Virginville's History

Virginville typifies the many small communities that dot the landscape here in the heart of Pa. Dutch country. Located in northern Berks County near the “Hex Highway” (Interstate 78), Virginville is a place where the Delaware
Indians roamed for thousands of years prior to being displaced in 1730 when the heirs of William Penn started selling land for development.

In the 1750’s immigrants, primarily from Germany, began settling the area and came to be known as Pennsylvania Germans or the Pa. Dutch. The earliest settler was John Jacob Dreibelbis who emigrated from Switzerland. His descendants settled in and around the town: a small village north of here is named Dreibelbis and some of the most famous townsfolk carry on the Dreibelbis name.

No one is certain about how Virginville (originally called Virginsville) got its name, but it is the subject of much debate, and is a place where it is tough
to hang on to road signs, which are taken regularly by souvenir hunters.
Some say Virginville was named for the untouched beauty of the
countryside: others attribute the name to the honor of Comte de
Vergennes, a foreign minister to France’s Louis XVI.

The exact origins of the town are not exactly clear either. About 1809, a Dreibelbis opened a store and the town began to grow. The opening of the railroad in the latter part of the 19th Century spurred some development,
but Virginville remains essentially an agricultural community. The area is also famous for the many underground caves, including the famous Crystal Cave
the lies two miles east of the town.

The Virginville Hotel is the last remaining “public house” in a town that once had three such places where residents could eat, drink and be merry. The
hotel began in 1885, started by Eli Hein, who called the Mansion House.

Today, Virginville has a population numbering between 160 and 300,
according to estimates. While it is no longer a “contained village” (a place where residents once could get everything they needed to sustain life), Virginville has a delightful mix
of homes and businesses. The
Virginville Grange has the
largest membership among all
the granges in Pennsylvania.