In 1807 the Lutheran congregation withdrew from the Union church and erected a church building on Bedford Street near Louther. By 1810, The First Lutheran Church opened for services. On March 11, 1851; fire entirely consumed the church. On March 15, the walls were razed and work of building a new church started at once. By June 1, 1852, The First Lutheran Church was completed and ready for worship. On December 15, 1856, a parsonage was erected near the church. The Church was remodeled several times over the years. During the rebel invasion on Sunday, June 28, thirty rebel officers of Ewell"s Corps attended services in the church. On July 1, 1863, Stuart's cavalry shelled the town and the church was struck twice by shells.
In 1888, J.W. Plank was the owner of a department store known as "The Imperial Dry Goods Store," which was located on South Hanover Street where the former Bowman & Co. Department Store stood. On May 3, 1899, the present site was purchased known as "The Carlisle Manufactory," to the J.W. Plank Co., Limited for $16,098.75, and converted into a manufacturing company. Years later, in 1913, the company was incorporated as the "Carlisle Garment Company," maker of the Molly Pitcher Dresses.
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| Mr. Plank |
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In 1888, there was no such thing as ready-to-wear apparel particularly in the women's clothing line. Mr. Plank would serve many of the customers in the Carlisle area by selling them yard goods and in turn they would seek out a designer and dress maker where they could have a dress made to their own liking.
Always when the customer was in the process of selecting yard goods at Mr. Plank's store, the question was "where and who is a good dress maker in town". Based on this question, Mr. Plank, in his constant desire to please the customer, conceived of the idea of hiring a dress maker to work in his Imperial Dry Goods Store. He Started a department in the store known as the Dress Making Department.
The most popular demand in the market then was a shirt waist and skirt. So during the off seasons, Mr. Plank decided to make some standard size shirt waists dresses. This idea caught on quickly and became accepted throughout the country. This was the birth of the Molly Pitcher Dresses.
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Mr. Plank moved from his location on Hanover Street to Bedford Street in 1899. In 1907 a new front was built to the church on Bedford Street and a large addition built to the rear of the building. In 1956, the parsonage was removed and the 10,000 sq. ft. section was added for shipping purposes. Over the year The Carlisle Garment Company continued to make women and children's clothing. The Carlisle Garment Company stayed in business until the 1970's. After the Garment Factory closed in the 70's, Charles Spahr purchased the building as a flea market and auction house. Mr. Spahr's owned the building for 30 years.
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On October 28, 2003, Mary Roell purchased the 33,000 sq. ft. Garment Factory. On December 13, 2003, Bedford Street Antiques opened for buisness. Presently, there are over 100 antique dealers on the 24,000 sq. ft. first and second floor. The 7,500 sq. ft. third floor will be restored in the future as the Roell's residence.
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