With the beginning of 2015 upon us, we take a moment to look over our shoulder at one of our region's former landmarks; one that is currently in the hands of a wrecking crew.

            For more than 100 years, the building that once housed a popular recreation spot was located on the corner where Fourth and Seminary streets meet Railroad Avenue in Pennsburg. 

            Over the years, some of the weather-beaten gray shingles went missing, and the magnificence of the structure diminished with age.  Though faded, until two weeks ago the words "Bernhard's Bowling" could still be read over the main entrance and a worn and rusted Coca-Cola sign on the side of the building still proclaimed the location as the site of the "Pennsburg Bowl."

            The large building wasn't always a place to toe the foul-line while trying to bowl a better score than your average.  Prior to 1904, a barn belonging to the Elias Hoch estate sat on the property. 

            The barn and land was purchased in 1904 by Horace B. Harley, then owner of the American House Hotel, and the barn was razed to make room for a large stable.  The livery stable was eventually built around 1910.

            The hotel itself was built in 1875 and operated for years as the American House and the Buchman House Hotel.  Every week the railroad brought in a new tide of hurrying humanity and the hotel prospered.  Harley purchased the hotel in 1900 and eventually expanded his business into stabling horses. 

            After the large two-story stable was completed, Harley erected a sign on the front porch of the hotel that proclaimed "Pennsburg Livery & Boarding Stable – H. B. Harley Prop."

            After Harley's death in 1924, his daughter Gertrude and her husband Eugene McLaughlin took over the business and renamed it the Hotel Harley.

            In 1931, John K. Bernhard took over the first floor of what was the livery stable and built six bowling lanes in the building.  The second floor was rented out for storage and the basement eventually housed pubs called Flossie's Hole, operated by Flossie Steltz, Sam's Bar and Grill, operated by Sam Morgan Sr., and the Frozen Mop Pub, operated by Tom Callahan. 

            The building went through a series of owners that included Roy Smith, Sam Morgan Jr. and most recently, Laurie and Robert Slack.

            Chatting recently with an old school friend of this writer, Ron Morgan, a son of Sam Morgan Sr. who was raised in a home across the street from the old building, he recollected the name of another pub that was housed early on in the basement of the structure.  "I believe the name of the place was 'Alibi' and it was owned by June Clark and her husband," he said.

            Ron also remembered the big coal stove that heated the bowling alley atop the pub.  "Whenever they wanted to stoke up the stove, the bowling alley operators had to come into the basement and through the bar area to shovel coal into the stove."

            Sam's Bar and Grill was the place to be on Saturday nights where Tex Carson and his Smoky Valley Troubadours played country and western music nearly every week. 

            According to Ron, when owner Roy Smith offered to sell the building to Ron's brother, Sam Jr., he initially wasn't interested and the building went to public auction.

            At the auction, the price came in so low that, Sam Sr. told Sam Jr., "you buy the building." And so Sam Jr. did just that.   

            On the second floor of the building, bowling at Bernhard's lanes became very popular.  The sport quickly grew and it wasn't long before several bowling leagues were formed.  Seventy years ago, as now, numerous area businesses lined up to sponsor teams.  Even the local high school had a bowling club. 

            Bernhard's establishment had much more to offer than shoes, lanes, balls and pins.  The soda fountain was a highlight that drew many area teens for a lemon fizzy or other cool treat – as well as place to meet their friends. 

            The meals were quite a draw too.  John Bernhard was no stranger to the food service business.  At one time he ran a restaurant on Main Street in East Greenville and operated an ice cream route.  However the star of this food enterprise could very well be his wife, Ella.  She would make local delicacies like 'pork and sauerkraut' or 'ham and string beans' to serve to the lunchtime crowd.  There were five factories located within a block of Bernhard's and many local workers were able to enjoy a fine meal during their short lunch period.

            A few years back, this writer had the opportunity to correspond with Joan (Rothenberger) Gonzalez of Jacksonville, Florida regarding the one-time Valley fun spot.  Joan is the granddaughter of John Bernhard, and she shared many fond memories.  Her recollections were keen and fun to read.  For instance, it wasn't hard to imagine a youthful Joan and her sisters, Mae and Diane, playing hide and seek in the cavernous second floor that was rented out for storage.

            Joan mentioned that her grandfather was "fond of bowling and never without a cigar."  As a former worker in local cigar factories, John was no stranger to the stogies.  I also sensed a fond remembrance in her words when she reminisced about the "banana splits" and other goodies from the soda fountain.  That feeling came when she mentioned that her grandfather used to joke and say that Joan and her sisters "ate up all the profits."  She also wrote that the industrious Bernhard also sold locally made Schoenley luggage from a display set up on the benches next to the alleys.

            There were no automatic contraptions to scrape, gather, load, and set pins.  Industrious youngsters, willing to sit way too close to the business end of a bowling alley, performed that job.  Once you set the pins, you needed to quickly ensure that your head, hands, arms and everything else was out of the reach of the flying clubs.  Some folks called the daring workers pin-boys - but there were plenty of pin-girls too.  Joan wrote that one could bowl for 30 cents a game.  From that, 10 cents would go to the pinsetter. 

            John Bernhard ran the business until his death in 1953.  Of John, it was written that he "did much to help develop the sport of bowling in this community."  New lanes sprouted up in the area and by 1970, the Pennsburg alleys were gone.

            We may not have the old building to look at anymore and the stools at the soda fountain have long sat empty, but for those who bowled, set pins, patronized the pubs or just hung out at Pennsburg Bowl building, the memories live on.