An undated birds-eye or panoramic view of Wiconisco, Dauphin County. This picture appeared in the Lykens Standard, April 17, 1969. It accompanied an article by C. L. Peters. The photo was submitted by John C. Seip, a longtime residents of Wiconisco.
NOSTALGIA – WICONISCO
The above picture brings back memories of Wiconisco in its infancy. One will see the road, known at that time as “Dyehouse Hill,” heading into town. Close observation will disclose the trolley tracks along the left side of the road in the foreground.
The large building in the right foreground is the dye plant operated for years by the Schott family. Here hosiery made in Wiconisco and surrounding areas was dyed. Directly to the rear of the dye plant was a pit where used dye was deposited. For reasons only known to one versed in dye and dying, the grass always had an olive green cast. Beyond the dye pit the open space was known as the commons or village green. later this area was used as a baseball park and circus lot.
Next to the dye house stood the blacksmith shop operated by George Fetterhoff and John Fetterhoff. In addition to blacksmith work and hose shoeing, they were artistic in painting and decorating wagons and fine buggies.
On the left side of the road stood the old electric plant. Distribution of electric power was just coming into being in those days.
Later these small plants were bought up by larger concerns and consolidated. A coal trestle with two coal cars is seen to the left rear of the electric plant. This was the coal yad for retail sales.
Directly above that is the old coal company stable where the mules were kept. Many mules were housed here until the dinky engines, relived many of them. However, during long strikes, such as occurred in 1902, the mules were brought up from the inside of the mines and kept there.
At the top of the so-called dye house hill, a plane carried coal from the mountain to a point south of Wiconisco where it was loaded into railroad cars. Those planes were ingenious devices where the loaded cars descending the plane pulled the empty cars back up.
You will see a sigh “Plane Street” at the point where the plane crossed what is now Pottsville Street. Someone pulled a boo-boo and listed it Plain instead of Plane on the map.
To the far top right of the picture, the many houses constitute what was then the heart of Wiconisco. It was known to many as Swamptown. Later the streets carried the names of South and Center Streets. South Street was the hub of activity and a beautiful spot. Colonel Murphy, father of Jerome Murphy, ran a large hotel there for may years. This section of town was flanked by Wiconisco Creek on the south and the Pennsylvania Railroad on the north. Near the extreme edge of the picture will be seen a smoke stack. That was the location of the tannery when hides were brough in to be made into leather. It was later destroyed by fire.
Three such steel stacks are evidenced in the picture, one of the tannery, one at the dyehouse and a third at the electric plant.
This was Wiconisco before the turn of the century.
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Photo and story from Newspapers.com.
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