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MEETINGS
The next meeting will be April 12 in the Community Room at Kings Restaurant in Sarver. Meeting is at 7, come at 6:30 if you want to have dinner. Beginning May 10 we will resume meeting at the Mill at 7 p.m.
OPEN HOUSE
Tell your friends and relatives – visit the Mill in Laneville on the 3rd Saturday of the month, May through September. Hours are 11 – 4.
THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT
Belated thanks to Council and Mayor for their continued financial support – we appreciate you and your contribution of $200! The Armstrong County Alliance has made a wonderful $250 contribution to FAHS. And, we can’t let another issue go by without thanking Rich Buday, once again, for his kindness in printing the newsletter for us, free of charge.
DUES
Dues are payable to FAHS - $10 per year. You can send to FAHS at P. O. Box 107, Freeport, PA 16229. And…we thank YOU!
INQUIRY THROUGH THE WEB PAGE
Hello: My name is Kristi. I'm trying to research my family roots and your newsletter makes reference to a person who is supposed to be my direct ancestor. It's in the piece about Dr. David Alter. My ancestor is supposedly Peter Sheetz who arrived on the Loyal Judith in 1740. I have no proof of this and was hoping you had more information on him or his daughter Eleanor (Helenor) that you'd be willing to share with me. I'd be willing to pay for the postage if you're unable to e-mail it. Also, do you know of any other websites I can check for more information? I live on the west coast so cannot come to you in person for the information. Thank you in advance for any help you can give me. Kristi (Sheetz) Groat
If anyone reading this can help, please email her.
MEMORIES
Here is another in our series on memories of long time local residents – Jane Barr Thompson.
Grist: Tell us about your beginnings, Jane.
Jane: I was born at 120 Buffalo Street; my 8 siblings were also born there. My mother, Bertha Furman Barr, was born and died (in 1988 at age 82) in that house. My dad, Herman J. Barr, was a carpenter and built many houses in the Freeport area and in Fox Chapel. The house on Buffalo Street is still in the family. There are three of us siblings still alive.
Grist: What was it like in the early years?
Jane: During the depression dad didn’t have work. We had a garden and chickens; Mother canned food and baked bread and made apple butter in a big copper kettle outside, over an open fire. She earned some money taking care of women who were having babies. My older sisters all had jobs, though none were high paying. I got some nice hand-me-downs from them to wear! Everyone in town was in the same boat, so we didn’t feel different.
Grist: Sometimes holidays are what we remember the most. Do you have special memories of Christmas?
Jane: Dad did all the decorating of the tree and it was the custom to put moss underneath. He would collect it from the woods and store it in the basement, wet, for weeks before putting it under the tree. There were “mountains”, snow, ducks and other animals around, and it looked like a fairyland – just beautiful.
Grist: What did you do for fun and entertainment?
Jane: We had an apple tree and played under it in the summer. There was a great big porch, with latticework underneath and in the summer other kids would come and we’d play house under that porch.
Grist: Did you attend St. Mary’s school?
Jane: Yes, I went there through 8th grade, then to Freeport High School. When I was in 1st grade, the nun took a liking to me and one day she said, “Jane, I think you should be a nun. Tomorrow after school I’m going to take you over to the convent and let you try my hood to see how you like it.” Of course it wasn’t what I thought I’d want, but I went with her and tried it on. I said, “I don’t think I could stand that.” In 1935 I was ready for high school.
Grist: It was about that time you met your future husband, Bill.
Jane: Yes, he grew up at 120 Stewart Street; our houses were not quite back-to-back. But he was 4 years older than I, so I didn’t really know him until that special summer. We got to talking a lot up at the Baptist Church where the boys would hang out. Bill wanted to see more of me than that and asked to meet my parents. I wasn’t sure how my mom would take it; I was pretty young, after all! Bill had a Model A Ford with a rumple seat. He used to go around the 4th street corner on two wheels, squealing and mother used to have a fit. “That darn fool’s going to kill himself!” But that first meeting went well and Bill was perfect to them from that day on. Once I kidded my Dad, I said, “Sometimes I think Bill comes to see you instead of me.” When my dad was dying, he asked Bill to bring water from the well up in the back yard and shave him; that was his last request.
Grist: So your romance blossomed through your school years?
Jane: Yes. When I was a sophomore he asked my parents if he could get me a diamond and be engaged. Mom said, “Well, all right. But Jane can only wear it on weekends, not to school.” When I was a junior, they offered some schooling for girls planning to marry – we learned how to sew, fill a hope chest, and so on. We were married in 1940. Bill actually had to go to work the day after we married; we figured we could always take a honeymoon later. It turned out to be much, much later!
Grist: Did he serve during WWII?
Jane: Yes, Bill was in the Navy; he chose the Navy because he felt it would be better for his bad knee, with no marching. He qualified for schooling at Great Lakes. He became a quartermaster and spent 6 or 7 weeks at Great Lakes and I visited him there once for a weekend. He joined the Navy to see the world and all he saw was the West Indies; he was in Cuba and Puerto Rico on a small ship and they were not in any actual fighting.
Grist: Bill worked at Schenley when he was drafted – did he return there when the war was over?
Jane: Yes, they said he would have a job when he got home and he did. Chuck Young was one of his bosses and Bill ended up staying there for 47 years, retiring in 1982! The plant was closed shortly after that.
Grist: Do you remember much about prices from those early days of marriage?
Jane: A loaf of bread cost 6 cents; ground meat was 33 cents a pound. You could get a box of cookies for 29 cents. Our gas bill was $8/month and electric $2.93. Water came in at $1.65 a month. Bill was a very saving person. As a school student he was the first Valley News Dispatch paperboy in town. He’d buy the papers for a penny each and sell them for two cents. He picked them up at the train station. He also got up in the morning and delivered milk and also went to Cramer’s Dairy and was a soda jerk there. He was a real go-getter. When we got married we were able to buy new furniture. A sofa and matching chair cost $85.00.
Grist: Did you always live in town?
Jane: Yes, we started out in Alex Brenneman’s apartment above Thompson’s drug store. The rent in that apartment was $20 a month. We lived in a house on High Street next and then bought our house on Franklin Street in 1949. We had hand money down on the house, which was owned by Old Freeport Bank. We went in to see them and they wouldn’t do a GI loan for us, but would lend to us at 6%. So, we went across the street to see Sam Kaufmann and he went for a GI loan at 4% for us. Over the years we’d borrow money from Sam for improvements, etc., and the last time I went in to pay it off, Sam said, “You know, I’ve never seen two more scared looking kids than you two when you came in the first time. You’ve certainly done very well.”
Grist: Tell us about your children.
Jane: We had one daughter before Bill went to the service, and five more children after that. Our first child was born in 1941, the last in 1957. With our first child I was in the hospital 11 days and the bill was $60 – they only charged me for 10 days. It was Allegheny Valley Hospital and Dr. McCafferty delivered her. The last child, a boy, was born in 1957 and I was in the hospital 4 days; the bill was $98.20. This included a circumcision tray for $2.50, 4 days at $12 each for me and 4 days for the baby in the nursery at $4.50. There was a $15.00 delivery room charge. Our children are Judy, Jay, Susan, Sallie, Wendy, and Billy. They live close by and all the grandchildren but one also live in Pennsylvania.
Grist: Have you worked outside the home much?
Jane: At 11 years of age I was chosen to take care of grandma (granddad was gone by then); and I did her washing, ironing, dishes. I had to stand on a stool. My uncle lived at home and worked at Maxwell’s men’s store, across from the old fire hall. He wore white shirts that had to be starched and ironed. The starch had to be made, of course, no spray starch then. I still like to iron and my kids tell people they will bury one in my casket! As a teen I worked for my sister, Mercedes, cleaning and ironing. When I was older I worked for her in the shop for several years. She traveled as far as Germany to buy items. Mercedes made many beautiful lamps out of almost anything. Wendy did a lot of painting on them. The shop was sold to Ed Wallace of KDKA. I worked for him and his wife for a short time before they moved to Fox Chapel and I also managed a shop for a lady from Leechburg for over a year.
Grist: The wedding write up (that follows) says that you got married at the rectory.
Jane: Yes, Bill was Presbyterian so we couldn’t marry in the church. But neither parent objected. He was the best fellow, our children were raised Catholic. When Father Denny was here he sent a letter to all the non-Catholic spouses asking if they’d like to join the church. Bill thought about for a time and then said he’d try it. And, he made a very good Catholic. My dad and two of my brothers-in-law were also converts. You know, in those days Catholics couldn’t eat meat on Fridays, so we’d be out on a date and I’d always order a toasted cheese sandwich. My kids still tease me about that because I order it to this day. Speaking of food, Mrs. Nellie Plants baked our wedding cake.
Ed. Note: Although Jane has been a widow for 7 years, Bill is still very much a part of her life. Our visit with Jane was delightful. We promised the wedding write up, and it follows. Thanks, Jane, for sharing your story with us.
Popular Freeport Couple Exchange Marriage Vows
Last evening in the rectory of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Freeport, one of Freeport’s most highly respected young couples was united in marriage when Rev. Father Dennis Doran read the service uniting Miss Jane Dorothy Barr, daughter of Mrs. Bertha Barr and the late Mr. Barr of Buffalo Street, Freeport, and William Frederick Thompson, Jr., son of W. F. Thompson, Stewart Street, Freeport. Vows were exchanged at 6:40 o’clock. The bride, a petite blonde, wore a floor length creation of blue marquisette with pink rosebuds fashioning her shoulder corsage. Miss Helen Blair, maid of honor, wore a pink chiffon gown styled similarly to the gown worn by the bride. Pink rosebuds also fashioned her corsage. Regis Barr, the bride’s brother, was Mr. Thompson’s best man. Following the ceremony, a reception was held in the bride’s home for members of the immediate family and close friends. Postponing their wedding trip until summer, the couple is now “at home” in their newly furnished apartment in the Brenneman Building, 5th Street, Freeport. Both Mr. Thompson and his bride are graduates of Freeport High School. Mrs. Thompson was a popular member of the Class of 1939. Mr. Thompson, glass inspector at the Joseph S. Finch Co., Schenley establishment, was graduated from Freeport High School in 1935.
Cramer’s Dairy Memories
Bill Thompson worked at the Dairy; here is a memory of a customer:
It was late August of 1950 and I was getting excited about my first day in school. Bonnie Kossen, our neighbor, was a year older and she started school in 49. We would shout at each other across Silverville Road boosting about who was the smartest. The day finally came for me to head up the hill and wait for the bus; I was so excited. My two older sisters, Janella and Mary rode the bus with me so I felt safe; at least I wasn’t by myself. Oh, yes, Bonnie Kossen was on that bus also. We arrived at Buffalo Elementary and I was sent to a small school building that had just two classrooms. My teacher was Miss Shields; she was tall and very bossy. We slowly learned our ABCs and a few words so we could read Dick & Jane. About midway through the school year, Miss Shields told us we were going on a school trip. She would not tell us where we were going until the day arrived. Everyone was lined up and we got on the bus with so much excitement; we were going to Cramer's Dairy! All we could think about was the free ice cream cone that would be handed to everyone at the end of the tour.
As the bus pulled up to Cramer's I remembered passing there every day on my way to school. I had no idea of what was inside; all I could think about was my free ice cream cone. We got off the bus and were told to stand in line. The front doors of the building were opened and we slowly walked inside. There were quite a few tables and chairs and a long counter top where you could place your order for a sundae or milkshake. The guide for our tour told us about the farm across the street and how all those milk products were used in some way at the dairy. As we walked in back of that long counter we entered a large room where there were large shiny tanks; they were higher than my head and I couldn't see what was in them. They brought out a small ladder for us to stand on so we could see inside. Our guide told us that they were making cheese in one tank and butter in another. He also explained how the milk was processed and bottled, then delivered to our homes. After our tour was over it was time for that free ice cream cone and boy - was it good! We returned to school to learn some more and finish out the day.
Many years have passed since that trip to Cramer’s. I moved out of state in 1962. My brother keeps me up to date on all the changes in the area. I was sorry to hear the building where Cramer’s Dairy was will soon be gone. --Bruce Bennett
EMAIL REQUEST
The following email was received in late January:
“Could you please tell me when the Freeport bridge was washed out in the 1950's? My father was working at the "new" A & P store in Natrona Heights and was probably the last person across the bridge from the east. When he got to work, they asked him how he came from Apollo. When he told them across the Freeport Bridge, they told him that's impossible, it was gone! He remembers the water was so high that it looked like it was about to cover the road as he was crossing. He found out that he had crossed before Police Officer Rogers had gotten to the east bank of the river to stop traffic from going over the bridge. We are making a scrapbook for my father's 90th birthday celebration on Feb. 17. This is one of our timeline events and I can't seem to find any information on the web. In your reply if you could attach any articles or pictures from this event, it would be a great addition to his scrapbook. Had he perished that day, neither my sister nor me would be here! He has had a wonderful life! I appreciate any information that you can provide.” Sincerely, Barbara Hurley
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Gay Revi remembers the bridge going out and reports that the severe flooding had broken a barge loose from its mooring upstream, and it rushed down the river totally out of control towards Freeport, striking the bridge and taking out several spans. After the bridge fell, severed telephone and/or electrical lines needed to be reconnected. The river was still too swollen and swift for typical repair crews, so an ARCHER was called in. He shot an arrow with twine attached to it across the river. Once the twine was across the river, cables could be pulled across. Rod Chapman tells us that the gas line serving Ingleside (now known as Garver’s Ferry) was attached to the bridge.
Following the incident the people in that area had to convert their furnaces from gas to oil. This bridge, called the Garver’s Ferry Bridge, was built in 1888 and was closed May 21, 1957, when inspectors found it so rusted they were unsure what held it in place. Emergency repairs were made. Following the January, 1959, incident, the section or sections that fell in the river were replaced and the bridge was used until the current bridge, the Donald R. Lobaugh Bridge, was built. At the time the bridge went out, the rumor around town was that “Hooch” Scott was the last to cross, also from east to west. We will probably never know for sure who made that last, dangerous trip across.
MICKEY’S MILL MEMORY
The following was posted on the Mickey’s Mill Bulletin Board by Keith Crytzer:
Our Family moved to Laneville in 1954 when I was three years old. We rented the Brown-shingled house across the road from the Mill from Mr. Mirl Mickey. We lived in that house 10 years before moving back to Freeport. I am one of seven children of Harry and Sis Crytzer, Dan is the oldest, then me, Carol Jean, the twins, Kurt and Kent, Tracy and finally Kelly. I remember the Mill not as a picture in a history book or a quiet old building but as a loud, busy factory. Farmers arriving in trucks unloading and loading
heavy burlap bags (100 lbs.?) of grain, the noise of the steam engine chugging and chaff being blown out the side of the Mill is how I remember Mickey's Mill. I can still see Mr. Mickey walking home, just behind our house, from the Mill covered with white flour, past his big garden and chicken coop.
Mickey's Mill swimming hole was our front yard. We spent the summers swimming, diving off the rocks, catching crabs in the creek and night crawlers at night after a rain to use as bait for fishing in the creek.
Our backyard was the old baseball field. When we weren't swimming we were playing baseball or watching the softball leagues play in the evenings. We would also walk up the railroad tracks running beside the creek (now Rails to Trails) and swim at the Rocks, Van Tine's Farm and occasionally all the way to Pine Island and the Otter Rocks. Mickey's Mill was a wonderful place to grow up.
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