100 years ago, my maternal grandparents, Harry and Anna Goldberg, rented half of the former Hunsberger Hardware building at 122 East Broad in Souderton. In 1922, they held the grand opening of H. A. Goldberg Clothing Company. This is the short story of Harry coming to America, settling in Souderton, starting a business, and raising his family.
Sent from Lithuania with his older brother Sam to escape the violence throughout Czarist Russia, Harry Aaron Goldberg arrived in New York in 1905 at age 15. Lore has it that Harry, thinking the harbor fireworks were celebrating the arrival of his steamer, excitedly exclaimed in Yiddish, “What a country we have found!”
Sam and Harry arrived with instructions to seek a contact in Philadelphia who would provide a place to stay and whatever they needed. They were given a few articles of clothing, a meal, and advice to find the Bucks-Montgomery County area, where many spoke Pennsylvania German. Though they understood no English at the time, their Yiddish skills were sufficient to allow interaction, and they were quick to learn Pennsylvania Dutch, and later English. They found cut-and-sew work in a Perkasie clothing factory paying $1.35 per week. When Harry learned that their foreman worked there for 30 years and was earning only $1.55, they decided they would go into business for themselves. Within a few years, brother Isaac arrived to join them, and in 1911, the boys opened their first venture, ‘Goldberg Bros. Quality Store’ at Sixth and Arch in Perkasie.
Sam married, left the business, and moved to the city in 1914. Harry and Isaac, with wedding plans, closed Goldberg Bros. to pursue their business interests independently. They eliminated the overhead and took the retail business on the road. With horse and wagon, their showroom would be taken directly to the customer: clothing, pots, pans, hardware, and home goods delivered farm-to-farm, door-to-door. Harry preferred the Souderton-Telford-Franconia-Harleysville area, catering to the Mennonite community with whom he felt very comfortable. Isaac focused on Philadelphia where he eventually opened ‘I. Goldberg Army and Navy’ in center city.
Following a brief courtship in 1915, Harry and Anna Dowshen became husband and wife. After peddling piece-goods and housewares for years from a wagon drawn by his beloved horse, Lady, Harry saved enough money to rent and stock a store, one with living space. Anna, an accomplished seamstress with the ability to make and alter clothing, brought in additional income while caring for her three young boys. In 1922, they moved into the “tall building with the tower” on East Broad and rented the right side of the property. ‘H. A. Goldberg Clothing Co.’ was off the ground as Harry and Anna planned for raising their growing family which at the time included Bernard, Edward, and Charles.
In 1926, their daughter Jeanne was born, and in 1928 amid The Great Depression, Harry purchased the entire property. In 1932, Sidney was born, and within a few years the family of seven required expanded living quarters. In 1938, Harry hired architect Charles M. Talley of Telford to redesign the storefront and second floor. The store was outfitted with deep triple show windows, neon signage, and fully modernized quarters on the second floor, a significant improvement in many ways. Retail space was expanded to include separate departments for men, women, children, and footwear. The quarters provided the perfect home to celebrate a hefty sale. Often Harry would invite a customer upstairs to greet Anna who was usually baking in the kitchen or cooking up a brisket, an aromatic sweet-and-sour beef tongue, or red beet borscht. After sharing a sampling from the stove, he would move his guest into the ornate dining room, carefully pour some schnapps, and toast his customer with a thank you and good wishes. From the china cupboard, Harry would slide out a box of fine cigars and offer his customer a smoke. They would talk of family, community, and politics. At age five and six, I could clearly see that personal relationships were an important part of my grandfather’s business, one he enjoyed immensely. Walking his guest down the tall wide staircase back to the store and just before the goodbye, he would offer a sneak preview of new merchandise.
The business flourished through the 1930s and beyond, as did the Jewish population in Souderton, Telford, and Lansdale as immigrants continued to flee Europe. Harry never forgot his heritage and longed to create a conservative congregation in the community. Along with a handful of other local Jewish principals including the Feingold, Baum, Rubin, and Dietz families, in 1941 he and Anna contributed their time, money, and effort to establish Congregation Beth Israel and open the community’s first synagogue from which their youngest son Sidney would be confirmed.
Harry developed serious medical issues and passed in September 1953. He was clearly the family patriarch, sat at the head of the dinner table, and ran the business with a passion. To a large extent, the future loomed in a vacuum. Anna was in charge but with dismay. My father, Sidney Weisberg, had moved to Souderton to marry Jeanne, worked in the store since their wedding in 1945, and had two children, all living on the second floor. Harry’s sons Eddie and Charlie also relied on the business for their residence and to earn a living. In 1956, Jeanne unexpectedly perished at age 30. In 1963, short on parking and overshadowed by shopping centers, the store closed and the building was sold. Anna retired to a rest home in Broomall where she lived until 1977.
For nearly five decades Harry and Anna served the Souderton area, providing family fashion, durable clothing, accessories, and alterations at a reasonable price. They sponsored a wide variety of local activities, events, and causes along the way. They also played a pivotal role in providing for the education, prayer, and social connectivity of the small Jewish community present within. All four of their sons served proudly in the U.S. Army. I spent my earliest years in their presence. They were wonderful, loving, humorous, inspirational grandparents who were grateful to be in America and be part of the Souderton community.
