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:::; Frackville High Class of 1909: (front) Mame Roberts, Mary Curry, Professor .'.~;~; Trautman, Florence Haughton, Mercedes Fennelly, (second row) John Habel,.1 Mary Wilson, George Heim, Sadie Reber, Allison Heywood, Anna Wagner. 1\.t~~~~. ~/I. Fireside chat with the Habels Iq4~;:;: The welcome I received from Mr. and Mr. Habel remembers this building~~j~Mrs. Jack Habel of 38South Thtrd Street being built in two sections. The first

,.:.: was as warm as the fire burning in the building was 50 x 150 feet and thefireplace of their living room. following year another fifty feet were

. added to it. He reminded me of the. -

Mrs. Habel, the former Emma Bur- "bridge" that was built across the streetchill, spent most of her childhood in on the second story level connecting theNorth Carolina where' her father was in two factories. This was a tunnel from thethe lumber business. Mr. Habel was second floor of one factory built highborn in Morea and moved to F=rackville above the street extending to the factorywhen he was fifteen years old. He across the street. Healso told me that angraduated from Frackville High in 1909. overall factory was located on this lot

but was completely burned out. TheMrs. Habel's father, George E!urchill, aChar.les Rabin Company took over thiswell-known contractor and builder in building and has operated a factory heretown was born in Pottsville. At the age of slncethat time. .eleven he worked in th~ mines atLawrence Colliery. After several yearsas foreman he left the mining industryand became engaged in 'the lumberbusiness in North and South Carolina. Hereturned to Frackville after a few yearsand established the Burchill LumberCompany. The first office was in the

:::: Sanner building until they opened a~~;; small store next to the Scott store. It was

,:;:: the Burchill Lumber Company thatmoved the Scott store to the rear of whatis now the American Bank. r

The Burchill Lumber Company Buildingon' Lehigh Avenue was built the sametime as the First National Bank wasbeing built. It was a three story buildingand the Burchill store was located on thefirst floor . The Craftsman's Club oc-cupied the second floor' and the thirdfloor was headquarters for theRepublican Club. Several years laterRahom, a subsidiary of Charles RabinCompany, located here and rented thecomplete building which was used as afactory. This building was torn down a I

As a building contractor, Mr. Burchill few years ~go and. the American Bankdirected the construction of many homes' parking lot is now on this site.in town. Almost all of Middle Street, thehouseson both sides of Fourth Street to This lumber company also aided in theFrack and the three story building that building of the present Lutheran Church.was once the H. D. Bob Factory on the Mr. George Burchill, a member of the

,::~ corner of South Broad Mountain Avenue 'church presented the beautiful chimes:::: and Oak Streets where Charles Rabin that we hear beir;lg played each Sunday....:::; Factory is now located were some of the morning.t buildings built by this company. , '.:::; Mrs. Habel and I looked through several~~i~Tnis factory bui Iding was one of our photo albums.and scrap books that she~;jj fbwn's biggest assets. It has employed has collected. Her hobby is collectingj:~: hundreds of residents for the past fifty newspaper clippings of her fam ily and

'" ;j:j 'years and was vacant for only one year residents of town, poems for all oc-:t after the H. D. Bob Company went out of casions; and keeping the family album

~:~: business.'. up to date.

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