The right of H. C. Potter to fill the chair of the president of North Wales Borough Council still persisted at the meeting of April 23, 1883, when we find the following in the record: “At a meeting held this evening at which all the members were present, on motion of B. K. Johnson, the proceedings of the council elect at their meeting held on the 2nd day of April 1883, which proved to be illegal, was annulled, and a proposition to proceed and organize was agreed to, the members of council having been previously duly affirmed according to law.
“B. K. Johnson was appointed chairman of the meeting and I. W. Wampole secretary. A communication was handed in by William A. Smith. William Miller and Isaak Wampole, Jr., were then nominated for president. Mr. Miller withdrew his name and Isaac Wampole, Jr., was elected president of the council by acclamation and took his seat as such.
“Isaac W. Wampole was nominated for clerk of the council. There being no other nominations, he was also elected by acclamation.
“Franklin S. Kriebel and Henry W. Moyer were nominated for borough treasurer and Smith and Johnson appointed tellers of election, and a ballot had which resulted in a tie vote. A second ballot was had which resulted in F. S. Kriebel receiving four votes, being a majority of the vote polled, was declared duly elected borough treasurer for the ensuing term.
“The communication handed in by William A. Smith was then read and found to contain what Hiram C. Potter claimed to be his resignation as president of the council, not having been elected president, although having declared himself to be. The same was neither accepted or rejected but simply received and filed.”
August 6, 1883, on motion of E. K. Freed, Dr. B. K. Johnson was appointed a committee to request the president of the Spring House and Sumneytown Turnpike Road Company to call a special meeting of the stockholders to vote on the question of granting the borough the privilege of using seven feet of their road on each side for a sidewalk and pavement so far as the same extends through the borough.
The borough was evidently expanding, for on August 13, 1883, the following motion was made by Dr. Johnson, “That a petition be got up for the extension of the borough limits and the lines for such extension be run and a draft of the same made as soon as practicable, which was agreed to.” The committee appointed for this extension reported on March 3, 1884, “Having seen J. M. Swartley, S. U. Brunner and H. R. Swartley, who are willing to sign a petition in favor of extension. On motion the committee was continued and instructed to procure a petition and get as many signers as possible, and if sufficient signers be had, to order a survey.”
At this same meeting the report of the Spring House and Sumneytown Turnpike Company granting the right and authority to the borough along each side of said turnpike road for the use of pavements, to be kept in repair by the borough was read and accepted. Dr. Johnson was continued the committee on this matter and was authorized to have a lease drawn and executed between the borough and the turnpike company for the term of ninety years. This lease was presented and accepted by the borough on May 5, 1884.
In order to keep the streets of the borough free from loungers, the following ordinance was passed by council on June 2, 1884:
“That all persons found lounging at street corners, post office, stores or other public places within the borough of North Wales, or obstructing the entrance or passageway to a church, shall be arrested and on conviction pay a fine of two dollars and fifty cents for each offense, and the costs of prosecution, and in default of the payment of the same shall be confined in the lockup for a period of not less than twelve hours.”
Those of us who pass over Main street today cannot visualize the condition it was in on June 5, 1884, when George Kreamer claimed seven dollars as damages for being stranded with his team of horses on Main street, the street having been recently filled and a heavy storm raging at that time. After considerable discussion Mr. Kreamer’s bill was paid.
The extension of the borough limits again held the attention of council on August 8, 1884, when the committee reported that a majority of the property owners, residing in the proposed new district, had signed in favor of the extension. Accordingly a special meeting was held on August 5 for the purpose of agreeing upon the lines of the proposed extension. On behalf of the committee, Isaac Wampole presented a plot plan taking in part of Samuel R. Gordon’s land, Jacob Swartley, Joseph W. McCracken, Elizabeth Ruth, William T. Ray, James Z. Wambold, Abel Penrose, S. U. Brunner, Jacob L. Young, I. M. Harley, Catherine Haas, Jacob Zebley, Harry Swartley and Joseph K. Anders, The plan was agreed to and the committee instructed to have a survey made.
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 October 6, 1959 issue of the North Penn Reporter