February 13, 1880: Colebrookdale Railroad Changes People's Lives

By Margaret Leidy Harner 

(from her book One Day at a Time: A Social History of Boyertown, PA).

February 13, 1880: The Colebrookdale Railroad has altered people’s habits and lives. The work of mining and manufacturing along the Colebrookdale branch is now booming with bustling activity at Boyertown, Glasgow, and the other stations on the line. The Colebrookdale Ironworks ships thousands of pounds of sad irons on the rail line.

Whenever he has business in Philadelphia, Father Bally, the priest of the Most Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church, no longer has to throw a saddle across his horse and ride to Pottstown, spending the night with a friend before catching the morning train. He now makes the return journey in one day and remains fresh.

Excursions have been arranged for people to all sorts of places, including Niagara Falls and the Jersey seashore, opening new vistas in their lives.

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