A mile above North Wales, near
Kneedler Station, on the Stony Creek railroad, stands a
large and long stone house, a part of which is of
ancient appearance. It has been built in three portions.
the south end of about six feet having been added about
1904. This spacious building has seven windows in each
front of its upper story. On the east side and closely
adjacent is the Allentown road, here connecting with the
turnpike, called the Springhouse and Harleysville road.
A few hundred yards south is the Rhoads toll gate, the
bridge over the Wissahickon and the divergence of the
road to West Point. Adjacent, and at the forks of the
two roads, is an ancient and large stone tenant house,
generally occupied by two families. The frame barn is to
the north and on the opposite side of the Allentown
road. An unenclosed yard separates it from the turnpike
on the southwest side, along which the trolley line
runs, here turning northward past the new cemetery on
its way towards Lansdale. A stone springhouse stands on
the east-side of the Allentown road.
This old tavern is one of the land marks in the history
of Gwynedd, for here stood a public house long before
the Revolution, probably a portion of the present house
then existed. At the junction of two great roads, it was
natural that a public house should be kept in those
times. The Allentown road was first opened in 1768. The
two roads were then called the Maxatawney and Bethlehem
roads. A tavern here caught the travel coming two
directions. As a matter of fact, however, we do not know
if this tavern ever had a large traveling custom,
especially in late times with the opening of the
railroad and the diminution of the drinking habits of
the people. It has been for many years the voting place
for the township of Upper Gwynedd.
On the side of the tavern, fronting the Allentown road,
is a hole in the wall. In olden times the wooden-figure
of a man's arm extended from this crevice upon which was
suspended the tavern sign and on which was painted a
bunch of grapes significant of the kind of juice to be
found within. Afterwards the tavern sign in front bore
the portrait of the great Frenchman, the Marquis
DeLafayette, the friend of America in her hour of need.
Once in Gwynedd there dwelt a long time ago, a man named
John Beaver. Nobody can now tell what manner of man he
was, though he has left descendants now living in North
Wales and vicinity. The Beavers are generally reckoned
as of German descent. but of this there is doubt. In old
documents the name is spelled "Bieber" and that is the
name of a prominent land-holder in the early history of
Montgomery county, Mathias VauBebber. Perkiomen was
often called Bebbers township before the Revolution. He
was a Dutchman of Hollander origin, and the later
Beavers are probably of the same national lineage.
Now John Beaver is called an "inn-holder‘ and he kept a
tavern here prior to 1760. His death took place in
November, 1762, while yet a man of middle age. His lands
were included in the great patent to William John, and
in the 1400 acres to which his widow Jane, and his son
John Jones, fell heir. Across the present Allentown road
is a lasting spring of water and a pond. This was the
attraction which doubtless decided the erection of a
dwelling here. That one was erected at a very early
period may be surmised from the relative portions of the
house and spring indicating that the site was selected
before the Allentown road was opened.
It is not improbable that here resided the widow, Jane
Jones, and her son the weaver. The earlier transfers of
the property have eluded re-search. About or soon after
1725 Jesse Morgan came into possession here. It is
supposed that John Beaver first kept a tavern here
though this is not certain. From some cause. either
intemperance, bad management or unavoidable misfortune,
John Beaver became bankrupt and died in middle life
leaving a widow and a family of children. His wife bore
the old fashioned name of Magdalena, a name common among
the Germans, but not used among the English or Welsh. It
is generally shortened to ‘Lenah' or "Lanie" in common
use.
In 1763 the estate of John Beaver was sold by the
sheriff, Joseph Rodman, and the widow was the purchaser.
It consisted of a house and four contiguous tracts of
land comprising 148 acres. Attached to the tavern were
39 1/2 acres. Then another much larger piece of 100
acres extended up the southwest side of the present
turnpike to the cross road about at Gwynedd Square, a
part of which is the large mushroom plant. There were
two other lots of 8 1/2 and five acres. In the
boundaries of that time the land of Joseph Griffith
appeared on the northwest. those of George Klippinger on
the north; Edward Morgan, on the southeast; John Davis,
on the east; William Atwood, on the south-east, and
William Jones to the south, on the original Jones
property, where a house was built in 1712.
The children of Magdalena Beaver were five in number:
Nicholas, Eve, wife of Martin Hoffman: Bernard, John and
Christopher. Bernard, or “Barney,” is well remembered by
tradition among the old residents of Gwynedd. There have
been several Barney Beavers in succession, the name
being a favorite one in the family. His son Henry was
the father of Henry Beaver, an old resident of North
Wales and deceased a few years ago. This first Barney
Beaver was born in 1754 and died April lst, 1801, aged
47 years.
The widow of John Beaver, who had purchased the property
of the sheriff, had not near enough money to pay for it.
but gave a mortgage to Peter Turner of Philadelphia, for
570 pounds. Nor did she remain a widow long. She was not
old, probably retained some of the attraction of her
youth and was a woman of property. So, along came Jacob
Heisler, a wooing for her favor, and it was not long
before she became Magdalena Heisler.
That is how the Heislers first became the owners of the
old tavern property. Her marriage to Heisler probably
took place about 1764 or 1765, but her life with her
second husband was destined to be short. Her own death
took place in January, 1769. In that year her two
children, who were then of age, Nicholas Beaver and Eve,
wife of Martin Hoffman, granted a release of their
rights to the estate to Heisler.
Both Hotfman and Nicholas Beaver were blacksmiths. The
other children were yet minors and the release of
Bernard and John was not signed till 1775, and of
Christopher, the youngest, in 1777.
George Heisler, the successor of Beaver, was a German,
though being in public business and surrounded by Quaker
neighbors, he doubtless spoke English also. He farmed
their lands during the Revolution or dealt out liquors
behind the bar to local customers, or passing travelers
on horseback or on foot. With these he talked of the
march of armies or the forays of plundering parties who
came near his premises. He came here to stay, but
occupancy of the property continuing from 1765 till
1821, the long period of 56 years, or till his death. He
lived to the good old age of 82 years and seven months,
having been born Feb. 22, 1739. At the time of his
marriage to the widow Beaver he was about 26 years of
age. while his wife was probably 10 years more. He did
not long remain a widower after 1769. A short time
afterwards we find a new wife, Margaret, signing his
legal papers and later by a third wife, Barbara, her
successor. By these he had a family of children. Barbara
Heisler became blind a long while before her death.
Everyone has noticed the large stone house just south of
the cross road at Gwynedd. This is quite old, having the
style of the dwellings erected a century ago. To this
was once attached 10 acres reaching up to the cross
road. and upon which is a modern brick house at the corner. It
is curious that this 10 acre lot was detached in the
time of the Revolution.
In 1777 he sold it to his
brother-in-law. Martin Hoffman, the blacksmith, for 66
pounds. There was no dwelling there then, nothing but
forest. In 1778 Hoffman sold it to his brother-in-law
John Beaver. By the date of 1785 the latter was living
in Saucon, Lehigh county, and then sold his right to the
square piece of 10 rods on each side back to Heisler
again, who disposed of it to Henry Neavel. The Neavels
were celebrated weavers and these carried on their
business for a long time.
The death of the elder Jacob Heisler took place
September 22, 1821. In his will he appointed his son
Jacob and his sons-in-law, Henry Althouse and Jacob
Bisbing, his executors. He seems to have born a
particular antipathy to the fees of executors, for he
made a provision that these three should only receive
$50 for their service. His son Jacob received the tavern
and farm of 134 acres. His daughters were Elizabeth,
wife of John Buchanan; Nancy, wife of Henry Althouse;
Catherine, wife of Henry Schwenck, and Susannah, wife of
Jacob Bisbing.
The second Jacob Heisler remained in possession for 19
years. He was a member of the Wentz Reformed church. His
wife was the widow of Conard Hoot. He is remembered
personally by Margaret Rhoads, the aged keeper of the
neighboring toll gate in 1908-09. At the time of his
father's death he was a man of middle age, having been
born in 1773. He became an unusually stout, fleshy man.
His death took place March 29, 1845, in his 72d year. In
1840 he had transferred the hotel and farm to his
son-in-law, Henry Kneedler, who had married Margaret
Heisler.
Thus the hotel changed hands a second time as the result
of marriage. Henry Kneedler, long since deceased, gave
title for 151 acres and hotel in 1887 to his son, Jacob
Kneedler, a resident of North Wales for 40 years, who
built a new house adjacent to the borough in 1908 which
became his residence.
The last transfer previous to this writing was in 1898
by Jacob Kneedler to Arnold Becker, then of North Wales,
who bought the hotel and 28 acres for $5000 and a
mortgage of $3000. Owing to some violation of the
license law during 1909 the license was withdrawn from
Arnold Becker and the old hotel ceased to be a public
house early in 1910 after an existence as such, for
about a century and a half.
E.M
The original account can be found on Page 3
here. |
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Thanks to the Ambler Gazette we have a few
additional facts about Arnold Becker.
Becker owned a house and tailor shop at 127 Shearer Street*
in North Wales. In June of 1895 he had a front porch added to
it. He purchased the Kneedler Hotel in January of 1898. In March
of 1898 he rented his house to a tailor named Albert Ritchie and
an undertaker named Charles Goshen. In May of 1899 he rented the
tailor shop to G. Henry Hankle, who set up a gentleman's
clothing store. In April of 1900 he rented the house to an
architect named William Brunner.
In October 1898 Phillip Conover, a "colored man," was arrested
after banging on the hotel door with a rock and threatening
bodily harm to Becker, as well as threatening to burn down the
hotel barn. Earlier he had been obstreperous**
and refused to leave the hotel. After being persuaded to
leave, he came back later with the rock.
In March of 1908 the hotel was fitted with Ann Arbor gas
"machines." (These were probably light fixtures.)
Now here is the violation of the liquor license law that Edward
Matthews politely left out of his account above. In September of
1909 Arnold Becker was arraigned before a Magistrate in
Norristown, Pennsylvania for selling intoxicants to minors. Eight witnesses
under the age of 21 said they had purchased liquor from Becker.
He was released from jail on $800 bail.
In October of 1911, Arnold Becker sold the hotel and 20 acres to
his son Abram for $11,000.
During the spring and summer of 1912 the McNichol Paving and
Construction company rented an office in Becker's building,
along with the barn, wagon sheds and part of the house. At the
time they had 500 men building the new trolley line, which
passed a few yards from the hotel.
The Becker property (also named the Gwynedd Hotel) remained the
polling place and tax office for Upper Gwynedd until at least
1918.
* 127 Shearer Street in
North Wales, PA doesn't seem to exist. The two adjoining houses,
125 and 129 Shearer, were both built in 1860.
There are only a few feet separating them. The address is a
possible misprint.
** noisy and stubbornly
difficult to control
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From his death certificate and tombstone:
Arnold Becker was born in Germany on March 21, 1850. He became
ill in November 1925 and was under the care of Doctor D. B.
Moyer. He died of heart and kidney failure*
on January 5, 1926 at 9AM, aged 75 years, 9 months and 14 days.
He was buried in Greenlawn Cemetary on January 8. His wife Mary
had died three years earlier, on June 22, 1922. |
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* Official cause of
death was mitral regurgitation and parenchymatous nephritis. |
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