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Thursday, December 31, 2020

Kiddie's Klipper Treat Children to Movies at Nicetown Christmas Party - Public Ledger 27 Dec 1915

 


Wayne Palace Theatre - 4163 Germantown Avenue

Click on photo for unobstructed view.

Public Ledger 27 Dec 1915

KIDDIES' KLIPPER TREATS YOUNGSTERS TO MOVIES 

Joe Ziegler, Barber, Entertains 1200 of His Child Patrons

 He's bobbed some of their locks, some of their little heads he's shaved and some of the others he's fixed up with nice little wet curls. The only ticket of admission required was the statement that Joe Ziegler had played with his shears around their ears. Joe Ziegler is a barber at 1837 Cayuga street. All the children that came in his shop this year to have just a little "taken off the back of the neck and out of the eyes" were invited to come to his Christmas party today at the Wayne Palace, Wayne avenue and Locust (typo = Dounton) street. More than 1200 children trooped in this afternoon. First they howled with, delight at the movies shown. Then they listened with awe to Mrs. Frederick Hartung (his daughter's mother in law), who sang some Christmas songs, and to her husband, who played his violin for them. Ziegler. who is known all through Germantown as the "Kiddies' Klipper" gives the children a similar party every Christmas. 


1919

Public Ledger 1920




Tuesday, December 29, 2020

A Mammoth Dry Goods Establishment - Homer, Collaway & Co. 1412-1414 Chestnut Street - The Pioneer, Bridgeton NJ 26 March 1869




A MAMMOTH DRY GOODS ESTABLISHMENT -

Those of our readers who visit Philadelphia, and fail to “drop in” at the new and palatial dry goods establishment of Messrs. Homer, Colladay and Co., located on Chestnut Street, West of Broad, will really be unfortunate. This firm are said to be the leading and largest retail dry goods house in the country.

Their old establishment, Chestnut street below Ninth, though far ahead of all cempetitors has given way to the new and magnificent store just completed and now occupied by this enterprising firm.

The lot on which this store stands, and by which it is entirely covered, measures 54 feet front on Chestnut street. It runs back 232 feet to Sansom street.

The building consists of three principal divisions, a three story front building 60 feet deep, a four-story building 40 feet deep and between them a one story part 132 feet deep, the roof being pierced by seven large skylights, each four feet high and 22 feet wide, giving a pure north light.

To enter into detail, so far as a description of this magnificent structure is concerned, would require several columns of this Journal; suffice to say, however that the grand and imposing appearance, and the beauty and excellence of finish on the outside is maintained throughout the whole building The increase of patrons and patronage, which comes from all parts of the country demanded this change. The immense salesrooms are stocked to overflowing with the choicest goods of American and Foreign manufacturers. Those of our friends who, heretofore, were lucky enough to make their purchases at the old establishment; will remember the endless varieties from which they could select, and at prices, too, that defied competition. We feel safe in assuring
our readers that the well earned reputation gained by this firm, both as regards the price and quality of their stock, will not only be maintained in the new establishment, but that fresh laurels will be added thereto.




The Pioneer 6 Nov 1868


Saturday, December 19, 2020

Chestnut Street Looking West From Twelfth Street - Public Ledger 16 Dec 1920

 


A CANYON OF HOLIDAY ACTIVITY. The camera clicked as it was pointed from the top of a building near Eleventh street, showing Chestnut Street, looking west from Twelfth street. Street cars, automobiles and pedestrian fill up the far too narrow thoroughfare.


 

Catholic Championship Team - Captain Bradley, St. Joe's Prep - Public Ledger 2 Dec 1920

 




All-City Scholastic Team - Captain Carton. Roman Catholic High School - Public Ledger 2 Dec 1920






 

Miller Lock Co - 4519 Tacony Street - Public Ledger 3 Dec 1920 - Miss Mary Murphins, 4668 Edmunds Street

 



1904





1904


4668 Edmund Street




Frankford Machine Co., 4099 Frankford Ave - Public Ledger 9 Dec 1920 - Thomas Keating 4634 Tackawanna Street

 




Metal World 1917


Iron World, Dec 1919 - "Wanted to Buy"


4634 Tackawanna Street





Hanging On A Philly Street Corner - circa 1865




Tuesday, December 15, 2020

LIONS Club - Inquirer 17 Dec 1926

 



Lions Club to Spread Sunshine at Christmas - William Smith, Henry LeNoir, and W. H Walkey unpacking dolls to be given by the president of the Lions Club to poor children at the Christmas Party to be held next Thursday evening at the Bellevue Stratford (hotel).

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Joseph Harrison Jr. 1810-1874 - Mechanic, Engineer and Entrepreneur



Joseph Harrison Jr. 1810-1874 - Mechanic, Engineer and Entrepreneur

A lot of info on the early days of locomotives in Philly, U.S. and globally from the following book available on the Hathitrust archive below.

The locomotive engine, and Philadelphia's share of its early improvements - by Joseph Harrison Jr., 1872

Book pointed out to me by John Rowe after he posted photos of the long lost Joseph Harrison Jr. mansion in Torresdale, torn down around 1901 to build the Torresdale water treatment plant for the city. 

The mansion was a Summer Palace of sorts, a Russian style Dacha fit for a Russian nobleman and sitting on the river front, must have been a sight in its day. A real Xanadu on the Delaware, something out of Doctor Zhivago. The summer house to offset the equally humble townhouse in the St. Petersburg Russia style on Rittenhouse Square. 

That Joseph Harrison Jr. was a Philly born and trained mechanic and engineer who came of age in the cutting tech age of steam locomotion in the 1830s. That he and his company manufactured steam locomotives here, was a player in those early days of the steam engine, improving itself every six months or so with new engineering applied as with several of his cutting edge patents. It was in 1843 that he got a series of contracts with the Czar of all the Russias to design, build and maintain all rolling stock between St. Petersburg and Moscow - all freight engines and cars - all passenger engines and passenger cars on an already built railway bed, built by an American engineer. Sold one of his important American patents to Baldwin before leaving that put Baldwin on the right track to becoming one of the premier locomotive producers on the planet. 

Before living in Russia for almost twenty years 1843-1862 on various contracts and probably for astronomical fees and bonuses running an equivalent or better of a Baldwin Locomotive in the what I presume was a state owned industry - production and repair shops outside of St. Petersburg. 

Back in Philly - with his Russian sourced wealth he built his town house and summer house and then - Phillypreneur Harrison operated a Safety Boiler Factory in Gray's Ferry, adjoining the U.S. Arsenal. Not the same Harrison family as the Chemical factory there that I can determine btw.