Newtown Hardware House is an independently owned

hardware store Hardware stores (in a number of countries, "shops"), sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household hardware for home improvement including: fasteners, building materials, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing ...

located at 106 S. State Street,

Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania Newtown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,268 at the 2020 census. It is located just west of the Trenton, New Jersey metropolitan area, and is part of the larger Philadelphia metropolitan area. It i ...

. The Newtown Hardware House is a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

of the Newtown Historic District which was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1979.

History

The Newtown Hardware House was built in 1869 by Cyrus Hillborn and Harrison C. Worstall at 106-108 South State Street. 108 South State Street was a hardware store operated by Hillborn and Worstall, and 106 South State Street was a

dry goods Dry goods is a historic term describing the type of product line a store carries, which differs by region. The term comes from the textile trade, and the shops appear to have spread with the mercantile trade across the British Empire (and Common ...

store operated by George E. Dolton. Mr. Dolton sold his side to George H. McMaster in 1908. When McMaster died in 1927, both sides of the store were taken over by H.C. Worstall, and later bought out by John J. Burns. When Burns died in 1955, Robert M. Davis bought the business and operated it until 1985, when it was taken over by C. David Callahan. In 2012, C. David Callahan sold the business to William Newell of Newtown and remained on as a part-time employee.

Fire

The Newtown Hardware House was destroyed by fire on March 1, 1899. In addition to the Hardware store another store was completely burned. The loss was estimated at $80,000. The fire was one of the worst in Newtown's history. It is thought burglars set the building on fire. The building was rebuilt to the exact specifications of the original building and was reopened by Christmas of the same year and is still in operation. Today, when looking at the rear wall, lower left (northern) portion of the structure, a distinct brick line exists that outlines surviving brickwork dating before 1899.

Oldest business in Newtown Pennsylvania

The Newtown Hardware House has been in continuous operation for over 151 years, which ranks as the longest tenure for any single business in Newtown.Rounsavill, Brian E. Newtown Past and Present. Ed. C. David Callahan and Paul M. Gouza. Newtown: The Newtown Historic Association, Inc., 2006. The hardware store announced it was going out of business in 2012: City residents heard about the possibility that the hardware store may go out of business, so they organized a " Cash mob": a crowd of people arrived at the business to pump up sales. In 2011 the store was in trouble, and by 2012 the store's owner Dave Callahan decided to go out of business. Bill and Peggy Newell took over the hardware store. They purchased the business from Dave Callahan.

References

{{reflist

External links

Newton Hardware House
Hardware stores of the United States 1869 establishments in Pennsylvania Commercial buildings completed in 1869 National Register of Historic Places in Bucks County, Pennsylvania

History

Fire

Oldest business in Newtown Pennsylvania

See also

References

External links