LiveAuctionTalk com Highlights Turn-of-the-Century Christmas in its Weekly Free Article

Santa Fe, Dec. 10, 2007-- Jake Gusky never forgot the kids atChristmas. A century ago, Gusky, an orphan himself, started delivering presents toevery child in Pittsburgh area orphanages. A horse-drawn sleigh would arriveChristmas morning and Santa would hand-deliver gifts.

A few old-timers remember Gusky's clothing store on Third Avenue and Market Streetin the Old Allegheny section of Pittsburgh. When Gusky was stricken with pneumonianear the holidays in 1886, crowds stood in front of the newspaper office to readupdates of his condition. He died soon after, and hundreds attended the funeral athis home on North Avenue.

Surprisingly, on the Christmas morning after Gusky s death, Santa stepped out of hisstore as usual and into a carriage drawn by six horses. Another Santa followed in asleigh, and behind that came 30 more wagons and carriages with gifts headed for theorphanages. Gusky had spent his final hours preparing for the holiday.

A hundred years ago, the celebration of Christmas in Pittsburgh was not that muchdifferent than today's holiday. Shop owners decorated their windows with tinsel andgreens. The flashing lights may have been missing, but the flavor of Christmas wasnonetheless present.

The smell of anise cakes and gingerbread men moistened the air outside the Germanbakeries in Old Allegheny. Inside, cases full of cookies decorated with St. Nick,angels, reindeer and Christmas trees waited for early morning shoppers.

F.R. Jackson, the wholesale liquor store on Federal Street offered a quart bottle ofwine in a Persian cut-glass decanter for $1. Carnegie library in Old Alleghenyserved as the Christmas tree market. Pines imported from as far away as the forestsof Wisconsin, and as close as the mountains near Somerset, Pa., sold for $1-$10. New buggy whips were available at Stockman's department store.

Boggs & Buhl's store on Federal Street advertised satin quilts for $2, and importedJacquard slumber robes for $1. Housewives haggled as usual in German with the shopowners over the prices of merchandise.

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Source: Express-Press-Release.com

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