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| Economy Centennial Celebration postcard, front 1924 |
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| Economy Centennial Celebration postcard, back 1924 |
The former village of Economy, established by the Harmony Society in 1824, later absorbed into the borough of Ambridge, celebrated its centennial from Friday, June 6 through Sunday, June 8, 1924. The weekend was full of ceremony and entertainment, but the Grand Historic Pageant--also known as a parade--probably was the most attended event.
According to the Centennial Program, the Saturday, June 7, parade was scheduled to begin at 2:30 P.M. on Park Rd., turn east on 1st Street, turn north on Merchant, march to French Point, then proceed to Ohioview Ave., 12th St., Church St, 11th St., Melrose, and finish on 10th St. Since many of the photos below were taken on Maplewood Ave. at 8th St., I'm not sure how accurate that description of the planned route turned out to be.
The June 9 Ambridge Citizen proclaimed the parade, "The greatest spectacle in the history of Beaver County."
The Citizen reported:
As the great procession held in connection with the Economy Centennial passed before the vast throngs that had gathered from far and wide records were being established that placed Ambridge at the very pinnacle in the county chronicles. For size, for originality, for picturesqueness, for beauty, for historical value, the Ambridge pageant and parade surpassed anything that had ever before been attempted in this valley. Over 2,500 persons and over 200 autos and floats formed a procession about three miles long, requiring 45 minutes to pass a given point.
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The background for the paraders formed a great sight itself. The brightly decorated buildings, with every available window, nook and corner filled with people; many roofs filled with daring spectators, the line of parade on both sides massed with 40,000 people from various parts of the country; every accessible, vacant, lot, filled with automobiles parked during the procession; the Legion's avenue of flags and the American colors everywhere, the town was veritably a mass of color and humanity.
The Citizen said that after the parade had passed, "It required over an hour for the crowds to disperse from Merchant street [sic]."
The parade's tremendous success may have surprised former Harmony Society trustee John S. Duss. When the plans for the Centennial's events, including the ambitious ideas for the parade were discussed in December 1923, the Daily Times reported, "It is the opinion of Mr. Duss, however, that the time is too short to adequately stage such a pageant."
Only a few of the parade photos I've found identify the scene shown, so I tried to match the Citizen's and Centennial program's descriptions with the unidentified photos and to put the photos in order of their appearance in the parade. None of the original photographers for any of the photographs are identified.
The parade was organized into four divisions.
Division A had the Ambridge Police Force; three Legion color bearers (J. R. Armington, Walter Shephard, and Victor Pate); a car with Centennial President John T. Jessen and three women from "the Old Folks Home"; and a float of Uncle Sam and Columbia.
The Citizen said Ambridge Police "Chief P. J. Caul and his force of six" marched. So this may be them; the uniforms look like theirs, but I'd like to confirm that identification:
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| Ambridge police force? Economy Centennial Parade 8th St. and Maplewood Ave. June 7, 1924 courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center |
This must be, without a doubt, the "Uncle Sam and Columbia" float. The Citizen identified R. K. Smith as Uncle Sam and Miss Janet Bianchi as Columbia. The location where the photo was taken doesn't look familiar to me. Any ideas?
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| Uncle Sam and Columbia float Economy Centennial Parade June 7, 1924 courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center |
Division B represented the area's early history, 1784 - 1824. The Citizen described this division: "Every important event that history records for this section was shown and noted in order of their happenings."
The photo below must be from that division. The photo is very faded, but there's a man in a colonial uniform plus an Indian wearing a headdress on the float. The Centennial program lists the floats in this group. Could the float in front be "Conrad Wersser [sic] raising the British flag at Logstown in presence of the English trader Geo. Croghan and a group of Indians"? (Conrad Weiser was the colonial ambassador to the Indians.) Or perhaps, "George Washington in 1753 in conference with Sachems of the Six Nations, at Logstown"?
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| "Early history" floats Economy Centennial Parade June 7, 1924 courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center |
The Citizen mentioned one colonial rider on horseback: General Anthony Wayne portrayed by Dr. C. R. Bonzo. Maybe the below photo shows him.
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| General Anthony Wayne ? Economy Centennial Parade 8th St. and Maplewood Ave. June 7, 1924 courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center |
The parade's Division C was the Harmony Society era in Economy, featuring floats depicting daily Harmonist life.
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| Harmony Society haymakers float Economy Centennial Parade 8th St. and Maplewood Ave. June 7, 1924 courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center |
The 1826 Economite fire engine was borrowed from the Carnegie Museum for the occasion.
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| Economite fire engine Economy Centennial Parade June 7, 1924 courtesy Borough of Ambridge |
Mrs. John S. Duss, one of the last trustees of the Harmony Society, and John Duss, Jr. rode in the Duss coach.
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| Coach carrying Mrs. John Duss and John Duss, Jr. Economy Centennial Parade June 7, 1924 courtesy Borough of Ambridge |
Division D was the "Modern Ambridge" section, with Ambridge officials followed by bands, floats, decorated trucks, and marchers from schools, organizations, industries, and businesses.
Several local fire departments participated in the parade, but only one had a name ending in "sdale" as shown on the truck in the photo below, Leetsdale.
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| Leetsdale Vol. FD firetruck and firefighters Economy Centennial Parade 8th St. and Maplewood Ave. June 7, 1924 courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center |
The next photo may be Ambridge's Hook and Ladder Co., No. 1. While this photo is unidentified, the fire truck looks very much like Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1's in a photo in the Centennial program.
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| Ambridge Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1 ? Economy Centennial Parade 8th St. and Maplewood Ave. June 7, 1924 courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center |
The Kemena Lumber Co., located at 10th and Merchant Sts. in 1924, built a tiny house on their float, "complete in every detail, even to the gardens and lawn in front of the porch on which sat little Virginia and Frank McCabe," said the Citizen.
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| Kemena Lumber Co. float Economy Centennial Parade 8th St. and Maplewood Ave. June 7, 1924 courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center |
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| American Bridge Company float Economy Centennial Parade June 7, 1924 courtesy Borough of Ambridge |
I can't even guess at the identity of this band, one of a number of local bands that marched. Nor can I identify the street shown. Does the street look familiar to anyone?
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| Band (unidentified) Economy Centennial Parade June 7, 1924 courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center |
The Citizen described the Ambridge Woman's Club float as decorated with 5,000 Richmond roses and said the women riding on the float represented the club's activities: "Alberta Budd represented the Spirit of Woman's Club; Zilpha Miller, the nurse; Dorothy Kelley, an injured child; Mary Bittinger and Betty Fitzgerald, the library; and Mildred Schermerhorn, health. Mrs. Thos. D. Norris drove the float."
I'm still trying to identify the building behind the float. The brick street narrows down the location a bit to "not Merchant St.," and the trolley tracks should narrow it further. Perhaps Park Rd. or 1st St.?
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| Ambridge Woman's Club float Economy Centennial Parade June 7, 1924 courtesy Borough of Ambridge |
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| Patriotic Order Sons of America
Economy Centennial Parade
June 7, 1924
courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center
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The Citizen says the Loyal Order of Moose float: "decorated in lavender and white, represented Mooseheart and Moose Haven homes; the former by a number of children and the latter, an elderly couple at a desk." The scene was shot at the Moose Palace building, formerly at the northeast corner of 13th and Merchant Sts., destroyed by a fire in 1937.
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| Loyal Order of Moose float Economy Centennial Parade Moose Palace, 13th and Merchant Sts. June 7, 1924 courtesy of Lorianne Stangl Burgess |
According to the Citizen, 400 students of St. Stanislaus parochial school "marched in the formation of the American flag." The children in the flag's staff wore yellow hats; those in the stripes wore red and white hats; and those in the canton (the rectangle with the stars) wore blue and white hats. The photo below might show some of the students.
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| St. Stanislaus parochial school children? Economy Centennial Parade 8th St. and Maplewood Ave. June 7, 1924 courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center |
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| Girls with U. S. flags
Economy Centennial Parade
8th St. and Maplewood Ave.
June 7, 1924
courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center
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The Ambridge Savings and Trust Co. float "represented its Liberty Bell savings accounts, with Miss Liberty (Miss [name unreadable]) sitting by the Liberty Bell," the Citizen said.
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| Ambridge Savings and Trust float
Economy Centennial Parade
8th St. and Maplewood Ave.
June 7, 1924
courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center
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The Citizen reported, "The Ukrainian Nationality of Ambridge had a large turnout."
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| Ukrainian Nationality of Ambridge marchers
Economy Centennial Parade
8th St. and Maplewood Ave.
June 7, 1924
courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center
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The Citizen described the J. M. Breen's Furniture float as "a bower of ferns and palms" and playing the role of a newly married couple who furnished their home at Breen's were Virginia Goerman and William Goerman.
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| Breen's Furniture float Economy Centennial Parade June 7, 1924 courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center |
I wish I had photos of some of the other business participants' entries like the Briola Brothers ice plant's truck "loaded with large cakes of ice, in which had been frozen fish and fruit." Or the Ambridge-Economy Bottling Works truck which dispensed free pop.
Be on the lookout for memorabilia from the Economy Centennial parade. The Citizen noted, "Most of the business firms represented in the parade threw souvenirs of all descriptions all along the route of the parade."
Update: Sept. 29, 2016
More parade photos!
First, four photos from the Old Economy Village Archives:
Father Rapp's coach was borrowed from the Carnegie Museum for the occasion. It would have been at the beginning of the Harmony Society section of the parade. According to the Ambridge Citizen, 18 men in silk coats and high hats formed the guard of honor.
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| Father Rapp's coach Economy Centennial Parade June 7, 1924 Old Economy Village Archives |
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| Float depicting Harmony Society Women spinning Economy Centennial Parade June 7, 1924 Old Economy Village Archives |
The Citizen reported, "The old Economy milk wagon with the daily bulletin, announced the loss of a 'hen with red band on left leg.'"
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| Economy milk wagon with daily bulletin Economy Centennial Parade June 7, 1924 Old Economy Village Archives |
Another photo of the Economy haymakers float:
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| Economy haymakers float Economy Centennial Parade June 7, 1924 Old Economy Village Archives |
The Knights of Columbus contingent had 65 (85? hard to read microfilm) marchers as well as a float showing the landing of Columbus.
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| Knights of Columbus Ambridge Council No. 1780 Economy Centennial Parade June 7, 1924 Eddie Dzubak, Sr. Collection |
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| Beneficial Russian Society of St. Michael of Ambridge No. 121 of R.B.O. Economy Centennial Parade June 7, 1924 Eddie Dzubak, Sr. Collection |
The final new photo, published in the August 25, 1954, Ambridge Daily Citizen, shows some of the crowd watching the Economy Centennial parade at 4th and Merchant Sts. and provides a view of some of the east side of the 400 block of Merchant. Look at the men hanging on the utility pole on the far left!:
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| Wagons and floats Economy Centennial Parade 4th and Merchant Sts. Daily Citizen August 25, 1954 |
Daily Citizen caption:
Pictured above is one of the original United Dairy white horse and single wagons which participated in the Economite Centennial Parade during the summer of 1924. The picture was taken at 4th and Merchant Sts._____
Many of the photos above credited to the Beaver County Genealogy and History Center were taken at the intersection of Maplewood Ave. and 8th St. The brick house with front porch in the background is still there, now the Anglican Church in North America Provincial Office, 800 Maplewood. The porch is now enclosed. The large three-story building behind the house is the Ambridge Hotel, Merchant St., built in 1905, razed in 1964.
As big and grand as the Economy Grand Historic Pageant may have been, Ambridge's Golden Jubilee parade, described as a "mammoth spectacle", held in 1955, topped it in number of units and length.
jd aka john domansky
ReplyDeletea real good put together blog, & nice pictures, good memories for sure,
nancy, the 1st pic w/the ambridge police marching past that house, brings back tons of memories here too. played many hours in that backyard, running between our home into alley then over in the doctors house yard, john mihaleow knows docs name, there was a hanging sign, w/his logo. now on that houses left side of porch, draw a line to the back alley & it will meet, the ambridge hotels side, there was an open lot, always there as i recall then the building our family lived in 1938 39. i put 2 nice pics on AR&R showing my dad & friend, wme & sis. in the backyard, not 100 ft away from that parade on maplewood, in 1924. good stuff
jd aka john domansky
Deletenancy just looked at the 1924 booklet, we both have, it shows caul w/6 cops pictured, parade shows 7 cops total, that should be the anbridge police force.
ambridge sorry no edit here.
Delete