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Teach PA History
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John Wanamaker and his "New Kind of Store"
Web Sites

Evolution of the Department Store http://history.sandiego.edu/GEN/soc/shoppingcenter4.html

This website page provides a timeline of the evolution of department stores, which includes the creation of John Wanamaker's Grand Depot. A variety of pictures of Wanamaker and his store are available at this website. Furthermore, several links are also available to other pages which describe in greater detail the history of specific department stores or the development of "mass consumption" within the United States, which helped make these stores so profitable.

Friends of the Wanamaker Organ http://www.wanamakerorgan.com/johnw.html

The pipe organ which Wanamaker placed in his department store is a National Historical Landmark and boasts books and a supportive organization of its own. This website, Friends of the Wanamaker Organ, provides the user with excellent biographical information on the merchant and explores successful characteristics Wanamaker exhibited early in his childhood.

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