Posts Tagged creek

Jim Hardie recently shared with us his family Indian Story…

  “My Grandfather who was born in 1881 told a story passed down from his mother’s family; the Wehman’s. His grandmother or great-grandmother lived in a cabin near Burnstown. This was during the time when groups of Indians would come through the area. Normally they did not have contact with the settlers but every once in a while they did! His ancestor was extremely afraid of them.

     One day there was a knock on the door. When she opened it there stood a group of Indians. They were polite and made known that they would like to borrow a cooking pot to cook their meal. She had a big iron pot which she loved to use and grudgingly let them borrow it. They thanked her and turned to walk to the creek bank to prepare their meal.

      It was then she noticed the dog they had on a rope and which was to be the main course. The deed was done; the meal was made and eaten. The group took her treasured pot down to the water and scoured it with gravel and sand returning it to her with their thanks.

       For years that old pot could be seen in the corner of the garden plot where it was placed as soon as the group of Indians were out of sight, never to be used again.”

         The Presbyterian Church of Ellwood City is older than our town itself, having originally organized in the “old brick school house” back on July 14, 1891. The church continued to gather at the brick school by the old white wooden covered bridge that crossed the creek until finally building their own building on the corner of Spring Avenue and Third Street. Yes, I said Third Street. The original Presbyterian Church was built on the corner of Spring Avenue and Third Street. The church met there from 1893 until 1925 when they sold the lot to the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church.
      The stone building specialist, Albert Dahl built the current First Presbyterian Church on the corner of Fourth Street and Spring Avenue. Mr. Dahl also built the original First National Bank (now home to the Ellwood City Ledger) and the First Baptist Church on Fountain Avenue.
      The building itself  has grown through the years and is now also home to Parent’s Preschool and continues to host the famous Boar’s Head Festival each Christmas.
If you have a story you would like to share about the Presbyterian Church of Ellwood City, please share your memories below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

      I am always very appreciative to all those who have shared pictures with Ellwood City Memories. Sometimes I am unable to get the pictures onto the site right away as I have to make sure they are not copyrighted, but pictures like these that were donated by Scott Mackey make my task very easy.
I would like to thank Scott for these pictures he took of the construction of the current Veterans Memorial Bridge on Fifth Street. It is very easy to forget how much further west the old Fifth Street Bridge was located. I know it is mentioned a lot how the construction of the current bridge drastically changed the landscape to the Hazel Dell business district and also led to the destruction of the oldest building in Ellwood City. However, I for one do not miss driving around that island at the intersection where the end of the bridge ran into Wampum Avenue (west), Todd Avenue, North Street, and Wampum Avenue (east).
      In the one picture you can still see that under portion of the bridge closet to the bank where outside pillars are cement, there used to be a large arch like a road ran under the bridge. Does anyone know if there was a road or walkway that ran under the bridge?
Speaking of under the bridge, that pathway they built to get the cranes and cement trucks to the creek would have been a fantastic addition to Ellwood City. A pathway to the creek and a path wide enough to ride a bicycle to Ewing Park would have been a nice little side effect project. There is still a pathway up from the creek at the Ewing Park Bridge. A smaller foot bridge at the site of the old Harmony Line Bridge connecting the path to Ewing Park would have been nice and maybe someday might happen. You can see that the construction workers built a temporary bridge across the creek in one of these pictures so I guess I can hope.
      Back to the bridge, who remembers the 4′ x 4′ sheets of steel they used to cover up the holes on the sidewalk of the old bridge? I remember walking to school across that bridge and the cement would be crumbling away exposing the steel grid under the cement until one day you are walking to school (freezing) and then all of a sudden there was a hole. After a couple of days, they would just cover the hole with a steel plate and you would start watching the next spot wear away.
Speaking of the sidewalks, do you remember the large cement barriers separating the sidewalks from the roads? Those were not there when the bridge was originally built. The only thing separating the road and sidewalk originally was a normal six inch curb. I remember the way the bridge moved when the Forge trucks or Blanks trucks went across, who ever decided to add the barriers, thank you.

      There are seven bridges across the Connoquenessing Creek in the Ellwood City area but none closer to the creek itself than the Country Club Bridge. Before Stonewall Golf Course was built, it did not take much for this bridge to be forced closed due to flooding. Of course this picture was taken before then; in fact it was taken January of 1976.
There are a lot of little details that make this a very interesting picture. If you look at the pillar of the old bridge on the opposite shore, notice that the stone is still there from the original wooden bridge. It looks like there was a steel or cement bridge that used the same pillars when the wooden bridge was replaced. Guess those guys knew how to build things to last back then. For the thousands of times I have personally driven across this bridge, I do not remember it being this wide.
Of the four houses that are standing on the opposite shore along Route Sixty Five, only one still stands today. I do not know if they were torn down before or after the land was purchased for the golf course, but they have been replaced by a large grounds keeping garage for the golf course. Along the creek, on this side of the garage and barn, you can still see the dirt lane that lead to the popular Hubers Beach (later called the Nedda Lake Park).

      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.

     There has been a recent effort to make the Connoquenessing Creek a usable waterway again with the addition of boat landings from Zelienople to Ellwood City. Those that have gone down the “Conny” know that West of Ellwood City Forge to the Wild Waterways Conservancy at the site of Ellwood City’s old Amusement Park, Rock Point Park, the rapids get a “little” rough. They also know that there are places in Ellwood City that the creek gets very shallow during the summer. 
     This was not always the case. The Slippery Rock Creek that feeds into the Connoquenessing Creek in Wurtemburg used to double the size of the Conny but has dwindled down in size since Moraine State Park was built. Also, another contributing factor to the depth of the creek was the large dam built by the old power plant just west of the Ewing Park Bridge. The two pictures here were taken when the dam was still intact and according to a 1903 map the area was referred to as “the pond”. This area was the site of Foley’s famous jump and from what we hear the site of pretty good fishing including some record size catfish.
     Of course the dam failed in the early 1900′s and was not rebuilt. The creek that once almost touched the Ellwood City Nature Trail in Ewing Park is now fifty feet away from the trail and canoeing is restricted in the hot months late in the summer. We would enjoy hearing any fond memories you may have of the Connoquenessing Creek. To share your memories, please leave a comment below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

    Glen Park was one of the big selling points when convincing people to relocate to the new town of Ellwood City. The park ran along the south side of the Connoquenessing Creek from the current site of the Fifth Street Bridge and stretched approximately five miles west. Glen Park was heavily populated with a multitude of trees including hemlock, beech, birch, and other forest trees and many large rocks covered with ferns and moss. Roads were graded through for easy access and the place was named by H.W. Hartman.
    Since there are not many people around today that can recall the scenic gorge along the Connoquenessing, we can only imagine the beauty and grandeur. The creek held storied beauty where it rolls over the rocks amidst the wildest scenery, having no counterpart for romance and picturesqueness anywhere east of the Rocky Mountains.
    Glen Park consisted of over one hundred acres with walks and drives to access the beautiful scenery including the Palisades, the Sentinel Rocks, etc. The park also had six crystal clear never ending springs bubbling forth from the rock formations and seven other fine springs flowed from the tabled and mineral ridge above.
    The park was abandoned when the factories along the B&O railroad began dumping garbage and refuse along the top of the hill. The area along the creek is still undeveloped and has regained a lot of the natural beauty that was lost. The old Glenn Park would make an ideal scenic spot for a bicycle trail similar to those found in Pennsylvania’s State Park’s.

    This beautiful house was built in the middle of a farm with a beautiful view of the Connoquenessing Creek in 1872 (before Ellwood City was founded) for John C. Johnston’s family. The Johnston’s were descendants of Andrew Nye, who settled on the tract of land known as “Great Falls”. He was deeded 343 of the 439 acres that comprised “Great Falls” and settled on the tract in approximately 1788-1789. Mr. Nye is widely believed to be the first white settler within boundaries of Lawrence County. Many families in the area today can trace their descent from this man including all of the Nyes, and the greater majority of the Mains, Deemers, Matheny’s and Johnstons.
     In 1939, Superintendent of Ellwood City Schools, James Ellis Bell and his wife Mary Braham Bell purchased the home. Mr. Bell served as the  Superintendent from 1938 to 1962, longer than anyone has ever held that position in Ellwood City. Mr. and Mrs. Bell’s son Eric is still remembered in the area as having one of, if not the most, memorable championship car in the annual soap box derby.
    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 or the families that lived here, please leave a comment below or email us your memories at info@ellwoodcitymemories.

    I recently met with Mr. Frank Geniviva to discuss things on and things missing from our web site like Gen Sales on Pittsburgh Circle.  While we were drinking coffee in Thanks A Latte discussing our memories of Ellwood City, Frank mentioned that the road to the old power plant along the Connoquenessing Creek was the best sled riding hill in Ellwood City. I had never even thought of sled riding there, but he said it was so common that the workers used to leave the fence open for them so they wouldn’t crash into it.
    That hill would be fun to go down, but I can’t imagine climbing back up the hill. My brothers and I used to always go sled riding behind the old US Steel time clock station (Nico Luciano’s today). This part of Pittsburgh Circle rarely got used in the snow and when you started getting tired, there was a wooden staircase you could use. By no means do I think this was the best sled riding hill in Ellwood, but it was close to home. If we could get a ride, our hill of choice in Ellwood City was behind the women’s softball field at Stiefel Park in the old brickyard on the hill.
    Here is my question to you, where is the best hill for sled riding in Ellwood City? Please leave your comments below, or you can email us by CLICKING HERE.

    Our gratitude goes out to Jonica Walters who took the time to help by filling us in on the history of VanGorder’s Beach. As you can see below in her own words, Van Gorder’s Beach was on VanGorder Mill Road just past the third bridge on Route 488 in Perry Township.
    The beach was not similar to current popular swimming spots in Ellwood City like “B.A.B.” and “Little Falls” but was more similar to Hubers Beach (later called Nedda Lake Park) on the grounds of what is today Olde Stonewall golf course. Those that went to the popular beach would pay an entrance fee to Joe VanGorder. The creek was considerably deeper then and the bottom was completely stone. Also, along the beach were bath houses so swimmers could change their clothes.
    Please see Jonica Walters comments below and if you would like to add any memories you may have of the beach, please leave a comment below or email us by CLICKING HERE.

    Legend has it that Tom Foley jumped off the Ewing Park Bridge for a case of beer.
    On a bet, Tom was supposed to jump off of the old Ewing Park Bridge into the Connoquenessing during the Shelby company picnic in Ewing Park. Company authorities heard of the wager and prevented Tom from making the jump. But the following day Tom showed up wearing a bright red bathing suit and jumped off of the Ewing Park Bridge.
    Tom’s world famous jump was from the middle of the blue steel bridge into the water and yes, he survived to collect his winnings. I have not yet discovered if the wager was for a case of beer as legend has it or if it was for a monetary value. PLEASE NOTE: Before you try this yourself, there are some things you need to know. Foley was in the Navy and was specifically trained to dive into the ocean from the masts of ships while at sea. Also when Foley made his legendary dive, there was a damn just West of the bridge that made the creek deep enough for the dive. On maps of the area in the early part of Ellwood City, this area was actually listed as Connoquenessing Pond. The dam is no longer there making this feat impossible to duplicate so please do not try this. Ever.