On Centre: Penns Valley

Brush up on your valley knowledge

By Ed Mahon

Residents used to host Halloween parties in the back of Rebersburg National Bank, which opened in 1920. They changed the name of Jacobsburg to Madisonburg in 1830 to honor the fourth U.S. president. They never struck oil on the 1914 platform set up on Jacob Gephart’s farm, but they did have fun joking about it.

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Such are the snapshots of life in Miles Township that you can glimpse in “Brush Valley: Remembering the Past.”

The previous township history was published in 1959 by local residents looking to celebrate the sesquicentennial celebration. Dubbed simply “Miles Township, Penna.” it begins with Col. Samuel Miles, of Philadelphia, buying an 18-mile-long tract of oval-shaped land from — according to legend — William Penn.

Vonnie Henninger, a local historian and one of the planners for the township’s 200th anniversary, hopes this book comes in handy for future Brush Valley residents.

“Fifty years down the road when they go to do this again, they’ll know what Rebersburg looked like,” said Henninger, a local historian and member of the Miles Township Bicentennial Committee, which compiled the book of more than 100 photos.

The book includes all of the communities that make up the township, including Madisonburg, Smullton and Livonia, and pictures from parades, construction projects and other events. There also are photos of prominent townspeople, such as Miles Township High School principal Mary Abbot (1885-1980) and state legislator Cephas Luther Gramley (1852-1935). There are pictures of farms, info on who lives in them now and fun factoids. For instance:

1. What did Civil War veteran Johnny Y. Stover do to the Wolf’s Store Evangelical Church at 6171 Brush Valley Road after lightning struck it?

2. What did townspeople used to call Smullton?

3. How many toll houses would travelers pay on the way to Coburn trains?

4. When did electricity come to Rebersburg?

If you didn’t ace the quiz, there’s still time to brush up before the bicentennial, which runs from July 6 through 11.

The pictorial history can be purchased by sending an $18 check made out to “Brush Valley,” 107 Brown Road, Rebersburg, PA 16872. For more information, visit www.milestownship.org.

Oh, and the answers to our little pop quiz:

1. He renovated the building into a family house.

2. “Smoketown,” because of the chimneys.

3. Two, one in the Millheim Narrows and one on Coburn Road.

4. About 1922, although some farms to the east didn’t have it until after 1940.

Ed Mahon writes about news from the Penns Valley and Brush Valley regions. He can be reached at 231-4619 or emahon@centredaily.com.