Days Gone By
100Years Ago, 1923: Rev. Dr. G. Bickley Burns, district superintendent of the South District, which includes Chester City and Delaware County, in reporting 1,617conversions expressed regret that this was an average of only 21conversions to each of the 77pastors. The report was made to the annual Conference of Methodists, at St. Luke’s Church, Philadelphia, yesterday. “It has required 21church members to bring a new recruit into church fellowship,” Dr. Burns told the preachers. “The kingdom will not be strengthened to any great extent at that rate.”
75 Years Ago, 1948: Partial service on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s main line was expected to be restored early this afternoon as repair crews struggled to clear away the twisted steel rails and mangled freight cars from yesterday’s $100,000wreck in Sun Village. Twenty-four cars of a 45-car fast freight went off the rails and plunged in a crazy pattern over the embankments, into the creek and up against houses in Sun Village in one of Chester’s worst rail wrecks. Meanwhile, little Tony Mash will never forget this 10th birthday. In his new long-pants suit, Tony stood with his mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. James Mash, in the kitchen of their home at 1434Hancock Street, Sun Village, and watched in frozen horror as a big steel gondola car hurtled down the B and O embankment toward their window.
50Years Ago, 1973: A Delaware County electronics distributor, who claims to have sold surveillance equipment to persons allegedly involved in the Washington Watergate incident, said Wednesday he sold similar gear to the state. William McCuin, president of S.I.C. Inc., 350 Strathmore Road, Haverford Township, testified before a special House committee probing law enforcement that the purchase was made by the state department of Property and Supplies for use by “the Health Department.”
25Years Ago, 1998: Aston Township commissioners unanimously approved a conditional use request to allow construction of a 2,000-square-foot building at the corner of Pennell and Mount roads for Novotni Construction, a paving and concrete company. The building will be used as a warehouse/office.
10Years Ago, 2013: With the exception of a few minor details, the demolition of the McKinley Blacksmith Shop at the corner of Foulk and Concord roads in Bethel Township has been completed. Supervisors Vice Chairwoman Stacy Langin, during a recent meeting of the board of supervisors, reported that representatives of the Newlin Grist Mill were able to enter the property prior to its demolition and gather artifacts, which will be catalogued.