A guide book of art, architecture, and historic interests in Pennsylvania
History
A guide book of art, architecture, and historic interests in Pennsylvania
Architecture -- Pennsylvania; Art -- Pennsylvania; Historic buildings -- Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania -- Guidebooks; Pennsylvania -- History
LEWISTOWN, population 9849, made county seat, 1790, was at first
Kishacoquillas’ Village, a chief of the Shawnees, with a population in
1731, of twenty families, located at the mouth of the stream.
Courthouse, facing the square, brick, colonial with Ionic portico, and
cupola, built, 1843, enlarged in the rear. Granite monument, dedicated,
1906, in honor of Mifflin County soldiers and sailors, is in the square.
One block away on South Main Street is the Kishacoquillas Creek bridge,
stone and concrete, built, 1902, a reconstruction of the old two-arch
stone bridge built in 1807, the first was wood, in 1794; on the left is
an old stone building, erected about 1794, a historic landmark that has
served for many uses, once the “Seven Stars Inn,” 1828-29; also a
Masonic hall, 1830-39, it has two cellars, one beneath the other. At a
point along the creek, just above the old building, is where Commodore
David Conner, as a boy, made little boats and pitted
[Illustration: OLD STONE ARCH ON JACK’S CREEK
Built over one hundred years ago]
them against each other in mimic warfare, thus foreshadowing his
brilliant naval career in the War of 1812 and the Mexican War. Just
above, on the high bank, fronting on Water and Brown Streets, is
Lewistown’s oldest burial grounds. Here are the graves of the Buchanan
family, first settlers and owners of the land on which Lewistown is
built. One mile east of Lewistown, on the oldest wagon and stage road
running parallel with the present state highway, is an old stone arch
bridge, over one hundred years old, a favorite subject for artists; it
is near the bridge crossing Jacks Creek, on the state highway through
Lewistown Narrows. MOUNT UNION, on southern boundary, lies at entrance
to Jacks Narrows, made by the river forcing its way through Jacks
Mountain.
[Illustration: DELAWARE COUNTY]
XXI
DELAWARE COUNTY
Formed from Chester County, September 26, 1789; named for Delaware
River. Automobile Trip to Chester, return by Media and Swarthmore
From Thirty-second and Market Streets, Philadelphia, out Woodland Avenue
(Darby Road), laid out in 1687, the old King’s Road, pass UNIVERSITY OF
PENNSYLVANIA buildings, to WOODLANDS CEMETERY, between Thirty-ninth to
Forty-second Streets, seventy-five acres, acquired in 1840, contains
colonial homestead, residence of William Hamilton, English Deputy
Governor of Pennsylvania, under grant from William Penn, built, 1747-50,
stone and brick; has portico, with pediment supported by six columns;
considered by architects best specimen of colonial architecture in
Philadelphia; many rare trees are there, sent by Mr. Hamilton in his
trips abroad; to him Philadelphia owes the gingko tree of Japan and many
varieties of magnolia.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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