Other Times

100Years Ago – 1919: Saloons throughout the city received word to close the doors of their places and cease selling 2.75percent beer at 11 o’clock last night. While it could not be learned from an authoritative source, it is understood that the word was sent out by representatives of the Internal Revenue Department. Nearly 40 saloons are affected in this city. The action came as a result of the passing over the veto by President Woodrow Wilson of the Prohibition Enforcement Act by both the House and Senate. Saloon keepers were “up a tree” as one leading hotelman expressed it last night.

75Years Ago – 1944: Republican leaders are pointing to substantial registration gains in both Chester and Delaware County to support a general prediction that Dewey and Bricker will take the county by a larger margin than the 20,000majority given to Wendell

Willkie over Roosevelt in 1940. In addition, they point to the revitalized spirit of the Republican Party, which has placed it behind Gov. Dewey from the governor down to the smallest precinct committeeman.

50Years Ago – 1969: Plans to close the U.S. Customs office in Chester have been postponed indefinitely, it was announced by U.S. Rep. G. Robert Watkins

(R-9), of Birmingham. The proposal, announced by the Treasury Department in the Oct. 10issue of the Federal Register, was to eliminate Chester as a port of entry and divide its duties between the Philadelphia and Wilmington offices. On learning of the plan, local businessmen and Watkins sent protest letters to Customs Bureau Commissioner Myles J. Ambrose, who said it was suspended “for further study and review.”

25Years Ago – 1994: Penn-Delco Superintendent Dr. Timothy Kirby delivered some welcome good news to the district: SAT scores in Penn-Delco have risen from 843a year ago, to 912 today. At Wednesday’s school board meeting, Kirby described the test results as “”significant improvement and significant growth’’ and the highest scores have been since the 1970s. Three Sun Valley students – Jeffrey Acheson, Jennifer Belzner, and Amy Hetro, all of Aston – were introduced at the meeting as “commended scholars’’ in the PSAT Merit Scholarship Program.

10Years Ago – 2009: The first public meeting to gather public input on how Middletown Township’s Smedley property can be best used to serve the needs of the community is at 7tonight in the township building. The township acquired the property on West Rose Tree Road from the Smedley Group and intends to develop it as park land and protected open space.