Here’s a scene you surely won’t see again at the Five Points intersection in Montgomery Township — farmers out baling hay.


These men obviously are working hard on a summer’s day to make sure the hay was harvested — perhaps a storm was on the way.

But it’s a bucolic scene, with pleasant-looking houses in the background.

This photo was submitted by the Lansdale Historical Society, and society president Dick Shearer said it was taken sometime in the late 1940s looking from Horsham Road toward Doylestown Pike when Montgomeryville was “still a kinder, quieter place.”

The houses seen in the background are still there, although many of them now have commercial uses, Shearer said.

A few years after this photo was taken, progress stepped in and the Bellevue Diner — one of those stainless steel classics —took over the corner, Shearer said.

Later, Robert Hall and the small shopping center that currently occupies the site replaced the diner, he said.

By: Chris Stanley

Keith Godshall always liked Pontiacs. "I was always a huge Pontiac fan growing up as a kid," said the sales manager at J.L. Freed in Hatfield as he sat at his desk in the middle of the showroom recently. "My uncle worked here, so he'd have all the GTO brochures and I got hooked on them early."

Now after 29 years of selling everything from GTOs and Trans Ams to G8s, Godshall will soon be selling his last Pontiac.

General Motors recently announced they are discontinuing the 85-year-old brand, as part of an ongoing streamlining process of the company.

J.L. Freed, which started as a Lansdale farm equipment dealer in 1883, has been selling Pontiacs since 1931, when they took on the brand after dropping Essex and Hudson sales.

The dealership also sells Cadillacs (since 1929) and Hondas (one of the first on the East Coast in 1971).

And though Godshall says he will miss Pontiacs — etched into pop culture by the song "Little GTO," used by the Monkees in their 1960s TV show, and serving as the talking KITT car in the 1980s show Knight Rider — the decline was no surprise to him.

"You see what Pontiac has become over the last several years, from a viability standpoint as far as sales go, it's just been a downward spiral for the last 5 to 7 years," he said.

"It was almost inevitable, you could tell. It's not just us locally, it's nationwide.

"They were kind of the alternative to Chevrolet ... a little bit of sportiness to them. In the '60s and '70s, they were the 'excitement division.' That's when they became known for

the GTO, the LeMans, the Tempest, and then the Firebirds and the Trans Ams.

"When I got here (in 1980), they were going through an identity crisis, because of all the pollution regulations, EPA regulations. Even the 8-cylinder Trans were really being choked down to about 150 horsepower. Our big Bonnevilles were shrinking. It was an identity crisis for Pontiac, because they weren't really excitement anymore; they weren't sure what they were.

"But slowly they started to get more performance and regain themselves again. They came out with the Pontiac Fiero in 1984; they morphed from lost their way to being exciting."

Godshall says some of Pontiac's sporty reputation returned again recently with favorable reviews of the current G8 model.

"Now that Pontiac announced they are closing down the brand, all the auto sites are clamoring for the G8 to continue as a Chevrolet," he said.

Godshall said that sales of Pontiacs and Cadillacs are a small part of J.L. Freed's business, and he expects the loss of Pontiac to have a minimum impact.

The dealership is renovating a former Volvo dealership on Route 309 in Montgomery Township, and plans to move all the operations there later this year from the current building they have occupied since 1967.

"Honda came on in 1971, and that was obviously a great move. Back then you had the huge Cadillacs with the big long Fleetwoods next to the little Honda 600, with nothing more than a glorified motorcycle engine in a car. Talk about culture shock in the showroom, with the two extremes," Godshall said.

"They took a shot (with Honda), and it was a great move. We went through a lot of energy crises where the Hondas were great, then you had a lot of times when you had the pro-American buying. Some of our Honda customers were looking at Pontiacs, so we kind of covered both bases which was nice," he said.

"It's going to be tough going for any of the domestic dealers right now."

Peg Stewart Harvey of Hatfield recently was going through some of her mother's photo albums and was kind enough to share a photo that she found there.


Although she's not sure of the date, she says, "I believe this is a photo of a sign that my grandfather painted. His name was Albert Rue Bailey, he lived on East Fifth Street in Lansdale, where he worked out of my grandparents' garage.

"He was a local artist who mostly made his living as a sign painter. In his lifetime he was contracted to paint various company signage, for example, Pep Boys (Manny, Mo and Jack): Bonami ('Hasn't scratched yet'); and was contracted to do the RCA emblem with Nipper, but never got any recognition for that emblem.

"He was one of the founders of the Art League, also.

"I am told that during the war my mother started an art club while she was employed at Interstate Hosiery Mill. She ran the club for $1 a week and once a painting was paid for, then my grandfather would finish the painting. This art club helped my grandparents keep food on the table during the Depression.

"As a side note, I have been going to house sales and auctions in the hopes of securing any of my grandfather's paintings and luckily have purchased eight to date."

This photo truly is a snapshot of history, as it captures the Lansdale Theatre "pick o' the pictures"!

Since the Lansdale Historical Society has chosen "The Hatfields" as its season-ending program, covering two municipalities, it seems only fitting that there are two chances to catch this show.


In the photo featured today, supplied by the historical society, you see the old Detwiler's store at Broad and Market streets, in 1909.

As noted by historical society president Dick Shearer, this store obviously was a center of commerce in the old days of Hatfield Borough.

And it will be just one of the features of "The Hatfields," when it's presented on two dates at two locations.

The show, organized with help from the Hatfield Historical Society, debuts Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Lansdale Parks and Recreation Building, Seventh Street and Lansdale Avenue.

It will be repeated at 7:30 p.m. May 26 at the Hatfield Firehouse, 75 Market St., Hatfield.

The program will examine the formation of Hatfield Township, the impact the railroad had on the community and how a portion of Lansdale was carved from the township in 1872, according to Shearer.

It will also recount how the development of the railroad set the stage for the creation of Hatfield Borough, how the countryside changed from farmland to suburbia during the 20th century, and the evolution of business and education over the years, Shearer said.

Shearer and Larry Stevens, president of the Hatfield society, are coordinating the show. Steve Moyer will present a "then and now" video during the program.

This is the second of an annual series of programs highlighting the communities that surround Lansdale. Last May's show featured North Wales.

Both shows are free and open to the public. Donations are appreciated. Call (215) 855-1872 for more information.

If you travel to the corner of Vine Street and Main Street in Hatfield Borough, you will still see the building that is featured in today's photo.

Of course, it no longer serves the same purpose when these photos were snapped many years ago.

The photos were submitted by Vickie Stauffer of Souderton, who noted that she bought the pictures several years ago at the Kulpsville Flea Market.

Stauffer notes:

"The windows of the building read 'General Merchandise' and the sign reads 'South Hatfield Post Office.' The step sign seems to read 'Evenson's Quaker City Soap.'


"The group photo shows the Anders family. Notes (that she received with the photos) mark the first man on the far left as John S. Anders with his wife, Mary B. Anders (born 1844) as the third from the left."

Other notations show that the two men in the top row at the far right are not identified, but that next to them, from the right, are Warren Anders, Edith Anders and Anna Lloyd.

Stauffer reports:

"The man on the bottom step on the right side is Joe Anders and next to him is his second wife, Kate. The two small children are from Joe's first wife," and are named Edith and Roy Anders.

"To Kate's left are Ernest Coffman and Louisa Anders Coffman."

Stauffer also noted that the date of the photo is unknown.

Perhaps it was some special occasion, however, since the whole group assembled for this picture.