FACes & PlaceS
Around Town April 2005

Memories of New Hope (first of a series)
William (Billy) A. Lewis

Editor’s Note: Billy was the first to respond when I sent out a call for help with Faces & Places articles. I contacted John Larsen (of John & Peter’s) to find out just where Abbott’s Newsstand was located in the fifties. John told me he remembered it being on S. Main Street where Beyond the Wall is now located, 16 S. Main St. John confirms Billy’s memories of this place being a place for young people to gather. If any of our readers have more memories of Abbott’s, please send them in!

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New Hope in the fifties was just that despite artists and tourist who were just starting their influx into the area. One of the mom and pop businesses that could have been a TV situation comedy was Abbott’s News Stand or “Ab's.”

It was right off the corner of Main and Bridge in the center of town. From the outside it was always sort of dark looking but inside bright lights and loud music showed it full of life. All the men stopped there in the morning for their dime cup of coffee and news of the day. Chief Maxwell was one you could count on passing through from time to time. The air was filled with smoke as it (smoking) was permitted in those days. Anyone who wanted to find out anything about anyone or anything just had to walk in through the doors.

The floor was covered with every newspaper printed between Philadelphia and New York. On Sundays, William Abbott Sr. and a band of local teens would deliver these throughout the area in his fancy Chevy Nomad station wagon.

As the day progressed, the teens would start filling the place for cherry cokes dispensed by Philip Abbott and Billy Beaumont. Side burned teens would listen to Elvis and others while playing the twin pinball machines that were going all the time. The phone booths were right behind them making discreet calls impossibility. Pop Reading stood guard over the large racks of Magazines which of course included Playboy and other interesting titles. I remember trying to duck real low so he could not see me reading and how kids would always try to put several magazines together and buy one. One of the other mischievous teen activities was hiding under the pin ball machines and stealing candy and playing.

Abs' younger son supervised this nonsense and the perpetrators were caught as often as they tried it. The newsstand was truly a center for life in New Hope in that era whether you liked what went on there or not.

William A. Lewis

“I lived in the New Hope-Lambertville Area from age 4 to 32 when I was lured to Louisiana. I had the misfortune to drink Bayou water and am stuck here forever.”