History

A Brief History of Pine Grove Township

The grove of pines from which Pine Grove Township derived its name was located some twenty
miles away in the valley on the south side of the Mahantongo Mountain east of Klinger’s Gap. The
famous botanist, John Bartram, wrote one of the earliest descriptions of the stand of pines. The
name was probably chosen to distinguish from Bethel to the south in Berks County.

The lands that now comprise Pine Grove Township belonged to Lancaster County until 1754, when
Berks County was organized. Up to that time, these lands along the northern side of the Blue
Mountain were known as Blue Mountain Hollow. It was organized as Pine Grove Township from
Bethel Township in 1771. In 1811, when Schuylkill County was organized, the township was one of
the original ones.

Settlement on the north side of the Blue Mountain began in 1753, when Frederick Schnoke bought
land for two bushels of wheat. Over the next twenty years, settlers occasionally crossed over the
mountain to the south to evade the marauding Indians. By 1770, George Felty settled
near Mifflin, or Suedburg, as it was spelled for many years until the Lebanon and Tremont Railroad
designated its station as Suedberg.

The early settlers were mostly employed in the lumber industry, the principal industry for many
years. The region was dotted with sawmills, later allowed to decay, as the cleared lands moved into
agricultural use. It is believed that one of the earliest sawmills was built by Baltzer Smith on a
branch of the Swatara Creek about a mile south of Pine Grove. Gristmills, distilleries, iron forges,
furnaces, and taverns began to sprout up around the area.

In 1770-71, Jacob Gunkle purchased a large tract from the sons of William Penn and built a powder
mill at the entrance to present day Swopes Valley. Although it exploded two or three times, it
operated for over a century. The powder made at this mill was used at the Battle of Bunker Hill
during the Revolutionary War.

Until 1819, Pine Grove was designated a post office with John Barr as the first postmaster. Until
then, the closest post office was in Reading. Barr built the Eagle Hotel in the area that was to
become the Borough of Pine Grove in 1832.

In other areas of the township, villages and settlements developing as post offices began to spring
up, in 1873, in Mifflin, about 1880, in Ellwood, now Outwood, and Ravine.

The roads initially followed the old Indian trails that traversed the county. These roads were difficult
to travel being blocked by boulders and tree stumps. The major road was the Sunbury Road that
crossed the mountain from Bethel, then passing by Stanhope to Pleasant Hill, on
the east side of the Swatara Creek, along Lover’s Lane (American Legion Boulevard) to Ravine,
passing through Lorberry and Joliett, until it connected to the Sunbury Trail west of Ashland. In
1908, the State took over a portion of road, then part of the township, known later as the Annex,
in what is today as North Pine Grove. The road was constructed of Telford Bottom and was the first
improved road in this part of the county.

In 1934, Pine Grove Township had 23 miles of state highway roads and 38 miles of township
roads. There were 12 cement bridges at that time, plus the steel bridge at Marstown which was
eventually replaced.

The township began to organize and independent school district in 1843 when it opened the North
Pine Grove school for four months. In 1845, it opened another at Outwood in West Pine Grove in
a building that was used until 1873 when a new, two-story school was built. The old building later
was to become the Outwood Evangelical Lutheran Church. Eventually, there would be 12 schools
throughout the township. In the mid-1950’s, the schools joined with the Pine Grove Borough
Schools to from the Pine Grove School District.

This history was provided by Kenneth A. Lehman, President of the Pinegrove Historical Society.
More information about early Pine Grove Township is available form the historical society's
publication, History of Pine Grove Township, reprinted from the Joseph Zerbey newpapers,
available at Pearl 's store, 9 Oak Grove Road, Pine Grove,. The pamphlet costs $6.00.

Pinegrove Historical Society

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