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Memories of Millerstown: Past Businesses and
Buildings
by Nathan Lesh - 25 January 2022
Time has done no favors for many local buildings and businesses that once
held the threads of this community together. Some businesses are now but
distant memories that hearken back to those simpler times. Many older
buildings still stand but have changed drastically with the advent of vinyl siding
and tin roofing. Though not all have been so lucky, some buildings that once
graced this town are lost forever. This article will detail several of these
forgotten businesses and buildings that helped to grow Millerstown, as well as
detail their importance to the community.
Commerce in the Millerstown Town Square
The building JoJo’s Pizza now resides in hasn't
always been a pizza shop, as many know. The
building has been a staple in Millerstown’s
relatively small skyline for well over 100
years. On the plot of land was a dry goods
and grocery store, built sometime before
1878. It was affectionately nicknamed Cluck’s Corner and was run by Mr.
Thomas Cluck. It was a popular shop for any early Millerstown resident to buy
their groceries and supplies. So when fire ravaged the building in 1878, it was
immediately rebuilt. Cluck operated the business for several more years before
eventually selling the property to T.P. Cathcart, who then sold the business to
D.W. Heefner. Afterward, it followed another maze of owners until the business
was sold in 1946 to Roy and Harold Gelnett. They operated the business for
several years before selling the market in 1963 to the Swegers. By the time of
the store's closure, it had been the longest continuously operated market in
town. Eventually, the property became what we now know as JoJo’s Pizza.
On the corner of Millerstown where the
Juniata Valley Bank now resides, a Gulf
station sat on the lot before the bank.
More importantly, even before the Gulf
station sat a hotel. The hotel was named
the Ward House. The Ward house was a
grand hotel and offered travelers a quiet and nice rest. You would be glad to
park your early Ford model T or A in front of the establishment. The hotel was
of timber frame design and had a large front porch that faced the town square.
It had a large grand wooden staircase and mahogany banister. The hotel got its
name from the original owner Huffer Ward. Ward later sold the business to
George Rebok. Rebok grew the hotel into a well-established business. The
business was later sold to Peter Shenk who also ran a bottling works and movie
theatre along with the hotel. Throughout the hotel's operation, there have been
numerous famous guests. One famous customer that was widely talked about
was Alexander Graham Bell who was traveling to Canada with his wife.
Governor Gifford Pinchot of Pennsylvania also spent time at the hotel while he
was chasing votes. Sadly, the hotel caught fire in
1941. The historic building was a total loss.
On the northernmost corner of Millerstown, across
from the present-day Firehall, sits the remains of
Rickabaugh’s Dry Goods Store. The building was very
spacious and had large aisles stocked full of
merchandise. David Rickabaugh, the original owner,
had a large coffee grinder in the store where
townspeople could get any number of their preferred coffee grounds. When
Rickabaugh built his store, there was a large second story that was built as well.
This was rarely used by David, so he rented it out for many community groups
and town council meetings.
Directly across from the Rickabaugh
store there was another dry goods
store operated by the Brandt family.
Eventually, the store was purchased
by the popular franchise Atlantic and
Pacific Food Markets, or just A&P for
short. A glass-front faced the square
for all to see the many wares they
sold. One popular deal was a small barrel of pickles for 3 cents.
Directly beside the Millerstown Firehall to the left was the Millerstown Hardware
Store. The store operated until 1906. Ralph
Thompson started the business until he sold
the operation in 1925 to Ralph Beaver. The
business then passed through a myriad of
owners until the hardware store's eventual
closure. In its heyday, kids were rumored to
think of the place as spooky, so they kept
their distance from the store. In the same
building, a laundromat was also available for townspeople. Strangely, the post
office was housed in the laundromat. In the spring when the hatcheries
shipped chicks by rail car, the laundromat would be full of tiny chirps from the
birds. All those chickens in the laundromat, even if they were in a box, would be
a dirty operation.
The Tannery
One of the most famous and well-known businesses in the Millerstown area
was the Rippman Tannery. The Tannery was built in 1800 by Joshua North, it
was constructed near the Savercool
home across the street and down
from Stitch in Time. The property
passed through a series of owners
until 1849. This time it was sold to
Henry Hopple for $2,500, roughly
$80,000 when adjusted for inflation.
It wouldn't be long before it was sold again, but Mr. Hopple brought about new
innovations. One major change was the introduction of steam to the tanning
operation. The company was in Joseph Howell’s name until 1882 when he was
forced to sell the property due to financial issues.
Charles A. Rippman purchased the property after Hopple and made the
business boom. Rippman, like others, brought modern practices to the hide
tanning operation and received great accolades. At the 1893 Chicago World’s
fair Rippman was recognized for his oak tanned foot sole leather. The
Rippmans became very affluent thanks to their tanning success. They were the
first to bring a bathtub to their home. It was connected to the steam machines
at the tannery and was manufactured by local tinsmiths. In 1945, the property
was sold to R.C. Savercool. A portion of the facilities were also sold to
Precisionware, later named Triangle Pacific. Triangle Pacific later moved to
Thompsontown after a fire in the old tannery buildings in 1954. There, they
were later bought out and restructured several times. Now the company is
currently operating under the name ACPI Cabinetworks Group. Only a handful
of buildings from the original tannery still remain. One notable structure is the
tall smokestack which still towers over the property.
Millerstown was once a great economical
hub in the county. While Millerstown still
may be an economic hub, it,
unfortunately, has lost many companies
and operations that put the “town” in
Millerstown. Every business mentioned
above, whether big or small, has led to
some change in the town and brought Millerstown through every challenge and
endeavor it may have been faced with. When one business door closed,
another opened. Much like the many owners of the Rippman tannery and their
entrepreneurial spirit that guided their business to great success. Even though
the tannery and many other businesses have ceased operations, Millerstown
will always retain its ability to persevere and it's history that brought it where it
is today.
Contributed for re-use on this website by Nathan Lesh - 25 January 2022
Staff Writer for The Paw Print - Greenwood High School Journalism Club
Works Cited:
Millerstown and Area, 200 Years along the Juniata. Millerstown Bicentennial
Committee, 1980.
Taylor, Janet. African Americans in Perry County: 1820-1925. Huggins Printing
Co., 2011.
Gilmore, Linda Martin. Celebrating 200 Years of History in Perry County,
Pennsylvania. Linda Martin Gilmore, 2019.