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Bicentennial Parade Slated as Largest Ever
A joint parade commemorating the Cambria County
Bicentennial Celebration and the annual convention of
the Cambria County Firemen’s Association will be
held in Ebensburg on Sunday, August 8th, 2004.
The parade will start at 3 p.m. and proceed eight blocks through downtown Ebensburg. Parade chairman Ron Springer presented plans to the Bicentennial Committee and said “The parade will happen rain or shine.”
The Bicentennial Committee will judge parade floats from the elevated front lawn of the Old Stone Jail. The jail will also be the site of a pre-parade entertainment called “Smitty’s Revenge,” when escape artist Clyde
Mighells, will attempt a break from “Old Smitty’s” jail cell in the historic prison (see
In the News
for details).
Springer reported that the parade is expected to last two hours with ten marching bands, approximately 20 floats and a variety of new and antique fire trucks. Also marching will be the reunited members of the celebrated Cambria Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps.
Springer told the Committee that this parade may be the largest ever held in Ebensburg. Also, events of this size are becoming a rare thing and that the emphasis will steer away from commercialism and try to take on a family-oriented approach.
Due to expected construction on High Street, the parade route will run the entire length of Center Street from the middle school to the courthouse.
So come early! Celebrate the county’s 200 years of history and the tremendous contributions made by its volunteer firemen. |
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COMING
EVENTS
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Historic Walking Tour in Portage on August 13–
Titled “Everyday Life Along the Mainline in the Twentieth Century,” this tour is a series of historic vignettes similar to the historical society’s “Spirit Night.” It is sponsored by the Portage Area Historical Society.
Buses will leave at 6, 7 and 8pm for tours that last approximately one hour. Admission is free thanks to a grant from the Pennsylvania Humanities Council.
Reservations can be made by calling the Portage Station Museum at 814-736-9223 on Wednesdays, Saturday or Sunday from 1-4pm.
Some of the historic dramas include the story of Tom Pringle, one of the best rifle shots in the U.S., who preformed with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Also featured is the story of Hyman Goldstein, who played football against the legendary Jim Thorpe. A visit to Prospect Cemetery will relate the story of the 108 people who died during the 1918 flu epidemic and are buried in a mass grave . And there is the story of two sister who set a record by sitting in a tree for 35 days during the Roaring Twenties.
Hyman Goldstein’s story featured at Portage Area Historical Society Tour. |
Museum Night Slated for August 28-
Pictured at last year’s Museum Night are Don Wolf talking to Gina Tusing and the Rummels’- Carol and Eric. 2004 is the second year for the $100-a-plate dinner that features a gourmet meal and jazz music played under a large tent pitched on the lawn of the A. W. Buck mansion in Ebensburg. Organizers of the evening are board directors, John Kimball and Nicole Estep.
(Picture is printed in
the printed HERITAGE publication) |
Bicentennial Aviation Weekend–
September 18 & 19
Saturday is “Air History Day” featuring restored war planes and the “Thunder Pig” C-123 cargo plane.
Sunday is “The Future of Air Day” featuring a “Fly-In” by the Experimental Aircraft Association, displays of ultralights, the Flood City Corvette Club and Air Heritage Children’s Rides (ground).
Also Open that Weekend: the Historical Society, Old Stone Jail and the Courthouse.
For More Info: www.cambriapabicentennial.com
and go to the Aviation Weekend
page. |
Bicentennial Spirit Night-
October 15 & 16
Reservations are now being accepted for this year’s Spirit Night coming October 15 & 16 in Ebensburg. This is a very popular event and the number of tickets available is limited. The cost is $5.00 per person and tours depart the courthouse every 10 minutes between the hours of 6:00pm and 9:00pm. Group sizes are limited to 20 people. Spirit Night is “rain or shine”. Those making the tour will visit two tree-sitting sisters from Portage, three hobos, a Welsh tea party, an old-time revival meeting, a Poe reading and more.
Call Kathy at 472-6674 to make your reservations today. |
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| RECENT
ACQUISITIONS
Photographs - Vernon Blough, Edward and Carrie Blough – Ruth Colburn
Soda pop bottle, E.E. Goss, Twin Rocks, PA – Patricia Criste
Wedding dress of Erma Boehm (Westmont) - Jan D. Reynolds
Women’s high button shoes – Debra Yablinsky
Books
Atlas of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania - Margaret Kist
Cemetery Records Volume I Somerset-Cambria County - Margaret Kist
Combination Atlas of the County of Butler and the State of Pennsylvania - Margaret Kist
Sandyvale Cemetery - Margaret Kist
Johnstown - Images of America - Lyndee Jobe Henderson
Newspapers
Johnstown Tribune microfilm (1929-1940, 1942, 1949)
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| TIDBITS
Artifacts
Jackknife/Tool Kit – Anonymous
Mother of bride dress and shoes of Erma Boehm (Westmont) - Jan D. Reynolds
Navy officer’s uniform and overcoat of Duane Dunkle - Jan D. Reynolds
Photographs, Barnesboro, Hanson’s Store, children of John and
Hildur Hanson – George Hanson
Photographs, collection of 12 (Westmont)- Jan D. Reynolds
Photographs, collection of 24 photos – Donald Hildebrand
Three Cornered Cherrytree-
The rare distinction enjoyed by the little town of Cherrytree, along the Susquehanna, was emphasized the other day by a marriage license application which arrived at Ebensburg. The groom’s residence was given at Cherrytree, Indiana County; the bride’s residence at Cherrytree, Clearfield County, and the application was made before a Justice whose address is Cherrytree, Cambria County.
Mountaineer-Herald April 7, 1904
No Ban On Cider Says Revenue Collector-
“Cider of any degree of alcoholic strength may be manufactured and sold by anybody, under war prohibition laws,” says Revenue Collector Riordan. “However, when the constitutional amendment becomes effective, it will be unlawful to manufacture or sell cider whose alcoholic content equals or exceeds one-half of one per cent of alcohol by volume.”
Mountaineer-Herald November 20, 1919
Moonshine Stills at Revloc
Six arrests were made Wednesday of last week at the mining town of Revloc, near Ebensburg, by Constable Frank W. Jones and Special Officer Clyde W. Adams.
Five stills, three of which were in operation, were confiscated, together with a large quantity of “moonshine” whiskey, which were brought to Ebensburg by the officers and are being held for evidence.
Mountaineer-Herald July 21, 1921
Johnstown’s January Temperature Records Go Smash– Fifteen Below Zero, Official.
Mr. Lorentz’s Government Thermometer Told That Story and Other Reports Range Down to 34 Below at Cherrytree.
The Ice King swooped down Monday evening and took this valley and all the country around in his vice-like grip, where he held it grimly until almost noon Tuesday, since which time he had been loosening his hold by degrees until this morning. . . All known records for January weather in Johnstown went to smash. Every thermometer had its own story to tell . . . Johnstown Tribune January 8, 1904 |
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Cambria
County’s Medal of honor recipients
Public Resolution 82, containing a provision for a Navy medal of valor, was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on December 21, 1861.
Later, a resolution similar in wording was introduced on behalf of the Army and signed into law July 12, 1862.
Although it was created for the Civil War, Congress made the Medal of Honor a permanent decoration in 1863.
CAPEHART, CHARLES E.
Rank and organization: Major, 1st West Virginia Cavalry. Place and date: At Monterey Mountain, Pa., 4 July 1863. Entered service at: Washington, D.C. Born: 1883, Conemaugh Township, Cambria County, Pa. Date of issue: 7 April 1898. Citation: While commanding the regiment, charged down the mountain side at midnight, in a heavy rain, upon the enemy's fleeing wagon train. Many wagons were captured and destroyed and many prisoners taken.
CAPEHART, HENRY
Rank and organization: Colonel, 1st West Virginia Cavalry. Place and date: At Greenbrier River, W. Va., 22 May 1864. Entered service at: Bridgeport, Ohio. Born: 18 March 1825, Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa. Date of issue: 12 February 1895. Citation: Saved, under fire, the life of a drowning soldier.
FLANAGAN, AUGUSTIN
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company A, 55th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Chest Springs, Pa. Birth: Cambria County, Pa. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Gallantry in the charge on the enemy's works: rushing forward with the colors and calling upon the men to follow him; was severely wounded.
REED, GEORGE W.
Rank and organization: Private, Company E, 11th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Weldon Railroad, Va., 21 August 1864. Entered service at: Johnstown, Pa. Birth: Cambria County, Pa. Date of issue: 6 September 1864. Citation: Capture of flag of 24th North Carolina Volunteers (C.S.A.).
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In
The News
 | Annual Dinner Meeting– The county’s bicentennial events highlighted the majority of topics discussed at this year’s annual dinner meeting held at the Imperial Room in Ebensburg on the evening of June 13, 2004. Highlights included the Founder’s Day slide presentation presented by Dave Huber, a preview of the upcoming Aviation Weekend presented by Karen Corran and a commemorative plaque presented by Treasurer Lewis H. Ripley to President Fremont McKenrick for all of his efforts as co-chairman of the Cambria County Bicentennial Committee. Mr. McKenrick thanked his co-chairman, Don Wolf, for his contributions. Dr. David Knepper discussed his involvement in the Bicentennial School Murals project and thanked Betty Seymour for her assistance. |
| Film Crew at Buck House– Serving as a backdrop for the film “Ghosthunter” is the eloquent library of the A.W.Buck house, headquarters of the Cambria County Historical Society. The crew of approximately 50 people were assembled from a wide variety of backgrounds including Hollywood producer Cheryl DuBois and local author Cindy (C.L.) Shore. Cindy’s book, “Ghost Tales from the Ghost Trail” was featured in this newsletter’s last issue. Other film locations included the home of Becky Carlin, Saint Joseph’s Mission Church and numerous sites along the Ghost Town Trail. Cindy is originally from Twin Rocks and currently owns a publishing company in Pittsburgh. |
| Re-creation of 1884 Jail Break– Sunday August 8th
Escape artist Clyde Mighells (pronounced Miles) will attempt to “escape” from a jail cell in the Old Stone Jail on North Center Street in Ebensburg on Sunday August 8, 2004 prior to the start of the Cambria County Bicentennial Parade.
The escape attempt is based on a true case from 1884 involving a man named Michael Smith, or “Old Smitty,” as he came to be known by prison guards. As folklore tells it, Old Smitty escaped from his cell the night before he was scheduled to be hung for murder - leaving only a note to the warden. Mr. Smith was never heard from again.
Mr. Mighells will demonstrate the tools of his trade at the prison beginning at 1:00PM. He will be handcuffed and locked into the cell at 2:00PM and hopefully escape by 3:00PM in time for the start of the Bicentennial Parade. |
| Speaker’s Program Getting Organized- After a very successful inaugural year, organizers Toni Marie Clarke and Pat Stock are lining up speakers for a new season of programs to begin this fall. The Speaker’s Programs meet every 3rd Wednesday of the month at 7:00pm in the historical society’s community room. The presentations are free and open to the public. Donations are always accepted. The programs will begin on September 22 and wrap up on April 20. There will be no December program. Of the seven scheduled dates, three have been “booked.”
September 22– Jack Green of Saint Mark’s Church on Locust Street in Johnstown will talk about the Red Cross Hotel and the history of the church as it relates to the story of the Johnstown Flood.
October 20– Frank Seymour will give a talk on the history of Loretto.
February 16- (tentative) Dr. and Mrs. Robert Millward, IUP, will discuss Pennsylvania Indians.
If you know of someone who would be interested in making a presentation please contact Kathy at 472-6674. The following dates are open at this time: November 17, January 19, March 16 and April 20. We ask that the presenter’s topic be pertinent to Cambria County and its development or history. |
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prov·e·nance noun
French, from provenir to come forth, originate.
2 : the history of ownership of a valued object or work of art or literature. |
Pop Bottle Has . . .
Provenance |
The simple clear glass pop bottle is worth next to nothing monetarily. But the local history it represents will be invaluable to future generations interested in studying the many home businesses and entrepreneurs that flourished at the turn of the last century in Cambria County.
Far from the notion that most of the coal mining towns in the northern part of the county were controlled entirely by company stores and coal operators, many small businesses thrived in these hard-working communities.
A favorite home-owned business that many small towns had was the local bottling works. Sander’s soda pop, produced in Cassandra, was one of the area’s more familiar and long lasting soda pop bottlers.
So when Society friend Helen Lobosh of Twin Rocks found out the Criste sisters were going to be in the area for a family reunion, she contacted the Historical Society and set up a meeting. It seems the sisters, Patricia Criste and Lois Fink, not only brought in a pop bottle but a wealth of information (provenance) connected to it and to the bottle works owner, E. E. Goss, their grandfather.
Among the documents donated by the Criste sisters are family photographs, family histories, and the formulas used in the manufacturing of the soda.
Elmer E. Goss had a fascinating family history, which includes the exploits of his great-grandfather, Abraham, who at an early age lost his only two brothers in the Wyoming (PA) Massacre. Abraham was a drummer in the Revolutionary War at age 14. His father signed up at age 50 and his mother served as a nurse and cook.
His father subsequently died in battle and his mother made a face-to-face appeal to George Washington to excuse her only remaining family member, her son Abraham, from further service. Washington granted her request —reportedly with a tear in his eye.
Elmer Goss and family eventually moved to Hastings and started a meat market. He moved the meat market to Twin Rocks in 1909 and remained a well-known businessman there for 35 years. Among his many enterprises were a gas station, a coal mine and, of course, the bottle works.
The pop bottle brought into the Society by the Criste sisters reveals the names “E.E.Goss” and “Twin Rocks, PA.” In the documentation, Twin Rocks is also referred to as Expedite and Big Bend.
The soda pop was made right in the family home. Patricia Criste remembers part of the manufacturing process that involved a large wooden wheel in the shape of a merry-go-round. The finished product was sent to be bottled in the basement. Patricia remembered that years after the bottle works had closed down, the wooden wheel remained in the house and that many a rainy afternoon was spent with neighborhood children going round and round on their own indoor amusement park ride.
Other local names that show up in the documentation are B. Shadden, who owned a “Dry Goods, Shoes, Groceries & Confectionery” business next to the Goss family business and Harry Z. Staman, who seems to be Elmer’s supplier of water and soda formulas.
Harry was very protective of his formulas. At the bottom of each script he would write: “Never leave lay or show to any person.”
Patricia and Lois also presented a 1916 report sent to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry’s Bureau of Statistics and Information from E.E.Goss indicating that for that year his company, known as Grove Bottling Works, produced 4,174 cases of soda. In a sign of the times, the Labor Department required that businesses list “Americans employed, Foreigners employed and Negroes employed.” In parentheses the form notes: “Do not include Negroes in the number of Americans.”
In the 1916 report Elmer listed his capital investment as $300. His income from the bottle works was $780 and an unlisted employee earned $600.
E.E. Goss died of a heart attack in 1944 at the age of 78. He was married to Ella Kinney Goss for 52 years. They had nine children and he loved to hunt and fish. But, of course, you know all that by a simple pop bottle and a little bit of provenance. |
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