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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Downtown Johnstown

 
Downtown Johnstown

Penn Traffic Store - about 1905

This is the old Penn Traffic Department Store along Washington Street around 1905. It started out as the company store for Cambria Iron. This is the first building before it caught fire and burned down.

Downtown Johnstown

 
Downtown Johnstown

Woodvale Bridge


Nice shot that shows the old Southern Cambria Railway Bridge at Woodvale. SCR was a company that provided train service to other parts of Cambria County and connected into the Johnstown Area.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Chandler School - Morrellville

Good old Chandler School. The first school I ever went to. It seemed so large and had a special smell unto itself. I'm sure some of you know exactly what I mean. It was built in 1917 and was known as Garfield Junior High before Garfield was built a couple of years later. The school district closed the elementary school in the 1990's. It now houses apartments for Seniors and I would love to just be able to go in and see what they did with the place. I often wonder when I walk past - who lives in the old Principal's office where Miss Patch ruled for years. I can still see her foreboding presence.
On a side note - the area where the power plant was - most of it is covered up with dirt. They only knocked down the section above ground.

Cambria Mill Chimney

Not sure exactly where this was in the Cambria Plant.

Horseshoe Curve

Horseshoe Curve

Main and Franklin - Johnstown - 1910

Summer repeat - Just a beautiful look back at downtown Johnstown from around 1910 or so.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

J.H.S. before River Wall

Postcard view of Johnstown High before the River Control Project.

Along Roosevelt Blvd

Nice postcard shot of Roosevelt Blvd - the Lower Works right before you get to the Stone Bridge.

Johnstown Parade - 1894

This photo shows Johnstown Fireman decked out for the 4th of July Parade in 1894.

JHS 1942-43 - District Champs

Back in the 1940's Johnstown High was in District 5.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Napoleon Street - 1936


Napoleon Street - 1936 Flood 

Downtown Johnstown

 
Downtown Johnstown

Old Amslo Club

Nice shot of the old Amslo Social Club - being a former bartender at three different clubs in Cambria City - "going down the club to sign up" is still a way of life for many folks around here.

Hanzel - Stofko Family - Johnstown

Let me introduce you to my Hanzel Family from 94 Barron Avenue - this from around 1928. From left to right: Mary (Hanzel) Bobko, mother Mary (Stofko) Hanzel holding Dorothy (Hanzel) Kinnel, Margaret (Hanzel) Toth standing next to father Joseph Hanzel (Muranska Huta, Slovakia). The three kids in front, Frank Hanzel, my grandmother Helen (Hanzel) Lenz and Clara (Hanzel) Pynkala. Missing from this picture is their brother Joe who was the one taking the photo. The building behind them is still standing. It used to house a dry cleaner on Fairfield Avenue.
This next picture is a wonderful photo of my Stofko great-grandparentsparents:
This is John Stofko (1868-1945) from Brezovcia, Slovakia and his second wife Mary D'Zembak also from Brezovcia, Slovakia. This photo dates to around 1930 in Minersville. John, his brother Andrew and sister Anna came over to Johnstown in 1885 and settled in the Minersville section of the city along Connelly Avenue - the area near what is now the Minersville Bridge. Working in the mill - he somehow survived the 1889 Flood - which living by the Conemaugh River probably saved him and first wife Susanna Timchak. They would have seen just how quickly things can go from bad to worse - since they saw the damages from an earlier flood (1887). I know living by a crick - you pay more attention to the weather - than a normal person does.
This is the young Stofko clan taken around 1910 in the backyard of their home along Iron Street. From left to right: Sue (Stofko) Stevens, Margaret (Stofko) Patrick, John, Stephen, Mary (Stofko) Hanzel, Andrew and Joseph. My great-grandmother Mary Hanzel lost her own mother in 1896 when she was only 2 years old. Her mother Susanna Timchak died as a result of childbirth complications. It is her mtDNA that I and many of my cousins share. Since I put the results in a data base. I have talked to two people in the last year - that have the same exact mtDNA. Pretty cool! Their house is still there - you can see it directly from the Giant Eagle parking lot.

Main Street - Johnstown - 1920's

Summer Repeat - Nice wintertime view of Main Street with the old Majestic Theater on the right hand side in the 1920's. You can just barely see a trolley in the distance trying to plow its way thru the snow.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Poor Old Glory at Johnstown Middle School


Flag watch 2012 at Johnstown Middle School (Garfield). The flag was up all last night, not lighted, but made it through the rough storms that tore thru the area. Still not replaced and even more battered than earlier this week.
  

Morrellville

The Ruckus behind Barron Avenue in Morrellville 

A Walk to Town


Today's post is for all you out of town readers. First up - the Brownstown Bridge.
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Cambria City
Coming off the bridge towards Broad street - it's a bit like a jungle.
The intersection of Roosevelt Blvd and McConaughy Street.
The footbridge to Iron Street.
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The walk along the river with JWF on the left hand side.
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The old tanks are still there.
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Stuff still hanging around in town. Dr. W. Horne - Dentist
Gilbert's Footwear
Klug and Hornick Grocery
The best dining in Johnstown - Coney Island - my favorite place to eat!
But I'm sure sure what this used to say.
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Moxham National Bank
Walkway along side City Hall.
Em's Sub Shop - they have the BEST sugar cookies!
I guess you have to be of a certain age to know what this means.
And we finish up with the small Veterans Park - across from City Hall.

Johnstown - 1872

 
Johnstown - 1872 

C&BL RR


Conemaugh and Blacklick Railroad - not sure where the picture was taken though.