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May 2015
Whole No. 203
Vol. 43, No. 2
PENNSYLVANIA POSTAL
HISTORIAN
THE BULLETIN OF THE
PENNSYLVANIA POSTAL HISTORY
SOCIETY
Inside this issue:
New Hope Postal History Letters
Part 1: Selection of Letters with the Oval
“NEW HOPE / PENNA” Postmark
SALES FLOORS IN THE AIR WAVES:
Early Philadelphia Radio
Campbell(s)town, Lebanon County, Pa. Early Manuscript
Nanticoke, Luzerne County, Pa.
Another Blue 1851 “PHILADELPHIA / PAID 3 Cts.” Found
Hayesville P. O., Chester County, Pa.
July 8, 1850 to Aug. 13, 1879
First Day of Issue Regular Cancellations
Advertising Postcard from West Grove Pa. with Deficiency in Address
Corrected by the Philadelphia Post Office
SALES FLOORS IN THE AIR WAVES:
Early Philadelphia Radio
By Gus Spector (# 396)
March 18, 1922 marked an auspicious occasion in Philadelphia history. On that date, the
Strawbridge and Clothier Department Store was the first such Philadelphia enterprise to launch
a radio station. Broadcasting from its Eighth and Market Street establishment, WFI, as it was
known, originated from a fourth-floor glass-enclosed studio within the store. Its initial
programs would feature local dignitaries, politicians, and musicians.
Forty-five minutes later, Gimbel Brothers Department Store, located at Ninth and Market,
just across the street from Strawbridge’s, commenced broadcasting from within its own
building. WIP, the station’s designation, were letters that Gimbels had merely chosen at
random.
Lit Brothers Department Store, also on Market Street, utilized the call letters WDAR (and
later, in 1925, WLIT). Due to the local airwaves of the 1920’s, Lits had to split both its airtime and the same 740 watt frequency with Strawbridge’s WFI. Such sharing was a not
uncommon occurrence. Arrangements among stations often resulted in “jamming wars”, but
WLIT and WFI were able to work amicably. On November 11, 1928 the stations merged,
adopting the call letters, WFIL, a combination of WFI and WLIT, at a frequency of 560 AM.
In 1945 Triangle Publications, owned by Walter Annenberg, publisher of the Philadelphia
Inquirer, purchased WFIL from Lit Brothers for $190,000 (equivalent to $2,498,880 today).
A fourth radio station, WOO, based within Wanamaker’s Department Store, also part of the
downtown Market Street hub, operated at 590 kilohertz, or 500 watts. On Sunday, February 1,
1925, a typical program included a 10:30 am morning service from the Bethany Presbyterian
Church (formerly the pulpit of John Wanamaker) located at 22nd and Bainbridge Streets in
Philadelphia, with the closing benediction given “on the stroke of noon”.
“Department store radio stations” were not unique to Philadelphia. During the radio boom
of 1920 to 1922, there were almost 600 radio stations in existence. Of that number, some
thirty were owned by department stores that had erected their own transmitting towers.
Gimbels was founded by Adam Gimbel, a young Bavarian Jewish immigrant. In 1894 he
acquired the Granville Haines store, located at Ninth and Market Streets. Gimbel continued to
succeed, and his store eventually encompassed the entire south side of Market Street between
Eighth and Ninth. By 1930 Gimbels boasted seven stores throughout the country. The
Philadelphia Gimbels was the first department store in the world to transport customers from
floor to floor via escalators. In 1945 Gimbels introduced the Slinky, a toy so simple and so
innovative that 400 were sold within the first ninety minutes!
Christopher W. Graham (1893-1932) was one of Gimbels’ radio station’s first announcers.
A native Philadelphian, he became a beloved icon known as “Uncle WIP”, reading bedtime
stories at 7:30 pm. In mid-1922 Uncle WIP also hosted a Sunday afternoon program known as
“Uncle WIP’s Kiddie Hour”, where children would perform live on-air from his studio. Each
show included several hymns and a Bible story. In 1925 Philadelphia Mayor Freeland
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HISTORIAN Vol. 43, No. 2 (Whole No . 203) May 2015
Kendrick appointed him “Honorary Director of Child Welfare” and bestowed upon him a city
automobile embellished with the vanity license plate “UNCLE WIP”, which he used while
visiting hospitals, schools, and churches. Uncle WIP celebrated his tenth anniversary on the
radio on Sunday, July 3, 1932.
Figure 1 shows an envelope with a 2c red printed meter dated April 21, 1931, addressed to
Harvery (sic?) Shoemaker of Gibbstown, New York.
Figure 1
Figure 2, the accompanying illustrated letter sheet, bears an engraving of the Ninth and
Market Streets view of Gimbels’ mammoth building. Two radio antennae have been artfully
(and secondarily) sketched atop the store. The microphone to the right of the signature is
probably a Western Electric Double Button Carbon Transmitter, state of the art at that time.
Figure 2
HISTORIAN Vol. 43, No. 2 (Whole No. 203) May 2015
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The handwritten letter, dated 4/21/31, reads:
My dear Harvery
Received your letter and sorry indeed to keep you waiting so long for your glove. Have ordered
it and expect it any day and will send as soon as it arrives. Have ordered a glove so you can wear it on your right
hand. Is that correct?
Yours,
Uncle WIP
Was Harvery the child of a friend, or merely a needy young boy requesting a glove from
kindly Uncle WIP? We will never know.
In 1932, Uncle WIP/Christopher Graham
(Figure 3), age 39, died at the Episcopal
Hospital of postoperative complications
following a tonsillectomy. A posthumous
article eulogized that “Uncle WIP has been a
feature on the ‘Children’s Day’ program at
the annual Montgomery county fair in
Hatfield and less than a month ago, he spoke
to several thousand boys and girls assembled
at that place and related to his radio
experiences.”
Figure 3
In 1891 Samuel and Jacob Lit opened a woman’s clothing shop on the corner of Market and
North 8th Street. Their business grew exponentially as a result of creative advertising.
Between 1895 and 1907 the store expanded, having purchased all remaining properties
between 7th and 8th Streets on Market, thus preserving the only full block of Victorian
architecture in Philadelphia. Initially composed of 33 separate buildings constructed between
1859 and 1918, the store was eventually reconfigured to create a flowing, common interior.
Although known as the “cast-iron building”, only the facades of 719-721 Market Street were
actually constructed of cast iron.
Figure 4 shows a cover bearing the simple corner card of Lit Brothers, Philadelphia, Radio
Station WLIT. Postage was paid via a red 2c printed meter dated March 16, 1933, addressed
to Mr. Harold B. Bowers of Concord, Massachusetts.
The enclosed accompanying illustrated letter sheet (Figure 5) displayed a beautiful
engraving of the store’s Eighth and Market entrance, flanked on each side by representative
radio antennae connected by a string of high tension wires. The letter reads:
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HISTORIAN Vol. 43, No. 2 (Whole No. 203) May 2015
Figure 4
March 16, 1933
Dear Sir:
We are in receipt of your communication, and this will confirm your
reception of our Station (WLIT) broadcasting on Saturday, January 13, ’33 –
a Playlet between 5:45 – 6:00 o’clock P.M. – E.S.T.
Trusting you may have the pleasure of tuning-in WLIT some time
again in the near future, we are
Yours very truly,
Lit Brothers
RADIO STATION WLIT
In 1933, due to the relative dearth of stations
operating up and down the Atlantic seaboard at 760
kilohertz at 6 p.m. it was certainly possible for Mr.
Bowers to have received transmission of the WLIT
signal in Massachusetts. Closer scrutiny reveals that
WLIT’s response to him was merely a form letter,
processed upon two different typewriters.
A blossoming radio industry created the perfect
atmosphere as an advertising medium, and astute
Philadelphia merchants were quick to latch onto this
bandwagon. Not only could they etch their
companies’ names deeply within the minds of their
listeners, but could, using their government-licensed
radio frequencies, increase revenues by selling
airtime to other advertisers, as well.
Also, where else could one dial up Uncle WIP’s
show and hear kiddies tap dancing on radio??
Figure 5
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HISTORIAN Vol. 43, No. 2 (Whole No. 203) May 2015
18
Campbell(s)town, Lebanon County, Pa. Early Manuscript
By Glenn Blauch (# 468)
I acquired the stampless cover shown below in an E-bay auction and believe it is be the
current earliest known manuscript from Campbelltown. The letter is datelined
“Campbellstown May 4th A.D. 1820”. The manuscript postmark reads “Campbells Town /
May 4”. It is addressed to Harrisburg and correctly rated “6 (¢)”, collect (single letter rate
up to 30 mi.). The current earliest known Campbelltown manuscript is March 29, 1827
(Lebanon County Monograph and Mazza listing in Nov. 2012 Historian, p. 24).
Kay and Smith show the following listing:
Campbelltown Oct. 1, 1819 – Present (Zip 17010) First PM Jacob Schwar
The short letter reads as follows:
Mr. Richard Jacobs,
Sir,your father subscribed to the Rev.Mr.Ernst $3 for English preaching in
Campbellstown. I have received the list for collections. I hope you will be so good as
to remit the money to Mr.Jacob Schwar. In doing so you will much oblige the parson
and your humble servant.
Robert Moore.
I could not find any information on Richard Jacobs or Robert Moore. As indicated
above, Jacob Schwar was the first postmaster of Campbelltown,Pa.
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HISTORIAN Vol. 43, No. 2 (Whole No. 203) May 2015
Nanticoke, Luzerne County, Pa.
By Rick Leiby (# 379)
The cover shown below is a recent acquisition. It has an enclosure that dates the cover to
July 10, 1862. The cover does not exhibit any indication of having had a postage stamp
attached on either the front or the back. The Civil War and the subsequent demonetization
of postage stamps prior to the issue of 1861 resulted in some small offices that did not
receive or exhausted their supplies of stamps. As a result there are a number of “stampless”
covers from this period while the PO’s waited to receive stamps.
The Nanticoke P. O. (Luzerne County) was established February 29, 1828 and continues
to this day. Tom Mazza has recorded manuscript markings for the office during the
stampless period, but the ASCC does not list a handstamp marking for the office. Perhaps
this is the first one recorded. The PAID 3 in a circle with the fleuron is unusual. Any
information other PA collectors can supply would be greatly appreciated.
NANTICOKE / PA. 25 mm. CDS with associated 16 mm. PAID / 3 in circle,
both markings in black. Apparently used in 1862 based upon enclosure content.
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Make Plans to Attend Our Next Annual Meeting
on June 20, 2015
at the American Philatelic Center, Bellefonte, PA
HISTORIAN Vol. 43, No. 2 (Whole No. 203) May 2015
20
Another Blue 1851 “PHILADELPHIA / PAID 3 Cts.” Found
By Norman Shachat (# 76)
In the Sept. 1991 issue of the Historian (Vol. 18, No. 4, Whole # 110, pp. 20 – 21), I published
an inventory of this short lived Philadelphia townmark. The inventory listed 14 examples, 13 of
which were struck in July or August and one struck in December. Of the 14 strikes, 11 were in red
and 3 were in blue. After all these years, I just found another blue example, illustrated below!
It cancels a 3¢ 1851 issue on an envelope and is addressed to York Pa. The letter was posted on
Aug. 16, (1851). Interestingly, two of the three prior known blue strikes were dated Aug. 16 and
cancelled the 3¢ 1851 issue. They were addressed to Providence, R. I. and Danville, Pa. The
“oddball” blue strike in Dec. was reported to be on a stampless cover addresses to Iowa City, Iowa.
If it takes another 25 years for another one to show up, I suspect that someone else will need to
add it to the inventory.
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Member E-Mail Addresses (cont.)
Gordon Trotter
Dan Telep
Bill Thoman
Joe Volutza
Steve Washburne
Harry Winter
Cliff Woodward
Ronald J. Yeager
[email protected] (Nathan Trotter & Co. Correspondence)
[email protected] (Economy, Sewickley, Western Pa.)
[email protected] (U. S. Stampless Covers, Dealer)
[email protected] (Berks county, Dealer)
[email protected] (Philadelphia, Monmouth Co., N. J.)
[email protected] (Centre County, Railroads)
[email protected] (Western Pa., Oil Towns)
[email protected] (Elk, Cameron and McKean Counties)
PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS
LISTED HERE.
INDICATE YOUR PA COLLECTING INTEREST
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HISTORIAN Vol. 43, No. 2 (Whole No. 203) May 2015