Haines Street
The Reger Property and the First Methodist Church
Perkins Collection (Compiled by Helen C. Perkins, 1900-1909), volume 62, pages 41-42
Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Included are a sketch of the First Methodist Church and two photographs of Jacob and Dorothy Reger as well as the following manuscript text :

"A hundred years ago Haines street was known as 'Pickius ' or 'Beckius' lane. After the First Methodist Episcopal Church was built it was called meeting-house lane, and when Gnt. was incorporated as a borough it was named Haines street. In 1800 Jacob Reger & his wife lived in a little frame house on 'Pickius lane' which was torn down about 1895 to make room for a pair of brick houses. Jacob Reger and Dorothy Shrader were married on November 12, 1799. Dorothy was an enthusiastic member of St. George's church, and after marrying Jacob who was 'not a member of the flock' she became a power for good in Gnt. Jacob was converted and joined the methodists too, and meetings were held in his house very frequently. Jacob was induced to deed a strip of ground on Pickius lane 60 feet front for a small consideration, for a methodist church.

"The church was erected at a total cost of $1276.05. At the corner-stone laying there was a considerable delay in waiting for Brother Ezekiel Cooper who has to have done the honors. After waiting a long time, Daniel Pastorius, a member of the Dunker church, made an address. Without more ado, Dorothy Reger gave out a hymn, offered up a prayer, and proceeded to lay the corner- stone. Nobody was surprised, no one's feelings were hurt, and no one thought much about the affair at the time.

"The Regers had a monopoly of the vinegar business for many, many miles around, which continued for years until the old folks Mr. & Mrs. J. Reger were unable to give it the proper care & supervision. The vinegar was made of the pure apple cider variety without adulteration. Apple growing & fruit raising were important adjuncts in the colonial & Rev. days of old Gnt. The fruit raisers made it possible for the Regers to purchase apples for cider pressing & vinegar making for 50 cts a barrel. Hundreds of bushels of apples yearly were hauled to the Reger vinegar factory. A circular home-made horse power did the work, and Jacob Reger & an assistant shoveled in the apples and caught the cider in barrels. Dorothy Reger, the wife, did her part, too, looking after the little grocery store in the one-and-a-half story building on Germantown road below Pickus' lane. Reger's vinegar became famous. The Conestoga wagons on their trips through Gnt. from Phila. to Pittsburg, some days a hundred or more would stop to take aboard a barrel or two of vinegar, for which the exorbitant price of from $1.50 to $2.-- a barrel was charged."

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