Monthly Archives: September 2008

Ellwood City Memories is not a complete history as much as it is meant to be a collection of memories of Ellwood City. If you would like to read more about the HISTORY of Ellwood City, we recommend the following books…

A History of Ellwood City, Pennsylvania / compiled by A. E. Whittaker, edited by the Ellwood City Historical Association. Imprint Butler, PA. : Printed by Record-Ziegler Printing Co., 1932-1942.

Ellwood City Houses and the People Who Lived in Them / Charles R. Moser ; produced by Steve Shinsky ; photos by Buquo Studios ; c1994.

Ellwood City’s Diamond Jubilee Souvenir Booklet and Program : Ellwood City — 75 years of progress.
Imprint Ellwood City, PA : Ellwood City Ledger, 1967.

100 Years of Memories: Centennial 1892-1992 Ellwood City’s Pennsylvania
Imprint Ellwood City, PA : Ellwood City Ledger, 1967.

Steeltown / Charles R. Walker / Harper & Brothers, Publishers, New York / 1950.  A book-length study of Ellwood City and its National Tube Co. mill by social science researchers from Yale University in 1946-1948, a time when the mill was threatened with closing.

Infantryman Petitt – By William Gavin

Hack – Bob Boone (story of Hack Wilson, click HERE for an exerpt)

Ellwoodian – Lincoln High School yearbooks, Ellwood City

Pathfinder - Riverside High School yearbooks, Ellwood City

History of the 100th Pennsylvania Roundheads – By William Gavin

History of the 10th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Its Forebearers and Successors in the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean Emergency.
Imprint Allentown, PA : Lithographic Service, Inc.

175th Anniversary Book of Wampum PA –

      Before malls and Mega-Marts, all the shopping whether for groceries, clothes, or even furniture, was done downtown at locally owned shops or at neighborhood grocery stores.
If you needed a new wardrobe you could go downtown to JC Penney’s department store, Cecelias Shop, Margeret’s Dress Shop, Doutts, or Helen Herberts. For mens clothing you could go over to Jake Oswalds and Belloffs before heading to Kellers or Edelmans for shoes. Mazers and Garsons shop offered clothing for the children too. Most citizens purchased their groceries from the local “mom and pop” stores within walking distance of their home or head to the A&P supermarket with a stop at Wehr’s Meat Market on Lawrence Ave. If you didn’t feel like cooking, Ellwood City had a number of small, locally owned restaurants as well.
Some of the local teen hangouts consisted of Nick’s Snack Bar in Ewing Park, Willy’s Dairy on Bell Ave, or the Wolverine Restaurant. If you wanted to take out a date, the Son’s of Italy hosted weekend dances, the Jaycees also sponsored dances for young people, as did the Shuffle Shop after the game. If dancing wasn’t your thing, you could head to one of the movie theaters, Majestic, Manos, (the Liberty) or even Barnes Theater.
Pictures and comments of the Business of Ellwood City

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      The Railroad has played a very important role in the development of Ellwood City. The first lumber was brought in via the Pittsburgh & Western Railroad to the Frisco Station, where it was hauled into Ellwood City by Elmer E. Hazen and his team of horses.
Multiple railroad companies have scheduled Ellwood City as a stop at the Union station including the B&O (Baltimore & Ohio) previously known locally as Pittsburgh & Western and the P&L.E (Pittsburgh & Lake Erie) railroad. Ellwood City was also on the P.H.N.C. & Butler (Pittsburgh, Harmony, and New Castle) interurban railway and housed the Harmony line trolley station on the corner of Fifth Street and Spring Avenue.
       By 1910 horse and buggies shared the paved streets of Ellwood City with more and more automobiles but the city was still divided by the main railroad line. There was already a bridge over the railroad tracks on Second Street but it was not until 1912 that B&O built the Fifth Street underpass “subway” railroad span across Fifth Street.
The Connoquenessing Creek also runs through the middle of Ellwood City so a number of bridges have been necessary over the years. Originally Hazel Dell (North side) and Ellwood City were connected by a covered bridge. This bridge was replaced with the Hazel Dell steel bridge in 1896 that spanned bank to bank and connected Sixth Street with College Street. In 1915 Ellwood City replaced this bridge with the Veterans Memorial Bridge (also known as the Fifth Street Bridge) that connected Fifth Street with Todd Avenue. Eighty years later, this bridge was replaced with a new bridge linking Fifth Street with North Street. The original Ewing Park Bridge was built 1918 by the Shelby Tube Co. and was a toll bridge until the city took it over in 1939. Ellwood City replaced this bridge in 2004 with a new bridge in the same location.

      Ellwood City has been home to a number of beautiful parks. Glen Park was located on 100 acres that stretched 3 miles along the south side of the Connoquenessing Creek beginning at the 5th street bridge and heading west.  Home to the Palisades, the Sentinel Rocks, and the Giant Trees, a writer once wrote about Glen Park as ”having no counterpart for romance and picturesqueness anywhere east of the Rocky Mountains.”

Felican Park was a continuation of Glen Park and later named Rock Point Park. Rock Point Park was home to beautiful trails, a roller coaster, miniature train, dance hall, the Peristyle, Mechanical Swings, a ferris wheel, skate rink, merry-go-round, baseball field with grandstands, and of course, the Shoot the Chutes ride.

Other parks in the area included Forest Grove near the Knox Plan and Oliver Park on the Hotel Oliver grounds. Oliver Park was a popular picnic area located on three and a half acres between 4th and 6th streets while Forest Grove sported it’s very own merry-go-round.

Con-e-que was also a popular destination in the late 1920’s and early 30’s. Addison O. Caldwell built a dancehall and severeal cottages along the Connoquenessing and hosted dances with live bands. Con-e-que was later sold and became a gambling hall until it closed in the 1940’s. Today, the Snyder potato chip factory stands on its location.

The only park that still remains today is Ewing Park, located on 6 acres and home to multiple picnic shelters, playground equipment, basketball, bocce, & tennis courts, peaceful trails, and the Veterans Memorial swimming pool.

Pictures and comments of the Parks in Ellwood City

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Ellwood City has had a strong history of powerful churches (inside & out). Bell Memorial Presbyterian Church, Berean Presbyterian Church of America, Calvin Presbyterian Church, Christ Presbyterian Church, Christian Assembly, Christian Missionary Alliance Church, Dayspring Harvest Ministries, First Baptist Church, First Christian Church, First Church of God, First United Methodist Church (First church in Ellwood City).
Holy Redeemer (formerly BVM & St Agatha), Immanuel Reformed Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Knox United Presbyterian Church, Lighthouse Assembly of God Church, Lillyville Church of God, Love Hope Baptist Church, North Sewickley Presbyterian Church, Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration, Park Gate Baptist Church, Providence Baptist Church, Scenic Hill Baptist Chapel, Slippery Rock Presbyterian Church, St John the Baptist Carpatho-Russian Greek Catholic Church, St Pauls Evangelical Lutheran Church (oldest Siebenburger church in America), Tree of Life Synagogue, Trinity Lutheran Church, United Brethren in Christ Church, Wiley Hill Baptist Church, Word Alive Church, Wurtemburg United Methodist Church, Wurtemburg United Presbyterian Church. If we missed one, please let us know.

Pictures and comments of the Churches of Ellwood City

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      Ellwood City has had many different schools beginning with the “Old Brick School House” built in 1850 by Adam Shoemaker at the top of the old covered bridge road where Glen Ave meets 6th St. Classes were held there until 1893 when the West End Building was completed but re-opened in 1894 due to overcrowding in the other schools. Classes ended for good in 1895 and the building and land was sold to the Pittsburgh Co. for land to build the Circle Building for classes.
The Matheny Schoolhouse was also used during this time with all 12 grades in one classroom. This school was located on the Moses Matheny property on Wampum Rd across from the Matheny cemetery which would become the first Catholic cemetery in Ellwood City. A small portion of the cemetery remains today beside Aiken Refuse but most of the headstones are to dilapidated to be legible today.
Another old school in Ellwood City was the Textor building located on Lawrence Ave between 8th & 9th streets which was used until 1891. 1892 marked the beginning of a two room school house in Hazel Dell. This school located on the southeast corner of Line Ave & College St was used until Hazel Dell became part of Ellwood City in September 1st, 1914.
The West End School opened 1893 and a few years later the Circle School, located where Circle playground stands today, began classes in 1895. And yet another school inside the Columbus building on the corner of Lawrence Ave and 9th St opened in 1897. In 1902, Ellwood City built the Central Public School on the corner of Lawrence Ave & 6th St.
Finally in 1914, Ellwood City purchased Hotel Lawrence located where 5th St meets Cresent Ave. School rooms were held on the first floor of the Hotel while the second floor was rented out as apartments until the building was torn down in 1923 to build the current Lincoln High School. While the school was being built, classes were held at the Church of God.
Classes began in the 12 room North Side Elementary school located on North St & Orchard Ave in 1916. Hartman Elementary was finished before the new Lincoln High School and started classes in 1923. When Ewing Park became the 5th Ward, Ellwood City purchased the Ewing Park School and dedicated it Jan 1st 1926. Perry Elementary and Walnut Ridge Elementary schools would soon follow.

Pictures and comments of the Schools of Ellwood City

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      Ellwood City was founded in 1892 but was already occupied by farms that had to be purchased by Henry W. Hartman, Merit Green & rest of the Pittsburg Company. The farms were owned by the following: James W. Knox, Andrew Hazen, John B. Hazen(owned the greater majority where “downtown” now stands), Andrew Gardner, Sara Ann Matheny, Jane Johnston, Nathaniel Pettit, Dan Nye, Nathaniel Nye, & Alvah Nye. The Pittsburg Company tried unsuccessfully to buy the Burns farm east of 1st St (now Burnstown). In 1892 they successfully purchased balance of Jane Johnston farm which became “Little Italy” and also purchased 100 acres from E.G.Matheny husband of Sara Ann Matheny. Once the farms were purchased construction began on businesses and residences, many of which are still standing today.
The first persons in the town lived in boarding houses although several families moved into the farmhouses already on the town site. Merrit Green’s family was the first to move into town and occupied the old Pettit home which was later moved to 516 Spring Ave. The house was eventually torn down to make room for the Alpha Apartments. The second family, James Meniece, moved into the Owry homestead at the south end of current 5th st bridge. The third family was that of Mr. Styles Conner that lived in the Conner boarding house. This was the first house built in the new Ellwood City and located on 6th St between Spring Ave & Glenn St. the Conner boarding house was opened for room & board for workers building the first homes and Hotel Oliver.
Among the first residences built by the Pittsburgh Company were 18 5th St, 25 Second St, 430 Glenn Ave, 109 5th St, 229 4th St, and 224 Glenn Ave. The year 1891 seen 15 more houses constructed. 1892 seen the construction of John Parker’s house on Beaver, J.S. Ehrheart’s house in the Main plan between Ellwood & Rock Point, another large boarding house on Cresent Ave near 10th St, and John Scheidedementle’s house on Cresent Ave.
The first brick residence was later built at 622 Wayne Ave and is still standing today.

    Ellwood City has proudly been home to a wide variety of sports teams over the years. Citizens of all ages have had the chance to compete in almost any sport a person could think of. Lincoln High School has competed in wrestling, track & field, basketball, baseball, football, soccer, golf, gymnastics, diving, swimming, bowling, cross country, softball, cheerleading, tennis, and volleyball over the years. They have also been home to numerous state championship teams like the 2003 baseball team, the 92 and 93 Girls Cross Country Teams, and the 1925 football team.
The games don’t end when school does. The various mills in Ellwood City facilitated numerous adult sports here with baseball teams and basketball leagues held in the Shelby Clubhouse. Over the years Ellwood City has been host to adult softball leagues, roller hockey, baseball, bocce, basketball, volleyball, bowling, & races including bicycle and running.

      The people of Ellwood City have a long and proud history of clubs and organizations that not only were social clubs but also helped build and maintain Ellwood City. The Masons, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Knights of Pythias, two lodges of Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of the Golden Eagle, Knights and Ladies of Honor, German Beneficial Union, Uniformed Rank, Knights of the Maccabees, Ladies of the Maccabees, Protective Home Circle, and the Sons of Union Veterans have all had fraternal societies in Ellwood City.
There are more organizations then I know about so please send stories and pictures of your groups and help us to share your memories.