Five young men, 5th and Merchant Sts., 1947

 

3rd from left, Pete Lusty
2nd from left, John Smetanka
other young men unknown
1947
courtesy Dave Lusty

Dave Lusty, AHS '72, sent me this photo of his father, Pete Lusty, and four of his buddies, posing on the west side of Merchant St. near 5th St. in 1947. Pete Lusty would have been 20 years old at the time.

John Smetanka is the only of the four other young men that Dave could identify. If you know who any of the other three are, please leave a comment or contact me.

Note the streetcar tracks on Merchant St. Street cars through Ambridge were replaced by buses in 1934, but the tracks on Merchant St. weren't covered until 1958.

On the east side of Merchant, you can see the Penn Theatre's marquee. To the theater's right: The Penn Grill restaurant and Denmark's shoe store,

The building with the clock is the Economy Bank of Ambridge which was across 5th St. at 500 Merchant.

The Penn Theatre closed in the early 1950s, and the Melody Ballroom opened in the theater's former location in September 1953. The ballroom, Penn Grill, and Denmark's were all badly damaged in a big July 1954 fire. Another massive fire damaged the businesses that occupied the former theater in February 1963: the Bride and Deb Shop on the corner, Penn Grill, and Hankins Shoe Store. 

The former Penn Theatre building was razed after the 1963 fire, replaced by a parking lot. More recently, that corner was the location of the now-closed PNC Bank in 1984

The Economy Bank building was razed in 1984. WesBanco's drive though is now located where the bank once stood. 

The Prince Theatre Building

Prince Theatre Building
600 block of Merchant St., East (even numbered) side
1951
courtesy Jeffrey Snedden

This wonderful photo of Ambridge's Prince Theatre Building came from Jeffrey Snedden, the writer of the "Histories and Mysteries" column in the Beaver County Times. Ambridge's Dollar General store and its parking lot are now where this building once was.

Although the long-closed theater auditorium, which was behind the row of storefronts on Merchant St., was razed in 1991, the storefronts remained for a number of years, but were gone by 2008.

In the photo you can see the Prince Theatre's marquee and entrance to the theater at 638 Merchant St., as well as the stores that lined the theater's facade. To the theater's right is Maynard's Jewelry, 628 Merchant St. On the theater's left is a storefront that says "Children's Wear." That would have been Stork's Nest, owned by Sally Rubenstein, wife of Ambridge High School's legendary football coach, Moe Rubenstein, 650 Merchant St.

That sliver of white on the far right of the photo was Timney's Appliances, 612 Merchant St., razed in July 2013. Its location is now also part of the Dollar General building.

On the second floor of the building there's a sign advertising "Signs of all kinds" and at the far end, another sign for "Guardian Loans."

Right now, I can't say with confidence what businesses were in the three storefronts to the left of Stork's Nest at the time the photo was taken, but I think I see a barber pole between the last two. If I can later confirm what those businesses were, I'll update this post.

New information about the Prince Theatre.

Here's some information I learned about the Prince since my blog post about the theater on April 30, 2016. To put the new information in context, I recommend you read that earlier blog post as well as this one.

The Prince was opened in late 1919 by G. W. Prince and at that time, it was managed by Marcus (Ben) Nadler who later owned the theater. In January 3, 1920, The Citizen announced that the Prince would temporarily close, but planned to give occasional performances. No explanation for its closing was provided.

According to the April 21, 1923, issue of the Pittsburgh Moving Picture Bulletin, the Prince had been "closed for the past two years," but was scheduled to reopen on Sept. 1, 1923, after Ben Nadler remodeled and enlarged the theater from 450 to 700 seats.

It's not clear to me yet whether the planned 1923 remodeling was ever completed or perhaps delayed, or if the theater was remodeled again three years later, or torn down and replaced.

In August 1925, S. P. Nadler (not Ben Nadler) announced on behalf of the Ambridge Amusement Co. that it would tear down the then-existing Prince Theatre and replace it with a "modern building" the following spring .(The Citizen, August 5, 1925)

But then, the April 16, 1926, Citizen reported that remodeling, not a demolition, of the Prince had begun. The theater would be 25 feet longer, 14 feet higher, and a balcony added. After the remodeling, which would cost about $85,000, the theater would seat about 1500. The theater would be closed for several months until the work was completed.

The reason the theater may have closed in 1931, as mentioned by Mike Kubek when reminiscing about working at the Prince in a 1989 Beaver County Times article, remains a mystery yet to be solved.

When I wrote the original article about the Prince, I didn't know if the theater ever re-opened after 1950's record-breaking Thanksgiving snowstorm. However, based on the photo, the answer is "yes, it did."  Maybe. The posters on the theater announce that the theater was showing Werewolf of London, originally released in 1935, and The Phantom of Paris, originally released in 1942 as The Mystery of Marie Roget. Those two movies were re-released as a double feature in 1951 according to several sources. But I'd feel more confident if I could find confirmation of the information in one of the 1951 local papers.

[Update August 5, 2019: Jeffrey Snedden found and sent to me the local newspaper reporting I was hoping to find, confirming that the Prince reopened in 1951. I'm always grateful for your help, Jeffrey.

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, February 21, 1951:

End of update]

And while I still don't know exactly when the Prince closed, I know that it didn't survive beyond 1951 thanks to the December 15, 1951 Billboard Magazine which said the theater had become a Timney's store annex.

I also am still seeking information on when the Prince Theatre building was razed. I do know by 1980 it was a vacant lot.
_____

Part of the photo at the top of this post was published in a Beaver County Times article about old Beaver County theaters, April 30, 1978. The caption accompanying the photo said it had come from the collection of Al Tomaszewski. That cropped photo was in my April 30, 2016 blog post about the Prince.

The Ambridge Theatre

Many people in the Ambridge area have fond memories of the small, mom-and-pop Ambridge Family Theatre at 645 Merchant Street that opened in 1965 and closed in 2014. This is not about that theater.

This is about the original Ambridge Theatre, the one that was Ambridge's biggest, grandest theater.

This theater:

Ambridge Theatre
714 Merchant St.
March 1965
Laughlin Memorial Library archives

The Ambridge Theatre opened on December 24, 1928, owned and operated by Marcus (Ben) Nadler, who also owned the Prince Theatre and had previously owned Ambridge's Grand Theatre and Regent Theatre.

The Ambridge Theatre Deluxe
Grand Opening Flier
December 1928
Louis Vukovcan collection
courtesy of Jackie Vukovcan

The announcement included this statement:

TO OUR PATRONS

The policy of this theatre will be be show only the most carefully selected pictures--pictures that could offend no one--yet will entertain the most particular people.

De Luxe stage presentation--the best obtainable--will be shown together with news reels, comedies, and other screen attractions of equal high entertainment value.

Patronize the Ambridge Theatre--it is a modern, up-to-date theatre--beautiful, sanitary and comfortable--with entertainment no surpasses anywhere.

--The Management

The opening movie was Naughty Baby, followed later in the week by Three Week Ends.

The Ambridge Theatre Deluxe

Grand Opening Flier

December 1928

Louis Vukovcan collection

courtesy of Jackie Vukovcan

At the time it was built, the Ambridge Theatre was reported to be the largest theater in Beaver County, seating 1600. The theater's entrance at 714 Merchant St. didn't give a hint of just how big the theater was, as the storefronts between 7th St. and 714 hid the L-shaped building's size.

While the Ambridge wasn't as big or ornate as some of the Pittsburgh theaters in that era, the local newspapers were excited, anticipating the opening.

The Ambridge News-Herald wrote about last minute preparations for the opening:

While there is still considerable touching up to do, yet the main features are ready. Half a dozen janitors sweeping and dusting. The organ men are tuning up the great instrument and it will be in its best tone for the opening.

The big electric dome has been drawn to place and the lesser illuminating units are being hung. Carpenters are driving the last nails, the painters are brushing on the last swish of golden paint. The large mirrors in the lobby are being set and polished, so that when the doors swing open at 6:30 little if anything will be found unfinished.

At present writing, noon, Rosiman's Alabamians have arrived and are ready for the stage when the curtain goes up. Film for Alice White's latest picture, "Naughty Baby," is on hand and ready for the projecting machine. And most important of all the ticket office is set and the ticket chopper installed in the lobby.

Ambridge's Daily Citizen gushed over the $500,000 theater--almost $7,000,000 in today's money-- calling its opening "The biggest event in local theatrical history!":

The New Ambridge Theater, the beautiful, luxurious new house of the Ambridge Amusement Company, opens with all its radience (sic) at 6:30 this evening. From the spectacular electrical display on the exterior to its red plush seats, this house offers the superlative in theater construction and appointments. We won't say too much about it today, but as the result of a preview yesterday we can safely predict that everybody tonight is going to be awed--even thrilled--with the luxuriousness and ornateness of this beautiful structure. Really, the interior of the theater is "a thing of beauty and a joy forever," designed under the colorful Spanish and Italian influence. Its wide, richly carpeted aisles, magnificent draperies, and colorful lighting effects, make it one of the finest theaters in Western Pennsylvania.

The Daily Citizen noted that the movie Naughty Baby being shown on opening night was its world premier, "a privilege that is rarely accorded towns the size of Ambridge."

[Update August 22, 2017: Here's what the Ambridge Theatre's entrance looked like the year after it opened. Until I saw this photo, I never knew the marquee shown in the other photos in this blog post wasn't the original. I don't know when the marquee was changed. Note the icicles hanging from the bottom of the marquee, advertising that the theater had air conditioning.

Ambridge Theatre
Daily Citizen
August 10, 1929

End of update]

As far as I can tell, for most of its lifetime, the theater typically changed its movies twice a week. One--or two, because it frequently ran double features, two movies for the price of one--played Monday through Thursday, and another one or two movies played over the weekend. And there was always a cartoon before the first movie. On Saturday's, there would often be a special matinee for kids.

The Ambridge Theatre showed the first "all-talking movie," in Ambridge, The Wolf of Wall Street, on March 21, 1929. The theater also showed the first 3D movie in Ambridge, and installed the first panoramic screen in "the valley."

In 1930, Nadler sold the Ambridge and Prince to the Warner Bros. Theater chain for $700,000, which would be equivalent to over $9,825,000 today.

I don't know what the occasion was in the 1954 photo below showing a lot of excited boys in baseball uniforms lined up in front of the theater to see Johnny Guitar and Jungle Maneaters. The man wearing sunglasses, standing near the curb with folded arms looks to me like Walt Kasper, Ambridge funeral home owner who was active in community organizations. Those of you who remember Kasper, what do you think? Does anyone recognize anyone else in the photo? If so, please leave a comment. (As usual, the photo can be enlarged to see the details better by clicking on it.)

[Update July 21, 2017: Long time Ambridge resident Butch O'Keefe agrees that that's Walt Kasper in the photo. He adds that the man further to the right wearing a baseball cap, standing with the crowd of boys, may be a man with the last name of Bucka who was very active with Little League.]

[Update July 23, 2017: Jill Scheer says that the man behind Walt Kasper's right shoulder in the background of the crowd is her grandfather, Nicholas Scheer. She says he was not connected with Little League, so must have just been in the crowd at the right time to be captured in the photo.]

Line in front of the Ambridge Theatre
714 Merchant St.
1954
credit: Glazer Collection, Athenaeum of Philadelphia
used with permission

I don't know how long that commitment the Ambridge management made to only show movies that "could offend no one" lasted, but in February 1957, the Beaver County Deanery of the Holy Name Society protested the theater's showing the controversial movie Baby Doll, described by IMDb as "A steamy tale of two southern rivals and a sensuous nineteen-year-old virgin." A 19 year-old who sleeps in a crib and sucks her thumb.

People whose memories of the Ambridge are better than mine recall the stunning Art Deco stairs leading to the second floor, and the beautiful Art Deco bathrooms there, as well as an entry into the balcony.

Here's just a smattering of Ambridge Theatre ads over the years.

One of the more cultural offerings:

A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ambridge Theatre ad
Daily Times
February 29, 1936

Before there were hours of Saturday morning cartoons on TV, kids went to the movies to see them:

17 Cartoons
Ambridge Theatre ad
Daily Citizen
September 3, 1948

A more modern classic, in technicolor!

Glass Menagerie
Ambridge Theatre ad
Daily Citizen
November 11, 1950

Gotta wear those stylish 3D glasses! Eek! A lion in your lap!

Bwana Devil
Ambridge Theatre ad
Beaver Valley Times
April 17, 1953

On the giant, curved panoramic screen:

From Here to Eternity
Ambridge Theatre ad
Beaver Valley Times
October 3, 1953

Lassie and five cartoons in the morning, more-adult movies later in the day.

New Orleans Uncensored, Women's Prison, and Lassie
Ambridge Theatre ad
Daily Citizen
June 10, 1955

Get a free back to school pencil box! I loved pencil boxes!

Back to School Show
Ambridge Theatre ad
Beaver County Times
August 24, 1964

A double feature for rock music lovers:

Girl Happy and Ferry Cross the Mersey ad
Ambridge Theatre
Beaver County Times
May 28, 1965

The Ambridge had a stage in front of the screen, and the theater served as a venue for a variety of events besides movies including stage shows, meetings, card parties, cooking demonstrations, boxing matches, and beauty pageants.

Platinum Blonde Revue
Ambridge Theatre ad
Daily Times
May 3, 1939

A touring company of the more talented contestants from radio's popular Major Bowes' Amateur Hour made a stop at the Ambridge Theatre.

Major Bowes' Amateurs on Tour
Ambridge Theatre ad
Daily Times
March 12, 1936

A few members of the World Series winning Pirates and announcer Bob Prince, made a special appearance in 1960. [Update July 23, 2017: Butch O'Keefe says he was at the Pirates' appearance, and that Face and Smith sang. That's an unexpected detail of the event.]

Pirates at Ambridge Theatre ad
Beaver County Times
November 15, 1960

The Ambridge closed in the summer of 1965 and was razed later than year to make room for a new bank building. I think the photo below with the blank marquee and empty looking buildings next to the theater was probably taken between the time the theater closed and its razing.

Ambridge Theatre
714 Merchant St.
1965
Laughlin Memorial Library archives

It doesn't look like much of the once beautiful building was saved during the demolition.

Ambridge Theatre being razed
Beaver County Times
November 8, 1965

Times caption for the photo above:

THEATER BUILDING BEING RAZED -- This is how the lobby of the Ambridge Theater (sic) looks as it is being torn down by a wrecking crew to make way for another office of Pittsburgh National Bank.

Crane razing Ambridge Theatre
Beaver County Times
November 19, 1965

Times caption for the photo above:

BEING RAZED -- Demolition work on the former Ambridge Theater (sic) building, Merchant Street, is expected to be completed by the end of this month. Plsburgh Naional (sic) Bank will open an outlet on the site.

Today, the former Pittsburgh National Bank building is occupied by Huntington Bank. The Ambridge Theatre's entrance was where the parking lot between the bank and Alexander's Restaurant is.


My memories of the Ambridge Theatre

Too bad none of the photos are in color, showing the marquee lit at night; it was beautiful. I remember the lights being orange, gold, and cream, perhaps because of the "Spanish and Italian influence."

I remember standing in long lines stretching from the theater's entrance to 7th St., then curving up 7th St., waiting to buy tickets for movies.

I would buy tickets at the ticket booth near the sidewalk, then walk through the outer lobby over a red carpet up a slightly sloping floor. Framed posters advertising coming attractions hung on either side of the lobby. At the far end of that outer lobby, there were doors leading to an inner lobby.

The refreshment counter was on the right side of that inner lobby. My mom usually gave me some change to buy candy at the counter. Since the projectionist had to change reels of film between the cartoon and the first movie, and again before the second movie of a double feature, there were intermissions giving me time to go to the refreshment counter if I hadn't bought any candy when I first went into the theater.

My favorite movie candies were the boxes of caramel creams, nonpareils, and Jordan Almonds. I also have a distinct memory of eating Good & Plenty at the theater, which would have been a weird thing for me to buy, because I didn't like Good & Plenty candy much.

I have other, pretty vague memories of that inner lobby: a pay phone hung on the left side, stairs to the balcony, and a pop machine that dispensed your drink selection into a small paper cup.

From the inner lobby, movie-goers would make a right into the large seating area that sloped gently down towards the screen. A curtain covered the screen, parting when the show was about to start.

I can recall only a few of the movies I saw at the Ambridge, most of them in my teen years: The Cardinal (the birth scene in that movie is still seared into my mind); Flight from Ashiya (a movie I was not excited about, but which I sat through twice, because I had a celebrity crush on one of its stars, George Chakiris, who I'd seen in West Side Story. I neglected to call my mom to tell her I was going to watch the movie again, and I later found her in the lobby, extremely worried); It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World; It's a Hard Day's Night; and the first James Bond movie I saw, Goldfinger (my uncle later told my mom that he was shocked she'd allowed me to see it as there was "nudity" in it).

A Hard Day's Night
Ambridge Theatre ad
Beaver County Times
December 21, 1964

The Ambridge would give parochial school students vouchers for discounts to religious-themed movies which the theater would run on Holy Days of Obligation. We didn't have school on the holy days, and I guess the Ambridge was trying to keep us Catholic kids wholesomely entertained and out of trouble.

The Song of Sister Maria
Ambridge Theatre ad
Beaver County Times 
May 21, 1960

_____

You'll often hear Bridgers who grew up in the early 1950s or earlier reminisce how Ambridge once had four theaters operating on Merchant St. And that's true. At least for a short time.
Here are those four theatres and the years they were open. As you can see, Ambridge had all four theaters open for only about six or seven years. But having four theaters to choose from was great while it lasted.

Prince Theatre: early 1920s - 1951 (?)
Ambridge Theatre: 1928 - 1965
Penn Theatre: 1933 (?) - early 1950s
State Theatre: 1944 - 1959

And apparently, four different theaters may have operated at the same time in an earlier era. In the Beaver County Times, August 13, 1965, Tom Moore, a long-time projectionist for several theaters says that in the early 1920s, Ambridge had four theaters: Palm Gardens, Idle Hours, Family, and Grand.

Ambridge memorabilia: American Bridge Co. playing card

This vintage playing card, featuring Ambridge's American Bridge Co. plant, was part of a deck illustrated with prominent Pittsburgh area scenes and buildings like the Pittsburgh Post Office and the Pittsburgh Exposition Buildings.

"American Bridge Co., U. S. Steel Co."
playing card
circa 1905

The person from whom I got the card described the deck as "Souvenir Playing Cards," manufactured circa 1905 for the May Drug Co., which was a well-known Pittsburgh pharmacy chain. If that date is right, the card shows how large the plant already was by the time Ambridge was incorporated in 1905.

The footbridge in the foreground allowed steelworkers to cross the train tracks and passengers to access the train platforms.

Here's the back of the card:

Playing card back

A picture of the "Fort Duquesne" Block House--the still-standing Fort Pitt Block House--is centered on the back. The City of Pittsburgh seal is on both sides of the Block House.

The tartan pennant at the top is that of the Carnegie Technical Schools, the predecessor to Carnegie Institute of Technology, currently Carnegie Mellon University.

A University of Pittsburgh pennant is at the bottom.

The two other pennants have City of Pittsburgh seals.

In 1945, a unicorn came to Ambridge

During the first week of September 1945, a traveling exhibit of rare and odd animals came to Ambridge, and the unicorn surely had to be the rarest of all.

An ad for the show featured a beautiful, classic unicorn as depicted in folklore, with a horse-like head and a large horn on its forehead. Wow! And skeptics say they didn't exist. It looks pretty happy too. Of course "It's real. It's alive!!" Who would want to see a fake or dead unicorn?!

Animal Oddities Exhibit ad
Daily Times
September 3, 1945

Although whoever sketched the unicorn for the announcement below, featuring the rare creature, did an awful job! Why, the unicorn almost looks like an ox or bull with a single horn, nose-ring included.

Animal Oddities announcement
Daily Times
September 4, 1945

Still, rest assured, exhibit-goers would see the unicorn of myth. From the announcement:

Among the unique animals to be shown is the Unicorn, which dates back to the wanderings of the barbaric tribes before civilization. The single-horned animal, shown here, is greatly sought after for its wonderous powers of magic and medicinal values. The miraculous horn is always described as growing on the brow of a "beast so glorious, so virtuous, so beautiful that heaven granted the earth only one specimen at a time."

Now would an ox or bull fit that description? No!

Although there was only one unicorn on earth in September 1945, if you came to the field at 17th and Merchant Sts. in Ambridge, you could see it! Only 25¢ (plus tax) for adults; 10¢ (plus tax) for kids!

If the magical unicorn wasn't enough, there were 100 more "living curiosities" in the exhibit, including Belgian Bob, the world's largest living horse.  And Nebcurhah, "The 3000-year-old man from the Valley of the Kings in Egypt." No mention of he was still living or not.

Animal Oddities Exhibit ad
Daily Times
September 6, 1945

Lest you think that the ads might be making stuff up about the animals in the exhibit, here's  a photo of Lone Star, the world's largest living steer.

Lone Star
World's Largest Living Steer
Daily Times
September 5, 1945

The text under the photos said:

Beaver Countians will have the opportunity of viewing, "Lone Star" (pictured above) world's largest living steer, 9 feet tall and weighing around 3,000 pounds, showing with "Animal Oddities" exhibit, on transcontinental tour with the earth's strangest living oddities, now located on the showgrounds at 17th and Merchant streets, Ambridge.
   This unusual exhibit is on display through Sunday, September 9th in a large tent, and included in the oddities is the world's largest living horse measuring 19 1/2 hands, along with 100 other rare animals.
   Included in the exhibit are strange animals featured in "Believe It or Not", by Robert Ripley.

Surely, if Lone Star was that big, the unicorn was real!

Golden Jubilee: The Battle of Borough Park

Last summer, I started a series of posts about Ambridge's 1955 Golden Jubilee. I was just about done, with only the final day of the celebration to write about. And I left the last post I wrote, about the historical pageant "Frontiers of Freedom," with a cliffhanger:

The Golden Jubilee wasn't over yet. Monday, July 4, was "Armed Forces" Day, featuring a "Mock Battle" in Borough Park. Eighty members of the National Guard would shoot 7,000 to 10,000 rounds of blank ammo, and dynamite charges were to be placed to simulate mine explosions and cannon fire. What could go wrong with that?

And there I left readers hanging because I got distracted by another topic, "Oh, look, Davidson's once had two stores!" And then another, "I have the names of the boys at the Greek Coffee House!" And...now here it is a year later, and it's really about time to wrap up the Golden Jubilee series with the events on July 4. And just as the celebration began with a bang, it ended with one too.

Armed Forces Day, as with most of the Jubilee celebration, was packed with activities: an Armed Forces Exhibit; guided tours of Old Economy; the final judging of the Brothers of the Brush beards, the Sisters of the Swish costumes, and the talent hunt; the final performance of "Frontiers of Freedom," capped with fireworks. Oh, and that mock battle in Borough Park,* scheduled for 2 P.M., which the June 29, 1955, Beaver Valley Times anticipated would involve "plenty" of shooting and land mine explosions.

The July 5, 1955, Beaver Valley Times reported that about 1,000 spectators watched the battle involving Company B of the Infantry Battalion, Pennsylvania National Guard. The object of the battle was for the attacking force to cross the park's baseball field to take the hill on the opposite side, held by 10 men. At intervals during the battle, previously placed charges were set off. It must've been quite a show.

I never found any mention of which side of the battle was victorious.

Machine gunners
mock battle at Borough Park
July 4, 1955
Beaver Valley Times
July 5, 1955

Times caption:

DEFENDERS -- Machinegunners of the 110th Infantry Battalion, Pennsylvania National Guard, New Brighton, defend a hill in their mock battle in Ambridge Borough Park Monday. The demonstration was a part of Ambridge Golden Jubilee.

The article noted that "A Beaver County Civil Defense first aid team stood in readiness," along with fire trucks from Ambridge and Harmony Township. It pays to be prepared.

Sgt. Edward Harker, 12th Marine Division, Pittsburgh, put on a flame-thrower demonstration after the battle.

Sgt. Harker was "wounded" when the wind shifted, sending the flame back at him. He suffered first degree burns of his right hand and wrist and minor burns of his arm and face. 

Members of the Civil Defense first aid unit treated the sergeant.

After all that excitement, the fireworks that ended the Jubilee might have felt rather low-key and on the quiet side.

If you want to read the previous posts in the Golden Jubilee series, here are links:

The human pirohy

The Big Train Robbery

Brothers of the Brush, Sisters of the Swish

Let the celebration begin!

Old Fashioned Bargain Days

Old Fashioned Bargain Days ads

The "mammoth spectacle" parade

Golden Jubilee Program

"Frontiers of Freedom"

Ambridge trivia: Did you know...? #8

_____

* Now called Walter Panek Park

Economy's Grand Historic Pageant, the Centennial Parade, June 7, 1924

Economy Centennial Celebration postcard, front
1924

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.

...

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:

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?

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"?

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Kemena Lumber Co. float
Economy Centennial Parade
8th St. and Maplewood Ave.
June 7, 1924
courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center

According to the Citizen, the American Bridge Co. float "represented a railroad bridge span, complete in every detail."

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?

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.?

Ambridge Woman's Club float
Economy Centennial Parade
June 7, 1924
courtesy Borough of Ambridge

The list of Ambridge organizations participating in the parade was extensive. The photo below shows the Patriotic Order Sons of America.

Patriotic Order Sons of America

Economy Centennial Parade

June 7, 1924

courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center

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.

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.

St. Stanislaus parochial school children?
Economy Centennial Parade
8th St. and Maplewood Ave.
June 7, 1924
courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center 

I have no idea who this group of girls carrying U.S. flags represented.

Girls with U. S. flags

Economy Centennial Parade

8th St. and Maplewood Ave.

June 7, 1924

courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center 

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.

Ambridge Savings and Trust float

Economy Centennial Parade

8th St. and Maplewood Ave.

June 7, 1924

courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center 

The Citizen reported, "The Ukrainian Nationality of Ambridge had a large turnout."

Ukrainian Nationality of Ambridge marchers

Economy Centennial Parade

8th St. and Maplewood Ave.

June 7, 1924

courtesy Beaver County Genealogy and History Center 

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.

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.

Father Rapp's coach
Economy Centennial Parade
June 7, 1924
Old Economy Village Archives

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.'"

Economy milk wagon with daily bulletin
Economy Centennial Parade
June 7, 1924
Old Economy Village Archives

Another photo of the Economy haymakers float:

Economy haymakers float
Economy Centennial Parade
June 7, 1924
Old Economy Village Archives

Two photos belonged to the late Eddie Dzubak, Sr. and are posted courtesy of his children, Lesabeth Trzcianka and Eddie Dzubak, Jr. :

The Knights of Columbus contingent had 65 (85? hard to read microfilm) marchers as well as a float showing the landing of Columbus.

Knights of Columbus
Ambridge Council No. 1780
Economy Centennial Parade
June 7, 1924
Eddie Dzubak, Sr. Collection

The Citizen reported that "St. Michael's Russian Society had 70 members in line."

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!:

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.