Education 
History of Mahanatawny/ Pottstown Area
The
name Manatawny (or its older form, Mahanatawny) has always been associated with
the region in and about Pottstown.
The eastern part of the town and
adjacent districts were a section of the Manatawny Tract, which Francis Daniel
Pastorius and others, residing at Frankfort-on-the Main, Germany, had purchased
from Penn, but which was afterwards claimed by John Henry Sprogel of
Holland. Mr. Sprogel came over and
settled upon it with his family, along with his brother, Ludwig Christian
Sprogel, about 1709. These hardy Dutchman were probably the first permanent
settlers in this locality. The matter must have been settled amicably, because
in 1718 records show Ludwig Christian Sprogel’s deed for the conveyance of the
land to Henry Wanger, a Swiss Mennonite pioneer in what is now the borough of
Pottstown. In 1719, John Henry Sprogel
opened the first copper mine in the country on this same site.
At Pottstown, we find the confluence
of the Manatawny Creek and the Schuylkill River. It was here that the industry began that
spread westward in the state and made Pennsylvania the greatest
iron-manufacturing commonwealth. Thomas
Rutter, Samuel Nutt, and Samuel Savage were the pioneers in this
enterprise. Thomas Rutter “removed from
Germany forty miles up the Schuylkill” in 1717 “to the outermost verge of
civilization” and settled at Mahanatawny (now Pottstown) where he erected a
“forge” on the Schuylkill River near the Hanover Street bridge.
On the west side of the Manatawny
Creek stood Mill Park, the sturdy home of Thomas Potts. This household was large with connections
that associated its members with almost all the forges and furnaces of the
countryside. Nearly all of these Colonial industries were making “cannons” and
balls. One made iron clock weights to
replace the leaden ones confiscated for bullets. Dr. Jonathan Potts, the Director of Hospitals
in the Revolution, was a member of this large family.
This great house sheltered the
Father of Our Country on different occasions.
Here he came in his hour of need- after Brandywine- to friends of the
spirit; and here, many feel, were laid the plans for the encampment at Valley
Forge.
The building that became George
Washington’s Headquarters at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-1778 was
owned by Isaac Potts (brother of Thomas).
Isaac willingly relinquished it to accommodate the General and his
officers.
Again in 1794, when on his way to
quell the Whiskey Insurrection in western Pennsylvania, President Washington
traveled the waters of the Manatawny to visit with his tried and true friends
at Mill Park. *
The members of the DAR fly the American Flag to honor our
ancestors and those who are currently serving this nation. To us, the flag is a symbol of what our ancestors
gave their lives and fortunes to create.
“I pledge allegiance
to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it
stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Description of the Flag **
The Flag of the United States of
America has 13 horizontal stripes, 7 red and 6 white (for the 13 original
colonies). The red and white stripes
alternate, starting with a red at the top.
The union (blue panel) consists of one five pointed star for each state
in the union. The union is placed in the
upper quarter next to the pole and extends from the first red stripe at the top
to the lower edge of the fourth red strip.
The union of the flag now contains
50 white stars, each with one of its points facing upward.
August
21, 1959, was the last time a star was added to the flag, with the admission of
Hawaii to the union. The flag does not become official after a star is added
until the following Fourth of July. In
this case the flag became official on July 4, 1960, and is the one we still fly
today.
Tips on flying the
American Flag**
If displaying the flag any way other
than on a pole inside or outdoors, it should lay flat so its folds fly free,
not touching the floor or ground.
If displaying over a street, the
flag should be suspended free with the union facing north in an east/west
street or east on a street that runs north and south.
When flying the flag at half-staff
it should be hoisted to the peak of the pole for an instant and then lowered to
half the distance between the top and bottom of the pole. When the flag is
lowered for the day it is once again raised to the peak of the pole for an
instant and taken the rest of the way down.
Days to fly the Flag 2010
The flag should be displayed
on all days, but especially the following:
New
Year’s Day- January 1st Memorial
Day- June 30th (half staff until noon)
Martin
Luther King’s Birthday- January 15th Fourth of July- July 4th
Abraham
Lincoln’s Birthday- February 12th Labor Day- September 1st
Presidents’
Day- February 18th Constitution
Day- September 18th
George
Washington’s Birthday- February 22nd Columbus Day- October 12th
Easter
Sunday- March 30th Election Day- November 4th
Armed
Forces Day- 3rd Saturday in May Veterans Day- November 11th
Mother’s
Day- May 11th
Thanksgiving Day- November 27th
Flag
Day- June 14th Christmas Day- December
25th
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Last Update: 6/3/2010
*Information
for this article was researched from the booklet History of the Mahanatawny
Chapter 1939- 1989.
**Information
included in the article was researched from the pamphlet The Flag Code,
reprinted May 1969 and distributed by the NSDAR.