Area History
On March 4, 1681, King Charles II of England signed the Royal Charter establishing the new colony of Pennsylvania. The colony established by William Penn was based on the concept of religious freedom. Although William Penn’s grant from King Charles II gave him legal claim to practically all of what is now Pennsylvania, nevertheless no lands were to be surveyed or settled upon until said lands were deeded by the Indians.
In 1749, the Penn Family signed a treaty with the Indians and the Line Mountain became part of the new northern boundary of the Province. The Penns located a manor at the forks of the Pine Creek and the Mahantongo Creek. The proprietors named this land, at the gap in Mahantongo Mountain, Spread Eagle Manor. On very early maps, drawn by Moravian missionaries, this same area,was known to be the Double Eagle. Spread Eagle Manor, now the present site of Klingerstown, was located on an early established Indian path. This path is known as the Tulpehocken Path. Some early travelers on the path were Shikellamy, Conrad Weiser, and Moravain missionaries. These Moravians renamed the Mahantongo Creek as Benigna’s Creek. Benigna was the daughter of Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf. Benigna’s Winery continues the use of this early name. Indians and soldiers during the French and Indian War (1755-1760) passed through the gap at Klingerstown on the Tulpehocken Path.
By 1780, the Klinger family owned land on both sides of the Klingerstown Gap. Early settlers of the township also include Jacob Baum, Robert Clark, Solomon Shumann, Andrew Osman, Peter Klock, George Heim, John Reed, Jacob Wiest, George Maurer, Jacob Stenner, and Mr. Renninger. Johannes Klinger established lots and sold them. 1807 is recognized as the founding date of Klingerstown. The 1850 and 1860 Census of Upper Mahantongo Township record that the Wiest family dominated the Village of Klingerstown during these two decades. New family names include, Tobias, Deibert, Sallede, Bickel, Heitzmen, Stokes, and Hart.
Many of the forefathers of these Klingerstown residents and those named above were Patriot Citizen soldiers who participated in the militia during The War of Independence. It was hoped that the Revolutionary War would be the final conflict of the founding of the new Nation. However, many circumstances combined and led up to the brink of a new war, which we know as The Civil War. Two companies of infantry were organized entirely from our immediate area of Schuylkill County. These companies became the 50th PA Vol. Regiment designated as Companies A and C. The following are highlights of Companies A and C.
1861 Organized at Harrisburg
1862 Bull Run and South Mountain-Antietam
1863 Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi
1864 Battle of the Wilderness and the Siege of Petersburg with mine explosion
1865 Present at the laying of the corner stone at Gettysburg, July 4. Regiment losses during service include…8 Officers and 156 enlisted men mortally wounded; 4 Officers and 180 enlisted men died by disease. The Civil War ended in 1865. Patriotic events such as Decoration Day became common in local communities, including Klingerstown, as a day to honor the men who died in this war. Memorial Day was officially established in 1868 when May 30th was designated as a special day to honor the graves of soldiers.
For more information, see The Klingerstown Bi-Centennial Album, 1807-2007, and The Penns’ Manor of Spread Eagle and the Grist Mills of the Upper Mahantongo Valley. Marion (Romberger) Troutman, Barry Stocker, and Steve E. Troutman provided information for this article.
Later with the ending of the French and Indian War, immigrants began to purchase land in the Mahantongo Valley. At this time, the stage was set for the Klinger family to enter the scene. Klingerstown is named after Johannes Klinger. Earlier names for the community were Waynestown, (named after Anthony Wayne of Revolutionary War fame) and Elizabethtown, (named after Johannes Klinger’s wife).
Johannes was the son of Alexander Klinger. He married Elizabeth Henninger. They are buried in Erdman in the Klinger’s Church cemetery. Philip Klinger and Alexander Klinger emigrated as brothers from the Odenwald of Germany. They came from a long tradition of mill operators. Johannes Klinger built the log grist mill in Klingerstown before the year 1800.
