A 1988 photograph of Reed’s Fine Furniture on West Market Street in Gratz, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. According to information supplied with this photo, the business was established in 1929 by Marlin S. Reed. Eventually it was taken over by his son James A. Reed, who advertised a complete line of home furnishings, carpeting, floor coverings, etc. The Reed family, in addition to selling home furnishings, operated the only “undertaking” service in Gratz.
This building was originally erected after the Civil War as the home and headquarters of the Gratz I. O. O. F. (International Order of Odd Fellows). The meeting hall on the second floor was also used by other fraternal organizations as well as by service-related groups like the G. A. R. (Grand Army of the Republic) and later the American Legion. The garage at the right side of the building was the first home of the Gratz Fire Department which was established after the Great Gratz Fire of 1924. Today, the building houses “The Grand Entrance,” a business that supplies formal wear and other services for weddings and proms.
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Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.
This photo appeared in the Upper Dauphin Sentinel (Millersburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania), 30 March 1988, as a part of a feature, “Know Your Hometown,” by Sue King.