115 YEARS AGO - 1893

An eight-room framed dwelling at the Chester Heights Camp Meeting burned to the ground. It was owned by the Archibald family of Aston. The meeting grounds had been closed for the season.Old Chris made an appearance at Cummings & Glenny store on West Third Street, Chester, and children were lined up to tell him what they wanted him to bring them for Christmas.Officials at Chester Hospital hope that those who are able to do so will contribute turkeys and other provisions so the patients and employees can have a wonderful holiday dinner.

75 YEARS AGO - 1933

Lillian M. Dannaker, supervisor of primary education at Chester Schools and a teacher for about 40 years, is a patient at Taylor Hospital with a broken leg. She was injured when she fell down the stairs at her home in Ridley Park..Members of Franklin Fire Co. in Chester wrapped hundreds of half-pound boxes of candy that will be distributed to children at the Kiddies Party that is sponsored by the Chester Civic Council. The party includes movies at all theaters in the city.

50 YEARS AGO - 1958

Santa Claus pulled a “superman’’ stunt by visiting children of two communities almost simultaneously for Christmas parties. There were some 250 youngsters at Lennox Park Firehouse and a similar number at the Trainer Fire Co. All were entertained with Punch and Judy Shows and Santa listened to all their Christmas wishes. Cartoons were shown to both groups of children.Manuel Martin Oliver, 67, of 18 S. 13th St., Darby, a former councilman and school director, died at Doctor’s Hospital in Philadelphia. He and his wife, the former Lillian Mederos, planned to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary this week. Intermediate Girl Scout Troop 542 of Upland elected Sandra Mundy as its chairman and Ellen Zoranski as vice chairman.

25 YEARS AGO - 1983

Police say they have cracked a theft ring that has made off with more than $10,000 in copper welding cable over the past four months from the Marcus Hook refinery of Sun Oil. A Linwood man was arrested and charged in the thefts.Five Chester High School janitors were warned to clean up their acts or face dismissal. The janitors are on the night shift at the schools and were told to improve their job performance and attendance records. 10 YEARS AGO - 1998Christine Hall was selected as the winner of the Aston Senior Citizens Logo Contest. She was presented a $100 check by club President Liz Anderson.

— LEN CASTERLINE

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110 YEARS AGO — 1898

A man went to Chester Police Chief Berry’s house on East Third Street and asked for something to eat. He was well fed and when he went away he took a pair of winter gloves that belonged to the chief’s son, Jesse. The thief has not been seen since but Berry said that no more tramps will be accommodated at his house. Chester Druggist W.H. Farley is giving out to customers a box of candy as a Christmas present.The recent mild weather has brought out some bicyclers who seem to enjoy the crisp air while riding in the county.

75 YEARS AGO — 1933

All roads lead to the Stanley Theatre in Chester today. There is a vaudeville and moving picture show for four or five thousand Chester youngsters from 1 until 11 p.m. as part of the Chester Civic Council’s drive for the Christmas Fund annual Christmas Party for the city’s unfortunate youngsters.The ambulance of the Marcus Hook Fire Co. No. 1 continues to keep busy. Yesterday it was summoned to Ninth and Green streets to take a man to Chester Hospital where he was treated for acute alcoholism. So far this year the ambulance has made 179 calls.

50 YEARS AGO — 1958

There was a Jingle Bell Rock dance at the Knights of Columbus Council 4271 headquarters atop the Marcus Hook Post Office Building.A state liquor store clerk at Ninth and Highland, Chester, was held for court on charges of selling liquor to a 19-year-old Chester youth. Maj. Theron H. Perry has been assigned as senior unit adviser at the James W. Reese Army Reserve Center in Upland. He was welcomed by Capt. Wilbert J. Crupi who has been reassigned to Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

25 YEARS AGO — 1983

Sister Elaine Martin of Neumann College in Aston put finishing touches on the crib that will be in the foyer in front of the Christmas tree at Neumann during the holiday season.The Delaware County Office of Services for the Aging is seeking homeowners that need their furnaces repaired or cleaned. The service is free.

10 YEARS AGO — 1998

The Chichester School Board appointed Dr. Joseph Lapchick as interim superintendent. He was former superintendent of Rose Tree Media School District and had also been acting superintendent in Chester-Upland School District.

— LEN CASTERLINE

To contact Len Casterline,

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110 YEARS AGO – 1898

The Delaware County Telephone Co. has its Upland station in operation. Phones were connected to several residents and also at the Chester Rural Cemetery and the borough hall. Their telephone numbers are 411 and 401, respectively.A somewhat laughable accident occurred to a large wagonload of empty barrels going down the Darby Hill. The barrels fell off and were seen rolling around the borough in every direction.

75 YEARS AGO – 1933

This is the last week of the Christmas Seal drive and Charles Kurtzhalz, executive secretary of the Delaware County Tuberculosis Association, said more money is needed this year because conditions of the past few years have zapped the energy and resistance of the county residents to the disease and has made them highly receptive to the dreaded tubercular germ.Mr. and Mrs. Alexander McCausland of 504 Elmwood Ave., Glenolden, celebrate their golden wedding anniversary today. He is a retired blacksmith and he and his wife have lived in the borough for 12 years.

50 YEARS AGO – 1958

M. Jane Wright, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Wright, 402 Main St., Trainer, passed her state examination and now is a registered nurse. She is a graduate of Ridley High School.Sydney Davies, a Chichester High School senior, was awarded first-place honors in the annual “My True Security” speech at Chichester High School. Mr. and Mrs. P. Lee Sparks of 1126 Butler St., Chester, observed their 50th wedding anniversary. They are parents of William J. Sparks of Folsom and Mrs. Warren Clineff of Norwood.

25 YEARS AGO – 1983

Kenneth Massey has been hired as a part-time police officer in Lower Chichester. Massey is 23 years old and is a resident of Linwood. Green Ridge Fire Co. in Aston has decided to have a New Year’s Eve party as a fund raiser at the firehouse. Set-ups will be available and music will be provided by The Pros.

10 YEARS AGO – 1998

The Ridley Recreation Department and the Super Star Twirlers under the direction of Adele Warner had their eighth annual Toys for Tots Christmas Show at the Ridley Community Center gym. Admission was a toy or a cash donation. The show was called “The Twirling Lion King.”

---- LEN CASTERLINE

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110 YEARS AGO – 1898

The barbershops in Chester will remain open a half day on Monday. An effort was made to have the shops close all day but the barbers could not be induced to pull together on the plan.The “Off Night Social Club’’ of Upper Providence had a get-together at the home of Charles Plotts. Three new members are being considered for membership and the next meeting will be at the home of Hugh Wilkins.

75 YEARS AGO – 1933

The Combined Veterans Association in Chester had a dance at the Armory, Eighth and Sproul streets, with proceeds going to a Christmas party for poor children in the city. A 16-piece orchestra was provided by the Chester Musicians Association for the dance.George’s Beer Garden at Jacobs Corner in Milmont Park, Ridley Township, is having a free old-time barn dance tonight. There will be prizes awarded and there is safe parking.

50 YEARS AGO – 1958

George T. Raymond was re-elected president of the Chester NAACP.An American Red Cross volunteer and three Girl Scouts packed cookies that will be distributed on Christmas Eve to veterans at area vet hospitals. Mrs. George Dyson, canteen chairman of the Chester Branch, American Red Cross, supervised the packing of 400 pounds of cookies baked by the Girl Scouts. Assisting her with the packing were Isabel Newlin, 13; Linda Davis, 12, and Patricia Barnard, 9, all of Chester and all Girl Scouts.New Navy recruiters in Chester are Chief John H. McKee, 36, and GM 1.C. Raymond McGlennon. Their office is in the Chester U. S. Post Office.

25 YEARS AGO – 1983

Linwood United Methodist Church is presenting a holiday musical drama at the church on Chichester Avenue. Upper Providence is distributing free federal surplus food at the township building on Providence Road.

10 YEARS AGO – 1998

A Folcroft man may be alive only because he knows the sound of a rifle being loaded. Police said the man heard his neighbor loading a rifle and called police. The man was arrested and admitted to police he had fired a shot though the door of his neighbor after a dispute with him. The man was being held at the county prison.

-- LEN CASTERLINE

To contact Len Casterline,

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110 YEARS AGO – 1898

Chicken thieves depleted the hennery of Henry Mowers in Leiperville by 100 choice fowl.The Lyceum Dramatic Association of Eddystone is giving a play in which Rose McLaughlin and Mary Dolan have taken leading roles.George Caldwell, who broke through the ice while skating on the Ridley Park Lake and was rescued by friends, is a “lion of a man.” He is back on the ice and is in great physical condition, something that is rarely found in youths.

75 YEARS AGO – 1933

The one-hour parking ban in Chester was discarded today until after Jan. 1. Shoppers in the downtown section will be permitted to park for two hours in the central zone on orders of Mayor William Ward Jr. “I thoroughly realize that a woman requires more than one hour to make her purchases and especially during the Christmas holidays,” he said. “The police will forget the one-hour parking rule but will continue to enforce the law on the two-hour privilege.”A Leiperville man is in Taylor Hospital recovering the effects of exposure to the cold. He was found by Ridley Township police lying in the street frozen stiff. He was taken to the hospital apparently dead, however, he responded to treatment and is recovering satisfactorily.

50 YEARS AGO – 1958

A $200,000 fire destroyed the Bargain City USA store in Woodlyn. The blaze was blamed on faulty wiring. It was called the worst fire in Ridley Township in eight years, John J Kelly, a Chester businessman, was elected president of the Irish American Association of Delaware County. Dennis Sullivan, a Chester printer, was the previous president and had served three terms. Sullivan will now be vice president.Famed movie director Cecil B. DeMille of Hollywood is a former cadet at Pennsylvania Military College in Chester.

25 YEARS AGO – 1983

Springfield Republican Party Chief Charles Sexton Jr. has taken legal action charging that he and his wife were sickened by fumes from a family generator on their motor home. Francis Corbett, a 25-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Force, has been selected police chief in Nether Providence. He had supervised 40 officers with the Philadelphia force.There’s a Full Moon Poetry Walk at Rose Tree Park in Upper Providence.

10 YEARS AGO – 1998

Three county residents have been admitted into Widener University’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, an international English society. New members are Patrick Manley of Collingdale; Brandon Richards of Brookhaven and Robert Tracey of Norwood.

---- LEN CASTERLINE

To contact Len Casterline,

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110 YEARS AGO – 1898

A well-known citizen stopped by the Chester City Hall and had a little chat with Police Chief Berry. In the conversation he put the chief on to a clue that led to the suppression of four speakeasies in the city. The citizen was not one of the customers, either.The swans on the lake of Mrs. Mary Crozer’s lawn in Upland went to sleep on the water and were frozen in the ice. It was necessary to break the ice to liberate the birds but they did not seem to suffer by their exposure.

75 YEARS AGO – 1933

A West Ninth Street, Chester, man was granted a divorce by the county court after he testified his wife threw things at him all the time and used improper language.Every afternoon a group of high school youths from Chester stand on Ninth Street “thumbing” rides. Chester Police have been alerted to the practice and have been assigned to put a stop to it.

50 YEARS AGO – 1958

Pfc. David M. Barbacano, son of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond F. Barbacano, 26 E. Logan Ave., Glenolden, was promoted to his present rank when he completed Marine Corps recruit training at Parris Island, S.C.Petty larceny has supplanted Christmas giving in some areas of Upland, Burgess Raymond Ruditys said. He asked borough council to hire four extra policemen for the two weeks before and two weeks after Christmas. Council is taking it into consideration.The Ridley Township Junior High School is having a dance for seventh, eighth and ninth grade students at the junior high school. Assistant Principal John S. Cochran is in charge.

25 YEARS AGO – 1983

Delaware County Children and Youth Services has 55 more vouchers available to pay day care expenses for the children of unemployed workers. A voucher entitles a parent to 26 weeks of free day care in a facility licensed by the state Department of Public Welfare.U.S. Rep. Bob Edgar cancelled an appearance at Our Lady of Peace Church n Ridley Township after priests told parishioners they were opposed to his appearance because he supports a woman’s right to choose.

10 YEARS AGO – 1998

A roast beef dinner is being served on Saturday at the Parkside United Methodist Church. The dinner includes a variety of homemade desserts. Crafts and baked goods are available.

--- LEN CASTERLINE

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or call 610-565-4298

110 YEARS AGO – 1898

A goat and two dogs had a fierce fight at 21st and Edgmont, Chester, and the goat came out on top.A Chester undertaker says that if all the undertakers in the city speak their sentiments they will favor the efforts of the preachers to abolish the Sunday funeral. As a rule, the undertaker has no Sunday to relax. His work week is every day.A shoot at live birds took place at the Leipverville Hotel between H.H. Jackson and Fred Marsden. The shoot was for a purse of $50 and Jackson was the winner.

75 YEARS AGO – 1933

Chester Patrolmen Talbot and Megonigle arrested a man at Third and Edgmont after they had to apply the emergency brake to keep from hitting him when he staggered from the sidewalk into the street. The man was placed in the back seat of the patrol car and he stretched out on the seat. He remarked to the officers, “OK offishurs, go ahead, I’m all right now.’’ Magistrate Michael Honan discharged the man from the city jail the next morning.Pennsylvania Liquor licenses require a surety bond and Sweeney & Clyde of Chester has these bonds available immediately at its office on East Fifth Street.

50 YEARS AGO – 1958

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lindenberg of Essington marked their 30th wedding anniversary.Roland Ferry has been elected as the new president of the Linwood Fire Co.Joanne Garalski and Gerald Piscotty were awarded the best performers trophy at the annual Accordion Band recital at the Bert Piscotty studio in Brookhaven.William H. Milliken Jr. resigned as Sharon Hill burgess with his election to Congress. The new burgess is Gerald B. McCoy.

25 YEARS AGO – 1983

Physicians at Metropolitan Hospital in Springfield have adopted the controversial Pritikin Diet as a part of its nutritional therapy. Pritikin is 68 years old and his diet promotes carbohydrates over protein. Metropolitan Hospital is the only hospital in the nation to sponsor the diet as a hospital program, said PritikinThe Delaware County Child Guidance and Mental Health Clinics are seeking about 100 broken bicycles and mini bikes that will be used in a school program as part of its mechanical aptitude training.

10 YEARS AGO – 1998

Springfield police are looking for the Grinch and his not-so-merry band of vandals who have damaged more than a dozen holiday displays outside homes in the township.

— LEN CASTERLINE

To contact Len Casterline,

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or call (610) 565-4298

110 YEARS AGO – 1898

There is much complaint in Eddystone about horses and cattle roaming at large in the borough. Some of the citizens said they are afraid of the danger for their children facing injury by the animals. The borough officer will arrest all found without owners in the future and according to ordinance the amount of money required will be charged before the animals are released.The Chester woman who was shot by her husband about a week ago at her house on Ulrich Street left the Chester Hospital in a fair state of health. Four bullets had entered her anatomy.Emma Dalton and Frank Miller broke through the ice on S.A. Crozer’s pond in Upland and were rescued by George Cardwell, Thomas Hannum and George Dalton.

75 YEARS AGO – 1933

John B. Lomas has been elected president of the Middletown Township School Board, succeeding Arthur Linville, who retired.Joseph J. Higler has been nominated for president of the Eddystone Fire Co.A Llanerch woman was granted a divorce by Judge MacDade in county court after she testified that after her wedding in New York City her husband left her one month and two days later. She said her husband said “he could not contribute to household expenses’’ and left.

50 YEARS AGO – 1958

Mrs. Lillian Crutchley has been cooking a holiday dinner for the dogs at the Delaware County SPCA Shelter in Upper Providence. The dinner consists of 50 gallons of Mulligan stew. This is the 13th year she has prepared dinner for the dogs.Delaware County users of Red Arrow Transportation facilities are faced with the company’s new 20-cent fare. Red Arrow carries about 23 million passengers a year in the suburbs.A motorist who was arrested in Chester and charged with drunken driving told Magistrate Anthony H. Smith, “I don’t remember nothing, judge.’’ He was fined $10 and costs, including damage to property at the city jail.

25 YEARS AGO – 1983

About 100 members of the Smedley Middle School’s PTO in Chester have signed a petition asking that dilapidated seats in the school’s auditorium be repaired or replaced so children can use them.Yeadon Fire Co. sponsors bingo every Saturday night. There’s a $1,500 jackpot special. Extra lap cards are available at three for $1.The Victoria Baptist Church on Baltimore Pike, Nether Providence, is having its Christmas Family Day and tree trimming on Sunday.
10 YEARS AGO – 1998
Brenda L. Kuhlberg, daughter of Gary and Geraldine Kuhlberg of Ridley Township, received a college degree in physical education from East Stroudsburg University.

— LEN CASTERLINE

To contact Len Casterline,

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or call 610-565-4298

110 YEARS AGO – 1898

Frank Cameron of West Ninth Street, Marcus Hook, a veteran of the Civil War, has been granted a pension of $10 a month by the federal government.During the prevalence of the high wind, the Chester City Hall bell tolled in a doleful manner, creating an impression in the minds of many there was an alarm of fire. The swaying of the old tower and force of the wind as it whistled through the opening caused the taper to sway against the side of the bell and produced a succession of sounds that were annoying in the extreme.

75 YEARS AGO – 1933

The Billeau Woods Café at Third and Lamokin streets, Chester, is the first establishment in the city to receive a liquor license from the State Liquor Control Board.

50 YEARS AGO – 1958

Frank Harrison, president of the Chester Pike Lions Club, presented an award for an all-expenses-paid trip to Bermuda to Mrs. Elizabeth McKenzie of Prospect Park. She received the prize as the climax of the club’s charity fundraising drive.

25 YEARS AGO – 1983

The auxiliary of the Ogden Fire Co. No. 1 presents its annual Christmas Bazaar on Saturday. There is breakfast with Santa, a Sweet Shoppe and a raffle for a basket of cheer, basket of food, an afghan and other prizes. There’s also a Santa’s Secret Shop for children to buy gifts for their family and friends.

10 YEARS AGO – 1998

An Upper Chichester man, convicted of charges of aggravated assault and related offenses in the pick-ax attack on a neighbor, was sentenced to four to eight years in prison. The attack occurred when the neighbor allegedly was blabbing about the defendant striking his wife.

LEN CASTERLINE

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110 YEARS AGO – 1898

Horace S. Griffith & Son, the well-known news and furniture dealers of Rockdale, have opened an undertaking establishment at Lenni, where they will attend to all business entrusted to them in that line.Col. H.A. Shenton of the Sixth Regiment in Chester is the military instructor at the Hill School in Pottstown.Professor Eckles, principal of the Glenolden public school, has opened a night school in the school building.Barbers in Chester are complaining of the bad habit of many men in the city who have been shaving themselves.

75 YEARS AGO – 1933

The Chester treasury was enriched as a result of a campaign begun by the police against traffic violators and illegally parked cars. The vehicles have been ticketed, most of which were parked on the wrong side of the street. Of the total cars tagged, 164 violators paid a quarter each giving the city additional funds. Those who fail to pay will receive summons by registered mailA Loyalty Campaign has begun at the Eddystone Methodist Episcopal Church and continues all month.

50 YEARS AGO – 1958

Springfield Township Commissioner James Davis is organizing high school youths to help remove snow from the walks of township residents.A ten-week course in all types of rescue and ambulance instruction is being offered at the Holmes Firehouse on Amosland Road. Edward Weibel of the Westinghouse Rescue Squad is the instructor.Mona Maslin and John Lane Jr. have leading roles in “Time Out for Ginger,’’ a play that is being presented at Eddystone High School. Miss Maslin is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Maslin of Trainer and John is the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Lane of Eddystone.

25 YEARS AGO – 1983

The Middletown Historical Society commemorates the 297th anniversary of Middletown first constable with a party at the township library.Kurt Borgman, a senior at Delaware County Christian School, has been named a semi-finalist in the National Merit scholarship competition. A motorist who allegedly drove through a traffic circle in Yeadon and sideswiped the borough flag pole is under arrest for drunken driving.

10 YEARS AGO – 1998

William “Larry’’ Ziglar, social studies teacher at Penncrest High School., Middletown, has won an award from a national organization for his “excellence in teaching.’’ The award was accompanied by a $1,000 grant that will be used to establish a social studies honor society at the school.

— LEN CASTERLINE

To contact Len Casterline,

e-mail lencas1038@verizon.net

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110 YEARS AGO – 1898

The cold weather has demonstrated to members of the Chester Board of Education the need for the best systems of heating and ventilating for all the schools in city. Temperatures at the Howell Street building could not be raised above 49 degrees and the pupils, some of whom were clad only thinly, shivered throughout the day. Parents want their children sent home if the schools are too cold. T.H. Thompson of the Eighth Ward, a member of the board, said all heating systems in the schools will be inspected and upgraded if necessary.

75 YEARS AGO – 1933

Forced to vacate their home because of arrearages in their building and loan assessments, a Lester couple and their children of Wyandotte Street were compelled to take up their residence in a cow shed. The man and his wife are “old country’’ folk and after he lost his job he was unable to keep up with loan payments. Chester welfare authorities have been providing the family with food.Mr. and Mrs. Richmond Ferguson and their family of Essex Avenue, Lansdowne, left to spend the winter at their home in Coral Gables, Fla., They plan to return to Lansdowne in May.

50 YEARS AGO – 1958

The milk drinking burglars have shifted operations to Springfield. Four homes in the same section have had milk stolen. Previously homes in Ridley Township Ridley Park, Tinicum and Prospect Park were hit. Now homes on Springhaven Road, Springfield, were victimized.Three of Delaware County’s best-known citizens have undertaken a campaign suggesting everyone in the county mail their Christmas cards and packages early. The three are Chester Mayor Joseph Eyre, Pittsburgh Pirate Manager Danny Murtaugh and Cleveland Indians first baseman Mickey Vernon.

25 YEARS AGO – 1983

The 2,600 students at Cardinal O’Hara High School in Marple boycotted lunch in the school cafeteria because they do not like new rules instituted. New rules dictate that students must sit in assigned sections and their food is served table by table. School officials declined comment on the rebellion.Three youths have been held for court in the stabbing death of a Collingdale man in September.

10 YEARS AGO – 1998

Two security guards from the Boscov’s Department Store at the Granite Run Mall in Middletown suffered minor injuries in a scuffle with a suspected shoplifter. The shoplifter from Prospect Park was charged with theft and simple assault.

---- LEN CASTERLINE

To contact Len Casterline,

e-mail: lencas1038@verizon.net

or lencas1038@yahoo.com

or call (610) 565-4298