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Click on pictures to enlarge and click your back
button to return. |
January |

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This is a picture of the Bethlehem Carolers or
“Jaslickari” from St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church taken
around 1915. Front row - Mike Slivka, Frank Slivka, J. Swigar, and G.
Lazorchick, Back row – Malatak, D. Drigan, B. Swigar, unknown, M.
Andreoski, and M. Mikovich. St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church,
sometimes referred to as the “Greek Church”, followed the Julian
calendar, celebrating Christmas on January 7th. One of the features of
Christmas celebrations was the visit of the Jaslickari – Shepherds of
Bethehem – to the homes of parishioners where they re-enacted the
Nativity scene and sang a few Christmas Carols, concluding with
greetings from the Old Shepherd, “Staryj Pastyr”. One member called
the “Kuba” was the comedian and a great attraction, chasing the
children with his wooden hatchet and threatening to kidnap the bad ones
in his bag, which he carried for gifts from generous people. A
model of the church (shown in picture) was carried to each house. At one
time St. Mary’s Church had ornate domes on top; they were removed
around 1950. |
February |

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Photo of Nesquehoning’s Room Run No.1 drift taken
around 1900. Man holding sledgehammer is Richard W. Johns, and the man
on the right is Richard (Dickie) Thomas. In 1785 and again in 1787
workers for Jacob Weiss discovered coal along Room Run. At that time
most people were unfamiliar with anthracite coal, and early attempts to
use it were not encouraging. The public knew nothing about the new fuel;
wood was then plentiful and low priced. Small quantities of coal were
mined, but people were slow to appreciate its value. The majority of
persons approached were entirely incredulous as to its being anything
else than a stone, incapable of being burned. Another problem was
getting coal to market. At first wagonloads were taken from Nesquehoning
to Philadelphia, it was 100 miles. In 1806, William Turnbull had an ark
constructed at the mouth of the Nesquehoning creek which took to Phila.
about three hundred bushels of coal. A portion of this cargo was sold to
the managers of the Water Works, located in Center Square. Upon trial
there, it was deemed rather an extinguisher of fire than anything else,
was rejected as worthless, and was broken up to spread on the walks of
the surrounding garden in place of gravel. The war of 1812 caused a fuel
crisis in Philadelphia, then America’s chief metropolis, since English
coal shipments stopped and a British coastal blockade stopped other
shipments by ships. During the period of the scarcity of
bituminous coal during the War, a Phila. nail company purchased a
cart-load of hard coal for $1 a bushel to burn in the factory
furnace. The first experiment with it was a failure. Workmen spent most
of a night in a second attempt to burn the new fuel, but finally, long
after midnight, gave up stoking and went home. One of the men had
forgotten his coat and later returned to the shop for it. When he saw
the building it was aglow, thinking it was on fire he ran and opened the
door to find the furnace white-hot. By accident they learned that what
they should have done with the anthracite was to leave it alone and let
it burn, seeing only that it had a sufficient supply of air.
During the Civil War a lot of coal was needed and the mines at
Nesquehoning were geared to the demands of war. Tunnels were driven
three thousand feet through Mammoth Vein. Miners worked twenty-four
hours a day. Anthracite leaped from three to eleven dollars a ton. Wages
of miners bounded upward. There could not be too much coal mined to make
iron for rails, locomotives and ammunition. Two Confederate spy’s were
caught and had in their possession a map showing the mines. The South
wanted to stop the production of coal and sent these men to blow up the
mines. Production of coal was of the utmost importance to the North and
guards were sent to prevent sabotage to the mines.
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March |

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Nesquehoning’s elementary school teachers in 1958.
This was the first year at the new school; it cost $406,000 to build.
Sitting – Grace McGeehan – Elizabeth McGinley – Principal Marie
Donegan – Rose Marino and Mary Crossin. Standing – Edith Eade –
Amy Frantz – Kathryn Hackett – Sara James – Rose Ginetto and
Solome Floyd. The most important teachers in any school system are the
elementary teachers. As a building needs a good foundation so does a
child's education. These teachers gave their students a strong
foundation on which to build their lives, not only in the A B C’s but
teaching manners, respect and discipline. They emphasized morals in the
lessons that guided the child’s judgement and character. In those days
they believed in the saying “spare the rod and spoil the child.”
Each teacher had a paddle of their own design; boys in shop class
usually made them. One teacher said, “the paddle went a long way in
maintaining order so that the pupils could absorb the lessons taught.
Most Nesquehoning teachers were born, raised and educated in
Nesquehoning. They knew everyone’s parents, grand parents and probably
taught them when they were in school. Hard working, dedicated and caring
people, working for little pay, their reward was when they saw their
students go on to be good responsible citizens. The teachers knew how
hard miners worked and how dangerous it was. They saw many men killed in
the mines; some were their own fathers and brothers. Teachers wanted
their students to get a good education so they didn’t have to work
like an animal, 1000 feet under ground in the coal mines. Miner’s
worked under the most intolerable and inhumane conditions of employment
imaginable. Colleges and Universities knew Nesquehoning’s
reputation of having such high standards for their graduates that most
students going to college were exempt from taking entrance exams. Some
Nesquehoning trivia – In July of 1919 while on vacation in York, Pa.
Sarah James became the first Nesquehoning female to ever ride in an
airplane.
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April |

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This is a picture of the 1923 basket ball team. Front
row Nick Dobosh, Harry Miller, Charles York, Bill Christopher. Back row,
Dominic Greco, George Roscoe, Bill Eckert, Principal Mr. Henniger, Victor Skakandy, Billy
McGeehan. Basketball was Nesquehoning first high school sport. The
origin of basketball at Nesquehoning started in 1909 when Prof. Gordon
Ulshafer, John York, William Meese, Bernard Hines, Joe Watson and the
senior boys solicited the business men of town for donations to buy
material to place the auditorium of the East End School in condition for
playing basketball. The chief business men contributed one or two
dollars each, making $19.25 which was enough to buy baskets and wire
screen light protectors. Willie Fisher, tinsmith, made the light
protectors and when they were placed in the building and the baskets
erected, the place was ready. Mr. Levengood, who was then high school
principal, went with the boys as chaperon in the evening for a little
game. P. I. A. A. rules were then unknown. They made their own rules.
The boys did it more for pastime than for anything. You got your gang
and I got mine then they’d play a game to see who had the best gang.
No games were scheduled that year with out of town teams, but it was the
beginning of our first high school sport. The first official game was in
1911 at Liberty Hall, Tamaqua. In 1911 the Athletic Association was
organized. The dues were 10 cents a month for 6 months, which admitted
all members to games free of charge. The admission for people who were
not members was 15, 10, and 5 cents. The 1913 team of Morgan, Becker,
Kishbaugh, Watson and York won nineteen games out of twenty. The only
loss was to the Hazleton professional Y. M. C. A. team. |
May |

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On July 18,1912 a lokie from the Nesquehoning
colliery crashed into a passing train. Lokies were small steam engines
used to haul coal to the breaker or refuse to the culm banks. According
to the engineer the lokie became unmanageable, he told Company officials
he tied down the whistle and leaped for his life. One person was injured
and taken to the Coaldale Hospital. |
June |

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On July l6,1921, the School Board awarded a contract
to Roberts and Meck for a new Wayne School bus to transport school
children from Hauto to the Nesquehoning High School for $1288.00. The
bus arrived on August 24 and Henry Zaengle was chosen to be its
chauffeur. Back in those days snow wasn’t a reason to close the
schools. The following is a quote from a newspaper article, “Henry
Zaengle is at present making record speed conveying the teachers from
Hauto and back and also bringing the Hauto pupils to school here and
back. Ever since the heavy snowfall he is using a large sleigh instead
of bus and the merry jingle of sleigh bells makes one think of the
former old-fashioned winters.”
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July |

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This is the first block of West Catawissa St. The
streets began to look better in the teens. These changes were brought on
because citizens formed groups and demanded changes. The streets were in
horrible condition and the people were complaining bitterly. A notice
was posted that read “Do you appreciate Nesquehoning, its
possibilities, its people and its enjoyments? Our town is distinctly on
the move, a big future looms up for us. Do not fail to give full value
to the rare sociability of your neighbors, our healthful mountain air,
and the romantic mining scenery. Good old Nesquehoning. Let us make it
bigger and better. Nesquehoning has not yet reached the zenith of its
possible attainments, but its residents can give it a forward and
productive impetus by getting together and organizing.” They picked as
their slogan “Watch Us Grow.” This group made their voices heard and
officials listened. Another demand was that they wanted something done
about the garbage that people threw on the streets and alleys, they said
this was the cause of contagious diseases and high doctor bills. On May
14, 1915 garbage collection was started. A dumping ground on the
north side of Nesquehoning creek, east of Newtown Bridge was
established. The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company said every Monday,
Tuesday and Wednesday the Company wagons will travel from house to house
collecting garbage for removal. There was one condition to the liberal
offer. The garbage must be in barrels or boxes, in form easy to handle.
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August |

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This is a picture of the parochial school of the
Sacred Heart parish taken in 1953. At its dedication on August 30, 1925
it was said that the new school is of the most modern type, handsomely
equipped throughout lacking no detail in its accommodation. Construction
cost was $60,000. It was in charge of five Sisters of Mercy and had over
200 pupils under their efficient instruction with the opening of the new
school Tuesday, Sept. 8, 1925. On January 8, 1929 the school was
completely ruined and destroyed by a fire which broke out in the
basement of the building about 5 p.m., an hour after school was
dismissed. Several firemen were injured and many were overcome by smoke
and had to be carried from their activities within the raging structure.
The fire happened on the coldest day of the season and the firemen were
subject to severe physical suffering. As the water poured on the fire it
was converted into crystals of ice. The next when men went through the
building to determine the cause of the fire, onlookers were astonished
to see someone walk out of the totally destroyed school with a statue of
the Virgin Mary untouched by the raging inferno. Many declared it a
miracle. Three days after the fire a largely attended meeting of
citizens was held for the purpose of better equipping its fire
department. It was agreed that every citizen would pay $1.00 per month
for the purpose of replacing their antiquated fire truck and obsolete
equipment. Students attended classes in St. Mary’s church hall during
the period of rebuilding. The school closed on June 8, 1973 and students
were transferred to St. Anne’s in Lansford. In 1978 the school was
sold to the Federal Government, HUD, for construction of an 18-unit
apartment for the elderly. The nuns are standing in front of the
convent, which was built in 1925. With the closing of the school the
convent was no longer needed and was sold to Dr. Malik in Dec. of 1973.
In 1977 Dr. Malik transformed the building into eight apartments.
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September |

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This photo was taken around 1914 and shows coal cars
being pulled out of Nesquehoning’s No. 1 tunnel with the use of an
electric motor. In 1908 under ground trolleys started to replace the
mules that were used to pull the coal cars, and proved a great time
saver. The company greatly increased the output from these mines. In
1909 two new motors were put into service, making five in all. The
motormen were Morris Granger, James Mulligan, John Malone, Jenkin Davis
and Richard Eustice. By 1929 electric motors replaced most mules in
under ground workings and the mine mules were added to the list of coal
oil lamps, horses and buggies and other relics, which the march of time
has relegated to the old and discarded classifications. An electric
motor didn’t need time to rest; it required no stable, boss or
veterinarian to keep it in shape. It could haul fourteen cars of coal
whereas a mine mule could do its best with only 4 to 8. Hence the
mine mule was to vanish. Some miners were sad to see their “buddy”
go. Maude, the four footed faithful but somewhat loose footed friend of
the hard coal miner for the past century was to be retired. While the
mule was of a temperamental type that might be classed as sometimes
being as high tension as were the wires that supplied the new electric
motors, she was loved in the mines by those who cussed her the most.
Companion of the miner in the darkness, often the vigilant safety first
agent who sensed a body of gas or could tell that the roof was falling,
she was able to warn the miner that he should be on his guard. Able to
eat anything, even to taking an arm off a careless driver, the mines
proved too much for the average mule, despite the rough and ready
existence that she was fitted for. Even though Jennie was 10 years old,
Colonel was 12 and Frank was 16 when he died from injuries in the #2
shaft, two years was the average length of life of a mule in the mines.
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October |

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This is a picture of James McGorry’s barbershop; he
is the barber on right. His tonsorial parlor was located on W. Railroad
St. until November 28, 1911when he moved to Catawissa St. On November
18, 1915 he made another move to 134 E. Catawissa St. The barbers in
town were always kept busy. Most had two barber chairs, while the barber
gave a person a hair cut or shave, a helper would get the next customer
ready in the second chair. Seen in this picture are the shaving mugs
used by the barber. Regular customers had their own mug and brush with
their name on them. A certificate on the wall shows that he was a member
of the barbers union. James placed an article in the newspaper on Sept.
11, 1917 that read: Owing to the increased list of all barber supplies
and living expenses because of the War, the following prices will take
effect on and after Sept. 17th. Shaving 15 cents – Hair Cutting 25
cents – Hair Cutting on Saturday’s 35 cents. An advertisement from
November 1926 read: JAMES McGORRY, Hair Cutting and Bobbing –
Shampooing, Massaging and Shaving. We Aim to Please.
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November |

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Football was almost an obsession with the Valley’s
residents. Local high school teams played hard, tough ball. Rivalry
between towns was strong, and virtually everyone attended the games. The
emphasis on sports contributed to the excellence of many players, who
were later drafted by various colleges. Local residents always followed
with pride the progress of the area’s star athletes. This 1947 team
was one of Nesquehoning’s best. They were the Southern Division
champions of the Eastern Conference. What they lacked in experience, the
Maroon and Gold squad of Nesquehoning High replaced with grit and
determination. With only three veterans in the starting eleven, Coach
Tony Mezza built a strong and winning team. The 1947 team went through
conference competition undefeated, six of their opponents went
scoreless, scoring 205 points to 44 for the opponents, piled up more
than 2,000 yards from scrimmage, made 117 first downs and completed
almost half of the total passes thrown. Nesquehoning was unbeaten in 17
straight Eastern Conference contests. The team scored 362 points while
holding the opposition to 58. In their string of 17 straight, the
Nesquers blanked 12 of its rivals. Two players on this team went on to
be honored as two of Pennsylvania’s best, when Vic Mikovich and Lou
Higgins were named to the All-State Scholastic Grid. Gene Watto made
All-State second team and Billy Feddock, Mike Feddock and George Macinko
gained honorable mention. First row: Charlie Dankanich, Frank
Porvaznik, Joe Ouly, Richard Bubon, Joe Kurash, Nelson Tonkin, Marty
Kovich, Ray Choley and Frank Krajcir. Second row: Lou Higgins, Frank
Troiana, Andy Sweetak, Mike Feddock, George Macinko, Jim McCann, Leo
Drosdak, Vic Mikovich, Gene Shelhimer and Pete Spinella. Third row: Gene
Watto, Bill Feddock, Ed Kusko, John Artuso, Ted Epton, Joe Span, Bob
Pathroff, Joe Canzoneri, John Kulick, Eddy Koval, Joe Malyniak and Coach
Tony Mezza. |
December |

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This is a rare 100-year-old photo of the 100 block of
West Railroad St. At one time there was a stream that crossed this
block. It was called Kitchen Run and was covered by a wooden bridge. In
the 1890’s men enclosed the stream with a stone arch that is still
under the street today. On the far left can be seen the steeple of the
Baptist Church. The tall steeple was removed around 1930 because of
structural problems, caused by a lighting strike. When the steeple was
removed the bell was given to the Immaculate Conception Church. Seen in
this picture is a small house in the middle of the block on the left
side. This property was purchased by Samuel Grieff. In the spring of
1908 the house was moved to High St. and converted into a double
dwelling, and a new four story building, 70 feet by 42 feet deep,
containing a store room and four dwellings was built in its place.
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Inside Back Cover |

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Map of Nesquehoning - September 1831 |
Inside Back Cover |

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This is a picture of Curry’s Grove in the 1940’s.
Thomas Curry owned 22 acres of land on the East End of town where the
old DuPont powder plant was located. In 1914 he cleared the land and
started a poultry business, people called it Curry’s chicken farm. He
also grew some crops and had a produce business. As seen in this picture
this property was later made into a grove. Churches and various
organizations from town would hold picnics and clam bakes there. During
WW II events called Victory picnics were held and the money made was
used to buy war bonds in support of our servicemen. The swimming pool in
this picture originally started out as an ice dam. Going into the ice
business in 1915 Mr. Curry built the dam and an icehouse. Pure Mountain
spring water was piped into the dam. In 1920 John Hoefling of New
York visited Curry’s ice dam, he said this place offers the best
natural advantages, principally pure mountain water and close proximity
to the railroad tracks. He took over the ice dam and shipped the ice
from here to New York on the Central Railroad. In Dec. 1990 the
Nesquehoning borough bought this property for $8,500 and built a sewage
treatment plant there.
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This picture shows Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in
the 1940’s. The dedication services at the Church of Our Lady of Mt.
Carmel were of a high order on Sunday June 27, 1920. The day was perfect
and the weather ideal so that the combination served to beautify the
occasion. At the bridge the procession headed by Citizens’ Club, St.
Mauros Society, Foresters of America, and the Band was greeted by a
double column of children. As the autos conveying Monsignor Crane and
other priests approached the bridge the children showered them with
roses. It was an impressive sight. The following prelates were in
attendance: Monsignor M. J. Crane, Rev. T. J. Larkin, Rev. F. T.
Meagher, Mauch Chunk; Rev. J. L. O’Connor, Nesquehoning; Rev. Paul
Lasitske and Rev. H. J. Bowen, Lansford; Rev. Joseph Assman, East Mauch
Chunk; Rev. Robert Hayes, Coaldale; and Wm. P. Courisy, a Seminarian. In
1949 this church was torn down and replaced with the present one. Also
seen in the picture are some boys sleigh riding down Venice St. (the
name was changed to Angelini Ave. in 1987). Actually it wasn’t called
a sleigh; it was called a scow and was made by Mr. Barachie. The person
who sat in the front usually wore ice skates and would steer the scow
with the skates. |
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