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By the Staff of Hometown magazine nother summer has passed, seemingly, in the blink of an eye – lamented by many and gone before it arrived. Various camps – band, cheerleading, and football, to name three – are completed and hours of bonding and hard work fill students’ minds as they turn their attention to the new school year. As August turns to September, Dr. Thomas Lesniewski, superintendent of the Punxsutawney Area School District, prepares to welcome students and teachers and staff back to school as he begins his second year as the district’s top administrator. Dr. Lesniewski graciously took time from his busy back-to-school schedule to talk with Hometown via e-mail and telephone. HOMETOWN: Please share a bit about yourself – where you were born and raised, your educational history and background, and so on. DR. LESNIEWSKI: I was born in Erie and am a graduate of Erie Cathedral Preparatory School (for high school), Edinboro University (Bachelor of Science degree), Westminster College (Master of Science degree), and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (Doctor of Education). I was a social studies teacher and football and basketball coach at Erie Prep, Alfred Almond Central School (Alfred, New York), and Greenville High School. My administrative career includes serving as assistant principal at Knoch High School (Saxonburg, Pennsylvania), principal at Riverside High School (Ellwood City, Pennsylvania), principal at Deer Lakes Middle School (Cheswick, Pennsylvania), assistant superintendent for secondary curriculum and instruction for the East Stroudsburg Area School District in Monroe County. I am currently finishing my first year as superintendent at the Punxsutawney Area School District. HOMETOWN: Did anyone in particular or any experiences inspire you to pursue a career in education? DR. LESNIEWSKI: While at Edinboro, I decided that I wanted to teach and coach.
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2 – Punxsutawney Hometown – September 2017 - Issue #203
Dr. Thomas Lesniewski eagerly looks forward to his second year as superintendent of the Punxsutawney Area School District. (photo by Hometown staff)
HOMETOWN: When you made that decision, did you envision yourself rising through the ranks of school administration and becoming a district superintendent?
DR. LESNIEWSKI: No, it wasn’t really a goal at first. When I was a teacher, I didn’t plan to become an administrator. How- Continued on page 4
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Back to School in the ’60s
By Mary Ellen Pollock-Raneri for Hometown magazine ack-to-school shopping. Nowadays, it starts around the Fourth of July. Racks and rows of shiny supplies probably strike a chord of fear in students and maybe even teachers. Every year, when I see the stacks of designer lunch bags, paper products, pens, and thermoses, I have to chuckle and recall my back-to-school shopping days. You know those purchases if you are from the ’60s – it’s back when buying a new tablet meant a getting a rectangular paper pad made of newsprint with big spaces for doing assignments, not a fancy piece of technology with a touch screen and multiple apps. Really?! A $400 back-to-school item? The swankiest school doo-dad I ever got was a threering binder. Yes, going back to school typically meant a new lunch box. I was so jealous of anyone who had a plastic lunch box with cartoon characters or princesses illustrated on the cover. Or, a small plastic thermos with colorful designs and a matching decorator cup. Nope – my mom made me take a large metal lunchbox shaped like a barn. Inside, there was an equally humongous metal thermos with a glass liner that shattered when I dropped it one day. I probably looked like a member of the United Mine Workers on my way to the bus stop, but I was only six years old. One day, I got the brilliant idea of painting the whole thing red, which didn’t help matters one bit. At that point, I had a bright red, barn-shaped lunch box that was more noticeable than the other one. Sadly, all I ever wanted was a brown bag. Starting school also meant pencil boxes. Nowadays, starting school means a new computer! On a lesser level, I see packs of colorful Sharpies, gel pens, and even mechanical pencils on store shelves. I remember having some kind of hard paper (like a cigar box) pencil box with compartments. Some pencil boxes had a sliding drawer
below the main compartments to hold the pencils – remember those? There was ample storage for a protractor, compass, pink erasers, and the number two pencils you always got in homeroom on the first day of school. I also remember having some kind of a sliding rule, but I never quite figured out how to use it – numbers always baffled me. For me, the ruler was like an Egyptian relic found in a pyramid, but I put on a good front and pretended that I knew how to work the thing. By the way, do students still use protractors? Of course, book covers were an absolute necessity. Usually every classroom teacher made you cover your textbooks and counted it as a grade. Now, I’m thinking today’s book covers are technological wonders – kids can probably place a phone call by pressing some button on them or maybe they are made of some kind of material that lets them double as a huge texting device. Our book covers were made of brown paper bags. Oh wait! That’s where we stashed groceries. Like dinosaurs, brown paper bags are extinct – or nearly extinct. Nowadays, it’s plastic bags or your own recyclable sack. It’s hard to make book covers with those. And, what would September (not August) be without the ONE new pair of shoes that I always received. These days, even elementary school children have boots, sandals, tennis shoes (big bucks), flip-flops, and other types of footwear in their closets. I, on the other hand, was privileged to get a pair of Buster Browns at the start of each year’s educational journey. And, where else to purchase new shoes other than Harl’s Shoes? If I close my eyes, I can still smell the leather when we walked into the place. I can still recall staring at Pop’s full head of thick white hair. I remember that his son worked there; sometimes he measured my foot with a black and silver metal apparatus. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. Best of all, a poster of Buster Brown with his big red hat and smiling dog hung in the store – I think toward the back of the place. Geez – I miss that store! Nothing can ever replace those “soleful” memories. One school necessity that I especially disliked was the dreaded gym suit – yes, the red, one-piece gym suit! I can still see my inescapable nemesis as it sneered at me
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from the local store windows. The fashion statement had an elastic waist, snap buttons that closed up the whole front, a collar, and short sleeves. Since I was about as coordinated as a daddy long legs on roller skates, you can imagine how much I looked forward to wearing and using it. Although, I hate to admit it, I treated that sacred uniform with the upmost irreverence as I rolled it in a ball after class and laundered it on every national holiday. Although most back-to-school preparations included tangible stuff you could actually purchase in town, the Spirit newspaper divulged some of the most important information that a student might need: the first week’s lunch menu and the homeroom lists. Every day in late August, I ran to the mail box to check if those two pieces of earthshaking news had been printed in our hometown publication. Feeling pretty thrilled if the school cafeteria served sloppy joe or scrambled steak, I would carefully plan when I would buy and when I would carry my lunch. (I always avoided Spanish rice or fish sticks). More important, the homeroom lists divulged exactly whom you would be stuck with for 180 days. You would see these people every day before you had your coffee (because my mom didn’t let me drink coffee). You had to sit with them in assemblies all year. And, you were in line with
them when you graduated. Finding out your homeroom teacher was equally, if not more, important. This is the person who would either let you chat and relax or run a boot camp. This is the person who might joke with you before classes began or the person who would raise one eyebrow if you passed a note to a chum. Homeroom was just as important as a regular class – and ALL that information was posted in the local paper before the start of school. Here’s to beginning the days of chalk and blackboards, three yellow items on your lunch tray with real milk (not nonfat) and flutaphone lessons. Here’s to “clapping” erasers for the teachers, tennis shoes with no gel insoles, and baloney sandw i c h e s wrapped in wax paper. Here’s to cigar boxes that held your pencils, no book bags, LePage’s glue and Big Chief writing tablets. Here’s to walking on shiny, freshly waxed, pea-green linoleum in the school hallways and here’s to trying to find your homeroom. And, let’s not forget those chemistry sets with breakable test tubes, darts with metal tips, cap guns, sun tanning with iodine and baby oil, and riding a bike without a helmet. Gasp! We actually lived through all those days! And, I wouldn’t trade them for all the number two pencils in the world! •••
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ever, as I continued my graduate education, I decided to do it, especially after I received my principal papers. When I received my doctorate, I knew that I wanted to become a superintendent. Being a head basketball coach also influenced my decision. I found that I enjoyed, and had some skill at, the administrative and organizational side of coaching. Really, coaching is like being an administrator. You have to lead teams – different types of teams, but still teams – and you have to set goals for the teams and help them achieve those goals. And in both coaching and being a superintendent, communication is the key. HOMETOWN: We understand that in 2007, while you were the principal of Deer Lakes Middle School, you were named Pennsylvania’s Middle Level Principal of the Year. Would you tell us a bit about this honor? DR. LESNIEWSKI: Someone from the school nominated me, and the award was given by the Pennsylvania Principals Association. After receiving the award, I traveled to Washington, D.C., with the other state winners. HOMETOWN: After 20 years as a school administrator, what is your most significant lesson-learned? DR. LESNIEWSKI: I think that learning to deal with everyone, daily, on an individual basis. We have 2,400 people in our organization, and we have rules and regulations to follow and maintain, but how to apply them to everyone individually is the biggest thing I’ve learned. HOMETOWN: In general, what do you see as the role of a superintendent in a school district? DR. LESNIEWSKI: My role is to oversee the day-to-day functions of the organization in addition to creating a team of professional educators (teachers, principals, etc.) who have the same goals and vision, which are built through consensus. Also, my role as the 10th non-voting school board member is paramount to having community support for the district. I attempt to gain input from all stakeholders when decisions need to be made. HOMETOWN: Did you implement any initiatives or complete any goals in your first year in the Punxsutawney Area School District? DR. LESNIEWSKI: The completion of the high school stadium project and overseeing the district feasibility study. I am cur-
rently overseeing district consolidation process (to be completed for the 20182019 school year) and maintaining a high level of visibility at school / community events – and being an active member in Punxsy Community (for example, I am the Second Vice President for the Punxsy Rotary Club). I also reviewed all district procedures and practices to increase organizational efficiency. HOMETOWN: What drew you to the Punxsutawney area? Having been in the district for nearly a year, what do you see as the district’s strengths and areas for improvement? DR. LESNIEWSKI: My wife, Patty, and I wanted to relocate back to Western PA. The district’s strengths include great teachers and administrative team, great support staff, caring school board, and hardworking, caring students. Areas of improvement: clear vision for technology integration and consolidation of district resources to guarantee future success for the district students. HOMETOWN: Please share a bit about your family, if you will. DR. LESNIEWSKI: My wife, Patty, is a Slippery Rock University graduate and is currently a substitute teacher. Our daughter Kristen is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and the Duquesne University School of Law. She is married and is a lawyer in Houston, Texas. Our daughter Jenny is a Pitt graduate and a graduate of Salus University. She is an eye doctor in Philly. Our son, TJ, is a West Liberty University graduate and is currently completing his master’s degree at Muskingum University in New Concord, Ohio. He is the defensive line coach for the Muskingum football team. We also have a new granddaughter, Ella, in Houston. I am very fortunate to have a fantastic wife and three successful kids. I am very proud of my family. HOMETOWN: How did you unwind this summer after the end of the last school year? DR. LESNIEWSKI: My wife and I have traveled to Houston, Texas, three times to visit our new / first granddaughter, Ella, and we also visited the beaches for a couple of weekends in Erie, Pennsylvania. HOMETOWN: How did you personally recharge your batteries to get ready for the new year? DR. LESNIEWSKI: I try to exercise as much as possible (on the elliptical or by jogging outside). I also play nine holes of golf (I walk and carry my bag) as much as I can for the exercise. - Continued on page 6
Thank You for Attending the
Country scenes....Blue Ribbon Dreams 4 – Punxsutawney Hometown – September 2017 - Issue #203
without your presence it would not be such a success
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!!
What is a Weekend?
Punxsy Area Coal Memorial to Dedicate New Tiles
T
By the Coal Memorial Committee for Hometown magazine he Coal Memorial Committee of the Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society will host a dedication of the 2017 addition of tiles commemorating coal workers to the Punxsutawney Area Coal Memorial at 6 p.m. Sunday, September 3, 2017, as part of the Labor Day Weekend Celebration. Downton Abbey fans may remember when the Dowager Countess, played by Dame Maggie Smith, asked in one of her sharp oneliners, “What is a weekend?” To understand the full meaning of this line, it is important to review the not-too-distant past. The Downton Abbey series was set in the early twentieth century, from about 1910 to just before 1930. These were two decades of extreme cultural change in the world, both in England and in the United States. The seeds of this cultural change were planted in the United States during the Civil War. Prior to the Civil War, work was from sun-up to sun-down six days a week. For most of the western world, Sabbath had been observed on Sunday as a day of rest for those of the Christian faith, and on Saturday for those of the Jewish faith. Soldiers returning home from the Civil War found that their world had changed. The industrial revolution had arrived and manufacturing was replacing farming as the dominant occupation in the northern states. The war had also provided an opportunity for the men to “take charge of their lives.” They had learned they could change the way their world operated. Workers, including shop keepers and laborers in mines and on farms, joined together to formed the Knights of Labor, which had as one of its goals establishing an eight-hour work day. This cultural change took a little longer to arrive in the Punxsutawney area. It arrived in 1882 when the first railroad reached the area. Walston Brown, the developer of the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburg Railway Company, opened the mine at Walston in anticipation of the arrival of the railroad. The opening of the mine brought a new class of workers to the area from the anthracite region in northeastern Pennsylvania and from the bituminous coal region near Connellsville in southwestern Pennsylvania. These workers were familiar with the Knights of Labor and their advocacy to establish reasonable work hours and a fair rate of pay. The industrial revolution also brought many workers from eastern European countries, where they existed under a variety of political systems, including monarchies, feudalism, and serfdoms, in which class systems dictated inequalities of every description. Individuals who were not members of the ruling class had no control over their lives, work, housing, or compensation. In America, they found it was the company that controlled their life, work, and compensation. The worker could accept the conditions or leave. For most, leaving was not an option. However, in America, workers had an avenue through which they could seek redress and resolution: the American Bill of Rights,
which guaranteed “freedom of assembly” and “freedom of speech.” These new Americans quickly discovered how they could use these rights to better their lives. However, their efforts were not without struggle and deprivation. The history of mining in the Punxsutawney area is one of conflict between labor and management. Labor sought to maximize its - Continued on page 20
An eight-hour work day gave workers time to engage in activities other than work. One popular activity was music. In most mining communities, a band was organized, providing an opportunity for the development of new talents and entertainment for the community. At Adrian, the band practiced during summer evenings at gazebo in the center of the housing area. Their music floated over the town and the nearby hills providing entertainment for all. (photo courtesy of Helen Morris)
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he Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society will host its Annual Banquet at Gobblers’ Knob on Saturday, September 16, with a social time beginning at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m. Gobbler’s Knob was chosen as the site for this year’s banquet because of the history associated with Snyder Hill, where the Knob is located. Valentine and Adam Snyder’s farms were on the hill, where they grew produce and sold it in Punxsutawney and vicinity. One of their crops was cabbage and for a period of time the Snyder Hill was known as Sauerkraut Hill because of the availability of the material for making one of the area’s early gastronomical staples. Snyder Hill was often the destination for picnics and for those seeking to catch a breeze on hot muggy summer days. After the Civil War, veterans of war were known to hike up the hill to find respite from the summer heat and to reminisce about their days fighting battles. The hill was also the site of the schoolhouse that served southern Young Township from early days until school consolidation took place in the1950s and that today serves to educate the public about education in one-room school-
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HOMETOWN: What is your vision for the district’s schools? DR. LESNIEWSKI: The district vision statement is: to provide committed teachers, involved parents, a supportive community, and strong academic programs and activities that will enrich our students’ lives. Our students will continue to be lifelong learners who will be able to adapt to an ever-changing and increasingly diverse world. HOMETOWN: As the new school year gets underway, are there any new renovations or programs or initiatives that you would like to draw attention to? DR. LESNIEWSKI: The district consolidation process for the 2018-2019 school year. We’ve had all our public hearings, and at the end of October, the school board will vote to close all the district’s elementary schools. The middle school building will be converted to a K-6 school, and the high school will be used for grades 7 through 12. It will be an $8 million project. We’re doing this to ensure the quality
houses. The Snyder Hill School will be open, for those who wish to visit it, on Saturday, September 16, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. During the late twentieth century, Snyder Hill was home to the Benson’s Poultry. In the 1980s, it began to take on a new aura as the Groundhog Club secured a site on Snyder Hill for celebrating the Annual Trek to Gobbler’s Knob. Today, Snyder Hill has become a destination for thousands of visitors to the Punxsutawney Area who come twelve months a year to see Gobbler’s Knob and Punxsutawney’s best-known resident, Phil. Many others come to walk on the new Nature Walk on the hill. The program at the Society’s annual meeting will feature the History of Snyder Hill and end with a surprise finale that you won’t want to miss. Tickets are available for the banquet at the Lattimer House of the Society during normal hours of operation, Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Reservations may be made by calling (814) 938-2555 or by visiting punxsyhistory.com and making a reservation using PayPal. ••• of education for our students. Plus, it will be an advantage to have all teachers on one campus. The school board is trying to prepare the district for ten years down the road. In addition, we are continuing to implement district’s one-to-one computer initiative at the middle grade levels. The next couple years will be challenging, but exciting. HOMETOWN: Do you have any closing words for the district’s parents and students? DR. LESNIEWSKI: Yes – be your best every day. You might not always get there, but try to be your best every day. And enjoy the experience. Keep looking forward, but enjoy your experiences. Lots of changes are coming. Change is scary; change is exciting. Just be your best every single day. Hometown again thanks Dr. Tom Lesniewski for taking the time to share his thoughts with the magazine’s readers. To read more about his goals for the Punxsutawney Area School District, please visit the Superintendent’s Page of the district’s website (www.punxsy.k12.pa.us/Page/5671). •••
Hometown Community Happenings
F
By the staff of Hometown magazine
rom the staff of Hometown magazine and the Community Calendar at Punxsutawney.com, here is a list of events coming up in our area: n The Punxsy Weather Discovery Center offers “Toddler Time” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Monday for children ages 2-5 and their parents, grandparents, babysitters, etc. No registration necessary, just walk in. $6 per person & free admission for children ages 2 and under. n Aug. 30: Weeding Wednesday, 6 to 7 p.m., meet at the parking lot near the Pantall Hotel. Volunteers welcome to help weed the downtown sidewalks. n Sept. 1 & 2: Grange’s Helping Hands, free clothing at Grange Church of God. Friday, noon to 4 p.m. & Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon. n Sept. 1: Registration opens for Punxsy Christian Women’s Conference on Oct. 14 at First Church of God, featuring Melissa Sylvis. Visit punxsycwc.blogspot.com for more information. n Sept. 2 & 3: Hazen Flea Market open. n Sept. 3: Coal Memorial Tile Dedication & Celebration of the eight-hour Workday, 7 p.m., at Punxsy Area Historical & Genealogical Society, 404 W. Mahoning St. n Sept. 4: Labor Day! Enjoy the threeday weekend! n Sept. 5: First Tuesday Community Meal, 5 p.m., at Punxsy Presbyterian Church. Free & open to the public. n Sept. 8: Community Dinner, 5 p.m., at First United Methodist Church. Free & open to the public. n Sept. 9: 119th Annual Groundhog Picnic & Phil Phest, 1 to 9 p.m., at Gobbler’s Knob. Tickets required. Contact the Groundhog Club for more information. n Sept. 9: Wojack Weekend. History Ride – The Great Shamokin Trail, 9 a.m., at Bennis House. $10 per person, pre-registration required, call 938-2555 or email punxsyhistory@outlook.com. Also, Museum of Indian Culture Presentation & Display, 10 a.m. to noon & 1 to 4 p.m., at Latimer House, sponsored by PRIDE & PAHGS. Native American activities, 1 to 4 p.m., at Bennis House. n Sept. 9: Wojack Weekend Folklore Fun, at Punxsy Weather Discovery Center. $6 admission. n Sept. 10-16: Cookport Fair. See www.cookportfair.com for information. n Sept. 16: Wild Winds Weekend, 10 a.m. to noon, at Punxsy Weather Discovery Center. $7 admission. Call 938-1000 for more information. n Sept. 16-17: Apple Fest weekend in Smicksburg. n Sept. 16: Annual Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society dinner & awards, 5:30 p.m., at Gobbler’s Knob. Contact the society for more information at 938-2555. n Sept. 17: 11th Annual SFC Scott R. Smith Memorial Ride. Registration 11
a.m. to noon at Gobbler’s Knob. $20 per bike. Benefits the SFC Scott R. Smith Memorial Scholarship Fund. n Sept. 19-23: Harmony Grange Fair. See www.harmonygrangefair.org for information. n Sept. 21: Annual Golf Tournament, 11:30 a.m. at Punxsy Country Club. Benefits The Salvation Army. Call 938-5530 for more information. n Sept. 28: Seminar for Nonprofits, 1:30-4:30 p.m., at Cobblestone Hotel. “Is
Your Nonprofit Making the Right Moves to Stay on Track Legally?” sponsored by S&T Bank & Punxsy Chamber of Commerce. $10 tickets required. n Sept. 30: 2nd Annual Fall Fest & Bake Sale, 2-6 p.m., at Grace United Methodist Church, Punxsy. Benefits community outreach & children’s ministry. n The Jefferson County Farmers Market will be open from 4 to 8 p.m. every Friday through October in the parking lot at 400 N. Walnut St., Punxsy. n The Punxsutawney Area Community Center offers indoor cycling, batting cage, Fifty & Fit, SilverSneakers, AM men’s basketball, Pilates/yoga, and gymnastics. Call 938-1008 for more information. •••
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Punxsutawney Hometown – September 2017 - Issue #203 – 7
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8 – Punxsutawney Hometown – September 2017 - Issue #203
On the Streets, Again, in History
A collection of maps represents nearly 200 years of Punxsutawney’s founding and development from eight squares of lots and streets laid out by the Rev. David Barclay to the town’s expansion into areas known as the East End, South Side, Elk Run area, Hospital Hill, and West End. (photo by S. Thomas Curry)
A
By S. Thomas Curry of Hometown magazine study of early Punxsutawney area history reveals that the first white settlers to the Punxsutawney area inherited a few names from the Native Americans who had traveled the trails and paths that passed through the woodlands of this section of Western Pennsylvania. Familiar to area residents are Mahoning Creek, Shamokin Path, and, of course, Punxsutawney. Over time, historians have shared the local history – the “name of Indian origin” as was stated on Pennsylvania roadside markers once used on Pennsylvania highways and seen by generations of travelers in and out of town. (Three of those markers have been preserved and can be seen at locations in town.) The writer has been fascinated by the abundance of place names in Punxsutawney’s cultural landscape that help people distinguish and separate places and aid in giving directions to visitors. About twenty years ago, the writer began research of local street names. Of special interest were the streets that recognized and honored the early settlers and leading citizens who contributed to the development of the community from a small village to a major industrial and commercial center in the region. Identifying the town planners who chose the names for streets, avenues, lanes, and roads is not possible, but residents live with their selections. The names are on area maps, on street signs, and in residents’ collective memory to direct travelers to various sections of the expansive sections of the community one traverses by auto, on foot, and on bicycle. As elsewhere, with many communities, Punxsutawney’s street names reflect the history of people who were settlers, businessmen, leaders, or residents of a particular section. The posted names have outlasted the people who were selected for the honor. Longtime residents of the area will know that such street names as Jefferson Street, Penn Street, Findley and Gilpin Streets are in the downtown area with Liberty Street and Union Street. This might be the only instance where one can claim the knowledge for the origin of the street names, found on a copy of the Rev.
David Barclay’s Plan of Punxsutawney in 1821. (A copy of the plan is preserved at the Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society). In 2000, for Hometown magazine, the writer offered a series of stories that documented the heritage of Punxsutawney found in street names in various sections of the town. Presented in the ten-part series were the distinctive names for streets in the downtown, Jenks Avenue area, Elk Run section, East End section, West End section, and the South Side areas developed south of the Mahoning Creek. The descriptive historical accounts of each street in those early Hometown stories were brief. Only a few sentences attempted to inform readers of the history along the Punxsutawney streetscape, as it related to pioneer individuals and families. A number of local streets had not been included in the stories when the series was concluded in early 2001. The omission occurred because of a lack of information about the origin of the families or individuals whose names were on the street signs. This story is an update about the history of the names of the streets upon which residents travel or along which they reside. In early Punxsutawney area history, the section east of the Mahoning Creek, now called the “East End,” was mostly woodland. The first house built in that area was the log house of Matthias Clawson, built in 1825. It is now the Dinsmore property on East Mahoning Street. In 1864, Dr. Charles Wood built a log house in that section, at the top of what is now Woodland Ave. For many years, Punxsutawney borough was constricted by the boundary that had been set by early settlers along the Mahoning Creek. These folk crossed the water at low points of the creek before the first covered bridges were built to access the land east and south. Over time, developments began to appear in housing and retail. The arrival of a railroad line in 1886 was a decided factor in the development of the East End area in those days. A brief news note in the Punxsutawney Spirit in October 1887 re- Continued on page 10
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A detail from an expansive panoramic view of Punxsutawney in an 1895 lithograph drawing focuses on the East End section developed as a result of the entrance of the Clearfield & Jefferson Railroad into Punxsutawney in 1886. At top are, left to right, are the passenger station, freight station and roundhouse with housing and streets to the right. (drawing from the Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society’s collection)
On the Streets, Again Continued from page 8
ported: “A new town is being laid out on the east side of the creek by the Clearfield and Jefferson railroad company [in 1902, to become the Pennsylvania Railroad]. The location is a good one, and as the new depot is there and it is the intention of the company to erect large repair shops in that locality, it will no doubt soon become a populous portion of the town.” In the early plan for that section, the main street leading east from the bridge was named Philadelphia Street, as many of the railroad officers were from Philadelphia. Other street names influenced by the railroad planners were Clearfield Street and Cambria, Blair, and Juniata Streets. In 1889, Punxsutawney borough was expanded to include many of the areas developed around the “old town.” In East End, Philadelphia Street became Mahoning Street. The main street now ended at the new borough line a short distance beyond Virginia Av-
The Spirit Building
Punxsutawney’s economic growth in the late nineteenth century led to an 1889 borough ordinance expanding its boundaries. Across the Mahoning Creek, at right in the 1895 lithograph drawing, is the East End area and in the lower left are the Bubeck addition and Station Street, reached by a walking bridge across Mahoning Creek. (drawing from Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society’s collection)
enue. (Virginia Avenue was named for the first wife of George H. Torrence, who died in 1890 in the family residence at “the top of the hill.”) In 1893, the street was identified as East Mahoning Street for purposes of numbering residences and businesses in that area. In the East End section are several streets developed as the result of expansion in that area. Shortly after the arrival of the Clearfield & Jefferson Railroad (also identified as Bells Gap Railroad), Albert Bubeck, in the spring of 1887, built a dwelling near his father’s old homestead on land on the south side of the creek and beyond South Penn Street. The elder Bubeck, Jacob Bubeck, learned the stonemason trade in Philadelphia. His obituary in 1910 stated: “of sturdy German parentage living a frugal life, he succeeded in amassing a comfortable fortune.” Owned by Bubeck since 1865, that part of town was called the Bubeck Addition. In the Valley News (later to be named Punxsutawney News) of February 1, 1887, it was reported that “The South end of Penn street will be continued to the creek, when M. J. Dinsmore and
Jacob Bubeck will build a bridge across the creek at that point to give access to their land on that side which they intend to lay out in town lots.” By action of borough council in July 1892, an ordinance was passed to establish a new street. Beginning at a point near the end of Oakland Avenue and near the railroad passenger station, Station Street moved west to a point near the walking bridge that reached over Mahoning Creek and the railroad tracks to South Penn Street. The bridge was replaced by an overhead “wagon bridge” in 1911, so the people “could have a decent access to Punxsutawney proper.” Older maps of Punxsutawney – maps of 1895, 1935, and 1949 are among them – include the name Station Street for that short strip that “connects residents of the Bubeck addition with civilization.” At some time in history, Station Street was renamed State Street. Older residents remember the renaming as happening in the 1950s, claiming that the street was renamed because of a request by one of the residents on the street who
thought State Street was more dignified. As it was, the landmark, old frame passenger station in that area, built in 1886, was torn down in 1946. Station Street became a story from the past. Hile Street lies off Station Street. The short connecting street leads south to Cliff Street, which travels west to Altman Avenue, Gaskill Avenue, and “old Indiana Street.” On older maps, Indiana Street was identified as Hill Street. The street was named for William H. Hile, owner and operator of the Globe Store in Punxsutawney. Little is known about him. Short notes, collected in research, include his marriage in June 1892 to Miss Margarete North, with the bride described as “an accomplished and highly respected young lady,” and Mr. Hile as “one of Punxsutawney’s enterprising young merchants.” At the East End passenger station Mr. and Mrs. Hile boarded an afternoon train for Philadelphia for a reception at his sister’s residence. An extensive “bridal tour” – now, perhaps, called a honeymoon – took them to many eastern and southern cities that included up the Hudson River, Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., Nashville, New Orleans, and other points. In November 1895, a lengthy news story in the Punxsutawney Spirit reported the results of a month-long hunting trip by W.H. Hile with Dr. S.S. Hamilton and Will McAllister to the “wilds of Aroostock County, Maine.” Accompanied by two guides and a taxidermist, each one shot a moose and a caribou and trapped a large number of sable, minks, foxes, otters, and other animals. The news story noted that “the hunters took over 4,000 pounds of meat with them out of the woods ....” From 1947 to 1949, the federal Flood Control Project was active along Mahoning Creek, and the Indiana Street bridge was closed. As a result, Hile Street was a popular detour as a means of getting into and out of Punxsutawney. The detour saved about a mile and a half in travel from the east end section going south – and, in the opposite direction, from the south to the east end and further north. How- Continued on page 16
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10 – Punxsutawney Hometown – September 2017 - Issue #203
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Punxsutawney Hometown – September 2017 - Issue #203 – 11
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10/6: 10/9-10/13: 10/9: 10/10: 10/18: 10/18: 10/20: 10/25: 10/25:
Homecoming Queen 's Court Middle School Book Fair 7 pm - Board Voting Meeting 6:30 pm - MS PTO Meeting 6 pm - Financial Aid Night 6:30 pm - College Fair Flex Day 6:30 pm - Powder Puff 7 pm - Board Committee Meeting
november 11/7: Flex Day 11/10: NO SCHOOL - Veterans Day 11/13-11/17: Middle School Santa's Shop, Grades 4-7 11/13: 7 pm - Board Voting Meeting 11/14: 6:30 pm - MS PTO Meeting 11/22: Early Dismissal 11/23: NO SCHOOL, Thanksgiving Vac. 11/24: NO SCHOOL, Thanksgiving Vac. 11/27: NO SCHOOL, 1st Day Buck Season
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12 – Punxsutawney Hometown – September 2017 - Issue #203
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Punxsutawney Hometown – September 2017 - Issue #203 – 13
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14 – Punxsutawney Hometown – September 2017 - Issue #203
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Research Reveals Stories Untold at Punxsutawney Historical Society By Marty armstrong for Hometown magazine
he decision to study and write about aspects of the community’s involvement in the Great War has produced an ongoing string of discoveries about the past. Those discoveries, surprisingly, are not limited to the 1917 and 1918 time frame of World War I. So far, they go as far back as the Civil War, the area’s early settlers, the growth that came as the result of immigration from all over Europe, the coal and rail boom, service-related stories, and the genealogy that ties family members together. The first fact, which has been mentioned before, is the vertical linkage through the generations of families in the area of military service, from one war or era to the next, and the horizontal linkage among siblings who served in a single period. An extension of that
nothing among the clippings helped identify the given name of a WWI decedent. Without that information, internet research was not helpful. A closer study of the Rossiter Post’s history book revealed that several cemeteries that the Post decorates each year with flags were named. Private Seger was known to be buried at Union Church Cemetery, so the first step was to look at all the interments listed on the Find A Grave website to identify a Baun who served, and perhaps died, during WWI. No luck. Eventually, research led to the Pine Cemetery, which, indeed, contained the burial site
with brown eyes and light brown hair. The passenger list for the troop transport ship, the USS Mercury, shows that Seger departed from Newport News, Virginia, on May 24, 1918, and that he was part of Company K, 320th Infantry, 80th Division, National Army. Genealogy department file clippings from 1918 state that he died of wounds received in action October 1918, and those from 1921 that his body having been returned from France, a funeral service was held on the anniversary of his death. Attendance at the service was so great that the Union Church could not hold the crowd of family members, neighbors, and former servicemen. An open-air service was held. Photographs show the handsome young Norman John Seger both in and out of uniform. Following their enlistment registrations, the
of Homer W. Baun. The grave had a commemorative flag, the 1918 date of death, and the inscription “Med. Dept. N.C.O.5.” With that information, all sorts of internet research became possible. From their draft registration cards, we learn that Seger and Baun – ages 21 and 22, living at Rossiter and Rochester Mills, respectively, both born in Canoe Township, both processed in June 1917 – were single men employed by the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corp. as miners in Rossiter. Seger was described as tall and slender with brown eyes and hair; Baun was described as tall and of medium build
- Continued on page 17
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Vintage photographs of Norman C. Seger (1885-1918) show him in civilian clothing and in uniform, possibly at time of his enlistment for World War I in June 1917. (photos courtesy of the Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society, Inc.)
is the service of nurses whose brothers were serving in the military. The next story is the quick melding of immigrants and their offspring into Americans whose roots were diverse. So, where possible, the WWI servicemen and servicewomen highlighted have been placed in the context of their points of origin. There is more to come in that regard. This month, the research into a single pair of soldiers resulted in the discovery of several stories. On Sunday, September 3, the Society will celebrate the third annual unveiling of tiles at the Punxsutawney Area Coal Memorial. One special tile will be placed in honor of Norman J. Seger and Homer W. Baun, both of whom died during WWI in the service of their country. It happens that American Legion Post 582 in Rossiter is named the Seger-Baun Post. The Punxsutawney American Legion Post No. 62, as readers may recall, is the John Jacob Fisher Post. The post was named in Fisher’s honor by vote of the membership. A pilot, he was shot down over France in WWI (please see Hometown No. 200). The pictorial history of the Rossiter Post by Mr. and Mrs. John Mack contains a description of the official naming ceremony attended by the two gold star mothers. Additional information is included about Pvt. Norman J. Segar. The Baun naming choice was not fully explored. This presented a challenge one would expect to be overcome with a look at the Baun surname folder maintained with thousands of others in the Society’s genealogy department. Not so. Among the many clippings, not one could be tied to a death during WWI, though there was a WWI survivor. There were WWII servicemen, but
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16 – Punxsutawney Hometown – September 2017 - Issue #203
adjoining land owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad – three acres in all. D.R. Peffer and P.C. Sutter formed the Mahoning Oil Supply Continued from page 10 Company and constructed a two-story warehouse in 1911 to “compound and distribute ever, residents along Hile Street and Station oil” in a six-county area. That unsuccessful Street complained that because of the detour business effort led to the sale of the East End they were “knee deep in dust.” property in 1913 to develop the land into town Located along the Mahoning Creek, east of lots. Twenty-five lots were sold in less than Hile Street and Station Street in the Bubeck three hours. Streets and lots were plotted and section, was a section of land that was called the previous Walnut Street was renamed Tiona the “Bayou” by old-timers. After rains and Street for the Tiona Oil Company, of Tiona, Pennsylvania, in Warren County, which leased the land where the Mahoning Oil Supply Co. had functioned briefly. While Tiona Street was residential, other portions were developed for light industry. That area is now occupied by Hoffman Diamond Products and Valley Tire Co. Tiona Street, off East Mahoning Street in the East End, was once named In the past, some Walnut Street. In the early 1900s, an oil warehouse and distribution building was built there. The name was changed to Tiona, for the Tiona Oil Com- people in East End that pany. The area now includes Hoffman Diamond Products and the Valley Tire conjectured Company. (photo courtesy the Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealog- Woodland Avenue ical Society) was named for Dr. Charles Wood who built the “Wood Homemelting snow, much surface water flowed into stead” in 1864 on a 100-acre lot at the top of the area from the streets above. Generations the hill with a commanding view of Punxof young people fished and swam in the water sutawney below. in the summer and skated on its surface when His personal history earns him some honor to it froze over in the winter. have his family name on a street sign. FolDuring the flood control work, the Bayou lowing Dr. John W. Jenk’s arrival in the early was filled in with dirt removed from nearby 1820s, Dr. Wood was the second doctor in the sections up and down the creek. Channels area, coming in 1837 to study medicine and were cut at the base of Station Street for beginning practice in 1845. As a young man of drainage to provide comparatively dry land for thirty-five, he went to California in 1850 with future development of that section. George Campbell and Frank Mundorff during On the south side of East Mahoning Street, in the famous Gold Rush excitement. the East End, there is a short street at the corHowever, Woodland Avenue is more of a dener of what is now the Graystone Place Apartscriptive name about the topography of the ments, and formerly the Mary A. Wilson East End landscape before settlement as a resElementary School. Identified as Walnut idential area. On the south side of East MaStreet on older maps, the street leads folk honing Street, beginning at the lower plain, the south a short distance and winds around to the picture is “painted in words” – Oakland Aveast to what used to be the old baseball field in enue, Woodland Avenue, Rockland Avenue, the early 1900s and to the old “Bayou” basin. and Highland Avenue. With those, there is also Baseball games with semiprofessional and Spring Street. professional “base ballers” began to be played Unknown to residents are the names of past at the new East End Park in the late 1890s public servants who chose the family and inwhen landscape work on the public park had dividual names for borough streets. Whether been initiated by a local Park Improvement walking, cycling, or driving, travel from street Committee. Games continued at the field until to street moves through Punxsutawney history 1908, and local young men earned “big as recorded in the street signs. This history of league” fame when playing on Punxsutawney street-sign names will certainly be continued! teams. ••• But in 1910, two young businessmen announced the purchase of the baseball field and
Research Reveals Continued from page 15
path of Homer Ward Baun was a bit different. His service record reveals that he served in the Provisional Am Co. B and Camp Greenleaf to September 1918. According to the website of the United States World War One Centennial Commission, “Camp Greenleaf in Georgia was a medical officer training camp created at Chickamauga National Battlefield Park as part of Fort Oglethorpe during World War I, under a program that utilized national park and battlefield land for military training installations. Camp Greenleaf was authorized in May 1917 and began training the next month to prepare medical officers for work with motor field units, mule-drawn units, evacuation hospitals and base hospitals, additionally including veterinary and dental training. In only 18 months of operation, being decommissioned in December 1918, Camp Greenleaf trained 6,640 officers and 31,138 enlisted men.” Baun then was at Hq. Co. M. Non-commissioned Officers School and continued at Camp Greenleaf until his death of bronchial pneumonia. A page from the October 1918 Death Record lists Baun and scores of other decedents whose cause of death was either lobular pneumonia or broncho-pneumonia. One wonders if the influenza pandemic of the same period that struck down otherwise healthy young people via bacterial pneumonia is the story behind the story. So these two young men who died in the service of their country were miners and a
An obituary of unspecified origin indicates that Frederick G. Baun (1893-1967) – the brother of Homer W. Baun – also served in World War I. (photo courtesy of the Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society, Inc.)
plaque in their honor will be unveiled at the on display and the model tipple donated in ceremony at the Punxsutawney Area Coal honor of miner Robert Johnston, who was Memorial at 404 W. Mahoning on Sunday, killed in a Sagamore mining accident. HomeSeptember 3, at 6 made ice p.m. The Punxcream is on sutawney Citizens the menu. Band will be on This is an hand. A skit relatevent where ing to the rise of everyone is the labor movewelcome to ment in the enjoy the day, United States will A chiseled gravestone marks the final resting place of to enjoy the be performed. Homer W. Baun (1894-1918), who died in service of his history, and to Benefits often country during World War I. (photo courtesy of the Punx- honor those taken for granted, sutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society, Inc.) persons mesuch as weekends and an impartial state po- morialized by tiles. lice force, arose from the labor movement, Looking up information on the various which effectively put an end to the egregious WWI servicemen and servicewomen has acts of company police against miners. Signs turned into genealogy research in some very will explain the pieces of mining equipment special ways. Though Homer Baun did not
appear in the Society’s surname files, his parents and brother did. Frederick G. Baun was that WWI survivor mentioned earlier. Also, it turns out that young Seger had a grandfather, Samuel Seger, who served during the Civil War. The writer had assumed that these Segers would be connected somehow to her mother-in-law’s family, especially with the Union Church Cemetery connection. Research shows that the writer’s daughters, whose great-grandmother was a Seger, are also descendants, through another line, of the same Samuel Seger. This is new information for the family and shows how connected all are. Marty Armstrong is a member of the Collections Committee of the Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society, Inc. •••
Punxsutawney Hometown – September 2017 - Issue #203 – 17
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Wojack Weekend: a Great Time to Visit Punxsutawney
Tom Glover, archeologist with the North Fork Chapter, explains to young collectors the type of artifacts they received from their grandmother during Wojack Weekend 2016. (photo by S.J. Sharp)
Mon.-Fri. 6 am-5 pm • Sat. 7 am-12 pm
18 – Punxsutawney Hometown – September 2017 - Issue #203
P
unxsutawney will celebrate the long is free to the public. legend of the Lenni Lenape The display of Native American artifacts (Delaware) people of their oijak at the Bennis House contains items that grandfather, which when pronounced in date back as far as 10,000 B.C. and that English sounds like “wojack” or the more were found in the Punxsutawney Area. familiar word “woodchuck.” Wojack These artifacts provide present day reWeekend is an opportunity to explore the searchers information on the earliest local Punxsutawney area’s Native American residents. Many residents of the Punxroots. Participants at the events offered on sutawney area have found or have been Saturday, September 9, will have the opgiven artifacts by ancestors who found portunity to learn about the people who them when they first came to the Punxlived in the area before history was sutawney area. From 1 to 4 p.m., an archerecorded. ologist will be on hand at the At 9 a.m., a bus will leave Bennis House, 401 West the Bennis House for the Mahoning Street, to provide History Trek along the Great information about their artiShamokin Trail from facts and those of the SociLuthersburg to Punxety. This activity is free to sutawney. This trail was the the public. route followed when the From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Luthersburg to PunxWojack Weekenders may try sutawney Turnpike was contheir hand at creating a Nastructed beginning in 1838, tive American beaded providing access to medallion at the PunxTroutville, Big Run, and sutawney Weather DiscovPunxsutawney by settlers to ery Center, 201 N. Findley the area. On the first part of Street, with their paid adthe trek, participants will mission of $6. And, from 10 learn about the “new” roads a.m. to 2 p.m., there will be and historical facts on the a free kid’s “Make and way to Luthersburg. On the Suckachsinheet, a Native Amer- Take” craft activity at return trek from Luthersburg ican re-enactor whose name Groundhog Headquarters. to Punxsutawney, they will comes from the Northern Unami The Annual Groundhog and means “blacksmith,” will be travel over much of the orig- at the Punxsutawney Memorial Picnic will take place at the inal Great Shamokin Trail Library at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sep- Knob from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. and learn why the route was tember 9, telling Native Ameri- Tickets are $25 and may be situated where it was and can Stories. (photo by S.J. purchased in advance at what was along the route to Sharp) Groundhog Headquarters, support travel. Tickets are $10 per person. 200 West Mahoning Street. (One must be Advance reservations are required. Please age 21 or older to attend the picnic.) At 4 call the Punxsutawney Area Historical & p.m., those interested in observing the anGenealogical Society at (814) 938-2555 to nual Elixir of Life Ceremony may do so make a reservation. free of charge. In the Reschini Room at the Lattimer Alex Shumaker and Friends will offer muHouse, 400 West Mahoning Street, a represical entertainment at 1 p.m. in the Medisentative of the Allentown Museum of Incine Shop Parking lot at the corner of dian Culture will have a display about the Gilpin and Mahoning Streets, and at 2 p.m., Woodland Culture people that occupied there will be Native American Storytelling Pennsylvania in pre-historic times. A reat the Punxsutawney Memorial Library, source person from the Museum will be on 301 East Mahoning Street. hand to discuss items in the display and Throughout the day a variety of vendors make brief presentations between 10 a.m. will be on the Streets of Punxsutawney. and noon and from 1 to 4 pm. This is Saturday, September 9, of Wojack Weekunique opportunity to learn about these end will be a great day to spend in Punxearly inhabitants of the Punxsutawney Area sutawney. is provided by PRIDE and the Society and •••
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1. Complete the coupon on this page.
2. Guess the winning team and the total number of points you think will be scored in the Steelers vs. Browns Game and enter the guesses in the spaces provided on the coupon.
3. Enter one of the participating advertisers on contest page 27 in the space provided to redeem your coupon should you be the contest winner.
4. Clip and forward the coupon to:‘Steelers Football Contest,’ c/o Hometown magazine, 129 Aspen Road, Punxsutawney, PA 15767. PLEASE MARK YOUR TEAM PICK & TOTAL POINTS ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE ENVELOPE. 5. All entries must be received by 4 p.m. Thursday, September 7.
6. No purchase necessary to participate. All entries must be original magazine coupon (no photocopies).
7. In the event two or more contestants correctly pick the winning team and total number of points, one winner will be randomly selected and awarded the winning prize. In event two or more contestants tie for closest to the total score, one winner will be randomly selected to win the $25 certificate. Each issue we will give one $20 certificate.
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Punxsutawney Hometown – September 2017 - Issue #203 – 19
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required to work ten-hour days, once again attempted to negotiate with the Coal Trust for an eight-hour work day. The miners’ strike Continued from page 5 began on May 12, and on June 2, the mainreturn for their labor; management sought to tenance workers joined them. The strike maximize the return on the company’s inlasted 163 days. As winter was approaching, vestments. The result was often a strike, President Theodore Roosevelt felt he had to sometimes ending in negotiation and comintervene. The President knew that the labor promise, but sometimes ending in dissolution problem was not merely a problem of “supof the company and displacement of workply and demand”; it was a human problem that required humane treatment on all sides. He worked to establish a board of arbitration to assist when negotiations between the miners and their employers was at a stalemate. The board of arbitration only recommended the Coal Trust convert to a nine-hour work day. However, it gave labor a seat at the table when arbitration was taking place. With more leisure time available to them, workers were able to parThe 1920s saw some of ticipate in family gatherings. Public transportation made it possible the worst human rights for people to enjoy weekend activities at the many parks developed in the Punxsutawney area. (photo courtesy of the Punxsutawney Area violations ever seen in Historical & Genealogical Society, Inc.) the United States. A major strike began on ers. April 1, 1927. Eight hundred Rossiter minPerhaps the worst strike in the Punxers joined other miners in western Pennsylsutawney area was that of 1889 when the vania in the strike on July 27, 1927. In Rochester and Pittsburg Coal and Iron ComNovember of that year, Indiana County pany refused to meet with a committee apJudge Langham issued an injunction that pointed by the miners to resolve issues blocked virtually all the activities of Rossiter regarding the miners’ requests. After strikers. His injunction went beyond the prostonewalling the miners, the company transtection of the employer’s property. It banned ferred ownership to another company in picketing and marching or gathering for order to “legally” dismiss all the workers. meetings or rallies. It prohibited the union The new owner was not required to give the from disbursing union funds as relief for former workers any preference in hiring. striking miners. The order forbade the miners After a relatively short time, the ownership using newspaper advertisements and other of the company reverted to the prior owners. means of communication to aid their cause The main purpose of this action was to and any activities used to convince non-strik“break” the miners’ union and to deny labor ing miners not to work. In his injunction, a voice in any negotiations with the comJudge Langham even prohibited the singing pany. hymns and holding church services on propEight years later, in 1897, miners in western erty owned by the Magyar Presbyterian Pennsylvania with their new union, United Church, which was situated directly opposite Mine Workers, under the leadership of John one of the mine openings. Mitchell, were able to regain their voice in A subcommittee of the Interstate Comthe bituminous fields West Virginia, Kenmerce Committee of the United States Sentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and western ate arrived in Indiana County in late February Pennsylvania. A strike by 150,000 miners, 1928. The senators toured the mines and conabout one-half of the country’s bituminous ducted hearings. They saw the actions by the coal work force, led to the coal operators’ acjudge as going beyond labor-management receptance of the Union’s request for an eightlations. One member of the subcommittee hour work day, and operators’ recognition of told reporters that he had never seen an inthe Union as the collective bargaining agent junction so comprehensive and drastic as to for many miners in western Pennsylvania, be an absolute interference with free speech. Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Another commented that if courts were used The miners were still working six-day to restrain constitutionally guaranteed liberweeks, with only the Sabbath day as respite ties, there wouldn’t be any freedom left. from work. There were many more opportunities for In 1902, the miners in the anthracite region negotiation, compromise, and, at times, arbiof northeastern Pennsylvania, who were still - Continued on page 22
20 – Punxsutawney Hometown – September 2017 - Issue #203
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Punxsutawney Hometown – September 2017 - Issue #203 – 21
September 11 thru 16
2048 Rt. 240, Commodore, PA AMUSEMENT RIDES LIVESTOCK & AGRICULTURE EXHIBITS TRACTOR PULLS, MUSIC AND MORE
Age 12 & Under FREE, www.cookportfair.com Age 13 & Over $4.00 Sunday, September 10 7 p.m., Community Worship Service Speaker
Children’s Bardyard! FREE Mon.-Thur. 4-8:30, Fri. & Sat. 12-8:30
Monday, September 11
10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Exhibit Entries 7 p.m., Fair Circle, N. Cambria Band 7 p.m., Mini & Pony Pulling Contest 7:30 p.m., Jamin’ Jim (Karaoke contest 16 & up) 7:30 p.m., Clay Bowser, Midway Stage
7 p.m., Fair Circle, Marion Center Band 7:30 p.m., Bubble Gun Blowing Contest 7:30 p.m., Log Sawing Contest 7:30 p.m., Midway Stage, Scott Shelby 7:30 p.m., Main Stage, Hymn Sing
Thursday, September 14
Senior Citizens Day 1 p.m., Main Stage, Corn Hole Toss, Game for Seniot Citizens Dan & Galla Music Show to Follow Game, 3:30 p.m., Steel City Quartet 6:30 p.m., Premier Showmanship Contest 7 p.m., Fair Circle, Penns Manor Band Tuesday, September 12 7 p.m., ATV & UTV Drag Race 8 a.m., Exhibit Building, Judging of Exhibits 7 p.m., Class II Tractor Pull – 8,000 lbs. 9 a.m., Horse Arena, Horse Show Judging 7:30 p.m., Midway Stage, Dan & Galla 5:30 p.m., Baked Goods Auction Music 6 p.m., Dairy Cattle Judging 7:30 p.m., Basket Auction 7 p.m., Tractor Pull – 6,000 lbs 7:30 p.m., Steel City Quartet 7 p.m., Fair Circle, N. Cambria Band 7:30 p.m., Watermelon Seed-Spitting Friday, September 15 Contest 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Children 18 &under 7:30 p.m., Clay Bowser, Midway Stage Free until 6 p.m. 7:30 p.m., Belairs - Doo Wop Motown, 11 a.m., Fair Circle, “Back to Basics” Pet Main Stage parade (Kids 16 & under, no costumes) 1 p.m., Power Wheels Demo Wednesday, September 13 1 p.m., Dan & Galla Music 6 p.m., Allegheny Mini Pullers/ Garden 2 p.m., Purchase Line Band Tractors 2:30 p.m., Little Tuggers Pull 3-5 years 6:30 p.m., Beef Cattle, Sheep, Goats, and 3:30 p.m., Purchase Line Band Swine Judging 4 p.m., Sack Race for Kids
6 p.m., Kiddies Prize Drawing (must be 12 years old or younger & must be present to win) 7 p.m., Pick Up Truck Pulls 7 p.m., Steel Town Cowboy 7:30 p.m., Horse Pulling Contest
Saturday, September 16
8 a.m., Horse Arena, Horseshoe Pitching Contest 9 a.m., Antique Tractor Pull & Powder Puff Tractor Pull (6,000) lbs. 9 a.m., Rabbit Show (youth under 19 & 4H) 9 a.m., Pedal Power Tractor Pull (3-10 yrs) 11 a.m. - Parade Line Up 12 p.m., Parade 2 p.m., Egg Toss Various Times, Dan & Galla Music 2 p.m., Guitar, Mandolin & Fiddler Contest Registration 3 p.m., Main Stage, Start of Contests 3 p.m., Rolling Pin Toss 4 p.m., Hay Bale Toss 7 p.m., Farm Tractor Pull, Open & Stock 7 p.m., Tractor Pull, 12,000 lbs. 7 p.m., 7 Mile Run Band 10 p.m., Main Stage, Gate Prize Drawing Not responsible for typographical errors.
What is a Weekend?
gave workers the added benefit of “a weekend.” Had the Dowager Countess of Downton Abbey known all of this, she would not Continued from page 20 have had to ask, “What is a weekend?” tration during ensuing years. In 1938, the In the broad scope of history, it has only Fair Labor Standards Act was passed and been the length of one lifetime that citizens of signed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It has the United States of America have known only been seventy-nine years since the Fair and enjoyed the benefit of a weekend. Labor Standards Act established the fortyThe Coal Memorial Committee invites the hour work week that many workers enjoy public to join them on Sunday, September 3, today. Also included in the act was a national at 6 p.m. at 404 West Mahoning Street, to commemorate the addition of memorial tiles and to enjoy the hard-earned benefit of a weekend. Resources used in the preparation of this article are available at the Punxsutawney Memorial Library, the Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society, the New standards restricting child labor and instituting the eight-hour work U.S. Census online, day enabled youngsters to participate and men to teach and coach and the Library of sports teams. Although baseball was the most popular sport, rugby teams were also organized and competed with teams from other com- Congress. This article munities. Games were the highlights of many weekends in mining com- has been prepared by munities. Football later replaced rugby as high schools were developed. the Coal Memorial (photo from the Sam Mennetti Collection, Punxsutawney Area Histori- Committee of the cal & Genealogical Society, Inc.) Punxsutawney Area minimum wage, guaranteed “time-and-aHistorical & Genealogical Society, Inc., half” for overtime in certain jobs, and prohiwhich seeks to document and preserve the bition of employment of minors in history and impact of coal in the Punx“oppressive child labor.” Senator Robert sutawney area. Forms for purchasing a Coal Walker, who had served on the subcommitMemorial tile to honor any person who tee that had visited Rossiter during the strike worked in any aspect of the coal industry in 1928, introduced the National Labor Remay be found online at www.punxsyhislations Act which became law in 1945 and tory.org or may be picked up at the Lattimer provided protection for workers from violaHouse, 400 West Mahoning Street, Punxtions of their constitutional right to freedom sutawney. Comments on this article may be of speech. directed to PAHGS, P.O. Box 286, PunxThe establishment of the forty-hour week sutawney, PA 15767. •••
Groundhog Club Picnic, Phil Phest Set for Sept. 9
W
22 – Punxsutawney Hometown – September 2017 - Issue #203
ell, it’s that time of the year – the Elixir of Life Ceremony! Annual Groundhog Club Picnic and Here are the details! The picnic and Phil Phil Phest is just around the corner! Phest will be held from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. SatThe event is an important part of the legend urday, September 9, at Gobbler’s Knob. The of Punxsutawney Phil and has a much hisprice of a ticket is $25. Phil’s Elixir of Life tory that goes along with it. Although the picCeremony will begin at 4 p.m. nic is not as well-known as Groundhog Day, Yard games will be set up for those wishthere still is a very important task accoming to participate. Big-screen TVs will be set plished that day – administering the Elixir of up in the building to watch football games. Life to Punxsutawney Phil. Some may find The Cornhole Tournament will begin at 1 this odd: Phil drinking a magical groundhog p.m. and is free to enter. After the Elixir Cerpunch, but his emony the finals doing so is imporfor the tournament tant. Why is it so will begin! important? Well, Lunch will be with each sip he served from 1 p.m. takes, Phil receives to 3 p.m., and the seven more years menu includes of life and hamburgers, hot longevity – thus, dogs, kielbasa, the reason that pasta salad, baked there has only beans, watermelon, been, and there and dessert. Dinner will only ever be, Punxsutawney Phil enjoys a sip of the mysterious will be served from one Punxsutawney Elixir of Life. (submitted photo) 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Phil. One question is often asked: What is the and the menu includes steak, baked potato, a recipe of the Elixir? The makeup of the convegetarian option, corn on the cob, macaroni coction is top secret! It is passed down from salad, and dessert. handler to handler. The current handlers are For tickets, please visit the Groundhog the only ones to know the recipe for the speClub’s website (www.groundhog.org) or the cial concoction. Club’s headquarters (200 W. Mahoning St. Where will you be on Saturday, September Suite 1) or call (814) 618-5591. See you 9? Hopefully in Punxsutawney at Gobbler’s there! Knob at the Annual Picnic watching the •••
(“From Our Past,” researched by S. Thomas Curry, features items of interest from past editions of Punxsutawney and area newspapers.) August 10, 1887 — John Lanzendorfer is preparing to build a fine residence on his property near the German Reformed Church. (Punxsutawney News) [Note: The large frame house of jeweler Lanzendorfer sits at the top of the steps that are today called “the monkey steps” – so called for Mr. Lanzendorfer’s pet monkey, which attracted children to his residence in the early 1900s.] August 12, 1869 — NEWS ITEM – Mr. Thaddeus Campbell is building an addition to his large foundry at east end of Union street near the creek. (Punxsutawney Plaindealer) August 15, 1888 — We took a walk down Pine street yesterday and were surprised to see how it has been built up this summer. It is only a matter of time until it will be one of the finest residence streets in the place. The street needs some repairs, and the sidewalks might be improved. (Punxsutawney Spirit) [Note: This reference to Pine Street was to that portion near Punxsutawney’s downtown, before Clayville was consolidated into Punxsutawney borough in 1907 to become Punxsutawney’s West End.] August 31, 1904 — Joseph Baumgardner
broke ground Monday for a New National Hotel which will be erected at the corner of Union and Gilpin streets. The structure will be 65 x 100 feet, three stories high, and will be built of brick. It will contain 36 sleeping rooms and will be fitted up with all of the modern improvements. Perl Caldwell has the contract for laying the foundation, and the contract for the building will be let the coming week. (Punxsutawney Spirit) [Note: This “New National Hotel” was destroyed by fire in October 1981. The site is a parking lot today.] September 5, 1888 — Thomas Richards, superintendent of the Horatio Mines, is having a fine residence erected on Mahoning Street opposite the M.E. Church. The old McClain house is being moved back, a large frame structure will be erected in front, and the whole encased with brick. (Punxsutawney Spirit) [Note: In recent years, the house was the residence of Judge Jesse Long and wife Betty.] September 11, 1887 — The sample street lamp sent to the Town Council to be put on trial was placed in front of North & Miller’s store. If the lamp proves satisfactory in every particular similar lights will be placed at all the street corners. (Punxsutawney News) [Note: This would have been a gas light. Electricity wasn’t introduced into Punxsutawney until 1889.] •••
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CHAMPIONSHIP DROUGHT ENDS The Rossiter Miners baseball team recently won the Federation League championship for the first time in twenty-four years, defeating the Brookville Grays 8-4 in the fifth game of a seven game series to clinch the league title. Ty Zimmerman was named Most Valuable Player of the series. Members of the team are (front row) Jordan Mesoraco, Pete Meterko, Josh Stallman, Kyle Neal, Kevin London, and Manager Sam Bevak, and (back row) Tyler Richardson, Dakota Thomas, Cory Geer, Dakota Byers, Ty Zimmerman, Dylan Conrad, Ruben Taylor, Leo Meterko, and Mark Saxon. Other team members were not present for the picture. (submitted photo)
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Punxsutawney Hometown – September 2017 - Issue #203 – 23
24 – Punxsutawney Hometown – September 2017 - Issue #203