Below: The village of
Blandon spreads out beyond a pond adjacent to the Blandon Fire Co.
Below: Maier's Grove,
operated by the Blandon Lions Club, is the site of much activity in
summer months.
THE FACTS:
One of the fastest-growing townships in Berks County, Maidencreek
Township has, over the past few years, become somewhat of an
"outer suburb" of Reading with much former farmland
succumbing to housing and commercial developments.
History has it that the earliest settlers
came to the area around 1720-mostly Irish and Quaker
immigrants. By 1738, it was estimated that about 70 families
populated what is now considered Maidencreek Township.
"Maiden-Creek" Township was
incorporated in December, 1746, and included a large area that, in
1850, broke away to become Ontelaunee Township.
Small villages grew around hotels and
crossroads. The most notable include Molltown, Evansville,
Maidencreek, and Blandon.
Maidencreek was also known widely as
"Halfway House" (halfway between Reading and Kutztown)
after the hotel of the same name. At one time, the village
included a general store, stagecoach stop, post office, and several
homes. Little remains of the original village at Routes 222
and 73.
Evansville was a mill town that grew up
around what has become a prosperous cement plant.
The "capital" of Maidencreek
Township is Blandon, which was settled around 1856. Its growth
surged when the railroad came through in 1859.
That event led to the establishment of such
ventures as a hotel, distilleries, and, of course, a railroad
station that served passenger and freight traffic.
Significant industrial concerns provided
employment at the Blandon Rolling Mill, which operated from 1867 to
1933, and the Blandon Broom Works, which continued to produce
hand-made brooms until 1965, when it was sold to the Hamburg Broom
Works.
THE FIGURES: Maidencreek
Township spreads over 13.2 square miles in central Berks
County. Although it has experienced sweeping growth in recent
years, Maidencreek's "official" population estimate is
5,400.
THE FUN STUFF:
Blandon was originally known as "Bland Town," named after
early property owner and blacksmith Robert Bland.
Tradition has it that the somewhat grim
name was streamlined to "Blandon" in 1859 at the behest of
a railroad official who preferred that stations along the line not
have the word "town" in their names.
There were several attempts over the years
to incorporate Blandon as an independent borough. Obviously,
all failed, and Blandon remains an unincorporated village within
Maidencreek Township.
From about 1915 up to the 1960s, the
"White Star" label brooms produced at the Blandon Broom
Works were familiar to homeowners in a wide area.
Cement produced in Evansville (now the
Allentown Cement Company) was used in such construction projects as
the Pentagon and the Panama Canal.
In 1926, Maidencreek Township was bisected
by the 1,082-acre Lake Ontelaunee. The dam and watershed was
constructed as a water supply for the city of Reading. Several
structures that lay in the path of the dammed creek were moved
(including the historic Quaker Meeting House), but an old stone
bridge still stands submerged.
Maidencreek derives its name from a loose
translation of the Indian word "Ontelaunee," which
translates to "little daughter."
Thanks to WEEU's Charles J. Adams III for help
in compiling this material.
34 North Fourth Street, Reading, PA 19601
Phone: 610-376-7335 Fax: 610-376-7756
E-mail: weeu@weeu.com
