Lansdale may be battling to bring the borough back to a bustling shopping destination, but that was not the case in 1957, when these photos were snapped.

The town had lots of shops to offer and plenty of places to go.

Conny Hughan Tanis of Hatfield submitted these photos — and we’ll feature two more next week — of scenes from the borough in 1957.


The photo that features the Perfection Bakery and Seelig camera shop is noted as follows:

“This was taken by my dad, Jim Hughan. My mother Regina and little sister Margie, a friend Mrs. Spare and myself, Conny, are standing under the one-way sign at Susquehanna and Main streets.

“Cardinal Camera has this picture on their Web site, much to my surprise! But living above the bakery, of course, we took our film to the Seelig shop to have prints made.”

In the photo that shows cars on Main Street, with the “no parking” sign at the fore, also features women walking near the SunRay drugstore, packages in hand.

As Conny Tanis notes:

“Shopping in Lansdale was great then!”

Tune in next week for two more of her photos.

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Robert L. Righter, an instructor of history and political science at Penndale Middle School, will receive the Sixth Annual Edwin G. Holl Historic Achievement Award sponsored by the Lansdale Historical Society.

The award will be presented at the organization’s annual banquet Tuesday, April 13, at William Penn Inn, Lower Gwynedd.


Righter has spent his entire 38-year teaching career in the North Penn School District, first at Pennfield Middle School and now at Penndale for the past 28 years.

He has been described by a colleague as “an amazing history teacher who inspires his students with his challenging assignments and personal enthusiasm for the subject.”

In past years, his students have been involved in extensive Civil War research, producing their own “Civil War Journal.” Another project involved a retrospective of World War II: the battles and the home front.

He has led his classes on numerous field trips to important historic sites, including Gettysburg, Washington, D.C., and Antietam. And they have been encouraged to complete outside research and create replicas of historic buildings, some of which are on display at the U.S. Constitution Center.

Righter also has emphasized the need to get involved in the political process, urging students to study the positions of the political parties and attend political events in the community.

To better understand the framework of our government, each of his students is issued a personal copy of the U.S. Constitution.

The Holl Award is given in memory of the late state senator who was a lifelong supporter of the society’s mission to preserve and promote the rich history of the North Penn region.

Likewise, recipients are chosen based on exemplary efforts to preserve history, promote the importance of it in the community or by encouraging future generations to appreciate history through education.

According to society President Dick Shearer, this is the first time the award has been given to an educator:

“I don’t think our committee could have made a better choice. In discussing the nomination, our board members all said essentially the same thing: Somewhere along the way, an inspired history teacher sparked our interest.

“I suspect many of Bob’s accomplishments have flown under the radar, which I hope isn’t the case. Unfortunately, it seems that too often history doesn’t get the attention it deserves in today’s public school curriculum.

“I’d like to think there are many more teachers like him across the country who continue to provide the inspiration we received. It’s terribly important that our kids learn from the successes and the failures of the past if they are to build on what we have now.”

In addition to his classroom duties, Righter has worked on local history projects in Bucks County and at Valley Forge.

He is also developing a display for the Holocaust Museum in Washington based on his father’s military experiences in Europe during World War II when he was involved in the liberation of Dachau.

The awards banquet is open to the public. Reservations ($35 per person) can be made by contacting the society at (215) 855-1872. More information and a reservations form are available at www.lansdalehistory.org.

There’s little doubt that we’re all hoping we’ve seen the last of the snow for this winter.

But a photo submitted by Barbara Smith Santee of Telford reminds us that this was not the most snow ever recorded in the area.


According to Santee, this photo shows the depth of snow that fell during the winter of 1939 — and it was a LOT of snow.

She notes that the child in the left front of the photo, Mary Smith, was about 7 when it was taken. She is the daughter of Alfred and Violet Smith, who lived across from the Perk Hotel in Perkasie.

The children in south Perkasie in grades one through three went to the elementary school on Branch Road, up from the Perk Hotel, Santee said.

The other children in the photo were from the neighborhood and lived across from the school.

“I don’t know who shoveled this passway in front of the school, but it was a difficult, back-breaking job,” Santee said.

The bottom of the photo shows that under the sides of the passway in the cement there was another 8 inches of snow not removed.

“That winter we sledded, ice skated on the creek at the falls behind Benfield Mill, near the Benfield Apartments. We also were grateful to all the dads who pushed the snow away on the ice so we could ice skate,” said Santee, who is the second child in the Smith family.

A reminder....

After three postponements because of February’s inclement weather, the Lansdale Historical Society’s Community Program, “Firefighting in the North Penn Area,” has been rescheduled for Tuesday, March 9, at 7:30 p.m. at the Lansdale Parks and Recreation Building, Seventh Street and Lansdale Avenue; and Thursday, March 18, at 7:30 p.m. at the Towamencin Firehouse, Bustard Road, Kulpsville.

The show will focus on how local volunteer fire companies became a necessity more than a century ago as the region’s population increased, along with the risk of major fires.

Representatives of the Fairmount (Lansdale), North Penn (North Wales), Towamencin, Colmar, Upper Gwynedd, Hatfield and Montgomery Township fire companies will describe the founding and development of their brigades and share their personal experiences as firefighters.

Society President Dick Shearer will narrate a brief history of early firefighting efforts. A video presentation by Steve Moyer will also be featured.

To accommodate an anticipated large crowd, the second presentation — originally planned for firefighters and their families but now also open to members of the public — was scheduled.

The society’s Community Programs are presented free of charge, but donations are appreciated.

For more information, call (215) 855-1872.

No, they’re not Hell’s Angels.

Far from it.

This photo from Pat (Waldspurger) Mahoney shows the Greyhound Motorcycle Club circa early 1930s.


According to Mahoney:

“Back in the early 1930s, this Lansdale group played motorcycle polo against neighboring clubs.

“Games were played on vacant fields in and around Lansdale. Greyhound’s Home games were played on fields located near Route 309.

“Each team fielded four players plus a goaltender, all riding their motorcycles.

“They used a special hacked 1917 Harley-Davidson.

“My father, Larry Waldspurger, and two of his brothers — my uncles, Ed Waldspurger and Bud Waldspurger — were members.

“From left to right in the photo are:

“Eddie Bruises, Ed Waldspurger, Bill Moore, Larry Waldspurger, Bud Waldspurger, Bryon Schultz, Roy Gottshall, Whitey (Andrew) Black and Ted Klebes.

“Ed Waldspurger was the manager and Bud Waldspurger was a referee and they did not ride.”

So there you have it. These motorcycles certainly were used for a different kind of sport.

Maybe it could be a contender for the next Olympics!