When the Finch family took the following photos of George Finch in 1929, they had no idea that they were documenting a piece of history. Besides the cute kid in the striped sweater, they also captured 369, 373, and 377 South Ritter Avenue. An explosion in February of 2004, destroyed all three of these bungalows and damaged dozens of others nearby. Although you can only see 369 in two of the photos (far left), it was actually a Sears catalogue home! The other two might have come from a catalogue as well. City directories reveal that all three homes were built between 1923 and 1925. Richard B. Miller, an employee for the Diamond Chain Company, and his family lived in the Sears home. The Bortsfields and Craggs lived in the other two bungalows. Both Rueben R. Bortsfield and Harry C. Cragg worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad.
The contemporary image, taken during the winter of 2012, shows the newer homes constructed since 2004. Note that the only thing that is similar is the placement of the fire hydrant. The historic images are courtesy of Evan Finch.
