South Front Street Milton PA - Through The Decades

Milton, PA -  1850.

Look to the right towards the back of the photo, the covered bridge to the Island would be about where Mahoning street it today.

1857 Sketch of the Residence and Dry Goods Store of Isaac Brown

This building stood where Bethany United Methodist Stands today.

This building was lost in the 1880 fire

1858 Milton
The Issac Brown store, from the photo above, it marked in about the middle here.
All the way on the left is Broadway, you can see the Cadawallader block marked there
The Post Office is below from the "N" in Front Street.

South Front Street Milton Pa, Through The Decades

Milton,PA -  1883

From Broadway South, East Side of the street:

 "DO YOU REMEMBER  when Follmers Grocery was in the small building about where Woolworths store now is located?  The boards in front of the walk in front of the store  - the peanut roaster and the red bananas?" 

 - Miltonian Jan 14 1926  

Woolworths was in the Milton Realty Building, which would be built on the corner on the left in 1910.

Starting at the Broadway Intersection and looking south

1906

The first store shown here was moved up the road on Broadway in 1909, where it  continued to be Milton's News Stand until it was lost in a fire in 2017. 

 https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/05/when-galbraith-moved-his-news-stand.html

The LM&W Trolley ran from Lewisburg to Watsontown roughly from 1898 -1928

Read More About The Trolley Here

On the right hand side of the street is the Post Office, The Fairchild Building (Replaced in 1924 with the First National Bank building)  The Gauger Building (Tailor) followed by the long white building that was the Haag/Buoy Block. 

Note - I've linked the buildings to the Milton History site which was invaluable to me as I attempted to sort all of these buildings out.  The Sanborn maps helped too, but this site has photos of the individual buildings, which was often even better for tracking what was what in the various street photos.

An interesting note about the First National Bank : In 1923 the bank purchased the Fairchild building, which at the time housed Carters Furniture Store. This "new" location for the First National Bank was in fact its original location when the bank opened in 1864.  The bank changed locations twice, before being lost in the 1880 fire.  After the fire, a new bank was constructed, and it stood until 1909 when it was remodeled.  The bank however, owned only a small piece of property, and was "hemmed in  on all sides".  After the remodel, the bank had outgrown the space, but it was 14 years before they were able to purchase their original location and build new on that spot.

This is looking south, on the left hand side of the street

Eagle Clothing in half of the MNB building, Milton National Bank, Hotel Haag, Schreyers, Lewisson Building

Inside Schreyer's Store

More photos from inside here

Looking down the west side of South Front Street, as shown on the Mural that is on the Moose building.  While putting this together,  I have been impressed by how accurate that mural is.  The trolley is stopped in front of the Hotel Haag.

The W.C.T.U. fountain was placed in 1897 - this photo appears to have been taken before 1897, based on the missing fountain and small changes in the awnings and porches that appear in later photographs.

The west side of south front street, from Broadway

Post Office,  Fairchild Bldg, Hackenburg Block, Haag/Buoy Block

In addition to elaborate Memorial Day services with parades and performances and speeches, it was customary to stand at this flag pole at noon on Memorial day, head uncovered, in a few moments of "respect and memory for the fallen dead"

On The East Side Of The Street (Left)

Krauser Building Milton National Bank, Hotel Haag, Schreyers, Lewisson

On the west side of south front street (Right)

The Post Office is the first large brick building.  Next to that is the Fairchild building,  Hackenburg building,  Haag Block.  (Later Buoy Block)  The Hotel Haag was not the first building that B.K Haag built.

The Post office, with Lincoln Park to the right
After the 1880 fire, the Post office moved north to the Broadway intersection.  Later it moved further north to it's current location.

The Milton Womens Christian Temperance Fountain was installed in the fall of 1897

Public water fountains were a temperance union initiative, to offer thirsty  men an alternative to going into saloons for a drink.  After this was installed, the newspaper later reported on the first man, D.B. Savage, a farmer from Turbotville, to use the fountain both for himself and his horse. The paper congratulated him for his kindness to his horse. (These fountains were all designed with both a spout for humans, and a bowl for horses.)

Lincoln Park on the right

In August of 1899 the W.C.T.U. "regretfully decided that owning to the repeated depredations on the fountain, therefore interupting the serivce for which it was erected."

There were a lot more words in this paragraph, but the gist appears to be that they were not happy with how the community was treating their fountain, and they planned to remove it if the "proper authorities" (policemen) did not start protecting it.
However, that car on the left was not made before 1899, so apparently the "proper authorities" stepped up to the task.  :-)  The fountain is mentioned in articles through 1905 , and that appears to be a 1908 Model T Ford.

The post office shown in the photo above, decorated with flags.

Lincoln Park is to the right.

Half of the Krausser Building, Milton  National Bank, Hotel  Haag., Screyers...

The Milton National Bank was originally in the double brick building shown here.

Looking south, on the left, Hotel Haag , behind the clock

On the right:  Fairchild building,  Hackenburg building,  Haag (Later Buoy) Block 

This was likely around 1910

In Beneville Haag established his present hardware and book store, operated as Haag & Brown until the panic of 1857, which compelled Mr. Haag to assume all responsibility of the business.  Later he was  joined by his son-in-law, John Buoy. In 1869 he purchased a lot south of his present hardware room, of Elizabeth Miller, and in 1865 erected buildings there. In 1875 his business block was burned, rebuilt, and burned again  in 1880, and soon after rebuilt the yet again.

Milton National Bank was organized in 1858, with James Pollock on the first board of directors. Business was held at the corner of Broadway and front street.  That building was lost in the 1880 fire.   

 In 1881, the bank moved to the brick building on the east side of front street (beside what would later be Haags Hotel) 

In 1910, half of the brick building was torn down, and a new bank was built.

 The new white Milton National Bank was opened in January of 1911 

The Milton Public Library moved into this building in 1932.

Today the library is in the Rose Hill Mansion up on the hill, and this is the Milton Art Bank.

In 1910 The Milton Realty Building was completed.

This iconic building is photographed so frequently that I gave it it's own page.  See how it looked from 1910 to now, here:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-milton-realty-block-through-decades.html

The Daylight Store opened in the Milton Realty building in February of 1911.

It was owned by Spots & Kelly.

The Daylight Store in the Milton Realty Building, Krauser Building,  Milton National Bank, Hotel Haag,  Schreyer Department Store, Lewisson Building, Dreiffus Clothiers,  Milton Trust & Safe Deposit Company.

Possibly 1940s or 1950s?

Milton Pa  - After the Trolley Tracks Were Removed

Notice the Bank is now beside the post office.  The Fairchild building was torn down in 1924

 Buildings on the left, Leopolds Sign on the right

In 1930 and 1931, there were numerous accidents on front street, all attributed to the trolley tracks.  In January of 1931, Mrs Bressler of Watsontown was killed, when her car "slipped inside of the road", and collided with an oncoming car.    A coroners jury, at inquest, declared that the accident had been unavoidable, and recommended that the tracks be removed.

Looking south, the Haag is barely visible on the left.

Newberry,  is in the Krausser Building, Grant Co in the old Brick half of the MNB, Milton National  Bank, Hotel Haag

The Elite Shoppe, W.T. Grant Co. and the First National Bank

• 1930, March - Elite Shop, which had been run since 1924 by Mrs Warren T. Bartholomew "Milton's Leading Buisiness woman", opened in their new quarters at 18th South Front Street.
• 1934, Oct - The Elite Shoppe moved to its new location on south Front Street, in the storeroom formerly occupied by the Rosenblum Garment Center.  The new quarters included a rest and lounge room for women, "something entirely different for Milton shoppers"
• 1965 - Elite Shop moved to the building "formerly occupied by W.T.Grant Company Store on South Front Street."  It had previously beeen located "just north of the new location".  Both buildings were owned by John Waldron.
• 1983 - The Elite Shop at 17 south front street, and the Smart Shop at 41 Broadway, both owned by the Bartholomews, were both permanently closed.

Lincoln Park on the left.  This was before Front Street was made a one way street.

The Newberry Store first moved into this location in 1926

They were still here in the 1972 flood.

Here we have backed up quite a bit, and we would be  standing in front of the Miltonian Fire  Co.building - almost down at the bridge - for this photo.  See the Moose building on the right?  And Bethany United Methodist Church

Rea & Derucks in the Milton Realty Building

With a soda counter

Rea & Derricks in Milton Realty,  Newberrys in Krauser Building, ? in Brick MNB half, "New" Milton National Bank, Hotel Haag, 

South front street Milton, Viewed From Broadway, 2020

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The 2022 "Krauser Block Rennovation"

In 2022 buildings between the First National Bank and the Milton Realty Building are being renovated.

Looking North-  

Now we are down the street, near Center Street, or the Bethany United Methodist Church, looking towards Watsontown

For this view, we would be standing just in front of  Bethany United Methodist Church.

As we look north, we can see that the Milton Realty Building is all the way at the end of the block, so this is after 1910.  

On the 1906 Sandborn Map, these are listed and the Hoffa Block then the Hein Block. 

Then it would be the Dreiffus Building, Milton Trust Bank, Lewisson Building, Schreyers Store, and the tall brick building is the Hotel Haag. On the other side of the Haag is the Milton National Bank, the Krauser Building, and then the Milton Realty Building.

From the Miltary Parade, July 1 1909

The parade appears to be following the trolley

The Sign peeking out from under the flags is for The Milton Hotel - later known as the Hotel Haag.  The Awning on th eright reads F.H. Lewisson

Turning & looking north up south front street , 1914

 On the left is the Philips Block, followed by the Goodlander Block (Opera House). 

Right: Hein block, Milton Safe & Trust, Dreifus Block, Schreyers, Hotel Haag...

Still  Looking North

On the right is Lewisson Building, Lawson Building Shreyers, Hotel Haag, Milton National Bank...

On the left: The edge of white building, with that sort of balcony, would be the Riverside Hotel.  The red building with awnings is the Gauger (Tailor) building, and the white building is the Haag/Buoy block.  

Still looking north. 

Right -  Milton Trust Bank , Dreifus Building, Lawsons Building, Lewisson Building,   Schreyers Store, Haag Hotel, Milton National Bank, Krauser Building,  Milton Realty Building

Looking North Up South Front

On the right - Dreifus Brothers Building, Lawsons Building, Lewissons Building, Schreyers Store, Hotel Haag, Milton National Bank, Krauser Building, Milton Realty

Cupps Bakery was located on South Front Street, at Center Street

Western Auto Store, next to the bank - west side of the street

18 south front street

Clugston's Mens Store on the left

Clugstons cleaning up after the 1972 flood

In 2020

 To the left is the Goodlander Block (Opera House),  The long yellow building with awnings was the Philips (later Kennedy Building).   On up is  the old First National Bank, the Eagles Building would have been the Riverside Hotel, and the colorful tattoo shop would have been the Gauger Building.  The Haag/Buoy Block is an empty lot now.

The "Goodlander Block" , which originally held, in part, the Milton Opera House, was occpied by The Famous Department store, from the 1920s until 1993.

Frank Krause, in his book "The Front Porch", writes of the Opera House:

"It was a splendid solid brick structure with two floors of high ceilings. It had a wide staircase that led upstairs to a ticket booth and reception area that led into the main auditorium, which was lit entirely with gas chandeliers. The auditorium was equipped with a large elevated stage, curtains, backdrops, and dressing rooms. It was Milton‘s sole cultural entertainment center for over 50 years, bringing light opera, stage plays, and lectures on circuit out of New York"

According to the Milton History website, it was purchased from the Odd Fellows Hall Association by John V Goodlander, on June 12th 1858.

The Dreiffus Brothers purchased the building  on March 31 1899.

The Dreifuss brothers owned a mens clothing store across the street from this building.

According to an obituary for Julias Levitan, he moved his Famous Department Store from Sunbury to Milton in 1921.

Looking north on South Front Street

On the left was a soda counter serving Hershey's ice cream.  On the Right was the Rexall Drug Store.

Rexall Drugstore  on the right, during the 1965 flood.

The Atlantic Gas Station, located where Marlins is today

Past the Bridge - 

Boyers Hobby Shop, 225 South Front Street Milton

Photos From Above 

Taken From The Hotel Haag, looking down South Front Street in Milton

Photo taken from the Hotel Haag, looking down on south front street.

Photo taken from the Hotel Haag, looking down on south front street.

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Find More History & Stories Of Milton Here

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/04/milton-pa.html

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Reference

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1858 Merchant List, Milton Pa

In 1887, Brown's Meat Market moved to the Haag's block, opposite the Huff House Lot.

1910
   60-62 South Front John Kennedy  Plumbing Gas & Steam Fitting
   104 S. Front Hedenberg & Son Coal Office.  (Yard on Race & Filbert St)
   157-161 South Front Street, Berman's Cut-Price Stores


March 1910 - Seidel & Spangler are the new owners of the Property occupied by the Elks on Broadway.  They are building a new porch and repainting the property.


1911
  123-127 South Front Rosenblum Brothers (Trolley Fare From Lewisburg or Watsontown paid with purchases $2 or over.)

March 1911 The Milton National Bank Moved into their new building

April 1912 The Milton Gas Company opened new office on the Buoy Block

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The Sandborn Fire Maps

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The 1896 Sandborn Fire Map Shows:

East Side Of The Street from North to South

Post Office; Hackenburg Fairchild BL - Confectionary & Ice Cream; Vancant; Tob & Tel Off; Haags Blk - Miltonian Printing; Vacant; Hardware; Office; Clothing, Furniture Goods; Riverside Hotel 

West Side Of The Steet:

News, Tobacco, Fruid, Grocery, Drugs, Jewelery, Grocery; D;Bank

Clothing; Hotel Haag ; Heinen Schreyer; Ice Cream Candy ; DG; Builds to Sal; Clo; Milton Trust & save Depost Co

1906

 The 1906 Sandborn Fire Map.  Top photo is to the East (river side)

The 1906 Sandborn Fire Map Shows, on the West Side Of The Street:

News & Tobacco; Tobacco; Fruit; Grocery, Drugs; Jewelery, 5 & 10; Clothing; Bank

The Hotel Haag; Schreyer Store Co DG Co Shows Gro Carpets; Mlly; DG; Shoes; Clo (Dreifus Blk); Milton Trust & Safe Deposit