Richard Sigmund Goldsmith
1917 -
Interview Length: 63 minutes
Interview Date: March 18, 2009
Interview Location: WHBG Channel 20, 223 Walnut Street, Harrisburg, PA
Richard Sigmund Goldsmith's grandparents immigrated to Harrisburg around 1874. Born in 1917, Goldsmith's memories of growing up in Harrisburg include sandlot baseball, playing in Hoffman's Woods (where William Penn High School now stands), and vaudeville at the State Theater. At his William Penn High School, the cross-town football rivalry with John Harris High was unforgettable. His merchant's memory recounts Harrisburg's commercial history with shining detail, especially the retail benefits of Hurricane Agnes in 1972: Everyone in town needed new furniture from the family business - M. Lee Goldsmith's Furniture on Market Square- run by Richard and his brother Joe until it closed in 1981.
- Richard Goldsmith states his name for the record
- Richard Goldsmith talks about growing up, his family heritage in Harrisburg, and transportation in the city.
- Richard Goldsmith talks about politics in Harrisburg.
- Richard Goldsmith discusses his family business
- Richard talks about what he did for fun as a child in Harrisburg and the integration of many religions into the Boy Scouts
- Richard Goldsmith talks about being a teenager in Downtown Harrisburg, and describes it as a shopping center and a theatre town.
- Richard discusses the changes made to the rest of the city from his teenage years until now including government, hotels, banks and parks
- Richard talks about the effects of the flood on his business
- Richard Goldsmith talks about a thriving Harrisburg during his high school and teenage years
- Richard talks about being involved in volunteer work
- Richard talks about his fond memories of high school and college football in Harrisburg
- Richard talks about the Susquehanna River and Riverfront Park
- Richard talks about evolving golf courses in the Harrisburg Area
- Richard Goldsmith talks about the Jewish Community in Harrisburg
- Richard Goldsmith talks about the impact of the Depression
- Richard Goldsmith talks about his children
