In 2026, we celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States, and there is an official name for that celebration: the Semiquincentennial. Why? “Semi” means half, “quin” is five and “centennial” is 100—so, half of 500 years. There you go. Fortunately, wiser heads have started calling the celebration America 250. No explanation needed.
The Hires Root Beer Company introduced root beer at the 1876 Centennial celebration in Philadelphia. In 1926, Philadelphia hosted the Sesquicentennial (sesqui means one and one-half), celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The event ran from April 30 to November 16, 1926.
One unexpected legacy of the Sesquicentennial made its way to Delaware County. The Hires Root Beer Company, based in Philadelphia, set up giant barrel-shaped root beer stands at the fair, each large enough to seat seven people. The giant barrels were a big hit at the celebration. After the fair, one of these iconic barrels found a second life in Larchmont.
Seeing an opportunity, Bill Cunningham of Newtown Square bought one of the barrels, transported it to Larchmont, and turned it into a roadside attraction beside an old stone house. Thus was born The Barrell, a luncheon stand. According to historian Erma Shaver, “An interesting place to eat was ‘The Barrell.” Here one could get soft drinks, hot dogs, sandwiches and ice cream. Out front there were gas pumps where gas for your car (if you had one) could be purchased at twelve cents a gallon with a variety of gasolines to choose from: Standard, Tydol, Texaco or Pacific.”
With the end of Prohibition, the Barrell obtained a liquor license and was considered a taproom, with Bill and his wife Edith as proprietors. Former Newtown police chief Stan Short later recalled with a laugh that he attended the high school right across the street, and “We used to have a guy in my class who’d come over here for beers for lunch. He’s the only one who was 21!”
When Bill died before 1950, his wife Edith continued to run the taproom, reporting that she worked 84 hours a week. In 1957, she sold the property to John Curley, who spent $50,000 to make improvements, noting that when he bought it, “This place had no toilets, running water and only a pot-bellied stove for heat.” In 1981, he sold the property to Gus Costalas, who remodeled the building and opened it in 1981 as Charlotte’s Restaurant. At some point along that timeline, the actual Sesquicentennial barrel disappeared into history. But it lives on in the memories of old-timers who stopped by for a soda, sandwich or beer—back when towns had their own distinctive attractions, before strip shopping centers homogenized the suburbs.
For more on the history of Marple, visit the Marple Historical Society website and Facebook page, and join the Society to keep up to date on coming events: www.MarpleHistoricalSociety.org