Nagy Novelty Company

In Downtown Allentown's commercial years, stores extended 3 blocks out from Hamilton Street. The only remaining remnant of that era is the parking meters, which apparently haven't noticed that the stores have been gone now for over 30 years. On 8th Street, also a couple blocks off Hamilton, was the Nagy Novelty Company. The dictionary defines novelty as a small, often cheap, cleverly made article, usually for amusement. The Nagys' had thousands of them, floor to ceiling. There were little jokes and gags, sometimes risque, passed around parties in the 40's and 50's. When you pulled " Miss Lola, The Snappy Bubble Dancer" leg's out, your finger got snapped. The Nagys', an ancient father, son and dog, stayed open till around 1980. I was never sure which one was the son. To me, as an aficionado of the old and curious, the store was a shrine. Items which they sold for a few cents, now sell on ebay for many dollars. They manufactured their own greeting cards. Shown here is the front and inside of an embossed card probably dating back to the 1920's.

Reprinted from Dec. 23, 2008

A Tailor From North Street

The Allentown Housing and Development Corp. recently purchased a home at 421 North St. That block of North Street was destroyed by fire, and the agency has built a block of new houses on the street's south side; it will next develop the other side of the street. The deed transfer caught my attention because Morris Wolf lived in the house in 1903. Wolf signed up with the Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry on July 18, 1861, in Philadelphia, when he was 22 years old. He was a private in Company A, of the 3rd Cavalry. This unit was also known as the 60th Regiment and was later called Young's Kentucky Light Cavalry.It defended Washington, D.C., until March 1862, then participated in many of the war's most famous battles: Williamsburg, Antietam, Fredericksburg and Gettysburg. Wolf had signed up for three years and was mustered out Aug. 24,1864.

Recently, to commemorate Memorial Day, the local veterans group placed more than 500 flags at Fairview Cemetery. If that wasn't enough of a good deed, the group also set upright more than 300 toppled grave markers. Visiting Fairview recently, I saw they had not overlooked the graves of either Mr. Wolf, or another veteran, Joseph Levine. I have concerned myself with Allentown's Fairview Cemetery for the last few years. I first became interested in the small Jewish section, called Mt. Sinai. This was the first organized Jewish cemetery in Allentown. Currently, all the synagogues have their own cemeteries, and Mt. Sinai has been mostly unused for many decades.

Mr. Wolf lies next to his wife, Julia, who died in 1907. Morris would live on for 30 more years, passing away in 1937, at age 98.
Mr. Levine, a World War II veteran, and his wife, Ethel, were the first and last people to be buried there after almost 25 years of inactivity. When Ethel died at age 93 in 2000, it was the first burial at Mt. Sinai since 1976. Joseph was 103 years old when he passed away in 2006.

The Housing and Development Corp. and North Street are now part of Allentown's new neighborhood initiative called Jordan Heights.Although soon there will be a new house at 421 North St., there is a history that will remain with the parcel. Once a tailor lived there who fought in the Battle of Gettysburg.

reprinted from 2010

General Trexler's Streets

Allentown benefitted enormously from General Harry Trexler. Most obvious is the park system, which unfortunately has suffered continuous depreciation under Pawlowski's misguided priorities, and The Wildlands Conservancy's agenda.  The General's various business interests played an important part in Allentown's prosperity.  He was largely responsible for developing the West End, through his lumber, real estate and construction businesses. His connection with the Lehigh Portland Cement Company resulted in several concrete streets, which have lasted almost a hundred years.

Yesterday,  Chew Street was blacktopped over the cement, which had been there since the 1920's. Nearby, Allen Street is also still cement from that era.  Unlike cement which lasts forever,  blacktop lasts  about ten minutes;  I suppose that's why they use it now.

 

reprinted from April of 2017

ADDENDUM MAY 23, 2025:Although eight years have passed since the above post, I'm still fighting the same battles with the city and park department. Never-the-less, I remain an advocate for the traditional park system and the WPA. Although a new mayor and park director  now resent this blog, my message resonates with many more citizens than they like to admit.

Rusting Away By Union Terrace

In 2010, I learned that Lehigh County had fast track plans to demolish the 1824 stone arch bridge by Union Terrace. Several decades earlier in 1980, Mayor Joe Daddona had the accompanying pedestrian bridge built, to insure the safety of both Union Terrace and Raub students.

Back in 2010, when I successfully defended the old Reading Road stone bridge, the steel on the pedestrian bridge was already rusty. Here we are over a decade later, and the city still hasn't painted it !!!

I was just watching a video of the mayor congratulating himself and the city workers on his victory. He said that they accomplished a lot, but there's still more to do. Mr. Mayor, may I suggest that the city spend a couple $thousand now and paint the steel beams? Or, you could wait until the steel needs replacing, spend $millions, but have a ribbon cutting.

Another Crime By Allentown Park Department

While Mayor Tuerk and his park department brag and cut ribbons for a new gimmicks in the parks, they allow irreplaceable historic icons to deteriorate. Recently they demolished the large cherished picnic pavilion in Cedar Park, after submitting it to a decade of benign neglect. Likewise, they're submitting the historic barn to their neglect schedule.

The barn and current park office was the A.H. Balliet Pastime farm, predating most of Allentown's west end. The trolley to Dorney Park ran along the creek.Through the vision of Harry Trexler and others, the city acquired the farm in 1929.

Vines are extremely destructive to structures, both to the masonry and wood components. We need park leadership and personnel who have some understanding of infrastructure.

Pandering On Hamilton

In a wholesale vote pandering extravaganza, Allentown held a Latino Festival two days before the primary election. Tuerk stood on the stage speaking Spanish and waving Caribbean flags at Fiesta On Hamilton.

What this event costs the taxpayers, we'll probably never know. How many police officers were there on overtime, and how many street department workers to set up and clean up?  Yesterday, Promise Neighborhoods held an open house. Again, just a coincidence, I assure you.

The picture above I grabbed off of the mayor's Facebook page, although this blog probably wasn't the intended audience.