John Wetzel has had a piece of his family’s history stored in the basement of his home for years. John’s Grandfather and Great Grandfather owned Camp Sumney at the intersection of Swamp Creek Road and Magazine Road in Sumneytown Pa. The property housed ten cabins that were the summer retreat for visitors from Philadelphia. The entrance of the camp hosted a General Store that was run by John’s Great Grandmother. A Coke-A-Cola thermometer hung next to the door and reported the temperature for over 30 years. When the campground closed in the 60s, John’s uncle kept the thermometer and passed it onto John along with some photos of the campground.
Back in November John decided to gift the Thermometer to Rachael Kehler, owner of the Peppermint Stick Candy Store. John and his wife Judy, owners of Magical Wonders Vacations have worked with Rachael on many events together in the community. Looking at the Thermometer he wanted to gift it to another small business that would appreciate and enjoy it.
Being on the board of the Boyertown Area Historical Society Rachael immediately realized how important it was to preserve and protect the history of the thermometer. “It’s not often that you know the history of a piece this old, let alone have the pictures to go with it!” Rachael said.
Rachael contacted Joe Dietz from Joes Frame Shop and contracted Joe to frame the thermometer along with the family photo and information. The Thermometer is now on display at the Peppermint Stick for the community to enjoy! Next time you are in Boyertown stop in and see how three small businesses worked together to preserve a piece of history!