Monthly Archives: June 2009

    One of the houses with the greatest curb appeal in the former Hazel Dell ward of Ellwood City is the large three story brick house at 701 Line Avenue. The golden brick house with the mansard roof was built in 1903 by Elmer Newton Rodgers & his wife Cora Ida Scheidemantle Rodgers. World War I veteran John Boker and his wife Martha, purchased the home during the great depression and owned it for fifty years before selling it to Tony & Laura Flowers. During this time, the house was split into three apartments.
     In 1997, Anthony and Lynn Lonnett purchased the house and converted the apartment building back into a single family home with two working fireplaces again. The Lonnett’s have remodeled not only the interior but also the exterior of the home. A non-functioning chimney was dismantled and the bricks were used to make a backyard patio. The original woodwork from 1903 remains in most of the home, including the entranceway and stairways up to the second and third floors.
    If you have any memories of the giant house on Line Avenue that you would like to share please leave a comment below or email us your memories by CLICKING HERE.

  The house was part of the annual Ellwood City Municipal Woman’s Club Christmas house tour in 2009. Information for this post was gathered from the book Ellwood City Houses and the People Who Lived in Them by Charles R. Moser available at the Ellwood City Historical Society.

    The large bleached brick home across from the Circle playground at 304 Fountain Avenue was home to one of Ellwood City’s greatest golfers, Robert Thompson. Mr. Thompson was considered the areas leading golfer for over twenty five years being crowned the Connoquenessing Country Club golf champion eighteen times. He entered many golf tournaments across the United States and played with Arnold Palmer at the Connoquenessing Country Club when “the King” was a young and very promising golfer.
       We are trying to uncover more of the history behind not only this house but also the families that have lived here. If you have any memories about this house, whether it be who lived here, who built it, when the house was duplexed, or even the way they decorated the house for Christmas, please leave a comment below or email us your memories by CLICKING HERE.
   Information for this post was gathered from the book Ellwood City Houses and the People Who Lived in Them by Charles R. Moser available at the Ellwood City Historical Society.

    The house at 501 Wayne Avenue was built in 1914 by Robert and Elinore Curry. Mr. Curry built a large number of homes in Ellwood City including as many as eight on Pershing Street between Line Avenue and five points. Mr. and Mrs. George Nickles purchased the home from the Currys in 1917, before selling the large brick house to Doctor Hosea Gold in 1925.
    H.E. “Frank” Biordi purchased the house from Dr. Gold in 1946. Frank was part of the family that was already in the theater business but in 1921 he also became owners of the Majestic Theater. Mr. Biordi owned the Majestic Theater from 1918 to 1924 when he sold it to the Shuler family. He purchased the Theater again from its new owner Thomas Barnes in 1936.
    Frank served as the manager as his brother Andy played on the legendary 1925 Ellwood City High School football team. On October 29th of 1974, Mr. Biordi collapsed in the lobby of his Theater and taken to the Ellwood City Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
    If you remember “Frank” Biordi or Dr. Gold or have any memories of the house at 501 Wayne Ave you would like to share, please leave a comment below or email us your memories by CLICKING HERE.
   Information for this post was gathered from the book Ellwood City Houses and the People Who Lived in Them by Charles R. Moser available at the Ellwood City Historical Society.

    The first tenant in the Stiefel Building at 310 Fifth Street was the first Ellwood City Post Office. We do not know how many years the Post Office was based out of here, but we do know that as early as June of 1918, the Ellwood City Public Library moved there from the Ellwood City School Board owned Hotel Lawrence. The Library was only at the Stiefel Building for three years before moving again in1921.
    The next tenant we know of was J.I. Porter who set up his undertaker business here. Eventually the building became Porters Flower Shop until Mr. Hall moved his business closer to the family home along Route 488. The Ellwood City Historical Society took possession of the commemorated building and remains there today.
    The Historical Society has multiple displays that change often; currently there is a tribute to the Ellwood City icon Pe Wee’s Lunch with pictures, artifacts, a counter stool, and the actual menu on display. Other displays include the Hotels of Ellwood City, tributes to the tubing industry, artifacts from the old train station, the Jewish heritage of Ellwood City, and many more.
    We realize that there are some considerably large holes on the dates and know that there were other business located in this building on Fifth Street. If you remember a business that we did not mention, please leave a comment below or email us by CLICKING HERE.

    Most people in Ellwood City that follow football on the High School level are fairly familiar with the 1935 “Miracle” football team coached by R.J. (Denny) Schill that beat everybody except Beaver Falls. The team that started a football renaissance here in Ellwood was lead by Mike Kraynak. The team included Bill Young, Jiggs Hazen, Joe Pishioneri, Dave Luxenberg, Jim Flannagan, Cy Hughes, Russia Funari, Tony Scopellite, Al Bognosky, Phil Tammaro, Abe Pratt, Harold Young, Bill Daufen, Nick Gib, Ben Keller, Ben Bartle, Al Biego, Francis Miller, Augustine Metz, Carl Zeigler Jr, Horace Shapiro, Bob Schantz, Mike Santillo, and Nick Perry. Denny Schill is remembered as a coach here in Ellwood City though this was the only year he coached.
     As good as that team was, perhaps the greatest team in Ellwood City history and perhaps the state was the 1925 team led by Tom MacMurdo.  Among others Ross Parker, Johnny Sander, Harold Johnston, Bill Marsh, Jim Fitzgerald, Jim MacMurdo, Bill Herge, Art Applebaum, Bob MacMurdo, and Curt Neff led Ellwood City to a 9-0 record. Ellwood not only beat New Castle (who would cry for years that the Ellwood City Fire Department watered down the field) for the first time, but did not give up a single point until the National Championship Game against Freeport, Illinois.
    Even before the great 1925 team, Ellwood City already had its “legends” of the gridiron including the 1907 football team. The ’07 team was captained by “Kitty” Wyant, and included Ray Patterson, Morry Kraus, Ralph McGinley, Dave Hamilton, Clyde & Ralph Poister, John Christie, Loren Gelbach, Gerry Butler, & Claude Herwick. Howard Jones of the 1914 football team served as both captain and coach and won seven games, tied one, and lost none. The list also includes local hero Roy Hamilton who anchored the 1910 football team.
    Football in the early part of the 1900′s was not only limited to the High School level with local fans cheering on Ellwood’s Semi-Pro team the Boltbusters and the 1903 Ellwood A.A. Gridders (Ellwood Athletic Association Gridders).
    Before 1925, the football teams were always known as “the Ellwood City High School” teams as Lincoln High School was not yet built. Even then, the teams were not known as the Wolverines until 1935 when Head Coach Denny Schill had an open competition to name the team, a name that the school and community could rally behind. Lastly, the team got its colors from the mother of one the players on the very first team. According to the book “Ellwood City Houses and the People Who Lived in Them” by Charles R Moser, Eugene Swartz was a member of the very first football team for Ellwood City High School and the team’s colors are blue and white because that was the color of the suit his mother bought for him.
    We mean no disrespect to those that we did not mention above such as Dale Brown or some of the greats from the 40′s but we need your help. Please tell us who else you think should be on this list or if you remember any of the men we mentioned please EMAIL US or leave a comment below.

    Jacob Cord and his brother Scott made the house at 626 Park Avenue their home from the time it was built until Scotts wife’s daughter Goldie married Eugene Swartz and they moved into the house. Jacob Cord is known as the first Ellwood City resident to be elected to the Board of Commissioners in Lawrence County.
    Eugene Swartz also made his mark on the history of Ellwood City. In 1912, Mr. Swartz opened a motorcycle shop in the Park Building on Sixth Street and later built a garage on Ninth Street where he got into the automobile business. He also served as the fire chief for a long time and was a member of the very first football team for Ellwood City High School. The team’s colors are blue and white because that was the color of the suit his mother bought for him as reported in Ellwood City Houses and the People Who Lived in Them by Charles R Moser.
    We are trying to uncover more about the history behind not only this house but also the families that have lived here. If you have any memories about this house, whether it be who lived here, who built it, the time you broke your arm falling out of the tree in the back yard, or even the great treats they gave out on Halloween. Please leave a comment below or email us your memories by CLICKING HERE.

    Earl Slocum built the house at 515 Park Avenue in 1917. Mr. Slocum operated the Ellwood City Slocum Hardware Company on Lawrence Ave and Seventh Street in the old Blatt Building, a business that was started by H.S. Blatt in the early 1890’s.
    The house was sold Carl & Mollie Davidson in 1928 and George & Nadine Coder purchased the home from the Davidson’s in 1965.
   Mr. Davidson was born in Ellwood City in 1891 and became an engineer for the United States government in Washington D.C. He returned to Ellwood City to enter the flour and feed business with his father W.W. Davidson and remained in that business until 1940. This is the same business George Coder later owned.
    When we researched this beautiful house we came across an article in the book “Ellwood City Houses and the People Who Lived in Them” by Charles R. Moser that says that the Ross family also owned this house at one time. It says that Benjamin Franklin Ross’s widow Margaret sold the house at 515 Park Avenue to her daughter Matilda Davidson in 1918. We have been unsuccessful so far in uncovering if the house was built for the Ross family or if Earl Slocum sold the house to Margaret Ross, or if we just got our facts crossed.
    If you know more about the history behind not only this house but also the families that have lived here, please leave a comment below or email us your memories by CLICKING HERE. We are not only looking for the history of the house but also the memories about this house, whether it is who lived here or even the games you played in the back yard.

   It was almost 11:30 AM on a very cold January morning in 1984 when a small fire was discovered that would change the structure of Lawrence Avenue forever.
   The fire started at the rear of the Majestic Theater and spread to three adjoining structures causing almost a half a million dollar in damages. The burned out Theater was not the only business devastated as ten other businesses on either side sustained fire, smoke, and water damage.  The Majestic Hall that was located at 506 Lawrence Avenue was completely destroyed and the two story building on the corner of Lawrence Avenue and Fifth Street (known as the Young Building) was heavily damaged. Helen’s Dress Shop immediately to the west and Stereo Systems immediately to the East of the Theater were complete loses. Stereo Systems had moved to 504 Lawrence Avenue after a fire at the 7-L building almost exactly two years earlier caused damage to their shop next door to it. 
    The Ellwood City Fire Department assisted by firemen from Wurtemburg-Perry, Wayne Township, and Franklin Township fought the large fire for over four hours before they could get control and the thick dark smoke could be seen for miles away. Helen Mantz, owner of Helen’s Dress Shop, and Joseph Sobczak, owner of Stereo Systems, were two of nine people that were taken to the hospital and treated from various injuries that ranged from smoke inhalation to injuries sustained from falling on the ice that formed quickly with the mixture of multiple hoses and the cold Ellwood City January weather.
    The fire at the Majestic Theater was the fourth major fire on Lawrence Avenue in two years. The other fires included Keller’s Department Store at 613 Lawrence Avenue, Vinny’s Pizza and Sub Palace at 705 Lawrence Avenue, and the 7-L building on the corner of Lawrence Avenue and Seventh Street.
    If you have any memories you would like to share of the Majestic Theater please leave a comment below or email us by CLICKING HERE.

[SinglePic not found]    The large stone house that stands proudly on the corner of Spring Avenue & Pittsburgh Circle was the home of David Jones. Mr. Jones was the President and General Manager of the Ellwood City Stone Company from it’s founding in 1909. The house at 320 Spring Avenue was built in 1915 by David Jones and his three sons. This was not the only stone house they built as the three boys also built houses in Ewing Park. Bill and Dave built their houses side by side at 430 and 426 Beatty Avenue in 1937 and Bob built his home on Jefferson Avenue after World War II. The stones that were used to build the house on Spring Avenue came from the Park Gate quarry while the stone used to build the other three came from stone quarried near Koppel.
    Dave and Bob owned and operated Stonecrest Golf Course on Route 18 in addition to the Stone Company. When David moved to Marion Township, he gave his house to First Baptist Church to use as a home for the preacher of the Church.
    320 Spring Avenue later became the home of Butch DiCerbo in 1964. Mr. DiCerbo is a former police officer that later became a teacher at Lincoln High School. He also became one of Ellwood City’s outstanding golfers and was named to the Ellwood City golfing Hall of Fame.
    David Jones house eventually became the home of Zachery & Jacquelne Powell in 1983. Mr. Powell has since taken over the family business, R.W. Powell Realty, which was established the same year as Ellwood City’s founding in 1892.
    We are trying to find out more of the history behind not only these houses but also the families that have lived in them.  If you have any memories about these stone houses, the brothers that built them or the families that have lived in them since please leave a comment below or email us your memories by CLICKING HERE.
   Information for this post was gathered from the book Ellwood City Houses and the People Who Lived in Them by Charles R. Moser available at the Ellwood City Historical Society.

    Mr. Alfonso Barbati & Filomena Mae Rubino built their home in 1919 across the street from her family’s corner grocery store Rubino’s. Mrs. Barbati later operated Mae’s Pizza Shop in the enclosed front potion of the house for sixteen years beginning in 1957 until closing the shop in 1973.
    We would like to hear more about the history behind not only this house but also the families that have lived here. If you have any memories about this house, whether it is who has lived here, if Mae’s Pizza was any good, or who lives there today. If you know more about the brick house at 217 Franklin Avenue, please leave a comment below or email us your memories by CLICKING HERE.
   Information for this post was gathered from the book Ellwood City Houses and the People Who Lived in Them by Charles R. Moser available at the Ellwood City Historical Society.

    On the first day of 1920, Frank Moore purchased the home at 516 Park Avenue from the Dambachs that built the home towards the end of 1917.

    Frank Moore was the head man at Mathews Conveyer from the time it arrived in Ellwood City in 1912 until he passed away in 1954, and he built Mathews Gravity Conveyer Company into one of Ellwood City’s leading industries. He served as President until 1948 and was still serving as chairman of the board at the time of his death at 77. When his widow passed away on Christmas Eve of 1965, her assets totaled $2,885,929 of which $1,540,111 went to the Ellwood City Hospital that her husband had served as the hospital board president since its incorporation meeting in 1915.

    Frank was one of thirty one recepients of Certificates of Merit for Scientific Contributions presented by the National Association of Manufactures. Besides the Ellwood City Hospital Board, he served as President of Community Service Chest, was a thirty-second degree mason, and a member of the Rotary Club. Mr. Moore also found time to serve as President of the Community Savings & Loan Company from it’s inception, served on the board of directors at First National Bank, succeed J.A. Evans as President of Chamber of Commerce, served on the committee to study the proposal for a municipal swimming pool in 1941,  and was appointed to the Post War Steering Committee after World War II.

    In 1965, after Frank’s widow passed, the house on Park Avenue was sold to the Superintendent of Schools Dr. John DeCaro.

     If you have any memories of the beautiful house on Park Avenue, or of the folks that have lived in it since it was built in 1917, please leave a comment below or email us your memories by CLICKING HERE.

    Information for this post was gathered from the book Ellwood City Houses and the People Who Lived in Them by Charles R. Moser available at the Ellwood City Historical Society.

     The large Victorian style house on the corner of Crescent Avenue and Seventh Street was the home of A.C. Grove. Captain Abraham C. Grove came to Ellwood City in 1891 before the town was actually “official” and his house was among the earliest built in the newly formed town. Captain Grove and Henry S. Blatt were associated together in the Hardware business. The Ellwood Supply Company partners built their homes across from each other on Crescent Avenue and Seventh Street. The second and third deeds recorded at the Lawrence County Courthouse that the Pittsburg Company sold were to Captain Grove and to Mr. Blatt. Mr. Blatt’s home later became the Eagles Club before it was turned into Ellwood City’s first hospital. The historic building was eventually torn down in the early part of the Sixty’s when Crescent Place was built.
    Captain Grove served on the very first school board in Ellwood City, was appointed to Ellwood’s first Borough Council and the petition that was presented to the Court for the inception of Ellwood City as a Borough in September of 1892, was sworn by Captain Grove. Another first involving the Captain was the first big fire in Ellwood City. The fire destroyed Blatt and Grove’s hardware building and ended the partnership. The business partners broke up and each rebuilt their own hardware store. Mr. Blatt opened his new business on the corner of Lawrence Avenue and Seventh Street and the Captain opened his store next door in 1893. Blatt’s building has since burned down while, like their houses, Captain Grove’s building still stands today.
    After the fire, Henry Blatt got involved in the lumber business, served on the first board of directors of the First National Bank of Ellwood City, and became a major stockholder in the Pittsburg Company. Mr. Blatt also served in the State Legislature 1875-76, was named Burgess in 1895, was one of the founders of the Presbyterian Church in Ellwood City, and was also one of the founders of the local Masonic lodge before he died in 1910.
    Mary E. Stroke bought the Captain’s home after he passed away. Richard and Sherry Lloyd bought the home in 1987 and began to restore the grand house until 1992 when they sold it to Anthony & Peggy Rocco who have continued the restoration.
   With the one way street in front of the Post Office leading directly to the old Grove home, I know everybody is familiar with this home. If you have any old memories of the grand house you would like to share with us, please leave a comment below or email us your memories by CLICKING HERE.
   Information for this post was gathered from the book Ellwood City Houses and the People Who Lived in Them by Charles R. Moser available at the Ellwood City Historical Society.