Journal of the Lycoming County Historical Society, Spring-Fall
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THE JOURNAL OFTHE Lycoming County Historical Society VOLUMEXIX SPRING-FALL NUMBER ONE 1983 JOURNAL of the LYCOMING COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY PublishedSemianttuatly in Wiiiiamsport, Pennsylvania Museum Office - 858 West Fourth Street Telephone (Area Code 717) 326-3326 BOARD OFTRUSTEES RALPH R. CRANMER WILLIAM E. NICHOLS, JR. HARRY H.KING Legal Counselor JOHN L.BRUCH,JR. CLARENCE R. MUTCHLER JOHN B. MCMURTRIE Current SocietyPresident BOARDOFGOVERNORS DR. CLARENCE R. MUTCHLER, Preside/zf MRS. JANE INGERSOLL JAMES P. BRESSLER, /sr lice Presfdenf 3rd VicePresident JOHN E. PERSON, 111,2/zd }'lce Pres/de/zr MRS. DAWN KEIPER JAMES WEHR, Treasurer Secretary 1982-1984 1983-1985 MRS. GERTRUDE BITNER MRS. ARLENE HATER DR.KENNETHE.CARL MRS. JOANNE BENNETT ROBERT SMINK JACK KISBERG RICHARD MIX E. J. DURRWACHTER EX-OFFICIO BOARD MEMBERS JUNIOR LEAGUE OF WILLIAMSPORT THE GREATER WILLIAMSPORT COMMUNITY ARTS COUNCIL EUGENEE.LANDON HISTORICALSOCIETYSTAFF MRS. MABEL NEVEL, Executive Secretary VOLUMEXIX SPRING - FALL NUMBERONE 1983 MUSEUM STAFF CONTENTS Director and Curator AndrewK. Grugan Assistant to the Director Everett W. Rubendall Gift Shop Manager & Tour Director GloriaZ. Grugan Page Assistant Gilt Shop Manager Miriam S. Mix Greetings From the President's Desk 4 The Old Curbstone Markets 5 MUSEUM VOLUNTEER STAFF Around The Market 8 Jacqueline'sLetter to the Home Folks 9 RegistTat on Committee Miss June Foresman, Chaz+man Mrs. Stanley Bassett Curbstone Merchants as of December, 1890 10 Miss Ethel Ertel Mrs. Frederick Snell Biography of a Collector 15 Toy Trains: The ShemppCollection 16 Operation M.weum Andrew K. Grugan Pleasant Valley 19 Pub!£cit) 3 Public Relations Andrew K. Grugan General Restoration Mr. & Mrs. Emlin S. Massey CuTatoTial Del)aTtments. INSIDE PHOTO: Flowering plants, empty crates, and a market van clutter the brick pavementin this photograph,taken in the 1920's.The White Kitchen GeneTat CuTatoT Andrew K. Grugan restaurant (' 'Tables for Ladies'') locates the scene: the west side of Market Street, between Third and Fourth streets. The picture is reproduced by courtesy of the A Tchaeoto g.y James P. Bressler, Chua'oman JamesV. Brown Library; the print is by Miss Gladys Widemire. William Turnbaugh Karen Rockey Ricki Maietta A Tchfves © Records Miss Gladys Tozier, Chzeg Miss Jean Little COVER PHOTO: Buyers and sellersmingle in this 1865 view of the city's curb- Miss Phyllis Briel stonemarket, looking north on Market Streetfrom the Square.The date of the photograph is establishedby the building at the northwest corner of the Square, Education Andrew K. Grugan at left in the photo; this building, which housed an inn, ''The Rising Sun,'' burn- Fine 4 Tts Dr. June E. Barkin ed in 1865. Along the east side of Market Street are the permanent business establishmentsof Dodsons Dental Rooms; Burch and Mussina, Groceries; Shaf- luau.StTat E ehib£ts Francis Maneval fer and Schanbacher,Dry Goods; and A. Newman, Hoop Skirt Factory. The pic- ture was taken by Jacob Lyons Mussina, the city's first photographer, whosecom- Mfn eTa ts Lewis Harper bined photograph and jewelry shop appear in the right foreground. On the corner of the building, just to the right of the lamp post, is a metal sign: ''Catawissa Tuctites Mrs. Norman Ingersoll Rail Road and Western Ticket Office.'' This sign is on display at the Museum. Mrs. Edith Wright The photograph is from the Museum's collection; Miss Gladys Widemire made Mrs. Patricia Lockspeiser the print. John Sloan Memorial Collection Gloria Z. Grugan 4 5 THE OLD CURBSTONE MARKETS GREETINGS FROM TILE PRESIDENT'S DESK Although Williamsport's curbstone at least some, if not all, could be remov- market was an important business and ed from their wheels and axleswhile park- Dear Members social institution for many years, little in- ed. For those dealers who did not own formation exists to document its origin vans, fame wagons with(apparently) can- and development. We know only that the vas tops sufficed, or perhaps tents or To the many outstanding exhibits in the Lycoming County Historical market was in operation before 1866, the simply tables with tent-like awnings. In Museum, there has been added another, the Shempp Toy Train Collection. This year in which Williamsport became a ci- the earliest days, as shown in the 1865 collection was purchasedby the Williamsport Foundation for $400,000with ty, andthat in lateDecember of 1899,a photograph on the cover, selling was done the understanding that it would be housed in the Museum. It is considered one total of 234 dealers was offering meats, from open farm wagons, the horses re- of the finest of its kind in the United States.The collection consistsof 337 com- ''country produce,'' vegetables and maining in harness in the streets. plete train sets plus 100 ''one of a kinds'' and is considered to be very valuable. poultry to shoppers.The curbstone, as it Only after months of planning and work, much of it volunteer, has this was usually known, was finally abolish- According to the Williamsport Sun of ed and went out of existence as of Dec. June 12, 1919, the spaces to which the display at the Museum beenmade possible, and we wish now to mention again vans were taken for the Wednesday and credit due. The Toy Train sub-committee under the leadership of Dr. LaRue 30, 1930,when the GrowersMarket opened. Saturday selling sessionswere nine feet Peppermanhad the responsibilityfor overseeingthe project. Brodart, Inc. wide. Those spacesalong Market Street employees,under the supervision of Harold Ingram, worked many days building Buying and selling took place original- from the south side of Third Street to and installing the handsomeglass-enclosed cabinets. The Wiiliamsport Area ly on Market Street south to the river, in- Fourth Street rented for $3.00 per month; Community College and also Gene Hollick men did the electrical work. CDF cluding all four sides of Market Square. spaces in all other areas cost $2.00. Associates built platforms for Running Displays to be in action soon. The Junior In the early mornings of each Wednesday However, in February of 1904, the Leagueand the Williamsport Rotary Club gave $5100 and S1000,respectively, and Saturday, vans and wagons loaded Gazette and Bulletin reported that the for these Running Displays. Allied Van Lines, Inc., with men whom they sup- with produce were hauled into place, local authorities had decided that, in plied and other volunteers, packed, unpacked, and moved the entire collection stalls or tables were set up, and the curb- order to derive more revenue from the stone market was in business. market, spaces should be auctioned off from the Shempp home to the Museum. Mrs. Shempp and a group of volunteers to the highest bidder, with a minimum dusted and polished the trains. Mr. Shempp spent hours and hours arranging, The so-called vans were one-room price for each location. rearranging,and carefully placing the trains on the shelves.Mr. Harry King, wooden cabins averaging six feet by eight Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Dr. Kenneth Carl, a member of the or ten feet. They had low arched roofs One woman who ''tended market '' Board of Governors, worked hard soliciting funds for the cost of the display some rounded, others peaked - and a door for many years recalled her experiences casesand their installation, the publicity, etc. To all who helped with this tremen- (and sometimes a small window) in one for a group of Williamsport Area High dous project, we expressour gratitude. end. The other end, for selling, was ar- School students. Mrs. Sadie Pepperman We are pleasedthat the Historical Society Museum has had an unusual ranged so that the upper half could be told of getting up at 2 a.m., loading a number of visitors in recent weeks. raisedto form a kind of canopy,or awn- farm wagon with produce, hitching up the The Lycoming County Historical Society is honored to be host to the Eighth ing, with a counter below where the dealer team, driving ten miles to Williamsport, Annual Conference of the North/Central Pennsylvania Historical Association displayed his wares. (One resident insists hauling the van from its storageplace, that her strongestmemory of going to unharnessing the horses, and preparing at the Genetti-Lycoming Hotel, October 15, 1983. The conference theme is market is of rain dripping down her neck the counter for customers - all by ' 'at least ''Tourists Love History ''. Tours of the Historical Society Museum and of several from the canopy edge.) Stove-pipe 4 a.m.''! Some dealers, perhaps those Victorian Homes on West Fourth Streetare included on the program.The chimneys indicated which vans were who had to travel longer distances,came North/Central PennsylvaniaHistorical Associationoriginated in Williamsport equipped with the luxury of small oil - or to Williamsport the day before and spent just eight years ago. wood-burning stoves for winter use; an the pre-market night in a hotel. We look forward to seeingyou often at the Museum. Meetings planned for editorial in the Williamsport Sun of Feb. the year promise to be interesting, and the ''Exhibit of the Month '' set up by 4, 1931, refers to the ''numbed hands and Mrs. Pepperman and her husband did Andrew Grugan is always worth a visit. frozen feet' ' afflicting ''those who serve.'' truck farming at Maple Springs and brought to market such produce as let- Farmers stored their vans at various Sincerely, tuce, onions, beets, sweet corn, places around the city - one such area was cucumbers, strawberries, and raspberries Bubb's hotel. near the foot of Pine Street; 'a hundred boxes at a picking.'' They Dr. Clarence R. Mutchler another was a vacant lot at the northwest offered veal, also; Mr. Pepperman Presidentt corner of Third and Mulberry streets bought four-week-old calves from area and hauled them into place early on farmers, slaughteredthem and prepared market mornings.