JOURNEY FROM BETHLEHEM TO PITTSBURG, OVER THE ALLEGHANYS, FROM
SEPTEMBER 17TH TO OCTOBER 7TH
Allentown--Reading--Lebanon--Harrisburg--Mexico--Mifflin
Town--Valley of the Juniata--Huntington--Alexandria--Yellow
Springs--The Summit--Ebensburg--Hunting parties--Wild Scenery of
the Alleghanys--Laurel Hills--Conomaugh Valley--Blairsville--New
Alexandria on the Loyalhanna--Pittsburg--Situation of the
Town--Economy, Mr. Rapp's Settlement on the Ohio--Remarkable
natural productions of that river.
Violent thunder-storms, accompanied with heavy rains, had taken place
during the night before I left Bethlehem, early in the morning of the
17th, with the stage from Easton to Reading. Mr. Bodmer remained
behind for some days, on account of the injury done to his hand. At
day-break we reached Allentown, where we changed both carriage and
horses, and passed the Cedar Creek, which was much swollen. The
thunder-storm had not changed the temperature of the air. All this
country was covered with plantations of maize, clover, and buckwheat,
and detached farm-houses were numerous. The clover was often sown, as
among us, with the corn. The ears of the maize were partly cut off,
and the stalks tied up in bundles. The maize becomes ripe here in
October. We halted very often at the post-houses, where the horses are
always watered. As soon as the stage arrives, the large leather bag
containing the letters is thrown down, and the correspondence for
places further on the road is put in. We were here on a calcareous
soil, and many limekilns were burning in the neighbourhood. Flocks of
birds, of many kinds, appeared ready to depart; _Papilio plexippus_
flew about the hedges. The _Datura_, with purple blossoms, and the
_Phytolacea_, with ripe black berries, dark red stems and branches,
grow on the road-side, and about the houses.[55] The leaves of the
sumach, and of some kinds of oak and maple, had already [pg. 55] changed
to a beautiful red colour. The fallow fields were entirely covered
with the yellow blossoms of the golden rod, or St. John's wort, and
beautiful asters, mostly with small white or purple flowers. The
farm-houses in this part of the country are remarkably handsome. The
barns are built of stone, very large, and have, in the lower part, the
stables, with eight or twelve doors and windows, and over this is the
barn, properly so called. At the end of the building there is a
passage where the wagons stand under cover; the windows, doors and
roof are frequently painted of a reddish brown colour: cattle of all
kinds surround these farms. The swine are very fat, have broad hanging
ears, and are generally marked with small round black spots, and
sometimes, but more rarely, they are reddish brown. We saw some fine
forests of oak and walnut trees, among which is much hickory (_Juglans
alba_), which, next to the white oak, and the black walnut tree,
furnishes the best timber. In general this country resembles Germany:
it is diversified and pleasant; wooded eminences on the sides, and
bright green meadows, often kept in very good order, occur as in our
country; but large, new habitations, built in rather a different
style, the zigzag fences, and the more lofty and luxuriant growth of
the trees, give, on the whole, another character to the scenery.
In Maxatawny township we addressed the inhabitants in the German
language, who answered us at once in the same, and we heard German
names all the way to Pittsburg. After passing Sackoma Creek, we
arrived at ten o'clock at Kutztown, eighteen miles from Bethlehem,
where we breakfasted. The heat being very great, the dust was
extremely annoying, for the thunder-storm, which had passed over
Bethlehem, had not extended to this part of the country. The cattle
sought protection against the sun, in the shade of single trees, or in
the orchards. Large stacks of corn, six, eight, or ten together, stood
in rows by the fences. On the right hand ran the Oli Mountains,
beautiful verdant wooded eminences, which are connected with the
Lehigh Mountains. About noon we had travelled the thirty-six miles to
Reading, where we were obliged to stop one day, because the stage had
already left.
Reading is a very pretty town on the Schuylkill, with 6,000 or 7,000
inhabitants; it has seven churches, and a new one was just then
building. There are about 400 negroes and people of colour. Some of
the streets were not paved in the middle, but have on the sides a
pavement of bricks for the foot passengers, planted with acacias,
planes, poplars, and other trees. All these towns are rapidly
increasing. The cholera had already carried off many persons here, but
the inhabitants would not confess this. We saw a funeral procession
returning home, in which there were several women on horseback; the
veils on their large fashionable hats fluttered in the wind, and gave
this caravan of Amazons a singular appearance. Much fruit is grown in
the neighbourhood, and the apples are good, but not the plums. Peaches
thrive very well; we saw whole wagon-loads of them brought into
Reading, around which the people crowded to buy, while the children
stole them.
[pg. 56] On the 18th of September it was with very great difficulty that
we got places in the stage, the travellers being very numerous. After
we had passed Kakusa Creek, we came to Womelsdorf, founded by Germans,
fourteen miles from Reading, where we stopped to dine, and then
proceeded over Dolpahaga Creek, to Lebanon County, which is in a
tract diversified with eminences and wooded mountains. On this road we
several times passed the Union Canal, which goes from Baltimore to
Pittsburg, is very nearly completed, and is said to have cost
18,000,000 of dollars. After we had passed the River Swatara, which
runs into the Susquehannah, we continued our journey in a dark but
fine evening; the crickets and grasshoppers chirped all around; but
their note is by no means so loud as that of those in the Brazils. At
length we perceived a number of lights before us, and came to
Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania, the end of our journey
to-day.
Harrisburg is a small town, with only 5,000 inhabitants, situated
between the Susquehannah and the Union Canal. It has broad streets
crossing each other at right angles; but many of the buildings are of
wood, for which they are now, however, gradually substituting better
ones of brick. Rows of trees are planted in front of the houses. The
inn at which we put up was in a square, which they were just covering
with broken stones. Here, too, is the market-hall, a long roofed
building supported by pillars, in which the productions of the country
are exposed for sale, as in most of the towns in the United States.
Harrisburg, being the capital of the state, is the residence of the
Governor. The state-house is built on a gentle eminence on the canal,
near the town, and with its two wings is a very considerable building,
with a colonnade and a cupola supported by pillars. Another
interesting point of the town is the view of the Susquehannah, which
is very broad here, and forms an island. A long bridge, covered at
top, and enclosed at the sides, is built over each arm of the river.
One of these bridges is about 600 paces in length. In the first there
are twenty-three glass windows, and it has two pillars on shore, and
five in the river. There are colossal bridges of this kind in the
United States; and there is one further down the Susquehannah, which
is one and a quarter mile and four rods in length, and has fifty-two
pillars. The view from this bridge up the river is peculiarly
beautiful. Verdant wooded islands adorn its surface, which is broad,
but it was at this time very shallow. There are 500 negroes and people
of colour. Germans are met with everywhere, and we were told that an
able German physician lived here.
The defective arrangements of the post-houses obliged us to stop here
three days, and it was not till the 21st of September, in the evening,
that we could leave the town to continue our journey during the night.
We passed the Susquehannah, and the Juniata, which comes from the
Alleghany Mountains, and flows into it. On the 22nd, at day-break, we
were at the little village of Mexico.
Mexico is in Mifflin County, forty miles from Harrisburg. Three miles
further is the village of Mifflin Town, the capital of the county,
where they were just building a new town-hall. The Union Canal, which
connects Philadelphia and Baltimore with Pittsburg, in general follows
the [pg. 57] same direction as the river Juniata, near which it often
runs at a greater elevation, and sometimes is even carried over it.
The river is here about as broad as the Lehigh, but was at this time
very shallow. Beyond Mifflin Town it receives the Los Creek. From this
place we observed in the valley many robinias, which grow very high
and vigorous, as well on the mountain, which is rather dry, as by the
water-side; vines as thick as a man's arm twine round the trunks, and
frequently rise to the very summit. The nettle tree (_Celtis_) grew in
great abundance, and the maples were just assuming their red tinge.
The picturesque forest is intermingled with Canadian pines, many of
which are quite blighted and withered. The valley now became wilder
and more romantic; on the right hand rose a high precipice, covered
with bolders, fragments of rock, mouldering trunks, and the finest
trees of the country, forming a real wilderness. A very narrow part of
the valley, where we watered our horses at an insulated house, bears
the name of the Long Narrows; and the steep wooded mountain, on the
south bank of the river, is called Blacklog Mountain; it is said to be
the haunt of bears and stags. The cattle belonging to the log-houses
were grazing among the rocks. After some time the valley grew more
open, and at a wider spot, near the road, which descended towards the
defile of James Creek, was a group of lofty and slender robinias, on
which a flock of tame turkeys were sitting. These birds resemble in
colour the wild ones which are common in this country; they often go
into the forests, where they breed, and come home again with their
young ones. After passing Kishikokinas Creek, we reached, at a broad
part of the valley, the village of Louis Town, in which there are some
considerable houses. The country people were ploughing and harrowing
their fields; and I may here observe, that, in all Pennsylvania, they
never employ oxen in these operations, but horses only, of which they
have great numbers. The plough is rather different from that of
Germany.
Beyond Louis Town we saw a number of horsemen, assembled for the
fox-chase. The fox was caught in a trap, then let loose at a certain
spot, and hunted with many dogs, as in England. In a district
diversified with forests and cultivated fields, we came to Waynesburg,
a small town agreeably situated in a valley. The forests began to
assume their autumnal tints; the maples, the dogwood (_Cornus
Florida_), and the sumach, were partly red; the walnut trees, and the
hickory, yellow, which gave great variety to the landscape. Near some
habitations we observed weeping willows of extraordinary size. The
surrounding mountains were covered with forests, into which we
penetrated to ascend the first ridge of the Western Alleghanys. The
road, which is, for the most part, in bad condition, rose obliquely on
the side of a rude picturesque precipice. Except a pheasant, which
flew past us, we saw but few living objects. Advancing into the valley
we again came to the Juniata, over which the canal is here carried by
an aqueduct, supported by four pillars. In this part of the river
there are several dams, such as we had seen in the Lehigh, near
Bethlehem, with this difference that here they are triple. For this
purpose, rows [pg. 58] of stones, piled one upon another, are laid
across the river, forming, in the direction of the stream, acute
angles, where a basket is placed, in which the fish are collected.
At a place where three valleys meet stands the village of
Huntingdon,[56] ninety miles from Harrisburg, where we found a
tolerably good inn, on an eminence above the banks of the Juniata.
From this inn we proceeded, during the night, through high rude tracts
and forests, past Alexandria, and at midnight reached Yellow Springs,
and then the highest points of this ridge, called the summit, between
2,400 and 3,000 feet above the level of the sea, in the vicinity of
Blair's Gap. This wild mountain region bears hemlock spruce firs of
colossal magnitude, mixed with other timber. The night was clear and
cool; towards morning fogs arose from the deep valleys, which at
daybreak covered the pine forest through which we descended. We passed
the Conomaugh Creek, and then arrived at the little town of Ebensburg,
on an open spot in the forest. We stopped here at a small inn to wait
for our travelling companions.
Ebensburg, the capital of Cambria County, is an inconsiderable place,
consisting of wooden buildings, forming not much more than one broad,
unpaved street, but has a town-house and a pretty large church. The
inhabitants, about 300 or 400 in number, are of English, Irish, and
some of German extraction. The surrounding country is very mountainous
and woody, and is said to abound in all sorts of game, as indeed the
many skins of lynxes, racoons, martens, and minks, fastened against
the houses, prove; bears, stags, and wolves, are said not to be
uncommon, as lofty and dark forests surround the town within a couple
of hundred paces. Ebensburg derives some profit from the numerous
wagons, drawn by two, four, or six strong horses, that pass through it
on the high road to Pittsburg.
Our hunting excursions in this rude country were very interesting. We
proceeded first in a northern direction into the forest, which we
found to be quite a primeval wilderness. The mountains rise peak above
peak, with deep ravines, where pines, beeches, chestnuts, birches,
maples, and walnut trees of various kinds, form a gloomy forest, and
fallen and decayed trunks check your advance at every step; cool,
sylvan brooks rushed foaming through all the defiles, and we had
continually to cross them on natural bridges, formed by the fallen
trunks of trees. Such old trunks are covered with a whole world of
mosses, lichens, fungiwood, sorrel, ferns, &c.; nay, even young shoots
of maple, beeches, and tulip trees, had taken root on them. We
clambered over the trunks, went round the fallen giants of the forest,
and found everywhere, on the ground, traces of the numerous squirrels
(_Sciurus cinereus_), in the remains of fruit and shells, especially,
of the chestnut.
But there was also an interesting wilderness in the opposite
direction. Here a very extensive fall of timber had been commenced--a
gigantic labour, as in Brazil, where the wood is burnt afterwards, as
soon as it is sufficiently dry. The sturdy woodcutters were of German
extraction, and spoke German. From this place a dark narrow path led
through an old pine forest, where [pg. 59] the little creeping _Michella
repens_, here called ground berry, with its beautiful red berries,
grew among the moss, and often covered the ground. Several small runs
and muddy ditches crossed the forest, over which I walked or rode on
trunks of trees that served as bridges; in doing which my clothes
suffered not a little. Woodpeckers abounded here, especially the great
black woodpecker (_P. pileatus_), which we had not seen before. It is
nearly as large as a crow, and its splendid bright red tuft is
conspicuous at a great distance. They were very shy; knocked and
hammered on the dead pine trees, which stood like the ruins of a
colonnade, and were pierced and bored by their strong bills. This fine
large bird is called here, and in general, woodcock. A young man who
lived in the forest, some miles off, told me that bears, stags, and
other wild animals, were very numerous, particularly the pheasant, or
cock of the wood (_Tetrao umbellus_), one of which we shot. There is a
saw-mill here, among the lofty pines, on an arm of Conomaugh Creek, in
a wild, lonely spot. The owner was not a little astonished at my
double-barrelled percussion gun. After we had spent two days here in
exploring the woods, our travelling companions, Dr. Saynisch and Mr.
Bodmer, at length joined us, on the 26th, but as the latter still had
need of rest, on account of his wound, we took their places, and set
out immediately for Pittsburg.
Seven miles from Ebensburg is the place which is looked upon as the
boundary of the Alleghanys, properly so called; here begins the ridge
called the Laurel Hills, for these mountains consist of several
parallel chains, many of which have distinct names. The forest now
assumes a different character. Oaks of various species succeed the
pines and beeches; the forest is not so high, rude, and thick, and
from an elevated spot on the road there is a fine view as you look
back on the long wooded chain of the Alleghanys.
The traveller soon sees before him a deep and wide valley in which the
Conomaugh River flows, and beyond it a long ridge, covered with
verdant woods, called the Chestnut Ridge, in which there is a gap,
through which both the river and the canal pass. The eminences are
uniformly wooded, and the chestnut and chestnut oak appear to
predominate. We changed horses at Further Laurel Hill, and at Amagh,
and then passed the gap. In the meadows and fields, the stumps of the
trees that had been cut down were still standing, for the whole
country was formerly one unbroken forest. The habitations were few in
number, and, at the same time, small and wretched. We were told that
this part of the country is chiefly inhabited by Irish, who are bad
managers, and addicted to drinking. A better character is given to the
settlers of German origin, and they are said frequently to possess
well cultivated farms.
In the woods of this district, we everywhere remarked that the tops of
the branches, for about a foot or a foot and a half, were hanging down
and withered, which is caused by a kind of cricket (locust, _Cicada
septem decem_, Linn.). This insect, which, as is well known, appears
only once in seventeen years, but then, like the cockchafer with us,
in prodigious numbers, had abounded [pg. 60] in Pennsylvania in 1832,
and in many places was a real scourge; it does not, however, appear
everywhere at the same time. But a few weeks before, they were so
numerous in these forests, that the noise they made almost overpowered
the human voice. On examining the withered twigs, we found the bark,
as it were, ripped open in many places, the wood quite dry, and in the
sap, a whitish substance, which consists of the eggs of the insect.
As we drove rapidly down the hills, we saw before us the extensive
valley of the Conomaugh, for the most part covered with woods, and
gently rising on all sides, in which, a little higher up, the small
town of Indiana is situated. We stopped at a lonely inn by the
road-side, watered our horses, and hastened forwards. On every side we
saw extensive forests, and from the next eminence looked down into
another valley, in which the Conomaugh runs by the town of
Blairsville, a pretty little place, with many respectable houses, and
a very good inn, in a broad main street, which runs directly across
the valley. The country is hilly, or mountainous, well cultivated, and
with neat farm-houses scattered around. From this place, it is ten
miles to New Alexandria, a village with tolerably good wooden houses,
many of which are painted. Beyond it runs the Loyalhanna, a small
stream, which was at this time very shallow, with a covered bridge
over it. At nightfall we reached New Salem, then Millersburg, and
about midnight, Pittsburgh.[57]
Pittsburg is an old, large, but by no means handsome town, celebrated
for its manufactories and brisk trade, and has been described by many
travellers. The town itself has 12,000 inhabitants; but with the
suburbs, its population is estimated at 24,000 souls, including many
Germans, some of whom are respectable merchants. Coal mines in the
immediate neighbourhood (a part of which is now on fire), afford an
ample supply of fuel for the numerous steam-engines, stoves, &c. The
style of building in the town is everything but uniform, neat brick
houses being mixed with small wooden ones. The streets are ill-paved,
dirty, and badly lighted; some of them, however, are modern and
regular; and the new edifices are handsome and elegant. There are many
iron works, nail manufactories, glasshouses, cotton manufactories,
&c., in many of which, steam-engines are employed, of which, as we
were told, there are above 100 at work, which are likewise made here.
This town lies on the tongue of land between the rivers Monongahela
and Alleghany, which, by their union, form the Ohio; this river is not
very considerable here; yet, at certain seasons, when the water is
high, it is navigable by steam-boats, of which I counted sixteen on
the banks of the Monongahela. Over the Alleghany there is a covered
bridge, 500 paces in length, which has, on each side, an additional
covered footpath; and a covered aqueduct, of the same length, is
likewise carried across the river. A similar long and colossal bridge
is built over the Monongahela.
The situation of Pittsburg itself is not very pleasing, but there are
interesting points in the environs. As I was furnished with very good
letters of recommendation, several of the inhabitants of Pittsburg
endeavoured to make my stay there agreeable. Messrs. Volz and Von
Bonnhorst [pg. 61] (the latter of whom had been an officer in the
Prussian army) were extremely kind to me. Mr. Lambdin, possessor of a
museum which was yet in its infancy, likewise gave useful
recommendations and instructions.[58] Mr. Volz had the goodness to
accompany me to Economy, the remarkable and interesting colony of Mr.
Rapp. For this purpose we left Pittsburg on the 29th, passed the
great Alleghany bridge, and the suburb, and drove by the large new
House of Correction, towards the Ohio.[59] On the eminence to the
right of the town is the convent of Flanders nuns, who have
established a school, in which they receive children of all religious
denominations. We proceeded on the right bank of the Ohio, eighteen
miles, to Economy.
Economy has been described, in its leading features, by Duke Bernard
of Saxe Weimar;[60] but it has become much more flourishing since that
time. It is well known that old Mr. Rapp, with a company of between
600 and 700 Swabian emigrants, came to America, and had, at that time,
but very limited resources. He founded, with his people, successively
three settlements; first, Old Harmony, near the Ohio; then, New
Harmony, on the Wabash, in the State of Indiana; and then, Economy,
near Pittsburg. This last settlement has now about 150 houses, which
at first were slightly built of wood, but are now succeeded by better
ones of brick; they are two stories high, and neatly painted. The
church is spacious and plain, built of brick, with a pretty steeple,
and a good bell.
The rapidity with which these settlements sprung up, amidst thick
forests, proves the judgment and prudence of their founder. The order
introduced at Economy is admirable; nobody is seen in the streets
during the day; all the inhabitants are usefully employed; young men
and women, and also the children, are distributed among the several
manufactories, where they work and receive no wages, but all their
wants are amply provided for, free of cost. They are cleanly and
neatly dressed in their Swabian costume, and nothing but German is
spoken amongst them. The possessions and the revenues of the whole
establishment are the joint property of the community, every
inhabitant having placed his property in the common fund. Mr. Rapp and
his adopted son are the directors, and the only complaint is, that no
account is given of the management, and that the government of the
institution is rather too dictatorial. Be this as it may, it cannot be
denied that the arrangement and direction of this artificial society
are admirable, and do honour to the founder. Mr. Rapp has established
several important manufactories with steam-engines; even silks are
manufactured from silk produced on the spot. The mulberry plantations
and the management of the silk-worms are under the especial care of
Mr. Rapp's grand-daughter. The manufactories alone are said now to
yield an annual profit of 20,000 dollars. Several large buildings have
been erected for a cotton and a woollen cloth manufactory, a mill, an
inn, where the accommodations are very good and reasonable, &c.
Everything they want is raised or made by themselves. They have
extensive corn fields and vineyards, and breed great numbers of [pg. 62]
cattle. Mr. Rapp has erected a large building, with a great saloon in
the upper story, where the inhabitants meet on festive occasions, and
where they have musical entertainments. In the lower story of this
building, a cabinet of natural history has been commenced, in three
rooms, which already contains some very interesting specimens.
After we had viewed all these objects, and had been led by Mr. Rapp,
jun., through the manufactories, we went to the dwelling-house of the
director of the establishment, and met with a very friendly reception
from his family, who were dressed entirely in the manner of the
country people of Wuertemberg. They told us they would never deviate
from their old national manners, and would always remain Germans,
which we were very glad to hear. Soon afterwards, the founder of the
establishment, Mr. Rapp, came in. He was a vigorous old man, of
venerable appearance, with white hair and a long beard. We supped with
him, drank very good wine produced here, and, in conclusion, were
entertained by six or seven girls and a young man, who is the
schoolmaster, and is said to be well informed, with singing and
playing on the piano. We here became acquainted with Mr. Ehrmann of
Mannheim, an agreeable, well-educated man, whose wife is likewise a
very interesting person, and who was engaged in establishing a
manufactory near Economy.
On the following day we viewed the park, in which there were seventeen
Virginian deer. Most of them had already got their winter coat; some
were still a little red: they cast their horns in March. As it was
Sunday, the people assembled, at nine in the morning, in the church,
which has neither pulpit nor organ. The men sat on the right hand of
the preacher, the women on the left; the older persons in front, the
young people a little way back. Mr. Rapp's family had the first place.
When the congregation were assembled, old Mr. Rapp entered with a firm
step, seated himself at a table which was on a raised platform, and
gave out a hymn, which was sung in rather quick time. After a prayer
delivered standing, he preached on a text from the bible, in a bold,
figurative style, well suited to country people, and with very
animated gesticulation. After the sermon some verses were sung, and
Mr. Rapp delivered a prayer, which the congregation repeated after
him, sitting. The word Amen was always repeated by the whole
congregation. In the afternoon we took a very cordial farewell of the
worthy family of Mr. Rapp, and set out on our return.
The country about Pittsburg has some zoological rarities, specimens of
which my travelling companions had collected during my absence. Among
them are, in particular, many interesting fresh water shells of the
Ohio. Several American naturalists have written on these Bivalve
testacea; and there is, probably, no other country so rich in
beautiful and manifold productions of this kind. On their excursions
in the neighbouring islands in the Ohio, they met with trees of
colossal size, and especially a maple, that measured twenty French
feet in circumference at the height of twelve feet from the ground,
where it divided into four thick parallel stems, from which [pg. 63] the
branches issued. Among the remarkable and interesting natural
productions of these rivers, we must mention the soft shell turtles of
the Americans (_Trionyx_, _Aspidonectes_, Wagl.), of which there are
two or three species. They grow to a great size, and are often seen in
the markets. Another very remarkable animal, which is very numerous
here, is the great Alleghany salamander (_Menopoma_, Harlan), which is
here called alligator, and of which I obtained many specimens alive,
so that Mr. Bodmer was able to make an accurate drawing from the life.
Then there is the _Triton lateralis_, Say., or _Menobranchus
lateralis_, Harlan, which differs from the preceding by the tufts at
the gills, which remain even in old age. America is well known to
abound in these singular enigmatical animal forms, which are nearly
akin to the European _Proteus_, or _Hypochthon_.
FOOTNOTES:
[55] This plant, called by the Americans the poke plant, is used, in
many parts, as a vegetable for the table. When the plant is young, and
not above six inches high, of a whitish, and not dark green colour,
the leaves are tender, and very delicate. It is thought that it might
be very advisable to cultivate it in the kitchen gardens.--MAXIMILIAN.
[56] Huntingdon, seat of the county of the same name, was settled
about 1760 on the site of a famous Indian council ground, and named
for Selena, Countess of Huntingdon. It was incorporated in 1760, and
had a population at the last federal census of 6,053.--ED.
[57] New Alexandria is a small village in Westmoreland County, on
Loyalhanna Creek, thirty-three miles east of Pittsburg.
New Salem (or Salem), in the same county, twenty-five miles east of
Pittsburg, was laid out in 1833.
Many early western travellers give descriptions and historical
accounts of Pittsburg. See particularly Cuming's _Tour_, in our volume
iv, pp. 242-255.--ED.
[58] James R. Lambdin was born in Pittsburg (1807), studied under
Thomas Sully, of Philadelphia (1823-25), and began painting in his
native town. Later he made professional visits to the chief towns
between Pittsburg and Mobile, and started a museum of art and
antiquities at Louisville, Kentucky, where he lived several years.
From 1837 until his death in 1889 he resided principally in
Philadelphia, but painted much at Washington, executing portraits of
all the presidents from John Q. Adams to James A. Garfield. Lambdin
was appointed by President Buchanan (May 15, 1859) as one of the three
members of the Art Commission provided for by acts of Congress on June
12, 1858, and March 3, 1859, for the purpose of a survey of the public
buildings at Washington and submitting a report on the system of
decorations hitherto used, and recommending plans to secure a
harmonious effect in the future. For this report, dated February 22,
1860, see _Executive Documents, 36 Cong., 1 sess., No. 43_.--ED.
[59] See Plate 6 in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.
[60] Maximilian is here referring to Duke Bernard, _Travels through
North America during the Years 1825-26_ (2 vols., Philadelphia, 1828).
For a short statement of George Rapp and his enterprises, see Hulme's
_Journal_, in our volume x, pp. 50 and 54, notes 22 and 25
respectively.
Economy, an Ohio River town, in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, seventeen
miles northwest of Pittsburg, was settled by the Harmonites in 1825.
The property of the community is now quite valuable, but in 1902 the
membership was only eight. Celibacy has been encouraged and new
members have not been solicited, and the property is now in the hands
of a single trustee.--ED.