The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-11-11
VALLEY FORGE AS TT rs.
the PICTURESQUE PLACE SOOy RI
DE A PIDLIC PARK.
An Auction Sale Of Property viii Mark the
Beginning offs New Order Of ThinE,-Of
Late Years Like q Deserted VILLAGE.
From The Philadelphia Record.

NJ NtlltN IbT8C tn' NdSniHE ION Inn ana a
number Of dwelling houses are to be sold at
auction at the end Of the month. These sales
close n long chaptcr Of decline in the history OF
the picturesque old village. and the friends Of
the place hope that the new chapter soon to
begin will be one Of prosperity. They have
ground for their hope In the public park thss
will soon be- established on the historic emp
grounds and in the trolley line that will -un
through Valley Forge.
To the lover Of old and picturesque things
Valley Forge appeals. There are three mills
long since deserted. falling into ruins. There
are rows of deserted houses. In a clump Of
bushes some broken boats lie.
Two or three acres make n space sufficient 70
hold all that. to hold also the hotel, the two gray,
empty streets and the for sale or rent signs
Of this tiny village. The place IL STEPPED In an
atmosphere unimnginably calm and still. A
billygoat, the beard under his chin stuck full Of
burrs. loafs AT the lonely corners where. two
streets meet. and II strangers happen along he
will pursue them. A poet should be able to do
good work here.
Nature has been very kind to Valley Forge.
She shows her utmost beauty TO the village.
The airs that blow through II are clear and pure.
The sky seems bluer there than elsewhere. A
noble forest rises upon one side. and on the other
between green banks And thus inclosed bv
.ky and stream and forest. the deserted mill.
the deserted houses. the TO let signs. the
The history oi Valley Forge its rise is fsl!
Revolutionary history: set forth in a familiar
.olloqr,ial way. may be gathered a, the old
icrs were S, and Where Z K Hampton Is care.
taker Albin Shaw told all lac knew OF Valley
Forge in the barroom Of the hotel Yesterday
Of the Civil War. helped him out when his
memory failed. shaw darted into an, inner
rI Sss. eyer " 1s l,,.le Th'l lsm and rs ss,rSsis' with san aT1n.
BALI, pieces Of wood Before he was dons
talk ing The bar was pile, SO hiSh. with ,hee
mans head as visible behind them;
MANY wears ago, before Valley Forge had
s snS brave nsm mem or .ei he,ST there ssr'1 bnilt aS Sosae. s1s
began to I'LL the soil, These were the familie,
e. the POT. Ne Brown; IT, Stephens, II.
rise and the. Wilkinson.. These families
owned farms during the encampment Of the
Continental troop, and their deseendant.'
aud the Hazard families this E true,
blilt a forge in the neishborhood Il was a
power, forge. and i was put up on the shore
81 Valley Creek. stephens made merchant iron
four or five wards long.
YESTERDAY and thumred II down on the bar
with pride He would not part with it. he says,
a, any price a prTleIIor lnss summer nn de,
still be seen in il where the water buckets hung.
and It's hig-headed nall have the irresularity
cna T0n is ri ssn 5sar sIye ,h 'na!y'd4 TSn.. ns ana
says BENJAMIN Rosster. are better than modern
onss. They would split the mean wood which
Valley Creek il is easy to see how the name Of
Valley Forge was born.
The rise Of VALLEY Forge was due 70 the build
Valley Creek. with a kind of belfrv like that
nnnn a meeting house, was built first. brick
river. was built next. and afterwari a .hoddy
mill was erected over against the railroad sta
ton. At 1.-THE time when these three plants were
running Valley Forge had over 500 Inhabitants:
II has nov. not more than 1925. There was az
one time. furthermore, a sun factory. there.
where, fint-locked rifles and horse pistols were
The brick mill was built by Nathan and
Caleb Jones. Thev made -four IN it until. ise5.
paper mill. After some years John Pennvpscker
succeAded Isaiah, knaner. and he in his turn.
was succeeded by the American ,Pulp and
mill and began on a huge scale and with many
to make paper by soms strange
to have b hee Ha a va iTH' wonderful and incnuvs
stun. but IL showed. unfortunately. unon
being. made. certain Importation. little
COMPANY tried earnestly To- do away with
he glazed spots. but IL could moi. Therefore
thsy gave w the mill, which .Iohn Hay T. bought
who made parchment, rarer: Eight
has been abandoned ever since. The wood ~
" doors and floors and window frames IL rot
ting awav the window lights are ol broken:
- the mill il ran day and night. employing
rerr made. Charles VI Rogers owned II. and
[ol. Waters. who ran II. n-st. made Kentucky
IN them somehow. and failed. Then Joserh
Albin Shaw's father. took the nlare and
, nannys' All nT thro lr.I'' ,S Sce wsTa H "s m S"Ssr : nHess
lea, ~ money. and diving In 1894: he was sue
'."ded hr Isaac ". Smith. now ~ RridTspo-tt;
ssl. The -ent he maid WIS - .oo, and the land
would not make the rereirs hat he desired.
me re' IN Rrit .s Gnve ' nsict NM, WIZ ,T' h inv .cn snI S.
low %rinnlrg. The white mill has been Idle
'v"rtv years. II, too. has a dismal.
The shoddv min vas built IN ,sas at the tims
shod1v H-st heran To he used IN manu-
.,S,, = .yos by s Ms9ry s,. .sI ~. A. MI, M. .r d., r e
md warn there When his lease px-
'ired Senior went out NJ business. and the rlacs
me -oo' has fallen in. hut the ito let" sign on
he wall looks fresh ard new,
Ro?iaTin Rossi'"r. N" Civil War veteran.
'as lived In NaNnv Forre a'yty-rine ven~s.
II Go'tvshu-o a hall went ~'ea- Though his
'odv. hut he Is sti,l n hale old man. with a good
memory. We once know. he savs, n man ~
: wears who remembered when the Valley
-orre gun mill was IN operation. " stood on
he Chesto- county side ~ Valley C~Nst. and
Io' n veetica ~ " now re~aios. FNirt'ooka
we're made ~ the mill, and George pawlInR
nc one ~ them. With the mill's name cut on
no stock. Mr., Possiter's brother. Y. X. Pos.
i'er. has q smooth bore rife among his relics
rhich was also made AZ the r-'n. Mr.. Ross'ter
ave- that the Narre ~ pat-io'isr burned st-onR
\ Valley rorCe breasts drrirr the Civi, War.
nd that ~ volnr mon enlisted. The yoolle0
Nv. on 'his account. had 10 shut down.
Aftc- tho closing NJ tho fec'ovies thst Rad
rourht o-osneritr N Valley Forge the ha,dS
tho had lived there moved away. The NttIs
,wn docs not evncct over 70 he = ~anr',ct-
r-y co-t~r arain. but e'rce n ruh,i~ nprk IL
4, no established on It's historical earn Cro,rd-
eiroe n TROLLEY 1.-Two 70 70 run THROUGH n.
allow Forre homes ve' 70 he \ moro four,sh.
~ r'nce tNar II we " tho INST Az is N.
1hiian's have collections ~ revolutionary
'lic-. nd Tho house whore washiro,or's
radOuar'ors were is visited annually nv