Other Times
100 Years Ago – 1920:
A bold defiance of Mayor Ramsey’s order to Acting Police Chief Guy Sill to suppress all gambling was attempted Saturday night when “Say” Mercandte, proprietor of a Sixth Ward gambling house, kept his emporium open. The gamblers declared they had been assured protection, but refused to divulge any names in this connection. Acting Chief Sill himself, in command of a squad of bluecoats, swooped down on the place and arrested every man in the house.
75 Years Ago – 1945:
The Commissioners of Delaware County at their meeting Wednesday in Media appropriated $30,000 to Chester Hospital. That sum is in addition to the $25,000 annually appropriated to county hospitals for giving free and part-free care to indigent patients. The additional appropriation is reliably understood to be for the construction of an isolation unit for infantile paralysis and meningitis cases. The county at present has no hospital facilities for isolating these contagious diseases.
50 Years Ago – 1970:
County prison officials are seeking a 23-year-old Darby man who failed to return to Broadmeadows Prison after completing his work shift Friday at a steel company. Warden John I. Gable said the man had been working as a foreman at Hadden Safety Industries Inc. in Downingtown, Chester County. The man, described by Gable as “a good prisoner, a good man,” will be charged with prison breach. He was serving a two- to four-year sentence for burglary.
25 Years Ago – 1995:
Officials from the state Department of Community Affairs are scheduled to meet with Chester City Council tomorrow to begin its review of the city’s fiscal condition. Last week, Mayor Barbara Bohannan Sheppard petitioned the DCA for a determination on whether the city can be declared distressed. A public hearing will be scheduled within the next month to allow interested parties to offer testimony. A ruling by the DCA should follow within 30 days of the hearing.
10 Years Ago – 2010:
Although a Home Depot and an Acme Markets stand on its grave, an upcoming documentary and a cache of fans online suggest the Bazaar of All Nations remains alive in the hearts of many Delaware County residents. Memories of teen years spent at the Bazaar also cried out from beyond the grave for film producer Patrick Manley. After pondering about writing a book detailing his experiences at the Bazaar for years, Manley said his dreams finally started to become reality when he met writer/director Melissa Whitely of White Lyte Productions, who suggested a documentary.