Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-02-14
Ehrntttn Chat


harrisburg, have caused many an in
teresting story of days gone by and of
business "reminiscences to be told
about the city. The retirement of
Harris Cohen, the removal of tbe
Goldsmith store, the sale of the Cook
property and the transfer of Col
iege Block have all brought in their
train much of interest. Mr.. Cohen
was known as the authority on hoop
skirts years and years ago and made
thousands by that line of feminine ap-
parel. Weaver & Hubley for a time
had the monopoly of fire crackers.
while Joe Goldsmith furnished MANY
Harrisburg home.
Talking about the sale of Collesa
Block to William 3. SchIeisner tbe
not remember Angelo Posseponti, bet
ter known as The Peanut King" who
figured in the Fourth of July exploits
and in many of the checker games,
and who is now spending his declining
years in Italy. Who can forget the
beautiful streams that used to flow
down Third street in front of the
cigar factory of Ex-Mayor John c.
Herman, who was the first occupant
or the corner storeroom now occupied
by the United Cigar Company? 1t
used to be a mighty fine place for the
youngsters to sail boats on. That cor
her store was the meeting place for
many of the leading business and
political leaders of the community.
including the late Senator Quay, Cap
tam William B. Hart Major Lane s.
Hart, Col. w. w. Jennings and others
prominent in State activities who
made this their rendezvous 1t later
became the center of the activities of
the younger generation, when Edwin
>. Herman, present head of the firm,
succeeded his. father. In this store
| room many important local move
ments were started, and it was like
wise the natural magnet for many of
the practical jokers of the COM
munity.
The Sugar Bowl was another
famous old landmark that will long
be remembered. 1t was the predeces-
sor of the well-known Weaver and
Hubley store and was conducted at
the time by Samuel M. Sayford, who
subsequently became a famous col
lege evangelist. Ed. S. Weaver, the
new owner of the business is a rela-
tive of the late. John S. Weaver.
In 1889 Post SO, of the Grand Army
OF the Republic, whose present ad-
jutant is Noah Walmer took over the
third floor of the original building and
established their headquarters there.
Housed in this ancient structure there
are still a. great many interesting
relics OF backgrounds and war days,
one of the most important of which
is the old Camp Curtin pump, which
in the olden days stood at the entrance
TO the camp, which was situated near
Sixth and Maclay streets, on the pres
ent site of the Post Office substation.
The rooms are now used not only for
the regular meetings of the post but
are also general headquarters for
) all the war veterans located in this
section of Pennsylvania, and many
are the thrilling tales retold and many
; the battles fought all over again
within these walls Among the most
; treasured relics that are pointed to
with pride are the bits of timber
containing bullets and bits of shells
that have been imbedded therein for
half a century and more, and which
were picked up from various battle
fields.
And then there was the old Board
of Trade building in Strawberry street,
included in the Schleisner purchase.
1t was for number of years what
might have been termed the Forum"
of Harrisburg. 1t was the place for
meetings which were hardly of the
kind to warrant use of the main
courtroom or the Grand opera house
or one of the halls. Various ambi-
tious projects were launched at the
Board of Trade and occasionally po-
1itical crusades or Indignation meet
ingS would hold forth, but the great
events of the old buildings history
were the monthly meetings of the
board. Occasionally there were spir-
tied discussions and at times oratory.
The late Henry J. Beatty and Major
j. G. Smith used to delight in speeches
and verbal tits were not unknown.
The Board building was also known
for a while rs the Stock Exchange
of the city. 1t had a big blackboard
whereon the names of local securities
were lettered with the par, but efforts
to keep track of sales were not very
successful. Members would report
sale weeks after it had occurred and
often times attempts to get figures
were met with the request that the
transactions should not be reported.
But the richest of all the memories
of the old Board building were those
OF political meetings. And chief of
all were the tumultous sessions of the
Democratic county committee. There
are half a dozen newspapermen of
this city who distinctly recall be-
ing bodily thrown out of these
meetings and one in which the Meyers
and Fritchey factions fought for the
mastery lasted two noisy hours and
resulted in breaking of chairs and
glass. The Democratic State commit
tee also held a couple of sessions in
! the Board building when it could not
get any other place at the time and
it was the scene of numerous eau
cuses, including couple in which the
late Senator Quay figured. 1t was the
favorite meetingplace of adherents of
factions which wanted to count noses
before going to the old Grand opera
house for conventions and more than
once men were kept in the big room
to prevent some other faction from
"assimilating" them.
Grand Army hall on the top floor
of the College block and the Board of
Trade building could furnish many