This page sponsored by the
Shoppes of Oley Association.
Go on ... slip your
hands & imagination into clay at Oley's Pottery Studio. Unfurl
your creativity - playing with clay is artistic, fun, therapeutic,
and a wonderful stress-reliever! Clay: get into it (your soul kneads
it) at The Pottery Studio, 313 Main Street in Oley (behind Classic
Flowers & Herbs). Call 610-987-0273!
The
Pottery Studio of Oley will hold the 2nd annual Student Art
Exhibition on Sunday, October 28th from 4 to 6 pm. For more info,
call 610-987-0273, or stop by 313 Main Street (behind Classic
Flowers & Herbs) in Oley!
For more
information on the Shoppes of Oley Association,
visit their website by clicking here.
Below: Although the
street has been paved and the sidewalks have been improved, little
has changed in the quaint village of Oley since this early 20th
century photo.
Below: A tranquil scene in the
village during the early 20th century.
Below: The Oley Valley has
always been a scenic area of Berks County, as depicted in this early
1900's postcard view.
THE FACTS:
Oley Township, the heart of the historic Oley Valley, was settled as
early as 1710, and became a township on September 1, 1740.
The central
village of the township is Oley, which was formerly known as "Friedensburg."
It is the business center of the Oley Valley, which, while peppered
with several quaint shops, services, and restaurants, remains
largely rural.
The Oley Valley
today is known for miles around for such enterprises and products as
candy, dairy products, antique shops, country dining, nurseries, and
the legendary Oley Community Fair which is held every autumn.
For more
information about the Oley Valley, contact the Oley Valley Heritage
Assn., P.O. Box 401, Oley PA 19547. The association meets
in the Oley Township Municipal Building the third Monday of every
month but August at 7:30 p.m.
THE FIGURES: As
the township is blessed with scenic farmland, its 24.2 square miles
are populated relatively sparsely. The latest estimated population
of Oley Township is about 3,600.
THE FUN STUFF:
First, for the uninitiated, the name: Oley. Who, you might ask, ever
would name a place "Oley?"
There is some
speculation on that. It's generally believed that the name comes
from the Indians' name for the valley, Olink, which meant
"kettle," as in the kettle of land surrounded by hills.
But then, there's an unsubstantiated claim that the name was given
to the the valley by early settlers who came upon the valley from
atop one of those hills, saw the light from an Indian campfire
below, and exclaimed "Oh, Licht," or "Oh,
light!" You be the judge.
The Oley Valley is
arguably the most beautiful section of Berks County, framed by
rolling, wooden hills and blessed with incredibly fertile soil.
Horse and dairy farms fill the stream-creased landscape; two covered
bridges span those streams; ancient mills and ironmasters' homes
have been beautifully restored as restaurants, shops, antique
stores, and B&Bs; and handsome Georgian and Colonial mansions
dot the countryside.
The richness of
the Oley soil did not come without cost. It's rock and mineral
deposits led to rampant mining and quarrying, and scars remain. And,
the beauty of the valley has attracted widespread growth which once
seemed unabated. That has tamed a bit through agricultural land
controls and the establishment of the Oley Valley as a National
Historic District.
Oley is also among
the most historic of all Berks County townships. Its early settlers
found it populated by at least three Indian villages, and several
ancient burial and ceremonial grounds have been identified. Still,
today, it would not be terribly unusual to find arrowheads and other
tools of the natives' trades.
The first European
settlers included Moravians, Huguenots, Quakers, and folks of all
religious sects. Naturally, the valley was a veritable crossroads of
religious beliefs, and some of its first residents became national
leaders within their congregation.
It was also in the
Oley Valley that George Boone, grandfather of the pioneer Daniel
Boone, settled in 1717. His homestead is noted by one of the many
historical markers in the beautiful, bountiful, busy, and historic
Oley Valley of Berks County, Pa.
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
