Valley Girl Views: Main Street Catawissa, Block By Block Through The Decades

Main Street Catawissa, 1910

A Look at Main Street Catawissa, through the decades.

Note: This is very incomplete. Many photos are at the far bottom of the post, awaiting more information on where exactly they belong. Think of this post as an outline, that I am working to fill in, slowly.

Main Street Catawissa, Looking West

Main Street Catawissa, 1860

Water Street To Front Street

Today the Whistle Stop appears at 111 Main Street, but all early photos are labeled 119 Pine Street - a block or two behind the structure on Main street.

Light house and castle at Riverside Park, located right across the tracks, to the left, in the street view above this photo.

124 Main Street, 1946

1860 Map view of Main Street from Water to Second Street

1930 Sanborn Fire Map Showing Water to Second Street

Note the Feed Mill in the rear of North Main, along North Water Street. There's a Garage shown on the south side of main Street, and the Railroad Passenger Depot is shown near the river, on the south side of Main Street.

Although I do not know for certain, this is possibly the feed store shown on the Sanborn Map

Grimes & Bros

Flour, Feed, & Coal

Authorized Ford Dealer

Another Grimes & Bros Feed building in Catawissa

========================

The 100 Block, Front Street To Second

========================

In 1949, Catawissa Appliance Company as located at 106 Main Street

About 1946

Main street Catawissa showing the Andrea movie theater on the left, with the Harvey Furniture Store beside it.

Same location as the above 1946 photo, on Google Street Maps 2020

The brick building on the left, now a church, is the Andrea Movie Theater building.

"Corner of Main and Second Streets"

Today, this is the Bethel Assembly of God Church. It's on the western side of 2nd street.

Andrea Movie Theater

Playing is "Rebecca", a 1940 Hitchcock film, produced by David Selznick

Located at the corner of second and main streets, this building is today a church

The Andrea Theater was built in 1939 by Mr. Peter Magazzu who went on to own a chain of movie theaters in northeastern Pennsylvania, including the Angela Theater in Coaldale,PA,

Magazzu named most of his theaters after family members, with the Andrea being named for his father.

In February of 1956 Pietro Magazzu sold the Andrea theater to the Catawissa Pentecostal Church.

Today the Andrea Theater is the Bethel Assembly Of God Church

136 Main St (L.R. Letterman Bakery] , 2020 Google Maps View

L. R. Letterman's Bakery, Inc. was incorporated on Friday 20th September 1974. The Letterman Bakeries operated out of Bloomsburg, Williamsport, Danville and Catawissa. One of the founding partners was Alfred Letterman. The bakery closed in 1982.

Letterman's Bread ad from Bloomsburg, 1941

I have no idea where the Legion building shown above was located. But on the 2020 Google Maps Street view, the VFW property, also with a tank, is shown at about 129 Main Street.

Google Maps View of the VFW in the area of 129 Main Street, in 2020

=========================

200 Block, Second Street To Third Street

======================

E.H. Harvey Furniture, corner of Main and 2nd Street

Originally this building was the Susquehanna House Hotel

1868

In 1970, The Susquehanna House Antique Shop was located in the Harvey Furniture store building.

The owner, Webby Kistler, built a pistol range in the basement of the building.

The 1860 Map shows a hotel and a store along second street, along with the post office on main.

The Hotel Was the Susquehanna House Hotel.

"In 1886, George Kostenbonder, formerly proprieter of the Susquehanna Hotel at Catawissa, committed suicide there by shooting."

1978, Hess Custom Draperies and Interiors 205 Main Street

203 Main Street, Google Maps View, 2020

In 1945, Maxi Manufacturing Co. Occupied 206 Main Street - directly across from the Harvey Furniture Building.

200 Block Of Main Street, 1930 Sanborn Fire Map

Bloomsburg Hosiery Mill shown on the bottom left, along 2nd Street

200 Block of Main Street, 1945

Showing the Maxi Manufacturing Company in the old Bloomsburg Hosiery Mill

===========================

300 Block, Third Street To Fourth Street

===========================

1894, Rhawn, Attorney At Law, Corner of 3rd & Main

Unknown Parade, about 1919?

Looking East on Main Street, Opera House at the end of the street.

Main Street, Showing the North Side of the 300 block in the 1940s

Today's Municipal Building (Formerly the First National Bank?) is on the left, followed by a building that today is Woody's Place. Unknown building, followed by the Catawissa National Bank Building (more photos of that below) followed by the Houck & Cherrington Hardware store, followed by an unknown building (today Woodys Place) followed by what today is the Municipal building.

Note the gas pump beside the tall street light, in front of the hardware store. Here's a closer look at that:

[approximately] 317 Main Street

Houck & Cherrington Hardware and Machinery

With a Texaco Pump out front.

There's a later postcard view, showing a Texaco pump on down the street. Note that its definitely not the same pump shown above, in front of the hardware store. But the hardware store can clearly be seen beside the bank building.

Cherrington's Piano Store appears to be in the Hardware Building. Whether the piano store came before, or after, the hardware, I am uncertain.

Google Maps View 2020

Municipal Building

Woodys Place 311 Main Street

There now appears to be a road where the Houck & Cherrington hardware store once stood. (The bank building is also gone)

319-327 Main Street Catawissa

Second Floor - on the left C.J. Fisher Attorney At Law, on the right Charles S. Kline Insurance

First Floor - Left was the Catawissa National Bank, with the Post Office on the right

347 Main Street Catawissa

Google Maps Street View 2020

For this section, ignore most of the photo, and note the Atlantic Gasoline Sign and pumps on the right. This is in front of the building that today holds a Geisinger Clinic, but on the 1930 Sanborn map was a garage with a capacity to hold 60 cars. (Scroll down to the next section for more about the rest of this photo)

M.J. Grimes & Bro Lincoln-Ford-Fordson Catawissa PA

Note that there is an earlier photo in this post of the Grimes Bros. Feed, Flour, Coal, and Ford Dealers building. It is definitely not this building.

Although I don't know for certain, I believe this photo may be inside the above building:

Inside a store in Catawissa - Ford Dealer, and Farm Implements

Possibly Grimes & Brothers Feed Store? They have a Ford Authorized Dealer Sign on the outside of their building.

The Lincoln-Ford-Fordson building today

Across the street - south side of Main Street, 300 block -

352 Main Street

Weis Grocery store, with the I.O.O.F. on the second floor

352 Main Street

300 Block as shown on the 1930 Sanborn Fire Map

On North main street is a bank, a gentleman's store, Catawissa Nation Bank, Post Office, and on the far right, a garage capable of holding 60 cars.

In the rear of North Main, the Town Hall was located along 3rd street, and there was an Agricultural Implement ware house and a flour feed warehouse.

On South Main Street is a movie theater (NOT the Andrea) and an Auto Repair Bay

In 1947, Lois Fleming of 321 Main Street Catawissa was advertising that she wished to buy all sorts of Antiques.

340 Main Street is the Cracker Barrel Bar and Grill

=================================

"East Main" - East of 4th Street

======================

The Opera House is on the right, behind that is Harders Store.

Unknown White Building on the left

The Atlantic Gasolone Gas Pumps were in front of the garage, that building today is a Geisinger Clinic.

The Opera House Was Build in 1869

The Opera House, 1910

The Stone building behind the Opera House was the Thomas E. Harder Building.
It was torn down in 1971

1913 Sanborn fire map, East Main Street
Showing the Opera House Pink, on left), [Harders] Furniture & Hardware Store (Blue, on left) , and a school (Small Yellow Block Behind the Blue)

==================

Stories & History From Catawissa, Pa

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2021/04/catawissa-pa.html

For More Local History & Stories From Nearby Towns:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/p/history.html

==================
READ MORE
Also - Various Things I Can't Yet Place
==================

Burger Clothing and Gens Furnishings, 1913

Baldy's Store, Catawissa

The Baldy family operated a general store in Catawissa for many years. Mr. Baldy later opened an appliance store in the Andrea building. At that time he was employed by the Massachusetts Mutual Insurance Co. from which he retired several years ago. He was a director of the so called "Catawissa Board of Trade" which was successful many years ago in getting the Reigel Shirt Co. started in Catawissa. He was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church, the Bloomsburg Elks and a charter member of the Catawissa Chamber of Commerce.