Below: Civic pride shows in
this sign at the entrances to Fleetwood Borough.
Below: Main Street
Fleetwood, as seen in 1907, from a postcard of that era.
Below: Although faded
by time, the faint image of the "Fleetwood" name on the
old auto body manufacturing plant can still be discerned.
Below: The Fleetwood
Area High School is the center of much activity in the community,
and is the home of the 2000 Pennsylvania State Soccer co-champion
"Tigers."
THE FACTS: As early as
1775, there was a tavern on the site of what is now called
Fleetwood. Because many of those who passed by could not read and
write, the sign in the front of the tavern simply depicted a big,
black crow. Hence, the settlement that started to grow around the
tavern became known as "Crowtown."
When it came time to establish a post
office in the growing village in 1852, they opted for the name
"Coxtown", after the Cox family, a major landowner.
It was around 1859 when the Queen
arrived in the town-the "Queen of the Valley," a railroad
line that extended from Reading to Allentown via the present-day
Fleetwood.
The roads and rail line brought growth,
and they brought heavy carriage and wagon traffic from near by
farms, iron and ochre mines, furnaces, and mills. The town became a
bustling market. Cattle yards and factories were established.
Products that emerged included quality picks, hosiery, and grain.
Financial institutions set up shop there, and "Coxtown"
was well on its way to taking on a regional importance.
In 1869, the name was changed to
"Fleetwood," and on October 4, 1873, the village
officially became a borough.
THE FIGURES: In the
latest figures available, Fleetwood boasts a population of 3,775
within its one square mile area.
THE FUN STUFF: How did
Fleetwood get its name? Nobody knows for sure. There is speculation
that it was somehow named after the city of Fleetwood, England. But,
the most romantic notion is that it derived the moniker from the
names of two men who surveyed the lots that became the town-men
named Mr. Fleet and Mr. Wood.
As for "Coxtown," there is an
interesting footnote to the Cox family. Legend has it that it was
their daughter, Susanna, who took a job at a farm in Exeter Township
and became a part of Berks County history there. On that farm,
Susanna Cox murdered her newborn son. She was convicted of the
crime, and hanged in Penn's Common in Reading in 1809. The crime and
execution was a local sensation.
Another interesting historical note from
Fleetwood is the fact that the very first "horseless
carriage" ever, in the entire world, may have made its debut on
the streets of that borough! As early as 1869, James F. Hill
tinkered with the concept of a gasoline-powered vehicle. Soon, Hill
could be seen putt-putting around Fleetwood in his
"machine." Some historians indeed credit that "Hill
Automobile" as being the first real "car" ever built.
And, as Fleetwood became a busy market
town with countless carriages and wagons rumbling through the town
in the late 19th century, there came a need for the repair and
maintenance of those wagons and carriages. Later, in 1909, the
Fleetwood Metal Body Co. became a major player in the production of
automobile bodies. The "Fleetwood Body" was used on the
frames of automakers such as Duesenberg, Packard, Lincoln, Stutz,
Pierce-Arrow, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Mercedes, and Cadillac. In 1925,
the Fisher Body Co. purchased the operation, but only kept it in
operation for only six years.
Still, from that big shop came one
lasting legacy-the "Fleetwood" model of the
Cadillac!
Thanks to WEEU's Charles J. Adams III for help
in compiling this material.
34 North Fourth Street, Reading, PA 19601
Phone: 610-376-7335 Fax: 610-376-7756
E-mail: weeu@weeu.com
