Hummelstown in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

The Hummelstown Brownstone Company

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 2, 2019

1. The Hummelstown Brownstone Company Marker

Inscription. Though located outside the Borough limits, the Hummelstown Brownstone Company contributed more than any other single industry to the growth of Hummelstown. The brownstone was quarried in a ridge in South Mountain, 2 ½ miles south of Hummelstown. The time of operation was from 1860 until 1929 when the use of a lightweight concrete composition stone and reinforced concrete became favorable to using natural stone. At the peak of its operations, the Brownstone Company employed over 600 people. The original quarry was on the Berst property and evidence exists in the form of early tombstones, dating the quarrying activities to the early 1700s. It is said that the stone for the enlargement of the Union Canal in 1853, as well as the bridges and culverts on the Lebanon Valley Railroad, was quarried here. Henry Brown of Harrisburg, operating under the name of the Pennsylvania Brown Freestone Company, quarried this stone commercially, and in 1866 erected a stone cutting mill in Hummelstown where stone was prepared for shipment to various cities, including Philadelphia, Lancaster, Reading, and Pottsville. In 1867 Allen Walton

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of Philadelphia took over the operations and by 1881 had assumed ownership. In 1886 Walton built a 4-mile railroad connecting the quarries with the Reading Railroad at Brownstone Station. Over the years, the company supplied stone for buildings in St. Petersburg, Florida, the "Brownstones" of New York, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C., and notably, Union Station in Indianapolis, giving evidence of its widespread reputation. The Walton Mansion, built by Allen Walton and presently the American Legion-Post 265 facilities at the east end of town, is one of the many remaining "Brownstone" buildings in Hummelstown.

Brownstone is still quarried today in Pennsylvania and is visible here as the walls of the planters for the 1997 Square Renovation Project.

This plaque donated in memory of Jean Alter by the family.

Erected by The Family of Jean Alter.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1860.

Location. 40° 15.93′ N, 76° 42.483′ W. Marker is in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, in Dauphin County. It can be reached from West Main

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 2, 2019

2. The Hummelstown Brownstone Company Marker

Street west of North Hanover Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2 West Main Street, Hummelstown PA 17036, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania, specifically in Pennsylvania Dutch Country,

in the Susquehanna Valley,

and in Greater Harrisburg.

It is also in the American Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Arch (here, next to this marker); Then And Now (here, next to this marker); Square Project History (here, next to this marker); Hotels of Hummelstown (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Then And Now (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Then And Now (within shouting distance of this marker); On The Square (within shouting

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distance of this marker); Hummelstown (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hummelstown.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 3, 2019. It was originally submitted on August 3, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 970 times since then and 80 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 3, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.