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Share Your Memories & Tidbits About Our Penn Township Community
This email was received from Shirley Kepple Holub, San Diego, CA to be shared on the site...
EMAIL: Just found this site on Penn Township. I would like to add my memories as a kid growing up there.. It has been 20 years since I last visited McCullough (when my mother passed away in 84, Mrs. Nellie Kepple)
I was born in McCullough in 1941, attended Penn Joint Elementary,
(grades 1 to 4) Bouquet, (grade 5) Claridge, (grade 6) and graduated from
Penn Joint High school in 1959.
McCullough was a coal mining community, surrounded by farms and Bushy Run
Battlefield was located at the top of one hill that could be seen from McCullough.
Word was, farmers use to find arrowheads when plowing their fields. Maholics
(probably not the correct spelling) farmland boarded the elementary school
grounds. Those fields had the best pumpkins growing with the tallest corn
you ever saw.
About a 1/4 of a mile at the end of McCullough was a tiny community
called Cheap Kid where race cars could be heard on the track. And Joe Maholic
was one of the race car drivers.
Any one remember Fat Zackles, the best place to get a fish sandwich. I think
this was located just before entering Claridge. (trying to remember locations
after living in San Diego, Calif. for 37 years, but when I see sites of my
hometown it brings back fond memories).
I miss the pizza places and other Italian food (gnocchi's)
Every town had a beer garden except McCullough.
I do remember the honor roll monument for our veterans just as you entered
McCullough. And the fair that was held every year at the football field at
Penn Joint High school, the carnivals in Harrison City. Gosh can't forget
the Bingos too. There were those scrumptious hot dogs with sauerkraut at every
carnival, fairs and bingo's. Mother dragged me to those bingo's many times,
they were held in Jeannette at the Odd Fellows Hall. Jeannette was shopping
on Saturdays, buying school clothes and etc, then mother bought me potato
chips at G.C. Murphy Co and a lime ice cream cone at Isleys while we waited
for the bus to take us back to McCullough.
Then things started to change after the McCullough mine shut down, but the
fond memories of Penn Township will never change.
Thanks for letting me re-live a part of the past.
Shirley (Kepple) Holub (formerly McCullough, PA.
Alpine, Calif.
She also posted a link to a really cute site of memories that i think you will all really enjoy (if you are over 40?) http://www.thestatenislandboys.com/U_thrill_me/
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Edie (the Bingo Bus Lady!) emailed me these tidbits:
How about the old Rose Drive-In back on Rose Drive behind Ralph's. Remember those days??? :)
There were several race tracks too. One was in Claridge right off main street about 1/2 mile from the middle school.
The other was by the Rose Drive-In. It was one of the first 1/4 mile asphalt tracks in the United States & was for midget races with stands & all.
Other Tidbits We've Heard Of:
Did you know that there was a glass bottling factory in Claridge near where the Dreamland Theatre was?
The Pennsylvania Turnpike had an exit at Pleasant Valley next to where the new Penn Township Police Station is currently located. It housed a Howard Johnson's restaurant where many of the local PT kids found work during high school ...and the stories they can tell you about hojo's!
The Elks had an overnight visit from a president of the United States! Help my memory out here & someone tell me who?
Claridge was the most populated area of Penn Township! It was a large coal mining center. It housed a large train station and The Dreamland movie theater!
Every year half naked indians can be seen visiting our local businesses for pizza & drink...it may come as a shock but soon you figure out why they are dressed like that. The Bushy Run Battlefield is a national historical landmark & is located on Rt 993 just outside of downtown Harrison City. This beautiful park is where Colonial Henry Boquet fought the French & Indian War. A very interesting museum tour is available. Every year hundreds of visitors (& historical actors) flock to Penn Township to view the battle reenactment. It gives a first hand look at what it must of looked like way back in 1763 right here in our peaceful Penn Township hills. A lesser known tidbit is that somewhere (I know where!) there is a tree that still bears the carving 'Larry Sturm 1964'!!
Did you know there was an airport where Lanes Hardware now sits?
You can find more interesting Penn Township Tidbits here again, check back soon!
I remember years ago when I looked off my back porch (past St. Barbaras) & saw hayfields of 500+ acres of farmland with farmer Zearl Jones herding in the cows for milking every evening. It was such a deserted area with not even one house for a mile. I remember walking my oldest son (now 27) in his stroller & we were attacked by a pack of dogs... I screamed forever & no one around to even hear us! (Now it's the middle of Deerfield, Cortina Marie, Country Farms, etc.!!)....Cheryl Sturm
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