Days Gone By
100 YEARS AGO, 1923 » The most important transaction in central city real estate recently effected in Chester has just been closed. The Philadelphia Suburban Gas and Electric Company will occupy a new building to be erected on the Wetherill property now used by the Delaware County Electric Company, adjoining the Chester National Bank on Market Street, north of Fifth. The transaction is important, not alone because of the sum involved, but because it also relocates the main office of the gas company on Market Street. For some years, business men, and particularly the banking interests, have considered the possibilities of the business trend being gradually moved northwards along the line of Edgmont Avenue.
75 YEARS AGO, 1948 » Chester Postoffice workers heaved a big sigh this morning. The Christmas mail has begun to taper off. For the first time since Dec. 12, with the exception of Sundays, the mail trend was down instead of up. And postal employees figure that as a sure sign that they’re over the hump. This does mean that Tuesday was not another terrifically busy day at the postoffice. It was. outgoing cancellations numbered 264,262, almost as many as during the peak day in 1947. But it was considerably under the more than 300,000 pieces that were handled on Monday to set a new postoffice record.
50 YEARS AGO, 1973 » Motorists in Pennsylvania may have a hard time finding gasoline during the Christmas holiday, Thomas J. Anderson, executive director of the Pennsylvania Service Station Dealers Association, said Friday. Anderson said that at least 70 percent of the 5,000 PSSDA members will be closed Christmas eve, while nearly all of them will be closed Sunday and Christmas day, leaving motorists without gasoline from 9 p.m. tonight to Wednesday. He said the shutdown was due mainly to allocation.
25 YEARS AGO, 1998 » A fire broke out yesterday at the Tosco oil refinery in Trainer, the third blaze at the complex in the past two months. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and this fire didn’t pose any problem, according to Tosco spokesman Pat Prosser. An Oct. 16 blaze ignited 700,000 gallons of jet fuel at the plant and burned for four hours. Last Monday’s fire was put out in 30 minutes.
10 YEARS AGO, 2013 » Keeping the streak alive, Upland council voted unanimously for the 27th consecutive year to maintain the current real estate tax of 2 mills. As a result, the average tax bill will continue between $200 and $300. The trash tax will remain at $135 per household.