This is an old-time view of Balliet street looking south from Spring. The one-story building right of Trinity Evangelical Congregational Church housed the first offices of Dr. O. H. Mengel.

Chat with a local 'immigrant' from St. Nicholas Patch
      (Evening Herald, Frackville Edition, June 14, 1975)  I had a pleasant visit with some old friends of mine, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Phillips of 102 South Balliet street.
      Mr. Phillips was born in St. Nicholas and reminisced about his job as a "printer's devil" for the Record American Newspaper. His salary in 1925 was five dollars a week. This was one of the leading newspapers at that time and was printed in Mahanoy City and was delivered to many of the mining towns in our area.
      The printing was done on a flat bed press and eight pages could be printed at one time. The circulation was about 6000 subscribers and each evening paper was usually eight pages.
      Talking about the progress made in the printing business, Mr. Phillips said coveralls had to be worn in the old days because of the ink staining their clothes but today it could be considered a white collar job. Compared to the flat bed press of yesteryear the 16 page presses today can run off 30,000 papers an hour.
      He worked for this firm for forty-four years until 1969 when they were bought out by the Shenandoah Valley Publishing Company. He is presently employed by the Shenandoah Evening Herald and in July of 1975 will celebrate his 50th year in the newspaper business.
      As he reminisced about the old days he recalled when St. Nicholas Breaker was being built. The steel workers from Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York rented rooms in private homes in St. Nicholas and played quoits and baseball with the residents. They hated to leave the coal region because the people were so friendly and hospitable. Mrs. Phillips' grandmother, Margaret Edwards, came to Frackville about 1845. She was one of the pioneers of town. At age 95 she was the oldest resident in town and, at the ceremonies for the opening of the culvert, was guest of honor to cut the ribbon to open this arch.
      Her mother, Minnie Edwards Berger, was one of the first teachers in town. She taught at a two-room schoolhouse on East Frack Street where the Franklin Building is now located. She had eighty pupils of all ages and grades and one of her first pupils was W. R. Trautman who later was Principal of the Frackville High School.
      Her father, Mr. Berger, was a carpenter at Lawrence Colliery. He built the double block homes at 102-104 South Balliet street in 1909. He did most of the building himself after working a full shift at the colliery. This house has been in the same family for 71 years.
      A lovely old corner cupboard is still in the breakfast room of this house. An old hurricane lamp is treasured by their daughter, Miss Linda Phillips, who teaches in the Reading Schools and a spinning wheel from the 1800's is waiting to be used in the attic of their home.
      The Phillips will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary this June and they have a son Robert, and another daughter, Mrs. Ruth Fields, who is a registered nurse.
      Mrs. Margaret Phillips is a well-known school teacher in town.

Go to the Joseph J. Kehler biography which was originally printed with this tale (now located in the Old Timers section).