History :

Brecknock Township, named after the cathedral town of Brecon, capitol of Breconshire (or Brecknockshire), Wales, was founded in 1740 as a part of Lancaster County. The Township was divided at the founding of Berks County in 1752. The earliest permanent settlers on the Berks County side were three Bowman brothers, namely Jacob, John, and Christian, who moved up from Pequea about 1735 to occupy land along the upper part of the Allegheny Creek.

The first tax collector for Brecknock (Berks) was Jeremiah Ziemer who immigrated from Germany in 1738. The first tax list in 1752 contained 36 names, all of German, Alsatian, and Swiss origin. The first federal census in 1790 reported that there were 60 households in the Township. By 1870 there were four churches in Brecknock – two Mennonite churches, one Lutheran-Reformed Union church, and one independent church.

By 1893 there were three U.S. Post Offices – Knauers, Alleghenyville, and Hummel’s Store, all of which were closed by 1913, after which postal service was provided from Mohnton. There were six one-room public schools operating in the Township by 1895 – Allegheny, Maple Grove, Stafford, Trostel’s, Gebhart (Union), and Remp’s, all of which were closed by Fall of 1955 when the new Brecknock School opened.

In 1900 there were 203 property owners, 54 tenant families, and seven single men on the tax list. Total tax receipts for the year ending March 24, 1900 amounted to $1,355.00, nearly all of which went for road maintenance. Throughout its history Brecknock Township has been almost entirely agricultural.

Until recent times, nearly all of its residents were engaged in dairy and related farming, or fruit and vegetable truck farming. Also several residents were employed in related occupations such as harness-making, blacksmithing, charcoal making for nearby iron furnaces, timbering, and the operation of sawmills and gristmills. Taverns were operated at various times at Knauers and Hummel’s Store.