Oakhurst Easter Party - 1951 - in the old Oakhurst School
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Easter Egg Hunt - Tremont Club
Just a beautiful day for an Easter Egg Hunt - even if there is still snow on the ground.
Not too bad for an afternoon of fun in the snow and sun.
Signs of the Time
What draws my eyes into this shot are the billboards on the hillside for Duquesne Beer and Amoco Gas - wish they still did stuff like that. My eyes are also drawn to all the movie and store signs - I just love looking at them. What a great slice of history - showing Main Street from Lee Hospital on down.
Sinclair Gas Station - '36
What's left of the old Sinclair Gas Station along Washington Street - 1936 Flood
Friday, March 29, 2013
A Group of Early Johnstown Turners - 1904
This rare old gem was sent in by Carolyn Clark. She says this is a 1904 clipping that included an 1867 photograph of the founders of the Johnstown Turnverein (Turners). All the men came from Beidenkopf, Hesse-Darmstadt and included in this picture is her great-great grandfather Charles Zimmerman, Sr. and his nephew Augustus Burggraf.
Tuesday, August 16, 1905 - A Group of Early Johnstown Turners: The above cut represents a group of Turners who has this picture taken in 1867, just one year after the organization of the Johnstown Turnverein. These members did not constitute any particular class, but as they had all come from the same place in Germany, Beidenkopf, Hesse-Darmstadt, and had belonged to the Turners, there, they cemented an otherwise strong friendship by having their pictures taken as a "family."
The rear row, reading from left to right, was made up as follows: August Wild, William Miller, Julius Wild, Henry Alt and Charles Doepp
Middle Row: Charles Zimmerman, John Ludwig, George Engelbach and Augustus Burggraf
Front Row: Charles Wehn, Louis When and Harry Engelbach
The members of the Johnstown Turnverein are getting ready to celebrate the thirty-eighth anniversary of the founding of the local branch, the exercises in commemoration to be held at the Valley Park, Tuesday, August 23, 1904. The complete program will be ready within a few days.
There will be speeches, athletic contests, and games of all kinds. The married and single men of the Turners have formed baseball teams and will contest for the championship. There will be a quoit contest between several experts and contests of many other kinds. Findlay's orchestra will furnish the music for the dancing. Prof. Fritz John is Chairman of the Committee of Arrarangements and is working hard for the success of the celebrations.
The rear row, reading from left to right, was made up as follows: August Wild, William Miller, Julius Wild, Henry Alt and Charles Doepp
Middle Row: Charles Zimmerman, John Ludwig, George Engelbach and Augustus Burggraf
Front Row: Charles Wehn, Louis When and Harry Engelbach
The members of the Johnstown Turnverein are getting ready to celebrate the thirty-eighth anniversary of the founding of the local branch, the exercises in commemoration to be held at the Valley Park, Tuesday, August 23, 1904. The complete program will be ready within a few days.
There will be speeches, athletic contests, and games of all kinds. The married and single men of the Turners have formed baseball teams and will contest for the championship. There will be a quoit contest between several experts and contests of many other kinds. Findlay's orchestra will furnish the music for the dancing. Prof. Fritz John is Chairman of the Committee of Arrarangements and is working hard for the success of the celebrations.
Got Gas
So far as is known, Johnstown's first gas station was located on Maple Avenue at the site of the old Atlantic Refining Company warehouse. That its role as a filling station developed more by accident than design.
When Atlantic opened their bulk plant on Maple Avenue in 1892, gasoline was just a byproduct rather than the basic commodity of the petroleum industry. The principal product sold was kerosene along with a variety of lubricating oils for industrial use.
In those days the kerosene was delivered to the plant in railroad tank cars which held several thousand gallons. But gas, being a less important item on the sales list, was delivered to the local plant in 50-gallon barrels. The principal use of gasoline at the time was for torch lights and to a lesser extent, in some stoves.
When cars arrived on the scene there weren't any gas stations, as such in the Johnstown area. Which meant drivers had to go the Maple Avenue plant to fill up. A few years later the Freedom Oil Company opened a bulk plant at the end of Oak Street near the Stonycreek River and it likewise became a popular stopping place for the city's early motorists.
Ordinary hand buckets were used to refuel the early auto's. The buckets were filled from the 50-gallon barrels and the gas was funneled into the vehicle. A chamois skin was used to cover the mouth of the funnel to strain out any foreign objects.
As the use of cars grew, retail outlets for gasoline began to pop up throughout the city.
Just where the first full-time station was located is now unknown. But some of the early stations were: opposite the Glosser Building on Franklin along at the site of the old Pringle's Garage on Franklin Street - the pumps at these early station had a one-gallon capacity.
While the new retail stations depended on cars for their business they were also dependent - in another respect - on the horse and wagon. In those days the automotive industry hadn't advanced to the point where thank trucks were used to make wholesale deliveries to the stations. So ironically, when a retail dealer placed an order for more supplies it was delivered in barrels atop a horse-drawn wagon.
Harmonie Singing Society
This is the Harmonie Singing Society Building on Bedford Street - a lot of my grandfathers friends belonged to the group in the early 1920's and 1930's.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
A Beautiful Summer Day
A wonderful Charles Cushman Kodakrome's that shows beauty in the starkness of the surrounding hillside of Johnstown.
Codified Ordinance - Having Fun - 1861
Codified Ordinance - Johnstown Borough - 1861: No person or persons within the said borough shall exhibit any theatrical or dramatic entertainment, or shall act, exhibit, play, or perform any opera, circus-riding, or feats of horsemanship, menagerie, or exhibition of animals, panorama, painting, sculpture, natural curiosity, tricks of legerdemain, musical party, concert, or any other exhibition, entertainment, show or amusement of whatever name or nature, for which money or any other reward is in any manner demanded or received, without a license for that purpose first had and obtained from the burgess and treasurer, which said license or permit shall express for what is granted, and the time it is to continue.
Insurance Agents
Office of Daniel Crofford - General Insurance Agent - Suppes Building - Franklin Street. I have to say - there is something funky going on with the guy on the right. Look at it closely - the upper half of his body doesn't look real to me - the legs do - but nothing else does - it looks like a cardboard cutout or in other words - Victorian Photoshop.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
First Downtown Library - 1870's
First downtown library - pre-1889 Flood - this image is from the 1870's.
'77 Cleanup
'77 Cleanup - Unknown Neighborhood - though for some reason it kind of reminds me of Coopersdale.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Cambria Public Library
The Cambria Public Library sometime in the early 1960's - now where the Flood Museum is.
Atlantic City Gal
The two things I know for sure about this picture: it was taken in Atlantic City and the Gibson Girl posing for the photographer is from Johnstown (name unknown). This is a very large - 12 x 6 - odd sized photo - mounted on thick postcard stock. I just love beach pictures - they simply fascinate me - one of my favorite websites - shorpy.com - always has a very nice selection of these vintage beauties at the beach.
Grandview Cemetery
This picture which I just got has made my day - so I hurried up and scanned it in for today's post. Very early shot of the old entrance to Grandview Cemetery - when it used Millcreek Road. Knowing that the cemetery opened in 1885 and had their first burial in 1887 and judging the landscape and clothing styles - I would date this between 1887 and no later than the mid 1890's. Bucknell Avenue became the official entrance in 1904. Click on the pictures to enlarge them.
This picture is mounted on very thick cardboard and looks like it hung on a wall. I think either the two men or the young boy were related to people that had it on their wall.
This looks like some type of inscription on the stone of the doorway of the arch - but it's too hard to make out - along with a creepy looking image most likely caused by the weather. At least I hope that is the case....because it kind of reminds me of the Virgin Mary.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Gautier
Gautier around 1930 or so - you see the old Adams Street School in front of the third and fourth mill buildings on the right hand side of the picture.
March Madness
A little March Madness - Johnstown Style - at the Cambria County War Memorial - 1950's. I think Johnstown High could possibly be the team in the dark jerseys - the other team - I have no clue. What is so interesting about this is: check out the foul shots - the guys are shooting underhand.
The First Paddy-Wagon - 1910
1910 Pope-Hartford Police Car - (photo not from Johnstown)
The first motorized patrol to be placed in police service in Johnstown was this type of four-cylinder Pope-Hartford and it went into service today - March 25, 1910. The city fathers paid out $4,000 in 1910 (a whopping $97,087 now)
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Codified Ordinance - Johnstown - Motor Vehicles - 1911
Back in 1911 Johnstown city council took the first steps to regulate the use of motor vehicles on city streets.
In an ordinance approved in January 1911 it decreed that the speed of such vehicles should not exceed one mile in 2 and a half minutes or 24 miles an hour.
Going a step further, the city fathers ruled that in dangerous, congested or built-up districts the top speed should be one mile in five minutes, which figures out to 12 miles an hour.
Those were not the only restrictions imposed on the early automobile drivers in Johnstown. If signaled to do so by the driver of any horse or other animal, the operator of a motor vehicle was required to stop his machine and if circumstances required - to shut off the motor as well.
This apparently was intended to prevent the chugging engines of the early cars from frightening horses and causing runaways.
Council also decreed in the 1911 ordinance that all motor vehicles have "good and sufficient brakes" along with a horn, bell or other warning device.
Four years later - in 1915 - council adopted a new ordinance to control traffic on city streets. This time it fixed a general speed limit of 15 miles an hour. Motor vehicle operators no longer were required to stop on signal from the drivers of horses. The responsibility for keeping horses under control was shifted more directly to their drivers. "No horse shall be left unattended unless securely fastened," as per the new ordinance.
As a further precaution against runaways, council decreed that "no one shall cease to hold the reins in his hand while driving, riding or leading a horse."
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Modern News Stand - 1950's
Modern News Stand - located at the bottom of the Prospect Viaduct at the corner of Washington Street. For all you younger readers - a very nice look at a now forgotten slice of life...
Friday, March 22, 2013
The Rathskeller - Washington Street
The Rathskeller - M. Marcella, Prop. - Pilsner, Cambria, Goenner, Iron City, Emmerling and Cincinnati Beer on Draught - 520 Washington Street.
Johnstown Freie Presse
Johnstown Freie Presse - I have some of their items they published in German - but no clippings from their German newspaper.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
German Day - 1904 - Part 10
More on German Day - 1904 - sent in by reader Mike Mertle - for Part 9 - CLICK HERE. Officials and Members of Barbarossa Castle.
Geo. E. Young - German Apothecary and Bernet & Co. - Main Street
Duquesne Beer - Northcraft, Bloch & Co. - Clinton Street, Walter Hahn - Meats and Canned Goods - Bedford Street and Consumers Ice Co.
