The Clockmakers Property (48 and 50 Centre Square)

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(Photo by Richard F. Hope)

The Clockmakers’ Property (48 and 50 Centre Square)

These two properties appear to occupy the original town Lot No.139, as surveyed by William Parsons for Easton’s founding in 1752.[1] The Lot was vacant in 1771.[2] Moritz Bishoff, a clockmaker, built his stone shop on it at some point after that, because his widow sold it in 1791 to Christian Winders, another clockmaker.[3]

• A deed for the property next door in 1789 recited that Lot Not.139 was occupied by Christian Bishop.[4] This could possibly have been the draftsman’s accidental concatenation of Moritz Bishoff and Christian Winders. It is also possible that Winders used the shop before he actually purchased it from the Bishoff’s widow.
• Moritz Bishoff is apparently the same person who owned one of the properties underlying the Alpha Building, on the other side of Centre Square.[5]
• In addition to Bishoff and Winters, Easton was also home to clockmakers John Murphy (on the site of the Mayer Building, see below), and (after the Revolution) Christian Bixler (see above).

In the 19th Century, the property generally became the location of the “Bully Wack”, a club that included a lodging house and barroom for wealthy young men, beginning before 1848.[6] A popular source of Easton reminiscences published many years later, stated that in 1854 the first Express Company was opened here, to receive and deliver railroad freight.[7] In fact, a newspaper notice dated to 13 April of that year advised that “A.D. Hope had removed his Express office to the north side of the square with Howard & Co.”[8] The main A.D. Hope Express office was in New York City, while the Howard & Co. Express was in Philadelphia.[9] In 1855, the two maintained separate street listings at No. 93 Centre Square, with Howard & Co. Express also listed at No.95. Washington H. Bixler was listed as Howard & Co.’s express agent.[10] By 1864, the two expresses had combined as the “Howard & Hope, Express Co.”,listing John M. Siegfried as the express agent.[11]

These two addresses became the present Nos. 48 and 50 Centre Square with the inauguration of the modern street numbering scheme in 1874.

48 Centre Square

In 1873, the residence of James Thompson was at 95 Centre Square, under the street numbering scheme then in effect.[12] With the inauguration of the modern street numbering scheme in 1874, James Thompson’s residence was assigned the address of 48 Centre Square.[13] In very early 1880, it had become the residence of John S. Lehn, then unemployed[14] and recovering from the recent loss of his family property on Lehn’s Court to creditors.[15]

• By 1881, John S. Lehn was the resident at 127 Spring Garden Street,[16] next to the residence (at 129 Spring Garden Street) of Margaret Wilking,[17] his sister.[18]

By February 1880, Lehn was replaced as the resident of 48 Centre Squarebylawyer Henry F. Steckeland his family. They maintained this “Old Steckel homestead”[19]while they lived near Bath,[20] using it on occasion to house other family members.[21] Steckel had been born in Bath in 1829, but came to Easton in 1848 and began studying law with lawyer Matthew Hale Jones[22] (whose house and practice were located where the Hotel Huntington Building now stands[23]). He was Chief of Session of the Northampton County Court in 1855,[24] and served two terms as Prothonotary (from 1855 until 1861).[25] He then practiced law from 1861 until 1866, when he married and purchased a farm in the “Irish Settlement” near Bath, on which he “lived retired”.[26] His wife was Anna M. Whitesell,[27] the daughter of the owner of Daniel Whitesell, owner of the Central Hotel (now the Hotel Lafayette),[28] whom he apparently met while boarding in her father’s hotel.[29]

Henry Steckel’s wife, Anna [Whitesell] Steckel, purchased property on Easton’s Mount Jefferson in 1896.[30] Although that property was also identified with the Steckels,[31] the Steckels appear to have taken up residence in Easton again at their 48 Centre Square address.[32] Beginning in 1906, they moved definitively to Mount Jefferson, and Henry again took up the practice of law.[33] In addition to the Mt. Jefferson property, he also owned the Central Hotel (now the Hotel Lafayette),[34] apparently inherited from his father-in-law, Daniel Whitesell (see above). Mrs. Steckel died in 1914,[35] leaving her husband to inherit the extensive portions of the family property that she owned.[36] Henry Steckel died in 1919 at age 91, the oldest member of the Northampton County bar and “possibly the oldest member of any bar in the United States.”[37] He remained able to “walk about the grounds on Mt. Jefferson up to the day he was taken ill” with his final sickness.[38] The “former homestead” at 48 Centre Square was given equally to Henry Steckel’s children (his daughter’s share in trust). The will expressed “the wish of both Henry F. Steckel and his wife, the late Anna M. Steckel, that none of the property should pass out of the Steckel family”.[39]

By 1918, the Steckel’s house had been rented to the New York Restaurant, run initially by John and George Janos who were also in residence, and by Christopher Poulos, a waiter who lived on South 6th Street.[40]In the mid-1920s, Christopher Poulos was replaced by Gus Janos, who became manager of the restaurant while John and George remained partners.[41] At this time, the building was apparently still a 2-1/2 story “Second Empire” style house.[42]

One modern source has identified the present building on the property as “post 1930, commercial”.[43]

50 Centre Square

With the inauguration of the modern street numbering scheme in 1874, the addresses of 49 and 50 Centre Square were assigned to the ice cream confectionery of George P. Ihrie.[44] In 1880, 50 Centre Square had become the restaurant/bar of restaurant proprietor John W. Skillman, who lived there with his wife and three bartenders.[45]

In 1899, Number 50 Centre Square, the property next door,was an imposing Second Empire style building with 3 ½ stories and two dormers.[46] It was purchased by James B. O’Hay for $21,000 in 1906,[47] and became O’Hay’s Restaurant,[48] which advertised:

“Meals Served at All Hours. Oysters and Clams a Specialty. Steam Lunch Bar. Bar stocked with the Best Brands of Foreign and Domestic Wines, Liquors and Cigars.”[49]

At that time, it was a 2-story building with a higher, prominent name roof sign.[50] O’Hay’s Restaurant continued into the 1920s.[51] In 1918, O’Hay contracted to purchase the Detwiller House, but the sale fell through.[52] In 1918, O’Hay became the owner of the Reichard House at 114 Spring Garden Street, which he made available as the Rectory for St. Michael’s Lithuanian Roman Catholic Church, and sold outright to the Church in 1922 when he had cleared the title.[53]

By 1923, O’Hay left the Centre Square restaurant and joined the Bunn Motor Car Co.[54] The restaurant was taken over by Charles Brands, who also ran the meat market in the Col. Hooper House at 501 Northampton Street.[55] On the afternoon of 8 March 1924, Pennsylvania state police raided “Brand’s Café” as a speakeasy, and made an arrest. It was apparently back in operation that evening.[56] Frank Driscoll took over proprietorship of the restaurant in Centre Square by 1925.[57]

One modern source has identified the present building on the property as “post 1930, commercial”.[58]

Combined Again!

In the 1930s, both the properties at 48 and 50 Centre Square were incorporated into commercial space for the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P grocers).[59] It seems likely that A&P, as the occupant of both buildings, leveled them both off to their present, single-story size.

The properties were separated once again in modern times. The “Square Bar” was opened there by the late 1950s,[60]and operated by Rachel Haddad (owner of most of the buildings in that quadrant of Centre Square) and her family from 1964 through 1991,[61] at No.48½ Centre Square.[62] At that time, the liquor license was sold to Richard A. Baeyen and David Sosnov.[63] However, under Richard Baeyen, the bar was “shut down in 1994 for being the center of the Downtown drug trade”. Baeyen “later sold his liquor license and stake in the bar back to his landlord,”[64] Rachel Haddad,[65] in order to avoid it being confiscated by the state Liquor Control Board.[66]

• Baeyen and his partner, David M. Sosnow, also operated EZ Money at 431 Northampton Street, and until mid-1994 were involved with The Chess Club of Easton Ltd. Located next door at 433 Northampton Street. The Chess Club was raided for drugs in February of 1995.[67]

The bar was reopened in 1995 as “Sluggers” by Rachel Haddad and Raymond Baurkot III, offering “gourmet pizzas” and a Friday buffet to include “Middle Eastern foods”.[68]However, it closed at some point before 2000.[69]

In 1994, the space at 50 Centre Square was under construction to become the “Tasty Court”.[70] However, in 2000 the Two Rivers Trading Company moved to 50 Centre Square from the Detwiller Building a few doors away. Two Rivers Trading Company cashes checks and trades in second-hand goods; it is often colloquially called a “pawn shop”[71] (incorrectly so, because it does not make loans against goods[72]). Meanwhile, an H&R Block Tax Office has taken over the space at 48 Centre Square.

[1]Compare A.D. Chidsey, Jr. The Penn Patents in the Forks of the Delaware Plan of Easton, Map 2 (Vol. II of Publications of the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society 1937) with Northampton County Tax Records map, The original lots in this area had 40’ of frontage on Centre Square. The corner property with North 3rd Street (now 52 Centre Square) occupies the 40’ frontage of the original Lot No.140 at that location, leaving the next two parcels (now 48 and 50 Centre Square, with frontages of 16’ and 24’ respectively) to occupy the 40’ frontage of original town Lot No.139.

[2]See Mortgage, John (Katherine) Spering to Peter Ealer, B1 360 (20 Nov. 1771)(concerning the property at the corner, recites that the property next door on the Public Square was vacant); A.D. Chidsey, Jr., A Frontier Village: Pre-Revolutionary Easton 254 (Vol. III of Publications of The Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society 1940)(Building No.39).

[3]A.D. Chidsey, Jr., A Frontier Village: Pre-Revolutionary Easton 234, 254-55 (Vol. III of Publications of The Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society 1940)(Building No.39).

[4]See Deed, John Penn the Younger and John Penn the Elder to Jacob Mixsell, G1 453 (4 Dec. 1789).

[5]See separate entry for the Alpha Building at 1 South 3rd Street.

[6]Floyd S. Bixler, The History with Reminiscences of the Early Taverns and Inns of Easton, Paper read before the Northampton County Historical Society on Oct. 25, 1930, at 14 (printed by the Society 1931). Bixler notes that it was owned at the time by Anthony Ihrie,

Leonard S. Buscemi, Sr., The Easton PA Trivia Book Section 1, No. 72 (Pinter’s Printers Inc. 1985) identifies the location of the “Bully Wack” as “presently the site of the Square Bar”. We see below that the Square Bar was located at 48½ Centre Square in 1987. Easton, PA and Phillipsburg, NJ Directory 1987 (R.L. Polk & Co. of Philadelphia1987).

[7]Floyd S. Bixler, The History with Reminiscences, supra at 14. Bixler specifically identifies this as the same location where the Bully Wack club was later located.

[8]Notice, “Removal”, Easton Argus, Wed., 18 May [1854], p.3, col.7. The masthead of this newspaper is actually dated to 1845, but the internal contents (including dates of advertisements) make it clear that it was actually issued in 1854.

Since Hope “removed his Express office” to this location, he was apparently already established somewhere else previously, and the express office of Howard & Hope was already established before the “Removal”.

[9]SeeTalbot’s Lehigh Valley Gazetteer and Business Directory 1864-65 (Press of Wynkoop & Hallenbeck 1864)(advertisements on cover);

[10]C[harles] Kitchen, A General Directory of the Borough of Easton PA 19 (Cole & Eichman’s Office, 1855)(alphabetical listings). An advertisement in the back of the Directory for Howard & Co.’s Express also showed an address at No.95.

This pre-1874 address does seem to be generally consistent with Leonard Buscemi’s placement. Lawyer Matthew Hale Jones’s residence in 1873 (prior to the advent of the modern street numbering scheme) was at 87 Centre Square. Jeremiah H. Lant, The Northampton County Directory for 1873 85 (1873). His residence was located where the Hotel Huntington is located, at the far corner with North 3rd Street. Accordingly, the higher 93 and 95 Centre Square addresses for the Express company must have been located somewhere to the West, after an intervening interval. We know that the Drs. Detwiller were located at the near corner with North 3rd Street, to provide at least some intervening numbers. Moreover, it could not have been located too far along since square, since Bixler specifically states that it was “on the north side of the Public Square”.

[11]Talbot’s Lehigh Valley Gazetteer and Business Directory 1864-65 (Press of Wynkoop & Hallenbeck 1864)(alphabetical listings).

[12]Jeremiah H. Lant, The Northampton County Directory for 1873 123 (1873); see D.G. Beers, Atlas of Northampton County Pennsylvania, Plan of Easton (A. Pomeroy & Co. 1874)(map lists property to J. Thompson).

[13]Article, “The New Numbers”, Easton Daily Free Press, Fri., 21 Nov. 1873, p.3.

[14]1880 Census, Series T9, Roll 1161, p.408D.

[15]See Deed of Assignment, John S. (Mary) Lehn to Beates R. Swift for the benefit of creditors, Misc.16 596 (2 March 1978), as recited in Deed, Beates F. Swift, Assignee of John S. (Mary D.) Lehn for the Benefit of their Creditors, to Annie E. Hutchinson, B16 29 (12 Sept. 1878); see generally separate entry for 8 Centre Square.

[16]J.H. Lant & Son, Easton [Etc.] Directory 1881-2 75 (1881).

[17]See Article, “The New Numbers”, Easton Daily Free Press, Friday, 21 Nov. 1873, p.3, col.7; Webb Bros. & Co., Webb’s Easton and Phillipsburg Directory 1875-6 132 (M.J. Riegel 1875); J.H. Lant, Easton, [Etc,] Directory for 1879 163 (M.J. Riegel 1879); 1880 Census, Series T9, Roll 1161, p.379A.

[18]See, e.g., Jane S. Moyer (compiler), XI Marriages and Deaths Northampton County 1885-1902 Newspaper Extracts 74 (Easton Area Public Library 1976)(death notice of John S. Lehn (died 27 Feb. 1895), a brother of Michael Lehn, Mrs. Henrietta Grotz, and Mrs. Margaret Wilking, based on Easton Express of 27 Feb. 1895).

[19]Obituary, “Daniel E. Steckel Passes Away After Long Illness”, Easton Daily Free Press, Mon., 18 June 1925, p.3, col.4 (born 22 Feb. 1880 “in the old Steckel homestead in Center Square”).

[20]See J.H. Lant & Son, Easton [Etc.] Directory 1881-2 (1881)(alphabetical listing); Easton Directory 1883-4 (J.H. Lant 1883)(alphabetical listing); George W. West (compiler), Directory of Easton, [Etc.] 246 (George W. West 1894); George W. West (compiler), Directory of Easton, [Etc.] 257 (George W. West 1896); George W. West (compiler), West’s Directory of Greater Easton 234 (George W. West 1898); George W. West (compiler), West’s Directory of Greater Easton for the Year 1900 322 (George W. West 1900)(Henry F. Steckel, gentleman, at 48 Centre Square); see also William J. Heller, II History of Northampton County 218 (The American Historical Society 1920).

[21]SeeCensus Directory of Northampton County, Eleventh U.S. Census, 1890 (Joseph H. Werner, assisted by Geo. W. West 1891)(listing Elizabeth Steckel and other Steckels at the 48 Centre Square address).

[22]Obituary, “Death of H.E. Steckel”, Easton Express / Easton Argus, Monday, 20 Oct. 1919, p.5, col.2.

[23]See separate entry for Hotel Huntington Building at 5 North Third Street.

[24]C[harles] Kitchen, A General Directory of the Borough of Easton PA 6, 51 (Cole & Eichman 1855)(Henry F. Steckel listed as Chief of Session of County Court, and as Prothonotary). This Directory lists his home as 49 Northampton Street. Since this is prior to the inauguration of Easton’s modern street numbering scheme, it is difficult to be sure exactly which building is meant, but it does appear to be located in one of the buildings of the Log Cabin Lot, falling between No.55 (Dawes Cornucopia Saloons, now Lauter’s Fine Furniture Building No.1) and No.45 (the Dr. J.B. Ludlow Drug Store, now the site of American Printing Unlimited’s parking lot). See generally separate entries for the Log Cabin Lot (at 209-17 Northampton Street); American Printing Unlimited (at 201-03 Northampton Street), and Lauter’s Fine Furniture Buildings (at 219-31 Northampton Street).

[25]Obituary, “Death of H.E. Steckel”, Easton Express / Easton Argus, Monday, 20 Oct. 1919, p.5, col.2; see C[harles] Kitchen, A General Directory of the Borough of Easton PA 6, 51 (Cole & Eichman 1855)(Henry F. Steckel listed as Chief of Session of County Court, and as Prothonotary).

[26]Obituary, “Death of H.E. Steckel”, Easton Express / Easton Argus, Monday, 20 Oct. 1919, p.5, col.2; William J. Heller, II History of Northampton County 217-18 (The American Historical Society 1920); John W. Jordon, Edgar Moore Green & George T. Ettinger, I Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of the Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania 91-93 (The Lewis Publishing Co. 1905, reprint by Higginson Book Co.).

[27]Compare1880 Census, Series T9, Roll 1161, p.348B (attorney Henry F. Steckel, age 51, in East Allen Twp. (Bath), wife Anna M. Steckel, age 38, and family including mother-in-law Catharine Whitesell, age 63) with 1870 Census, Series M593, Roll 1391, p.416 (back) (lawyer Henry Steckel, age 40, in Easton Allen Twp. (Bath), wife [illegible] Malinda Steckel, and mother-in-law Catharine Wheizel [note partially Germanized spelling!]) and1900 Census, Series T623, Roll 1446, p.107A) (retired lawyer Henry F. Steckel, born 1829, age 71, with wife Anna M. Steckel and family including Mother-in-law Catherine Whitesell, age 82).

[28]See1860 Census, Series M653, Roll 1147, p.274 (Inn Keeper Daniel Whitsell [note Census misspelling], with family and boarders including wife Catharine and daughter Anna M., age 18); Floyd S. Bixler, The History with Reminiscences of the Early Taverns and Inns of Easton, Paper read before the Northampton County Historical Society on 25 Oct. 1930, 25 (Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society 1931)(proprietor Daniel Whitesell changed the name to Central Hotel after about 1850); followed by James A. Wright, Colonial Taverns of Northampton County, Pennsylvania 14-15 (1993)(proprietor Daniel Whitesell changed the name to Central Hotel in 1850); William H. Boyd, Boyd’s Directory of Reading, Easton, [Etc.] (William H. Boyd 1860)(business directory listing for the Farmers’ and Mechanics’ Hotel, Daniel Whitesell, proprietor).

[29]The 1860 Census, Series M653, Roll 1147, p.274 shows Henry F. Steckel, age 30, Prothonotary, residing in Daniel Whitesell’s hotel.

[30]Deed, Anna L. Kachline to Anna M. Steckel, D27 657 (3 Aug. 1896).

[31]1900 Census, Series T623, Roll 1447, p.107A (Henry Steckel and family a 0 Mt. Jefferson, along with 3 other families listed at that address); see Ethan Allen Weaver, “The Forks of the Delaware” Illustrated 147 (Easton: The Eschenbach Printing House 1900)(“Residence of Henry F. Steckel on the Summit of Mt. Jefferson”).