Earl Township

Berks County, Pennsylvania

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Township municipal offices are located at 19 Schoolhouse Road, Boyertown PA 19512.
Phone: 610‑367‑9673.

Neighborhoods

Beginnings [1]

Earl was a part of Oley Township until 1781, when the inhabitants petitioned the court for a new township which was granted the same year. It contained ten thousand eight hundred eighty-two acres, but in 1852 a part of it was annexed to Pike, reducing the area to nine thousand five hundred twenty acres. Its name was derived from a title of nobility.

Peter Clous was the first settler. He took up land in the northern part and opened a public house near the present site of Shanesville. Many old people reside in this township. Betsy Trout, who recently died, was one hundred and one years old.

The first public house in the township was opened at the foot of Long Hill in what is known as Woodehoppertown. The early elections were held in this house, but it has long since been changed to a dwelling. Koch's tavern in the northern part of the township was abandoned many years ago.

About 1800, a forge was erected on the Manatawny near Earlville. It was abandoned in 1868 and made into a saw mill. A fulling mill was operated for many years near the mouth of Trout Brook, near which was also a powder mill. There was also a small furnace on Furnace Creek, and a pioneer oil mill along the small stream in the northern part of the township. The oil mill was changed to a grist mill, which was abandoned in 1883. The tanning business was carried on near Worman in the early part of the nineteenth century and a large amount of charcoal was burned on the hills.

Many years ago iron ore was mined on Nagle Hill and hauled to Monocacy. The ore that was taken out of Furnace Hill was converted into pig iron by the small furnace there. About five years ago the Manatawny Bessemer Ore Company began to operate the mines in the hills of Earl.

  1. A. E. Wagner, Ph.D., F. W. Balthaser, M.E., and D.K. Hoch, The Story of Berks County Pennsylvania, Eagle Book ad Job Press, Reading, 1913

Nearby Towns: Bechtelsville Boro • Boyertown Boro • Colebrookdale Twp • District Twp • Douglass Twp • Oley Twp • Pike Twp • Rockland Twp • Upper Pottsgrove Twp • Washington Twp •


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