Before the days of the automobile, horses were a key means of transportation, indispensable to farmers for working the fields, and so were extremely valuable. Since there were no police departments in rural areas, people formed various societies for the recovery of stolen horses. One such local organization was the Mount Joy Society for the Recovery of Stolen Horses and Detection of Thieves founded at the King of Prussia Inn in 1774. Although born in the 1950s, our late and esteemed former President, J. Michael Morrison was a life member.
For hundreds of years, horses were of supreme importance as people were so dependent on them. Without their horse, a person could be in serious trouble, and no real gentleman (or gentlewoman) neglected his or her horse. Even before the owner, horses were fed and cared for and received the best attention, as horses were often a person’s most valuable piece of property. Because of its value, the stealing of horses could be a lucrative business for the outlaws of society. Early historians often noted that the loss of a horse or other farm animal such as a cow was a greater economic impact than the loss of a member of the family. With horse thieving such a significant problem back in the day, various “horse protective associations” formed throughout the United States. These were essentially mutual aid societies where subscribers worked together whenever a horse was reported missing to apprehend the thief, turn him over to the authorities, and return the horse to its rightful owner.
The Mount Joy Society for the Recovery of Stolen Horses and Detection of Thieves was founded for just this purpose. The name Mount Joy comes from the fact that most of Upper Merion was part of William Penn’s 7800 acre original 1683 “Manor of Mount Joy.” This was the first such organization in Montgomery County, becoming a model for those formed later. In time, twenty-one horse companies came to be formed in the county.
The first time a member’s horse was stolen was in 1787, when Alexander Henderson’s horse was stolen and recovered at a cost of five pounds. In 1853, Mordicai M. Stephen’s horse was stolen and not recovered, costing the society $249.54. The original constitution of the Mount Joy Society said that a company of men would ride out in search of the stolen horse. The societies would also establish contact with area innkeepers, toll collectors, and auctioneers. By the 1883 constitution, however, that company of riders had been replaced by a two man committee whose job it was to telegraph local police a description of the horse.
The Mount Joy Horse Company of King of Prussia was still meeting regularly at Stewart Fund Hall (site of the township’s community building), into the 1920s. When the company was first organized, all of the members owned horses, but the world was changing with the invention of automobiles and the founding of police departments. George W. Righter remained president of the company for many years even after he moved from Upper Merion to Conshohocken. Some prominent residents that still belonged in the 1920s included Isaac Mullen of Gulf Mills; Nathan II. Hughes, also of Gulf Mills, who occupied the John J. Hughes estate; Comley Williams, of King of Prussia, and Jacob Beidler, of Port Kennedy.
The Mount Joy Society for the Recovery of Stolen Horses and Detection of Thieves continued on for decades, but became primarily more of a fraternity or social group where folks could gather at a local establishment, perhaps raise a glass or two, and discuss local matters. It probably helped to attract younger members, who likely never owned a horse, in that there is a certain cachet in saying you belong to the Mount Joy Society for the Recovery of Stolen Horses and Detection of Thieves.
