Eldred – situated just a few miles from the NYS border.
Olean N.Y. and Bradford Pa. were the biggest cities so I thought growing up!
Yet both were at the most 20,000 people back then!
My concept of the world was the road leading out of town on North Main Street
Towards the Kendall Bridge!
The Kendall Bridge
I was told by someone that this bridge was unique – it had a railroad track underneath
as well as a secondary road – a river ran under it ( The Alleghany)
and a turn off-road in the middle of the bridge!
It was said that only one other bridge existed like this and it was in Japan!
I do not know if that is true or not – but my world when I was young –
went to that bridge and the service station that sat below the cliffs!
The Kendall service station
We are right smack in the middle of the oil fields here in NWPA.
In fact – South Penn ( PENNZOIL)
Kendall refinery ( KENDALL OIL)
Quaker State refinery ( QUAKER STATE OIL)
all are within 14 miles of Eldred!
Bradford Pa. was a major oil-producing town!
The welcome sign coming into North Main Street where I grew up!
I was little – sitting on my grandma’s lap on the front porch – right on the main street –
and our backyard – was the railroad tracks which I was told never to go near as well as the main street!
There was a very old building in our side yard – the only thing left was the cellar with a roof on it!
It was large – 25′ by 25′ – maybe larger – and it was called “THE BEEHIVE”!
Not because there were bees in there – but that was its name back in the 1800s
as it was sort of like a big boarding house – three stories high!
At the top left – North Main Street in Eldred Pa. I lived towards the end on the left – the main street in front of the house and the railroad tracks in the back – we had a big yard and an old red three-story farm barn that sat right next to the tracks.
I would play in the cellar of that old building – later my dad tore it down and moved my aunts
trailer onto that lot as her husband had passed away.
It was around that time he tore the roof off the old red barn and lowered it down.
My brother and his friends had basketball hoops up on the top floor.
I would sneak up there and smoke my corn cob pipe
looking out the window that you could see down the tracks toward Slavin’s furniture and gas station.
Upper left corner – where those trees are is where I lived. My memories of parades forming just North of my house – firemen and police making sure no one parked along the main street – the excitement as the groups formed all the way up past Frames Funeral home.
Thanks for reading – some of my childhood memories growing up ELDRED PA.
All my life up to 16 years ago – I was a junk food addict!
I thought I was fit – playing sports until my late 40’s!
I ate all the time at McDonald’s – then something changed my life.
Sherry went to NBC for your health in Washington D.C.
I also went to the food court!
That is where she found a supplement that changed both our lives.
At first, I denied I needed it – then three months later I started to take it-
FRUITS AND VEGGIES AND BERRIES – JUICED – DRIED TO POWDER AND PUT IN CAPSULES!
NUTRIENTS OF 30 DIFFERENT KINDS EACH DAY!
It slowly over the years changed my life – I felt better – BUT – unknown to me – I had damaged my heart
from all those years ( 40 plus ) eating junk food and drinking cokes – mountain dew and gallons of milk.
I thought that was good for me.
EIGHT YEARS AFTER I STARTED ON THE SUPPLEMENT – I had a WIDOWMAKER HEART ATTACK!
FOUR ARTERIES INVOLVED – I almost did not make it!
I was rushed from work to the hospital where I had one artery 100 % blocked –
They put a stent in and the PAIN went away – but I was told I had three more that needed to be done!
It was too dangerous – I would have to have an open heart and four by-passes!
ONE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS!
All this time I never missed a day of my supplements – even when I went into the hospital.
Over 40 published types of research from major institutions from all over the world – convinced me that I was doing something right and not to give it up!
So – on a Monday morning – at 7:30 AM – they started – by 3:00 pm. they closed me up!
At 5:30 pm. they called my wife and daughters.
By 6:30 pm. I was standing!
I never went to the step down – I went straight to my room –
And I was told by the nurses and doctors I was the healthiest heart patient they had ever seen!
They wanted me to do an interview for some kind of research but I declined.
Here I am – 56 hours later standing in front of the Christmas tree – I was home!
I had a 100% – 90% – 60% and 40% blockages. I walked the halls in less than 20 hours –
Everyone told me they had no one like that – I went home and the other people who had surgery
that day were still in the step-down units.
Sherry and Papa – I had a nuke stress test late Jan. I passed with an excellent grade.
I just had all my blood tests – everything was very good – I STILL TAKE MY SUPPLEMENT
of 30 fruits – veggies and berries and now OMEGAS!
SHERRY and PAPA
Sixteen years ago my life changed and in my mind and heart –
I believe – I am still here – and I STILL TAKE THOSE SUPPLEMENTS EVERY DAY!
Main Street – just above the white truck to the left – is a brick-red building – with a huge Army Tank coming out the side – this is the ELDRED WWII MUSEUM!
When I was growing up – this was Fisbees Insurance and the Electric Company in the Cellar –
and right next to it was Slavin’s Furniture store and gas station.
I would roller skate down to the bays and Jack would sometimes buy me a glass coke out of the machine that stood there between the bays.
I do not remember his last name – but he was a really nice man and lived in Bullis Mills.
We also would come down here and ask for old cardboard boxes –
they all had a heavy layer of wax on them and were perfect for grass riding down the hill opposite of our front porch.
WWII MUSEUM
Today – both buildings are joined and form this fantastic museum – dedicated to WWII
and the munitions plant that made explosives for the war.
It has a full-size ARMY TANK that looks like it is busting right out the wall of the side of the building!
My stepfather – John Soules – who was decorated FIVE times with Purple Hearts and Bronze Stars
Once gave me a revolver he was given permission to bring back to the states
He had all the signed documents from the government –
Before he passed away – he asked for it back so he could donate it here!
A few years ago – I walked down and asked to see it once again.
They had it in a safe – and was told it was worth 30 to 40 thousand dollars!
He took that handheld automatic machine pistol off a NAZI OFFICER he had captured who was dressed as a civilian trying to escape.
I was told this pistol was not from WWII but from WWI and was very rare –
one of the first automatic machine guns ever manufactured by the Germans for WWI!
I got to once again hold it!
A reenactment of women working at the munitions plant outside Eldred during WWII is part of the museum.
As you walk through you come upon room after room of scenes such as this.
This MUSEUM is like something you would find in Washinton DC. yet it is here in the very small town
of ELDRED PA. in the mountains of the ALLEGHANY FOREST in WPA!
I do not know the full story of why it is here – but I do know before the PANDEMIC
regular busloads of people would stop every day.
It sits on North Main Street right across from the old fire hall.
A must-see!
Thanks for reading PAPA’SWORLD
Memories of my life growing up in a small town in NWPA called ELDRED!
WHERE EVERYONE KNEW YOUR NAME – the ’50’s ’60’s and ’70’s.
Our love and marriage – for five and one-half years – we lived on the East Windfall Road –
way out in the country.
A house came up for sale – it was being sold by a holding company – the previous owner transferred and his company bought the house in the move.
It was a beautiful – ten-year-old – two-story Colonial – with four bedrooms and two baths upstairs!
A full basement with cement floor – and on the main level – two living rooms – a dining room – a breakfast area and a large laundry room with an attached half bath.
A large two-car garage with a bump out for shelving and storage.
Situated on three-quarter-acre mowed lot – with a small grouping of trees in the backyard.
And right across the street were our dear friends – The McBrides!
Sherry and Papa – with Cindy and Buck McBride – later – moved to N.C. and about twenty-five years later –
we followed and now live some 38 miles from them.
We often get together to golf on weekends and then either go out or to one another home for dinner.
We lived in Pleasant Acres Drive for twelve and one-half years – Mike and Carol John lived next door – and we often played tricks on one another –
One time he snuck over and hooked up to my Christmas lights and would turn them off and on! LOL
Another time I remodeled the half bath – took out the old toilet – painted it Red – White and Blue –
I placed it behind a big pine tree where he could not see it – and I placed a sign on it –
“WELCOME TO MIKE’S JOHN”! LOL
To this day we still visit them and they visit us – they have since moved and built a large house near his business and purchased a large house on Chautauqua Lake that we have visited twice!
Our neighborhood there was fun – often, times we would line up the riding mowers and race to the end of the road.
There were neighborhood graduations – parties and just general good fun.
Buck and Cindy moved about four years before we did – sad days followed but we often would vacation down in N.C. with them
After twelve and one-half years – we decided as empty nesters – it was time to move on –
It would be sad but for me – I had enough of supervision – factory life –
and for Sherry – she had a college degree and couldn’t go no further –
she was head of Logistics – time to move on.
We had added on a very large two-level covered deck with a hot tub!
Also a firepit with white scotch pine trees and several birch trees-
Had the back of the lot graded and seeded into the lawn – added hot water baseboard heating
and a wood-burning stove in the basement and tiled part of that.
I hand-stained the woodwork with her father’s special woodworking – he was a master –
And that all is there today – we sold it to a close friend and they live there today!
We said our goodbyes to friends and neighbors – packed up and we both transferred to NVA!
We transferred within the company and took all our benefits with us –
We went from the middle of COUNTRY to ALEXANDRIA, VA. the middle of the city!
After two months of company housing – we purchased our first home –
In the Fairfax, Va. neighborhood of FOUNTAINSIDE DRIVE!
Thanks for reading PAPA’S WORLD – LIFE AT PLEASANT ACRES DRIVE – my site: LIVINGLIFEDOINGITMYWAY.BLOG
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