The borough of Highspire was laid out in 1814 by two German settlers, Barnes and Daughterman. There is debate as to whether the town received its name from the settler’s native village of Spire or Speyr, or if the town was named by river men for a church steeple that rose above the town. Before its incorporation as a borough, Highspire was part of Swatara Township. The township split in two in 1840 and what is now Highspire became part of Lower Swatara Township. Highspire was incorporated as a borough in 1867 but this was annulled in 1868. It was not until 1904 that the Legislature formally approved the incorporation of Highspire as a borough. The first inhabitants in the area are believed to have been the Andaster or Susquehannock Indians. The Susquehannocks dominated the Susquehanna River Valley until they refused to join the Iroquois Confederation and were destroyed. Following the destruction of the Susquehannock Village, the first record of settlement in the area was in 1763 when Colonel James Burd, an officer in the provincial militia, constructed a large stone house overlooking the southern end of modern day Highspire. The house came to be known as Tinian and still stands today. Colonel Burd played an important role in fortifying the Pennsylvania frontier after Braddock’s Defeat left it unexposed to the depredations of the French and Indians. He initially worked as a road builder in the Braddock’s Expedition and his road building efforts paid off for the Forbes expedition in 1758. He also contributed to the construction of Fort Ligonier. In 1775, John Hollingsworth constructed a stone grist mill in the borough. This mill was inconstant operation until it was destroyed by fire in 1860; it was eventually rebuilt in 1863. The mill was owned by the Uhlmann Company through 1989 and ran under the names Wheatena Corporation and Maypo Cereal. In 1987, the Uhlmann Company leased the flour milling business in Highspire to ConAgra Foods, but retained ownership of the mill. American Home Foods purchased ownership of the mill in 1988 but the Uhlmann Company retained rights to the Maypo brand under a long term royalty agreement. The brand was sold when International Home Foods acquired American Foods in 1996. In 2000, Conagra Foods acquired International Home Foods and the Maypo brand. On October 31, 2001, the Maypo brand and the Highspire facility were purchased by William Stadtlander, the owner of the newly started company Homestat Farms. In 2008, Wilkin-Rogers began to lease the old mill in hopes of producing flour for baking. Unfortunately, Wilkin-Rogers decided not to renew their lease as of December 31, 2009 and in 2010 parts of the inside of the mill were sold off and the old mill now sits empty. To this day, Maypo is still manufactured, by Homestat farms, in Highspire and there are times when the sweet maple scent can be smelt while walking the streets of the downtown. Transportation has heavily influenced the growth of the borough. In the latter part of the 18th Century, growth spurred as Highspire became a major port along the Susquehanna River in the lumber industry. Logs from up river saw mils were joined into huge rafts and floated downstream. Because of a series of falls and rapids between Middletown and Marietta, navigation in this area was extremely dangerous. To overcome this obstacle, a group of men were specially trained to steer the rafts through the rapids. Headquarters for these men were formed in Highspire in large white house. The farmland surrounding the early “port” of Highspire was suitable for cultivating a variety of crops. However, it was difficult and expensive to ship foodstuff to the eastern markets, so the farmers in and around Highspire chose to produce grain for the production of whiskey. The whiskey was shipped by boat to Havres De Grace and Baltimore. This resulted in the establishment of the Highspire Distillery in 1823 by Robert Wilson, who also operated it until 1870. This distillery then changed hands to become the Highspire Distilling Company in 1901 and produced more than 5,500 barrels a year. The 18th Amendment instituting prohibition brought this industry to an end in the Borough. In the second decade of the 19th Century, the first major east-west road in Pennsylvania was completed connecting Philadelphia to Pittsburg. The “Great Highway” was passed through Highspire in the general location of what is now Second Street. Also influential in the 19th Century was the Pennsylvania Canal System. The main line of the Pennsylvania Canal System joined with the Union Canal in Middletown and continued through Highspire and Steelton to Harrisburg. This provided an effective source of transportation for freight traffic between Philadelphia and Pittsburg. The development of the Pennsylvania Railroad System eventually led to the abandonment of the Pennsylvania Canal System
*** I've wanted to place a cache in this area for some time. Reservoir Park was the home of my first geocache find (now archived). I've decided to recycle the coordinates here to keep people coming to this little park The cache is an easy and straightforward hide. (You shouldn't need a hint.) The real treasure here is the history of Highspire and the ecosystem of the reservoir. Please use care when searching as you will be close to a roadway. There is plenty of parking available. Feel free to enjoy the trail nearby. There is an abundance of waterfowl and turtles in the reservoir and plenty of photo opportunities. Feel free to post photos.
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