Aaron Shenk Kreider
Encyclopedia
Aaron Shenk Kreider was a Republican
member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
.
. He attended Lebanon Valley College
in Annville, Pennsylvania
, and graduated from Allentown Business College in 1880.
, in 1880 and engaged in agricultural pursuits and later was employed as a clerk in a store. He returned to Pennsylvania
and engaged in mercantile pursuits in Campbelltown, Pennsylvania
, in 1884 and in Roseland, Pennsylvania, in 1885. He established the town of Lawn, in Lebanon County
, in 1886. He also engaged in agricultural pursuits and in the grain
and coal
business. He moved to Palmyra, Pennsylvania
, in 1893 and shortly thereafter to Annville. He became interested in shoe manufacturing and in banking.
and to the four succeeding Congresses. He served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Interior during the Sixty-sixth
and Sixty-seventh
Congresses). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1922. After his time in Congress, he served as president of the board of trustees of Lebanon Valley College in Annville. He resumed his former manufacturing pursuits until his death in Annville. Interment in Mount Annville Cemetery.
In 1982, the mansion was restored, a wing added, and became an assisted living residence, offering a beautiful homelike setting for retired individuals. In 2002 an additional residence wing was added. The home and independent-living center now offers 46 personal-care rooms for up to 55 residents and seven independent-living Carriage House apartments.
In July 2007, the Hill Farm Estate was purchased by Bethel Pointe Foundation from Wyshock Associates of Newark, DE. A not-for-profit organization based in Providence, R.I., it now oversees daily operations at the 23 acres (93,077.8 m²) site. Inside the stately Federal era mansion, there is a comfortable parlor and lounges, antiques and period reproductions that complement the carefully restored architecture. The community is now called Bethel Pointe at Hill Farm Estate.
Through the renovation of the existing property plus new construction on the 23 acres (93,077.8 m²) approved development site, Affirmative Hillspoint and Ponus Capital, LLC will develop a CCRC campus consisting of 179 residential living units and 54 assisted living units on behalf of Bethel Pointe Foundation. The mansion on the property will be converted to a community center. The carriage house will become an arts and crafts studio, culinary center, and technology suite. Construction will not be complete until 2012.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Birth and Education
Aaron S. Kreider was born on a farm in South Annville Township, PennsylvaniaSouth Annville Township, Pennsylvania
South Annville Township is a township in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Lebanon, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.The population was 2,946 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
. He attended Lebanon Valley College
Lebanon Valley College
Lebanon Valley College is a small, liberal arts higher education institution situated in the heart of Annville in Lebanon County, east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.-History:...
in Annville, Pennsylvania
Annville, Pennsylvania
Annville Township is a township and census-designated place in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,518 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Annville Township is located at ....
, and graduated from Allentown Business College in 1880.
Business Pursuits
He moved to Fulton, MissouriFulton, Missouri
Fulton is a city in Callaway County, Missouri, the United States of America. It is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 12,790 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Callaway County...
, in 1880 and engaged in agricultural pursuits and later was employed as a clerk in a store. He returned to Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and engaged in mercantile pursuits in Campbelltown, Pennsylvania
Campbelltown, Pennsylvania
Campbelltown is a census-designated place in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,415 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Campbelltown is located at ....
, in 1884 and in Roseland, Pennsylvania, in 1885. He established the town of Lawn, in Lebanon County
Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 120,327 people and 32,771 families residing in the county. The population density was 332 people per square mile . There were 49,320 housing units at an average density of 136 per square mile...
, in 1886. He also engaged in agricultural pursuits and in the grain
GRAIN
GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. Our support takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and...
and coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
business. He moved to Palmyra, Pennsylvania
Palmyra, Pennsylvania
Palmyra is a borough in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Lebanon, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,096 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Palmyra is located at ....
, in 1893 and shortly thereafter to Annville. He became interested in shoe manufacturing and in banking.
Public Service and Political Activities
Kreider served as commissioner and chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Annville from 1909 to 1912. He was a delegate to the Republican State Convention in 1910. He served as president of the National Association of Shoe Manufacturers of the United States from 1913 to 1916.House of Representatives
Kreider was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-third63rd United States Congress
- House of Representatives:*Democratic : 291 *Republican : 134*Progressive : 9*Independent : 1TOTAL members: 435-Senate:*President of the Senate: Thomas R. Marshall*President pro tempore: James P. Clarke-Senate:...
and to the four succeeding Congresses. He served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Interior during the Sixty-sixth
66th United States Congress
The Sixty-sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, comprising the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1919 to March 4, 1921, during the last two years of...
and Sixty-seventh
67th United States Congress
The Sixty-seventh United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1921 to March 4, 1923, during the first two years...
Congresses). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1922. After his time in Congress, he served as president of the board of trustees of Lebanon Valley College in Annville. He resumed his former manufacturing pursuits until his death in Annville. Interment in Mount Annville Cemetery.
Hill Farm Estate
Hill Farm Estate was originally built in 1919 on 26 acres (105,218.4 m²) as the spacious and comfortable private home of Kreider and his family. The large Federal mansion is located less than a mile north of Lebanon Valley College on Route 934 in Annville PA. Hill Farm Estate sits in a quiet, scenic county setting with trees, gardens, benches, and walkways high on a hill overlooking the Annville community.In 1982, the mansion was restored, a wing added, and became an assisted living residence, offering a beautiful homelike setting for retired individuals. In 2002 an additional residence wing was added. The home and independent-living center now offers 46 personal-care rooms for up to 55 residents and seven independent-living Carriage House apartments.
In July 2007, the Hill Farm Estate was purchased by Bethel Pointe Foundation from Wyshock Associates of Newark, DE. A not-for-profit organization based in Providence, R.I., it now oversees daily operations at the 23 acres (93,077.8 m²) site. Inside the stately Federal era mansion, there is a comfortable parlor and lounges, antiques and period reproductions that complement the carefully restored architecture. The community is now called Bethel Pointe at Hill Farm Estate.
Through the renovation of the existing property plus new construction on the 23 acres (93,077.8 m²) approved development site, Affirmative Hillspoint and Ponus Capital, LLC will develop a CCRC campus consisting of 179 residential living units and 54 assisted living units on behalf of Bethel Pointe Foundation. The mansion on the property will be converted to a community center. The carriage house will become an arts and crafts studio, culinary center, and technology suite. Construction will not be complete until 2012.
Sources
- The Political Graveyard
- Steve Snyder, Lebanon Daily News, July 26, 2007
- Monica Von Dobeneck, The Patriot News, August 7, 2008