Grocery stores in the late 1800s and early 1900s, usually had clerks who would get the groceries for customers and bring them to a counter for them. Self-service stores came along later. One of the first to operate as self-service, was Piggly Wiggly. Here is…
In 1968, the hardware that had been owned and run by Fern Beale and the Bates, was purchased by Herbert Most and his wife Marlott who had come to the US from Germany in 1951. They owned the store until 1989. The store was in…
The Gospel Tabernacle church was established in the early 1940’s and held services in a building on the south side of Main Street that had been built following the 1905 fire. The building was originally built for Augustus Schmelzer’s shoe store by Edward Allen of…
The Catholic Church has had a presence in Spartansburg for many years. Services for Catholic residents of Spartansburg and the surrounding area were provided by missionary priests in the mid 1800s. Starting in 1906, Father Kuntz, from Corry, held Mass once a month. He was…
As a part of his duties at the Tauber Woolen Mill, Walter Pfeiffer traveled and visited many businesses that were associated or enhanced the woolen trade. On one such trip to Cleveland, Ohio in 1932, Walter met and toured the OSMO Manufacturing Company owned by…
As the attendance at Spartansburg school increased and the building aged, the community members realized that a new home for education was needed. So, the School Board and community leaders began to explore making it a reality. The school names have been revised over the…
Peter Joseph Dooher (PJ) and his wife Flora (Whaley) came to Spartansburg before 1910. He served as a depot operator and telegrapher for the Pennsylvania Railroad from about 1910 until he retired about 1940. During part of this time, he also owned and managed, with…
On the southwest corner of Main Street and Mechanic Street, a large brick building was erected after the 1878 fire that destroyed both sides of the Main Street business district. Initially, this building housed the CW Kinney grocery store, later called the Diamond Grocery. About…
The Grange National Bank was the 2nd bank in Spartansburg. It’s establishment came within 3 years after the failure of the Spartansburg (Tryon) Bank. Spartansburg was a thriving community and it was the feeling of merchants and farmers in the area that a bank was…
This house belonged to JA (Bert) Winans. In later years, it had apartment rooms in addition to being the family home. The home was on the North side of Main Street in the area where Clear Lake Lumber now stands just east of Blakeslee Street…
The Thompson House was known by locals as “The Castle. It was built for the Thompson Family in……late 1800’s- I have not found an exact date. Several families lived in the house through the years. Like many houses of a “certain age” it is rumored…
BL Miller came to Spartansburg from Williamsport in Summer, 1905 having purchased the business of CH (CA) Gabriel at auction, following the failure of the Spartansburg Bank. (Gabriel was a guarantor of the bank) . He had several years of experience as a druggist and…
In the late 1890s and early 1900s, Everett (Evert) Frost and wife, Edna, lived in Spartansburg where he owned a watch and clock repair and jewelry business. His store was on Main Street. Mr. Frost advertised in the Spartansburg Sentinel, in some creative ways. Everett…
The Edwards Brothers (James and WIlliam), with the help of the town, constructed and operated a woolen mill. Two acres of land at the end of Water Street were donated and “subscriptions” were sold to raise funds for construction and machinery. The mill was in…
The New Era Temple was established in about 1895 and built a church on the west side of Mechanic Street, 2 doors down from what is now the PA Gast Haus. The congregation members were “spiritualists”. It is unknown how long there was an active…
The land was first purchased by Harvey (Major) Lamb from John Emerson in 1852. Lamb built the house circa 1870. Lamb owned the Lamb Woolen Mill at the end of Mechanic Street (later Tauber Mill) The home passed through other families, including John and Charles…
With thanks to Gustav’s Great Grandson, Robert for sharing information and photos of Gustav and some of his tools and wooden travel chest. Gustav A. Schmelzer was a prominent and respected merchant and tradesman in Spartansburg for 37 years. He was born in Bavaria (at…
The house at 223 Main Street was built in the late 1880’s or early 1890’s by AE Morton who was the undertaker. It was later purchased by Charles Tauber, owner of the Tauber (previously Lamb) woolen mill. These pictures show the Tauber House as seen…
In 1882, a bank was organized in Spartansburg. The bank was a private bank with no state or federal backing. The first President of the bank was IH Burt and the first cashier was FD Catlin. In 1889, DW Tryon became a major stockholder and…
William Edwards and his family came to Spartansburg from Forfar, Scotland in about 1873. William, his wife Elisabeth (Scott) and their sons, James and William settled in a house on a double lot on Davenport Street-which he purchased from Benjamin Davenport. Mr. Edwards had apprenticed as…
The Central Hotel, also called the New Central Hotel was probably built by Frank and Eva Hill prior to 1880. It was located near the railroad depot on the south side of Main Street directly across from the site of the Showerman Hotel which burned…
The Methodist Church building remains in its original location on Main Street. The organization of the Methodist Episcopal Congregation happened about 1827 through Rev IH Tackett. Church services were initially held in the school building that was on land owned by Dan Akins (west of…
William Major House is located on Main Street and structurally still looks very much the same as in 1876 when this drawing of the house was published in the Crawford County Atlas. The spire at the top of the widow’s watch is gone now, but…
John M Lewis, Esq. owned and operated a wagon and carriage shop in the borough. He was well-respected for his workmanship and he was also a Justice of the Peace for Spartansburg. In 1874, he built a large brick home on the northeast corner of…
One of the early businesses in Spartansburg was the Lakeview Hotel. In 1862, CW Hewell opened the St Nichlas Hotel on the northwest corner of Main and Water streets. During his proprietorship, the hotel was called by the name St. Nichlas and the Hewell House. …
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Bates lived in this house on Mechanic Street These pictures are from about 1936. Currently, the residence is the PA Gast Haus Bed and Breakfast.
On the south side of Main Street, east of Oil Creek, John Willard Williams, then burgess of Spartansburg, built a tannery in 1869. (a tannery owned by J Ford is shown on a map from 1867) The creek was nearby to provide water needed for…
With the mottos “Live and Let Live” and “A Satisfied Customer is the Best Advertisement” Goldstein’s Mercantile operated in Spartansburg from 1868 until 1915. The business was started in 1868 by Joseph Goldstein and his wife Libbie who were Russian immigrants. Mr. Goldstein was a…
The first school in Spartansburg town limits was built on land donated by the Akins on the east side of Oil Creek (East Branch) In 1862, a modern new school was built on the corner of Water and Wood Streets. The wood construction building was…
The Oil Creek Railroad line from Titusville to Corry opened in 1862. The Oil Creek became a part of the Western New York and PA, and later the Pennsylvania RR. The railroad provided opportunities for merchants and tradesmen in the area to expand their…
At one time, Spartansburg hosted 4 blacksmith shops in the village. Luther and George Day, Charles Thompson, John McDannel, Charles Kinney and OD Snapp were some of the early smiths who cared for the blacksmith needs from 1871-1910. Their shops were located throughout the town.…
AV Winans came to Spartansburg in about 1865 and established a butcher shop with his brother, SA Winans. Two years later he and his father-in-law purchased hardware stores owned by Alsdorfs and by CM Hopkins. AV Winans combined the 2 hardware stores into a building…
The Baptist Congregation was begun in Bloomfield in 1820 and met in Concord Township. In 1849, organizers (listed below) brought a Baptist congregation to Spartansburg. The original church building was erected and dedicated in 1851. The church was described in the 1955 writings of…
The Presbyterian Church was organized in 1844. The church was built in 1849 on the South side of Main Street. The original pastors were George W. Hampson and Amos Chase. Oliver N. Chapin served as supply pastor for some time. Early members included: Eli Catlin,…
Woolen manufacturing was among the earliest and longest lasting businesses in Spartansburg. As early as 1837, nearly 20 years before the borough was incorporated, McWilliams and Emerson developed a carding and fulling mill south of what would become the center of town. The business was…
Platt’s Mill on Mill Street beside the dam is the longest operating business site in Spartansburg. It was the original grist mill site begun by the Akins brothers in the 1830s on land purchased from Judge Barlow. The Akins also had a saw mill on…
In the 1830’s The Akins brothers, Andrew and Aaron, opened a Saw Mill and a Grist Mill on the East and West Side of Oil Creek. The Grist mill was on the site of the current Platt’s Mill. In 1837, Andrew Akin opened a General…
In the 1820’s William Sterling and Akins started the first lumber businesses in Sparta Township. The mills were on tract of land purchased from the Holland Land Company and were on Patrick Run, just north of the future location of Spartansburg.
