This week’s Out of the Attic item is a photo of the Jacob C. Thomas Co. wallpaper factory, which was located at the corner of Cleveland Avenue and North College Avenue. The site is now a University of Delaware parking lot.
Previously an organ factory, the building burned to the ground in a disastrous fire on Jan. 11, 1918, costing 100 people their jobs. The fire started in an ash bin and then spread to the rest of the building. A “wild wind” helped spread the fire, according to coverage in the Newark Post. The newspaper also reported that all day, the air in Newark was filled with small bits of burning paper, and large pieces of charred wallpaper were found as far away as the area around present-day Kells Avenue.
Shortly after the fire, Thomas and his family moved to Chicago.
Out of the Attic is produced in partnership with the Newark Historical Society. The Newark History Museum is located in the old train station under the South College Avenue bridge is open by appointment December through March. Admission is free. For more info, call 302-234-4145 or visit www.newarkdehistoricalsociety.org. Do you have an old photo to share with Newark Post readers? Contact editor Josh Shannon at 443-907-8437 or jshannon@newarkpost online.com.
