Oley Township was first settled in 1712, when the name Oley appeared in the land warrant issued to Isaac DeTurck. Its name is attributed to the Lenni Lenape, who called the region Olink, meaning a hollow, or kettle. During the following decades, many immigrants from Germany, Switzerland, France and England were attracted to this fertile valley. By the year the Township government was established, in 1740, over 50 families had acquired land parcels taking up a large portion of the township's land.
The Colonial period established patterns in land use, architecture and family heritage that have given Oley its enduring rural historic character. Farms, fencerows and roads follow 1740 boundaries. Stone cabins and springhouses reveal the role water sources in the siting of homesteads. Distinctive Pennsylvania German stone farmhouses, barns and outbuildings, outstanding in quality and quantity, define their time and place. Ironworks villages, Spangsville and Oley Furnace, display early industrial development. Three very special farms have been in the ownership of the same family for over 250 years: the Hoch Homestead, since 1728, the Kaufman Farm, since 1727, and the Yoder Homestead, since 1714!
Waterpower was a critical industrial resource in the 18th and 19th centuries. The swift flowing creeks: Bieber, Furnace, Little Manatawny, Manatawny, and Monocracy powered grist, lumber, paper and fulling mills. Although no longer serving their purpose, seven of these mills still exist. Waterpower also determined the sites of Oley's major iron works, Oley Forge and Oley Furnace.
In addition to the ironworks villages, Oley's 19th century growth took place largely in the villages of Oley and Pleasantville. Forming around taverns or inns, the villages developed as mixed manufacturing centers for businesses and retired farmers. Main Street, Oley, became a primary commercial center between 1860 and 1960. In more recent times, some of its stores have moved to highway-oriented locations, although small craft shops have recently made a comeback.
Oley's major historic church locations are Oley Village and Spangsville, although smaller churches are found in Pleasantville and rural areas. There were nine one-room schools, and, additionally, the Oley Academy, a school of higher education founded in 1860.
Oley is best known for its productive soils and exceptional farming heritage. The whole community has made an effort to support the farming industry and maintain a strong agricultural base. Consequently, in the 1990s, effective agricultural preservation zoning was enacted for much of the township, and subsequently, over 6,000 acres have been protected with agricultural conservation easements. This protects not only the agricultural viability of the land, but its historical character as well.
It is because of Oley's scenic landscape of productive farms and villages that Oley Township is the only township in the nation to be listed in its entirety on the National Register of Historic Places.
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