October 3, 1919: Boyertown Athlete a Millionaire through Oil-rich Land Purchase

By Margaret Leidy Harner from her book One Day at a Time: A Social History of Boyertown, PA

October 3, 1919: Oil has made a Boyertown native, Louis Litschi, a millionaire through land in Texas he purchased a number of years ago while playing baseball in the Texas League.

Louis is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Litschi, who ran a successful bakery at 105 East Philadelphia Avenue in the 1880’s. The elder Litschi started in the business peddling his goods around town from a cart.

Louis, a talented shortstop on the Boyertown team, received a letter from Connie Mack, the manager of the Philadelphia Athletics, in 1907 telling him to join the club on their southern trip, and that was the beginning of a great career, last playing in the Pacific Coast league.

He is now living in Los Angeles, where he runs an automobile business as a sideline while he enjoys the receipts form his land in Texas with large, productive oil wells.

His younger brother Andrew was recently killed by a German bullet in France.

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