An undated photograph of the Commercial Hotel, located on the south side of Grand Avenue between Bellas Street and Hand Street, Tower City, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
The hotel was erected in 1870 by Daniel Kaufman. It was subsequently owned by John T. Pfeiffer Sr.
In front of the building are brewery wagons. None of the individuals in the photo are identified.
In a letter to the West Schuylkill Herald, published on September 18, 1968, Bill Schwenk Sr., a grandson of Daniel Kaufman and Kate Kaufman, gave the following reminiscences of the Commercial Hotel:
Daniel and Kate Kaufman were among the early pioneers of Tower City…. They built and operated the Union Hotel, later named Commercial Hotel, in the west end of town, and were hosts to traveling salesmen, farmers, theatrical people who played in the P. O. S. of A. Opera House, usually for 10, 20, and 30 cents admission.
I used to marvel at that hotel building. I thought it was the biggest in town and I guess it was with its three stories and many rooms, including a dance floor on the third floor.
My uncle, Alf Lewis, was hostler and took care of any guests with their horses, mostly farmers, and operated the livery, which meant renting out horses and buggies.
I remember also how he used to “swap horses, mostly with the gypsies whenever they came to town. They were “bad actors” and would cheat you if they could, and he would usually end up with a mean horse that would bite and kick.
My grandfather died when I was about five or six, and we moved in with my grandmother. My father took care of the bar, and my mother and her sister Kate Kaufman, did the cooking, and my aunt Bell was the waitress. They served three meals a day, seven days a week, and what meals they were for 25 cents. Today it seems unbelievable.
My grandmother kept a cow, and we kids sometimes had to go and “fetch” her home. We could always find her by listening for the sound of her bell. She also kept pigs, and what monsters they were when it came to butchering time – what a time of the year that was – the squealing of the pigs, the big black kettle for hot water, the rendering of lard and the making of sausage, delicious hams and pork.
I left when I was 21. I was fed up with the mines and they were nearly the death of me when I fell under a mine car down in No. 4. I was badly squeezed and did not work for three months. I came to Chicago and lived there 44 years….
According to information in the West Schuylkill Herald, July 27, 1966, the Commercial Hotel was owned by Clarence Kelly, who was at the time in the process of razing it.
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Photo from Centennial History of Tower City and Porter Township, 1868-1968. News articles from Newspapers.com.
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