HZ_STANDSPEAK/PAGES [A05] | 10/17/13
18:06 | SUPERIMPSC
Friday, October 18, 2013
Our
Standard~Speaker
A5
Revisiting the popular Standard-Speaker feature of two decades ago, we celebrate with pride the spirit of ...
Towns
Shenandoah
The borough of Shenandoah as it appeared in an 1889 lithograph.
Where one name fits all By MIA LIGHT StaffWriter
Shenandoah has been described in many different ways over the years. During its heyday in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Shenandoah was called “The Only Wild West Town in the East” for the rough-and-tumble attitude of its residents. It was also know as “The City of Churches” for the many houses of worship located within its borders, and “Little New York” for the town’s diverse ethnic population. Today, 100 years later, Shenandoah’s population remains ethnically diverse with many of its long-time residents the descendants of European and Eastern European anthracite coal-mining immigrants, and the newest members of the community, immigrants from Latin America.
Where it all began
Sometime between 1820 and 1835, a farmer named Peter Kehley cleared a patch of land at the base of the Locust Mountain in northern Schuylkill County and built a log cabin there. Kehley lived in the cabin and farmed the land for about 25 years until he discovered anthracite coal underground. He sold his land to the Philadelphia Land Co. for a small sum in 1850. About 30 years later, on Jan. 16, 1866, the little hamlet named Shenandoah was incorporated as a borough. The name “Shenandoah” comes from a Native American word, but its exact meaning has become cloudy over time. Some
say it’s derived from a word that means “river through the spruce trees.” Another translation means, “river in the high mountains.” There is also a Native American legend in which the word translates as “daughter of the stars.”
Coal boom
Anthracite coal was a valuable American commodity in the 1800s. But its value skyrocketed with the start of the Civil War in 1861. One year after the start of the war, the first colliery opened in Shenandoah — the Shenandoah City Colliery. The richest deposit of anthracite in all known fields was located in the Shenandoah area. The Mammoth Vein — the largest known anthracite vein in the field — runs directly under the town. Anthracite coal was black gold during the Civil War and in Shenandoah, where mining operations were working at full hilt, king coal fueled the town’s economy as well as its population, both of which expanded dramatically with the rapid influx of immigrant miners. King coal and the mining operations that extracted it from the earth, along with supporting industries such as railroads and retail markets, fueled Shenandoah’s robust economy, providing abundant employment opportunities for the community’s rising population. The first significant growth in Shenandoah’s immigrant population came with the arrival of English mine owners and mine bosses along with Welsh mine
workers, who were followed by German and Irish laborers. In the 1870s, the Irish were the predominant immigrant group in the community. Before the decade was over, immigrants from Lithuania, Poland, the Ukraine and Slovakia began to flood the town. As each swell of immigrants came to the borough, they established their own churches so they could worship in their native language. They also established parochial schools so their children could learn English along with their own native customs. By the 1930s, Shenandoah had 22 nationalities, 22 churches and a synagogue. From 1915 through the mid1920s, Shenandoah’s population was more than 30,000, which earned the community a listing in “Ripley’s Believe it or Not” as the most congested square mile in the United States, not excluding Chinatown in New York or San Francisco.
Newspapers
There were eight newspapers in Shenandoah — The Herald, which began publishing in 1870; The Sunday Morning News and The Weekly Advocate, both of which began in 1893; The News Budget and the Anthracite Labor News, both of which started in 1903; The Daily Times, which began in 1905, and a Lithuanian weekly newspaper and a Polish weekly.
Small business
At the turn of the 20th century, Shenandoah had three breweries and more than 165 taverns, which gave the town more barrooms per
Shenandoah at a glance
■ The forested region that became Shenandoah borough was settled in 1820 and incorporated as a borough in 1866. The borough celebrates its 147th birthday this year. ■ As of 2012, Shenandoah’s population was 5,071 people. ■ The word “Shenandoah” comes from the AlgonquianWakashian tribe of Native Americans. Its meaning is thought to be “daughter of the stars” or “spruce-lined stream.” ■ Anthracite mining once made Shenandoah the most populated community in America for its geographic size, with nearly 30,000 inhabitants in the late 1920s.
■ Shenandoah is known as “The Kielbasi Capital of East Coast.” So popular is this eastern European specialty that each summer the borough hosts an annual Kielbasy Festival. Three of the region’s top-selling kielbasy shops — the Capital Food Store, Lucky’s Kielbasi Shop and Kowalonek Kielbasi Shop — are located in Shenandoah. Around the holidays, people come from across the region to buy traditional Shenandoah kielbasy. Often, the line of people waiting to get inside the kielbasy shops stretches a street block long or more. ■ Shenandoah is the birthplace of Mary Twardzik, whose son, Ted, used her original recipe for a potato-stuffed pasta pocket to launch the nationally known Mrs. T’s Pierogies. The business is still owned and operated by the Twardzik family, and its main pierogy-production facility is still located in Shenandoah.
1,000 people than any other location in the world. There were three breweries located in Shenandoah, including the Home Brewing Co., which was located on North Main Street; the J. Tunnah Brewing Co., which operated from 1878 to 1880, and the town’s most famous brewery, the Columbia Brewery, which was located on South Ferguson Street. Shenandoah’s bustling popula-
tion made the community a fine place for small businesses to thrive. According to historical records, there were more than 600 businesses operating in Shenandoah in the 1920s, including more than 160 neighborhood markets that sold groceries, meats and produce. Also, there were three dentists, six bakeries, 11 druggists and 12
See HISTORY, A8
The borough of Shenandoah as it appears today in a photo taken from the West Mahanoy Township Municipal Building in Shenandoah Heights on a ridge overlooking the borough.
HZ_STANDSPEAK/PAGES [A06] | 10/17/13
18:07 | SUPERIMPSC
A6 Standard~Speaker
Our
Friday, October 18, 2013
Revisiting the popular Standard-Speaker feature of two decades ago, we celebrate with pride the spirit of ...
Towns
Shenandoah
Corporal immortalized in mural Shenandoah native Cpl. Anthony Peter Damato (March 22, 1922–Feb. 20, 1944) was a U.S. Marine who received the Medal of Honor posthumously for his valor and sacrifice of life during World War II. On the night of Feb. 1920, 1944, in the Marshall Islands, Damato sacrificed his life to save the lives of his fellow Marines. While in a foxhole with two companions, Damato threw himself on an enemy grenade to absorb the explosion with his body and protect his fellow soldiers. He died instantly from the blast. Damato is buried in the National Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii. In April 1945, the citizens of Shenandoah turned out en masse to pay homage to Damato at the presentation ceremonies for the Medal of Honor. The presentation was made to his mother by Marine Corps Brig. Gen. M.C. Gregory at Cooper High School, where Damato had been a student. A U.S. Navy destroyer — the USS Damato — was named in his honor. His brother, Capt. Neil Damato, was killed in A mural of U.S. Marine Cpl. Anthony P. Damato, painted by Pottsville artist Martin action over Germany in Braukus, covers the north wall of Shenandoah’s American Legion Anthony P. Damato 1943 while serving in the Medal of Honor Post 792. U.S. Army Air Corps.
Big Band stars called Shenandoah home Shenandoah is hometown to many well-known entertainers, athletes and other public figures. Among the most famous are Big Band-era musicians Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. The sons of coal miner Thomas F. Dorsey Sr., an amateur musician who later left the mines to become a high school music teacher, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey achieved national and international acclaim as two of the top swing and jazz musicians of the 1930s and ’40s. Jimmy Dorsey was born Feb. 29, 1904; Tommy was born Nov. 19, 1905. Both boys were taught to play woodwind and brass instruments at a young age by their father. After leaving the coal mines, the elder Dorsey formed a local band called the Elmore Band, which played at small venues in the Shenandoah area. Proficient at saxophone, trumpet, coronet and clarinet, Jimmy played with his father’s band at the age of 7. After the Dorsey family moved to Baltimore for a short time, Tommy, they 13, and Jimmy, 12, formed their own band, Dorsey’s Novelty Six. When the family left Baltimore, Dorsey’s Novelty Six disbanded, but the experience marked the start of the Tommy and Jimmy’s lifetime careers as professional musicians. In 1934, the brothers formed The Dorsey Brothers Band and made their debut at the Sands Point Beach Club on Long Island, N.Y.. After a public disagreement, the brothers went their separate ways for
several years. Jimmy stayed on as leader of band, renaming it the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, while Tommy formed his own band. After several years and much individual success, the brothers reunited in 1953 and formed a new band, The Fabulous Dorsey’s Orchestra, and hosted a television show on CBS called “Stage Show.” The brothers’ reunion and new TV show were short-lived. Within three years of their reunion, Tommy passed away on Nov. 26, 1956. He died suddenly in his sleep and was buried in Valhalla, N.Y. Six months later Jimmy followed his brother, losing a battle with cancer
on June 12, 1957. He is interred in the family plot in Annunciation Church Cemetery in Shenandoah Heights. In 1996, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp honoring the Dorsey brothers for their contributions to American music. At the northeast corner of Main and Centre streets in Shenandoah, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission placed an historical marker inscribed with a brief description of the life and times of the famous Dorsey brothers. — Mia Light
Famous pierogie maker started in 1950s There is a real “Mrs. T” behind Mrs. T’s Pierogies. Her name was Mary Twardzik. According to the company website, Mary’s son, Ted, spent his childhood watching his mother making pierogies for church suppers in the 1950s. After college, Ted Twardzik spent a year working for an accounting firm before he realized that his mother’s popular Polish specialty, which was always a sellout at church dinners, might have wider appeal. Ted started making pierogies in the very same kitchen where he watched his mother cook. Soon, his mom asked him to move the mess elsewhere, so he set up shop in his father’s former tavern. The company has grown over the years. It now oper-
ates under the corporate name Ateeco, which is derived from the phrase “A ‘T’ — as in Twardzik — Company.” But that original little tavern building remains a part of Ateeco’s headquarters, which is still located in Shenandoah along with the main production facility. Nearly 230 people are employed by Ateeco, making it the largest employer in Shenandoah. More than 8.5 million pierogies leave Mrs. T’s kitchen every week. According to the company website, Mrs. T’s produced and sold more than a half-billion pierogies in 2010 alone. That’s enough pierogies to cover more than 88 football fields, circle the globe at the equator 1.2 times, cross Pennsylvania 94 times or cross the widest part of the United States 8.5 times.
A photo taken at the scene of the Easter Sunday morning fire in April 1980 that destroyed St. Michael’s Church.
Houses of worship fill streets of town
There are 14 religious parishes in Shenandoah, several of which hold worship services in historic churches. St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, located at South Chestnut and West Oak streets, is the first Greek Catholic Rite church in America. The parish was founded by Ukrainian Catholics in 1884 when Greek Catholic people migrated to America, settled in the Shenandoah area and wanted a church of their own where they could worship in their native language according to their own rite. The Rev. John Woliansky was appointed as the first Greek Catholic priest in America on Oct. 24, 1884, and held the new parish’s first service in Shenandoah about two months later on Dec. 18. The faithful congregation soon outgrew its original location on Shenandoah’s West Center Street, so the parish bought a plot of land at few blocks away at Oak and Chestnut streets and built a larger church. The first liturgy was celebrated in the new building on Palm Sunday 1909. The church and rectory were destroyed by fire in 1980, but the parish rebuilt. The cornerstone was blessed and the first liturgy was held in the reconstructed church Nov. 27, 1983. The church still stands at 114 S. Chestnut St. today and its parish is very active. A Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission marker describing the church’s historic designation is located on the church grounds.
Others are historic
St. Casimir Roman Catholic Church on North Jardin Street is recognized as the oldest Polish parish in the eastern United States. The parish originally was established by Lithuanian immigrants and was home
to the first Lithuanian priest in America, Father Strupinskas. But when the parish society changed its name from the Society of St. Casimir to the St. George Beneficial Society, the church mistakenly was listed as a Polish parish and the diocese assigned a Polish priest to the church. The Lithuanian members of the parish separated from the Polish parishioners at St. Casimir’s and constructed a new church of their own, St. George’s, at South Jardin and West Cherry streets. Originating in 1872, St. George is the first Lithuanian parish in the United States. St. Casimir’s Church still stands and has an active congregation. The Diocese of Allentown ordered St. George’s Church closed in 2006 due to structural problems. The building was demolished in 2010, but the diocesan bishop said loss of the building does not alter St. George’s status as a parish. Its parishioners now worship at Annunciation BVM Church, located about two blocks west of the former St. George’s Church location.
Additional churches
Other churches operating in Shenandoah include the Primitive Methodist on South Jardin Street and First United Methodist on East Oak Street; Holy Ghost Polish National Church on North Chestnut Street, St. John’s Lutheran Church on West Oak Street, Restoration Fellowship Pentecostal Church on West Oak Street, Glory of Faith International Church on West Oak Street, Trinity United Church of Christ on West Lloyd Street, a branch of Myerstown Mennonite Church on West Centre Street, and Roman Catholic parishes including St. Stanislaus on West Cherry Street, Annunciation BVM on West Oak Street, Our Lady of Mount Carmel on East Washington Street and St. Stephen on East Oak Street. — Mia Light
REPUBLICAN-HERALD
Mrs. T’s mascot, Pierogyman, greets a little girl at the annual community picnic hosted by Ateeco Inc. on the grounds of the company’s production facility in Shenandoah.
St. Michael’s Church today, rebuilt after the fire of 1980.
HZ_STANDSPEAK/PAGES [A07] | 10/17/13
18:07 | SUPERIMPSC
Friday, October 18, 2013
Standard~Speaker
A7
Revisiting the popular Standard-Speaker feature of two decades ago, we celebrate with pride the spirit of ...
Our
Towns
&
Shenandoah
Then Now
Early 1900s
2013
Oak Street, looking east from Gilbert Street
Oak Street, looking east from Gilbert Street in the early 1900s. At left, the domes of the original St. Michael’s Church at the corner of Oak and Chestnut streets are visible at the far end of the street on the right. In 2013, the domes of the new St. Michael’s Church, rebuilt after a 1980 fire destroyed the original church, are visible at the end of the block on the right.
Main Street, looking south
The Lyric, at the corner of West Center and North Jardin streets
1920s
1920s Main Street, Shenandoah, looking south from Lloyd Street.
2013
2013
The New York Times article published Nov. 19, 1989.
Blaze razed swath of town
A devastating fire destroyed a large section of the prosperous and thriving borough of Shenandoah in November 1883. The inferno started around noon on Nov. 13 in the three-story United States Hotel, located at Main and Centre streets. Flames engulfed the landmark and rapidly spread northward. The wind-whipped fire soon ignited buildings on the opposite side of North Main Street. Within three hours, the homes and businesses on 16 streets were in flames. By the time the fire was extinguished with the help of volunteer firefighters from communities all over Schuylkill County, an area spanning 5 acres lay in smoldering ruins with churches, businesses and homes destroyed. According to historical accounts, 200 homes were destroyed and 500 people were left homeless with nothing but the clothes on their backs that cold November night. Several deaths also were attributed to the fire. When the sun came up the next morning, though still dazed from the magnitude of the destruction, the strong work ethic of the coal region kicked in and the work
of rebuilding began. Homes to shelter the poorest of the displaced citizens were among the first structures built in the aftermath. In time, the town, its homes and businesses were rebuilt to a level of prosperity that even exceeded its pre-fire state. Roughly 25 years after the fire, Schuylkill County published a commemorative book in celebration of its centennial. The book gave a brief, current description of each community in the county. The section on Shenandoah gave the following description of the fire and opinion of the borough: “In the year 1883, a serious conflagration swept over the town rendering many homeless, and destroying the principal business section of the town. It was not long, however, before the town had been built on a grander and larger scale than ever before. Today it is well established, and with its paved streets, excellent fire department, and everything necessary for protection to life and limb, it has a most decidedly bright future before it.” — Mia Light
The Lyric today — now a bar and restaurant — is a Shenandoah landmark. Top, the Lyric Theatre on the corner of West Center and North Jardin streets in the 1920s.
FYI
❒ The first colliery opened in Shenandoah in 1862, and coal was being shipped by rail by 1864. Miners and laborers from England,Wales, Ireland and eastern Europe poured in to work. ❒ Roman Catholic priest, bestselling author and survivor of 23-years in a Soviet prison labor camp,Walter Ciszek (1904 – 1984), was born to a Polish-American family in Shenandoah. Ciszek is under consideration by the Roman Catholic Church for possible sainthood. His current title is Servant of God.
To see this and other OurTowns sections visit www.standardspeaker.com/ community/our-towns
MIKE’S SEAFOOD MARKET & RESTAURANT 123 S Main St, Shenandoah
570-462-0155 The Area’s Favorite
SEAFOOD MARKET with the Best Selection! Market Hours: Wed. & Thur. 9-5 Fri. 9-8, Sat. 9-3 Restaurant: Fri. 4-8 mikesfreshseafood.com
WALUKIEWICZ-ORAVITZ FELL
FUNERAL HOME
Marguerite Oravitz Fell, F.D. Christopher L. Kowalski, F.D. Shenandoah, PA
(570)462-0921 www.woffuneralhome.com
HZ_STANDSPEAK/PAGES [A08] | 10/17/13
18:07 | SUPERIMPSC
A8 Standard~Speaker
Our
Friday, October 18, 2013
Revisiting the popular Standard-Speaker feature of two decades ago, we celebrate with pride the spirit of ...
Towns
Shenandoah
The Pennsylvania National Guard encampment on the southeast side of Shenandoah during the strike of 1902.
Coal strike defined turn of century By MIA LIGHT StaffWriter
A historical marker stands at the southeast corner of East Center and Union Street in Shenandoah. In the familiar gold lettering on dark blue background, the traditional Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission site marker gives a brief description of the 1902 Anthracite Coal Strike — a six-month-long clash between the men who worked in the local coal mines and the businessmen who owned the coal companies and railroads. Anthracite coal was the fuel of choice for heating homes and firing industrial boilers, railroad steam engines and steamships in the early 1900s. Demand for the fruits of the anthracite coal miners’ labor was high. But the miner’s workday was long, hard and dangerous, and the pay was often meager. The conditions sparked an unprecedented labor strike in 1902. When more than 150,000 mine workers from across the region joined the protest for higher wages, shorter work hours and recognition of their fledgling labor union — the United Mine Workers — the strike threatened to shut down the East Coast’s winter fuel supply, which prompted presidential intervention. The strike spawned a riot in Shenandoah’s First Ward (the southeast section of town) that prompted the governor to send the National Guard to the borough to keep the peace until the strike ended. Inspired by the success of a previous labor strike in the bituminous coalfields of
A Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission marker, located at the intersection of South Union and East Centre streets, describes the strike of 1902.
the Midwest that won miners higher pay and shorter hours, John Mitchell, the 28year-old president of the United Mine Workers, rallied Shenandoah’s hard coal miners to strike for union recognition and similar improvements in working conditions. The strike began May 12, 1902. Mitchell urged the miners to strike peaceably, but he underestimated the staunch resistance of local mine owners and the aggressive temperament of the laborers. According to historical accounts, thousands of miners and their supporters were demonstrating in Shenandoah’s First Ward on July 30, 1902 when local hardware store owner Joseph Beddal showed up to help his cousin, a deputy sheriff. The angry crowd turned on the hardware store owner and beat him badly. Shenandoah police were called to the scene. The fight escalated. Shots rang out. When the melee settled down, three people lay dead on the ground and more than 30 people were seriously wounded. The brawl earned the southeast section of town the nickname “The Bloody First.” As a result, the state governor sent the National Guard to Shenandoah to keep the peace. The soldiers set up camp in the First Ward and patrolled the streets on horseback. President Theodore Roosevelt appealed to the miners to call off the strike and return to work, proposing appointment of an Anthracite Coal Strike Commission that would investigate the miners’ grievances and recommend a resolution. Newspaper accounts quote the president as saying he feared “the untold misery ... with the certainty of riots which might develop into social war.” The miners were asking for a 20 percent increase in wages. The commission recommended a 10 percent increase. The miners wanted an eight-hour workday instead of the traditional 10-hour day; the commission recommended a nine-hour day. Eventually, the miners and the mine operators agreed to the commission’s findings. The mine owners still refused to recognize the United Mine Workers union, but Mitchell and the miners considered the resolution veritable recognition of the union. The 163-day anthracite coal strike ended on Oct. 23, 1902, and peace was re-estabUnrest that led to violence in the Shenandoah coalfields often gained national lished in the coalfields. attention. Pictured is an illustration published in a New York newspaper in 1888 demlight@standardspeaker.com
picting coal miners attacking “coal and iron police,” which were law enforcement officers employed by mine owners.
History (Continued from A5) undertakers, in addition to the saloons.
Fire companies
The Columbia Hose Co. No. 1 was the first volunteer fire company established in the borough. It was organized Aug. 1, 1871. In addition to the Columbia, there are four other volunteer fire companies in the borough: The Rescue Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1, the Polish American Fire Co. No. 4 (touted as the only Polish-American fire company in America), the Phoenix Fire Co. No. 2 and the Defender Hose Co. No. 3.
Train service
Passenger trains were the way to travel at the turn of the century and most communities had a passenger station. The Lehigh Valley Railroad Station was the main passenger terminal in Shenandoah, but it wasn’t the only one. The Pennsyl-
vania Railroad and the Reading Railroad also had passenger stations in Shenandoah, making it the only borough in Pennsylvania to be serviced by three railroad companies.
Garment industry
Clothing manufacturing was another thriving industry in 1920s Shenandoah. At one time there were more than a dozen large garment factories operating in the borough. On average, one out of every two households had a woman who belonged to the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU). As coal mining began to decline, the garment industry remained strong enough to sustain many families into the 1970s when the last factories began closing their doors.
Coal’s decline
Shenandoah’s booming population began to decrease as the deep mines
closed and jobs became less abundant. Many of the mine workers packed up their families and moved in search of greener pastures. In the 1920s, there were more than 600 businesses operating in Shenandoah. By the mid-1940s, that number had dwindled to about 100 — not bad for a community one square mile in size but nowhere near the borough’s heyday. But the town is still home to many proud families and businesses that took root where their immigrant ancestors worked and lived and thrived a century ago. Shenandoah ranks seventh on city-data.com’s “Top 101 ZIP Codes With the Largest Lithuanian Ancestry,” and 44th for Ukrainian ancestry and 62nd for Polish ancestry on the same list. Families with ancestries rooted in Italy, Ireland, Wales, England, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and South America also live
and thrive in the smaller but still bustling borough. Continuing the tradition of celebrating the melting pot of nationalities that call Shenandoah home, the Greater Shenandoah Area Historical Society hosts an annual Heritage Day celebration and Parade of Nations in August. The celebration encourages residents of the community to dress in traditional costumes of their ancestral country and parade on Main Street. The parade ends at the public park where a day-long festival commences, featuring the music and foods of the residents’ ethnic homelands.
Shenandoah of today
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Shenandoah’s population stood at about 5,000 in 2012. The borough is governed by an elected nine-member council and managed by an appointed borough manag-
er. It has a full-time police department with four fulltime officers and a slate of part-time officers. It is home to the Shenandoah Valley School District, a kindergarten-tograde 12 public institution serving Shenandoah and West Mahanoy Township communities. It has a student population of about 1,110. The borough also has a parochial school. Trinity Academy at the Father Walter J. Ciszek Education Center, located at West Cherry and South Chestnut streets, is a pre-kindergarten-toeighth-grade Catholic school serving multiple northern Schuylkill County communities. The school is named in honor of Shenandoah
native Walter J. Ciszek, a Jesuit priest known for his missionary work in Soviet Russia. Ciszek is currently under consideration for canonization by the Catholic Church. There are about 80 businesses operating in Shenandoah, according to city-data, retailing wares such as automobiles and auto parts, home furnishings, building and garden materials, food and beverages, clothing, health, personal care and beauty items, gasoline, sporting goods, real estate, repair and maintenance, laundry services, legal services, communication and computer services, and general merchandise. mlight@standardspeaker.com
Miss any of the Standard-Speaker’s Our Town features? Catch up online at standardspeaker.com/community/our-towns