This Was Hatboro-Horsham, 1932

From the Public Spirit, Week of June 23-29, 1932

Prominent Hatboro businessman dies -

Jacob Schaffer, for a number of years one of the most prominent citizens of Hatboro, and before that a well-known Horsham township farmer, died suddenly Saturday evening at his home on South York road, Hatboro.

Mr. Schaffer and his family had been entertaining friends Saturday evening when he became suddenly ill, and local physicians were called. He died within a short time, however, and death was described as due to heart disease. He was seventy years old.

Mr. Schaffer immigrated to this country from Germany when a boy and worked for the Mitchell family at Bustleton, until he attained his manhood. In succeeding years, he conducted a meat and provision store in Germantown, worked the farm now known as the Haggerty place on Dresher road in Horsham, and operated a florist business at his late home in Hatboro.

After moving to Hatboro, Mr. Schaffer took an active interest in civic and fraternal affairs. He was a Hatboro councilman for two terms, having previously been a school director in Horsham. He was a member of the board of trustees of Lehman Methodist Episcopal Church, a member of W.K Bray Lodge No. 410, F.&A.M.; and a member of the Hatboro Board of Trade. He was an exceedingly straightforward and industrious man, and prosperity and the high respect of those who knew him were his rewards.

The decedent is survived by his wife [name not given]; a son, Harry; a daughter, Marian; and two grandchildren. Funeral services were held on Wednesday at the residence. The funeral was largely attended. Three funeral cars were filled with floral designs as the funeral cortege proceeded to the cemetery.

Burial was made in Hillside Cemetery, with Masonic services at the grave conducted by Past Worshipful Masters William D. Worth and Henry Hungerford.

Contract awarded for Prospectville schoolhouse -

The Horsham Township School Board has awarded the $15,730 contract for the new Prospectville public schoolhouse to Messrs. McClatchey & Bateman, of Upper Darby, Delaware county, they being the lowest responsible bidder.

The building will be a four-room, brick and hollow tile structure, 114-by-40 feet, black slate roof, designed by Heacock & Hokanson, of Philadelphia. It is to be built in a beautiful location of commanding outlook along Prospectville pike [now Limekiln Pike], on land generously donated to the township by Mrs. Dorothea Hughes Simmons.

Mrs. Simmons is the granddaughter of Thomas Hughes, the famous English educator, author of "Tom Brown at Rugby," "Tom Brown at Oxford," etc. She now resides at Walker's Wood, Jamaica, British West Indies.

With generous public spirit and foresight, she donated this land to meet future needs as a community center, athletic field, school garden and landscape gardening development.

Editor's note - The Prospectville school was Simmons Elementary School until 1992, when a opened on Babylon Road. The original school, which was expanded in 1954, reopened in 1999 as .

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WM. H. ILIFF Has Moved His Second-Hand Furniture Store From 126 S. York Road to 51 Williams Lane, Hatboro. He will still conduct the same business buying and selling furniture and stoves of all kinds. Also has on hand 1 large Cherry Bureau Desk over 100 years old, in first class condition, and some other antiques.

Student music recitals attract large audiences -

Capacity audiences filled the Lehman Methodist Episcopal Church in Hatboro on Thursday and Friday evenings to hear the students of Mrs. Sarah Cline in their annual recitals.

Thursday was junior night, and some of the performers were such little tots that they had to be blocked up with music books to reach the piano keys, yet they all did their parts excellently, showing patient work in their training.

The program was opened with "Salute to the Colors" by the pipe organ, eight hands on the two pianos, and served as a processional for the performers of the evening. The recital continued without a hitch to the grand finale of folk tunes by the Rhythm Orchestra composed of all the juniors with various musical and non-musical instruments, with Doris Reed and Violet Todd accompanying on the violin.

Wesley Reading, bandmaster, officiated at the stand with all the dignity and execution of a Victor Herbert. The program was varied by musical recitations, readings and vocal selections.

On Friday evening, the church was so crowded that extra chairs were brought in and the doors of the Sunday school room were thrown open. The interest of the audience was rewarded by not only an illustration of the progress of the students, but really excellent entertainment.

The twelfth number, "Pensionatsfreuden," was an unusual one, with six performers at the two grand pianos in a brilliant performance, as the rhythm was perfect throughout. The twentieth number, a chorus by the Allegro Music Club, received a merited, hearty and continued applause.

The interest manifested in music lessons in our borough and the large number enrolled, would seem to indicate that the radio has not supplanted the individual performer. It may be that the training of the rising generation in the better grade of musical selections may force our broadcasters to place on the air a better class of music which music lovers may appreciate.

Former pupils of Horsham Friends' School meet -

The Old Pupils Association of the Horsham Friends' School, which ceased existence in 1922, held its biennial meeting Saturday at the old school.

Plans were made to cooperate with the trustees of Horsham Preparative Meeting in grading the grounds of the school property and making them easy to be mowed. Trees have been planted by the First-day school and individual Friends to take the place of the old oak trees, removed because of being a menace to the traveling public.

Benjamin P.W. Park, the president of the association, explained the idea of improving the grounds as a project for the George Washington bicentennial [of his birth in 1732], and the members accepted it as a splendid suggestion.

A former teacher, Miss Emma J. Wilson, told of her work in the English department at the John Hays High School, Cleveland, Ohio, and the publications of the pupils and faculty. She paid tribute to the Friends' school as having done much for individual thinking.

William H. Satterthwaite, Esq., a director of the Doylestown schools, also spoke of the use of initiative a pupil in a small school learns. He contrasted conditions of a large public school of the present with those of the Friends' school of thirty years ago.

W. Russell Green, Esq., of Narberth, took "Plus and Minus" for his subject and gave an amusing talk in which he urged his listeners to think along plus or positive lines and not to detract or subtact in their line of thinking.

A pupil at the school in the 1890s, H. Elizabeth Stackhous, now Mrs. Fowler, of Washington, D.C., sent an original poem, "Horsham Friends' School Days."

The Lyric Trio--Florence Haenle, violinist; Dorothy Powers, harpist; and Ernestine Bacon, soloist--delighted the audience with their splendid music, numbers being "I Passed By Your Window," "On Wings of Song," "There Is No Death," "Sylvia," "Lassie o' Mine," "and "Little Star."

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Hatboro and Horsham Happenings -

Work was begun on Monday for another gas station at the corner of York road and Williams lane, Hatboro. This makes the thirteenth gas station now located in the borough.

Many persons attended the strawberry festival held Friday night at the Horsham fire hall by the Ladies' Aid Society of Grace Presbyterian Church, Horsham. A feature was the showing of moving pictures by a representative of an ice cream firm about the making of their product.

Dr. Shoemaker has made an attractive addition to his residence and office on Byberry road, Hatboro. George Blilie was the builder.

Mrs. S.P. Harlan of "Idle Den Farm," Horsham, won a prize at the Gwynedd Valley Association's garden contest in the class with part-time gardeners.

Miss Mildred Bird, of Philadelphia, is spending this week with her cousin, Mrs. Thomas E. Herridge of Hatboro Farms.

Mr. and Mrs. Warren Cornell have moved from Horsham to Williams lane, Hatboro.

Morris Craven has returned to the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Craven of Horsham, from Abington Hospital, where he underwent an operation for appendicitis.

Alfred E. Hales, of Hatboro, who entered the Wildwood, N.J. dance marathon last Thursday, was forced to discontinue at the beginning of this week due to a very sore ankle.

Wesley R. Ahn and Bernard X. Schimmel, both of Horsham, are touring through the New England states and Canada this week.

Mr. and Mrs. James Search, Jr. have moved from the home of his parents on East Moreland avenue, Hatboro, to the home of her father, E.H. Thorn, on York road.

Mrs. Rudolph Funk and family, of Horsham, visited Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hamilton of Mearns road, Ivyland, on Sunday.

Rev. Howard L. Frame has arranged for a Daily Vacation Bible School to begin on July 5 in Grace Presbyterian Church, Horsham. John S. Helmbold will be one of the teachers.