University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER VI.

JOURNEY FROM BETHLEHEM TO PITTSBURG, OVER THE ALLEGHANYS, FROM SEPTEMBER 17TH TO OCTOBER 7TH.

Violent thunder-storms, accompanied with heavy rains, had taken place during the night
before I left Bethlehem, early in the morning of the 17th, with the stage from Easton to Reading.
Mr. Bodmer remained behind for some days, on account of the injury done to his hand. At daybreak
we reached Allentown, where we changed both carriage and horses, and passed the Cedar
Creek, which was much swollen. The thunder-storm had not changed the temperature of the
air. All this country was covered with plantations of maize, clover, and buckwheat, and detached
farm-houses were numerous. The clover was often sown, as among us, with the corn. The ears
of the maize were partly cut off, and the stalks tied up in bundles. The maize becomes ripe here
in October. We halted very often at the post-houses, where the horses are always watered. As
soon as the stage arrives, the large leather bag containing the letters is thrown down, and the
correspondence for places further on the road is put in. We were here on a calcareous soil,
and many limekilns were burning in the neighbourhood. Flocks of birds, of many kinds, appeared
ready to depart; Papilio plexippus flew about the hedges. The Datura, with purple blossoms, and
the Phytolacea, with ripe black berries, dark red stems and branches, grow on the road-side, and
about the houses.[1] The leaves of the sumach, and of some kinds of oak and maple, had already

changed to a beautiful red colour. The fallow fields were entirely covered with the yellow blossoms
of the golden rod, or St. John's wort, and beautiful asters, mostly with small white or purple
flowers. The farm-houses in this part of the country are remarkably handsome. The barns
are built of stone, very large, and have, in the lower part, the stables, with eight or twelve doors
and windows, and over this is the barn, properly so called. At the end of the building there is a
passage where the wagons stand under cover; the windows, doors and roof are frequently
painted of a reddish brown colour: cattle of all kinds surround these farms. The swine are very
fat, have broad hanging ears, and are generally marked with small round black spots, and sometimes,
but more rarely, they are reddish brown. We saw some fine forests of oak and walnut
trees, among which is much hickory (Juglans alba), which, next to the white oak, and the black
walnut tree, furnishes the best timber. In general this country resembles Germany: it is diversified
and pleasant; wooded eminences on the sides, and bright green meadows, often kept in very good
order, occur as in our country; but large, new habitations, built in rather a different style, the
zigzag fences, and the more lofty and luxuriant growth of the trees, give, on the whole, another
character to the scenery.

In Maxatawny township we addressed the inhabitants in the German language, who answered
us at once in the same, and we heard German names all the way to Pittsburg. After passing
Sackoma Creek, we arrived at ten o'clock at Kutztown, eighteen miles from Bethlehem, where we
breakfasted. The heat being very great, the dust was extremely annoying, for the thunder-storm,
which had passed over Bethlehem, had not extended to this part of the country. The cattle
sought protection against the sun, in the shade of single trees, or in the orchards. Large stacks
of corn, six, eight, or ten together, stood in rows by the fences. On the right hand ran the
Oli Mountains, beautiful verdant wooded eminences, which are connected with the Lehigh
Mountains. About noon we had travelled the thirty-six miles to Reading, where we were
obliged to stop one day, because the stage had already left.

Reading is a very pretty town on the Schuylkill, with 6,000 or 7,000 inhabitants; it has seven
churches, and a new one was just then building. There are about 400 negroes and people of
colour. Some of the streets were not paved in the middle, but have on the sides a pavement of
bricks for the foot passengers, planted with acacias, planes, poplars, and other trees. All these
towns are rapidly increasing. The cholera had already carried off many persons here, but the
inhabitants would not confess this. We saw a funeral procession returning home, in which there
were several women on horseback; the veils on their large fashionable hats fluttered in the wind,
and gave this caravan of Amazons a singular appearance. Much fruit is grown in the neighbourhood,
and the apples are good, but not the plums. Peaches thrive very well; we saw whole
wagon-loads of them brought into Reading, around which the people crowded to buy, while the
children stole them.

On the 18th of September it was with very great difficulty that we got places in the stage,
the travellers being very numerous. After we had passed Kakusa Creek, we came to Womelsdorf,
founded by Germans, fourteen miles from Reading, where we stopped to dine, and then proceeded
over Dolpahaga Creek, to Lebanon County, which is in a tract diversified with eminences and
wooded mountains. On this road we several times passed the Union Canal, which goes from Baltimore
to Pittsburg, is very nearly completed, and is said to have cost 18,000,000 of dollars. After
we had passed the River Swatara, which runs into the Susquehannah, we continued our journey
in a dark but fine evening; the crickets and grasshoppers chirped all around; but their note is by
no means so loud as that of those in the Brazils. At length we perceived a number of lights
before us, and came to Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania, the end of our journey to-day.

Harrisburg is a small town, with only 5,000 inhabitants, situated between the Susquehannah
and the Union Canal. It has broad streets crossing each other at right angles; but many of the
buildings are of wood, for which they are now, however, gradually substituting better ones of brick.
Rows of trees are planted in front of the houses. The inn at which we put up was in a square,
which they were just covering with broken stones. Here, too, is the market-hall, a long roofed
building supported by pillars, in which the productions of the country are exposed for sale, as in
most of the towns in the United States. Harrisburg, being the capital of the state, is the residence
of the Governor. The state-house is built on a gentle eminence on the canal, near the town,
and with its two wings is a very considerable building, with a colonnade and a cupola supported by
pillars. Another interesting point of the town is the view of the Susquehannah, which is very
broad here, and forms an island. A long bridge, covered at top, and enclosed at the sides, is built
over each arm of the river. One of these bridges is about 600 paces in length. In the first there
are twenty-three glass windows, and it has two pillars on shore, and five in the river. There are
colossal bridges of this kind in the United States; and there is one further down the Susquehannah,
which is one and a quarter mile and four rods in length, and has fifty-two pillars. The view from
this bridge up the river is peculiarly beautiful. Verdant wooded islands adorn its surface, which
is broad, but it was at this time very shallow. There are 500 negroes and people of colour.
Germans are met with everywhere, and we were told that an able German physician lived here.

The defective arrangements of the post-houses obliged us to stop here three days, and it was
not till the 21st of September, in the evening, that we could leave the town to continue our
journey during the night. We passed the Susquehannah, and the Juniata, which comes from the
Alleghany Mountains, and flows into it. On the 22nd, at day-break, we were at the little village
of Mexico.

Mexico is in Mifflin County, forty miles from Harrisburg. Three miles further is the village
of Mifflin Town, the capital of the county, where they were just building a new town-hall. The
Union Canal, which connects Philadelphia and Baltimore with Pittsburg, in general follows the

same direction as the river Juniata, near which it often runs at a greater elevation, and sometimes
is even carried over it. The river is here about as broad as the Lehigh, but was at this time very
shallow. Beyond Mifflin Town it receives the Los Creek. From this place we observed in the
valley many robinias, which grow very high and vigorous, as well on the mountain, which is
rather dry, as by the water-side; vines as thick as a man's arm twine round the trunks, and frequently
rise to the very summit. The nettle tree (Celtis) grew in great abundance, and the
maples were just assuming their red tinge. The picturesque forest is intermingled with Canadian
pines, many of which are quite blighted and withered. The valley now became wilder and
more romantic; on the right hand rose a high precipice, covered with bolders, fragments of rock,
mouldering trunks, and the finest trees of the country, forming a real wilderness. A very
narrow part of the valley, where we watered our horses at an insulated house, bears the name of
the Long Narrows; and the steep wooded mountain, on the south bank of the river, is called
Blacklog Mountain; it is said to be the haunt of bears and stags. The cattle belonging to the
log-houses were grazing among the rocks. After some time the valley grew more open,
and at a wider spot, near the road, which descended towards the defile of James Creek, was a
group of lofty and slender robinias, on which a flock of tame turkeys were sitting. These birds
resemble in colour the wild ones which are common in this country; they often go into the
forests, where they breed, and come home again with their young ones. After passing Kishikokinas
Creek, we reached, at a broad part of the valley, the village of Louis Town, in which
there are some considerable houses. The country people were ploughing and harrowing their
fields; and I may here observe, that, in all Pennsylvania, they never employ oxen in these
operations, but horses only, of which they have great numbers. The plough is rather different
from that of Germany.

Beyond Louis Town we saw a number of horsemen, assembled for the fox-chase. The fox
was caught in a trap, then let loose at a certain spot, and hunted with many dogs, as in England.
In a district diversified with forests and cultivated fields, we came to Waynesburg, a small town
agreeably situated in a valley. The forests began to assume their autumnal tints; the maples,
the dogwood (Cornus Florida), and the sumach, were partly red; the walnut trees, and the
hickory, yellow, which gave great variety to the landscape. Near some habitations we observed
weeping willows of extraordinary size. The surrounding mountains were covered with forests,
into which we penetrated to ascend the first ridge of the Western Alleghanys. The road, which
is, for the most part, in bad condition, rose obliquely on the side of a rude picturesque precipice.
Except a pheasant, which flew past us, we saw but few living objects. Advancing into the valley
we again came to the Juniata, over which the canal is here carried by an aqueduct, supported
by four pillars. In this part of the river there are several dams, such as we had seen in the
Lehigh, near Bethlehem, with this difference that here they are triple. For this purpose, rows

of stones, piled one upon another, are laid across the river, forming, in the direction of the stream,
acute angles, where a basket is placed, in which the fish are collected.

At a place where three valleys meet stands the village of Huntingdon, ninety miles from
Harrisburg, where we found a tolerably good inn, on an eminence above the banks of the Juniata.
From this inn we proceeded, during the night, through high rude tracts and forests, past
Alexandria, and at midnight reached Yellow Springs, and then the highest points of this ridge,
called the summit, between 2,400 and 3,000 feet above the level of the sea, in the vicinity of
Blair's Gap. This wild mountain region bears hemlock spruce firs of colossal magnitude, mixed
with other timber. The night was clear and cool; towards morning fogs arose from the deep
valleys, which at daybreak covered the pine forest through which we descended. We passed the
Conomaugh Creek, and then arrived at the little town of Ebensburg, on an open spot in the
forest. We stopped here at a small inn to wait for our travelling companions.

Ebensburg, the capital of Cambria County, is an inconsiderable place, consisting of wooden
buildings, forming not much more than one broad, unpaved street, but has a town-house and a
pretty large church. The inhabitants, about 300 or 400 in number, are of English, Irish, and
some of German extraction. The surrounding country is very mountainous and woody, and is
said to abound in all sorts of game, as indeed the many skins of lynxes, racoons, martens, and
minks, fastened against the houses, prove; bears, stags, and wolves, are said not to be uncommon,
as lofty and dark forests surround the town within a couple of hundred paces. Ebensburg derives
some profit from the numerous wagons, drawn by two, four, or six strong horses, that pass through
it on the high road to Pittsburg.

Our hunting excursions in this rude country were very interesting. We proceeded first in a
northern direction into the forest, which we found to be quite a primeval wilderness. The mountains
rise peak above peak, with deep ravines, where pines, beeches, chestnuts, birches, maples,
and walnut trees of various kinds, form a gloomy forest, and fallen and decayed trunks check
your advance at every step; cool, sylvan brooks rushed foaming through all the defiles, and we
had continually to cross them on natural bridges, formed by the fallen trunks of trees. Such old
trunks are covered with a whole world of mosses, lichens, fungiwood, sorrel, ferns, &c.; nay, even
young shoots of maple, beeches, and tulip trees, had taken root on them. We clambered over
the trunks, went round the fallen giants of the forest, and found everywhere, on the ground,
traces of the numerous squirrels (Sciurus cinereus), in the remains of fruit and shells, especially
of the chestnut.

But there was also an interesting wilderness in the opposite direction. Here a very extensive
fall of timber had been commenced—a gigantic labour, as in Brazil, where the wood is burnt
afterwards, as soon as it is sufficiently dry. The sturdy woodcutters were of German extraction,
and spoke German. From this place a dark narrow path led through an old pine forest, where

the little creeping Michella repens, here called ground berry, with its beautiful red berries, grew
among the moss, and often covered the ground. Several small runs and muddy ditches
crossed the forest, over which I walked or rode on trunks of trees that served as bridges; in
doing which my clothes suffered not a little. Woodpeckers abounded here, especially the great
black woodpecker (P. pileatus), which we had not seen before. It is nearly as large as a crow,
and its splendid bright red tuft is conspicuous at a great distance. They were very shy;
knocked and hammered on the dead pine trees, which stood like the ruins of a colonnade, and
were pierced and bored by their strong bills. This fine large bird is called here, and in general,
woodcock. A young man who lived in the forest, some miles off, told me that bears, stags, and
other wild animals, were very numerous, particularly the pheasant, or cock of the wood
(Tetrao umbellus), one of which we shot. There is a saw-mill here, among the lofty pines,
on an arm of Conomaugh Creek, in a wild, lonely spot. The owner was not a little astonished at
my double-barrelled percussion gun. After we had spent two days here in exploring the woods,
our travelling companions, Dr. Saynisch and Mr. Bodmer, at length joined us, on the 26th, but as
the latter still had need of rest, on account of his wound, we took their places, and set out
immediately for Pittsburg.

Seven miles from Ebensburg is the place which is looked upon as the boundary of the
Alleghanys, properly so called; here begins the ridge called the Laurel Hills, for these mountains
consist of several parallel chains, many of which have distinct names. The forest now assumes a
different character. Oaks of various species succeed the pines and beeches; the forest is not so
high, rude, and thick, and from an elevated spot on the road there is a fine view as you look back
on the long wooded chain of the Alleghanys.

The traveller soon sees before him a deep and wide valley in which the Conomaugh River
flows, and beyond it a long ridge, covered with verdant woods, called the Chestnut Ridge, in
which there is a gap, through which both the river and the canal pass. The eminences are
uniformly wooded, and the chestnut and chestnut oak appear to predominate. We changed horses
at Further Laurel Hill, and at Amagh, and then passed the gap. In the meadows and fields, the
stumps of the trees that had been cut down were still standing, for the whole country was formerly
one unbroken forest. The habitations were few in number, and, at the same time, small and
wretched. We were told that this part of the country is chiefly inhabited by Irish, who are bad
managers, and addicted to drinking. A better character is given to the settlers of German origin,
and they are said frequently to possess well cultivated farms.

In the woods of this district, we everywhere remarked that the tops of the branches, for
about a foot or a foot and a half, were hanging down and withered, which is caused by a kind of
cricket (locust, Cicada septem decem, Linn.). This insect, which, as is well known, appears only
once in seventeen years, but then, like the cockchafer with us, in prodigious numbers, had abounded

in Pennsylvania in 1832, and in many places was a real scourge; it does not, however, appear
everywhere at the same time. But a few weeks before, they were so numerous in these forests,
that the noise they made almost overpowered the human voice. On examining the withered
twigs, we found the bark, as it were, ripped open in many places, the wood quite dry, and in the
sap, a whitish substance, which consists of the eggs of the insect.

As we drove rapidly down the hills, we saw before us the extensive valley of the Conomaugh,
for the most part covered with woods, and gently rising on all sides, in which, a little higher up,
the small town of Indiana is situated. We stopped at a lonely inn by the road-side, watered our
horses, and hastened forwards. On every side we saw extensive forests, and from the next
eminence looked down into another valley, in which the Conomaugh runs by the town of
Blairsville, a pretty little place, with many respectable houses, and a very good inn, in a broad main
street, which runs directly across the valley. The country is hilly, or mountainous, well cultivated,
and with neat farm-houses scattered around. From this place, it is ten miles to New Alexandria,
a village with tolerably good wooden houses, many of which are painted. Beyond it runs the
Loyalhanna, a small stream, which was at this time very shallow, with a covered bridge over it.
At nightfall we reached New Salem, then Millersburg, and about midnight, Pittsburg.

Pittsburg is an old, large, but by no means handsome town, celebrated for its manufactories
and brisk trade, and has been described by many travellers. The town itself has 12,000
inhabitants; but with the suburbs, its population is estimated at 24,000 souls, including many
Germans, some of whom are respectable merchants. Coal mines in the immediate neighbourhood
(a part of which is now on fire), afford an ample supply of fuel for the numerous steam-engines,
stoves, &c. The style of building in the town is everything but uniform, neat brick houses being
mixed with small wooden ones. The streets are ill-paved, dirty, and badly lighted; some of
them, however, are modern and regular; and the new edifices are handsome and elegant. There
are many iron works, nail manufactories, glasshouses, cotton manufactories, &c., in many of which,
steam-engines are employed, of which, as we were told, there are above 100 at work, which are
likewise made here.

This town lies on the tongue of land between the rivers Monogahela and Alleghany, which,
by their union, form the Ohio; this river is not very considerable here; yet, at certain seasons,
when the water is high, it is navigable by steam-boats, of which I counted sixteen on the banks of
the Monogahela. Over the Alleghany there is a covered bridge, 500 paces in length, which has,
on each side, an additional covered footpath; and a covered aqueduct, of the same length, is likewise
carried across the river. A similar long and colossal bridge is built over the Monongahela.

The situation of Pittsburg itself is not very pleasing, but there are interesting points in the
environs. As I was furnished with very good letters of recommendation, several of the inhabitants
of Pittsburg endeavoured to make my stay there agreeable. Messrs. Volz and Von

Bonnhorst (the latter of whom had been an officer in the Prussian army) were extremely kind
to me. Mr. Lambdin, possessor of a museum which was yet in its infancy, likewise gave useful
recommendations and instructions. Mr. Volz had the goodness to accompany me to Economy,
the remarkable and interesting colony of Mr. Rapp. For this purpose we left Pittsburg on the
29th, passed the great Alleghany bridge, and the suburb, and drove by the large new House of
Correction, towards the Ohio. (Vignette VI.) On the eminence to the right of the town is the
convent of Flanders nuns, who have established a school, in which they receive children of all
religious denominations. We proceeded on the right bank of the Ohio, eighteen miles, to
Economy.

Economy has been described, in its leading features, by Duke Bernard of Saxe Weimar; but
it has become much more flourishing since that time. It is well known that old Mr. Rapp, with
a company of between 600 and 700 Swabian emigrants, came to America, and had, at that time,
but very limited resources. He founded, with his people, successively three settlements; first, Old
Harmony, near the Ohio; then, New Harmony, on the Wabasch, in the State of Indiana; and
then, Economy, near Pittsburg. This last settlement has now about 150 houses, which at first
were slightly built of wood, but are now succeeded by better ones of brick; they are two stories
high, and neatly painted. The church is spacious and plain, built of brick, with a pretty steeple,
and a good bell.

The rapidity with which these settlements sprung up, amidst thick forests, proves the judgment
and prudence of their founder. The order introduced at Economy is admirable; nobody
is seen in the streets during the day; all the inhabitants are usefully employed; young men and
women, and also the children, are distributed among the several manufactories, where they work
and receive no wages, but all their wants are amply provided for, free of cost. They are cleanly
and neatly dressed in their Swabian costume, and nothing but German is spoken among them. The
possessions and the revenues of the whole establishment are the joint property of the community,
every inhabitant having placed his property in the common fund. Mr. Rapp and his adopted
son are the directors, and the only complaint is, that no account is given of the management, and
that the government of the institution is rather too dictatorial. Be this as it may, it cannot be
denied that the arrangement and direction of this artificial society are admirable, and do honour
to the founder. Mr. Rapp has established several important manufactories with steam-engines;
even silks are manufactured from silk produced on the spot. The mulberry plantations and the
management of the silk-worms are under the especial care of Mr. Rapp's grand-daughter. The
manufactories alone are said now to yield an annual profit of 20,000 dollars. Several large
buildings have been erected for a cotton and a woollen cloth manufactory, a mill, an inn, where
the accommodations are very good and reasonable, &c. Everything they want is raised or made
by themselves. They have extensive corn-fields and vineyards, and breed great numbers of

cattle. Mr. Rapp has erected a large building, with a great saloon in the upper story, where the
inhabitants meet on festive occasions, and where they have musical entertainments. In the
lower story of this building, a cabinet of natural history has been commenced, in three rooms,
which already contains some very interesting specimens.

After we had viewed all these objects, and had been led by Mr. Rapp, jun., through the
manufactories, we went to the dwelling-house of the director of the establishment, and met with
a very friendly reception from his family, who were dressed entirely in the manner of the country
people of Würtemberg. They told us they would never deviate from their old national manners,
and would always remain Germans, which we were very glad to hear. Soon afterwards, the
founder of the establishment, Mr. Rapp, came in. He was a vigorous old man, of venerable
appearance, with white hair and a long beard. We supped with him, drank very good wine produced
here, and, in conclusion, were entertained by six or seven girls and a young man, who is
the schoolmaster, and is said to be well informed, with singing and playing on the piano. We
here became acquainted with Mr. Ehrmann of Mannheim, an agreeable, well-educated man, whose
wife is likewise a very interesting person, and who was engaged in establishing a manufactory
near Economy.

On the following day we viewed the park, in which there were seventeen Virginian deer.
Most of them had already got their winter coat; some were still a little red: they cast their horns
in March. As it was Sunday, the people assembled, at nine in the morning, in the church, which
had neither pulpit nor organ. The men sat on the right hand of the preacher, the women on the
left; the older persons in front, the young people a little way back. Mr. Rapp's family had the
first place. When the congregation were assembled, old Mr. Rapp entered with a firm step,
seated himself at a table which was on a raised platform, and gave out a hymn, which was sung in
rather quick time. After a prayer delivered standing, he preached on a text from the bible, in a
bold, figurative style, well suited to country people, and with very animated gesticulation. After
the sermon some verses were sung, and Mr. Rapp delivered a prayer, which the congregation
repeated after him, sitting. The word Amen was always repeated by the whole congregation.
In the afternoon we took a very cordial farewell of the worthy family of Mr. Rapp, and set out
on our return.

The country about Pittsburg has some zoological rarities, specimens of which my travelling
companions had collected during my absence. Among them are, in particular, many interesting
fresh water shells of the Ohio. Several American naturalists have written on these Bivalve testacea;
and there is, probably, no other country so rich in beautiful and manifold productions of
this kind. On their excursions in the neighbouring islands in the Ohio, they met with trees of
colossal size, and especially a maple, that measured twenty French feet in circumference at the
height of twelve feet from the ground, where it divided into four thick parallel stems, from which

the branches issued. Among the remarkable and interesting natural productions of these rivers,
we must mention the soft shell turtles of the Americans (Trionyx, Aspidonectes, Wagl.), of which
there are two or three species. They grow to a great size, and are often seen in the markets.
Another very remarkable animal, which is very numerous here, is the great Alleghany salamander
(Menopoma, Harlan), which is here called alligator, and of which I obtained many
specimens alive, so that Mr. Bodmer was able to make an accurate drawing from the life.
Then there is the Triton lateralis, Say., or Menobranchus lateralis, Harlan, which differs from the
preceding by the tufts at the gills, which remain even in old age. America is well known to
abound in these singular enigmatical animal forms, which are nearly akin to the European
Proteus, or Hypochthon.