Newtown Hardware House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Newtown Hardware House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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Newtown Hardware House, 1915
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 Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Location | 108 S State Street, Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania |
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| Built | 1869 |
| Architect | designated_nrhp_type = December 17, 1979 |
| Part of | Newtown Historic District (Newtown, Pennsylvania) (ID79002174) |
The Newtown Hardware House is a long-standing hardware store located at 106 S. State Street in Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. This store is an important part of the Newtown Historic District. This district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. This means it's recognized as a historically important place!
A Look Back: History of the Store
The Newtown Hardware House was built in 1869. It was created by Cyrus Hillborn and Harrison C. Worstall. The building actually had two parts at 106-108 South State Street.
The part at 108 South State Street was the hardware store. It was run by Hillborn and Worstall. The other part, at 106 South State Street, was a dry goods store. This means it sold fabrics, clothing, and other household items. George E. Dolton ran this dry goods store.
In 1908, Mr. Dolton sold his side of the store. George H. McMaster took over the dry goods business. When McMaster passed away in 1927, H.C. Worstall took over both sides of the store. Later, John J. Burns bought the business.
After Burns died in 1955, Robert M. Davis bought the store. He ran it until 1985. Then, C. David Callahan took over the business. In 2012, C. David Callahan sold the store to William Newell of Newtown. Mr. Callahan even stayed on as a part-time employee!
The Great Fire of 1899
A big fire destroyed the Newtown Hardware House on March 1, 1899. Another store next door also burned down completely. The total damage was estimated at $80,000. This was a huge amount of money back then!
The fire was one of the worst events in Newtown's history. The cause of the fire was not fully known, but it was a huge disaster for the town. Luckily, the building was rebuilt very quickly. It was made to look exactly like the original store. The Newtown Hardware House reopened by Christmas of the same year. It is still open today! If you look closely at the back wall, you can still see a line of bricks. This shows where the original building survived the fire.
Newtown's Oldest Business
The Newtown Hardware House has been open for over 151 years! This makes it the longest-running business in Newtown. That's a very long time for a store to stay open!
In 2012, the hardware store faced some trouble. The owner, Dave Callahan, thought he might have to close the business. When people in Newtown heard this, they decided to help. They organized something called a "Cash mob". This is when a large group of people all go to a business at the same time. They buy things to help the store make more sales.
This "Cash mob" helped the store! In 2011, the store was struggling. But in 2012, Bill and Peggy Newell decided to buy the hardware store from Dave Callahan. Thanks to them, and the community's support, the Newtown Hardware House is still serving its customers today.
