For those that complain that the football field and track are too far away from the school, there was a time the field was right beside the school. I have been asking for awhile for any pictures anybody might have that show the old field at the school and am grateful for the ones I have received. If you have a picture you would like to share please email me at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com. So far I have three pictures that I received permission to use and would appreciate any input you may have about them.
    In the first picture you can barely see the field at the bottom of the picture but it gives us a real good idea of the location. Some of the more interesting things about this picture are not so much the field but the layout of Lincoln High School at the time. At the time of this picture, there was a whole additional three story wing of the school where the current cafeteria, maintenance garages, and the “bridge” to the large gym are today. I have to ask those that remember, what was the layout of this wing? Was it all classrooms? I know the school did not have a cafeteria but did this wing have anything comparable to the size of the current cafeteria? Was the ground floor a locker-room for Lincoln Field for both home and away teams? Finally, was there a “band” room and a room dedicated for the choir before the addition?
    Okay, back to the picture, it’s nice to see the old Hartman Elementary School building and you may notice that Holy Redeemer is not there. Where the church parking lot is today, is the former BVM Church and previous to that it was the Methodist Church.
    Now back to Lincoln Field and the second picture. This is an action shot of the 1925 Ellwood City - New Castle game. In the background of the picture you can see the steel work for Lincoln High School that was under construction. You can also see how tight the stands were as an estimated 10,000 people watched the game from the bleachers, on top of parts of the school, and on top of neighboring houses. You can also clearly see how muddy the field was for the game and why New Castle cried for many years that the Ellwood City Fire Department flooded the field to slow down New Castle. The ball carrier in the picture is New Castle’s great Scooter Day, who despite a valiant effort, was not was not able to get into the end zone against the incredible Ellwood City defense.
    In the third picture here, you get a better layout of the field. As you can see, not only did the fans of Ellwood pack the bleachers but it looks to be two to three deep along the fence. Notice the people on top of the First Christian Church watching the game too.  This was not only a football field, but it was the school’s baseball field at the time. Home plate was beyond the field goal posts in the corner of what today would be Oak Avenue and Fourth Street. You can get a little bit of a better idea of the layout of the baseball field in the first picture. In addition to baseball and football Ellwood City also added four public tennis courts to Lincoln Field in 1930.
If you remember the field and would like to share your memories, please leave a comment below or email me at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

Originally Published Sept 25, 2009

As you may know, I have been looking for a picture of the old West End School, but in the meanwhile Mr. Mickey Franus who attended the school through the fifth grade in the late 40′s & early 50′s sent me this picture taken at Halloween in front of the double doors of the school.  He recalled that at that time the principal was Miss Cooper and other teachers at that time were Miss Wright, Miss Dumb & Miss Norma Marshall.

Those pictured include from left to right; First row (unknown), Mickey Franus, Donald Manzo, Rosalie Desanzo, Starr Caminite, (unknown), Roy Holler, (unknown), Barbara Woods, & Betsy Reynolds. Middle Row Peggy Micklos, J. Fox, James Halto, (unknown), Richard Tribuzio, (unknown), Dorothy Myers, Joseph Fosnaught, James Humphrey, & Anna Tamelcoff. Third row (unknown), James Tammaro, Anna Annaruma, (unknown), Robert Sheldone, Raymond Majors, James Ammeen, & Miss Norma Marshall.

The West End School at the corner of Tenth Street and Crescent Avenue is no longer part of the Ellwood City School District but is still used as a school today. The brick building standing today was not the original school house. The original school opened in 1893 the year after Ellwood City became official. At the first West End School dedication, R. Gregor McGregor was the keynote speaker. Additional elementary schools were built throughout town as the population continued to grow until 1902 when the Central Public School was built just a couple of blocks away from the West End School at the corner of Lawrence Avenue and Sixth Street.

Tom Daransky shared with us that the original school was torn down in the early 50′s and the current building was built in the same location. He recalled attending the school until its destruction at which time all the students were sent to Hartman Elementary school until the new building was completed. Mr. Daransky also shared him memories of the school principal, Miss Cooper, for whom he spoke very highly of. Other memories involved the playground directly behind the building. We would like to hear your memories of the old school, please share your memories below or email me at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

I decided to repost one of my favorite articles on the web site. The post features a priceless snapshot in time of Ellwood City taken from 196 feet above the town sometime between 1909 and 1915. It is amazing how much has changed from then to today. There is so much in the picture it is easy to miss some of the more interesting things. I have added yellow numbers to some of the points I would like to draw your attention to in this picture, of course there is more than the twelve things I mention here and would love to hear about something I missed.
    The first point of interest I see when I look at this picture is the grand Hotel Lawrence surrounded by the majestic Oliver Park. Though it is difficult to get your bearings with this picture, we are actually looking at the side of the Hotel. The front of the Hotel formally called Hotel Oliver is the side with the large white peaks and faces down Fifth Street.
Secondly, in almost the center of the page we see the Central School building built in 1902 on the corner of Lawrence Avenue and Sixth Street. Today the Ellwood City Municipal Building is located on that lot of land with a number of memorials displayed in the front lawn. The large World War II memorial in front of the Municipal building was purchased through multiple fundraisers including donations and with the extra money that was raised for Ellwood City’s anniversary.
Number three in the picture is the Park Hotel, built 1895 and located on the North side of the Ellwood City Short Line. Today, most people don’t remember the Park Hotel and I have had a difficult time uncovering the fate of the old Hotel. Did it catch on fire from the sparks of a passing train, or was it simply torn down due to dilapidation? The fact remains that the building is no longer there but if you look the next time you drive past, one of the walls from its foundation is still standing today.
Four and Five go together, almost. Point number four is the old train station that is no longer there today and number five points to something that is actually missing from the picture, the Fifth Street Subway. The railroad you see in the picture beside the train station was the Pennsylvania Railroad, who owned Rock Point Park. The railroad through Ellwood City was known more as the Ellwood Short Line and replaced the B&O railroad that was built along the Northern bank of the Connoquenessing Creek in 1876. After the Ellwood Tunnel was completed in 1892 the railroad connecting North Sewickley & Rock Point ran through the natural plain which Ellwood City was built upon and the hilly B&O railroad was abandoned.
Ellwood City owes its birth more to the Ellwood City railroad tunnel and Beaver Falls then the more common misconception of New Castle. Ellwood’s founder H.W. Hartman was dissatisfied with the conditions in Beaver Falls where he was the head of the Beaver Falls Water Company and Hartman Steel Company.  He heard the railroad was planning to build the tunnel to bypass the slower line through Hazel Dell and put his plan for an industrial resort town into action.
The passenger station in the picture, known as the Union Station, served Ellwood City until the mid 1950’s. One text says the station was torn down as late as 1957, while another says it was torn down as early as 1955. Today, a parking lot is all that remains beside what is now the Buffalo & Pittsburgh Rail line.
Just west of the Union Station is number Six, the freight yards of Ellwood City. The large structure on the Northern side of the tracks is the B.O. Freight Station. The station was located just West of Sixth Street which was a main road at the time of the picture as the bridge connecting Ellwood City to Hazel Dell was the Sixth Street Bridge, not the Fifth as it is today. The “Hazel Dell Bridge” as it was known then connected Sixth Street and College Street. The original Fifth Street Bridge was not erected until 1915.
The B.O. Freight Station was demolished in 1982 and the property was sold to the Ellwood City Forge Group.
Our number seven point of interest is one of the few things in the picture still standing today. Point seven is the Stiefel Building on the corner of Lawrence Avenue and Fifth Street. I have yet to discover if the building was named after one of Ellwood City’s most prominent citizens, Mr. R.C. Stiefel, if he actually had the building built, or maybe he even had his offices there.
Number eight is the old tube mill more commonly known to the folks of Ellwood as “Mill B”. Originally the mill was the home of the Ellwood Shafting & Tubing Company, the first manufacturing institution to establish itself in Ellwood City as early as 1891. “Mill B” was dismantled in 1923 and the property was sold to Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad for a freight station and yard. It is hard to see it today but from Sixth Street to Blanks Concrete and Supply was nothing but P&LE spurs. Five or six lines of empty railroad lines loading and unloading freight coming into and out of Ellwood City all day long. August 25th 1981 marked the last day P&LE took a loaded boxcar, cargo from Airway Industries out of Ellwood City.
Nine is less of a specific point as it is a general area. As you can see from the picture, the West End of town was the direction of the growth in the early days of the town. The mills and businesses were more congregated at that end and most Ellwoodians thought that the town would continue to grow in that direction. In fact the first school built in Ellwood City after its founding was the West End School and the first hospitals were all located in that direction of town. It wasn’t until Ralph C. Stiefel and J.H. Nicholson left the Shelby Seamless Tube Company in 1899 and erected the Standard Seamless Tube Company (later called “Mill A”) that the town began spreading east also.
Ten is the beautiful picnic grounds of Oliver Park and the site of Ellwood City’s first murder. According to “A History of Ellwood City, Pennsylvania” James Bell was found in the park next to a tree, murdered. The victim, who had carried the mail from Ellwood City to the Belton Post Office, was also robbed as his pockets were all turned inside out. The park was a popular picnic destination (if you got permission from the Hotel) and how Park Avenue got its name.
Eleven simply points out the large farms and spread out residences that still existed in Hazel Dell. Hazel Dell originally was on both sides of the Connoquenessing until Merrit Green and Henry Hartman purchased all the farms on the South side of the creek to build Ellwood City. The roads through Hazel Dell were the old Indian trading paths from when the Shawnee & Delaware Indian tribes occupied the area. It was these tribes that actually named the Connoquenessing, which means “can’t canoe”. Hazel Dell was cut in half by the Connoquenessing and connected by the covered bridge known as the Jones Mill Bridge or White Bridge (built 1858 and razed 1898) located at the present site of the Fifth Street Bridge.
Hazel Dell did not become a borough until 1901, almost ten years after Ellwood City. The borough of Hazel Dell officially consolidated with the borough of Ellwood City in 1914.
Finally, point number twelve reminds you of the time period that the picture was taken. The buildings with no windows behind the houses are not garages, but barns. Henry Ford introduced the Model T in 1908 but didn’t begin the moving assembly lines in his factory until 1913, so there were not very many cars in the town when this picture was taken. Some of the buildings are barns, other smaller buildings are outhouses. My grandmother’s house inside Pittsburgh Circle was originally built as a boarding house for tube mill workers before indoor plumbing was the big craze on HGTV. Four bedrooms, BIG bedrooms, and no bathroom.

If you noticed something I missed or if you feel that I got something wrong, please leave a comment below or email me at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

Originally Posted February 5, 2010

    I know I am going to get in trouble for this, but I am not positive about the history of the Saint Agatha School of Religion. I know the building was built in 1961 but I was hoping you can help fill us in on rest of the history. I did find out that the CCD classes were held here for the children of Saint Agatha but for how many years I am not sure. I do know that it has also been home to a pre-school for many years, home to Boy Scouts troops, and of course the site of the Saint Agatha Bazaar.

Growing up in the area, I always wanted to ride the ferris wheel and the motorized swings but was never aloud as “they don’t look safe”. One year there was a mishap with one of the rides and of course I heard how my mother was right. For not a big area, there sure are a lot of memories about the Saint Agatha Bazaar that come rushing back very quickly. The Ferris wheel, the tables lined up along the side for the food, the smoke filled rooms inside for the adults, and of course seeing your friends you haven’t seen since school let out. It is hard to pick just one thing but next to the unbelievable food, the nickel toss was my personal favorite. What do you remember about the Saint Agatha Bazaar or the School itself?

Please share your memories by leaving a comment below or email me at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

Originally Published April 29, 2009 

These pictures was passed on to me from Ernie Young who got the pictures from a friend, Jim White.

1st Grade Perry School Wurtemburg 1939

This first grade picture from the new Perry School that replaced Wurtemburg School after it burned down in 1933. Ernie Young who gave me these pictures is in the second row fourth from the right side, Ray Campbell in the row right behind him to the left. In the bottom row third boy from right is Ken Ketterer’s brother (?), bottom row second boy from left is Ron Nye. Best part of this picture could be Jim White’s knickers.

Second Grade Ellport School 1940

Back row: Don Hinkle, Jack Simon, Dorothy Paul, Margaret Smilek, unknown, Lucas?, Jerry Toth, James Wiltrout, Teacher unknown. Middle row: Eleanor Chima, Sylvia Toth,  Norma Androla, unknown, unknown, Rose Marie Toth,  Rose Mary Huzinec
First row: Al Jerome , Bob Evans, Jim White, Harry Gerhart?,  Dennis Bucher?

In the first name, Mr. White isn’t sure if the Harry Gerhart name is correct and also the Dennis Bucher name. In the back row, Jim is not sure of the first name of Lucas.

3rdGrade Ellport. Sept 1941
Left to Right: Bob Evans, Jack Simon, Rose Mary Huzinec, Dorthy Paul, Jim Wiltrout, Margaret Smilek, Norma Androla, Lou Conti, Jim White, Jerry Toth, unknown, unknown, Sluggo Powers, unknown, Eleanor Chima, Don Hinkle, Al Jerome, Patty Thompson, Rose Marie Toth.  Teacher unknown

Ellport 4th Grade Sept 1942
Front row: Jim Wiltrout, Harry Gerhart, Jerry Toth, and Jim White. Second row: Rose Mary Huzinec, Bob Evans, Patty Thompson, Peggy Weir, Don Hinkle, Norma Androla, Eleanor Chima. Third row: Unknown, Dorthy Paul, Lou Conti, Margaret Smilek, Jack Simon, unknown, Rose Marie Toth – Teacher unknown

5th Grade Ellport, 1943
 Front row: Don Hinkle, Jim Wiltrout, Harry Gerhart, Lou Conti, Jim White, Jack Simon, and Bob Evans.  Standing: Peggy Weir, Dorthy Paul, Joyce Elchison, Margaret Smilek, Doris Taylor, Eleanor Chima, Patty Thompson, Rose Mary Huzenic. The teacher’s name written on the back as Miss Munell, but it could be Mundell.

6th Grade Ellport 1944
Front row: Harry Gerhart, Ron Nye, Jack Simon, Jim White, Bob Evans, Jim Wiltrout, Don Hinkle. Standing: Rose Mary Huzinec, Patty Thompson, Eleanor Chima, Joyce Elchison, Lou Conti, Don Hazen, Dorothy Paul, Doris Taylor, Peggy Weir – Teacher, Miss Curry – Dog unknown.

    Chuck Rockyvich recently submitted a class picture in-front of the Ellport School believed to have been taken either the fall of 1952 or spring 1953. This picture that Chuck got from his aunt, Eleanor (Rockyvich) Castner, has school more visible than other pictures folks have graciously donated to Ellwood City Memories. The only identification on the back of the picture is “8th grade, Mrs. Hoffman.” If you recognize anyone from the picture we would enjoy hearing from you. Please share your memories below or email me at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

The Lincoln High School Class of 1962  will hold a Class Reunion June 29 and 30, 2012.    Reservations can be made by contacting Joe Rubino or John Pratt.  A picnic and bonfire will be held on Friday evening  at the Cortez Shelter on Bridge Street beginning at 6:00 pm    On June 30, we will gather at the SOI for an evening of dining and dancing and reminiscing.  Starting at 5:00  with a social hour.  We are hoping that all of our classmates will try to attend and join in on the fun.  If you have any questions, please email Cheryln Butchelle Rangel at Ellwoodian1944@hotmail.com.

Mr. Bob Evans, originally from Ellwood City (Ellport) and now lives in Greensburg, recently found his first grade class picture taken in front of the Ellport School. Though the picture doesn’t much of the building, this is the first picture we have received of the school. This picture was believed to have been taken in 1939 yet Mr. Evans was still able to identify most of the students that would have gone on to graduate from the Lincoln High School in the class of 1951. To the best of his memory, pictured from left to right: First Row – Albert Jerome, Robert Evans, Dan Henton, Dennis Butcher, Harry Gerhart, Jerry Toth Second Row – Rose Mary Huzinec, Sylvia Toth, Norma Androla, Eleanor Chima, Dorothy Paul, Patrica Thompson, Don’t Know, Rose Marie Tot Back Row – Donald Hinkle, Jack Simon, Margaret Smilek, Miss McElwain, Sam Burton, James Wiltrout

       The current Hartman Elementary School is located on the same property as the original school at the corner of Fourth Street and Crescent Avenue. The school sits upon property that was once Oliver Park that surrounded the Hotel Lawrence. The hotel and land were sold in 1915 to the Ellwood City school board and converted to a school building and apartments until it was torn down in 1925 to make room for the newly planned civic center that included Lincoln High School, Hartman Elementary School, a public library and more. Unfortunately half was through the massive project, the great depression hit and the civic center was cancelled due to the lack of money needed for a project so large.

When it came to naming the new elementary school and the high school, it was decided to put it to a vote. It was decided by the vote to name the high school Lawrence but was later changed to Lincoln High School and the elementary was named after the towns founder Henry W. Hartman. The original Hartman Elementary School was finished before the new high school and classes started in 1923.

For a number of years the school was alongside the baseball field and attached football field. These fields were moved to Ewing Park when the High School was expanded and a parking lot was added. Those that went to the original Hartman School remember that parking lot as their playground for recess and gym classes. The 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.

I have only been in the new modern school once or twice but I remember Hartman with the old creaky floors, coat rooms, and eight foot wooden heavy doors. In a previous post, we were told by Cheryl Franus that when she started teaching there was a room in the basement of that school that was full of food supplies, gas masks, bedding, etc, all marked appropriately with the triangular design of the Civil defense and the fallout shelters.

When the Ellwood City School Board decided to tear down the original building and build a new school the current students were displaced to the other elementary schools in the district with the large majority attending the previously closed Ewing Park School. We would like to hear your memories of your time at Hartman. Whether it be the teachers, the intimidating hall ways, the art/music room, dungeon of a cafeteria anything; we would like to hear your memories. Please share below or email me at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

I forgot to mention the orange and gray gym. I went to that school two or three years and only remember going into that gym ten times at the most and half of those times were for class pictures and Santa’s workshop.

Originally Published 12-22-08

    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.