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As a teenager in the early 1950’s I worked for Henry Wilson, the owner of Menlo Park. I would ride my bike from our home in Silverdale to work at the carousel. I would either collect tickets or work the ring arm. When I was finished working it was dark, and I remember pedaling as fast as I could going up the hill on Walnut Street on my way home.
The carousel at the time was still the original carousel. When working the ring arm, I would calculate where to place the brass ring so the girl I liked would be able to grab it for a free ride.
I also worked in the Menlo bowling alley setting pins. You had to step on a pedal, and pegs would pop up from the floor. There were holes in the bottom of the pins allowing them to be placed on the pegs. You would then let your foot off the pedal as you jumped onto a bench to get out of the way of flying pins.
After The Perkasie Historical Society began operating the carousel in 1970, I started volunteering to collect tickets just as I had done in my youth. It is always great to see smiles on young children’s faces as they ride the carousel.
As long as I am able, I will continue to walk the carousel and collect tickets. And of course, have a hot dog with sauerkraut from the snack stand.
Thanks, Bob, for volunteering all those years!
Doll
The carousel at the time was still the original carousel. When working the ring arm, I would calculate where to place the brass ring so the girl I liked would be able to grab it for a free ride.
I also worked in the Menlo bowling alley setting pins. You had to step on a pedal, and pegs would pop up from the floor. There were holes in the bottom of the pins allowing them to be placed on the pegs. You would then let your foot off the pedal as you jumped onto a bench to get out of the way of flying pins.
After The Perkasie Historical Society began operating the carousel in 1970, I started volunteering to collect tickets just as I had done in my youth. It is always great to see smiles on young children’s faces as they ride the carousel.
As long as I am able, I will continue to walk the carousel and collect tickets. And of course, have a hot dog with sauerkraut from the snack stand.
Thanks, Bob, for volunteering all those years!
Doll
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From Baskets to Woodstoves
 2015 Perkasie Railroad Station Rick Doll image |  2016 Perkasie Railroad Station Rick Doll image |
In 1975 Roger Stiles advertised baskets for sale in the Sunday New York Times Newspaper and in Apartment Life Magazine. He received many orders and arranged for an entire boxcar of baskets to be shipped from a manufacturer in Mexico.
When the boxcar was enroute, Roger worried about where he would store the baskets when they arrived. Having just an apartment, he contacted the railroad about leaving them in the boxcar. A railroad official told him there was a fee for boxcar storage, but the Perkasie Station building was available.
2017 Interior Perkasie Railroad Station, Rick Doll image The next day the railroad real estate agent arrived by train from Philadelphia and met Roger at Perkasie Station. The station had been closed for many years and had the windows boarded up and broken glass all over the floor. Needing a place for basket storage he decided to lease it.
The next few days were spent cleaning up the broken glass and readying the station.
The next few days were spent cleaning up the broken glass and readying the station.
| When the boxcar arrived, it was placed in the small rail yard that was located on the site of the current 8th Street parking lot. The baskets had to be carried over the tracks and into the station (see blue arrow on the rail yard photo to the right). By the time the boxcar was empty, the station was filled with baskets leaving only an eight-foot empty space near the front door. |  1940 circa Perkasie raii yard complements of Rich Jahn ARHS |
2016 Perkasie Railroad Station, Rick Doll image Perkasie Container Company made shipping boxes and over a few months the baskets were all shipped to their buyers. Roger Stiles would go on to continually lease both the Perkasie freight and passenger stations until 2017 for American Energy Alternatives, his woodstove business.
Doll
Tether Car Track Memories
2024 Tether Car Track in Lenape Park
When you are visiting Lenape Park for a concert, Community Day, or the Fireman’s Carnival, look for this long-forgotten reminder of Perkasie’s past. Near the area where the park road splits to go to the skating pond, is a two-foot wide, almost hidden, concrete circle that was one the tether car track.
The tether car track was constructed around 1946 - 47 by a group of enthusiasts that formed a local club. The two-foot-wide concrete track was laid in a 90-foot diameter circle. In the center was a pole with a ball bearing ring. The piano wire cable that was attached to the car was attached to the ring which would rotate around the pole as the car rode around the track.
Two people were needed to operate each car. One person would start the car motor and would release it. The second person stayed near the pole and held the cable tight as the car got started. The person in the center would hop onto a platform attached to the pole once the car started moving around the circle. The cars operating at Lenape would reach a speed of 100 miles per hour.
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Each car was propelled by a small gasoline engine attached to a gear box connected to the wheels. Few people could afford a car as it cost about $120 to put one on the track. “Doc” Strouse the owner of the Studebaker dealership on Seventh Street had a few cars that he would race in Perkasie.
The track did not last for too many years. It was gone by the mid-1950’s as it needed new concrete, and a new agreement for operation with Perkasie Borough. Parts of the concrete track are still visible in the area close to the skating pond. There are only a few tracks left in the country where you can still race tether cars.
The late Jay Sowers provided this memory to the Perkasie Historical Society. Jay was a Perkasie resident who was well recognized in the tether car community.
The Perk:
50 Years of Memories
Memories of Larry Nacarella
As told to Rick Doll 2025
In 1975, I was 13 years old when my father came home to our house in Lansdale and told the family he purchased the South Perkasie Hotel at an auction. We all asked, “where is Perkasie”?
I remember first visiting the hotel which at the time was a shot and beer bar. Motorcycles were sometimes parked outside the bar, and on occasion, on hotel property. The walls were covered with dark paneling and there was a pool table in the front dining room.
The Main Street hallway had steps to the second floor where seven rooms were rented. There was much antique furniture up there and only one bathroom that was shared.
Little by little over the years the hotel evolved from just a bar into a “fun bar” and then a restaurant. Many memories are just a blur, others from the last 50 years are quite vivid. There are memories of my family’s involvement in the early years. My father and later I would cook in the small kitchen. My brother improved the sound system and provided wall tapestries, and my mom would prepare “gravy” for spaghetti night. I have great memories of prepping food, cooking and then tending bar late into the night.
More fun began with the addition of Prism TV live music, pinball and video games. There were St Patrick’s Day, Halloween and Christmas parties, cheesesteak and crabcake nights. More tap beer was added as was international beer night. And we cannot forget Perk pierogies. Today, trivia, karaoke and music bingo nights are lots of fun during the evening hours.
There are memories of taking the Perk building from the stucco exterior to the sunroom look of today. There were demolitions, additions, board and batten siding, German siding, bay windows and brick façades, lighting, landscaping and new signs.
The restaurant interior also changed to celebrate the heritage of the building and meet the needs of our guests. Along the way are memories of green tablecloths, formica bar, vintage photos, kitchen additions, swirled plaster, floor tiles, hardwood floors, vintage lighting, ice cream parlor chairs, wainscoting, a Frank Sinatra photo, waiting room and Pub Room additions.
Most important are all the memories of people. Over a thousand employees during the past 50 years deserve much gratitude. Guests that became friends. Famous visitors like Chuck Bednarick, Bernie Parent, Pink and Mickey Dolenz of the Monkeys.
There were afternoon lunches with Dave Hubbert and Bob Benner and meeting Janette Flagler during a class reunion. Many sports team celebrations, birthday and anniversary parties and Monday night community fundraising events.
If my mother and father would be alive today they would be amazed and perhaps shocked at The Perk of today. I also believe they would be proud of all we accomplished.
Rdoll
The Spray Ponds
 1955 Sanborn map indicating 7th Street Spray Ponds |  Spray Pond image from 1929 Anniversary Book |
For almost fifty years the borough of Perkasie generated their own electricity at the power plant located at 120 North Seventh Street. Coal fired boilers provided steam that turned generators producing electricity.
During the 1920’s steam turbo generators were added to the plant to increase electric production. This necessitated construction of a spray pond where hot water was cooled. The pond was a rectangular concrete structure that was at least four feet deep
The spray ponds were located across Seventh Street from the electric plant in a driveway behind the homes at 129 and 135 North Seventh Street. A small brick building on the property contained the pumps for pumping hot water from the power plant. The hot water was sprayed into the air and allowing it to cool.
During the 1920’s steam turbo generators were added to the plant to increase electric production. This necessitated construction of a spray pond where hot water was cooled. The pond was a rectangular concrete structure that was at least four feet deep
The spray ponds were located across Seventh Street from the electric plant in a driveway behind the homes at 129 and 135 North Seventh Street. A small brick building on the property contained the pumps for pumping hot water from the power plant. The hot water was sprayed into the air and allowing it to cool.
House at 131 N Seventh Street Perkasie Historical Society Archives When Perkasie Borough stopped generating electricity in 1948, the spray ponds were closed and eventually filled in. The brick pump house was used for storage and eventually demolished. The site was unused until 2009 when a house was constructed on the site.
Furniture and Sporting Goods:
Perkasie's
Renner Brothers Store
Perkasie Historical Society Museum Archives
Twin brothers, Claude and Edwin Renner were born on the family farm on September 16, 1899. When they were 20 years old, they left the farm to work in the clothing industry, getting paid $12.00 for a 54-hour work week.
 1954 Perkasie Anniversary Book |  1954 Perkasie Anniversary Book |
The Renners’ started a secondhand sales business with a plow they cleaned, painted, and repaired and sold for $10.00. Their second item was a washing machine bought for $10.00 they cleaned, repaired, and sold for $30.00. The brothers worked evenings and Saturdays and one Saturday a man bought everything they had on hand for $180.00.
1954 Perkasie Anniversary Book Claude and Edwin started in the furniture business in the barn and garage at Claude’s home located at Fourth and Arch Streets. In 1933 the brothers purchased the Perkasie Furniture Store Building (former Metzger and Musselman Furniture) located at Sixth and Market Streets. This three-story brick building replaced a small frame building in 1923.
1941 Renner Brother News-Herald advertisement The Renners’ were active sportsmen, with the store carrying a full line of hunting, fishing, and boating equipment along with furniture. Renner Brothers became well known in the area for their annual Anniversary Celebration Sale that attracted as many as 2000 people. The street was roped off for a carnival like atmosphere with entertainment by popular area musicians, hot dogs, hamburgers, and the prize drawing.
1941 Renner Brothers Receipt from the Perkasie Historical Society Archives In 1969, when Edwin Renner retired, Claude paid him $60,000. Claude incorporated with his son Clifford and son-in-laws, Lloyd, and Russell Lowery. Renner and Lowery Furniture remained in business until 1986 when the building was sold after the inventory was sold to a liquidator.
Today the former Renner Brothers building at 601 West Market Street is used as an apartment building and is home to Shine Yoga Studio.
This “Memory” was inspired by a 1979 article from the society archives, written by Perkasie Historical Society historian Paulyne Kramer.
RDoll
RDoll
Opening Day
 Leading the 2024 Opening Day Parade at 4th and Walnut Street |  2024 Opening Day 3rd and Walnut St.  2024 Opening Day 4th and Walnut St |
Today’s Pennridge Little League’s “Opening Day” with a parade and opening ceremony is a sure sign that the spring / summer season has arrived. Even on days like today with clouds and a cold damp wind, “Opening Day” has been a welcoming spring tradition for over 60 years.
 1992 Little League Parade North 7th and Arch Street. Eugene Pritchard (Lesher) Collection . |  1995 Robin Roberts in Little League Parade North 7th and Arch Street. Eugene Pritchard (Lesher) Collection |
Our son played on little league teams during the 1990’s and we remember opening day. It was always an exciting day, especially for the young players who would be participating in the events for the first time. After a bit of chaos organizing all of the teams, they walk through the streets of Perkasie to the ballfield along Walnut Street for opening ceremonies. The police cars and fire trucks have always part been part of the event. Parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends line the street to wave to the young ballplayers as they march by.
1996 Mike Lieberthal, Philadelphia Phillies souvenir card from Edward Browning Realtor
For many years, the late Perkasie realtor, Ed Browning, would sponsor “Tree Day” at his Sixth Street office. This event was held on the same day as opening day and Mr. Browning would arrange for a Philadelphia sports personality to appear in Perkasie. We remember seeing Robin Roberts, Rex Hudler, and Mike Lieberthal from the Phillies courtesy of Ed Browning.
For many years, the late Perkasie realtor, Ed Browning, would sponsor “Tree Day” at his Sixth Street office. This event was held on the same day as opening day and Mr. Browning would arrange for a Philadelphia sports personality to appear in Perkasie. We remember seeing Robin Roberts, Rex Hudler, and Mike Lieberthal from the Phillies courtesy of Ed Browning.
Opening day is a timeless event. The players and coaches continually change. The young ballplayers from the 1990’s that we remember are now the coaches for their children. Even the team sponsors are different as new businesses are established in our area. The events of the day and parade route still do remain pretty much the same.
May the tradition continue!
Memory courtesy of Rick and Louise Doll.
Doll
Sunday Papers
 1961 Walnut Street Business Block |  April 23, 1959 News Herald Advertisement |
Walt Hellmann was employed at Labelcraft Press during the early 1960’s. To supplement his income, he would deliver newspapers for the local news agency. On Sunday’s, his son Eric and Eric’s friend Ron Braun would help with the deliveries.
The Philadelphia Inquirer and Bulletin were dropped off at Flexer’s News Agency, located at 517 West Walnut Street. The paper bundles were taken to the basement where a special machine would roll up the individual newspapers and tie strings around them. This would make it easier to throw the papers when delivering.
The folded and bound papers were loaded into the back of Walt’s Rambler station wagon. Eric and Ron would stand on the open station wagon tailgate and throw the papers to customers as Walt drove through the streets of Perkasie. Sometimes milk bottles would be broken by the tossed newspaper and on one occasion a picture window was broken.
The reward for the boys for helping deliver over 150 newspapers was five dollars, a Tastykake and chocolate milk.
 West Walnut St. Schmidt Block: Perkasie Historical Society, Jim Moyer Collection |  2019 Schmidt Business Block |
Flexer’s Newsstand is now Olde Towne Convenience Store. Walt Hellmann went on to become a Perkasie Police Officer and passed away in 2002.
Thanks to Eric Hellmann for sharing his memory!
Doll
Perkasie Easter Egg Hunt
I remember as a kid in the early 1960’s going to Easter Egg Hunts. They were held at Menlo Park or sometimes at Lake Lenape in the area now used for the Perkasie Amphitheater. The Chamber of Commerce would organize the event and the Perkasie Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary members would dye the eggs.
April 19, 1962 News-Herald My mother and grandmother both volunteered to color eggs, and I remember large crates of eggs being at the firehouse. The egg dye was a mix of food coloring and vinegar and the whole firehouse smelled of vinegar. Some “special eggs” would also be given numbers.
On the day of the hunt, the eggs (210 dozen) would be spread over the lawn. We would gather the eggs and if we found a numbered egg we would receive a prize certificate. The certificates were from local merchants and could be redeemed for merchandise or a cash prize. One year, I found a numbered egg sponsored by The Vogue Shop on Chestnut Street.
The next day, I rode my bike to the store to exchange the certificate for my fifty-cent prize.
The next day, I rode my bike to the store to exchange the certificate for my fifty-cent prize.
Thanks to Dale Haring for sharing his memory and photos!
The Arch Street School Bricks
Arch Street School - Perkasie Historical Society archives: Don Maurer Collection
3 types of Arch Street School bricks. Many of the Arch Street School bricks were saved, live on, and can still be found in many Perkasie homes.
There are various versions of these decorated bricks; some are covered with needlepoint and are used as doorstops; others have a small brass plate sold for benefit of the 5th St. Perkasie Firehouse, the 3rd version has a larger plate showing the Arch Street School and Elm Tree.
There are various versions of these decorated bricks; some are covered with needlepoint and are used as doorstops; others have a small brass plate sold for benefit of the 5th St. Perkasie Firehouse, the 3rd version has a larger plate showing the Arch Street School and Elm Tree.
Arch Street Brick plate image drawing by Jill Hackett used for raise funds for the Pennridge Senior Center Thank you to Jill Hackett for sharing the following story of how the school and elm tree drawing became the brick plate with us.
"I drew this for my dad, Jim Hackett, in 1965. To my surprise and delight, it was printed and mounted on bricks from the Arch Street School, sold to raise money for the then new senior center. It shows the elm tree that the Perkasie Historical Society is honoring right now . . . Dad had handed me a black and white photograph and said, “draw this.” He had been assembling a coloring book of local images, so I thought this was another one—which explains the thick lines.
I attended school at Arch Street from first through sixth grades—many fond memories of this interesting building and that magnificent Elm."
Doll
Memories of Perkasie
Sharing interesting connections between Perkasie's people, places and events.
Rick and Louise Doll
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