Monthly Archives: January 2009

Lawrence Avenue and Fourth Street

     It feels like only yesterday but the stretch of Lawrence Ave between Fourth Street and Fifth Street has changed more than perhaps any other part of town, and we are not only referring to the loss of Pe Wee’s Lunch. This single picture seems to remind more people of the great memories they have of Ellwood City more than any other we have posted here.
    The Manos Theater (previously Liberty Theater), and the Jayhawk both seem to remind people of how fun it is to grow up in Ellwood City. The Manos was on the South side of Lawrence Avenue and was a popular date spot in town for years. The Jayhawk restaurant across the street was also a very popular teenager “hangout” and made famous by their Roast beef sandwich.
     The second door on the South side was Turners Barber Shop, the largest barber shop in town and during the 1940’s and early 50’s had six barbers working. Linda Turner remembers the shop got to the point that it was so busy that Turners Barber Shop was the first in town to use numbers to keep arguments down and the first to have a television for its waiting customers.
    Before Lincoln High School offered bus service to its students, the pupils from Ellport had to walk from the High School to the bus terminal at the gas station beside the Jayhawk and catch the public bus to Ellport everyday.
     Also, we had someone trying to recall what the Grill was on the Northeast corner of Lawrence Ave and Fourth St. They recall a teenage hangout on the second floor there if anyone remembers this, please let us know.

Lawrence Ave & 6th St, North Side is Ellwood Home Loan Bank, South side is Dambachs General Store

     Today, Lawrence Avenue is the main street through Ellwood City, but that was not always the case. The Alley between Third Street & Fourth Street marks the line of a road which existed at the time the city was founded, running directly North from Present Division Avenue to near the site of the old covered bridge and was known to the people here at the time the city was founded as “the Lane”.
    As Ellwood City grew and the town was laid out, Lawrence Avenue became the “market district” (despite not getting paved until 1906) and the intersection of 6th Street and Lawrence Avenue was the busiest in town. A lot of this was due to the bridge that connected Ellwood City to College Street in Hazel Dell was at Sixth Street until 1915.

Lawrence Ave, banner says come to the Merchants & Manufaters outing at Rock Point Park

    On the Southwest corner of the intersection was the Dambach Building. The Dambach Store was an early department store on the first floor and serviced the town for many years long before a super-mega-mart was even thought of. Also in the pictures you can see the Green-Shaerer Bakery standing next door to what would become Burger King’s parking lot.

Lawrence Ave from 6th Street

    Also in the pictures is the Textor Building which was the second School “in” Ellwood City after “the old Brick”. And on the North side of the street you can see the Ellwood City Opera House that would become home to the Moose until becoming part of ESB Bank.

Lawrence Ave from 5th St zoom

     The downtown “market” district has had many different looks over the years and continues to evolve even today. With the many different types of businesses and the High School so close, almost everyone has a great memory tied to Lawrence Avenue. Like Bruce Brenneman who shared with us his memories of coming to Ellwood City from Portersville and how impressed he was with Blocher’s Jewelry Store and that black marble front. Also how he loved going to Isaly’s, Young’s Drug store, and Alberts Drug Store but he could not recall which made the great Lemon Blennd drinks.

Lawrence Ave from 5th St

     In the pictures you can see Wehr’s Meat Market (Home Dress Meats) that was located at 523 Lawrence Ave and Hotel Conway in some others. Hotel Conway was located at 526 & 528 Lawrence Ave on the North Side of the street. It was the first building erected on Lawrence Ave between 5th & 6th Streets. Later the West side of the building was remodeled for banking purposes and was the original home of Peoples National Bank here in Ellwood City. Later it was again remodeled for store and office purposes.

Lawrence Ave looking West

     On the North side of Lawrence Ave you can see Deemis confectionary. Deemis was a popular “hangout” for teenagers until it was sold and became IMB Fray’s, and today is Olivers Pub. Another popular spot a few doors down was the Majestic Movie Theater owned by the Biordi family. Folks remember seeing Star Wars Return of the Jedi in that theater just before in burnt down.

Lawrence Ave from 5th St zoomed

     On the Southwest corner of Lawrence Avenue and Fifth Street is the Stiefel Building, named after R.C. Stiefel, the inventor of the seamless tube. During her term, Congresswoman Melissa Hart had her office on the first floor of the Stiefel Building.

Lawrence Avenue

     The bank diagonal from the Stiefel Building has changed names so many times over the years it is hard to keep track of the various names but at one time had an adverting clock on the corner that is no longer there. Beside the bank is a sign for Kaufman’s Lunch.

Lawrence Ave

Dan Fenechi 300 Sims St

     Over the years, this building has housed many different business. Today it is the offices of State Farm Insurance agent Dan Fenechi III. However before this, it was a confectionary store and a hamburger place called Johnny’s. The confectionary was believed to have been owned by Icolse Icotts but we can not confirm this so please correct us if we are incorrect. If you look closer at the side of the building, it actually still says “confectionary”.

300 Sims St

     Another business that occupied this building would later be known as Johnny’s Pizza Shop. At the time, they specialized in hamburgers and such. After leaving this building, Johnny’s moved to 7th Street where the hamburger joint was upstairs and the pizza shop was downstairs. After leaving this building, Johnny’s Pizza Shop moved to the current location on 4th Street. It is quite remarkable how many people that have contributed to our web site with emails and pictures, have at one time worked at Johnny’s scrubbing pans.

Johnny

Haig Street

   The Shelby Steel Tube Company purchased a large lot of land in what is now known as Ewing Park to build houses for it’s employees. The “Shelby Land Company’s Plan” was divided into three hundred lots stretching from Riverside Drive and Washington Ave on the South to Ellwood New Castle Road on the North. East to West, the “Shelby Plan” reached from Riverside Drive to Joffre Street on the East. The total plan eventually consisted of 65 houses with paved streets and trees planted along the roads.

Holy Redeemer formally B.V.M.

     On the Fourth of July in 1916, an Italian mission from St. Agatha Roman Catholic Church in Ellwood City broke ground on their own Church on Park Avenue next to Aetna Standard Engineering Company. Rev Father Marino led the Italian mission that was geared towards the increasing Italian population.

     B.V.M. quickly outgrew their building and in November of 1929, they exchanged their building and property with Aetna Standard in exchange for the old Methodist Episcopal Church on the corner of Park Avenue and Fourth Street. The church continued to grow and despite planting a daughter church (Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church) in January of 1930, again outgrew their church. Then in April of 1970, after a three year building project, B.V.M. opened their new building with a seating capacity of 800 people.

     The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church was renamed Holy Redeemer Church when it conslidated with St. Agatha Roman Catholic Church and St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church on September 8th 2007.

               Sunday Mass Schedule
               Saturday 6:00 p.m.
               Sunday 8:00 a.m.
               Sunday 10:00 a.m. 
               Sunday 12:00 noon.

    We can list the history of the church in Ellwood City, it’s various missions, attendance numbers, so on and so on. However that is not really what we started this site for. We need MEMORIES. Funny stories, touching stories, you know, the good stuff. Stories from the basketball teams, the bazaar, the benefit dinners, or the entire church coming together to help one family. If you have a story you would like to share about B.V.M., please EMAIL us or click on the “comment” link at the bottom of this post.

Myrna

Myrna’s Nook (The Next Best Thing to Pe Wee’s) is located in the Emporium at 512 Lawrence Ave. While you enjoy this area’s favorite hot dog chili, check out the great pictures hanging on the walls and her bulletin board that has some very interesting things about the history of Ellwood City.

The Corner of 5th St & Beaver Ave

  The corner of 5th Street and Beaver Avenue (also known as the SS Young Block) has housed many things over the years but the two most remember able were Margaret’s Restaurant & Specialty T’s.
    Originally Margaret Elizabeth’s Dress Shop opened on the first floor on the northern side. Eventually the dress shop was replaced with Margaret’s Restaurant. When you mention the restaurant to people that remember Margaret’s, the first thing we hear is a little “Mmm – the Pies” followed by a big smile. the biggest memory of Margaret’s Restaurant was how good the pies were. We have even heard stories of people buying pies from here and taking them home, putting them in their own pie pans, and trying to pass them off as their own. But of course you had to order something to eat before the pie and we have heard that the most popular item on the menu was the Ham Loaf. Next to the pies, Margaret’s was famous for their Ham Loaf.
    When Margaret (Peg) Malcolm’s husband passed away, she started selling hats & t-shirts from her house while raising 8 kids. Eventually as the business grew, she started Specialty T’s Plus in the Young Block and eventually even purchased the building itself from Easy Mariotti. If you played any organized sports in Ellwood City in the 80′s your uniform and hats were made at Specialty T’s Plus. Peg eventually sold the business but still owned the building.
     Easy Mariotti also operated Easy Twin Kiss across from the North Star School before it was torn down to build the new four lane highway. People remember the Twin Kiss for the frosted glass rootbeer floats.

W.S.C. built 1944 est. 1934

Does anybody know what club met at this building on Division Ave?

Saxon Club branch no.45

The Saxon Club was established in 1901. The Ellwood City Saxons Club is located on top of the hill at 901 Millview St.

Ellwood City Saxon Club SignSaxon Club

Saxon Club

Edwin Clarke delivering meat by wagon

    At one time each “neighborhood” had it’s own local grocery store where almost everything was purchased on a monthly or weekly tab. However, even before this, the earlier grocers in Ellwood City would send clerks house to house and secured the orders everyday in the mornings and orders were delivered by horse and wagon in the afternoon. Of course this was before the days of refrigeration so you can use your imagination on the sanitary conditions.

    John Hughes & D.L. Cunningham were the first merchants to establish a business in the newly formed community. Cunningham’s grocery store was on the East side of 7th St. between Lawrence Ave & Chestnut while Hughes was also on 7th St. just opposite Cunningham’s store. (Hughes also operated a lumber yard located on 6th St. where Solomon’s Dry Cleaning is today.

B.P.O.E. 1356 est.1918

The organization was started in New York City in 1868 by a group of actors and comic hall performers. The local chapter was started here in Ellwood City in 1918. Currently the Elks are celebrating 90 years of service to our community. The B.P.O.E. maintain a lodge facility at 408 Lawrence Avenue however the original home was on Crescent Avenue where the R. J. Schill Manor now stands.