Fire for Farm and Forge: The Land Use History of Boiling Springs
It is relatively common knowledge that the powerhouse industry of Pennsylvania from the 1700s-1800s was iron, with steel following in its wake. Boiling Springs, where I spent my early years, was no exception. But the land-use history of Boiling Springs dates back further than the advent of ironworks in the area.
In pre-settler times, the primary tribes inhabiting Pennsylvania were of Iroquois and Algonquin allegiance. In Boiling Springs specifically, an Iroquois tribe known as the Susquehannock reigned supreme. The Susquehannocks are noted to have employed slash and burn techniques in their agriculture: this included clearing and burning forests to plant crops in the ashes, as well as cutting and burning their own established fields and planting new waves of crops in the remnants. However, as soils become almost completely bereft of nutrients following approximately 20 years of use, the Susquehannocks would often opt to simply move their villages, allowing the land to regenerate into its natural form. Common crops were corn, beans, and squash, with corn comprising about half of the diet. Deer, elk, bear, and fish were hunted and wild plants, fruits, and nuts were harvested to add variety to the diet and create pemmican to trade to settlers (4).
Land management techniques changed with the European settling of Boiling Springs before 1737. Of principal concern as the town developed was its capacity as a hub for iron refining and forging; the presence of streams in the area coupled with dense woods and large deposits of iron in the region made Boiling Springs a perfect candidate for fostering this burgeoning industry (5). As such, the 30 or so springs that fed into the Yellow Breeches Creek were dammed in the 1750s to create Children’s Lake, which would provide water power for what would become known as Carlisle Ironworks. To feed the workers of the ironworks, a gristmill was also constructed at the end of Children’s Lake in 1762 (3).
As the iron industry ramped up and more folks trickled into the region, some laid claim to large plots of land; in the 1830s, Abraham Kaufman established a farm south of East Old York Road, while Frederick Brechbill farmed a plot to its north. These farms likely employed crop rotations of corn, barley or oats, wheat, and finally grass (for livestock production), with the roughage remaining of each crop being plowed into the field for the next (2). Forty-eight acres of Kaufman’s farm was purchased by his son, Daniel, in 1843. Two years later, Daniel founded the town of Boiling Springs and sought to bring more people to the area (6). The prosperity of the ironworks warranted the building of a railroad in the 1870s through the area adjacent to East Old York Road, and in 1875, a steamboat was run on the lake to ferry visitors and residents along the Yellow Breeches Creek as Children’s Lake and the surrounding area became an attractive recreation spot. The Valley Traction Company leased the lake in 1900 and subsequently built a park around the lake and ran a trolley line through the area until 1930 (7). Boiling Springs became something of a resort community.
The soils of the Yellow Breeches watershed today are overwhelmingly well-drained soils that are also very fit for agricultural productivity, with all being classified as either Type I (prime) or Type II (good) soils. As a result, there is an excess of farmland in the surrounding area and despite the presence of vegetative barriers surrounding the Yellow Breeches, rainout events can often result in leaching of nutrients into the river and increased sedimentation of the river. Additionally, the abundance of limestone in the region results in slightly acidic waters that can be more strongly affected by pollutants (1). None of this is helped by the river’s somewhat slow flow rate partially caused by its damming to create Children’s Lake. Additionally, the invasive Mute Swan can be found on Children’s Lake, and its effects on vegetation populations are surmised to be detrimental. The end result is a Yellow Breeches that is prone to occasional minor ecological upset.
1. https://www.ccpa.net/DocumentCenter/View/2328/Watershed_Assessment?bidId=
4. https://www.susquehannaheritage.org/susquehannock-culture/
5. https://explorepahistory.com/story.php?storyId=1-9-17
6. http://gardnerlibrary.org/encylopedia/boiling-springs
7. https://www.etown.edu/programs/momentum/Cumberland%20County%20Boiling%20Springs.pdf
Hi Logan! It was very interesting to read about the history of Boiling Springs. At the end of your post you mention the invasive mute swan! Until very recently I learned that there are two swans and this mute swan is actually invasive. I never knew that. Have you noticed any affects that this mute swan brings to Children's Lake, possibly to other waterfowl?
ReplyDeleteHey Logan, interesting post! I went to Lehigh so seeing a PA town caught my eye. Have there been any lasting ecological effects of the Ironworks? Apart from the dam, I am curious if there have been any soil or groundwater contamination issues in the area. If pollution was discharged into a flowing river then maybe it is all gone, but often times industry will dispose of waste into the soil where it can remain for decades and eventually leach into groundwater. It sounds like Boiling Springs has remained somewhat undeveloped at least compared to some of the industry towns in PA like Bethlehem, are there a lot of undisturbed habitats in the area?
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