Main street was owned by the Spring House and Sumneytown Turnpike Company and maintained by the company. It is evident from reading the North Wales Borough Council minutes that the turnpike company was lax in keeping the street in a condition of repair that was satisfactory to the council. On November 8, 1882, council passed the following resolution: “President Scott and B. K. Johnson were appointed a committee to secure by purchase, or lease, from the Spring House and Sumneytown Turnpike Road Company that portion of their road within the limits of the borough of North Wales, and the extension of the same when extended.”
On February 5, 1883, the committee reported that they had met the board of managers and stock-holders of the company at their annual meeting held at Mainland on the 8th of January 1883, and that the proposition to purchase or lease was rejected. A committee was appointed on behalf of the turnpike company to meet the council committee and confer in reference to granting permission to the authorities of the borough to make sidewalks and pavements on their road.
Council apparently had troubles and disagreements as far back as 1883, as is shown by the following minute of the meeting of April 2 of that year which is quoted in full: “The burgess and members of town council of the Borough of North Wales elected February 20, 1883, for the ensuing term met this evening at the office of I. W. Wampole, being councils regular place of meeting, for the purpose of organizing the transacting such business as may require their attention. Hiram C. Potter, burgess-elect, announced that he was already sworn into office as burgess of the Borough of North Wales and produced a certificate of oath in due form, which however, was not filed among the records of the corporation as required by law, and that upon a former occasion when elected to the same office he was not legally sworn in and that his oath then was of no account.
“A. W. Dettra, a justice of the peace, having administered the same, as appears from the council’s records, informed the members-elect of the town council, all of whom were present, that they could now be sworn into office by him or by a justice of the peace. They decided to be sworn in by the latter. Isaac Wampole, Jr., Elias K. Freed, Benjamin K. Johnson, William A. Smith, William Miller and Peter Lalley were then duly affirmed according to law, to support the Constitution of the United States of America and that of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and perform the duties of their offices as members of the town council of the Borough of North Wales respectively with fidelity, by I. W. Wampole, a justice of the peace in and for the County of Montgomery, Pennsylvania.
“Hiram C. Potter was then appointed chairman of the meeting and I. W. Wampole secretary. B. K. Johnson, E K. Freed and H. C. Potter were then nominated for president of the council. B. K. Johnson withdrew his name as a candidate. A ballot was then had which resulted in a tie vote. William A. Smith insisted upon the right of the burgess to fill the office of president of council and give the casting vote in the case of a tie. Smith asked E. K. Freed to withdraw his name in favor of the burgess, which he declined doing. A second ballot was then had which resulted in H. C. Potter receiving three votes and E. K. Freed two, with one blank ballot being cast. H. C. Potter thereupon declared himself duly elected president of the council for the ensuing term.
“For clerk, I. W. Wampole and Charles Meredith were nominated, whereupon William A. Smith urged the claims of the latter saying that he would perform the duties of the office for twenty-five dollars. The former nominee was asked if he would accept the office at the same sum. He told the Council explicitly that he would not perform the duties of the office including office rent, light, fuel, stationery and the safe keeping of the records of the corporation for less than forty dollars. Considerable discussion was indulged in regarding the clerkship, and a ballot had which resulted in I. W. Wampole receiving a majority of votes polled. He was declared duly elected clerk of the council for the ensuing term.”
The right of H. C. Potter to occupy the position of council president was carried over to the meeting of April 20, 1883, when, “At a meeting of the town council of the Borough of North Wales held agreeably to adjournment, all the members being present, but owing to the persistent determination of Hiram C. Potter to force himself upon the council and be recognized as its president, to which office it was well known he had not been elected, notwithstanding his declaration he was, no business was transacted, and after a suggestion made that the Council meet on Monday evening, April 23rd, 1883, for the purpose of effecting a legal organization, the members withdrew.”
This post is sourced from a column entitled Early North Wales: Its History and Its People penned by long-time North Wales resident historian Leon T. Lewis. The article appeared in its original form in the September 29, 1959 issue of the North Penn Reporter