The Watt & Shand Collection contains materials related to the Watt & Shand Department Store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Series 1 includes employee handbooks, job description, beauty salon price list, bridal registry information, a history of the store, a Christmas catalog, a Historic Preservation Trust calendar, and children's books.
Series 2 is a record of the property at the downtown location and at Park City Mall beginning in 1880 with deeds, legal agreements, a building inspector's permit, and insurance policies.
Admin/Biographical History
On 22 February 1878, Peter Watt, James Shand and Gilbert Thompson advertised the opening of a new store, The New York Store, featuring new lines of foreign and domestic dry goods as well as fancy goods and notions. The New York Store opened on 9 March 1878 and was an immediate success focusing on customer service. The owners had an unwritten policy stating that they remained open until the last customer left. During that first year, partner Gilbert Thompson died. Watt and Shand purchased a building located at 8-10 East King Street and changed their name from The New York Store to Watt, Shand and Company. Then during 1885, the store name was shortened to Watt & Shand even though the business was expanding to acquire 6 East King Street. The Ladies' Ready-To-Wear Department was added in 1889 which included coats, suits, dresses, and underwear. The owners proceeded to expand the business over several decades and procured Appel & Weber jewelry store and Hager's Department Store during the 1950s and 1960s. The branch store opened in 1970 at Park City Mall. The Bon-Ton Stores purchased Watt & Shand in 1992 and the store officially closed in March of 1995
Preferred citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Series #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Folder 2 contains restricted items. With the exception of Folder 2, the items in this collection may be used by researchers--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit or request at Reference Desk.
Copyright
Collection items may be photographed. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org. Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-237
Classification
MG0237
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Scrapbook cataloged by CB, 2008. Series 2, Folder 1-48 cataloged by ML, Summer 2014. Added to database 13 January 2022.
The Watt & Shand Department Store scrapbook was cataloged and preserved with funding from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. ME60112.
Memorial pillar and tablet at 320 East Ross Street, Lancaster, marking the site of the country home of the Honorable George Ross (1730 - 1779), colonial statesman and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Erected 1897.
Provenance
Album of historical markers erected by the Lancaster County Historical Society, compiled by George L. Heiges in 1986.
Memorial tablet at the birthplace of Robert Fulton (1765 - 1815) in Fulton Township, honoring him as the first man to apply steam to navigation successfully.
Provenance
Album of historical markers erected by the Lancaster County Historical Society, compiled by George L. Heiges in 1986.
Boulder and bronze tablet at the Brick Mennonite Church near Willow Street, the first permanent white settlement by Swiss Mennonites within the borders of Lancaster County, in the year 1710. Erected in 1910.
Provenance
Album of historical markers erected by the Lancaster County Historical Society, compiled by George L. Heiges in 1986.
Monument of granite at Christiana in commemoration of the riot of 1851 and the resultant treason trials. The event known as the "Christiana Resistance" was engendered when southern slave owners came to Lancaster County in search of runaway slaves. Erected in 1911.
Provenance
Album of historical markers erected by the Lancaster County Historical Society, compiled by George L. Heiges in 1986.