Monthly Archives: May 2011

      This picture was sent to us as a question. The owner was not sure of the names of any of the players, dates or team name. All that was assumed was that it was a Hazel Dell team as it was with other pictures of Hazel Dell’s past.
      This might be an all star team from 1913 or 1914. Four or five gentlemen are wearing uniforms with a black box with a white “X” through it which was the logo of the Hazel Dell ball club, which we have a picture of the 1908 team all sporting the same uniform. The Hazel Dell black box’s are not the only team logo’s as a couple guys are wearing National Tube Mill uniforms, two or three are wearing the Shelby Tube Mill uniform, and two uniforms we have yet to identify.
      We did however identify the team members. Those in the front row left to right, Harry Ott, Joe James, Earl Woods, Mansel Hogue, Walter Houk, and Scott Cornelius; second row, Cash Vorhees, Dick Shirling, Carl Kingston (not in uniform) Earl Marshall, Herb “Javens” Jennings, Holiday Newton, Fred Markle (or Markel; far back), Loyal Marshall, Chance Forbush, and John Snare.

      In 1963 Ronald Cuspard of Ellwood City competed in the Mr. America bodybuilding competition. The contest has been described as “for bodybuilders, the Mr. America contest was once the Triple Crown, the Indy 500, the Oscars, and the Olympics all rolled into one.” Mr. Cuspard finished the grand competition in fourth place and won the “Best Leg” event of the contest.

      Here is a picture of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church that very few people today remember. The wooden structure church was located in Ewing Park but no longer stands. Today a house is located where the church once met. If you are one of the few that remember the church, we would enjoy hearing from you. Please email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com or leave a comment below.

      Driving through Ellport you might notice Deemer Avenue which got its name from the Deemer Farm, which was one of the three original farms in Ellport. You might also notice Golf Avenue which believe it or not got its name from the golf course in Ellport. The Ellwood City Country Club (later to be known as the Connoquenessing Country Club) was originally located on the west edge of Ellport along the Connoquenessing Creek. The Country Club was home to its very own nine hole golf course that ran deep into Ellport with the road running along its outside edge until 1917. The post card picture here shows the very flat and wide open first hole on the club’s course.
      That is how Golf Avenue got its name.

      The former Park Gate School was built in 1923 and continued in operation for forty two years. Attendance continually increased and by 1925 enrollment had already reached close to 150 students. The school was originally built with only three classrooms, but was remodeled to add another classroom due to the influx of students.
      The Park Gate School House was located near the Ellwood/Koppel Bridge across from the former Greenberg Auto Parts building. The building itself was torn down shortly after the last semester of school in 1965. We would enjoy hearing your memories of the old school. Please email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com or share your memory in the “comments” section below.

      Jim Hardie may have said it best when explaining the dance craze that hit Ellwood City in the late 50’s, 60’s & 70’s. “That timeline would include the very first of the Baby Boomers and the last teenagers of the 1950′s. Those that had one foot in one generation and the other in a new one got to experience  the birth of Rock and Roll, Doo-wop, Folk and the music of the 60’s.”
      I have gotten more than a handful of people that keep mentioning the dances in Ellwood City. Having not come from that time, the only dances I know about are the ones held Friday nights after the football games in the Lincoln High School small gym where three quarters of the students leave at half time of the football game to walk over to the dance. From what I have been told, the ones held today would not even be considered a dance, but rather a “gathering”.
      We have heard stories of dances held in Ewing Park shelters with Christmas lights strewn about and the record player belting out the tunes (for those that do not know what a record player is, you’ll have to Google it.)
      We have heard about different clubs in town that put on the best dances as fundraisers for their clubs including the Road Rebels Car Club and the Kingsmen Car Club. The Son’s of Italy hosted weekend dances, the Jaycees also sponsored dances for young people, as did the Shuffle Shop after the game.
         The Shuffle Shop was a teen dance hall operated by local citizens inside the former Circle School Building. The Shuffle Shop (also known as the “Can”) is remembered today as always having dance floor crowded to the limits with enthusiastic jitterbugs and dance contests.
      Tree of Life Jewish Synagogue hosted open dances for Jews, Protestants & Catholics in their new recreation hall at the end of the Ewing Park Bridge. Even the high school had a Dance Club. E.C.M. contributor Danny John served as president of the club whose job it was to put on a dance every Friday evening throughout the school year.  The club took care of security, setup, arranging for a DJ, running the concession stand and cleanup afterwards. 
      Jim Hardie mentioned that the Dance Club would not have functioned without the guidance of the faculty sponsors: George Reese and Lou Oliastro. “They were exceptional men who allowed us the latitude to have a great time while gently, usually, keeping us from getting into trouble.  Lou passed too soon but George is still around with his quick wit and humor.”
    Jo Ann (Miller) Oxsen shared a personal memory of the Dance Club’s Friday night dances in the early 60′s. She recalled the time she and Vinnie Jeoffre (sp.?) won the Twist Contest (grand prize: Peppermint Twist record album). To this day she believes that Vinnie chose her as his partner because she was the shortest girl there that night.
      I am sure all of us would enjoy hearing your memories of the dances held in Ellwood City. Please leave a comment below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com. Please be sure to mention where the dance you recall was located.

      The massive facility known as the Shelby Social Club or the Shelby Clubhouse was built only a very short walk from Shelby Works Park located on the corner of First Street and Fountain Avenue. Mrs. Thornhill shared with us that she remembers the park had an outside swimming pool, tennis courts, playground, a place to wash automobiles and a rooming house.
      The clubhouse on the corner of Pittsburgh Circle and First Street was home to an Olympic size indoor swimming pool, a meeting room, a gymnasium, a six lane bowling alley, billiards, an auditorium, a soda grill, lounge room, cafeteria and a basketball court among other things.  The one thing it was missing was a baseball field, but the tube mill already had one; Shelby Field in the Shelby Land Company’s Plan (later to become Ewing Park.)
      Situated directly beside the P.H.B.&N.C. trolley tracks (today Joffre Street) and Foch Street, the tube mill already owned perhaps the most popular recreation of the time, a baseball field.
      An excerpt from “Hack” written by Bob Boone; “People frequently walked far out of their way just to pass Shelby Field to watch Lew (“Hack” Wilson) bat out long home runs and slide on his belly around the outfield. Careful coaching from (Connie) Wardman combined with Lew’s natural talent produced a ten-year-old who played as well as boys many years older. Most of the adults who came to watch this talented youngster also noted that he did little to conceal his pleasure at playing before an audience.”
      When you combine the Shelby Clubhouse, Shelby Park, and Shelby Field; there is not a popular recreation that is not accounted for. The large recreational plan was all within walking distance of work at the tube mill and the employee’s homes in the Shelby Land Company’s Plan.
      We would enjoy hearing from anyone else that remembers Shelby Works Park. There is very little evidence of it’s existence today except this photograph that simply says “Ellwood City” across the back and the memories of but a few. Please share below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

      The East End Hotel was built around 1893 on the outer edge of the new town located on the Southwest corner of Franklin Avenue and Second Street. The building was a hotel for only a year before being taken over by Professor Hogue of Rose Point in 1895 to be used as an Academy.
      After the Academy closed, Cell White purchased the former hotel and operated a wholesale liquor store in the first floor of the massive building and rented rooms on the second floor. A number of years later the building was converted into a boarding house named the Library Inn.
      The old hotel later became a paint factory and then an apartment building. Today the building is gone and all that remains is a parking lot for Ronaldo’s Pizza King on Second Street. We have not been successful in uncovering if the building was dismantled or if it burned down as we have been told. If you remember the building or the fate of the building, please share your memories below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

      Yet another remaining building from the Hazel Dell Business District that survived the construction of the new Veterans Memorial Bridge is this building along North Street. Many people from yester year remember this as Jake Britton’s North Side Market. Jake’s supported a good portion of the Northside and like a lot of neighborhood corner stores of the time, ran credit accounts and everyone would go in on payday and clear their accounts. “Jakies” is also recalled as the place to get Kosier foods and during the hard times one could still get groceries on tab. During the Great Depression, Jake’s was a place in town where you were able to get food with the small paper stamps.
      At the North end of the building (left side when facing the building) was a “beer garden” where humorously Kathy Blank recalled women would wait for their husbands on payday to get their paychecks before they went into the store. More recently memories recall a feed and grain store at the present location of Snyder Saw and the North Side News had a separate entrance north of the grain store. . The second floor has always been an apartment complex, and still is today.
      If you remember these stores and would like to share any memories you may have, please email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com or share your memories below.

      The first game on the new dek hockey surface, formerly the tennis courts, at Stiefel Park was played under the lights on a Tuesday night September 20th 1994. Those pictured marking the occasion left to right, Dan Foley, (team captain of the Knights who won the first game 2-1 over the Vipers); Ang Gatto, borough parks superintendent; Mayor Roy P. Meehan Jr.; Mary Fontana, chairman of City Council’s Parks and Recreationion Committee (instrumental in obtaining the dek hockey area and droppped the ceremonial first puck); Barb Carlin, president, and Sandy Blank, Community Improvement Chairman, of Junior Woman’s Club (which purchased the goal nets); and Vipers team captain Mike Johnson.