The Penn's Grove record., 1913-05-30
penns Grove the Old and the New

side were the gently rolling hills; on the
other was a level aud fertile plain. Her
sides were covered with dense forests,
thru which the llideously painted redmeu
with their tomaiiaWks roamed at will.
There in the silent watches OF the miu-
night hour, the bowling wolves broke the
silence, and during the day the croaking
Of frogs and chipping and cooling OF birds
broke the monotOnous silence of the
day. Thus it WAS when the curtain first
rises upon the stage of history OF Penns
Grove.
The broad expanse OF land bordering the
the eastern shore of the Delaware was
New Jersey, most Of which wal owned by
William Penn. In 1929 a number OF
persons came over from Wilmington
seeking a suitable place on the Jersey
shore for a wharf, in order to connect
Jersey and Delaware by boat. The site
they selected was what is now Penns
| Grove.
They selected this particular place be-
| cause of it's nearness to Wilmington and
because OF its accessibility from the sur
! rounding country. Their choice was a
| wise one, Their foresight has been
| proved, for from one lone cabin, which
eighty-fve years ago composed Penns
Grove, it has grown into a f1ourishing
| borough of five hundred homes with
2400 inhabitants.
The geographic features OF the COM
munity nave much to do in forming the
| character of its inhabitants. The natural
our of Penns Grove afforded opor'
tunities for agriculture and fishing, and
these occupations produced sturdy, clear,
headed, far seeing men who assured the
growth. and prosperity OF the town.
The fishermen of those days did well
il they made as much i'll one season as
the fishermen OF today make in one week.
But with the low cost of living of that
| time, their surplus was perhaps as much.
| The method of fishing made the difference
in the haul. They had only rude row
boats or sailing boats, and small seine
| nets, while today the fishermen have
nets nearly a mile long and fine motor
| boats.
The agriculture OF the time was rude
also. Each farmer cultivated only a small
| plot of land with afew rough implements.
If We should bring back our forefathers
of half a century ago and place them on
| an up to date farm of today, they would
be astonished. Instead OF the small
places they called farms, they would
| find large tracts, cultivated by modern
| implements. They would find the farmer
ENJOYING many of the conveniences of the
| city, fine houses, large automobiles and
| good schools for their children.
The original Penns Grove school is still
standing today now know as Eight Square
| School House. 1t is situated three miIei
! above Penns Grove, near Pedricktown. Ii
| those days the scholars came up from
| Penns Grove to gain knowledge. Al
years went by the Eight Square Schoo
House was found to be situated too fal
| from Penns Grove and it was decided tC
build a new school, the old Harmony
| school. The scale is reve rsed now. The
| pupils from P%edricktown attend Penn'
Grove School to obtain higher education
The powder mills today give most o.
| the people of Penns Grove work. These
mills are situated at Carney's Point &
mile and a half below Penns Grove
They are the largest smokeless powder
mills in the world. When the DUPONT
Company selected Penns Grove as the
place for these mills, they too mus
have seen the vast opportunities it afforded
! just as the settlers from across the Della
ware had seen in early times.
Penns Grove has prospects of a very
| bright future. Patrick Henry said, "tht
/ only way to judge the future is by the
past" but the prospect for the future O
| Penns Grove is so extensive that it can
not be judged by the past.
A place that is as accessible rs PENN
| Grove is almost sure to flourish. The
first mode Of travel WAS the sailboat anC
the stage coach. Then the steam car
were invented and a line which ia il
existence at the present time, was estab
lished in 1876. The electric train which
is fast coming into use will re~volutioniz
Penns Grove. Penns Grove is connected
with the outside world by water as well
The boat service has already been mucl
improved and the Wilson Company ha
made plans for still better service. Whel
the wharf is heightened and the larg
river boats make regular stops, bushes
in Penns Grove will receive a decide
impetus.
There is improvement and growth i
every line. Gas and water works cam
a few years ago. The ice plant al
electric light service is indicative of pre-
gress being made. Business houses al
being established, new dwellings ar
being built, and new streets are bein
laid out. AS Penns Grove is developing
the population is increasing. "Nothin
succeeds like success" The prosperity Q
the town is attracting an increasin
number of people each year. The sum
mel colony, too, which brings a large an
lucrative trade, is growing. The beaut
of the river and the excellant bathing o
tire sandy shore brings more cottage
every year.
There is one thing needed to make
city prosperous. 1t must have goo
leaders. Every line of activity calls fe
leaders, as long as their are people t
lead their will be people to follow.
The demand is for those who can leat
and they. must be prepared for the
work. In our new High School with il
modern equipment, the pupils will
trained to meet the demands of the pr
urossivo twentietir ceuturv- TT 10 sai