NOTE: It is hard to imagine Upper Darby Twp. as being farm land 100 years ago. The township was one of the first in Delaware County to become fully developed in the 1920's. The opening of the 69th Street Trolley Terminal plus it being so close to Phila. hastened it's development.
CHESTER TIMES
September 7, 1922
PIGGERIES BANNED IN UPPER DARBY
Three Violators of the Township Laws Are Arrested and Fined
It
will be almost next to impossible to raise pigs in Upper Darby in the future,
all because the Board of Health of that progressive township, which is destined
to be a large city before many years, has decided to either make the few
remaining pig owners live up to the letter of the law of the township, or quit
the business.
Until
five years ago, Upper Darby Township was a place where thousands of porkers
were raised for the market, but the township, during the past few years, has
developed from a farming section to a beautiful rural community with hundreds
of fine homes. People coming to the
township do not want to be annoyed by noxious odors, and the Board of Health
and the commissioners of the township has taken the necessary steps to give
Upper Darby pure health and pure air – not air permeated with the odors of
swill and filth.
Fifteen
months ago, the commissioners adopted an ordinance which made it a violation of
the township for any person, persons or corporation to keep pigs within 100
feet of a running stream, and 1500 feet from any house. The ordinance was adopted and the owners of
pigs were given a full twelve months’ notice to get out of business or to build
their pig sties to come within the scope of the ordinance.
Naturally
many of the pig raisers could not live up to the law, and they moved from the
township. However, three of the six
remaining pig owners failed to comply with the terms of the new regulations and
for their insistence to violate the township law, they were hailed before
Magistrate F. F. Williamson yesterday morning and were fined.
The first defendant was Stanley
Bolenski, who conducts a piggery on the State Road near Burmont Avenue. William J. Steele, health officer for the
township, was called as a witness by Howard M. Lutz, solicitor for the
township. Steele testified that the
defendant operates aw piggery 850 feet from the home of Robert Flynn. That he had advised the defendant time and
again to comply with the ordinance, but that Bolenski always demurred.
Charles Scheidy, a surveyor
employed by A. F. Damon, township engineer, testified that he had made the
measurements referred to by Health Officer Steele.
W. C. Alexander, attorney for
the defendant, admitted his client had violated the law, but asked Magistrate
Williamson to be lenient so far as the punishment was concerned. He asked that the maximum fine of $100 not be
imposed and that his client be left off by paying the costs.
Solicitor Lutz took exception to
the appeal and said that the township is insisting that the ordinance of the
township to become effective if some fine was not placed on the defendant.
Magistrate Williamson thereupon fined Bolenski $25 and costs, a total of
$36.74.
Peter Bolenski, a brother of the
defendant was the second victim. He has
a piggery adjoining that of his brother and was also fined the same amount.
W. E. Gorman, another farmer in
the township, was luckier than the Bolenski’s and got away with paying a fine
of $10 and costs. It was testified by
Health Officer Steele, that Gorman’s pig pens are within sixty feet of a
running stream. Gorman said he would
comply with the township law, by running the water in the stream through a pipe
and carry it off in another direction.
It was also shown that Gorman keeps the pig pens unusually clean.
Health Officer Steele said there
are but six piggeries in the township at this time. Three of them have been in the township for a
long time and the owners will be permitted to retain them so long as they
comply with the law, but said that it was but a question of a short time when
all of the pig raising business in the township will be a thing of the past
because of the hundreds of houses being built.
Mr. Steele also said that three of the piggeries were established since the township ordinance went into effect, and that these must get out of business, as it will be impossible for them to comply with the law.
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Interesting article! I will never look at the corner of State and Burmont the same way again...Bolenski's piggery will spring to mind!
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