History Spotlight
Hanging Out at the Newtown Square Hotel by Doug Humes Some pictures are worth more than a thousand words. The gentleman at the center of the photo is Dr. M.P. Dickeson of Media, Pennsylvania. He is sitting in a “horseless carriage” in front of the Newtown Square Hotel. According to the Chester Times of Aug 8, 1902: “Dr. Dickeson has purchased the first Locomobile or horseless carriage that has ever come to Rockdale. He arrived home from Philadelphia with it on Tuesday night and will find it very convenient for going on his round of visits… the handsome new vehicle is regarded by the denizens of this community as a great curiosity.” The gathering of boys – a serious looking bunch. The tallest one, in a suit, looks like someone who has a job. Another relatively new invention sits in the foreground, a bicycle. The dangerous high wheelers of the 1870’s had given way to the “safety bicycle” of the 1890’s that is depicted. So perhaps the boy in the suit is a Western Union messenger. The other boys likely heard the noise of the horseless carriage and ran out to follow the doctor up to the hotel. Newtown Square was farm country before World War I, and so these were all local farm boys. There was not a lot of action out on the farm. An 1891 newspaper article described the hotel as “an old country tavern, a mere stopping place for the few who still travel the almost deserted turnpike.” So to be a young boy in those days, and see Doc Dickeson in his newfangled carriage, and perhaps a Western Union delivery boy, would be a memorable day. And to top it off, someone with a camera was there to take their picture! For more history on Newtown Square, Delaware County, and membership information, please visit the web site of the Newtown Square Historical Society at www.HistoricNewtownSquare.org
The Newtown Square Hotel from the 1870s
Dr. Dickeson stopping by in Newtown Square
Photos Courtesy of The Newtown Square Historical Society
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