Horlick had two stores over the years. Bowan didn't give the street address of either store, but said that Horlick's first store was between 4th and 5th St., "about 4th Bldg. from 5th." That was the store shown in the photo immediately below. Baseball scores are written on the window, and a big display of The Saturday Evening Post is featured in the center.
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| S. G. Horlick's store probably 467 Merchant St. circa 1915 courtesy John S. Dunn collection |
Turns out, I know where the store above was located! A while back, I was reading about the first Pittsburgh Press Marathon race in old newspapers and was excited to find the Press news photo below.
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| "Ambridge Checking Station" Horlick's store Merchant St. Pittsburgh Press Jan. 30, 1909 |
Pittsburgh Press caption:
This picture shows S. Horlick's news agency at Ambridge where tab is being kept on the runners in the Press Marathon race as they pass through the town.That 1909 marathon was from Rochester to Pittsburgh, so the race course came through Ambridge. A few weeks before the race, writer Gertrude Gordon wrote about her travels over the marathon course in the January 12, 1909, Press:
At Ambridge a checking station was placed at the store of A. G. Horlick, newsdealer. I spent a very enjoyable half-hour in his store, listening to a really good graphophone, and making friends with his huge white dog, Tige. Mr. Horlick told me everybody in Ambridge has been talking about The Press Marathon race. After a very good lunch, which we obtained in a little restaurant across the road from Mr. Horlick's, and as god [sic] a cup of cocoa as I ever have tasted, we boarded the splendid Pierce-Arrow and drove home in the snow storm, arriving here late in the evening.I don't know yet if "A. G. Horlick" mentioned in the passage above was a typo or if a relative of Steve Horlick owned the newsstand in 1909.
(Note the Chinese Hand Laundry on the very right of the Press photo.)
The building was divided into two storefronts, and I don't know for sure which one was occupied by Horlick's store, but a 1911 Sanborn Insurance map shows the storefront closer to 5th St. was a "News Stand and Tobacco" business.
While the facade of the building has been altered over the years, the location of Horlick's first store still stands.
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| 463 - 467 Merchant St. March 30, 2014 credit: Nancy Knisley |
The next photo shows the interior of Horlick's first store, dated circa 1913 by Bowan:
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| Interior Horlick's store probably 467 Merchant St. circa 1913 courtesy John S. Dunn collection |
About 1915 or 1916, Steve Horlick moved his store to the southeast corner of "6th and Merchant Sts." Bowan describes this second store as a sporting goods and tobacco store with a gymnasium in the basement. He notes: "Horlick shared this bldg. with Ambridge Post Office*, later with Ambridge National Bank." Those two businesses were directly on the corner at 598 Merchant; Holick's store was one storefront south at 578 Merchant.
Here's what the intersection of 6th and Merchant looked like around 1920. Horlick's second store would have been in the right storefront of the building in the forefront on the left.:
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| 500 block Merchant St. looking south from 6th St. postcard circa late 1910-early 1920s Beaver County Historical Research & Landmarks Foundation |
Sadly, I don't have a photo of the facade of that second Horlick's store, but here are two photos of that store's window:
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| National Baseball Week display Horlick's store window 578 Merchant St. circa 1916 courtesy John S. Dunn collection |
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| "Special Display Window of Rose-O-Cuba Cigars" Horlick's store window 578 Merchant St. May 15, 1916 courtesy John S. Dunn collection |
And here's a photo of the interior of the second store:
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| "Steve Horlick's Sporting Goods Tobacco and News Store" interior May 1924 courtesy John S. Dunn collection |
Bill Bowan's note at the top says:
Dual Lighting System - Gas and Electric
Fosters Orchestra playing at Dance.
"Scaramouche" - showing at Prince Theatre
Here's the Horlick's ad from the 1924 Economy Centennial book:
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| S. G. Horlick ad Economy Centennial Souvenir Program Economy of Old, Ambridge of Today 1924 |
I've come across several old Ambridge postcards published by "S. G. Horlick" including the one of American Bridge featured in my August 23, 2016, post "American Bridge and Ohio River postcard, 1920s."
I'm still looking for more information on Steve Horlick and his stores. The only additional bit of news I've found so far comes from the March 11, 1929, Daily Times, reporting on a 4 A. M. fire at S. G. Horlick's "newsstand and confectionery on the street floor of a two-story brick building at 6th and Merchant sts." By that time, Horlick was sharing the building with Barrett Pharmacy, and he and his family lived in an apartment over the store. The article said that the fire was believed to have been caused by a lighted cigarette that had been tossed through a manhole grating, starting a fire in some wastepaper in Barrett's basement. The fire was confined to the basement which was damaged by the fire and water, but the rest of the building was filled with smoke.
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Also from the John S. Dunn collection: a photo of Steve Horlick's Ambridge Soccer team, circa 1905 - 06:
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| "Steve Horlick's Ambridge Soccer Football Team" circa 1905 - 06 photo by Griffin Studios courtesy John S. Dunn collection |
Soccer team members listed:
1st row:
1. Frank Hulet
2. Joe Williams
3. Jock Sutherland
4. unidentified
5. Art Wardle
2nd row:
1. Jack Lothian
2. unidentified
3. Robert Rae
3rd row:
1. Steve Horlick
2. unidentified
3. John Bianchi
4. Wm. Brenner
5. unidentified
You can see a photo of one of Steve Horlick's baseball teams, "Our Boys," in my April 21, 2016 post "Group photo: Ambridge Our Boys baseball team 1919."
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Thank you Maria Notarianni for scanning the John Dunn photos.
The building at 463 - 467 Merchant St. appeared to be empty the last time I walked by. Over the years it was the Mayflower Restaurant, Saratoga Restaurant, at least two small groceries, and more recently, it was Bella Marie and G'lorenzo's restaurants.
The storefront at 578 Merchant St. was later the location of Katcher's Music and an early Katcher's Furniture store. After that, did that storefront become part of People's Service Drug Store and/or later Thrift Drug Store that were in the left side of the building, 598 Merchant?
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* I am confused by Bowan's note saying that Horlick shared the building at the corner of 6th and Merchant with the post office, since according to my notes, elsewhere, Bowan wrote that the post office moved from the corner of 5th and Merchant Sts., where it was located in 1917, to the corner of 7th and Merchant Sts., which is where insurance maps show the post office in 1923. I'll recheck my notes and Bowan's, plus try to find other sources to reconcile the conflict.
Pretty amazing, Jock Sutherland was an all-American football player. He went on to coach Pitt to national championships and later coached the Steelers.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the information on Jock Sutherland. I didn't know anything about him before your comment. I'm going to keep my eye out for more information on him.
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