Adamstown, Pennsylvania
Adamstown (Pennsylvania Dutch: Adamschteddel) is a borough that is located in Lancaster County (primarily) and Berks County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.[3]
Not to be confused with Adamsburg, Pennsylvania or Adamsville, Pennsylvania.The population was 1,938 at the time of the 2020 census. Of this, 1,772 were residents of Lancaster County and only seventeen were living in Berks County.
History[edit]
Adamstown was initially founded on July 4, 1761, by William Addams on the site of a former village of Native Americans, and Addams named the community Addamsburry. The community was incorporated as a borough on April 2, 1850,[4] following the passage of a bill by the Pennsylvania General Assembly that was introduced by Representative Joseph Konigmacher the previous month.[5] That year, the borough's population was 307.[6][7]
In 1855, a new stage coach route was established from Lancaster to Reading, which included stops in the communities of Adamstown, Reamstown, Ephrata, New Berlin, and Oregon. The fare from Reading to Adamstown was fifty cents.[8]
The Kagerise Store and House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[9]
The town promotes itself as the antiques capital of the United States because it attracts many antiques dealers and collectors. Adamstown is home to the Stoudt's Brewery, Pennsylvania's first microbrewery, which was established here in 1987. The town is also home to the US's oldest hat manufacturer, the Bollman Hat Company, which was established in 1868.
Geography[edit]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2), all land.
Public services[edit]
The Adamstown Area Library is located at 3000 North Reading Road.[15] The library shares a building with the Adamstown Borough office.
In recent years, the role and responsibility of the library has increased. It became a full-fledged member of the Library System of Lancaster County and is now responsible for providing library services to the 31,000+ residents of Adamstown, Brecknock, Denver, East Cocalico and West Cocalico. The library is run by its own board of trustees.
The spirit of volunteerism is still strong in the library and volunteers continue to play a key role in ensuring the library is funded and assisting in library functions. The library also now benefits from a staff of full-time and part-time trained employees, including a Library Director who holds a master's degree in library and information science.