History museum

Papa’s World – A look at early years to now!

/ Tom / Leave a comment

Way before I was born –

The roaring twenties of my hometown –

ELDRED, PA.

Here is Main Street –

Some of these buildings were still there when I was young.

Some had new store Fronts while others looked as these do.

It has always, I think, had that small-town feel.

I believe this might be even earlier.

Perhaps sometime in the 1800s?

This looks to be late 30s?

Or even 40s?

I recognize many of these stores!

An early picture of Scotty’s Eldred softball team.

Many of these men I knew growing up.

My best friend Bob – his father is lower right side.

I would assume this to be late 40s to mid 50s?

This was in the 1880s –

Our little town experienced yearly spring floods –

Into the summertime.

The Alleghany River ran in the upper center right of this picture.

Heavy rains and snowmelt seemed to always cause flooding.

The Eldred grade and high school!

First grade through twelfth grade.

I went to my first four years here-

And we combined school districts –

With Eldred- Duke Center and Rixford.

A new elementary school was built right across the street from the ball field.

I went to fifth and sixth grade and then was bused 7 or 8 miles to –

The Otto-Eldred High School in the seventh grade.

The old school – built sometime in the 1800s-

Being torn down.

My brother Roger –

Second bottom row from the right-

On the Eldred H.S. basketball team.

I knew many of these guys growing up.

My father – Bob- second from left –

Part owner of the Western Auto-

A supervisor for the South Penn Oil Company.

On the school board, when uniting the three school districts along with the township.

Here is the picture of when in Buffalo –

The Eldred team won the championship!

The Eldred fire department, as I knew it growing up,

I lived just up the street on the opposite side.

There was and still is –

A ten o’clock curfew –

The siren would sound every night, and you had to be home and off the streets!

My Junior year of H.S.

I am second row –

Third from right –

Number 65.

My senior year – I was in a car accident-

And spent 51 days in the hospital.

Not knowing if I would ever walk again.

My older sister, Donna, and her husband, Bill.

She worked for the town.

Bill was the Police chief when I was growing up!

And later became Mayor.

Today, this little town of Eldred, Pa.

It is home to a huge WWII museum.

All in this picture is the building.

Many tour buses make a stop here.

They come from all over the country to see the exhibits!

It is a marvel and a bucket list to see!

I have a lot to smile about!

Growing up here –

I would not trade.

This was home to me for 30 years.

Sherry and I – July 2024 – celebrating our 75th birthday on the beach with our families.

Growing old and aging as healthily as we can.

www.https://sfitzsimmons.juiceplus.com

PAPA’S WORLD – A LOOK BACK AT THE EARLY YEARS OF WHERE I GREW UP – ELDRED, PA.

Papa’s World – Outside Mount Jewett – KINZUA BRIDGE!

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Just outside the little Swe3dish Community of Mount Jewett, Pa. –

Sits on a railway bridge built in the 1800s –

That at the time was considered the highest bridge of its kind-

310 feet high trestle bridge over what is known as THE KINZUA VALLEY –

li NWPA!

A Native American name for the area!

This bridge was built to get coal to Erie and Pittsburg!

The valley was so steep that a railroad down and up the other side –

just did not make sense!

It is now a state park with a fantastic museum showing construction and what it looked like-

Before the Tornado came through and took half of it down!

The down construction still lies on the valley floor and up the steep hillside-

just as it was the day it came down.

Today there is a viewing platform at the standing end –

That you can stand on structured glass and peer straight down 310 feet!

Of course, I have been out once or twice and even across the whole thing before it came down.

At one time there was a steam locomotive still carrying passengers across!

Here is the glass floor you can stand on –

Of course, I no longer venture out there as my fear of heights kicks in! LOL

I sit on the benches before the walkway and watch my friends – family, and others make the trip out!

But – I will say – now that it is a State Park –

If you are ever in the area – it is worth the visit –

and the Museum is a class act –

Even showing a video of that fateful day it all came down from the tornado!

The valley floor and yes there is a trail you can hike down and up the other side –

if you are in shape to do it! LOL

Here you see the twisted steel beams from the 1800s lying twisted on the valley floor!

Papa and Sherry are on OIB!

Thanks for reading –

PAPA’S WORLD –

my site: livinglifedoingitmyway.blog

Papa’s World – before there was STAND BY ME – ELDRED

/ Tom / 18 Comments

In a little community five miles from the New York State border –

In North West Pa. – stands a village –

called Eldred.

Nestled in the Allegany hills by the river of the same name –

Home to me for my first thirty years of life.

The Allegany Mountains

With a population through out the years at 800 to 1000 people –

Everyone knew your name and parents !

And we had a CURFEW –

yes – the fire station siren –

would blast away at 10:00 every night !

It could be heard all over town –

Main street in the 1800’s

Many a night during the Summer –

sleeping out –

be it in my own back yard or front porch –

or that of a friend –

We found ourselves roaming the streets –

long after curfew !

We did not do anything wrong other than raid some gardens .

Smoke a cigar or cigarette

and later – up on the hill –

Drink some Colt 45 !

Rural Eldred

We had friends – from all parts of town –

I lived on North Main Street

A lot of my friends lived by the ballpark –

yes we had a ball diamond with lights !

And tennis and basketball courts !

Stand by Me

Grade school friends –

later High School –

There was a movie that came out

” STAND BY ME “

Well before that –

was “ELDRED” at least in my life !

My STAND BY ME FRIENDS – me second from left

We formed a group in my Freshman year –

one of my friends fathers named BUD formed it !

It was called “THE EXPLORERS” –

a step up from the Boy Scouts.

We did everything – raised money –

held the first dances in the area.

We went on trips – Pro football games –

And my favorite – a long weekend canoe trip –

down the Allegany River !

Here in this picture you can see our camp site by the river.

Streets of Eldred

We all played sports –

baseball – basketball and football.

It kept us busy and out of trouble –

It was our time in youth –

Some are now gone –

others I see once in a while –

But – all are memories of a time long gone.

ELDRED WWII MUSEUM

This little town has a big city Museum –

rather large –

thousands of square feet –

with life size displays of people –

trucks – jeeps – armaments –

and a TANK BUSTING THROUGH ITS WALL !

A must see on the history of this area and WWII

Part of the history of the area is that

manufacture of WWII bombs

and munitions

and bullets were made here.

It was a highly guarded site –

The museum has all

and more of the lore of the area.

Bus loads of people stop and tour it.

Work out center used to be Justice of Peace – before that – a grocery store – repurpose as the town ages

It is not a large town – small in fact –

the buildings from the 1800’s –

many are still there –

only in another form.

Main street has no red lights –

And in hunting season –

it fills up with hunters from the cities.

But it is a place where I grew up –

A place of friendship through the years

A place where NORMAL stands out –

and a place called ” ELDRED “

long before ” STAND BY ME “

TOM & SHERRY

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Papa’s World – Random pictures and the History Museum.

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Bode and Taylor at the History Museum in Washington, D.C.

We ventured by Metro into D.C.-

with the two of them –

We walked and walked –

Showing them the sights.

We did this while living nearby for twenty years –

with family and friends!

They were so excited –

and not once did they complain!

Bode was fascinated with life thousands of years ago.

He was full of questions-

and Taylor had most of the answers! LOL

These are some of the pictures Taylor took!

There is so much to see –

and little time to spend.

We need to go back for a week –

and take in something different each day.

This was such a learning experience for both of them!

Big sister-

little brother –

something they shall remember for a lifetime.

Thanks for reading PAPA’S WORLD-

my site: livinglifedoingitmyway. blog

BODE – RANDOM PICTURES AT THE HISTORY MUSEUM – WASHINGTON, D.C.

Papa’s World – National Museum-Natural History.

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Sherry – Taylor and Bode at the entrance –

This was our goal –

and they were so excited!

While they were here many years ago –

They did not remember it!

Exploration covered many flights of stairs-

they looked around in awe-

They just looked and read and looked some more!

Taylor was fascinated by the skeletons of horses and turtles.

They could not get over just how big these must have been!

We spoke to a man who said he was from the area where they discovered all these skeletons in.

He had spent much time there and knew the people who work the fossils!

We then headed upstairs to the HOPE DIAMOND-

Which they had never heard of!

Here they saw many gems of famous origin.

THE HOPE DIAMOND!

Then onto more discoveries –

they were excited to see what was beyond the next corner.

As we wandered through the displays –

they were in awe-

Sherry and I decided next time we would come multiple days and see one section at a time!

One last glance over the balcony –

before we went to another section –

My next blog will have the rest!

PAPA’S WORLD –

my site: livinglifedoingitmyway.blog

Papa’s World – Walking DC – with Bode and Taylor!

/ Tom / Leave a comment

While taking a trip back to NVA in October –

We had an agenda for the week that included taking the grandkids to DC.

Cassidy chose not to go but Bode and Taylor were so excited.

The plan is to get on the Metro at the last stop close to where they lived in Ashburn.

And then ride it to where we wanted to get off without changing lines!

It was a bright sunny day – cool to start but warming us fast!

We were trying to get close to the White House –

But as you can see here –

It was all blocked off and this was as close as we could get!

Then we heard it before we saw it!

The President’s helicopter was taking off!

I snapped this picture just before it disappeared behind the trees.

We have no idea who was on board –

but it surprised the grandkids as it did us!

We turned around from where we were standing –

and this is the view we had of the Washington Monument!

We made our way onto the lawn of the mall –

the grass was lush and green.

Here we stopped and captured Taylor in front of the capital!

And I turned around and captured Bode with the Washington Monument in the background!

We continued across the green lawn of the Mall!

Looking toward the Smithsonian building –

before making our way to the Museum of Natural History.

Gazing at the Executive Office Building –

We had arrived after walking the streets of Washington, DC.

The next blog continues with us touring the museum.

Thanks for reading PAPA’S WORLD-

my site: livinglifedoingitmyway. blog