TENAFLY—If you lived in Tenafly over a century ago, no doubt you would have been familiar with the two men pictured on this page. In this photo at right, from circa 1910, Philip Mildenberger and Walter Scheffler stand in the butcher shop they co-owned in Tenafly, the West Clinton Market. Notice the prices of rib roast, ham, and chicken as posted above the counter.
Both men were of German ancestry. Scheffler was born in Tenafly around 1877, the son of German immigrant parents. He was a veteran of the Spanish-American War. Mildenberger was born in Germany in 1884 and came to the United States along with his family as a teenager in 1897.
The accompanying advertisement, which dates to 1910, lists the butcher shop’s specialties. The phone number at the time was 338-W.
Before people had automobiles, it was common for butchers and grocery shops to deliver. In our featured photo, Mildenberger has gone from butcher’s apron to suit and bow tie in order to make his rounds.
