and hardware business. In January 1945, the store came under the management of Mr. Lesher's cousins, Paul and Ralph Lesher.

    Reddig's Grocery was established by Fred Reddig in 1928 and was operated by him until the time of his death ten years ago, since which time Mrs. Reddig has been running it.

    The hotel now operated by Wiley Jacobs. was built in 1905. The location of this hotel, at the crossing of two important highways has been a splendid one for a hotel from very earliest times. Early in the history of the town, the establishment was known as the Buck Hotel. Most of the early hotels were known by some name which could be pictured on the signboard outside the door so wagon drivers who could not read were able to know which hotel was which.

    Slater's Restaurant was the location of the Cross Keys Hotel. This old hotel dates back to the days before the American Revolution. It remained open as a hotel until the time when the Prohibition Law put the liquor dealers out of business. Since that time it has been operated as a restaurant, first by Harry Shimp until the year 1933, when Norman Slater took over the business. On Election days the dining room of this restaurant is turned into rhe election polls for the township.

    The Reamstown Exchange Bank was chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with a Charter granted and signed by the Honorable Govennor John K. Tenner on April 14,1913. The bank opened its doors for business the first time on May 14, 1913, in the stone building at the corner of Main and Water Streets, formerly used by the Lesher Store. It remained at those quarters until June 21, 1927, when is was moved diagonally across the square into the present modern quarters. Those who helped in the organization of the bank in 1913 were: A. E. Shimp, President; A. K. Huntzinger, Vice President; M. C. Killian, Secretary, and Samuel P. Woffshill, Cashier. The following were the directors, Wm. H. Bucher. W. E. Crouse, A. K. Huntzinger, M. C. Killian, Solomon Lausch, J. Frank Lutz, Pierce Mohn, A. E. Shimp and Wm. M. Wolf. The Charter was granted for a capital of $35,000. On the first day of business, the paid in capital and surplus was $24,600. The total deposits were $1,694.35. The bank has conducted a general banking I)ttsiness continuously to the present time and now shows a capital surplus and undivided profits of over $161,500, in addition to total deposits of $1,979,800. At the present time the management of the bank is under the supervision of S. L. Grill, President; Samuel P. Wolfskill, First Vice President and Cashier; Charles G. Shupp, Second Vice President; William G. Schlappig, Secretary; R. S. Hornberger, Assistant Secretary; William Gehman, Chairman of the Executive Committee, all of whom serve as directors.

    The occupation of funeral director of this community dates back to the year 1846, when Elias J. Weitzel started in business as a cabinet maker and undertaker He continued this business for a period of fifty-two years until the time of his death in 1898. During ti-iis period of time the ice box was used. This meant that the body was not embalmed but was kept until the time of burial by the use of ice. In 1898, Mr. Weitzel's son-in-law, Harry H. Good took over the business and has served the community in that capacity ever since. Shortly after Mr. Good took over the business, the custom of embalming the dead came into more gei-ieral use. Mr. Good took a course in embalming under Professor Charles A. Renourard in New York. In 1906, he was licensed to practice i-inciertaking. In 1929 Clarence W. Good, son of Harry H. Good, was issued a Pennsylvania State License and became a partner with his father in the business which then went under the name of H. H. Good and Son. The present Good Funeral Horne, adjoining the residence of Clarence W. Good on Main Street, was opened in 1941.

    The marble and granite memorial stone business in Reamstown goes back to the early decades of the nineteenth century when a man named L. Ziegler had a small yard. Little is known of this man or his business. After Ziegler's death, a yard was opened by Monroe Landis on the lot next to the house now occupied by Mahlon Fritz. Landis continued the business until his death on New Year's Day, 1903. Another name in the business which is much more familiar to most of us is G. S. Withers and Sons. In 1879 Graybill S. Withers gave up the job of coachmaker and became a dealer in marble and granite. The present shop was built in January 1913. Previous to that time the shop was located on the lot to the rear of the present residence of Miss Stella Withers. Mr. Withers was assisted in business practically throughout his lifetime by his two sons, William and Raymond Withers, who since his death in 1941, have continued the business.

    The automobile repair business was started in Reamstown by Mark Witmer when he opened his garage in 1920. In 1928, the business changed hands, being taken over by Lindeman and Brown, then by Lindeman himself. Lindeman sold out the business to Howard Fry. The garage was taken over by Lloyd Fritz in 1938. Shortly after Fritz began the business, lie moved to the present garage in the rear of his home on Main Street. At this location he continues to run a successful repair business. He also owns his own school buses for the East Cocalico School District.

    One of the civic organizations of the town worthy of. note is the East Cocalico Lions Club. It was organized through the conscientious and persistent efforts of Frank A. Riteau who became its first president. The organization was chartered January 9. 1944. with the. following men as its first officers: President, Frank A. Riteau; First Vice President, John Faust; Second Vice President, Lester Smith; Third Vice President, Howard Weinhold; Secretary-Treasurer, G. Arthur Reddig; Directors, Oran Boose and Frank Kutz. During the years this organization has been in existence it has served the community in many ways. It was instrumental in the building of Memorial Park; it organized and supports the Girl Scout Troop; and it sponsors the erection of community Christmas trees and provides the distribution of gifts, Io the children of the community at Christmas time.

    The Girl Scout Troop was organized early in March 1945 as an organization for the development of character among the young girls of the town. It is sponsored by the Lions Club. The Boy Scout Troop No. 60 was organized in May 1941 by a group of the citizens of Reamstown. The Troop Las been active ever since that time, bringing to the boys of the town a development of character, and providing for them organized camp life and the opportunity for hikes and other outings. In the Spring of 1947, the Cub Pack for the younger boys was organized.

    The Reamstown Athletic Association was incorporated in the State of Pennsylvania under date of March 22, 1921.

    The following members applied for the charter: Harry B. Faust, Ralph R. Root, Raymond Weaver, Albert D. Erick, William Haws, Milton Albright, Chester Williams, H. E. Reddig, Paul S. Lied, Charles F. Yetter, F. S. Bucher and H. A. Shimp. The men who first served as directors were: Harry B. Faust, Ralph R. Root, Raymond Weaver, Albert Erick and William Haws.

    The purpose of the Association has been to sponsor all kinds of sports among the people of the community. To this end, a professional baseball team was sponsored between the years 1921 and 1925. There was a football team which played teams from the various nearby cities and towns between the years 1925 and 1930.

    Between the years 1930 and 1932, the Association had as its headquarters the upstairs room above Hayden Howard's barber shop. From that time until 1938, the property presently occupied by the Martin Bixler family was used as headquarters. Since 1938, the Association has owned its own present building along Main Street.

    In 1941, the Association won the basketball championship for Lancaster City and County. In 1946, it won the soft-ball championship of the Ephrata Recreation League. Teams of the organization competed in the Northern Division of the City-Cotinty Basketball League as well as in the Greater Eastern Baseball League and in the Ephrata Recreation League.

    The athletic minded men of Reamstown have not been unmindful of the growing interest in baseball on the part of the boys of the community. To this end in the year 1948, the Boose Aluminum Foundry began the sponsorship of a Midget baseball team using boys from twelve to fifteen years of age. Harry D. Lied has been the coach of the boys and great interest has been manifested on the part of the baseball minded people of the town. The summer of 1951 saw increased interest in boys' baseball to the extent that the Boose Aluminum Foundry began sponsorship of the Midget Midget team which provides regulated opportunities for the boys under twelve years of age to play "the great American game." During the summer of 1951 alos, the Reamstown Athletic Association organized a Junior American Legion baseball team for the boys of the community from fifteen years to eighteen. ' Reamstown Band.

    The, growth and development of the lodges of the town has been an important item in its history.

    The first of these groups is the Independent Order of Odd Fellows which had its beginning in the year 1850. It prospered until 1861 or 1862 when many of its members were called into the Civil War. After the close of the war, the men returned to their homes and the younger men became in- terested in the work of the lodge and it began to meet and become active again. In the year 1878, a fire broke out in the third floor room in which the lodge met, burning practically all of the records. Of interest in the history of this lodge is the fact that Emil Uibel bad been Secretary for a period of more than sixty years until his resignation due to ill health a few years ago.

    Another lodge that has enjoyed more than a quarter of a century of existence is the Knights of Malta. In the Winter of 1914, Isaac S. Weaver, of near Swartzville, a member of Charity Commandry of Reading, interested a number of men from Reamstown and vicinity in the work of Malta. Mr. Weaver and H. E. Reddig, of Reamstown, both now deceased, were able to secure the interest of quite a number of men in the organizing of a lodge. As a result of this effort, on May 5, 1914, Antioch Commandry, No, 453, Ancient and Illustrious Order Knights of Malta was organized with fifty-eight charter members. The first officers were: Sir Knight Commander, J. Irvin Huber; Generalissimo, Isaac S. Weaver; Captain General. Christian B. Harting; Prelate, Charles Eberly; Recorder, C. S. Jacoby; Assistant Recorder, H. E. Reddig; Treasurer, W. H. Bucher, Senior Warden, S. W. Eberly; Junior Warden, Martin Fry; Sword Bearer, Daniel Ludwig; Warden, Henry McQuate; Sentinel, Herbert Wolf, Trustees, S. L. Grill. Henry Reddig and J. J. Gockley. Since 1914, the group has met on the third floor of the former Brotherhood of America Building on East Main Street. At the time of this writing, 1951, the group has ceased to hold regular meetings.

    The Patriotic Order Sons of America Lodge was organized about the year 1905. It developed into quite a strong organization during the first few years of its existence. During World WarI, its numbers were depleted by the call of men into the Service. The War and the influenza epidemic together caused the lodge to discontinue its meetings here and merge its membership into the lodge at Adamstown, where it still remains.

    Transportation in and out of Reamstown throughout the years has been an important factor in the growth of the town. As early as 1772, the stage coach line between Reading and Lancaster was run through Reamstown. This was caused by the important highway on which the town is built. The original plan of the railroad company was to run the line through Reamstown. In one way or another the plans were changed to such an extent that in 1863, when the tracks were laid. they completely missed the town. Another thing that helped the early development of the town was the opening of the public road between Lebanon and Churchtown which went through the town over what are now Church and Water Streets and intersecting the main highway at the square. This road was opened in 1832. Mail was hauled by the stage for many years. It was continued, in fact, until the time of the building of the trolley line. Tracks were laid for the trolley car during the summer of 1902. The first car came through from Lancaster to the square at Reamstown on February 22, 1903. Later the same year the tracks were con- tinued to Adamstown where the Lancaster County rail line met the line laid out from the city of Reading. Car service was maintained from then on carrying passengers and mail until the time the cars were taken off the line and the tracks removed. The last car ran during April 1931.

    The story of public education goes back to the year 1745 when a school and meeting house was built by the settlers on the farm of Henry Haller, Sr., for the use of the Moravian Brethren.

    In the year 1773, lot No. 54 was given by Tobias and Juliana Ream "For the purpose of a free schoolhouse and for the building of a church (Lutheran and Reformed) and for a burying ground." No school building is known to have been built on this lot until 1810. Education at that time was spon- sored by the church. Early in Lancaster County History, churches of the various denominations established schools in connection with the church, and provided a schoolmaster at the expense of the congregation to take care of the school and to teach the boys and girls.


    In the year 1834, the Legislature 'ol the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania passed a law establisliing the public school whereby the children of all families, rich and poor alike, within the state are to receive a free education. Considerable opposition arose concerning the law, so much so that it looked as though it might be repealed. During the year 1835, however, the law was most vigorously defended by Thaddeus Stevens, a member of the legislature from Lancaster County, the man in whose honor the nearby town of Stevens was named. In 1836, the school law was revised so as to adapt it to the wants and conditions of the people.

    The public school law, however, was not enforced in East Cocalico Township until 1849, when it became compulsory in every township in the state.

    It must Lave been about that time that the school building back of the Lutheran and Reformed Church was abandoned in favor of another building built on Main Street on the lot where the house now stands which is occupied by the Shupp family.

    Some time later another building was built on the site now occupied the Evangelical Congregational Church. This building was used until the present consolidated grade school building was built. The lot for the present school building was purchased by the school directors from Jacob and Mary Getz on March 28, 1872. (The rear portion of this lot was bought from the same owner five years later). This building, with the addition of the rear portion of the building later, has been in use ever since that time.

    Shortly after the, turn of the century. Reamstown followed the growing trend all over the country of establisliing public high schools. The Reamstown high school was established, graduating its first class with a two-year course in 1909. The first class to graduate with a three-year course was in 1916. During these years classes of the high school were held in the Church Street school building. The growing need for training girls and boys not only for college careers but also for educated participation in agriculture and home economics prompted the school officials of the Township to change the high school to a vocational school. School was opened in the Fall of 1920 in the former shirt factory of Mrs. Carrie Wolf. sittiated between Mechanics Corner and Reamstown, In the meantime land was bought and a modern school building was erected. This new building was dedicated on June 10, 1922, With the extension which was added since that time, it is the building which now houses the present day high school. The first class to be graduated with a full four-year course was in 1921. Since that time the school has increased its rating until on July 2, 1943, it was changed from a vocational school to a high school and is now known as East Cocalico Township High School.

    In recent years the Pennsylvania State Department of Public Instruction is interested in merging some of the smaller school districts in such a way that larger and more adequate high schools can be operated jointly among several districts. Following this course of procedure, appropriate action was taken by the school directors of East Cocalico and West Cocalico Townships and the Boroughs of Denver and Adamstown to build a high school building for the four districts. The matter was presented to the voters at the election of the Fall of 1950, with all four districts approving. An organization meeting was held July 10, 1951, at which the name Cocalico Union School District was chosen and officers were elected as follows: President, Carl Musselman; Vice President, R. S. Hornberger; Secretary, Warren Althouse; and Treasurer, Harry Showalter. The School Board, at the time of organization, consists of the five members of the School Board of each constituent district. As terms of office expire this number will be reduced until eventually there will be seven members on the Board.

    Reamstown Fire Company No. 1, had its beginning a( a public meeting held at Fry's Hall, July 27, 1903, by the residents of Reanistown, who sought ways and means for better fire protection for the town. The committee which drafted the first by-laws was composed of the following citizens: Pierce Lesher, J. E. Fry, E. D. Uibet, M. C. Killian and Henry Ansel. These first officers were elected August 17, 1903: President, C. S. Jacoby; Vice President, George S. Salade; Secretary, M. C. Killian: Treasurer, Pierce Lesher; Trustees, A. E. Shimp, Jacob E. Fry and Henry Ansel. Engineer, Emil D. Uibel; Assistant Engineer, Mahlon Fritz. The first piece of apparatus in Reamstown was a large hand pumper purchased from the Sun Fire Company of Lancaster about 1870, some years before a fire company was organized. This same piece of equipment was later repaired by Raymond Fritz and Mr. Shirk, given a fair trial and accepted as satisfactory by the company.

    After standing out in the weather for a number of years the hand pumper was first housed in the Ream wagon shed on Water Street and later moved into Andrew Shimp's barn while the newly formed company was looking for a plot of ground on which to erect a hall.

    A hose carriage built by Raymond Fritz was Purchased for the sum of seven dollars by the fire Company on October 4, 1904.

    Nearly every small town had at least one disastrous fire. Perhaps the worst one Reamstown has had was that which occurred on January 6 and 7, 1905, when the hotel, the store, and a dwelling next to the store, burned. The fire began on a Friday evening presumably as a result of an overheated furnace. The local fire company was at the time using the hand pumper. Just a short time before the fire broke out, a length of suction hose had been made far the fife engine 6y W. W. Wonder of ReaJing. It was toe first time this hose was put into use. A blizzard a day or two before had closed the roads to the extent that when the fire raged, other neighboring fire companies were unable to come to the assistance of t6e local company in fighting the blaze. A piece of equipment and a number of firemen were loaded on a trolley car at Ephrata and brought over to help fight the blaze.

    The Fire Company held its first festival in Uibel's grove, July 15, 1905 first introducing the Allentown Band into this section of the country.

    The Company was chartered January 22. 1906. and a plot of ground 22x40 feet was procured from John Lesher for $33 in April of the same year. Later an engine house was started and the hand pump, hose cart, and the newly purchased chemical apparatus were moved into the new building on March 7, 1908.

    In April 1915, the Worley Brothers Hosiery Mill property along Stony Run, later known to some as Uibel's Run. on Water Street, was purchased and remodeled for use as a fire house.

    In the summer of 1920 a meeting was held for the purpose of securing a better fire apparatus and an American LaFrance 400-gallon pumper complete with hose was delivered October 14, 1920.

    The first alarm used to call together the members, was a bell atop the hall, donated by Charles Reddig. This was later replaced by an electric alarm box system on a tower at Shimp's restaurant (now Slater s restaurant) and later moved to the rear of the hall where it still remains.

    The Lancaster County Firemen's Association Convention was held twice in Reamstown, on June 2nd, 1923, and on June 5th, 1948.

    In 1930, the basement of the fire hall was remodeled and a modern kitchen and dining hall installed to take care of any community supper which might be held therein.

    In 1946, a Studebaker pick-up truck was purchased to take the place of the 1928 model Packard which had been used for some years to carry auxiliary pieces of equipment including a portable Hale pump.

    The members of the Fire Company realized that their apparatus was not so modern as it should be for the proper protection of the community. During the Spring and Summer of 1947 work was begun on a new building to house the 500-gallon Buffalo pumper which was ordered. In May of that year the pumper was delivered and on October 11, 1947 a program was held dedicating the new engine house and housing the pumper. On the occasion of the dedication, a rare opportunity was given to anyone who wanted to have his name sealed into the dedication stone. Anyone who contributed a dollar or more was afforded the privilege of writing his name on the paper which was sealed inside the foundation of the building.

    A Ladies' Auxiliary of the Fire Company was organized March 21, 1947. Officers of the newly organized Auxiliary were as follows: President, Mrs. Ira Henly; Vice President, Mrs. William Good; Secretary, Mrs. Paul Slater; Assistant Secretary, Miss Verna Bixler; Treasurer, Mrs. Raymond Wade; Pianist, Mrs. Howard Unruh; Assistant Pianist, Mrs. Donald Stief; Second Assistant Pianist, Mrs. Mahlon Lied; Trustees: Mrs. Howard Noll, Mrs. Frank Kutz and Mrs. Adam Schlack.

    Reamstown has enjoyed a slow but steady growth through the years. Little or no building was done during World War If years. During the years which followed World War II, however saw many new houses built on every street in town. A development known as Reamstown Heights was undertaken in 1949 by John C. and Cora Faust, who purchased the Uibel farm and laid it out in building lots along two new streets. Ray E. Lied, a local contractor, was in charge of the construction of most of the 19 or 20 houses that have been built tip to this time. Families from Reading and other outlying sections have purchased these houses and have settled in Reamstown, aiding substantially in the growth of the community.

    For a number of years the thought was in the minds of a number of public spirited citizens of Reamstown that there should be a public park in which picnics, reunions, carnivals and other public gatherings could be held. Years ago Sunday School picnics were held in a grove at the edge of town, but more recently that grove was not available.

    Foremost in the effort to do something about a needed situation was the East Cocalico Lions Club. They were spurred on by the desire to make some substantial memorial to the 6oys who served their community and country in World War II.

    Negotiations were made and land was purchased during the summer of 1945. A permanent, chartered organization was set up to be known as Memorial Park Association of Reamstown, Pennsylvania.

    In its inception trustees were appointed from the three then existing civic organizations: The Reamstown Fire Company, the Reamstown Athletic and the East Cocalico Lion's Club.

    The original incorporators and trustees were: Oran Boose, Howard Weinhold, Harry Ludwig, John Faust, and Arthur Redtlig representing the Lions Club. Howard Noll and Arlington Schlegel representing the Fire Company; and Harry Lied and Richard Fritz representing, the Athletic Association. The officers elected were: President, Oran Boose; Vice President, Howard Noll; Secretary, Harry Lied: and Treasurer, Howard Weinhold.

    Late in 1946 and early in 1947, the Memorial Park Association had the field landscaped and Lotight playground equipment. A bandshell was erected on the south end of the field.

    A beautiful Barre granite monument was erected by the Lions Club. bearing the names of the men and women of East Cocalico Township who served in World War II.

    A baseball held was laid out and will be maintained by the Athletic Association.

    In February 1947, plans were made by the three cooperating organizations to relinquish all their individual rights in the Memorial Park Association. Since that time, the Memorial Park Association has been governed by a group of trustees elected by the citizens of East Cocalico Township-.

    The Memorial Park Association is a non-profit chartered organization which maintains itself through the gifts and good will of the people of the community.

    The Trustees of the Association have envisioned for the park in the future a picnic ground with picnic tables and fireplaces, tennis courts, courts for archery, horseshoes and badminton, a playground for children, carnival grounds with a bandstand, and a community building for recreation and education which will include a large auditorium.

    The War Memorial and Reamstown Memorial Park were dedicated at a program held on Sunday, July 20, 1947 on which occasion the speaker was Brigadier General Daniel B. Strickler of Lancaster, who was then Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsvivania. Music was furnished by the Spring Garden Band, of York, Pa. Master of Ceremonies for the occasion was the Honorable Guy K. Bard, Judge of the Federal District Court at Philadelphia.

    A number of the descendents of the Ream family have been active in public affairs and have made a name for themselves and for the town from which they came. One of the foremost among them was Vinnie Ream who was born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1847. She was the daughter of Robert Lee Ream, who was the proprietor of one of the first hotels in town. She became a sculptress of some note. President Lincoln sat as a model for her and the bust she made of him was thought to resemble him so closely that in 1866, the year after Lincoln's death, Congress commissioned her to carve a life sized statue of him in marble. She went to Italy with her parents and selected her own piece of marble from which to carve the statue and had it sent to this country. The finished statue was unveiled in the Capitol at Washington in 1871. Another famous work from Vinnie Ream's hand is the bronze statue of Admiral Farragut of Civil War fame, carved out of the propellor of his flagship "Hartford."

    Among others locally prominent were Henry Ream, a Colonel in the American Revolution, Dr. Richard and Dr. Henry Ream who practiced medicine here for a number of years. Curtis Ream and Cyrus Ream were Justices of the Peace for many years. Andrew Ream and Andrew J. Ream served as postmasters in Reamstown for a number of years.

    Many another native of Reamstown has attained fame and fortune in the world whose name is not listed in this story of the history of the town. We, the residents of the town today are proud of them and we are proud of our town. We pray that God will 6less and prosper our town and its inhabitants in the century to come as He has seen fit to do it during the century which is past.

    July 4, 1951.