Jimmy Vancherie Shared A Story About the Havre de Grace Switchboard
(Apologies for the blurry photo – no matter what we did, we either got blur or reflection!)
Jimmy told George years ago that his mom was a switchboard operator and the service was located on the 2nd floor of the old Post Office Building (where JoRetro is located) on the corner of Franklin and Union.
Now you knew that Bahoukas Antique Mall would certainly have a unique line of antique and collectible phones to complete this piece of history. Check these out (and they work!):
This is a beautiful phone. It’s a Western Electric “Stowaway” – it’s in a most beautiful wooden case and has a retractable cord on the phone. It’s from the 70s and talk about ‘stylish’! WOW! This piece is beautiful. You have to stop in and see it.
Then check out this unique phone. It’s almost a piece of sculpture. It’s an Ericsson, made in Sweden. The dial pad is on the bottom.
The next phones are a Bell System 1940s dial phone (on the left) and a Princess Style Phone from the 70s on the right. The color of the Princess Phone is rare.
Of course, we can’t ignore the wonderful working reproduction of the Candlestick phone with dial pad. And we encourage you to “Phone Home” just like E.T.
Did you know about the switchboard operator that worked on the 2nd floor of the old Post Office building? Anyone in cyber-land have any stories to add? Stop in one day soon at Bahoukas and share your stories with George.
“The Pink House” – Havre Iron Company
and The Havre Republican Newspaper
This bond was signed on January 1, 1879. The following are the signatures of A.P. McCombs, President, and the Secretary, E. Mortimer Bye.
These items can be seen at Bahoukas Antique Mall and Beer MuZeum.
A.P. McCombs built the grand Victorian Home located at 120 S. Union Avenue in Havre de Grace. This beautiful home is well-known in the area as “The Pink House.” You won’t miss it! Click the link below to read the pdf and learn more about this building from the Maryland Historic Trust document with photos.
In addition, A.P. McCombs built the building on the east side of N. Union Ave – corner of Union and Franklin – 467 Franklin, which at one time was used for the U.S. Post Office. JoRetrois now located there! Click the link to the JoRetro site to view photos of the building! (It’s also a wonderful shop to visit while you’re in town!)
From 1868-1881, A.P. McCombs & Son published a weekly newspaper, The Havre Republican. The clip below is from Pettengill’s Newspaper Directory and Advertisers’ Hand-Book for 1878:
Needless to say, A.P. McCombs left a legacy in Havre de Grace. Stop in and chat with George, he’s a wealth of information and the most interesting tidbits about Havre de Grace!
It’s truly amazing what bits of Havre de Grace History show up on the counter at Bahoukas Antique Mall and Beer MuZeum.
The US Battleship “Maine” is an American naval ship that sank in Havana Harbor during the Cuban revolt against Spain, an event that became a major political issue in the United States. The Spanish–American War began in April 1898, two months after the sinking. Advocates of the war used the rallying cry, “remember the Maine! To Hell with Spain!” ___from Wikipedia
This trade card offers the painting of the U.S. Battleship Maine sailing along the coastline, by Fetherston. On bottom right reads: Copyright 1898 by M.F. Tobin, U.S.V. Navy, New York. Measures framed 16 1/2″ high by 24 1/4″ wide by 1″ deep. Visual 8 3/4″ high by 16″ wide. It includes a small portrait of Capt. Charles Sigsbee (top right) and includes the artist’s signature (bottom left).
Below are close ups of Capt. Charles Sigsbee, the title, and the artist’s signature:
Here’s the LINK to the personal narrative of the sinking of the “Maine” from Capt. Sigsbee.
CLICK HERE for an excellent piece titled “The Painting on the Wall” by Dean James Stavridis, a retired Navy Admiral, regarding the US Battleship Maine. It’s a different artist’s painting, but the thoughts from a 2013 perspective are interesting.
What’s truly unique is the back of the piece is stamped with “Jones Bazaar” offering China, Glass, Queensware and so much more… right here in Havre de Grace. Listen to that audio for the story of how George received this amazing piece and what he learned of Jones Bazaar!
Stop in and chat with George … you’re sure to learn something unique and fun!
This Icy Ball (which weighs nearly 40 pounds) was used for refrigeration in the 1920s. It was manufactured by the Crosley Radio Corporation. It was actually a pretty amazing piece of equipment. Listen to George explain how it was used.
In addition, we found this interesting post where Aberdeen Proving Ground did some testing on this concept as late as 1974! This particular Icy Ball was actually used by the Pitcock Brothers in this very building back in the day! Want to know more about how it works? Check out this photo!
