Montour-Northampton County PA Archives Biographies.....RIEHL, James L. 1829 - living in 1899 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com July 2, 2005, 9:09 pm Author: Biographical Publishing Co. JAMES L. RIEHL, president of the Agricultural Society of Danville, and owner of the Montour Hotel, which he conducted for many years, is one of the popular and esteemed residents of the town of Danville, and is spending his latter days in enjoying the fruits of the labors of his younger years. He was born in Northampton County, Pa., near the town of Easton, in July, 1829, and is a son of John and Susanna (Shimer) Riehl, and a grandson of John Riehl, Sr. John Riehl, the father of our subject, was born at Easton, Northampton County, Pa., and his early days were spent working in a blacksmith shop; later he purchased a fine farm and was one of the leading farmers of his community. By the exercise of economy, he succeeded in accumulating enough money to purchase another farm, and now owns two of the best farms in his section of the county. Our subject was reared upon his father's farm, where he assisted him in his labors, but in 1851 he became a hotelman, which proved to be the calling to which he was best adapted, as he built up a reputation that will stand as an example to the rising generation. His first hotel was known as the American House, at Easton, Pa., but a few years later he moved to Bethlehem, Pa., where he opened the American House and conducted that hotel for some time, when he moved to Mauch Chunk, Pa., and opened the Mansion Hotel. In 1860 he went to Danville and bought the Montour House, which was a part of the Montgomery estate,.of Magill & Boyd. He enlarged and remodeled his purchase into a three-story building, which has fifty-six finely furnished rooms and a large dining-room, office and salesroom. The hotel is on the corner of Mill and Market streets, one of the best locations in Danville for his business. In 1892 our subject retired from active life and has leased his hotel to his nephews, Augustus L. and Samuel B. Cressman, who have continued the business to the present time. In 1888 Mr. Riehl was made president of the Danville Agricultural Society. This association dates back to February I, 1856, when the first fair was held in Montour County, then Columbia County. For many years Danville held the largest fairs in this section of the state; May 8, 1892, the name of the society was changed to the Montour County Agricultural Society of Danville. The society owned a tract of land consisting of seventy-six acres, well equipped for a fair ground. In 1896 the buildings on the grounds were destroyed by a heavy wind and Mr. Riehl, being a large stockholder, purchased the fair ground. For some time our subject has contemplated putting the fair ground into a farm, as the land is well adapted to farming purposes, but as yet the ground is still used for the fair. Mr. Riehl was united in marriage to Elizabeth Cressman, a daughter of Samuel B. Cressman, of Bucks County, Pa., and our subject was called upon to mourn the loss of his beloved companion, who passed from this life in 1887, at the age of fifty-nine years. One child was the result of their union, Lizzie, who died, aged six months. Mr. Riehl purchased of Mrs. Susan Woodside the property at No. 9 East Front street; he has remodeled and enlarged the same into a handsome residence. He is a member of the Danville Lodge No. 224, F. & A. M.; Danville Chapter No. 239, R. A. M., and Calvary Commandery No. 37, K. T. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District Published by Biographical Publishing Company of Chicago, Ill. and Buffalo, NY (1899) This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/pafiles/ File size: 4.0 Kb