Vintage Johnstown: December 2011

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Celebration Johnstown! - Downtown - 6pm to 10pm

Celebration Johnstown! - Downtown Johnstown - 6pm to 10pm
The Third Annual Celebration Johnstown Committee presents a family celebration for New Year's Eve in Downtown Johnstown.
Four churches and the Cambria County Library will host the event. The following groups will entertain: Jazz in Your Face, South Side Strays, Kulani Drumming & African Dance, Rosie & the Jammers, Classic Clowns, Jerry Intihar, Hard Rok, Coco & Jo, Bo Moore, Bob Beatty - Magician, Whiskeyriver Panhandlers, John Robertson - Magician, Cash Review, Jennifer Drummey, Croation Singing Society and Vivace. See: http://tribune-democrat.com/local/x1666056840/CELEBRATION-JOHNSTOWN-Annual-event-will-help-ring-in-2012 for the specific times and places.
There will also be horse drawn carriage rides around town leaving Central Park, you can ride the Inclined Plane for just $2.00 round trip, children under 12 ride free. All the churches along with the library will have food for sale or at some locations - by donation. And there will be free cookies and hot chocolate available from 6 to 10 at the office of State Rep. Bryan Barbin at his office along Main Street.
And if that still isn't enough - at 10pm - Starfire Corporation of Northern Cambria will be bringing in the New Year with a BANG with a fireworks show that kicks off at 10pm.
This is family-friendly and alcohol free event.

Service with a Smile

Central Hotel - Cresson - Service with a Smile

1889 Flood

Another of those on 1889 Flood photographs I found in an old shoebox.

Camp Reynolds

Camp Reynolds - Operated by YWCA - Johnstown, PA.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Old West End Electric - This Can't Be Good!

Has anyone else noticed the green...oozing...mold...seeping out of the bottom of the doorway at the old West End Electric Building on Fairfield Avenue in Morrellville?

Add to the fact that mold covers the inside windows - I can only imagine what the rest of the interior looks like.

The ice is not from the weather - it's from the water that is leaking out of the building. And though it's hard to tell from this photo - it looks like the interior floor is also a carpet of green mold.

This is just as much a hazard from a health standpoint as its neighboring building - the old Harris-Boyer Plant which could kill you by just standing underneath it.

Just imagine - if the Harris-Boyer Building blows up - taking this building with it - most of Morrellville will be covered in old bread crumbs,pieces of gob, bricks and mold! The Hazmat teams won't know where to start first....

And finally you have to love the irony of the "Sorry we're closed" sign....

Happy Birthday Wishes

A Happy Birthday wish goes out to Misti Speicher Piskura - one of the funniest vegetarians I know and a joy to be around. And her claim to fame is that the Piskura family live in Morrellville in a home built from the old bricks of the first St. Stephens Church.

St. Stephens Cemetery - 1930

This is a picture of the tombstone belonging to my great-grandfather Joseph Hanzel (1885-1930) in St. Stephens Cemetery. He was born in Muranska Huta, Slovakia and died in March of 1930 of TB. Even though he started in the mill - he ended up becoming an Insurance Agent for Metlife. In fact, he was on a road trip for the company in Chicago - when he fell ill and the doctor there told him to go home and get his affairs in order. He did just that and died at the family home on Stackhouse Street just days after. As did most families at the time - our family didn't even have the money to bury him. The Sokol paid all the expenses with enough leftover to help feed the family for a while.

This is the flip side of the photograph - taken November 8, 1930.

Let's Meet for Lunch at Woolworths

Let's all meet for lunch at Woolworths - downtown - my treat...you can order whatever you want! Reader Robert Schneider sent in this little slice of history.

Vote for River of the Year - Stonycreek

Click on this link: http://pawatersheds.org/vote/ to vote for the Stonycreek River - which is currently in first place. Cast a vote for Pennsylvania’s River of the Year - an honor bestowed upon a Commonwealth river to elevate public awareness about that resource and recognize important conservation needs and achievements. Voting ends on saturday and you don't need to live in the area to vote.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Trolley Time

Trolley Time - Fairfield Avenue Underpass

Saved from Death - Lightning Strike - Somerset - 1907

Mrs. George Baldwin - Saved from Death - Lightning Strike - Somerset - August 1907

Old Woodvale - 1900

Reader Amanda Powell sent this photo in titled "Old Woodvale":

Photo taken near 1900.

In background, the Bethlehem (tie) bridge crossed the Conemaugh River.

The three homes in the foreground were located on Plum Street.

Woodvale Fourth Street Bridge - 1916

Reader Amanda Powell sent in this photo titled "1916 Woodvale Fourth Street Bridge":

Photo taken 1916 on the Fourth Street Bridge (built in 1914). The name changed to Dellwood Street Bridge in March 1951. On the left is Gus Pfeffer, the man in the center is unidentified and the man on the right is Mr. Reese.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Johnstown High - 1931

Johnstown High - 1931 - A Lesson in Office Practice

Leitenberger Machine Co. - 1924

Leitenberger Machine Co. - 230 Horner Street - A couple of cars for sale - 1924 Dodge Truck, 1925 Paige, REO Sedan and a couple of REO Speedwagons

Johnstown Savings Bank - 1970's

Davidsville Man - Legs Cut Off by Train - 1907

Hiram Blough from Davidsville - legs cut off at Holsopple - by passing train - fatally hurt - August 1907

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Public School - Ebensburg

Miss Catherine Kirbey - Spinal Meningitis - 1907

Miss Catherine Kirbey - Spinal Meningitis - August 1907 - Stenographer - Cambria Commissioners

Haws House

Residence of Henry Y. Haws

The Altar - 1907

Going to the Altar - August 1907 - lots of names.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Stone Bridge - 1970's

Joseph John Statue in the Snow - 1970's

Joseph John Statue in the Snow - Central Park - 1970's

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Johnstown High in the Snow - 1970's

I just love this shot of Johnstown High School in the snow - 1970's.

Merry Christmas

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas - 1976

This picture (courtesy of JAHA) I first posted this time last year. Glosser's and snow - Christmas 1976. What makes this picture even more touching is that unknown to all of us at the time - this would be the last regular Christmas Season for the store - the flood put an end to alot of things including Glosser's - in 1982.

I was thinking of this picture when I was taking the shots of Central Park and the holiday houses - CLICK HERE to see those. To me - no store will even compare to walking into Glosser's and the warm scents of roasting nuts hitting your nose - you couldn't resist it!