Posts Tagged cole

     Ellwood City has always had good bowlers, in fact very good bowlers. The town has housed numerous bowling alleys and duck pin lanes all the way back to it’s earliest days. One team in particular was so good that they were invited to the A.B.C. Tournament in 1946 held in Buffalo, New York. The team consisted of Joe Beatrice, Ang Sanders, Chuck Cole, Frank Moskal, (front row, dark shirts) and Nick Bauer (standing, same shirt).
    We know there are many, many more bowling stories to be told of those from Ellwood City. Please leave any comments you might have below or email us any pictures or stories at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

    The house at 110 Gregg Street has had many different looks over the years and dates back along with one of the older structures in Ellwood City. The building that stood almost against the Baltimore & Ohio railroad tracks that ran through Hazel Dell was originally the Cole farm barn. The Coles were one of the original landowners in Hazel Dell and the original farm house still stands on the south side of Wampum Avenue just before the “S” bend at the western border of Ellwood City. Originally the house faced south and was given a Wampum Avenue address (800 Rear). It was not until 2007 that 911 emergency responses changed the street address to the present 110 Gregg Street to eliminate confusion.
    Until the Ellwood City Short-line was completed in 1891, the railroad ran through Hazel Dell. The B&O line ran up what today is Wampum Avenue heading west until it met North Street. From the Southern most point of North Street the line veered a little North and would run right through what is today Tony’s Distributor drive through. From Tony’s, the tracks continued west along the present alleys just north of  Wampum Avenue running right beside the old Cole family barn. After Gregg Street, Wampum Avenue turns north at the “S” bend and meets up with the abandoned railroad right away again. 
    Even after the house was converted into a residence in the early part of the 1920′s it still wasn’t completed. Since that time, there have been four additions to the house, one in all four directions. The extension out of the front of the hose may have been the result of a motor vehicle rolling down the steep hill of Gregg Street. The Beaver County Times reported on April 27, 1982 that an eighteen year old Ellwood City man was in fair condition after being flown by life-flight helicopter to Presbyterian University Hospital in Pittsburgh with head injuries. He was a passenger in a Jeep that crashed into the front porch of the Ralph Bognoski residence causing the living room wall to collapse. Four members of the Bognoski family, who were watching television in the room, were slightly injured from falling debris according to the police report. The house has since been restored and was featured on the 2008 Women’s Auxiliary Christmas House Tour. 
    If you have any memories you would like to share of the house at 110 Gregg Street or of the families that once lived here, please leave a comment below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

    When Andrew C. Cole built his house at 824 Wampum Avenue across from the Cole family homestead, the B&O railroad was almost at the front door. The now abandoned line ran from this house East right beside the Cole barn (today 110 Gregg Street) through some present alleys that were all part of the Cole farm, right through what is today Tony’s Distributing Company drive through. The empty lot at the end of the Fifth Street Bridge is all part of the abandoned B&O line that continued East along Wampum Avenue.
     The Cole’s were one of the original twelve landowners in the area when Henry W. Hartman began buying up the farms for his new town. Andrew’s grandfather, Isaac Cole came to Wayne Township during the 1790’s and his father, Abraham Cole, was born forty years later. Abraham’s house is still standing on the southern side of Wampum Avenue between Gregg Street and McKinley Street. Abraham’s daughter also built her house on the Cole farm and still stands there today at the corner of Line Avenue and North Street. 
     Andrew Cole’s house was purchased by John and Mildred Novakovich in 1957 and has undergone dramatic updating and remodeling. We are trying to uncover more of the history of the families that have lived here. If you have any memories about this house including who lived in the historic house, please leave a comment below or email us your memories at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com. 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.

     During the summer of 1928, the Ellwood City Airport was acquired by the Ellwood City Aircraft Company. The airport was located on the McKim farm only a few miles from downtown on “over 100 acres of level ground lying between hills that blocked cross winds, running along railroad tracks made it an ideal spot for a landing field”.  The airfield also housed a large wooden hanger that housed three airplanes though five planes were kept at the airport.
    With the large industrial base in Ellwood City and the fact that Ellwood City had the highest per capita payroll in the state, very important people were coming in and out of town fairly consistently. Air travel was not very popular at the time as long trips were usually by train and boat but the foresight was there, though never fully taken advantage of. The planes that were housed at the airport were not owned by any of the large companies of Ellwood City, but mostly by individuals. One airplane was owned by Ellwood City Aircraft Company, two planes were owned by W.R. Wright and his son Kenneth, one was owned by E.K Cole, and the other was from Beaver Falls. Plans were made for an additional hanger, but never constructed.
    The Aircraft Company begun as a group of young men realizing the need for an airport in Ellwood City and held a meeting for all interested residents thus forming an aero club. In 1928 K.E. Fox served as President, Henry Campbell Vice President, N.F. Rearic Secretary, and W.F. Kegal was treasurer. The instructors at the aviation school at the airport were W.H. Thomas (former Army flyer) and George Danseith (former Navy flyer).
    If you have a memory or know something we forgot to mention, please leave a comment below or email us by clicking HERE.

What Was That Restaurant: Thank you to Bob Stevenson and Susan for supplying the information on the El-Mar Restaurant (owned by Ray Gillespie) across from the Ferndale trailer court in the 1950′s and 1960′s.

Mysterious Letter – There is a letter sent from Ellwood City by Samuel Hayden on October 8th 1945 in possession of Mr. George Bannister from South Yorkshire England that sends the news that Mr. Haydens grandson has retuned safe from the war in Europe and additional information. If you are related to Mr. Hayden, Mr. Bannister would like to get in contact with you. Email us and we will give you his email address.

Ellwood City Tobacco Pickers – Local teenagers traveled to New England every summer to work on the tobacco fields there. We would like to thank Denine (Jinar) Rough, Beverly Greenberg, Janice Sodergren, and Mary Joe Davis for their contributions and for setting us straight on the facts.

Fallout Shelters: Thank you to those who have pointed out a couple of the fallout shelters in town. We know there were more so anyone who knows more or has any pictures of them, we would love to hear from you.

Early Tube Mill Products:  Thank you to the Champalin Valley Transportation Museum for supplying pictures of the bicycles made from the tubes Ellwood City produced.

U.S. Steel Conference Table: Thank you to those who helped us to track down this treasued relic that represents a very important part of Ellwood City’s past.

Grimm Bridge:  Thank you to Bruce Wells at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum and Wayne Cole formerly of Ellwood City and author of Ghost Rails VI: The Harmony Route for helping us identify the old Harmony Line Bridge that crossed the Connoquenessing into Ewing Park after running along the East side of the Tube Mill.  However, we are still looking for anybody that might have a picture of this bridge. We originally thought the Interurban Bridge was the bridge in question, but that bridge was a quarter mile downstream from the current railroad bridge in Frisco and also called the Knox Bridge.

Unmarked Indian Grave: In the back of an Ellwood City yearbook from the 1920’s, there is a small article on the legend that Col. Isaac Ellwood, whom our town is named after,  accidentally shot and killed a Native American somewhere behind the old Ellwood City Hospital. The story goes on to say that people came from as far away as Pittsburgh to visit this “Indian’s” grave and to honor him. The mystery, “where is the grave site”?

Friday’s Dairy: Thank you to the many people who helped with this mystery including Kirk Zikeli who pointed us to the actual Friday Dairy’s shop.

Blue & White Restaurant: It was located on 6th Street across from the current ESB bank between Lawrence Ave & Beaver Ave. There was a drugstore on the corner and then the Blue & White Restaurant. They were not exactly positive about the dates but believed it to be open late fifties and early sixties.

Roundheads: Thank you to Bob Stevenson for his information on the roundheads and the Sons of Veterans.