Reuben Haines

Reuben Haines (January 1, 1727 – October 23, 1793) was an early American brewer, firefighter, and land prospector from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Haines is the namesake of Haines Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania. In 1771, he funded the construction of a road (now roughly the location of U.S.Route 11, County Line Road, along with the eastern portion of Pennsylvania Route 304 in Union County, and western portion of Pennsylvania Route 45 in Union County and beyond) from Northumberland through the "Woodward Narrows", to the modern site of Spring Mill — the first road in what is now Centre County. The modern boundaries of Penn Township (formed 1844) and a portion of Gregg Township (formed 1826) were annexed from a larger Haines Township (now only 148.6 km2) that was established before Centre County was officially declared in 1800.

On April 4, 1760, Haines married Margaret Wistar (1729–1793), daughter of the wealthy glass-maker Caspar Wistar. They had five children:

Catherine Haines (1761–1808), who married Richard Hartshorne Caspar Wistar Haines (1762–1803), who married Hannah Marshall and inherited the Wyck House estate. They were the parents of Reuben Haines III, scientist and farmer.

Brewery After his stepfather's death in 1752, Haines inherited his brewery, multiple properties, and a considerable amount of debt.

Haines's clients included many notable figures including Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.

He was a member of the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture.

Death Haines and his wife Margaret died in Philadelphia during the yellow fever epidemic of 1793.