The 1949-50 school year at Park Gate School included the following sixth, seventh and eighth grade students. In the front row were, left to right, Ray Foley, Angelo Prestopine, Donald Hogue, Judy Robinson, Bud Hill and Joe Regna. In the second row were, left to right, JoAnne Kraynak, Joan Kirkham, Norma Tritt, Carl Campbell and Eugene LaRitz. In the third row were, left to right, Rose Marie Conforti, Marlene Volpe, Clarence Olinger, Shirley Kolitz and Albert Hogue. In the fourth row were, left to right, John LaRitz, Donna Swesey, unknown, John DeCaria and Joyce McMunn, In the back were, left to right, Fred Regna, Earl Snyder and Mrs. Edna Coulter, teacher. This picture once belonged to Laird Coulter, son of Mrs. Coulter but is now in the possession of the Ellwood City Historical Society.

North Side School has by far had more memories shared on this web site than any other elementary school in the area. On the post North Side Elementary School Class Pictures, we had a number of people that shared their rich memories. Instead of writing my own post, I am just going to quote some memories and share some new pictures.

      Quoting R. Scott Mackey: “North Side Elementary was…in a time and place where fundamental values were taught both by rote and by example, and we who were fortunate enough to live within this atmosphere became better adults because of the association.”
-R. Scott Mackey: I recall having attended North Side Elementary from approximately October 1954 when I transferred into second grade from Hartman Elementary until June 1959 upon ‘graduation’ from sixth grade. I believe students rotated classrooms while teachers were stationary and taught either general subjects through grade four and their specialty subjects for grades five and six. The teachers I can recall from that era were:
Mrs. (Lorraine) Battersby (2nd grade), Mrs. Wilson (3rd grade),  Miss (Julie ?)Kelly (4th grade / Health), Mrs. (Estelle) Franz (5th grade / Geography), Miss Calvert (Art), Miss (Blanche) Shively (6th grade / Homeroom / English), Mr. (Joseph) Lanzi (6th grade / History / Geography), Miss (Josephine) Hartzell (Principal)
Beyond academics, the massive wintertime snowball fights between 5th and 6th graders which turned the grounds into a veritable war zone at lunchtime were most memorable.
-Jim Hardie: This time of the year brings back memories of the Christmas plays held each year by the N. S. pupils. It was always a time of excitement for not only the actors but also the audience. I remember one year when “Joseph” fainted and tumbled down on the manger propelling the baby doll “Jesus” to fly out of his bed and into the air. …
-Dave Larson: I remember…
- Saying the “Pledge of Allegiance” every morning
- Exchanging valentines…I must have given Brenda Snare at least a 1,000
- Snowball fights…back outside when the streetlights went on…to fight again!
- Going home for lunch…that in itself may have made the values take hold
- President Eisenhower’s photograph displayed proudly in your home room
I remember Mrs. Wilson. To this day I will never be caught without a handkerchief.
I remember Mrs. Calvert. How could you forget someone who told you that you could draw?
       Jim Hardie: Miss Calvert … I think it was this time (December) in 1956 when she had us all come to school in the evening to have a Christmas party. We met and walked around caroling for a while until we crossed the 5th Street Bridge and walked to our principal’s (Miss Hartzell) apartment. We started singing and she came out on her balcony to greet us. The snow began in earnest on our walk to her house and on our return everything was covered with a new layer of snow and the storm kept on all evening. The lights of the bridge were beautiful in their turn -of- the- century style covered with snow. Like a postcard.
-Chris Pavkovich: What a school! Floors that creaked, no air conditioning, and a gym that echoed to high heaven and flooded during rain spells. I remember the kick ball tournaments toward the end of the year, spinning on the merry go around immediately after lunch until we were sick, and the old basketball courts (at one time this was the place to play).
-Quoting R. Scott Mackey again: I offer my thanks to those now departed who provided the examples which we learned and by which we still live in the present day. Hopefully, we have all had the opportunity and the sense of responsibility to pass along those same values to the generations who succeeded us.
We all would enjoy hearing any memories you may have of attending North Side Elementary School. Please share your memories below or email me at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com.

     Mrs. Jo Ann (Miller) Oxsen recently shared with us a great picture she came across while going through some old family photo albums. The attached photo is of her great aunt’s (Anna Marie Helling) Ellwood City grade school class from the late 1890′s. Anna Marie was her grandmother’s (Nell Helling Young) and great uncle’s (Dr. H.E. Helling) sister. Fortunately, this picture was labeled with the teacher (Miss Cunningham) and all of the students in the class. Some of those in the picture include… Helling, Wilson, Sims, McDonald, Whittaker, Marshall, Taylor, Cox, Ingram, and many more.
      Jo Ann believed the picture to be from 1880′s or 1890′s. If the picture is indeed taken in front of the school, there are four possible schools this could be. The Circle School was built 1895, the Wurtemburg School was also standing at that time and both had similar brick and stone as this picture. Other schools from that period that were believed to be brick buildings were the original West End School and the Texture Building that was used for a school for a period until the Central School was built in 1902. Unfortunately I do not have pictures of those two schools and I am not 100% positive that either was brick.
We would like to thank Jo Ann very much as this is not the first picture she has contributed and hopefully not the last.

          I was talking to a young man that is in the fifth grade about what he thought about going to Hartman “Intermediate School” this year instead of North Side Elementary as he did last year. His biggest complaint was the different playgrounds. I agreed, there was a big difference, but I told him “Back in my day…”, you know, etc. etc.
I have never been on Perry’s Elementary school’s playground but have heard from former students that claim it was the largest recess area of all the schools. I will have to take their word for it as I said I have never seen it, but I have heard of the big field behind the former Wayne Elementary School that also had two playgrounds. Another school with an exceptionally large recess area was the former Walnut Ridge Elementary school as its yard was bigger than the school itself. As a kid, I remember having little league baseball practice there and we would not even come close to disturbing anyone who was playing on the playground at the time.

I was also fortunate enough to attend the old North Side Elementary school when the yard was located where the current school stands. The field behind the school was big enough to have a game of kickball going on at one end and a game of football at the other end. The flat field was big enough that when you were down at the other end, it felt like you were no longer even at school. All of a sudden you were just out playing with friends in a field.

The yard at Ewing Park Elementary School at one time had a slide and swing set, but little else except grass. Kickball and tag were the more common games played at recess. From what I have heard, another popular game at Ewing Park School was “chase the ball across the road”.

Then we get to Hartman Elementary School. Not the fancy state of the art one that stands today, but I am talking about the original one that had coat rooms, old wooden creaky floors and eight foot wooden heavy doors. That school had a unique playground to say the least. It had a very big metal swing set, metal slides, eight foot high metal monkey bars, a big metal jungle gym; all on blacktop. Ahh, just what every kid wants, to have recess in a parking lot. At least the modern school today has a grassy area, it’s only 8 foot by 8 foot, but there is grass. Today, Holy Redeemer is the only school where the children scrape knees and elbows and occasionally rip a pair of pants playing on blacktop. At least the playground equipment at Holy Redeemer is not bent and crooked from cars backing into them as was usually the case at Hartman.

We have heard from a couple of you about the playground at the former North Side School, but we would like to hear your memories. Please share your memories of recess in Ellwood below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

      I was flipping through a stack of old Ellwood City Ledgers that someone had let me borrow a couple of weeks ago and came to an article where they made a big deal about a certain Ellwood City baseball standout that was coming to the end of his career as a Wolverine and in his last days, hit a towering home run that not only cleared the fence but actually landed on the roof of the school. Of course this was in the days when the field was beside Lincoln High School, which a few of you might remember.    
      The way the article was written, it made the homerun seem to be a Babe Ruth-ian type of homerun that was typically reserved for movies like “The Natural”. Of course after reading this, I thought to myself that this would make a great History’s Mystery. The only problem I thought of at the time was that everyone would remember a spectacular homerun like this.
      I posted the question in the History’s Mystery section of Ellwood City Memories and it turns out, I had another problem. The home run was indeed a Herculean fete, but not that uncommon. I heard from a number of you including Bob Mallary who guessed Al Miller and Don Tindall who guessed Rich Potter. The article in the Ledger was about the drive off of the bat of Jesse Brown, but like I said, he was not alone. Jim Hockenberry, who grew up around the school remembers playing sandlot ball on the field a lot and also recalls that Mary Ann (Corigan) Caputo would easily hit baseballs onto the roof from home plate. Not only could she do it easily, but she did it regularly.
      If you know of anyone else that hit a drive onto the roof of the school from the old field, please share your memories below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

      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.

      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

      The first school in Hazel Dell on the north side of the creek was located at the corner of Line Avenue and College Street. Built in 1892, the school was originally two rooms, but more rooms were added later. When Hazel Dell became part of Ellwood City in 1914, the school was still in use.
     Through the years there were many who taught at the school including Mary Morrison, Bell McKnight, Etta Freshcorn, John Houk, Miss Springer and Edna Book. Ms. Book’s class is pictured here in the photograph that once belonged to Minnie Mingione (third girl in the second row).
      The Ellwood City School Board decided to build a new school (North Side) on the corner of Orchard Avenue and North Street in 1916, the Hazel Dell School was closed shortly after.
      In later years a factory was built on the corner of Line Avenue and College Street to produce Jessie Jeans. After a fire destroyed the factory, a portion of the building was salvaged and converted into a YMCA. Today, the building is used for the Family Fitness Center.

      Third graders in Agnes DeFonde’s class at Perry Elementary School held a “Cowboy Day” to go along with a reading lesson back in 1987. Those that took part included (front from left) Eric Scott, Robert Wiley, and Jared McElwain. Back row from left were Justin Beachem, Cindy Thompson, Kyleigh Kissick, Erica Laszlo, Kandis Boy, and Jim Norton.
      Today children are discouraged from bringing guns to school, so “Cowboy Day” is not as popular. Mrs. DeFonde, who is recalled very fondly by those we have talked to, also held a “Hawaiian Day”.
      We would enjoy hearing your memories of Mrs. DeFonde’s class, or maybe you had another teacher that used to hold fun events like this. Please leave a comment below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

Picture Compliments of Caleb Cragle

      There was a time in our history when Jockey Moore Road was lined with large family owned farms. The farmers helped each other out when possible, especially during harvest time. Walt McQuiston owned the local thrashing machine and would go to all the local farms along Wampum Avenue, Jockey Moore, and couple of farms on Line Avenue Extension. An annual tradition, the wife of the farm the men were working on that day would cook lots of great food. Walt McQuiston is pictured here posing with his J1K Separator thrashing machine with a Frick engine in 1911. Also in the picture are John McQuiston sitting on the wheel and John Wilson on the roof of the engine.
     A couple of the farms included the Phelner farm, located on the east side of Line Avenue Extension almost where Jockey Moore meets today and the Koser Farm (Elijah), opposite Jockey Moore & Line Avenue. The one room school house (still standing today) is located on what was the Clark farm on Jockey Moore Road. 
      In addition to farms, Jockey Moore area was also a productive coal mine. There is a section of the current road that has worn enough that one of the old railcar rails has become exposed again. We would love to hear your memories of this area. Please leave you memories below in the comments section or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

     According to the Lincoln High School Marching Blue Band’s Facebook page, the Lincoln High School Blue Band was created in 1958, when the school colors were changed from Maroon and Gray to Royal Blue and White. Since that year, the band under the direction of the original general manager Mr. Weinstein has been known as the Blue Band. Throughout the years the Blue Band has kept with it’s traditional high step marching. Band director Mr. Paul Berendt in 2002 switched the Marching Blue Band to an all brass format, similar to Ohio State University’s Marching Band. 
     Now under the direction of Mr. Lee Caldwell Jr., the Blue Band has kept up the traditions that have made it the “Pride of Ellwood City” marching band while adding the newest feature and fan favorite “The Funk”. 
     The LHS Blue Band has performed in numerous states and other countries since it’s inception in 1958 and thousands of Ellwoodians have been members of not only the marching band but also the numerous Lincoln High School ensembles including; Pep Band, Jazz Ensemble I, Jazz Ensemble II, Jazz Ensemble III, Commencement Band, Junior High Band, and the Elementary Band. We would enjoy hearing your favorite memory from not only those who served in the band, but those that have enjoyed the band’s performances in the numerous festivals, sporting events, parades, competitions and so on. Please share your memories below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

    This picture was taken by Harry W. Horton who was the Assistant Borough engineer under Alex Main from 1920-1925. The picture shows Ellwood City in an important stage of its development, when it was getting more of the community out of the infamous muddy roads following World War I.
     The picture is taken from the front yard of town founder Henry W. Hartman on Fourth Street looking west up Crescent Avenue. The picture was originally taken to shows Crescent Avenue being paved with bricks made in Ellwood City. As you can clearly see, Fourth Street was already bricked and looked beautiful.
    The picture was taken before Hartman Elementary School was built and while the old Lawrence Hotel was still standing. At the time or this picture, the hotel was no longer in business as it was sold to the Ellwood City School Board in 1915 and converted to a school building and apartments. The building in this picture in front of the hotel (approximately where the Statue of Liberty is located today) is probably a temporary building for school purposes.
    There are a number of homes that have not yet been built along the north side of Crescent Avenue as you can see but there are a lot of things in the picture that are no longer there. The Methodist Church on the corner of Crescent and Fifth Street is still the original wooden structure (barely visible) and we are not sure what the steeple is beyond the hotel, approximately where the Saxon Club would build their first building (today the Denny Schill apartments stands on this ground). Also in the picture is just the very edge of the trees that lined Oliver Park that surrounded the hotel and gave Park Avenue its name.
    This is another one of those great pictures where we are sure that we missed something so please leave any comments you might have below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com