💰Bilked out of thousands | Morning Newsletter

Expect to start your week with another warm day with a high of 84. We could be in for more thunderstorms in the early evening, so be prepared.

Also, today is a somber anniversary. Take a moment to remember those lost on 9/11 as this 2022 photo retrospective gallery does.

Our lead story focuses on allegations that a beloved salvage and restoration company swindled clients out of thousands of dollars.

— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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At least nine customers have filed complaints against Philadelphia Salvage Co., according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

They allege the once-beloved company bilked them out of deposits and failed to return property, including historic doors and custom hardware.

Some clients: Olde Richmond resident Natalie Shaak is out nearly $7,000 and the front door project she began with the company in September 2021 is still incomplete. The company still has the actual door and custom brass in its possession. South Philly resident Jennifer Merrigan is out more than $2,000 and doesn’t have the door she paid to have rehabbed in December 2021.

In their own words: “He defrauded us, took our money … and now won’t even respond to our requests,” said Merrigan, an attorney, who has given up on working with the business and simply wants her money back.

Finally, because of The Inquirer’s reporting, they have some answers.

For nearly two centuries, the Society Hill Hotel has occupied a corner in the heart of Old City.

It’s been an oyster cellar, a Civil War recruiting station, a railroad and steamship ticket office, a cigar store, a rubber stamp office, a printing press, and a bank.

At one point from the 1950s until the 1980s, it was a flophouse for sailors, longshoremen, a belly dancer, torch singers, and a country western guitarist.

Fast forward to today, the new owners want to renovate it into a boutique hotel and whiskey bar.

Continue reading to learn what’s in store for the hotel’s future.

Martha King, 34, is a champion “lumberjill” from Delaware County who has won titles around the world. Few people can work an axe like King.

She’s the first woman to win how many national titles in timber sports?

A) 5

B) 8

C) 3

D) 7

Think you know? Check your answer.

🎉Celebrating: Jocelyn B. Tyson, a pharmacist from Burlington County who won the title of world champion of public speaking.

🍂 Planning: A trip to Tyler Arboretum to admire the fall foliage at its peak in October.

Hint: One of the “Core Four” 🏈

JOEL SHANNON

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Jeffrey French, who correctly guessed Sunday’s answer: Dragon Boating.

There’s not a better way to start the week than with an Eagles win. Thanks for starting your week with The Inquirer. I’ll see you tomorrow. 👋🏽