Days Gone By
100 Years Ago, 1923: Ex-Governor Sproul, who inspected iron and steel properties in Reading on Thursday and attended several banquets, lost a good overcoat at the dinner given in his honor and for Samuel M. Vauclain by the Reading Chamber of Commerce. The ex-governor and Mayor Stauffer were the last to leave the hall, and when they went for their coats only two were left. The Mayor got his own and Mr. Sproul got a good one, too, but it is very tight.
75 Years Ago, 1948: Edwin W. (Ned) Hilgert, retired telegraph editor of the Chester Times, veteran of more than a halfcentury of newspaper work and widely-known Methodist Church leader, died suddenly last night at his home, 419 E. 20th St. He succumbed to a heart attack with which he was stricken yesterday morning, death coming shortly after 7p.m. Mr. Hilgert, who was 80, was one of Delaware County’s veteran newspapermen, beginning his career with the Times on Aug. 1, 1892. He retired two years ago on March 23, 1946, and since that time had devoted himself chiefly to religious activities.
50 Years Ago, 1973: The Bryton Chemical Co. plant on Post road in Trainer will be closed indefinitely, a company spokesman said Saturday. The statement, issued late this morning, follows labor dispute Friday which left one man seriously wounded. “In the interest of safety and to prevent further injury to non-striking workers, the company was forced to shut down and evacuate the plant because of an illegal wildcat strike which occurred at noon Thursday,” said a spokesman for Continental Oil Co. Bryton Chemical is a CONOCO subsidiary.
25 Years Ago, 1998: By a unanimous vote, a key House panel yesterday approved a $147 million program designed to protect U.S. troops and allies from missile attack in hot-spot regions such as the Middle East or the Korean peninsula. The brainchild of U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon, R-7, the bill would provide funding to speed up the development of a regional missile defense program, a small-scale version of President Reagan’s dream of constructing a national missile defense program. “”The missile threat to our troops is growing every day,” Weldon, of Aston, said.
10 Years Ago, 2013: Civil and traffic engineering were the topics of the night as Concord Supervisors continued the hearings for the proposed Brandywine Mills, a center including Wegmans near Baltimore Pike and Route 202. The hearings focused on the Hineman property, a 33.1-acre parcel with approximately 20.3 acres in Concord, the balance in Chadds Ford, at 1751 Wilmington-West Chester Pike.