Greenwood Township near Millerstown in Perry County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Pfoutz Valley
A Land of Abundance and Beauty
| | Perry County Bicentennial 1820 - 2020 | |
Long before European settlers arrived, Native Americans found ample deer, bear and small game in the verdant valley. Fish, clams and mussels abounded in both the Juniata River and Cocolamus Creek. In 1754, the Penn family signed the Albany Treaty with the Iroquois Confederation, opening the land north of the Kittatinney Mountain for settlement. John Pfoutz brought his family north form Lancaster county in 1755. German, English, and Scotch-Irish families from Lancaster and Chester counties soon followed. The Germans chose woodlands, while the English and Scotch-Irish preferred grassy banks of the rivers and creeks.
By the early 1800s, mills dotted Cocolamus Creek and its tributary Hart's Run, grinding the flour, sawing wood, and fulling wool. Over time the valley became almost self-sufficient, with tanneries, tailors, shoe and harness makers, wagon makers, carpet makers, woodworkers, blacksmiths, iron mines and limestone kilns. On the farms, generally 100 to 200 acres in size, harvesters gathered corn, wheat, barley, flax, tobacco, garden vegetables, fruits and nuts, while raising cattle, sheep, hogs and poultry. Wild
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In those pioneer years, farmers hauled their excess grain to Philadelphia in Conestoga wagons. After the canals arrived in Liverpool and Millerstown in 1829, lighter wagons sufficed for hauling goods to the barges. Industrialization in the late 19th century lured many farm hands, tenant farmers and tradesmen away, temporarily challenging the economic stability of the valley. Fortunately, farmers gradually replaced lost workers with mechanized equipment and prosperity returned.
Today, Pfoutz Valley remains richly agricultural, although some dwellers are commuters. Numerous proud descendants of early settlers continued to own and work the land. Farms are now larger and more specialized with one or two cash crops such as dairy, beef, poultry, hogs, corn, soybeans, wheat and hay. These products are transported quickly along major highways to markets well beyond Liverpool and Millerstown.
[Captions:]
Pfouts Valley runs approximately 15 miles east to west between the Susquehanna and Juniata Rivers, bordered on the north by Turkey Ridge and on the south by Wildcat Mountain.
Nekoda store and post office on the Seven Stars Road, ca. 1900. Photo from Perry Heritage Collection.
View of the valley from St. Michael's Cemetery, an historic cemetery founded in 1763.
Erected by Historical
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Colonial Era • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Pennsylvania, Perry County Heritage Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1754.
Location. 40° 35.132′ N, 77° 5.688′ W. Marker is near Millerstown, Pennsylvania, in Perry County. It is in Greenwood Township. It is on Church Road 0.3 miles east of Seven Stars Road (County Road 1001), on the left. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 159 Church Rd, Millerstown PA 17062, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania, in the Susquehanna Valley, and in Greater Harrisburg. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. 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 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Reverend Peter Beaver (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); A History of Millerstown Education (approx. 3.8 miles away); David Miller (approx. 3.9 miles away); The Founding of Millerstown (approx. 3.9 miles away); Millerstown (approx. 3.9 miles away); Millerstown United Methodist Church (approx. 3.9 miles away); a different marker also named Millerstown (approx. 4 miles away); Governor James Addams Beaver (approx. 4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Millerstown.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 4, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 4, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 1,077 times since then and 166 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 4, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
