Haag's Drugstore operated in the Irvington Plaza at 6401 East Washington Street. Besides serving as a pharmacy for the neighborhood since 1955, it provided a popular soda fountain. In the summer of 1961, a local woman driving a beautiful Ford Fairlane accidentally hit the accelerator when she meant to pump the brakes and crashed through the plate glass window. Thankfully, it was nearly closing time around 9:00PM so most of the employees were not in the front of the building. One of those workers was a very young Bill Ferling, who heard the loud crash and ran out to see what had just occurred. He also had the presence of mind to grab his camera to document the damage. In the top photo you can see the soda fountain and in the bottom image you can see the mess left behind from the crash. Mr. Ferling remembers that his boss Ron Leeds grabbed a baseball bat to guard the store after the car was towed out of the building. The driver did not damage the structural integrity of the store so Haag's Drugstore resumed operations within a day or two.
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| In 1961, a woman accidentally crashed into Haag's Drugstore at 6401 East Washington Street. (photo courtesy of Bill Ferling) |
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| Employees at Haag's Drugstore at 6401 East Washington Street had to clean up a big mess after a car crashed into the building in the summer of 1961. (photo courtesy of Bill Ferling) |
I wish to thank Bill Ferling who provided the photos and the information for this post.
