Business Conditions and Easton is a natural trading centre for a large surround ing country both retail and wholesale. Over 200 commercial travelers leave Easton every Monday morning representing the large wholesale grocers, produce, dry-goods, boots and shoes, hardware, stoves, confectionery and other local houses. There are three large department stores, selling not only to Easton people, but the surrounding country about 40 miles north and south; 30 miles to the east and 12 miles to the west, with an aggregate business of $2,500,000 per annum. The art, jewelry, drug, piano, phonograph stores, clothing, confectionery, books, millinery and other trades are important.
Banks and Trust Easton has three national banks and two trust companies, and Phillipsburg, N. J. (across the river), has two national banks and one trust company. Phillipsburg, N. J., and Easton, divided by an arbitrary and imaginary State line and the Del aware River, are to all intents and purposes one commercial community. Many doing business in Phillipsburg reside in Easton, and vice-versa. The combined capital of the banks and trust companies is $1,550,000; the combined surplus and undivided profits are $1,786,917; the com bined deposits of these banks and trust com panies are over ;18,000,000. One of these banks, the Easton National, celebrated its 100th anni versary a year ago, still retaining its old name it being originally a State bank.
Colleges and Schools.-- Easton is the seat of Lafayette College founded and named after the Marquis de Lafayette at the time of his second visit to America. It has a national repu tation ; over 700 students enrolled, with numer ous and well-equipped departments in every branch of science and literature. Easton is the birthplace of Governor Wolfe, long deceased, founder of the public school system in Pennsylvania, and father of the public school system in the United States. A beautiful me morial arch in front of the high school building commemorates this fact. The public schools are unsurpassed and Easton has a number of private, preparatory and parochial schools and is a noted centre of learning, culture and education with a splendid public library, supported by local taxation, an original Carnegie foundation.
Newspapers and are two daily, old and largely circulated news papers; all evening papers published every day except the Sabbath; each of these papers has a semi-weekly and weekly edition; one Sunday paper called the Sunday Call, of large circula tion and great importance, with a weekly edi tion, the Easton Sentinel; a German paper, the Northampton Demokrat; a number of trade journals issued semi-monthly and monthly, par ticularly the Easton Labor Journal, Chemical Journal, Lafayette College Weekly, Lafayette College Monthly and a number of periodicals of special trades.
Churches and Easton and Phillips burg being one community interchange their church people, and with a combined population of about 50,000 have the following churches: Lutheran 11, Presbyterian 9, Reformed 5, Meth odist Episcopal 6, Protestant Episcopal 2, Mo ravian 1, Baptist 5, Evangelical 4, Roman Catholic 4, Christian Science 1, Jewish syna gogues 2, Mennonite 1, Salvation 1 bar rack, Italian Missions 2. The services in these
churches are held in English, German, Italian, Hebrew and Slovak, indicating the diversity of the nationalities of the worshipers. The re ligious and charitable element of Easton have a spendid hospital which they are about to re build at a cost of $250,000. Also a Y. M. C. A. and Y. W. C. A., old ladies' home and a home for friendless and orphan children and a charity organization society. Fraternal orders and societies are numerous and strong and Eas ton has a number of social clubs; the Pomfret Club, the Northampton Country Club; the Mc Kinley Club, the Northampton Republican and Jacksonian Democratic Clubs, all owning their own homes; the Triakas Club, and numerous others. The club and social life in Easton is ideal, pleasant and extensive.
Easton is an old
Tnomas A. H. HAY, Secretary Easton Board of Trade.