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Friday, January 31, 2020
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Monday, January 27, 2020
A Luzerne Soldier's Daring Act - The Sun Leader Wilkes Barre - 25 Dec 1886
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| Newspaper Clipping Photo circa 1898 of Civil War Vet Patrick McShea in portrait painted later in life. |
A LUZERNE SOLDIER'S DARING ACT
How Pat McShea of the 28th Pennsyl-
vania Volenteer's Captured a Rebel
Flag.
(Special to Sunday Leader)
Hazleon, Dec. 25, - Pat McShea of Honey Brook, was in town on Tuesday, and purchased a valuable house of John Kneis. Pat is a member of Lazarus Post G. A. R. of Audenried and during the rebellion made an excelent record as a soldier. His capture of a rebel flag at the battle of Antietam, was as daring an undertaking as the anals of the late war chronicle. His old comrades of Robinson and Lazarus Posts take unbounded pleasure in reciting Pat's notable feat which came near costing him his life. He was a member of Co. II. 28th Pennsylvania infantry and left Jeansville where he resided when the rebellion broke out. At the battle of Antietam the brigade his regiment belonged to, succeeded in defeating the rebels after a desperate contest. Among the number uninjured on the enemy's side was a retreating color bearer who sought refuge in a corn field. He was hotly pursued by Pat, overtaken and a desperate struggle began. The fight was watched with interest by the Union forces who were unable to distinguish that it was a Unionist and a Rebel who were engaged in conflict owing to the folds of the flag shielding them from view. Wm. James, of this borough, who is at present superintendent of A. Pardee & Co.'s store and an uncle of ex-Clerk of the Courts James, was an eye witness of the affray. He concluded he would test his skill as a shot and discharged the contents of his gun in the direction of what was believed to be two confederates fighting. One of the party was seen to fall to the ground, immediately following the discharge of the gun, and the other grasped the rebel flag, carried it high in the air and ran towards the Union line. A volley of musketry met him as he approached and he also received a farewell in the same manner from the rebel forces in his rear. The soldier carrying the flag was recognized as McShea and his comrades ceased firing and gave him a hearty reception for the meritorious act performed. It was a miracle he was not killed. The officer censured him for what they deemed a foolish risk of life. Pat was never promoted (for that act or awarded a congressional medal, even though recommeded for one, btw). Governor Geary, during his administration offered the gallant soldier a position at Harrisburg, but he refused it, preferring to follow the laborious and dangerous occupation of a miner.
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Sunday, January 26, 2020
Fox Hunt in Philly - Inquirer 3 March 1898
FUNNY FOX, THIS
Was Too Tame To Make Fun For
Pursuers
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Friday, January 24, 2020
Mary Frances Ratigan - Sister/Mother Mary Basil S.H.J.C. - Native of Harrowgate - 3620 Frankford Avenue
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| Mary Frances Ratigan University of Pennsylvania Womens' Yearbook 1920 |
(Rye Chronicle - 24 March 1977)
Sr. Mary Ratigan
Sister Mary Basil Ratigan of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, who held the position of Dean of Students at Rosemont College (Pa.) 1938-1956, died Monday at the Convent of the Holy Child, Rye.
A mass of Resurrection was celebrated on Wed. at St. Gregory's Church in Harrison, followed by interment in St. Mary's cemetery.
Born in Philadelphia on March 9, 1999 as Mary Francis Ratigan, she received her masters degree from the University of Pennsylvania and taught in the public schools of Philadelphia. In 1927 she joined the Society of the Holy Child Jesus and spent her entire -- (unreadable - bottom of column - one or two lines) -- apostolate beginning at John W. Hallahan Girls' Catholic High School 1930-1932.
After many years at Rosemont College, she served as superior of the religious community in Summit, N.J. where she taught in the Oak Knoll School. In 1961 she was appointed Dean of English speaking students at the International College for Religious, Regina Mundi in Rome. She began her final work in 1969 at the School of the Hold Child in Rye.
A niece, Roseanne, and a nephew James, survive her.
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Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Henry Thomas Weeks - 1847-1919 - Civil War Veteran
90th Regt. Pa. Infantry - N.G. National Guard
Motto: Non Sibi Sed Patriae
Not for himself but for his country.
WEEKS, - Dec. 31, Henry T., husband of late Catherine C. Weeks (nee Connolly), Relatives and friends, also Winfield Scott Post No. 114, G.A.R.; Washington Camp No. 563, P. O. S. of A.; Survivors of Co. E, 26th Regt., and Co. E. 90th Pa. Infantry, are invited to attend funeral, Mon., 8 A. M., from his late residence, 1805 N 24th st. High mass, St. Elizabeth's Church, 9 A.M. Int. Holy Cross Cem. Auto Services.
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| 1805 N. 24th Street . |
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Monday, January 20, 2020
Harrowgate Park - Frankford "L" - Tioga Street Northbound Station - Classic Views
Eleven row houses removed to complete Harrowgate Park -1915 - making way for green frontage of park on Kensington avenue and for future northbound Frankford elevated station.
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Harry McCunney - Undertaker - 1860 N 23rd Street - circa 1920
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| 2011 |
Ordinances of the City of Philadelphia 1920 - City Commissioners Budget
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Sunday, January 19, 2020
Friday, January 17, 2020
Keeping Up on Lost Philly Artwork - Part II - DC Beer Weekly 13 October 2009
When I described the wonder of my memory of the stained glass ceiling of the old demolished in the 1980s Second National Bank building at 4356 Frankford Avenue - part of my art lover's fantasy was to see the entire ceiling again in some eloquent restaurant in DC. To reconnect. To add confirmation and closure to an old memory. And also to take some good photos of it for historic interest.
I would have to say per my research in limited Internet waters is to see that the "Blackie's House of Beef" guy mentioned indirectly in Part I of this blog is that he operated many eateries over the years, always cash cows in borderline seedy neighborhood's, no doubt due the high rents and property taxes in the nation's capital.
That when he died his kids wanted to keep the hotels, "Blackie" Auger owned 12% of the Mayflower Hotel btw, that they wanted income from hotel management and not slinging steak and beer at discount prices.
As a result, in this article below, the last of the Blackie string of eateries was sold to an old retainer for $1, and no doubt for tax reasons and to finally get out of the restaurant end of the now family business. All Blackie's enterprises had the word "Black" in them like the Black Rooster below.
That when Blackie, if it was Blackie who bought the old stained glass ceiling from New York salvagers of a Philly neighborhood bank, the hundred stained glass panels were probably spread around several cubbyhole clubs, steak joints in the DC area as decorative art pieces and not as part of a once whole piece of a Beaux Art local wonder replaced by a strip mall in Frankford.
DC Beer Weekly - Black Rooster
https://dcbeer.com/2009/10/13/bought-for-a-buck-sold-out-from-under-him-the-last-days-of-the-black-rooster/
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Thursday, January 16, 2020
Keeping Track of Lost Philly Artwork - New York Times 28 August, 1986
Second National Bank, 4300 block Frankford Ave, western side of street, no date. Built I think in 1919. Source: John Rowe
Discussing this old bank with John Rowe today, Provident National Bank in it's last gasp. Saw an article in the NYT back then on the ferry and clipped it out and saved it and it survived many moves. The discussion made me remember this article and search for it on the Internet.
I was in that bank as a kid once with my father. Remember the stained glass ceiling, always remembered it. I ended up emailing this guy, the owner of the salvage company in the article, somewhere in a fuzzy memory timeline of something like a decade ago, plus or minus a year or two.
He kindly replied and told me the stained glass ceiling ended up in a steakhouse in Washington DC, the name of which I do not now remember. He also stated that that steakhouse was going out of business and was not certain if the ceiling was still in that building or if it had been sold off to some other buyer...
One Week and $29,000 to Strip a Bank
except:
...Mr. Elkind, the owner of Lost City Arts, a Manhattan company that sells architectural artifacts, was surveying the interior of what was once the headquarters of the Second National Bank of Philadelphia: brass chandeliers, molded glass lamps, stone benches with velvet seats, iron grillwork, plaster rosettes, mahogany paneling, the ornate gallery clock behind the eagle and, 40 feet above him, 100 panels of stained-glass ceiling.
Anything he could remove belonged to him. For $29,000, he bought the salvage rights to the building, which is in the Frankford section of Philadelphia, a few blocks west of the Delaware River.
But there was a catch. ''It's like a supermarket sweepstakes,'' Mr. Elkind said. ''I have one week to fill the cart.''
Mr. Elkind, meanwhile, has been trying to sell pieces of the bank's interior, generally by investing decorative objects with functional uses. Four large stained-glass windows from the bank's foyer were turned into doors and sold for $800 apiece. Ten pieces of cast-iron grillwork have been turned into coffee tables, priced at $1,200 apiece.
The entire stained-glass ceiling -100 panels in a 40-foot-by-20-foot mosaic that washed the building in soft hues of pink, green, yellow and blue - has been sold to a Washington restaurateur. Mr. Elkind's asking price was $35,000; he said he sold it for a few thousand dollars less when the buyer took it on sight and agreed to cart it away himself.
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Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Jack Fogarty vs. Jack "Nonpareil" Dempsey Fight - by Johnny Eckhardt - Excerpt - Inquirer 5 May 1918
Fogarty's entrance into tho fighting game reads like a romance. He was born on December 24 1865, in the Third ward, as a lad he was pretty handy with his fists, and boxing came to him by intuition. The first time he ever had a boxing glove on his hands was one night in a resort Jimmy Ryan was conducting on Christian street. Fogarty was invited to go to Ryan's place on a Saturday night and one of his chums suggested they put on the gloves for a friendly bout. The "friendly bout " turned out to be a slugging match, as neither one knew anything about boxing, but Fogarty, who was young and strong, landed his left hand with all his might in tho pit of the stomach and sent his opponent down and out. He was a winner in his first attempt at the game. After that he became a regular Saturday night attendant and Ryan started him out by picking his opponents and giving him lots of encouragement to continue at the boxing game. But Fogarty, who at that time was working in a large establishment as a packer, had no intention of becoming a professional fighter, and his career as such really started more by accident than by pre-arrangement. One night in November, 1885, he was passing Johnny Clark's place at Eighth and Vine streets, and was very anxious to go in and see tho show, but not having the price of admission he thought it would he a clever scheme to enter the tournament Clark was promoting at that time. So, he entered the arena, as he figured Clark would surely invite him to remain and see the show if he entered his name in the coming tournament. His plan worked out fine. He enjoyed the show, went home and forgot all about the tournament, but about a week later he was notified to appear and be ready to box in the competition. After long deliberation he decided to take a chance and, much to his surprise, he defeated every man pitted against him. and won the prize which was offered to the winner. After winning the prize so easily he began to attract attention and all the wise ones began to look him over. He was matched to fight Jimmy Mitchell, who had just defeated Young Alf Greenfield, of England. Fogarty surprised all by knocking out Mitchell in two rounds. Many claimed the victory was a fluke, so another match was arranged and the new star again performed the trick in two rounds.
Those two easy victories brought him into the limelight and he was matched to meet Jack Kelly, of Port Richmond, but, after training for three weeks the match fell through as. Kelly refused to meet the young sensation.
In the meantime Arthur Chambers took Fogarty in hand and pronounced him the most likely man to tight Jack.
Dempsey and I went ahead arranging the match. That took some time, as Dempsey's backers insisted on a side bet of $2500. It was also agreed the fight should be in private with only ten men aside, Fogarty's ten men each put up $250. which made up his side bet of $2500. As near as I can remember, five of the ten were Chambers, Billy Miller, Pat McCarney, Charley McManus and Walter Kiem, and the late Jim Watson, of the Press, was the only Philadelphia newspaperman present.
Fogarty was supposed to be training while the negotiations for the match were in progress, but the youngster neglected that important part of the fighting game and was out having a good time. He received only about seven days' training for the fight, as the date was set without his knowledge. Not to fight on the date set meant the loss of the stakes, which were put up as a forfeit, so Chambers got him in the best possible condition in the short time remaining. The date of the fight was February 2, 1886, which was less than six months from the day that Fogarty made his first appearance in the ring.
Fogarty with his seconds and backers left for New York the day before the fight, but not one of them knew just where the fight would be held until the last moment. The naming of the battle ground was left to the Dempsey contingent and as the fight was to be in private great secrecy was maintained, the police were going to prevent the battle at all hazards, and even to this day many of the old-timers are under the impression the fight was held in a roadhouse on Long Island, but in reality it took place in the heart of New York city at a place in Thirteenth street, known as Clarendon Hall. All told, in eluding principals, seconds, backers, newspapermen and spectators, only forty persons witnessed the fight. So quietly had matters been arranged and carried out very few even of the sporting fraternity knew that the fight was going to take place.
The stakes amounted to $6500. Besides the side bet of $2500 that each man had provided, $1500 was subscribed by a party of ten New York clubmen who paid $150 each for the privilege of witnessing the fight. The stake of $6500 was the largest up to that time since the days of Tom Hyer and Yankee Sullivan, who fought for the championship on February 7, 1849, at Rock Point, Md., for $10,000 a side, which Hyer won in sixteen rounds.
The Dempsey-Fogarty fight was conducted somewhat on the plan of a cocking main, the two men fighting for their respective cities. The winner got a percentage of the stakes, $1500 while the balance of the winnings, $2500, went to the men who put up the money. It was long after midnight when the men clambered through the ropes. Fogarty came first and Dempsey soon followed. Both were stripped to the waist and wore tights to tho knees. Dempsey stripped to about 148 pounds and Fogarty, although a fraction of an inch taller, was nevertheless some six pounds lighter. Fogarty was seconded by Arthur Chambers and Billy Edwards, and Gus Tuthill, Tom Cleary and Billy Madden looked after Dempsey.
Al Smith, dean of referees, was the third man in the ring and Joe Holand acted as timekeeper. Small kid gloves were used and a lot of punishment was inflicted by both men. The fight lasted one hour and forty-seven minutes and in all that time there was no demonstration whatever among the spectators. Perfect order was preserved, the sharp "spat" or dull "thump" of exchanging blows and bard breathing of the contestants alone breaking the stillness of the night. With the gloomy gaslights flickering and the small body of interested onlookers, all crouched close to ropes, without, a word being spoken, made the scene a most impressive one.
When time was called for the first round Dempsey was cool and looked confident, for that style of battling was nothing new to him. While Fogarty seemed somewhat nervous, I really think it was the first time he realized the importance of the fight and all that went with it. Both were very cautious, Dempsey was bent on feeling out his man; Fogarty was looking out for Dempsey and ready to land a good telling blow should the opportunity present itself. Both seemed working for body blows, but Dempsey suddenly landed his left on Fogart's faco, leaving a red mark. The second and third rounds were also slow, both waiting for the other to begin, hostilities. Dempsey began work in the fourth round and Fogarty fought on the defensive. Dempsey soon landed his right on Fogarty's face and almost floored him, but the pain only seemed to rouse the youngsters mettle. He rushed at the nonpareil and was met with a left jab on the mouth, which cut his lip. He succeeded in getting home on Dempsey's ribs with a tremendous right-hand swing which shook the champion s whole frame.
Dempsey devoted all his attention to Fogarty's face, while the Philadelphia boy paid most attention to the body. Both men were very agile of foot, otherwise knock-downs would have been more frequent.
Up to that stage of the battle Fogarty was held back by his seconds and had done practically all his fighting with one hand when he decided ho would use his own judgment and fight in the style he knew best. The result of changing bis tactics was marvelous and in the eighth round he had Dempsey very weak and for the time he looked like a sure winner. Dempsey could hardly hold up his hands. He kept his head and ran around the ring, avoiding Fogarty's blows. Twice he actually ran with Fogarty in hot pursuit, but the old fox was playing possum and allowed Fogarty, who seemed much the stronger of the two, to force matters, but somehow he never could get near enough to Dempsey to make his blows effective.
Fogarty finally got winded himself and in the tenth round Dempsey rallied and became the aggressor. He brought all his ring generalship into play and kept jabbing his opponent in the face with his tantalizing left. In the fifteenth round Fogarty swung at Detnpsey's ribs in exchange for a left hand jab and got home with such force that Dempsey fell down in trying to recover from the blow. Fogarty, finding that Dempsey'a blows lacked steam, began forcing matters in the twentieth round. But that was the point where experience began to assert itself. Whatever chance Fogarty had of winning started to ebb away and all those present realized that barring a chance, blow Dempsey would eventually win through his greater experience and head work.
Both were bleeding from the nose. Dempsey was also tired, but Fogarty's legs seemed gone; he could hardly stand, but he was strong in the arms and on being knocked down by Dempsey in the twenty-third round he took the limit to rest and then bounded up and went at Dempsey, fighting him all over the ring. Both were glad to breathe in the next two rounds, although there was some good hard fighting, It looked as if they were going to remain in the ring for. many more rounds, but the end came suddenly in the, twenty-seventh round, when Dempsey swung at Fogarty with, his left hand, and Fogarty ducked the wrong way. The blow took effect on the point of his jaw and down he went. Although the blow was not a hard one, it was in just the right spot.
Twice Fogarty struggled to his feet and essayed to assume a fighting attitude, but as many times he fell, unable to steady his reeling brain and the ten seconds allowed by the Queensbury rules for a man to come to time, elapsed with Fogarty still groggy. Dempsey was declared the winner after one of the fiercest fights of modern days.
Fogerty was game to the last, and he was up in the centre of the ring again desirous of continuing the fight fifteen seconds after his handlers had thrown up the sponge.
He stood in the ring and said he was not "half done fighting," but he was too late, the match and stakes had already been awarded to Dempsey. The men were made to shake hands and Dempsey ' said, "Fogarty, you are the best man I over fought, and I shall never fight you again." And he never did.
One More Triumph
Jack Dempsey, the invincible New Yorker, gives a vigorous tanning to Jack Fogarty of Philadelphia. - - 1- Jack Dempsey (upper right cameo) - - 2- Jack Fogarty (lower left cameo) - The National Police Gazette 13 Feb 1886
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Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Steven's Architectural Foundry - 9th St. and W. Montgomery - 1902
https://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/Detail.aspx?assetId=5704
W.W. and R.S. Stevens Architectural Foundry and Builders Wrought Iron Works
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Monday, January 13, 2020
Harrowgate Park 1915 - Adult Bible Class Bethany Mission - 3255 Kensington Ave.- Group Photo
Harrowgate Park 1915 -
Adult bible class Bethany Mission, 3255 Kensington Ave., Philly.
Teacher of class and possible photographer J. W. Replogle 1860-1955 - "Flag Presentation".
Thx to John Rowe on photo.
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Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Dad, Fred Trump, Under Mobster Background Check by Gaming Commission - Salamanca NY Republican Press 10 Apr 1991
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - (AP)
A little help from Dad has gotten Donald Trump in trouble with casino regulators. Trump has agreed to a $30,000 fine for an illegal loan his Trump Castle Casino received by way of $3.5 million in chips bought by Trump's father.
Fred Trump bought the chips in December through an attorney to help his son make an $18.4 million interest payment on the casino. He had no plans to gamble, Division of Gaming Enforcement spokesman Wayne Martin said Tuesday.
Loans to casinos must be done aboveboard, with the knowledge of gaming regulators, and all financial backers must go through a background check.
The safeguards were enacted to keep die mob out of Atlantic City. The elder Trump, a real estate magnate like his son, is undergoing a background check, Martin said.
Donald Trump faces another interest payment on the struggling casino in June.
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Monday, January 6, 2020
Saml. M. Mecutchen - Mill Wright and Burr Mill Stone - 1856/1857
536 North Front Street above Maiden, Haydock (Pollard) Street below Front
Boyd's Business Directory 1856
Philadelphia and its Manufactures 1857
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