Auburn Borough

Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania

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Auburn Borough Hall is located at 451 Pearson Street, Auburn PA 17922.
Phone: 570‑754‑7003.

Beginnings [1]

This pleasant borough contains four stores, two hotels, two boat yards, and a grist-mill. It has two resident physicians, and a population of about 740. About eighteen years after the opening of the Schuylkill Canal, a boatman named Samuel K. Moyer built a house at the locality then known as "the Scotchman's lock," now within the limits of Auburn. This was the first domicile there. Soon he opened a store, where he sold dry goods and groceries to the near residents of the territory known as South Manheim and West Brunswick. At this time there were only about half a dozen houses within a circle of half a mile from the center of the present borough.

This business beginning was made prior to 1840, at a time when the Philadelphia and Pottsville branch of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad was in progress of construction. This line was completed in 1842, when a station was established at "the Scotchman's lock," and the name of the place was changed to Auburn. Under the influence of the local railway interest the village began to grow steadily and somewhat rapidly. The boat building interest, later, had its effect in bringing it into prominence. The post-office was established in 1846, with Isaac Hoffmeister as postmaster. In 1854 the Susquehanna and Schuylkill Railroad was completed, with its eastern terminus at Auburn, and in 1857 the borough was duly incorporated, and its government organized according to law.

The first regular school in the village was opened about 1845, in the basement of the Bethel meeting house, which had been fitted up as the early school room. The first school-house proper was built in 1857. The present commodious school building, which accommodates three schools, was erected in 1869. The maximum school term of Auburn is eight and one-half months.

In 1845 a Bethel meeting house was built by a then recently perfected religious organization, called the Church of God. For ten years or more Auburn was the locality of evangelical efforts, spasmodically made, it is said, by the denomination mentioned, and the Evangelical Lutheran and German Reformed adherents. The two latter churches were organized in due time and in 1859 erected a union church, which they have since jointly occupied. A Sunday-school was organized in 1859, with 45 pupils and a library of 100 volumes. Mr. Hoffmeister was the first superintendent. The school numbers at present more 90 members.

The first burgess, elected in 1857, was Augustus Schultz. Jacob Kamer, A.R. Moyer, Daniel Moyer, Garrett Wilson, Daniel Kochand George Worcester were the first councilmen. The present (1881) burgess is C.E. Quail. The councilmen are James Rausch, William Mengel, Bennewell Long, Reuben Hains, S.K. Moyer and Adam Barrel.

  1. History of Schuylkill County PA., 1881, W.W. Munsell & Co., New York

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