Landenberg was built on part of a thousand acres of land owned by one John Evans, Jr., and on part of a thousand acres called "The Wastelands," owned by William Miller. Once considered a major industrial center of Chester County, it requires an active imagination to picture it as it once existed.
John Evans, Jr. purchased land from the aforementioned Lieutenant Governor John Evans, unrelated, who then lived in England. His father already owned four hundred acres in London Britain Township, and had erected a mill on it about 1715. This is said to be the one known later as Yeatman's Mill, located near London Tract Church. When John Evans, Jr. married Jane Howell, they lived at this mill site until 1734. He purchased his own land then, "up the Creek" from his father. Upon his death four years later, at age 38, his homestead, mills, and lands were left to his sons. One son, Evan, received four hundred acres with fulling mills, tenteryards, etc. that were to become the site of Landenberg. These mills are the earliest reference found to woolen mills in the area, and the land was located principally in New Garden Township as it then existed. Later, the southwestern tip of our Township was lost to London Britain. Landenberg, thus, grew in two townships.
It has been impossible to determine the exact location of the early mills. One large woolen mill was located on Mercer Mill Road at Penn Green Road. It no longer stands. The building on the opposite corner, now an apartment house, was used by the last mill owner as an office and storage building. Across Penn Green Road, in the Landenberg United Methodist Church yard, stood another weave mill that was later converted into housing for employees. Old maps show a grist mill on the eastern bank of the White Clay Creek, just about where the Seckler residence stands. Newspaper accounts state that a grist mill in Landenberg was later used as a "wool room," and the Seckler residence is known to have been used for wool sorting in years past. The same accounts, however, stated that the grist mill had been used as a wheelwright shop, and was at that time used as an office. A wheelwright shop appears on an old map at, or near, the aforementioned apartment house site.
Downstream, on the present Thomas Beach property, stood a mill last known as the "bone mill." It, or one nearby, was used as a cotton mill at one time for the manufacture of woolen yarn at another; and at still another point as a wheelwright shop. On the western bank of the White Clay above the Methodist Church stood yet another large mill, near the old railroad track. North of it, immediately to the right of Laurel Bridge was still another, or maybe even two mills. Other grist and sawmills were situated still further north on Egypt Run, and southeast of the Village on Broad Run. Some details are known of early owners and usage, but references are conflicting. Adding to the confusion is the fact that Landenberg was created from the separate villages of Laurel and Chandlerville, and, perhaps, a third one called Nobleville.
North and east of John Evans, Jr.'s lands, in the section known as "The Wastelands," was the village of Laurel. It is no longer an acknowledged village, but is yet known for its great spring that has provided cool drinking water for man and beast for as long as anyone can remember. Ernest Crossan, who is now 85 years old, and his son, "Johnnie," have watched over it for years, cleaning it and occasionally replacing its pipe as required. It flowed into a trough made from half a barrel until 1931. When Laurel Bridge was rebuilt in that year, a stone facing and trough were put around the spring.
Enoch Chandler of New Garden, and Evan Morris and Isaac Pyle of London Grove purchased 202 acres of land and mill buildings from Cadwalader Evans in January 1814, part of a larger purchase made in 1809 by Evans from Thomas and Mary Ellicott. Some of the land was owned by Mary Ellicott, and was part of the thousand acres of "The Wastelands" that she had inherited from her father, William Miller. Another portion purchased by Evans was land that Thomas Ellicott of Baltimore purchased from Marshalls. Chandler and the others sold 98 acres of their purchase to Joseph Johnson, including a mill building, in September 1814. When Johnson advertised it for public sale four years later, it included a Cotton Factory, 64 by 24 feet in size, a saw mill, a new stone dwelling house, a stone barn, and two small stone and frame houses. Twenty acres of land was cleared; the rest was woodland. All machinery was to be sold, including 588 spindles and two wool carding engines - a Billy and a Jenny .This is believed to be the mill called "Laurel Mill" or "Laurel Factory." The sawmill is believed to be the one later used for manufacturing spokes.
Most of the mill properties were sold under the Sheriff's hammer at one time or another and that may have happened here. In any case, Deed passed to Benjamin Johnson, a Philadelphia bookseller, for $10,000.00.When he died, his son, Caleb, received it, subject to an $8000.00 mortgage. Caleb and Susanne Johnson sold it to George Washington Sargent, a "gentleman" of Philadelphia, who kept it until 1848, when it was sold to Mary Harlan of New Garden for $9500.00. She left it to Rebecca Lukens of Valley Township when she died in 1854, and Rebecca Lukens sold it to Joseph Fisher of East Brandywine "county" who retained it for ten years. He sold it to Martin Landenberger in 1864.
When Chandler sold to Johnson, the agreement included the right of Chandler to "pen or dam the water up the stream on the premises of Johnson to within fifty feet of a rock called the Cave Rock, standing on the southeast side of Creek, marked with the date 1814. Maybe this is the year in which the mill was built. The Cave Rock seems to be the one now known as "Sandy" Flash's cave of which more is written further along.
Laurel Factories were offered for sale in 1829, along with the woolen machinery, but the offer was withdrawn because of low bids. No owner of the property except the Johnsons is recorded from 1818 to 1841, but a newspaper account reports it was sold in 1831 to settle the estate of Stephen B. Cochran. Perhaps only the machinery and an unexpired lease were sold, but this is not made clear. One Aaron Osmond operated a cotton mill from 1829 to the 1840s, but he doesn't appear as an owner, either. A picture labeled "Osborne's Mill" has been identified as the one located just to the right of Laurel Bridge, and the road back into it was called Osmond's Road. Christopher West rented at least one mill there in 1834 that burned, but it seems to have been rebuilt, for the tract, plantation, factories, and houses were all listed in subsequent sales. All "For Sale" ads noted there was "a good supply of hands on the bank." There were many houses in Laurel of undetermined ownership, and at least one row of "mill houses" that sheltered five or six families who all shared the same pump. One mill in Laurel supposedly made blankets during the Civil War.
Enoch Chandler owned, and seems to have operated, a grist and sawmill within the Village of Chandlerville, perhaps the same one for which Thomas Evans was taxed in 1802 that included 340 acres of land. Such a mill was operated by Casimer Missimer from 1822 to 1828, and Chandler did make a purchase from Casimer Missimer, but one not identified as to mill usage. When Chandler died, his executors, Abner Chalfant and John W. Thomas, sold this particular property along with all remaining properties to satisfy the terms of Chandler's Will dated January 1, 1832. The property went to Abraham Palmer, a County Miller, who died intestate. It was sold then in 1833 to John W. and Susan Thatcher of Aston Township to pay Palmer's debts. The Thatcher's kept it for three years, and sold to Phebe Kimble of Sadsbury Township who, also, kept it for three years. She sold to Thomas and Mary Wollaston of Kennett Township who retained it until March 24, 1845, when it went to Joseph Ripka.
Twelve years before his death, Enoch Chandler advertised for a "Fuller" to work in the new woolen mill he expected to open in June 1820, at "newgarden, Chester County." This is believed to be the one located at the Methodist Churchyard. Deeds refer to lands beginning the middle of, or at, the "upper dam" or the "lower dam" of Enoch Chandler, but there were many dams on the White Clay Creek. The three closest to Landenberg were the one in Laurel Woods; one just at the edge of Landenberg United Methodist Church parking lot; and one downstream, below the store and below the present dam.
Chandler built a cotton mill (or converted a standing mill) about 1825. An agreement was made in 1831 between Enoch Chandler and Thomas Walker to sell Walker a cotton mill located below the lower dam, and the sale was completed by Chandler's executors on September 16, 1836. The agreement included the right to use two-thirds of the water from the upper dam if there was a deficiency for Chandler's grist mill and Walker's cotton mill. Eight hours per day was allotted to Chandler for operating the grist mill; twelve hours to Walker for the cotton mill; and four hours for the fulling mill. Walker was prohibited from converting the cotton mill into a grist or merchant mill. He, also, had to pay for two-thirds of the dam repairs. Considering this, and the longer time allotted for operating, it would appear that the cotton mill was largest. If so, it was the one located on Mercer Mill Road at Penn Green. The grist mill was probably the one located near the railroad track above the Methodist Church, for it was used in later years for the purpose.
The cotton mill owner, Thomas Walker, came from England when quite young with his brother, William, a machinist by trade. William settled on the Brandywine before coming to Landenberg. He married Elizabeth Harper, "mother of Jacob Chandler of Kennett Square," and operated a blacksmith shop and store. His name appears frequently in Landenberg events. Thomas Walker, "a thorough manufacturer," is known for having invented a self-acting spinning mule about 1828. This invention enabled mills to operate with less workers and caused great anger among employees. Walker, eventually, went to South America where he was assassinated.
By now, the village was known as "Chandlerville" or "Chandlersville," but until a post office was established, mail was sent to Stone Bridge (Avondale). Joseph Thompson, father of Dr. Benjamin Thompson who lived for many years in Landenberg in what is now the Amberg residence, was Postmaster at Stone Bridge. Mail was sent down by messenger and received by the storekeeper, at that time Aaron Osmond, who distributed letters and papers around the mills in Laurel and Chandlerville. The recipient paid postage, for letters were mailed without stamps. Postage was sometimes collected quarterly from the recipient of the bundle, often with difficulty. A Post Office was established in Chandlerville in 1848. Jacob Hobson served as the first Postmaster for two years. Dr. D. Hayes Agnew hung out his sign here, but soon abandoned his career and went into business at Pleasant Grove Forge. When that business went on the rocks, he went to Philadelphia where he eventually served as President of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, The American Surgical Association, Philadelphia Academy of Surgery, Philadelphia County Medical Society and the Pennsylvania State Medical Society. Samuel Jackson of New Garden was the first President of Philadelphia County Medical Society.
A road from the "race bridge to Laurel" was built about 1840, but there was to be no bridge over the White Clay Creek on what is now Penn Green Road for many years. In 1847, Landenberg Road turned from Newark Road much as it does today and followed almost the same westerly course to Saw Mill Road, but began again below Saw Mill Road after a "dog leg" or irregular intersection. Saw Mill Road crossed Landenberg Road and followed a course through Laurel where it intersected with another road that went north to Laurel Heights Road. The only way to get from Chandlerville to Laurel was over the old Saw Mill Road route, and explains why the two villages retained separate identities. The course of the White Clay Creek from Laurel Heights Road to the London Britain Township line has changed dramatically through the years, and now includes many more curves and bends than earlier. This was probably caused by all of the dams and races that had been built through the years.
Still another mill was sold by Enoch Chandler's executors on March 31, 1838, to Samuel Strahorn, Jr. of "Newlondon Township." It, too, was listed as a cotton mill at the time of sale, but the word "cotton" was deleted before the Deed was signed. The location was also changed at the same time to read "in London Britain Township." This is the building that was later known as the "bone mill." A space of six rods square that had originally been designated for a school was sold with it, along with the privilege of "damming water to such a height to raise it to a chisel mark cut in a rock on the east side of the creek near the head of the dam." It was destroyed by fire in 1864, and sold to Joseph Fisher in 1865. Maps show that Fisher owned a woolen yarn mill at this location. More information regarding Samuel Strahorn appears in the section entitled "Toughkenamon," for he moved there after leaving Landenberg.
Thomas Walker seems to have lost the Cotton factory, now known as "Chandlerville Factory," and through various sales seemingly arranged to protect the mortgagor, it was purchased by Joseph Ripka in 1841. Ripka, as stated earlier, also purchased the grist mill property. This enterprising gentleman was born in Wigstadel, Austria, in 1788, the third son of one Johann Ripka. He studied in Vienna and Lyons, France, then considered the greatest manufacturers of silk fabrics. He learned of the Jacquard loom in Switzerland that was used for weaving irregular patterns and designs. In 1815, he came to America and upon arriving in Philadelphia, established a business of weaving on hand looms a fine fabric called rouen Cassimere. He built the first large weaving and spinning mill on the Schuylkill River in the section of Phi1adelphia known as Manayunk in 1828, and owned several other mills together with a larger number of houses for operatives. He owned the one at Chandlerville at the same time. Known as "The Father of Cotton," his worth eighteen years later was $1,500,000.00. He married Katherine Geiger who bore him four sons and four daughters. A later relative reported that all the money he had made was lost by Ripka's sons after his death.
Information is sketchy for these early years. We know that a Lyceum House was built in 1858 for $300.00, and sold the following year to John Harper for $8.00 by the Sheriff, David McNutt. It stood at the end of Saw Mill Road and was built through the efforts of Dr. J. R. McClurg and the Chandlerville Band. Joseph Beggs was Director of this fine band; John Lovell was the Leader; Joseph Lemon the Drummer; and Joseph Fisher beat the cymbals. It was cold the day the Lyceum House was sold and all the expectant buyers and spectators trooped about half-way down Landenberg Hill to Thomas Brown's store to complete the sale. Samuel Pugh's Bottling Establishment was located near the Lyceum House, along with a tavern. He petitioned in 1854 to sell ale and porter, and to keep an eating house. James McCormick kept store near or in Chandlerville during 1857-1858; William; H. Greenwalt was a wheelwright, followed by David Webb, then by Isaac M. Pierson who moved on to the "Wheel and Spoke Works" in Toughkenamon with Samuel Strahorn. Isaac Pierson, Sr. had operated a blacksmith shop in 1815, and was said to have done most of the blacksmith work in the area, and much work in building the mills.
There were two requirements at the time for a successful mill. One was a good supply of water power; the other a lot of "hands" to do the work. The first need was supplied by the White Clay Creek, and the second by many of the children in and around Chandlerville. There were no Child Labor Laws and community leaders generally held the idea that idleness among children was an evil. They cooperated with employers who recruited factory hands from poor, needy families. Many uneducated, sometimes crippled and diseased children "graduated" from conditions that would be more than intolerable today. In 1848, Pennsylvania restricted the age levels of young people employed in silk, cotton, or woolen mills, and the minimum age of twelve years was established. Many states followed Rhode Island ten years later and stipulated that children from twelve to fifteen years of age had to attend school for three months each year, but the period of industrial expansion that resulted from the Civil War found about 20% of all American children between ages ten and sixteen employed. This continued for at least another decade, and explains why mills in Chandlerville and elsewhere could continue operating so efficiently when so many men were with the Civil War troops.
The first "hotel" in Landenberg was located on the hill, opened by David Brown about 1858 and maintained as such until a new one was built in 1872. Dr. J. R. McClurg was the practicing physician until 1859 when he sold his practice to Dr. Benjamin Thompson for $125.00 and moved to Philadelphia. He agreed not to resume practice within twelve miles of the village, but returned five years later and did so. An Injunction was obtained by Dr. Thompson restraining him from practicing or establishing within the limits. Nathaniel Gregg petitioned the Courts in 1861 to be allowed to sell domestic wines, malt, and brewed liquors.
The fictional character, "Sandy" Flash, immortalized by Bayard Taylor, supposedly left his mark on Chandlerville about this time. Together with his "wife," Debbie, he waylaid wagons and robbed drivers and passengers as they travelled Penn Green Road. His hideout was a house that stood on the high bank at Penn Green and Laurel Woods Roads, later known as the residence of Dr. Pearson. He could enter a cave that was under his cellar and travel under the road to the edge of the Creek or to the edge of the road where he did his dirty work! There really was such a cave, but it was filled with stone when Laurel Bridge was built, and the passageway was sealed. The house burned later and collapsed walls have filled the cellar. Honeysuckle and brambles hide any remains from all but the most perceptive eyes.
According to Futhey and Cope in their "History of Chester County," the characters of "Sandy" F1ash and Debbie may have been based on the lives of James Fitzpatrick and Mordecai Dougherty who roamed throughout Chester County in 1777-1778, supposedly the terror of Whig citizens of the County. James Fitzpatrick, known as Captain Fitch or Fitz served his apprenticeship with John Passmore of Doe Run as a "bound boy." He went to work at his trade, blacksmithing. After several years passed, he joined a militia company and served in the Revolutionary War, but deserted and returned to Chester County. Arrested and taken to Philadelphia for imprisonment, he was freed when he agreed to return to the militia. He used this only as a means to obtain freedom and soon deserted again, once more reappearing in Chester County where he chased off would-be captors with a gun, and continued mowing a field he had begun earlier.
Fitzpatrick joined General Howe when he landed at Head of Elk, either to get revenge for being arrested, or because he was a Tory at heart. He continued with the Army to Philadelphia and, sometimes, captured Whigs and took them within British lines. Mordecai Dougherty, probably a boyhood friend, for he had also been brought up near Doe Run, assisted him. "Cap'n Fitz" stayed behind when the British left Philadelphia and carried on his own war with Chester County - Whigs being his prey. Stories of his escapades are many. Supposedly not a covetous man, he never wronged the weak or helpless, and frequently gave to the poor what he removed from the rich. He was eventually captured and imprisoned in Chester, but filed off his irons and escaped. He had been due to hang. Caught once more, he was taken to Philadelphia where he broke his handcuffs twice in one night. He is described as an "uncommonly fine-looking man, of tall and commanding appearance, very strong and athletic and swift of foot. His hair was red; his complextion florid." His escape attempts in Philadelphia were thwarted and he was duly hung. Mordecai Dougherty disappeared, his fate unknown.
Sixty-three years after the Methodist Episcopal Church organized in America, a small group of people met in the home of one Peter Hart in the village of Chandlerville in 1847 to plan construction of a church building. They had been meeting as a Methodist Society in the old weave mill, a property the church would eventually own. These first church members raised $112.75 toward the expected cost of the building, $800.00. Just who contributed the money for the first church building, and the manner in which it was raised is outlined in a notebook which belonged to Nathan McCormick:
"We the members of the M Episcopal Church at Chandlerville feeling the need of a place of Publick and Religious Worship would call upon a Generous and Benevolent Publick to aid us in Erecting a place of Worship at the village of Chandlersville for the said purpo(se). Also pledging ourselves to Give the sum or sums affixed to our Respective names to be applied for said purpose at the named place."
The signers were: Peter Hart, Nathan McCormick, Joseph A. Orr, John Westley Wyltbank (or perhaps John Westley and Mr. Wyltbank whose first name is unrecorded) , E. A. Ingeal, S. Wyltbank, H. McCormick, M. Buckingham, L. McCormick, Wm. A. Carlile, R. R. Buckingham, Samuel Lloyd, Deidamia Ann Walter, William Harkness, James Woods, Lewis Hanna, Benj. Covington, Lewis Thmpson, A. G. Orr, W. Runover, George Smith, Thomas Higgins, Joseph Worrall, G. Higgins, E. Wallis, C. McLaughlin, John McDaniel, Thomas Harkness, and P. Wilson.
Earlier, a certain "Father" Townsend who lived three miles west of the village held meetings for prayer and exhortation in a small building on his farm. Peter Hart was not long in finding this good old man and became an active member of the little flock, conducting services, himself, when his turn arose. He took fifteen or twenty mill hands with him. Prayer meetings were new to the people in the neighborhood, and many attended to hear the singing and praying.
Hart collected money and helped the other men quarry stone for the church building. They often worked at night by moonlight at the Kennedy Crossan farm on Good Hope Road with their quarrying operation. Nathan McCormick, a stone mason, probably led in the building. The ground on which this Church was built was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Ripka. The building was plain in keeping with Methodist requirements, without a steeple, and resembling a small, unplastered stone house. It was not deeded to the Trustees for nearly a year after its completion, perhaps due to the reluctance of one of them, Wm. Stilly, to sign certain papers necessary to obtain additional money for completion.
A Sunday School was established in 1871, and in 1888, it was decided to renovate the old structure rather than build another elsewhere as first planned. The building was enlarged, and a steeple erected with a bell added. At one point in time, stalls were built for horses and carriages, and the whole was enclosed with a picket fence. There were good times and bad times during the Church's history, depending on the prosperity, or lack of it, of the mills. With the help of various pastors, these times were weathered. Some Pastors had other churches on their circuit and walked each week to conduct services. One, H. H. Poticher, died during the influenza epidemic of 1918.
A plot of ground was purchased from Mr. and Mrs. James Merritt in 1902 and a parsonage built that served until 1964. It is now the home of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Crossan, Jr. The Church building was refurbished in 1929, but by 1938, the Rev. Roger B. Hamlin was concerned by the lack of response on the part of the congregation which, he said, "makes progress possible only under the most difficult circumstances. We are standing on the eve of a great revival in Landenberg. God knows we need it." He apparently accomplished his goal for matters improved over the next several years as new pastors came and went. By 1952 there was a real need for more Sunday School space, and work was begun on an addition. Nine months of volunteer labor, and extensive fund raising programs, were halted on the morning of December 16, 1953, when the Church was completely destroyed by a fire of unknown origin. The new annex was saved and completed quickly. Services were, then, held there. The congregation voted to build a new Sanctuary, and with a donation from the Philadelphia Conference and $10,000.00 contributed by friends, members, and organizations, a contract was awarded for the rebuilding. Another addition was completed and dedicated April 5, 1965.
Space doesn't permit recognition of the many organizations connected with the church, but each has made a major contribution through untiring efforts. Since 1848, there have been 57 Pastors at this little church. The list is on record there, and is being omitted since most served only for a short period of time. The present one, Rev. Jack Rule, has been there since 1963, the longest to serve.
In November 1859, it was written of Chandlerville that, "The crops are good, apple crop not too large; factory and grist mill are running full time and the tavern is doing a good business. The band is playing sweet music. 'The old custom of throwing cabbages against the doors and building fences across the roads has nearly gone out of practice, and very little, if anything was done at on last hallow-eve.' " The Chandlerville Brass Band entertained nightly, and was fast becoming famous for its beautiful appearance and splendid performances. They drew much applause when they marched in the July Fourth parade at Newark, Delaware. Political interest increased daily as more and more people joined the Republican Party. Ripka's Chandlerville Mill and Fisher's Laurel Mill were purchased by Martin Landenberger about 1864, and Chandlerville experienced a growth such as it had never known before.
John Martin Landenberger was born in Ebingen, Germany, a town on the edge of the Black Forest, on December 29, 1817. He emigrated to Philadelphia in 1832 with his father, Matthias, and two brothers. John Martin served an apprenticeship with Mr. Drenshaw, a native of France, and a stocking manufacturer of Delaware. He remained for two years and then went with Joseph Button of Germantown, Philadelphia, who operated the first factory ever established in that vicinity. In 1843, Landenberger purchased a single loom and started business for himself, alone. By the end of the year, he employed three journeymen who helped with his manufacture of hosiery. He later produced paisley shawls which were very much in vogue. His marriage in 1843 produced four sons - Martin, Charles Henry, John L., and George. As business prospered, he moved from his home into a white marble faced building on the corner of Broad and Girard Avenues. His income in 1864 was $158,433.00. After the death of his wife, Mary, he married Lavinia Gebhard. Their later years were spent on a small farm near Millville, New Jersey. By the time he died in 1884, he had "lost every cent he had."
The Martin Landenberger and Company factory in Germantown , was built about 1846 and was described as one of the largest and most convenient stocking manufactories in the country - quite a model mill. The two branch factories in Landenberg were purchased because "water facilities are unsurpassed by any in the State," and waterpower was utilized here, despite the fact that steam power was in use at the Philadelphia mill. All told, his mills employed from 1000 to 1200 people.
Landenberger built many new houses for employees in Chandlerville and the population increased to one thousand people. The name of the Village was changed to Landenburgh in 1869. (The current spelling, Landenberg, was adopted in 1904.) The Village was laid out in streets - Main, Laurel, Park, Washington, etc., causing such confusion that some property lines have not to this day been properly established. The mills were modernized with equipment from "Old England," and the area prospered. Landenberger did not live here, but his brother-in-law, Charles Weiler, did. He most likely managed the mills. Landenberger and Weiler exerted great influence to have a. railroad built to Landenberg - the old Wilmington and Western.
The first dispute after the Wilmington and Western Railroad was incorporated in 1869 concerned the route it was to take as it left Wilmington. Some wanted to follow a Mill Creek Route; others a Red Clay Creek Route. The "Wilmington Daily Commercial" published a letter stating:
"Two routes have been surveyed for this road. Which one should be selected?... Tens of thousands of tons of material must roll back to the hills and plains beyond the mountains. Passengers unnumbered must crowd its cars."
The Red Clay route required three more miles of rail than the other, but the Mill Creek route supposedly would have been straight, short, and direct. It was questioned that a single rail would ever be laid past Landenberg if the Red Clay route was followed. How true this proved to be! The letter writer felt that John Jackson, William G. Phillips, and George and James Springer, Commissioners of the W. & W. R. R., as well as land and business owners along the Red Clay, were influencing the latter move, along with Joshua T. Heald, William E. Garrett, and Alan Wood, all influential men and members of the Board of Directors of the road. (Alan Wood Steel Company of Conshohocken had its beginnings at Wooddale, five miles from Wilmington, when it was known as the Delaware Iron Works.)
The letter to the paper went unanswered, but on September 9, 1869, a "Harvest Home and Railroad Meeting" was held in Hockessin Valley. Great newspaper coverage was given it. Prominent citizens spoke pro and con on the desirability of one route over the other, and the amounts of revenue that would be derived from each. Major Alfred P. Sears, Chief Engineer for the W. & W., finally presented figures proving that the Red Clay Creek area spent twice as much for transportation yearly as did the other area. Up to that point, the arguments were pretty convincing for each side, and many felt Sears had sprung a trap. He made various other comparisons to prove the Red Clay Creek Route more economical, and quoted the cost of building on that route at $500,000.00 for seventeen miles of track and rolling equipment. When he concluded, Railroad President, Heald, made a short address that was really an ultimatum. He demanded that those present vote to show if $150,000.00 could be raised by the Red Clay Valley people, as opposed to those of the Mill Creek route who would need $100,00.00. The Red Clay Creek faction carried the day, and no further reference was made to those adherents of the Mill Creek Route. The speeches and voting ended, the broad seats were turned into a smooth platform, and musicians gave way to a merry dance which kept up until midnight.
It was planned to begin the railroad line near the Delaware River in Wilmington, extend through that state in a westerly direction, pass through the limestone valley of Hockessin, and connect with a railroad leading westward or northwestward into the State of Pennsylvania. They also intended to build a line that connected with the Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad at the borough of Kennett Square, or some other desirable point. While this latter plan was often discussed, it was never carried out, nor was a branch ever built to Oxford as had been often planned. The nearest to that point was a cut begun through a hill in Landenberg.
President Joshua Heald was quite a showman, and the privilege of breaking ground fell to him when ceremonies were held in July 1871. A number of citizens and guests left the railroad office at Seventh and Market Streets in Wilmington and travelled by carriages to the hotel at Brandywine Springs for lunch and groundbreaking ceremonies. The farmers of the neighborhood had already enjoyed a picnic lunch with their families. When ceremonies concluded, Heald announced that they had raised every cent of $250,000.00 in "bona fide, clear subscriptions," and .further said that contracts had been awarded for building bridges, trestles, etc.
The railroad had the right to confiscate land along its route as it desired through legal recourse, but this was not done in most cases. The project was generally welcomed as a cooperative one that would not only benefit manufacturers along its line, but provide convenient public traveling, point-to-point. One recorded sale was from Evan Brown and his wife of New Garden Township, the ground on which Southwood Station was built. It is said that Brown's daughter suggested the name for the station. Some landowners gave the railroad release for damages that resulted to their premises due to construction or maintenance; and in other cases it was stipulated that fires begun from locomotives were the responsibility of the railroad who would reimburse property owners.
People came from miles around to watch as crevices for the track were blown into hillsides and rocky outcroppings in Delaware and Pennsylvania. By October 1872, already six months behind scheduled opening day, the long trestle through "Broad Run Valley" near Landenberg was completed and duly noted in the Wilmington "Every Evening:"
"Across the Chasm - not the Bloody One, but at Broad Run"
"On Saturday evening about 4 o'clock the track layers on the Wilmington and Western Railroad spiked down and secured the track across the Broad Run Trestle, and then indulged in hearty cheers over the completion of the job.
The construction train loaded with iron and other supplies and sundry workmen and spectators was immediately passed back and forth over it, forming a gratifying and novel sight to the inhabitants of the valley. All parties expressed their pleasure upon noting the smoothness with which the train passed over, and how solidly the structure stood without a jar or tremble."
This celebration was entirely justified, for the trestle was a fine piece of engineering. It was conservatively estimated as being forty feet or higher in places, and approximately one-third of a mile long, constructed of long leaf yellow pine. It was just east of Landenberg over a marshy meadow, and across the Broad Run tributary of the White Clay Creek. It stood until1943, when it was razed. The unused track had been removed to supply scrap metal for the World War II effort.
A few days after the trestle was completed, formal opening ceremonies for the entire line were held. It was a great day for Wilmington, but even greater for Landenberg! The telegraph line had been completed to Landenberg two days earlier, and President Heald received a message from the supply train ahead. "All right at Landenberg. Lunch, etc., fixed first rate. Compliments of the party to the President."
One can picture the lines of carriages and buggies pulled by well-groomed horses that were used to convey families to the station at Wilmington preparatory to the trip to Landenberg. The all Negro Independent Cornet Band of Wilmington followed the carriage bearing bewhiskered Joshua T. Heald with his high silk hat who was at the height of his career. Eleven new railroad cars, decorated with flowers, wreaths, and drapes - somewhat resembling a circus wagon - were ready for their arrival. Two engines, brass shining, bearing Numbers 2 and 4 on both sides of their cabs with the initials "W. & W. R. R." led the way. All prominent persons and newspaper men received invitations, and the "Every Evening" reported:
"Saturday, October 19th, 1872, will be remembered as a great day... as the day when the great iron city broke the last of the bonds which have too long cramped her and stretched forth a hand after her proper share of the treasures of the wonderful west."
and:
"At about 10:20 a.m. (Conductor Baynard pulled the whistle cord) , the train started and at every station on the line - Greenbank, Faulkland, Wooddale, Mt. Cuba, Ashland, Auburn, Hockessin, Southwood, Broad Run - the train halted to receive accessions to the excursion party from along the line."
Leaving the City, it cruised along at thirteen miles an hour while passengers settled back on the red plush seat cushions until it reached its destination - Landenberg! Here a glorious sight met the eyes of the passengers. Business had been suspended for the day and houses, factories, and the "street" were decked with American and German flags. Stretched across the "highway" were several great muslin streamers with "WELCOME TO LANDENBERG" printed on them in large letters.
Alighting from the train, passengers formed into another parade, this time on foot, and marched down the hillside from the station, again led by the Independent Cornet Band. The procession moved on to the home of Charles Weiler where assembled guests were already being entertained by the Unionville Cornet Band. Weiler, in addition to being a partner in the mills, was President of the Pennsylvania and Delaware Railroad Company with which the Wilmington and Western connected at Landenberg. On his shady lawn, a platform had been erected, covered with more flags, flowers, and evergreens. Not far distant, near his elegant mansion, "several long tables awaited the hour when the substantial food with which they were laden would relieve many an aching void which a craving appetite rendered ravenous." However, the company had to endure an ordeal before this craving was to be satisfied.
A number of young men and women - neatly attired factory operatives under the leadership of a Mrs. Watt, who was probably their Sunday School teacher - sang a song of welcome especially written for the occasion:
"Welcome! Welcome!
Welcome!
Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!
Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!
We welcome you dear friends, on this our opening day."
It was received with great applause. There were speeches by Weiler and Col. J. W. Forney, Editor of the "Philadelphia Press;" prayer by the Pastor of Grace M. E. Church in Wilmington; and a lengthy speech by President Heald. At 2:00 p.m. he sent a telegram,
"To the Citizens of Wilmington: The Citizens of Landenberg and along the way have received us with demonstrations as I trust will bind us together hereafter in business and friendship as we are already bound in iron and lightning."
Finally, it was time to eat! The first train left for Wilmington at 3:15 p.m., but was slightly delayed when it struck an unwary cow on the track. She proved to be substantially uninjured and only had a horn knocked off which the "Wilmington Commercial" put on display in its office. The train from Wilmington to Landenberg made the trip in one hour, 35 minutes; the return trip was five minutes less - downhill! A foot bridge crossed the Creek behind the Methodist Church to serve as a short-cut to those who went from the train station to the mills.
Martin Landenberger suffered a heavy financial blow in the Jay Cooke crash which precipitated a panic in 1783, but the full effect was not felt by the people in Landenberg for a year or two. Joseph Hill opened a confectionary and ice cream saloon, and Joseph Henderson moved here to open a tailoring business. At times the lower mill closed for a week or two, and at other times the upper mill did. These were only temporary problems, however, which the residents took in stride. A few moved away each time the mills closed, but some returned. Generally, there was stability.
It was proposed to build an Episcopal Church in Landenberg in December 1872, but this was never accomplished. In that same year, Chandler Phillips of Avondale started digging the cellar of the large hotel he planned to build in the Village. It was completed and opened the next year, despite the "no license" decision. Samuel Finley operated it, "a great convenience to the travelling public, kept in the best style." The thoroughly modern store and hall were built next to it, also in 1872, supposedly in an old barn and stables. Its opening was celebrated with a Grand Ball! If that sounds a bit pompous, keep in mind that many of the families in Landenberg during this time of the Industrial Revolution enjoyed great prestige. They purchased all the trappings and possessions that befitted their new wealth, had uniformed liverymen for their carriages, and more than enough household help in their homes. It was a grand way of life - for some. The laboring classes, of course, did not have a very high standard of living at all. R. B. Moore "fitted up a coal yard; an additional boiler was installed in the mill; Charles Kimble of "Kimbleville" took over the large store house of Charles Weiler and expected to open in late Spring; a drug store was under way; "and other evidences of thrift and enterprise are not wanting." Although the Township had voted "dry" there were demijohns labeled "honey" among the imports from Wilmington that satisfied all needs.
By the end of Summer 1873, several new houses had been erected. Washington Ewing, a storekeeper, led the way in building. Landenberger and Company had built several fine houses, including the 1arge boarding house, much needed. There has been reference to a boarding house or dormitory that was built for the female mill operatives that was located above the mill, or alongside it on Penn Green Road. However, most references to boarding houses actually are to the hotel building of Chandler Phillips. It seems unlikely that Landenberg, despite its prosperity, would have enough visitors or traveling salesmen in one night to fill all twenty rooms of the hotel. The mills employed about two hundred people at that time, and operated at fullest capacity. F. Savage acted as station agent and telegraph operator; the "lower row" of homes was remodeled into shops: No. 1 - a stove and tin store; No.2 - clothing, boots; No.3 - bakery, confectionery; No.4 - millinery, mantua-making and ladies fancy goods; No.5 - harness, trunks, etc. This row of houses may have been the one earlier called "English Row." There were several rows of houses, typical of any mill town of the 1800s. H. H. Storey remodeled his store, and was still making alterations in 1877. It was this store building that was later to become the Community Hall, located at Penn Green and Chesterville Roads.
The Landenberg Building Association formed in February 1873. Building and loan associations were rapidly opening everywhere, and enabled many people of moderate means to buy homes. The officers were: President, Henry Burnett; Secretary, S. E. Niven; Directors, Charles Weiler, R. B. Moore, John Phillips, H. C. Greenfield, William Davis, Andrew Moynihan, Howard Worth, Richard Buckley, and Nathan Willard. It was believed to be the first Building Association in the lower end of Chester County, and still continues as the "Building Association of Landenberg."
The new money wasn't all paid out in taxes, either. Landenberger's Township Tax for that year totaled $75.50 - another grand way of life. And, the Pennsylvania and Delaware Railroad was completed between Delaware City, Delaware and Pomeroy, Pennsylvania. A plan for reorganizing the Wilmington and Western Railroad included raising the capital stock with a bond issue to extend the line to Oxford. It was rejected. The W. & W. had other problems, too. First it lost its passengers, then its freight business, but both returned eventually. A major accident occurred when the mail train left Landenberg in March and ran into a rock slide a mile north of Wooddale. One of the rocks weighed several tons. The engine that hit it was hurled against the projecting bank and badly damaged. Since the telegraph operator at Ashland was away from home, the conductor had to walk 7½ miles to Wilmington to report the wreck. Passengers finally arrived in Wilmington at ten p.m., and the seven p.m. evening train to Landenberg didn't reach its destination until the following morning. A new station was built in 1875 to replace the old shed that formerly claimed that title. It had two waiting rooms, one for ladies and the other for gentlemen, an agent's room and ticket office, and a freight department, and was located just beyond the buildings adjoining the present Post Office.
Railroad Conductors were then respectfully addressed by other crew members as "Captain" and were in full charge. They assumed responsibility for the safety of the train and passengers, and certain local trains were known by their names. Alfred Hughes began work with the W. & W. when it first opened, and continued on this section to Landenberg for over 25 years. The train became known as "Hughes" or "Hughes' Train." The Engineer's lot was a rough one, for the old steam engines were open and unheated. He leaned out of the cab regardless of weather to watch the track and signals ahead. The station Agent was indispensable, for he opened up long before the first passenger train was due to depart in order to sell tickets, check baggage, and transact other business, and upon arrival of the train, helped load and unload mail, baggage, and express. He was often a town's Postmaster; telegrapher for the railroad and sent commercial messages; agent for the express company. In short, the station agent was an arm of the United States Government, the railroad company, express and telegraph companies, and practically a 24-hour a day man, at least six days a week, and sometimes part time on Sunday. R. B. Moore was Station Agent at Landenberg.
The first letter by mail over the road was to Mr. Henry Thompson, Broad Run, from Messrs. Pusey and Rice, Ice Dealers in Wilmington. There was no Post Office at Broad Run and it was taken to Landenberg where it was endorsed to read: "This is the first letter over the W. & W. R. R. by mail, S. Hersey, Mail Agent."
The need for excursion trains to Mt. Cuba by various organizations and churches diminished by 1875 and they were stopped. Penns Grove and Collins Beach had become the "in places" by then, but special Sunday trains ran to Landenberg for people to view the lovely scenery, particularly pleasant in the Autumn. Newspaper writers and local businessmen commented correctly that Landenberg could have been one of the most beautiful resort areas in the County. Business continued briskly. So much coal was being hauled over the Pennsylvania and Delaware Railroad to the W. & W. that as many as 75 or a hundred cars were on side tracks awaiting shipment at many times. Laurel Mill continued to operate all through the depression in the dry-goods trade for it was exclusively a yarn mill, but Landenberger was troubled by vandals who damaged his property, and offered $10.00 reward for their apprehension.
The "Patrons of Husbandry" established a Grange on February 2, 1874. Its officers were: Septimus E. Niven, Jeremiah Starr, Jr., Richard N. Chambers, J. Wilkin Niven, Thomas J. Megilligan, Charles Sharpless, S. Wickersham, T. B. Hoopes, Lea Megilligan, Louis Garrett, Ella M. Hossinger, Hannah J. Garrett, J. W. Hoopes, and E. D. Gawthrop. The Village's bad boy, Jack Stevens, raised his head from time to time. One such incident was reported as follows:
"A notorious character who at too frequent intervals looms up in all sorts of disgraceful doings, and hence through his persistent efforts to be bad, has become a terror to the village and its vicinity. On last Monday night, Jack came home in a terrible drunken condition and at once began making his home and night hideous by knocking down his mother's stove pipe and 'kicking up Jack' generally. His mother became alarmed for her own individual safety and sent post haste for Squire Burnett to put her son under subjection. He responded, but on arrival, Jack made such terrible bloodthirsty threats as to cause all the parties to recall to mind the old saying in which discretion being the better part of valor takes a prominence. While Squire sought help, 'Jack vamoosed the ranche.' "
About the same time, a certain town official received heavyweight fight results via the telegraph before they were common knowledge. He immediately took bets, himself betting on the winner, and many residents lost considerable sums of money to him. The heavyweight fight was no bloodier than the one involving this official when his dastardly deed was discovered!
Landenberger handled his various financial reverses, satisfied his creditors, and reopened his mills in the Village under the name of M. Landenberger's Sons. People returned with light hearts and happy faces from Chester, Philadelphia, and Camden where they had gone seeking employment. Their optimism was short-lived. The following April, a fire burned a small picker mill that adjoined one of the larger mills, and damages exceeded $5000.00. In May, Laurel Mill burned with all its machinery and stock destroyed. Good Hope Mill, owned by Robert Preston, was leased to handle the work of Laurel Mill, and while it was not easily accessible, it was the best temporary provision that could be made.
It was during this period in history that employees sought shorter working hours, better wages, and formed the first of the labor unions throughout the nation. It was not unusual for employees to seek physical redress for their grievances. Employers were actively opposed to unions, but when hard times struck in 1873 and 1874, with cutbacks in people and salaries, plus the displacement of people by machines, employees began union formation with great zeal. There is no record that this happened in Landenberg, but it may be a possible explanation for some of the troubles that arose during this period. As if employees hadn't enough problems travelling to Good Hope Mill, Jack Stevens added his touch. It is written:
"Jack Stevens of Landenberg, whom we have frequently noticed, first as a confidence man and next as a petty thief, has got decidedly funny. On Saturday evening, as four workmen were returning from their labor in Good Hope Mills, they were horrified at seeing something white in a covered bridge ahead of them. If it wasn't a ghost, it was something that looked very much like one from the way it swayed backward and forward and occupied two sides and both ends of the bridge. They concluded to cross the creek at another place and leave his ghostship in possession of the bridge. Jack Stevens soon overtook them and told them he was the spook and for the purpose of looking ghostly, he had partially denuded himself. The good temper of the workmen may be fully understood when it is known that they didn't give Jack a ducking in the nearest stream, worse than he got over a year ago... when he woke up the wrong passenger."
Eli Logan reoponed his flour and saw mill in 1875 at the same site his old one had been located. It had burned earlier.
During January 1875, Theodore F. Armstrong of Newark, Delaware, and Thomas Whann, Jr. of nearby Strickersville, purchased the remaining Fisher mill property below Landenberg for $4700.00 to convert to a bone mill. Whann purchased Armstrong's interest and by 1879 was the sole owner, operating as Keystone Super-Phosphate Mills. All sorts of bones were brought here from slaughter houses and other sources and .ground into fertilizer at the building located on the west bank of White Clay Creek, downstream from the store. At first, loads of bones were taken by horse-drawn freight wagons from the railroad station to the mill by fording the Creek. Wire mesh was laid in the creek bottom to keep wagons from getting mired in the mud. Later, a railroad siding was built right to the mill.
Fire totally destroyed the works on August 19, 1880. It was rebuilt and operated night and day for two years, then burned again while Whann was at an Odd Fellows meeting. As it was being rebuilt the second time, a wall collapsed, taking with it a mason, John P. Little. The Works reopened in February 1883, but four months later Whann discharged his entire work force of twelve or fourteen men. He had left them unloading a railroad car on a Saturday, and when he returned several days later, found it only half finished. In September, Whann opened an office in Philadelphia. A month later, newspapers were lamenting his sudden and unaccountable disappearance. His creditors were anxious, too!
He returned and dispelled the many rumors surrounding his whereabouts, and was surprised that some people thought he had absconded, for he had money to pay his creditors "$ for $." He did, however, decline the nomination he had previously accepted for Recorder of Deeds in Chester County. He was forced to shut down several times when ice formed too thickly on the Creek and millrace to permit a good flow of water. Whann was operating in March 1884, but a few months later, Washington Ewing purchased the mill and rebuilt it.
A firm known as Walton and Whann Co., Inc. manufactured fertilizers on the Christiana River near Wilmington from 1861 to 1894. They established several branch offices, and this may possibly have been one, but that is not confirmed. They were forced to close when financial disaster struck in 1894.
Washington Ewing operated the bone mill for several years. When he suddenly died in 1904, it was sold to William Sullivan who continued to operate until sometime between 1915 and 1920 when it finally closed.
Employees of Landenberger's mill celebrated New Year's Day at his home on Shackamaxon and Wilder Streets, Philadelphia, in 1876, perhaps to celebrate the first one hundred years of America's Independence. Greenwalt and Company published "The Little Traveller" in Landenberg - a newspaper "about the size of 8 x 10 pane of glass," that lauded the merchants and services of the village. The cornet band performed at many social functions under the title of the "Young America Brass Band." It waited expectantly for the handsome gift from a prominent gentleman of the Village in the shape of a band wagon, to be ready for the "Fall Campaign." Special trains were run to Philadelphia's Centennial Grounds that year, with passengers first going to Wilmington, and then on by another train.
Trouble followed the year of celebration. The Wilmington and Western Railroad went into receivership, schedules were cut, and the road was advertised for sale at public auction. A lawsuit intervened before this occurred, but the legal obstacles were overcome and it was sold to the bondholders for $5000.00. There was no cheering. When the purchasers organized, the name "Delaware Western Railroad" was adopted and the W. & W. came to an ignominious end, leaving in its wake great financial losses. Under new management, and decreased financial obligations, the road prospered. It was an important line and two railroad corporations struggled for its ownership in the early 1880s. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Corporation finally acquired it on February 1, 1883. It continued to flourish as a passenger and freight line for several generations.
The 1880s began auspiciously enough in Landenberg. In May, the mills operated full time; in June, half time; but in September, fire destroyed the main mill with a loss of $75,000.00. You will notice this was only a month after fire destroyed the aforementioned Bone Mill. Landenberger, apparently, gave up then. Many, many people were unemployed and left the area. Population decreased to 353 people, and in January 1883, an execution was placed against other Landenberger property for interest in default. John L. Landenberger, a son, was missing at the time and his wife reported receiving a letter in which he said he was going to take his life, but he didn't.
James Lund purchased the grounds and all not destroyed by the fire in November 1880. He rebuilt the mill sixty feet longer in size, but not quite so tall. It was about twice the size of the old mill, and expected to open in June 1881. His partner for the first year was one Manny Ogden, and then Lund became sole owner.
Born on December 21, 1836 into a family of spinners and weavers in the heart of the woolen mill industry, Yorkshire, England, James Lund was the son of Joseph Lund of the village of Bradford. Educated in a parish night school, he was at an early age apprenticed in the woolen business, first working in England and later in Belgium and Germany. Upon landing in the United States he was emp1oyed as a weaver and foreman for Scheppers Brothers in New York City in 1868. His wife, Ann (nee Jagger), joined him after three years. It was his desire to provide a comfortable home before sending for her and their children, six in number. Lund came to Landenberg in 1878 when he took employment with the Landenberger Company mills.
When his new mill opened, it operated both night and day. He had some problems - a cylinder exploded shortly after the opening and employees narrowly missed serious injury; a twelve-year old girl injured her hand on a machine. This new mill employed steam power.
The Rev. B. F. Myers, Pastor of a Presbyterian Church of Upper Darby opened a private school here in 1881. Lund's mill burned down on September 13, 1883, following an attempted robbery. Someone tried to blow open the safe, but failed. Lund rebuilt the mill and added a house to his row of buildings. This was the first step of his plan to build several more houses the following summer.
The goods of a Landenberg storekeeper were levied upon by Dr. Benjamin Thompson and Taylor Thompson who were sureties on his bond when he was collector of delinquent taxes. Dr. Thompson built a mansion on the corner of Newark and Buttonwood Roads when he was Medical Examiner for the B. & 0. R. R. Employees' Relief Association. His name occurs frequently throughout the story of New Garden Township, and particularly in the activities of Kaolin and Landenberg. He is remembered by some today as a kindly man, always on call for a medical emergency. Mrs. Michael Lafferty was often called upon to assist him in childbirth cases among the wives of quarry workers and tenant farmers in the area.
Taylor Thompson operated an undertaking business near Landenberg on Newark Road. The Casket Factory was located there, too, but no longer exists. Mrs. "Bessie" Lorzier who lives in the house once owned by Taylor Thompson remembers the sliding panel that was under a front window which was used for pushing caskets into the viewing room when they wouldn't fit through a door.
Lund's mill operated sporadically in the mid-1880s when it employed about 300 people. It closed several times, and finally, on May 1888, closed again. According to Squire Dougherty of the "Kennett Advance," the "Sheriff closed him out as he had done to Chandler, Ripkey, and Landenberger." The people left once more for other areas offering mill employment, and Thomas Whitely closed his bottling business and moved to Philadelphia. The following February, Thomas and Alfred Lund of Pudsey, Yorkshire, England, brothers of James Lund, purchased the mills and planned to operate them. When production resumed, it was under the direction of James Lund. Plans to open a new bottling business were met with opposition. "It is the opinion of some of the citizens of the place that it had better be let alone."
During the Summer, the dam located just above Laurel Bridge washed away - and some of the old-timers thought they were going to wash away, too! There was a fire that destroyed Fisher's store, "supposed to have been the work of an incendiary." In March 1889, the hotel was sold at public sale by order of the Court. John Jones purchased the twenty-room hotel, a frame stable 40 x 50 feet in size with stabling for eleven horses, carriage house with shed attached, large ice house, butcher shop and barber shop, together with a match factory and other necessary buildings. The total cost, including mortgage was $5300.00. It was sold in December 1890, to Ezra Lund, a son of James. The mills in the meantime were once again running night and day. People returned to Landenberg and it assumed an air of prosperity such as had not been seen for a long time. James Lund died in 1891. Had he lived only a short while longer, it was predicted that he would have been able to regain ownership of the mills which he had been forced to sell to his brothers due to an "unfortunate endorsement of a large Philadelphia wool firm." He had been very popular with his employees, and was the first to inaugurate the weekly payment system for them, paying every Friday night in full.
Ezra Lund then took over mill operations and retained his father's method of paying weekly wages. He had come to America with his mother at age nine, and began learning the trade of spinner under his father shortly thereafter. He married Lizzie J. Fisher, daughter of Thomas Fisher of Landenberg on August 7, 1884, and they had four children. In addition to owning the hotel which was often leased to others, Lund operated the general store, and served a four year term as Postmaster. His political associations were "most decidedly with the Republican Party."
The two-story Match Factory included with the hotel property had been built along the creek bank below the store about August 1886. It measured sixty by 40 feet, and was built under the direction of the "Courtney Parlor Match Co., Ltd. of Landenberg, Pa." The principals of that company were Frederick Courtney, probably of Wilmington, Samuel Dougherty, William O. Walker, and O. S. Jones. Although the building was completed in August, operations could not begin until cooler weather prevailed. Matches cou1d not be made when "the mercury makes 70 degrees or upward." Its daily production capacity was 450 gross boxes, containing 200 matches each. Landenberg was ablaze with excitement.
The new industry seemed doomed to failure, however. First, there was trouble hiring enough people to make boxes by hand and it was necessary to purchase a machine for this purpose. The factory was "going full blast" in December; in January, the illness of Frederick Courtney caused suspension of operations. He was the only one who understood the secret of the preparation used in the manufacture of the Courtney Match. (This secret was known to his brother, Samuel, for he had been a partner of a match company in Wilmington several years earlier. It merged with Diamond Match Company in 1882. Perhaps Samuel had died before the Landenberg operation began.)
Less than a year later, by April 1887, the Landenberg company virtually disbanded. A new one was organized and chartered in New Jersey, with plans made to relocate at either Columbia, Oxford, or Chester, Pennsylvania; or at Camden, New Jersey. Frederick Courtney died the following month at age 45, and no further information was found on the operation. The building was eventually torn down.
Landenberg prospered during the early years of Ezra Lund's ownership of the mill, and truly typified the "Gay Nineties" with many social events, various entertainments, and fetes abounding. Almost no excuse was needed to plan a celebration. The "Landenberg Express," later known as the "Avondale and Landenberg Express," duly reported everything. It was advertised as "The largest and best weekly newspaper south of West Chester," but in tiny letters underneath added, "with one exception." Its Editor-Publisher, S. B. Dougherty (the same one quoted earlier when he worked for the "Kennett Advance") wrote a series of "Short Sketches about Landenburg and Vicinity" that have furnished valuable information regarding the village and some of its residents. However, he wrote mostly of the "upper class" of Landenberg. Other news items and records indicate the Village had its share of rowdies, thieves, illegal liquor operations, etc. It seemed to have truly had its "other side of the tracks" insofar as people dealt with each other. The Hill People had a status far above that of the Mill People, and the "Mill Dolly" or "Wool Dolly" was looked upon scornfully by women who pursued more "ladylike" activities.
Dougherty in writing of the mills said, "The people being employed being English, Germans, Jews and some few Americans." The German families, or at least a great many of them came to the area when Landenberger purchased the mills, but most seemed to vanish insofar as any record of them is concerned. One exception is the Brandenberger family. Charles Frederick Brandenberger and Christine Roser both came from Eichestaten, Baden, Germany. They met and married in America. His brother, Andrew, married Rosina Lindsig. They all lived near Landenberg along with other members of the Lindsig and Roser families at one time. Patrick Mangen lived there in 1871. Charles Brandenberger, son of Charles Frederick and Christine, lives today near Landenberg, sharing a home with his nephew, J. Robert Pierson. Mrs. Clara Dickerscheid, a daughter of Charles Frederick and Christine who until a few years ago lived on Newark Road, relates many well-remembered stories of life and places in the area. A row of houses in Kaolin near the clay quarries housed many German families who preceded the Irish as quarry workers.
The English to whom Dougherty referred, or at least many of them, came here with Lund, but no one today could recall any Jewish families. To date, only two have been discovered who lived here - the Meyer Chertok family whose son, Samuel, and his sons operate the Chertok Furniture Store in Coatesville; and Lewis Mittleberg, a junk dealer. Meyer Chertok did not work in the mills, but sold dry goods and clothing. Before he and his wife, Hattie, moved to Landenberg, he peddled his goods from a pack, as was customary for many merchants before they established a shop. He came from Philadelphia by train and either carried his cases and walked, or rented a horse and wagon to carry supplies. While here, he boarded with the Jagger family. Chertok left Landenberg for Wilmington after a short while, but continued sales in this area until the early 1900s. Nothing has been found on the Mittleberg family.
James K. Taylor advertised his fifty barrel water powered roller mill for sale in 1889. It was described as 55 x 30 feet in size, three stories high, in a healthy neighborhood on a branch of the P. & N. R. R. It included a new barn and good house of ten rooms. It had operated four years under his ownership. The New Garden Roller Mills on Egypt Run were sold in 1891 to Harry Hoopes Crossan. He sold the mill once, but regained possession of it later. It burned to the ground on February 5, 1910. A telephone exchange opened in the Village in 1887, connected with the Kennett Exchange. And Custer Conclave #8 of the Hephtasophs was constituted in Landenberg in 1892 with 48 charter members. Its Eminent Archon was Lewis Greenwalt, and other officers were W. H. Butler, P. Taylor Thompson, I. G., William Alexander, R. D. The New Garden W. C. T. U. and Landenberg Lodge of Good Templars tried to prevent renewal of the liquor license at the Hotel that Ezra Lund owned, unsuccessfully.
By this time, there were many Irish Catholic families living in and around Landenberg. Their story is covered in a separate section, but because of them and the increasing number of Italian immigrants brought to the quarries in and around Avondale, it was decided to build a Roman Catholic Church in Landenberg.
Land for this new Church building was donated by Mrs. Mary McMahon on the corner of Saw Mill and Landenberg Roads. Building was done chiefly by the parishioners who began in April 1893. It was completed and dedicated on Sunday, October 29, by Archbishop Ryan who also gave the Sacrament of Confirmation. By this time, a resident Pastor had been appointed to St. Patrick's parish in Kennett Square who replaced Father James F. Kelly. Father Kelly lived in West Grove and served both Kennett Square and Oxford, and when West Grove was established, served that parish, too. The new Pastor, Father John H. O'Donel served Kennett and Landenberg until 1910.
The Landenberg building held 250 people. The first child baptized in the Church of St. Francis Xavier was Mary Connell; the first couple married there, William H. Gardiner and Elizabeth Laurie, took their vows on November 30. Sometime between 1933 and 1947 the building closed for two months for a complete renovation "from foundation stone to turret." This was done under the direction of Father Michael Crane. The painting of the crucifixion that always hung over the altar was restored to its original state by artist Frank Schoonover. It had been donated to the Church by Father Kelly when original construction was completed.
This plain wooden chapel served the people of Landenberg and surrounding communities for seventy-two years. During that time, the number of Italian families living in the Avondale-Toughkenamon areas increased tremendously. The old building was inadequate in many ways - its benches were plain and its kneelers splintery; pigeons took up residence in the loft; it was cold in Winter if you sat too far away from the central furnace grate and too hot if you sat close by, it was no longer centrally located, and the wasps competed for attention on Spring and Summer days when the windows were opened - but it still retained its charm and is missed by many. It has now been replaced by a new chapel dedicated to St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother at its first High Mass held February 6, 1966.
The names of Priests who served in Landenberg, and of parishioners, are on record at St. Patrick's Church in Kennett Square. The old building has been renovated and changed by its present owner, Bernard Felch, who resides and maintains an art studio there.
Good and Bad
The "Daily Local News" reported in October 1893:
"Residents of Landenberg complain of the number of intoxicated persons to be observed about the village on each Sabbath. It is supposed that there is a speak-easy in the neighborhood, and the authorities propose looking the matter up..."
The Good Templar's Lodge was undoubtedly very discouraged by that time with such behavior in the Village. Organized in 1886, and having over fifty members then, it sought "the cooperation and assistance of all temperance people." Its full title was "Wasteland Valley Lodge of Good Templars of Landenberg," and its officers in 1887 were: William C. Alexander, Emily Bevan, Thomas Lund, Katie Alexander, Ezra Lund; Chaplain, Newberry Graham, and Marshal, Elmer Ford. There were several barn burnings in and around Landenberg. The culprit was arrested and taken to Chester County Home, where he was "incarcerated in the insane department."
When the bridge at Landenberg was completed in 1898, the hotel proprietor was the first to cross it. For the honor, he entertained the Commissioners and others in attendance with dinner. Farmers and workers came from miles around for the grand ceremony. The wedding of Charles C. Ryan, Jr., a brakeman on the B. & 0. R. R. and Clara Hughes, daughter of the aforementioned Conductor, Alfred Hughes, is a perfect example of the way plans go awry in a snowstorm. They had planned to be married in the Continental Hotel of Philadelphia in February. The "Kennett News and Advertiser" reported:
"Charles C. Ryan, Jr .was married last week with difficulties. The ceremony was to have taken place last Tuesday, but he was snowbound in Wilmington. After making an offer of $50.00 to anyone to take him to Landenberg, he started out on horseback. The horse gave out at Wooddale and he started out on foot, soon getting stuck in a 12 foot drift. He was rescued with difficulty and spent the night in Hockessin. He succeeded in reaching Landenberg about 5:30 the next day. The minister was summoned and his marriage to Miss Clara Hughes was celebrated."
In that same year, two hundred employees were thrown out of work when the large smokestack of the woolen mill blew over, carrying with it three smaller stacks and destroying the boiler house. A gentleman died after three weeks of being ill with a disease resembling appendicitis. Physicians had hoped to cure him without an operation. The following ad appeared in 1900:
"Wanted - Girls to work in spinning mills, steady work and good wages paid; experience not necessary. Also good openings for families with three or more workers of girls and boys - cheap rents - wages paid weekly. Apply Ezra Lund, Landenberg, Chester County, Pa."
Dr. Arde, Dentist of Philadelphia, was at Dr. Whann's office every Tuesday to ply his trade. Full sets of teeth were $5.00 and up, plus "Gold crowns, Porcelain Crowns, all kind of fillings." Teeth were "extracted without pain" and all work was guaranteed. During these years, A. W. Watson operated the store and hall "on the best corner in town;" Hiram Storey, "the Wanamaker of the town" furnished anything that could be bought at any store in Chester County at the lowest market rates; Washington Ewing was "still at his old stand at the Post Office where he had been for thirty years;" Blacksmith Ross plied his trade, while W. H. Alexander or Joseph Ross were ready to relieve pinching shoes. Greenwalt, Hoopes and Strickland were builders; Irvin Guest had a large route selling fresh meats; and Harry Rigler and Mr. Palmer operated barber shops, the former located on Main Street near the hotel.
"Solomon's Temple" in Laurel Woods housed an old recluse about whom fanciful tales were told. Perhaps he was Solomon Spencer who owned property in that area. Nearby, on Watson's Mill Road, stands the shell of a grist mill built by Halliday Hoopes in 1776 on Broad Run. It had many operators through the years. Hoopes and Hollingsworth ran it about 1870; S. John Pyle then operated it until it was sold to A. W. Watson in 1902. Upon Watson's death, a son operated it until 1941. When the son, Gerald, died, his personal property was sold at auction. Iron gearing from the old mill brought 43¢ per hundred pounds, and the millstone sold for $5.00, and was to be used as a stepping stone. For years and years local farmers took milk to the Creamery in Landenberg - first by horse and wagon, and later by truck. When it was owned in 1894 by A. Sharpless, it operated as "Valley View Creamery." Later, it was purchased by Supplee Dairies.
Thomas Hoopes operated a water-powered sawmill and grist mill known as Wasteland Mill, located on the present Cook farm on Broad Run Road. Predating Watson's Mill by several years, it was noted for its unusual vertical saw blade. Most mills operated with round ones. John Miller had been the builder; Samuel Pusey came into possession of it in 1820 through the Will of Mary Miller, heiress to The Wastelands, and her subsequent bequeaths. Hoopes owned it about 1850. When no longer used as a mill, the Hoopes family donated its remains for rebuilding near the Caleb Pusey House in Upland, but that has not yet been done. Although that old mill no longer exists, the sawmill of Kennedy Crossan and Sons located on Saw Mill Road evokes memories of it. Although oxen are no longer used to pull logs there from the woods, the whine of saws can be heard on early Spring and Summer mornings - a pleasant sound, indeed, and one which bespeaks of an era that has all but passed.
Landenberg prospered during the first year or so of the Twentieth Century. Lund advertised in 1902 for "Widows having three or more workers" to apply, but in September of that same year, it was reported:
"Landenberg is to be sold, bag, baggage, good will and fixtures. Although it has 600 inhabitants it is almost entirely owned by one interest, that of the estate of Thomas Lund, of England."
The article went on to state that it was a pretty village with 240 acres of land, nearly fifty dwellings, and a large worsted mill in operation; three valuable water powers, and several large business houses and trade stands, plus two railroads, and unlimited power if developed. It was considered an ideal spot for manufacturers, and the suggestion made that all the water power could well be used to provide electricity to the area. A short time later, it was made clear that the whole town wouldn't be sold, only the mills and ten or twelve houses. It had not been decided what to do with the portion on higher ground. The mills remained under the management of Ezra Lund, so perhaps he bought them, or continued to operate them for others. No further research was done to clarify this.
In 1909, the mill closed for repairs and inspection, reopened and employed one hundred boys and girls "converting much wool into vast quantities of the finest yarns." Several families moved to Landenberg before the end of that year to increase the working force. When the mill finally ceased operating in 1912 or 1913, it was a sad day for the Village.
There are several supposed reasons why Lund closed the mill. The most interesting one proffered claimed he was angry over Prohibition and wanted to wipe out the town, but Federal Prohibition laws were not yet in effect. Lund had sold the hotel properly to Edward J. Fahey in 1905, and unless he had repurchased it, had no interest in it at that time. There was a dispute in 1914 over the liquor license and Lund signed in favor of it, while many citizens opposed it, but that was after the mill had already closed.
The most widespread reason given was his concern over Woodrow Wilson, a Democrat, being elected President. Perhaps the problems connected with operating the mill were just becoming too complicated. Many laws were passed regarding tariffs, trusts, taxes, banking systems, etc. Government was at that point trying to improve national life, and one aspect was abolishment of child labor. Certain states had already passed significant legislation with restrictions, and others were well on the way of doing so. Another big factor may have been the income tax law passed in February 1913, and the corporate income tax passed in October of the same year.
In any case, employees left Landenberg once more. Some returned later, purchased property, and remained. Those who stayed found work on nearby farms, on the railroad, or commuted to nearby towns for employment. The mill remained unoccupied with only a watchman on the premises until September 9, 1917 on which date the 5:00 a.m. whistle which had been blown daily while the mill operated to awaken the employees sounded once more - this time as a fire alarm. The mill was completely destroyed.
The death knell sounded for the one remaining sign of prosperity in the Village of Landenberg - the three mile portion of the Wilmington and Western Railroad - in 1942. Its demise was reported with the following words:
"The once shiny rails, laid back in 1872, will be ripped up from Southwood to the western terminus of the road at Landenberg, Pa. For many years the system has not carried passenger traffic for the owners - and in more recent years it has been used for freight, its most important customer being the experimental station of the Hercules Powder Company.
When tire and automobile rationing first went into effect it was rumored that the railroad would again be put in passenger service, but this was never confirmed."
Through intervening years the village known as Laurel decayed and disappeared; walls of the old mills collapsed and became covered with honeysuckle and brambles, or were torn down and the rock used in road beds. The location of Nobleville was never discovered. Nothing remains to indicate the lively industrial village that existed - one known as Landenberg.