O, Christmas Tree


Christmas trees at Penn Square in the early 1900s It’s that time of year. Rushing around, doing all that last minute Christmas shopping. Baking all the cookies. Making sure the stockings are hung by the chimney with care. And picking out the best Christmas tree on the lot. Or, in the case of this photograph, on the square. Taken some time after 1889, when the Central Market building was completed, and before 1925 when the Griest Building was erected, this picture captures a snowy moment on Penn Square. A small forest of pine trees awaits a rush of customers in need of Christmas decoration. It’s sort of an early 1900s version of one-stop shopping:  stop at Central Market for holiday dinner fare, pop into Hirsh & Brother for fashionable gifts, and cart home an evergreen to decorate in the parlor. What could possibly be better? Well. If you’re a retired PPL lineman, maybe you’re admiring the amazing array of cables and glass insulators on the utility pole at left. Either way, may your holidays be festive and cheery!

From PhotoBlog