AREA HISTORY:  Business Interests, Wrightsville, York County, PA

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History of York County, Pennsylvania.  John Gibson, Historical Editor.
Chicago: F. A. Battey Publishing Co., 1886.
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BUSINESS INTERESTS – Page 599

The principal business interests of the town may be briefly stated as follows:  
The most important business at this time is the manufacture of cigars, of which 
there are four large manufactories, namely, those of S. R. Kocher, Keller & 
Kline, D. S. Detwiler and Thomson & Bro., giving employment to more than 200 
persons, and making and shipping annually nearly, if not quite 10,000,000 
cigars.  In this connection may also be mentioned the fact that these gentlemen 
are also packers and dealers in leaf tobacco, and the amount of tobacco 
purchased and packed by them, as well as that packed here by Messrs. Skiles & 
Fry, J. Gust. Zook and other Lancaster County dealers, makes Wrightsville the 
center of the tobacco trade of York County.

Kerr, Weitzel & Co., lime dealers and shippers, are largely engaged in the lime 
business, and the building lime burned by them has attained such reputation for 
its whiteness and purity as to create an extensive demand.

One of the most valuable business plants in the town, the Aurora Furnace, of the 
Wrightsville Iron Company, is now idle, and there is no immediate prospect of 
its being put in operation.

The foundry of the Wrightsville Hardware Company, established for the 
manufacture of staple and builders’ hardware, iron toys, etc., is in successful 
operation, and has a gradually increasing trade.  Col. Frank J. Magee is the 
president of the company.

Wrightsville, many years ago, was the center of the lumber trade for a large 
region of country, but the changes made in the mode of doing business in lumber, 
and the rapid exhaustion of the timber on the upper Susquehanna, has caused a 
large decrease in the lumber business here.  The large saw-mills belonging to 
Henry James & Co., of Baltimore, in the southern part of the town, are now 
standing idle, and have been perhaps permanently abandoned.  The large steam 
saw-mill of the Billmyer & Small Company is, however, still in the full tide of 
successful operation, and is perhaps doing a larger business than any other on 
the lower Susquehanna.  This company has also a large lumber yard in connection 
with their mill.  Mr. H. B. Beidler is also engaged in the lumber business, and 
keeps on hand at his yards a full supply of all kinds of lumber.

The Wrightsville Planing-mill and Cigar Box Factory is in the hands of Weller & 
Minnich, enterprising young business men, who are ready to receive orders for 
all kinds of work in their line.

The Wrightsville Star, published by Jacob Weltzhoffer, established in 1854, is 
the only newspaper printed in the town.

The First National Bank of Wrightsville, Henry Kauffelt, president, George K. 
Schenberger, cashier, furnishes banking accommodations to the town and vicinity.

The remaining business places of the town are as follows:  general stores, Jacob 
Gohn, William Witman, George Dietz, H. Keller & Son, G. W. & D. H. Moore, 
Heppenstall Brothers and L. E. Budding; hardware store, John Beidler; stoves, 
tinware, etc., Henry Birnstock; clothing stores, George Dietz and J. L. Weitzel; 
boots, shoes and gent’s furnishing goods, J. J. Jacobs; furniture dealer, Joseph 
Feiser; drug stores, Grant S. Tinsley and P. S. Brugh; brickmaker, Henry E. 
Weitzel; marble worker, M. P. Decker; coal dealer, Cal. G. Smith; harness-
makers, Daniel Rudy and Oliver Freet; confectioners, William H. Miller, Zach. 
Olewiler, L. L. Haines, John A. Moore; blacksmiths, John C. Shutter, Alfred 
Roth; wagon-maker, Jerome B. Swartz; butchers, William S. Sweeney, Abram 
Charles; baker, M. G. Witman; physicians, John A. Thomson, L. L. Rewalt, J. C. 
Channell, George A. Rebman, James L. Jamison; justices of the peace, Frank J. 
Magee, W. W. Moore; shoe-makers, Henry Oaks, Henry A. Hammer, Henry H. Inkrott; 
tailors, John F. Smith, Frank Eibel; cigar stores, W. E. Weller, Keller & Kline, 
Thomson & brother; hotels, Daniel L. Hoke, William -----akle, Adam Sechrist, 
James McLaughlin.