Frackville High Class of 1909: (front) Mame Roberts, Mary Curry, Professor Trautman, Florence Haughton, Mercedes Fennelly, (second row) John Habel, Mary Wilson, George Heim, Sadie Reber, Allison Heywood, Anna Wagner.

Fireside chat with the Habels
      (Evening Herald, Frackville Edition, May 16, 1975)  The welcome I received from Mr. and Mrs. Jack Habel of 38 South Third Street was as warm as the fire burning in the fireplace of their livingroom.
      Mrs. Habel, the former Emma Burchill, spent most of her childhood in North Carolina where her father was in the lumber business. Mr. Habel was born in Morea and moved to Frackville when he was fifteen years old. He graduated from Frackville High in 1909.
      Mrs. Habel's father, George Burchill, a well-known contractor and builder in town was born in Pottsville. At the age of eleven he worked in the mines at Lawrence Colliery. After several years as foreman he left the mining industry and became engaged in the lumber business in North and South Carolina. he returned to Frackville after a few years and established the Burchill Lumber Company. The first office was in the Sanner building until they opened a small store next to teh Scott store. It was the Burchill Lumber company that moved the Scott store to teh rear of what is now the American Bank.
      As a building contractor, Mr. Burchill directed the construction of many homes in town. Almost all of Middle Street, the houses on both sides of Fourth Street to Frack and the three story building that was once the H. D. Bob Factory on the corner of South Broad Mountain Avenue and Oak Streets where Charles Rabin Factory is now located were some of the buildings built by this company.
      This factory building was one of our town's bigggest assets. It has employed hundreds of residents for the past fifty years and was vacant for only one year after the H. D. Bob company went out of business.
      Mr. Habel remembers this building being built in two sections. The first building was 50 x 150 feet and the following year another fifty feet were added to it. He reminded me of th "bridge" that was built across the street on the second story level connecting the two factories. This was a tunnel from the second floor of one factory built high above the street extending to the factory across the street. He also told me that an overall factory was located on this lot but was completely burned out. The Charles Rabin Company took over this building and has operated a factory here since that time.
      The Burchill Lumber Company building on Lehigh Avenue was built the same time as the First National Bank was being built. It was a three story building and the Burchill store was located on the first floor. The Craftsman's Club occupied the second floor and the third floor was headquarters for the Republican Club. Several years later Rahom, a subsidiary of Charles Rabin Company, located here and rented the complete building which was used as a factory. This building was torn down a few years ago and the American Bank parking lot is now on this site.
      This lumber company also aided in the building of the present Lutheran Church. Mr. George Burchill, a member of the church, presented the beautiful chimes that we hear being played each Sunday morning.
      Mrs. Habel and I looked through several photo albums and scrap books that she has collected. Her hobby is collecting newspaper clippings of her family and residents of town, poems for all occasions, and keeping the family album up to date.