LOOKING BACK 100 years ago this weekforestcitynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Page-6-2.pdfAtkinson. Upper Valley Oil Co. P.O. Box 57, Forest City HEATING OIL SERVING FOREST CITY,

LOOKING BACK

PAGE 6 - THE FOREST CITY NEWS, FOREST CITY, PA 18421 * WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2019 * PHONE 570-785-3800 * email [email protected]

100 years ago this weekItems from the Independent Republican, Montrose Democrat and Tri -Weekly Journal

Submitted by Betty Smith, Susquehanna County Historical Society, MontroseBack issues of 100 Years Ago can be accessed at www.susqcohistsoc.orgThe

Coal Pailby

Robert Cole

The following short stories are of life as a young boy in the Forest City Area and are written by Robert Cole, Bordentown, NJ. His parents were Alfred and Jessie At-kinson Cole. He was born in 1940 in his grandparent’s house on Railroad Street. His grandparents were Richard and Jessie Atkinson.

Upper Valley Oil Co.P.O. Box 57, Forest City

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10 YEARS AGOJune 17, 2009

Forest City Regional School Board passed its 2009-10 school budget on Monday, June 8th, with only a small increase in prop-erty tax millage. The budget to-tals $12,348,301, which is almost $360,000 more than last year but school authorities say they will make up much of that increase through increased state funding sources.

Forest City Regional High School held its 111th annual com-mencement ceremonies on Friday, June 12, 2009. Mary Emmett, FCR Board President presented the 69 students with their diplomas. Jacklyn Smith was honored as class valedictorian. Kelsey Log-ar was salutatorian and Kelsey Trichilo received academic hon-ors.

Local contractor Phil Hodges is continuing his major improve-ments to the old Bud & Lottie/Whisker’s Pub building at the cor-ner of Main and Depot Sts.

Deaths: Jeffrey T. Williams Jes-sup; Gregory Planinsek (formerly of Forest City)

20 YEARS AGO June 16, 1999

Atty. Paul Smith submitted his letter of resignation from Vandling Council at the regular meeting on Tuesday, June 8th; however, it was not acted upon. Council members indicated that they hoped to change his mind.

At the request of Mayor Frank Brager, Forest City Borough Council hired three new part-time police officers.

Miss PA USA, Angela Patla, of Sweet Valley, PA, will be a guest in this year’s Old Home Week Pa-rade set for Saturday, August 7.

Effective July 1, 1999, The For-est City News subscription rates will increase. The new rates are $23.00 for Susq., Wayne and Lac-ka. Counties and $30.00 outside of those mailing areas.

Deaths: Frances Roth, Born in Forest City; Hildegard Cornall, Carbondale; Herbert S. Kopp, Honesdale.


Two escaped criminals in-volved in an armed robbery and kidnapping in Maryland are be-lieved to have been responsible for a break-in on May 24th at J&C Restaurant.

After almost six months of waiting, young Gary Weibel will finally be getting a bone marrow transplant to fight his leukemia. He is formerly from Pleasant Mount.

Forest City Borough Council, at the June 5th meeting, was advised that the Forest City Area Volun-teer Ambulance Association will be purchasing a new $75,000 am-bulance.

The Susquehanna County Planning Commission recom-mended the new jail facility for Susquehanna County be located in the Montrose area.

Deaths: Thomas Manzer, RD 1, South Gibson; Margaret Man-nion, Carbondale; Bernice Terrel, formerly of Curtis Valley; Char-lotte Daubenspeck, formerly of Crystal Lake; Daniel Linsinbigler, Carbondale; Margaret Parente, Carbondale native; Leon Novick. Born in Forest City; Mary Svete, born in Forest City.


Dr. Michael P. DeStefano, an employee of the NEIU, has been hired as new superintendent of Forest City Regional School re-placing H. Francis Rosen whose contract expires August 1.

Karen Goskowski, Susque-hanna Street, receives associate degree in marketing magna cum laude from Lackawanna Junior College.

A telephone survey on the pros and cons of annexing lands to enlarge the boundaries of Forest City is being undertaken by the Community Development office.

Marie Royko, RN, selected as queen of the annual Geisinger Medical Center Fair.

Stephens Brothers Dairy, the last home milk deliverer, has an-nounced that it will close on June 16th.

Francis Pantzar, Vandling, has been awarded his black belt in Karate.

Deaths: John Onufrak, Vandling; Mrs. Edith Robinson

Grablutz, North Syracuse, NY; Chester Piorkowski, Torrington, CT.


Sgt. Wasil Takach was elected commander of Charles & Martin Skubic Post American Legion and became the first Vietnam veteran to assume that post.

Heavy rains over the weekend registered 4.2 inches at Stillwater Dam.

SP4 Thomas Conigliaro, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Conigliaro, Vandling, was issued a meritori-ous certificate for his excellent duty performance while stationed in Korea.

The Rev. Thomas Carlin, pastor of St. Agnes Church, was honored by 350 people at a dinner Sunday at the high school marking his 25th jubilee.

Manuel Junior, Hudson St., landed a 7 3/4 lb. catfish while an-gling at Coxton Lake last week.

Michael T. O’Pecko, son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael O’Pecko, Vandling, received a bachelor of arts degree in German from Pen-na. State University.

Carl R. Yurkovich, Browndale, received an associate degree in drafting and design from Penn State University, Scranton cam-pus.

Edmund W. Burdick, South Gibson, received his Doctor of Optometry degree from Penna. College of Optometry on June 8th.


Reginald Gerchman, 1316 Main St., Forest City, a recent magna cum laude graduate of the Univer-sity of Scranton, attained ranking on the dean’s list for eight con-secutive semesters. In his senior year he was named to Who’s Who in American Colleges and Univer-sities.

Dr. Ward Jones, prominent lo-cal dentist and charter member of the Forest City Lions Club, was installed as President of the Club at the dinner meeting of the group Monday evening at the Forest House.

William F. Cawley, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Cawley, 726 Rail-road St., Forest City, is presently undergoing special intensive three month training at the U. S. Marine Corps Base, Parris Island, S. C., under the Marine’s Critical Skills Program. Mr. Cawley, an engineer at the IBM, Endicott, NY, is a graduate of the University of Scranton.

Deaths recorded during the week: Mrs. Edith B. Faatz, 39 North St., St. Joseph’s Hospital; Mrs. Jennie Oven, 727 Susque-hanna St., died at home following a short illness.


David Freedman, former local merchant, died at his home in Los Angeles, CA.

The Rev. Michael Hrebin has been named assistant pastor of Holy Ghost Church, Cleveland. Father Hrebin was recently or-dained to the Holy Priesthood.

Quadruplets, two boys and two girls were born prematurely to Mr. and Mrs. Ray Caffery, Union Beach, NY. They succumbed with-in 15 hours of their birth. Mrs. Caffery is a former local resident.

Richard Bell is spending the summer working in the National Forest Area in the state of Wash-ington. Richard is a Forestry stu-dent at Penn State College.

The Forest City High School Varsity baseball team were guests of the Scranton Red Sox at a night game in the Scranton stadium on Tuesday.


Vassar Jones has assumed sole proprietorship of the Rapid Transfer Co., buying the half in-terest of Alex Modad.

The 16th annual reunion of the Union Dale Alumni Association was held Saturday in the Union Dale Methodist Hall. Clarence Burdick was elected president.

Donald Swetter, son of Mrs. and Mrs. Arnold Swetter, Lacka-wanna St., suffered a fractured skull when struck by a pitched quoit.

Will P. Cole, 75, well known Crystal Lake farmer, died at his home Tuesday. He has resided in this area for 72 years. His par-ents coming from Rahway, NJ, purchased the farm when he was

three years old. Weddings of interest solem-

nized during the week: Madolyn Fotusky and Paul Slick; Lillian Dix and Frank Stark; Frances Pun-tar and Frank Tomazic; Loretta Faatz and Robert Rhodes; Lot-tie Wisneski and Alwyn Painter; Margaret Gaspar and Frank Kra-sovec; Adeline Turano and Domi-nick Mancusco.


Franklin B. Gelder and Russell Eichholzer were awarded Doctors of Law degrees at University of Pennsylvania commencement ex-ercises yesterday.

A 15 ton conglomerate boul-der from the front of the Moosic Mountain near Browndale has been moved to Honesdale, where it will serve as a marker for the Stourbridge Lion, first locomotive in America.

William Fives has moved his household goods to Bethany where he recently purchased a farm.

Miss Angeline Franceski was honored at a prenuptial shower. She will become the bride of John Poloncic this coming Saturday.

Misses Tessie and Alice Slick left Monday for the Poconos where they will spend the sum-mer.


Pat O’Malley stars in the serial “The Red Glove” now playing at the Plaza Theatre.

Walter Smith employed as a government clerk was drowned while bathing in Washington. He was the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Smith, of Vandling.

Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Evans and Mrs. Thomas Hird leave Friday for a visit to England.

The Water Company has pur-chased the coal underlying the pumping plant, near the river from the Hillside Coal and Iron Co.

Henry Spencer, former Union Dale blacksmith, died in Scran-ton.

Michael Budjake died in Scran-ton State Hospital.


Edward, son of Judge Little of Montrose, shot himself in the arm while trying to get a bead on a coon which he and his dad had treed. The injuries were not seri-ous.

The Lyons Theatre, first of our moving picture houses, has closed.

The out-of-town contractors have completed the building of the local sewage system.

Sam Freedman has completed a course in pharmacy at Philadel-phia.


Lightning struck the Miner farm house on East Mountain Tuesday. The resulting fire de-stroyed the home and nearby barn.

Harry, Liveryman Spencer’s well known horse, died suddenly Saturday. It was an uncommonly fine road star.

Work has been started on the foundation walls of the new Lithuanian Church to replace the recently fire-destroyed church. The edifice will be far enough advanced to hold services before winter sets in.

Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Bentley left for New Madrid, New Mexico, where Mr. Bentley will work in the mines there.

The store of T. P. McCormack and Bros. was broken into Sunday night. The thieves did not make a big haul.


The Hillside Coal Co. will move all fences back along Main Street to allow ample width in grading and building the road-way.

Moses Davis was stabbed by two traveling men whom he had ordered out of town after the cou-ple who had a bear as an attraction were the men against whom com-plaints had been leveled by local citizens.

The largest local vote to date was cast in Tuesday’s election. 245 exercised their voting privileges.

C.H. Tiffany, of Brooklyn, was in town looking after his business interests here.

When I was delivering the Scranton Tribune in the ear-ly mornings I saw that all of the Tap Rooms were open?? I did not know why they would be open at 7 a.m.?? It was about 1952.

I remember my uncles telling stories about when the mines were working in the late 1930s. My Grandma and Grandma Atkinson had 13 children. Three passed at birth and there were ten that lived to be adults: CLYDE, FRED,THOMAS,RICHARD, HENRY, VERNA, JESSIE (MY MOM), FLORENCE, DOROTHY AND BARBA-RA ATKINSON. All but one gone now. Barbara Atkinson Bartholomay. My 2nd MOM.

My Grandfather, Rich-ard Atkinson migrated from Wales where he was a Coal Miner. Married my Grand-mother, Jessie Stull Atkin-son, and raised a family. I can not even think how to raise so many kids. Mom said that the older ones took care of the younger ones. WOW--Can you imagine that today??

My father told me that Grandpa Atkinson worked the 11 to 7 shift in Grayslope Mine. That was off of the lower road out of Vandling. Grandpa never drove and Mom and Dad would pick him up after work. He would swing his miners light in the air when he was coming up the slope so they knew he was on the way out,

My dad said that the coal miners went to the bars for an end of day drink--always a shot and a beer. I guessed the term tap room was for the beer tap that was in the bar??

I remember one election day when I was delivering the papers and the bar across the corner from the S & F store had a sign on the front door saying (Use back door--same like Sunday).

Bars were not open on Sundays then, but all of the clubs were open then. ALL MEMORIES.

Week of June 24Monday - Chicken scampi,

zucchini & squash, garlic spinach, orange sorbet

Tuesday - Cheeseburger, mushroom barley soup, po-tato salad, ww roll, mixed berries

Wednesday - Chicken & sausage bake, peppers & on-ions, cheesy potatoes, corn-bread, fresh fruit salad

Thursday - Herbed roast-ed chicken, mashed potato, green & wax bean, biscuit, berry crisp

Friday - BBQ pork chop, baked sweet potato, broccoli, ww dinner roll, fresh pine-apple

For reservations, please call a day ahead at Forest City, 10-2, 785-3386. At Lenoxville, 10-2, THURSDAY ONLY, 222-9550, or you can call the Senior Service office at: 278-7664 or 800-634-3746

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Forest City – Andrew Strinsky was seriously injured while at work in the Grassy Mine, Mon-day morning. He was employed as a brakeman on a “lokie” when in some way he fell between the cars. He was dragged fully 200 feet before being released. He was removed to his home on North Main street. He sustained severe cuts and bruises on the right side and his right leg from the knee down was severely torn. His spine was also injured.

A dinner party was given at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Touch in honor of a number of returned Italian-American sol-diers. The guests were Samuel Fario, Earl Tedesco, Frank Braiot-ti, Domineo Morchione, Frank Tripico, ____ Feraro, Carmine diMarcho.

Uniondale – John E. Thomas, for nearly 30 years postmaster, died after an illness at his home on Thursday, June 12, 1919. He was born in Paris, NY, March 20, 1851 and moved with his parents, 8 years later, to Clifford, and has lived in the vicinity of Uniondale since that time. He opened a gen-eral store in that place in 1874. The funeral was held from his late home with representatives from the Presbyterian church, Masons and friends and relatives throughout the county being present.

Montrose – It will be of gen-eral interest to the people of this section to know the not inconsid-erable part a Montrose industry played in the first great non-stop trans-Atlantic flight. It is not generally known that the Beach Manufacturing Co., of Montrose, operated by the McKeage Bros.., furnished the woodworking saws and machinery, which are used in the huge Vimy factory in Manchester, England. Yet this is so. The fine machines made in the local plant were used in making the fine, birdlike Vimy airplanes, which are considered the best in the world. The local plant is at present working on an order for one of the largest wood-working machines ever built for this same aero plant. [Non-Stop Flight Across the Atlantic—16 hours and 12 minutes from the time the Vickers-Vimy flying machine left at St. John’s Newfoundland, pi-

loted by Capt. Jack Alcock, with Lt. Arthur Whitten Brown as nav-igator, it landed on the Irish coast and the achievement of a non-stop transatlantic flight became a historical fact. At a rate of 120 miles an hour they had crossed the ocean, more than 1900 miles, sometimes not knowing whether they were flying upside down in the heavy fog, which prevented them from taking bearings either from the sun or sky.]

Miss Ethel Lyons announces the opening of her tearoom, “The Lyoness” on Saturday evening, June 21st. From a tempting list of beverages, relishes, soups, sand-wiches, salads and desserts one can surely select an appetizing hot weather menu, and we an-ticipate a prosperous season for Miss Lyons. The packing of tour-ist lunches will be a specialty.

Rock Lake Picnic Flea Market Donation Changes

In the past, donated items for the Rock Lake Picnic flea market were left under the hall area on the St. Juliana Church grounds. They will NOT be using this area for donated items this year. Instead, desig-nated times and dates to drop off donations will be instituted.

Starting on Tues., June 18 collections will be every Tues-day from 9 a.m to noon, every Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. and every Saturday from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. (4th of July exclud-ed). Donations should be taken to the garage located across the street from the church. Last day for collections is Aug. 13.

Please donate only clean, usable items. We will not be able to accept: mattresses, tv’s computers, printers, electronic, clothing, books, VCR takes or baby car seats.

Call Bonnie at 570-448-2245 for more information.

St. John Vian-ney Rummage Sale June 21-23

St. John Vianney Par-ish 704 Montdale Rd., Scott Twp., will host their annual rummage sale featuring items from the parish’s 500+ families, on June 21-23.

Times are: Fri., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. & Sun. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Something for everyone!

Clifford U.M. Church Dinner June 19

The Clifford United Methodist Church, Main St., Clifford will hold a Chicken-n-Biscuit or Ham Dinner on Wed., June 19 from 4 to 6 p.m.

Take out or dine in. Do-nation is $9.95 and includes dinner, drink & dessert.

DID YOU KNOWOn Jupiter and Saturn, it

rains diamonds?

Documents

LOOKING BACK 100 years ago this weekforestcitynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Page-6-2.pdfAtkinson. Upper Valley Oil Co. P.O. Box 57, Forest City HEATING OIL SERVING FOREST CITY,