"Hegins Township was originally taken wholly from Lower Mahantongo, but after the establishment of Foster Township a portion of it (which had been a part of Barry) was attached to Hegins, and confirmed by the court January 30th, 1858.The earliest settlement that can be traced was that of a half-breed Indian named Hager, who had a cabin on what is now the farm of Valentine Savage, in or about the year 1757. He removed to the Wyoming valley after the massacre, and his place was taken up by a German named Boyner. George Klinger, who was appointed a justice of the peace in 1800, is believed to have been the next to come. Mr. Klinger served as a magistrate for forty years. John Kuntzelman, who settled in 1804 on the Emanuel Dunkelberger farm; James Osman, his nearest neighbor, whose cabin stood near the site of the Dunkelberger grist-mill; Benjamin Bassoer, who took up the Joel Reed farm; Peter Dingler, on the Dingler homestead; Christian Stutzman, where William A. Stutzman now lives; Jacob Haberacker, on the Aaron Otto place; Michael Kessler, at the point known as Kessler's Mill; George Dedrich, where A.B. Kessler, now lives; Christian Kruns, on the Charles Gable place, and Peter Bizler, John Dietrich and Jacob Heberling were the best known of the pioneers of Hegins. The progress of the new settlements was slow, and its people were for many years dependent on their neighbors for local improvements, and often for the means of livelihood.A grist-mill was built by James Osman in 1801 on the site of the Dunkelberger mill; and in 1808 Peter Kones put up a saw-mill on Pine creek, where Peter Stutzman's mill now stands. In 1814 another saw-mill was built, by 220Peter Stutzman, on the place now owned by William Stuzman, in the east end of the township. The first hotel was kept by Joseph Osman, a son of James Osman, where John Conrad now keeps a hotel. It was opened in 1827, and accommodated farmers and teamsters-the latter class usually bringing their own provisions with them and sleeping on the floor. To those who patronized the culinary and bar department the following rates were charged: meals, twenty-five cents; whiskey, three cents a glass; cigars, four for one cent. It is hardly supposable that, with the limited travel of those days, mine host Osman became more than moderately wealthy at those moderate rates, even by combining with his duties the emoluments of the post-office of Lower Mahantongo, which was established in 1827, and to the charge of which he was commissioned.The war of 1812 awakened the patriotism of this frontier settlement, and Peter Bressler, Jonathan Bressler, Peter Dinger, George Dinger, George Dedrich, John Schoup, and John Kessler took up arms to drive the British invaders from our soil. The first painted building in the town was that of Solomon Bressler, who, in 1814, sided up a block house with boards, and applied a coat of paint that was a source of admiration to his friends and neighbors, some of whom traveled long distances to see it. In 1827 Peter Stutzman put up the first framed building, which stood until it was destroyed by fire, in 1860, when a brick house was erected in its place. A log church was built in 1871, and an itinerant preacher, the Rev. Nicholas Hemping, was the first to hold services in it. The old building was taken down in 1874 to make room for the brick structure known as the Friedens Church. It is interesting to note that in some respects public improvements were slow of adoption, while in others commendable enterprise was shown. For instance, although a church was built as early as 1817, it was not until fourteen years later, 1831, that the first bridge was built over Deep creek, near the Dunkelberger place, and not until 1857 that a school was established in a log house near the brick church at Heginsville, with Valentine Savage as its first teacher. A tannery was built by Andrew Shael, about the year 1845, on the site of which E.G. Ressler built, in 1874, and carried on the tanning of slaughter hides up to 1878, when he suspended operations. The population of Hegins in 1860 was 1,102; in 1870, 1,154; in 1880, 1,462." HISTORY OF SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, PA.with Illustrations and Biographical Sketchesof Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers.New York: W. W. Munsell & Co., 36 Vesey Street, 1881Press of George Macnamara, 36 Vesey Street, N.Y.