Pennsylvania
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Pennsylvania. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
one of the thirteen original states of the Union. From its position at the center of the arch formed by the original states, it is known popularly as the Keystone State. The state is rectangular in area, lying between the parallels of 39 deg. 43' and 42 deg. north latitude. A small projection at the northwest gives the state a frontage of forty miles on Lake Erie. A small area is lost to Delaware at the southeast, where the line is the circumference of a circle having a radius of twelve miles described about Newcastle courthouse as a center. The Delaware River forms the eastern boundary. The boundary on the west is the meridian of 80 deg. 36' west longitude. The area is 45,215 square miles, water included. TOPOGRAPHY. The surface of the state is divided into three areas, the Atlantic coast, the mountain area, and the northwestern region. The mountain area itself consists of a series of parallel ranges of the Appalachians running from the northeast to the southwest. It is about fifty miles in width and comprises perhaps a fourth of the state. It is cut crosswise by a number of channels known as water gaps. They were formed, no doubt, by the rivers themselves. They followed their present courses before the mountains began to rise. As the ranges wrinkled upward, the rivers kept their courses cut down to the present level. The waters of the state lie in three general basins of drainage. They run direct to the Atlantic and empty into the headwaters of the Ohio, or else they drain into Lake Erie. The principal river is the Susquehanna. The "Blue Juniata" enters the Susquehanna from the west. FORESTS. Originally, the state was covered with forests of hemlock, white pine, spruce, oak, poplar, elm, basswood, etc. It was at one time the leading lumber-producing state of the Union, but the wasteful methods pursued by lumbermen and the ravages of forest fires have reduced the output greatly. It is estimated, however, that about one-third of the state is still covered by forests of greater or less value. There is still a good supply of hemlock. In 1900 the total value of forest products for the state was somewhat over $35,000,000. Of late, efforts have been made to reforest some of the rougher portions of the state. Over half a million acres have been set aside as reserves. It is hoped that they may also serve to prevent the recurrence of the disastrous floods for which western Pennsylvania has become noted since the great forests were cut away. AGRICULTURE. The soil of the state is essentially the product of disintegrated limestone. Where level enough for the purpose of cultivation it is exceedingly fertile. The southeastern part of the state is practically a vast garden. The interlocking ranges of mountains inclose valleys not only of great beauty, but exceedingly productive as well. The northwestern part of the state is well adapted to general farming. Named in order, the chief field crops are corn, oats, wheat, buckwheat, rye, and barley. One-third of the buckwheat raised in the Union is produced in Pennsylvania. The southeastern part of the state is noted for the production of garden seeds. Some of the largest seed houses in the country have developed at Philadelphia. About 6,000 acres are devoted to seed raising. A still greater area is used for nurseries. The annual sales of fruit trees, park trees, and ornamental shrubs exceed $3,000,000. There are between 6,000,000 and 7,000,000 square feet under glass. The state takes high rank in the production of early vegetables and cut flowers. A tract in Chester County near Philadelphia is known as the Carnation Belt. Orchard fruits do well throughout the state. Two sheltered sections in the mountains are known respectively as the South Mountain and the Juniata peach belts. Grapes are raised most extensively in the northwest in a limited region belonging to the famous Chautauqua grape section. The state claims the honor of having originated the Seckel and the Kieffer pears. Apples do well everywhere. Small fruits are grown extensively. The state ranks second in the Union in the production of milk, butter, and cheese. The annual production of poultry and eggs is valued at $16,000,000. Cattle, horses, swine, and sheep are named in order of value. MINERALS. Pennsylvania abounds in mineral wealth. It contains the greatest known coal deposits in the world. In 1900 the production of hard coal was nearly 60,000,000 tons. Hard coal costs about two dollars a ton at the mouth of the mines; soft coal, half that sum. The state ranks high also as a producer of petroleum oil and natural gas. The first oil wells in the United States were drilled near the present city of Titusville. Pennsylvania led the Union for decades in the production of iron, but now ranks below Minnesota, Michigan, and Alabama. The principal building stones are limestone, sandstone, blue stone, marble, trap, and granite. Portland cement is made in Northampton County and elsewhere. MANUFACTURES. The presence of coal and iron in practically unlimited quantities has given Pennsylvania high rank as a manufacturing state. According to the last census reports the annual value of the steel and iron produce of the state is $434,445,200. The industry is centered largely in the vicinity of Pittsburg. The largest steel works in the world are at Homestead. Pennsylvania ranks first in the Union not only in the production of iron and steel goods but in glass making, tanning, and in the weaving of carpets. The state ranks second in knit goods, worsteds, and woolen goods. Over half the locomotives built in this country come from Pennsylvania. It also ranks second in the manufacture of pumps. The banks of the Delaware rank second only to those of the Clyde, Scotland, in shipbuilding. It would be difficult to name an article manufactured anywhere in the United States that is not made in Pennsylvania, as well. The total value of manufactured products of Pennsylvania for the year 1900 was reported at the tremendous sum of $1,834,790,860, not counting small shops in which work is done by hand. The various manufacturing establishments paid wages in that year to the total amount of $332,072,670. HISTORICAL. The first white settlement in Pennsylvania was made by the Swedes on the west bank of the Delaware River about 1637. In 1675, when the region passed under English control, there were about 200 families in Pennsylvania. In 1681 King Charles granted the present territory of the state to William Penn. He suggested the name Sylvania, or forest country. The king prefixed Penn in honor of the grantee's father who had been his friend. Penn proceeded to organize the colony on Quaker principles. Although principles of peace seemed somewhat out of place in a country inhabited by savages and bordered by jealous rival colonies, the experiment seems to have succeeded well. Colonists poured in from Wales, England, Germany, and Switzerland. The Scotch-Irish, subsequent supporters of Princeton College, were an influential and radically democratic element. The dissatisfied and the persecuted in other colonies migrated to Pennsylvania. Within less than twenty years it contained 25,000 white settlers. The Moravians of southern Germany, adherents of John Huss, formed a large settlement in the vicinity of Bethlehem. They proved industrious and thrifty citizens and contributed not a little to the prosperity of the colony. Germans from the Rhine came in large numbers. At the beginning of the Revolutionary War there were about 300,000 people in the colony, one-third of whom were Germans. The remainder were pretty equally divided between Quakers and other minor elements. The Moravians have, until late, clung persistently to their own language and peculiar religious tenets, forming an element known as the Pennsylvania Dutch. Although they have been in this country for several generations, there are families, even yet, that speak broken English. Though a Quaker state Pennsylvania bore an honorable part in the War of the American Revolution. The Continental Congress held most of its sessions, it may be remembered, in Pennsylvania cities. POPULATION. The population of Pennsylvania in 1900 was 6,302,115. Of this number 1,639 were Indians, 1,927 Chinese, and 156,845 negroes. About one-eighth of the people live on farms. Philadelphia is the largest city. Harrisburg on the Susquehanna is the capital. The legislation of the state divides the cities into three classes. Philadelphia stands alone in the first class; Allegheny, Pittsburgh, and Scranton form the second class; the third class cities of the state have a population of over 25,000; named in order of size they are Reading, Erie, Wilkesbarre, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Altoona, Johnstown, Allentown, McKeesport, Chester, York, Williamsport, and Newcastle. EDUCATION. A system of public education went into effect in 1834. The state does not have the public school fund enjoyed by Northwestern States. The constitution requires the General Assembly to appropriate at least $1,000,000 a year for the use of common schools . The amount actually appropriated is several times this sum. There are thirteen state normal schools. An agricultural college is maintained in Center County. The State University of Pennsylvania is located at Philadelphia. It owes its origin to the efforts, largely, of Benjamin Franklin. It is heavily endowed. Its medical department is the oldest medical school in the United States. STATISTICS. The following statistics are the latest to be had from trustworthy sources: Land area, square miles 45,086 Population (1909) 7,200,000 Philadelphia 1,515,756 Pittsburg 558,123 Allegheny 145,240 Scranton 126,575 Reading 97.231 Erie 63,652 Wilkesbarre 64,323 Harrisburg 58,530 Lancaster 49,962 Altoona 50,814 Number of counties 67 Members of state senate 50 Representatives 204 Salary of governor $10,000 U. S. representatives 32 Presidential electors 34 Assessed valuation of property $4,405,000,000 Value of property $11,473,000,000 Bonded indebtedness $3,000,000 State revenue $27,000,000 Exports $95,000,000 Imports $80,000,000 Miles of railway 11,265 Acres of improved land 13,209,000 Agricultural Products-- Corn, bushels 57,275,000 Wheat, bushels 29,415,000 Oats, bushels 27,382,000 Barley, bushels 234,000 Rye, bushels 5,660,000 Potatoes, bushels 20,000,000 Hay, tons 4,000,000 Tobacco, pounds 39,000,000 Wool, pounds 5,700,000 Butter, pounds 111,000,000 Eggs, dozens 60,000,000 Domestic Animals-- Horses 607,000 Mules 41,000 Milk cows 1,152,000 Other cattle 965,000 Sheep 1,102,000 Goats 2,197 Swine 990,000 Fowls 11,000,000 Manufacturing establishments 23,495 Capital invested $1,995,836,000 Operatives 763,282 Wages $368,000,000 Raw material $1,143,000,000 Output of manufacturers $1,995,551,000 Output of textiles $181,000,000 Tons of coal mined 226,545,000 Petroleum, barrels 10,000,000 Tons of iron ore 837,000 Glass output $28,000,000 Iron and steel products $590,000,000 Clay products $20,000,000 Quarry products $14,000,000 Teachers in public schools 34,013 Pupils enrolled 951,670 Average monthly salary of men teachers $61.21 Average monthly salary of women teachers $46.85 Average annual expenditure per pupil $33.61 See Penn ; Franklin ; Braddock ; Philadelphia ; Pittsburg ; Coal ; Oil ; Iron , etc. 2026 Editor's Note: This page uses language about race that was commonplace when the book was published and is offensive by today's standards. The text has been left exactly as it was printed, rather than cut or softened, so that the historical record — including how ordinary such language once was — is preserved. (Ed: BR 2026-07-22)
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a State in the North Atlantic Division of the United States, bounded by New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, and Lake Erie; one of the original 13 States; capital, Harrisburg; counties, 67; area, 45,126 square miles; pop. 5,258,014; (1900) 6, 6,302,115; 1; (1920) 8,720,017. (1910) 7,665,111; (1 Topography. The State presents efined physical divisions, the three well defined E. plain, middle hills, and W. highlands. A number of parallel ridges cross it from N. to S. with a maximum altitude of 2,500 feet. The Appalachian system in Pennsylvania, aside from its general division in two ranges, the Blue or Kittais subdivided tinny, and the Allegheny, y, into a great number of smaller ranges, intersected by numerous broad and fertile valleys. The W. table-land, occupying one-half the area of the State, is a broad rolling plateau, gradually descending toward Lake Erie on the N. W., and has several isolated peaks. There are six distinct water basins draining the State; the Delaware, the Susquehanna, the Genesee, the Potomac, and the Ohio rivers, and Lake Erie. The Ohio is formed by the union of the Monongahela and Allegheny at Pittsburgh. The Susquehanna, though rising in New York, is a Pennsylvania river. The Delaware forms the entire E. boundary and passes through the Delaware Water Gap, a narrow gorge, whose sides rise perpendicularly to a height of 1,200 feet. The Lehigh river joins the Delaware at Easton. This river rises in the coal regions and flows through a region of magnificent scenery. Lake Erie forms 45 miles of the N. boundary of the State and has an excellent harbor at Erie. Geology. The geological formations of the State are of the Azoic, Mesozoic, and Palæozoic periods. The first is situated in the S. E. and is crossed by a narrow belt of the Mesozoic. The Palæozoic formations cover the remainder of the State. Drift deposits in the shape of sand and gravel occur in the N. and N. W. counties. The Lower Silurian occurs in Lancaster, Berks, and Lehigh counties. Mineral Production. - Pennsylvania exceeds any other States in the value of the mineral products. This is due chiefly to the production of coal. The production of anthracite coal in the State in 1919 was 86,200,000 tons, and the bituminous coal, 145,300,000 tons. Both of these figures show a considerable decrease from 1918. The bituminous coal production reached the lowest level since 1915. Over 150,000 men are employed in and about the anthracite coal mines, with about 185,000 men in and about the bituminous coal mines. Pennsylvania ranks first in the production of petroleum, but of late years the production has fallen off, while that in other States has greatly increased. The production of crude petroleum in 1918 was 7,407,812 barrels, valued at $29,606,079. The State is a large producer of natural gas. The value of the production in 1918 was $24,344,324. The production of iron ore was 515,845 tons, valued at $982,173. The pig iron produced was 14,701,- 252 long tons. In addition the other more important mineral products are cement, clay products, and coke. The production of the latter in 1918 was 26,- 723,645 short tons, valued at $160,357,- 274. Agriculture. As an agricultural State, Pennsylvania stands high. It ranks first in the United States in the production of rye, and has large crops of other cereals. The S. E. counties are remarkably fertile, Chester being noted for its nurseries, and Lancaster for its tobacco crop. The acreage, production and value of the principal crops in 1919 were as follows: corn, 1,536.000 acres, production 72,192,000 bushels, value $106,122,000; buckwheat, 256,000 acres, production 5,530,000 bushels, value, $7,- 742,000; oats, 1,189,000 acres, production 36,859,000 bushels, value $29,487,000; wheat, 1,664,000 acres, production 29,- 055,000 bushels, value $62,758,000; rye, 228,000 acres, production, 3,648,000 bushels, value $5,727,000; tobacco, 41,000 acres, production 54,120,000 pounds, value $9,200,000; hay, 2,978,000 acres, production 4,318,000 tons, value $103,- 632,000; potatoes, 254,000 acres, production 25,400,000 bushels, value $39,116,- 000. The natural forest trees include pine, poplar, beech, sugar maple, chestnut, birch, wild cherry, walnut, oak, hickory, ash, cherry, elm, sycamore, and hemlock. Considerable attention is paid to stock raising, and dairying is becoming one of the leading industries. Manufactures. - Pennsylvania ranks second in the United States in the value of her manufactures. Besides the leading industries of coal mining, coke, iron and steel manufacture, and the production of petroleum, the State has extensive manufactures of plate and bottle glass, paper bags, rag carpets, woolen goods, glue, railroad cars, drugs and chemicals, gunpowder, leather, and lumber. Pittsburgh, Homestead, Johnstown, and Bethlehem are noted for their extensive iron works, Pittsburgh, for glass; Pittston, Hazleton, Wilkesbarre, Shenandoah, Ashland, Pottstown, and Scranton, for their anthracite coal; Monongahela City, Irwin, Mercer, Towanda, Connellsville, Johnstown, Idlewood and Philipsburg for their bituminous coal; Philadelphia for general manufactures, locomotives and ship building; Connellsville, for coke; Altoona and Reading for railroad cars and repair shops; and Scranton for its collieries and steel works. Other important manufacturing centers are Erie, Lancaster, Easton, Allentown, Chester, York, Oil City, Norristown, Carbondale, Pottsville, Harrisburg, Corry, Phenixville, Bristol, and Titusville. In 1914 there were 27,521 manufacturing establishments, employing 924,478 wage earners. The capital invested was $8,149,- 411,000, and the value of the finished product $1,688,921,000. Banking. On Oct. 31, 1919, there were reported 838 National banks in operation, having $120,569,000 in capital, $85,- 072,000 in outstanding circulation, and $444,621,000 in United States bonds. There were also 224 State banks, with $19,076,000 capital, and $328,536,000 resources; 315 loan and trust companies, with $108,987,000 capital, and $152,804,- 000 surplus. The exchange at the United States Clearing Houses at Philadelphia, for the year ending Sept. 30, 1919, aggregated $21,320,246,000. Education.-School attendance is compulsory for children from 8 to 14 years. of age. In 1919 there were 42,749 public elementary schools, with 44,992 teachers and 1,741,143 pupils. There were 911 public high schools, with 5,155 teachers and 124,015 pupils. There were State normal schools, with 4,331 pupils and 282 teachers. The total expenditure for education in 1919 was about $70,- 000,000. The principal colleges include the University of Pennsylvania, at Philadelphia; Lehigh University, at South Bethlehem; Lafayette College, Easton; Bucknell University at Lewisburg; Haverford College, at Haverford; Swarthmore College, at Swarthmore; Pennsylvania State College, at State College; Dickinson College, at Carlisle; Franklin and Marshall College, at Lancaster; Washington and Jefferson College, at Wa ashington; and the Carlisle Indian Training School, at Carlisle. The women's colleges include Wilson College, at Chambersburg; Pennsylvania College for Women, at Pittsburgh; Irving Female College, at Mechanicsburg; and the Moravian College and Seminary for Women, at Bethlehem. Churches. The strongest denominations in the State are the Roman Catholic; Methodist Episcopal; Presbyterian; Lutheran , General Council; Reformed; Regular Baptist; Lutheran, General Synod; Protestant Episcopal; Evangelical Association; United Presbyterian; United Brethren in Christ; and Dunkards , Conservative. Railways. The total railway mileage 1919 was 13,139. in The roads having the longest mileage are the Pennsylvania, the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western, and the Erie. Finances. The total receipts for the year ending Nov. 1, 1919, amounted to $ 41,656,169, and the expenditures to $46,382,701. There was a balance on Nov. 1, 1918, of $9,513,436, and on Nov. 1, 1919, of $4,786,904. The assessed value of real property in 1917 was $6,- 141,384,210. State Government. The governor is elected for a term of four years. Legislative sessions are held biennially in odd years, beginning on the first Tuesday in January, and are unlimited in length. The Legislature has 50 members in the Senate and 207 members in the House. There are 36 Representatives in Congress. History. The country about Delaware Bay was first settled by the Swedes, but they made comparatively little progress in the occupation of the country, Vol. VII-Cyc and passed under the English jurisdiction generally established in 1664. 1681 the territory W. of the Delaware In was granted by royal charter to William Penn who colonized it; and, by the industry and high character of the Society of Friends, by cultivating peace with the Indians, and encouraging emigration, founded a flourishing 13 State, which, before the Revolution, became the seat long of learning, wealth , and and refinement. der the charter granted to William Penn, Unthe region forming the present State of Delaware was included, and the two colonies continued to be so joined till the Revolution of 1776. During the War of the Revolution , Philadelphia was the chief city and capital of the Federation, and Brandywine, Germantown, Valley Forge, and other points, were the scenes of memorable events, which belong to the National history. Independence was first proclaimed here, and the whole colony took a decided part in the final establishment of American liberty. In the Civil War, too, they were not less distinguished, the commonwealth sending to the National army 270 regiments and several unattached companies of volunteers, numbering in all 387,284 men. Pennsylvania was also the scene of one of the most important and most sanguinary battles of the Civil War, that of Gettysburg, the field of which has been converted into a National park, and abundantly adorned with statues and monuments. Next to the Friends the most important immigrations were thos , of the Germans, who have peopled almost entirely several counties adjoining Philadelphia, and still speak the patois known as "Pennsylvania Dutch ," and the Scotch-Irish, who settled in the Cumberland county region, and in many of the counties W. of the Allegheny range, and who have played a most important part in the history of the development of the State.