The SNYDER COUNTY POST History Page

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From the Archives of
The
Middleburg Post

115 Years Ago - 1896

JANUARY
1. E.E. Pawling enters into law partnership with F.E. Bower
17. George Snyder, of Mc/Clure, eloped with Miss Alice Herbster.
28. Diptheria epidemic at Beavertown.
31. John Ettinger and son, Sherman, aged 18, outlaws, of Adams Twp., resist arrest and flee to Centre County.

FEBRUARY
2. State Capitol burned
10. Jacob Walter, aged 83 years, died.
20. William s. Arbogast bought the Eagle Hotel.

MARCH
3. C.C. Seebold sold the Washington House, Main St., Middleburgh to Carbon Seebold.
11. POST published sketch of Gov Simon Snyder.
11. Prof Daniel S. Boyer, of Freeburg, wrote 728 workds on a postal card.
23. It has been decided to erect a third church edifice for Row's church at Salem.
28. Fake picture agen is working in Snyder County.

APRIL
1. Carbon Seebold takes possession of the Washington House.
15. POST published historical sketch of Row's church at Salem.
29. Potatoes are selling at 10 and 12 cents a bushel.

MAY
1. Charter for Penn Telephone Co., granted.
3. POST installed a gasoline engine and a newspaper folder and changed the Campbell Cylinder press to a power press.
13. POST publishes an anonymous spicy letter from West Buffalo Township, Union County.
22. Fire destroyed barns of Frank Bachman, Allen Moyer, W.F. Feese and did other damage.
27. POST published first list of deceased soldiers buried in Snyder County.

JUNE
18. Water works for Middleburg defeated by popular vote, 43 to 55.

SEPTEMBER
7 Bird Adams and Charles Walker, of New Berlin, were lodged in jail here, charged with carrying food to Murderer Adams.
20. Penn Telephone Co. builds first telephone line between Middleburg and Selinsgrove, establishing service between the two towns.

The First Clockmaker Of
Snyder County

    About 1700, there were at least forty clockmakers in the vicinity of Philadelphia. The clocks of early Pennsylvania were very unique, and they were widely sought after not only for their time-keeping abilities, but as collectibles.
    Even in rural districts the clockmaker was treated with respect greater than accorded to the blacksmith, carpenter, tinsmith, or any other class except the doctor or minister.
    Between 1680 and 1750, clocks were found only in the homes of the wealthiest colonists. So when they began to be built more commonly, they showed up more in the house of commoners. .
    In about 1730, clock makers began building clocks with square dials. It would also indicate to the owners the phase of the moon at a glance. The arched dial was introduced about the beginning of the eighteenth century.
    Clockmakers began encasing the weights and pendulums inside of fine wooden cases, made from Pennsylvania hardwoods. These tall cases not only housed the workings of the clock, but provided an attractive and functional furniture piece. The name "grandfather's clock" became attached to these clocks due to a song written by Christian Huygens in 1875.
    Here in Snyder County was one clockmaker of note, whose clocks became quite valuable and highly prized. He was Michael Wittenmyer
    Michael was the second son of George and Wilhemina Wittenmyer and was born in 1772. He married Mary Magdalena Wittenmyer (no relation) in 1795 and moved to Middleburg. Mary's parents had moved to Penn Township (now Franklin Township) where they farmed a land grant given to them by the William Penn family. This grant of 150 acres extended from Swineford to Globe Mills.
    After Michael's marriage, he bought a lot on a side street of Middleburg and began digging

a cellar for his house and store, also being a merchant, selling common wares and household necessities.
    Albright Swineford, who owned most of Middleburg, came to him and said, "Michael, you are too fine a man to build your home here, and a store should be on the main street of a town. Why don't you buy this fine corner lot of mine?"
    Michael thought that the price would be out of his price range and told Swineford so.
    Swineford thought for a moment and told Michael, "If you make me one 8-day clock and one 24 hour clock and give me this lot you are working on now, we will call it "square".
    Michael immediately stopped working on that lot and began work on his home and shop on Main street and a log house was erected, where all his ten children were born. Afterward, an addition was erected and the entire building covered with clapboard. This structure was finally torn down and a brick house was erected in its place.
    In the cellar of his original log house Michael had his work shop and forge. He decided that his business of being a merchant did not provide enough income, so he decided to build clocks to sell as well. Since he felt he did not know enough about the business, he set off for

Reading to work as an apprentice in a clock maker's shop. There he worked under
Valentine Urletig, the master clock maker of that day.
    Michael made the trip on horseback and worked there several days when he was dis-missed. The old clockmaker told Michael, "You know too much for me. Why don't you go home and make clocks?" And that is what Michael did.
    Constructing a clock caused the clockmaker to wear several hats and perform different duties. He was a brass founder, a spring maker, a forger of metals for weights, a movement maker, a bell founder, and a finisher who puts the whole machine in a state ready for sale. Michael did all these himself, whereas many clockmakers had apprentices and workers to break up the job into manageable pieces.
    In his cellar shop, Michael did all the work on his clocks, smelting the brass shavings and fashioning the works in his forge. The brass he got in Reading, riding there on horseback and bring the metal back in saddle bags. He bought the dials themselves, and he had local cabinet makers, many of them Mennonite, to build the cases.
    Michael made forty clocks before he died. He made one for each of his ten children and made thirty others that he sold. Michael was a modest man, and while it was common practice for the clockmaker to sign the dial with his signature to show the creator, Michael would not sign his creations.
    Besides making clocks, Michael became auditor of Penn Township in 1803; paymaster of the 77th regiment in the War of 1812; the first postmaster of Middleburg from 1811 to 1824; and served as Justice of the Peace in 1829, a post he held for many years.

These are antique clocks produced in the early 1800's and were of the sort built by Michael Wittenmyer in his Middleburg shop. Clocks such as these are hard to find and treasured among collectors.