Eleventh and Merchant Sts. circa 1935 - 36

Ambridge Post Office under construction
circa 1935 - 36
courtesy First Baptist Church of Ambridge

I had never seen this wonderful photo showing the construction of the Ambridge Post Office before the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Ambridge, Rev. Matt Klenk, showed it to me. Rev. Matt found it in an old storage box at the church.

In the foreground, the foundation for the Ambridge Post Office, 1020 Merchant St., is being built. Although the photo isn't dated, ground was broken for the post office on Nov. 25, 1935, and the building was dedicated Aug. 15, 1936.

But while an early photo of the post office's construction is nice, I think it's the inclusion of the buildings in the background that make this photo special.

The photo was shot looking northwest from the Post Office.

The building with snow on the roof is the First Baptist Church, 300 Eleventh St., not looking much different than it does today. The church was built in 1917.

Peeking out to the church's left is Laughlin Memorial Library, 99 Eleventh St., dedicated in 1929.

The long building in the background on the right side is now the location of the Tick Tock. According to Beaver County real estate assessment records, the building at 1101 Merchant St. was built in 1920; however, there are no buildings on the northwest corner of 11th and Merchant shown on a 1924 insurance map, so I'm puzzled. I'll keep looking for more information, including the name of the business that was in that building in 1936.

And look! There's already a gas station on the southwest corner of 11th and Merchant. I wish I could read the name on the station's sign. There's a BP and Ambridge Mini Mart on that corner now.

Charles Kristufek's two stores, 1903 and 1908

In 1889, Karoly Kristufek, then 13 years old, was sent, alone, by his Slovak family to live with an acquaintance in America. The boy, a trained harness maker, learned English while aboard ship, according to his grandson, the late Karl Urda, who provided the information for this blog post. Upon arriving at Ellis Island, the boy's first name was Americanized to Charles.

Charles Kristufek first lived in McKees Rocks, where he worked in a dairy, as a handyman, and eventually started building homes. In 1902, the American Bridge Co. needed builders to construct homes for the workers then building the new American Bridge plant on land along the Ohio River formerly owned by the Harmony Society. So Kristufek started building homes in the area that would become Ambridge.

Kristufek not only ended up building many of the homes and business buildings between Ambridge's First and Fourth Sts., but he also built Divine Redeemer's church and convent, and his own general store. Although the store is now gone, many of the homes and other buildings are still standing and in use.

During his life, Kristufek opened, and later sold, his own bank; built the first water works in Ambridge; became a borough councilman; opened a real estate and insurance company; and started the Economy Lumber and Building Company.

I'm going to focus only on Kristufek's stores in this post.

The first store, a wooden frame building, shown below, was built in 1903 at the intersection of First and Merchant Sts.

Chas. Kristufek General Store
300 First St.
circa 1903
courtesy Karl Urda

The man at the far left in the photo is Charles Kristufek. To his right are his wife, the former Mary Skapik; their daughters, Carrie and Bertha; Mary Skapik; Steve Skapik; George Roman; and an unidentified store clerk.

The first floor, facing First St., was a general store, selling among other items groceries, meat, hardware, and stoves. Kristufek had a small office in the store where he provided Slovak translation services, would send money back to Europe for people, plus he helped arrange for railroad and steamship tickets. The second floor was used for Slovak Catholic Church services before Divine Redeemer bought property for a church.

The large addition to the rear of the building was a three-story rooming house, with its first level on Bank St., to the south of First St. The rooming house had 20 - 25 rooms, and offered bed and meals for the new American Bridge workers. Well, it provided a bed for 12 hours. The rooming house was a "hot bed" place, with one bed being shared by two men in alternating 12-hour shifts. The sheets were changed "at least every 10 days."

That building was destroyed by a fire, replaced by a three-story brick building in 1908.

Charles Kristufek's second store
300 First St.
circa 1908
courtesy Karl Urda

The above photo shows Charles Kristufek on the right, and on the left his daughters Carrie, Mathilda, and Bertha.

As you can see from the window advertising, the new store carried dry goods, notions, hats, caps, and shoes. And by that time, more of Kristufek's business was focused on foreign exchange services and selling steamship tickets. Kristufek no longer provided hot bed rooming.

The second store was razed in the late 1950s.

Sometime circa 1910, Kristufek opened a bank in the 100 block of Merchant St., pictured below. If I can find more information, I'll write about the bank in a later post.

Charles Kristufek's bank
100 block Merchant St.
circa 1910
courtesy Karl Urda

Charles Kristufek died of a stroke in 1943. His daughter, Bertha, and son-in-law, John Urda, took over Charles Kristufek's insurance and real estate business at 405 Merchant St. as "The Kristufek Agency." Their son, Karl, was still offering commercial property appraisals from that location when I was fortunate enough to meet and spend some time with him in August 2016.  Karl Urda died on March 9, 2017.
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Charles Kristufek's brother, Stephen, also operated a store in Ambridge, a large department store at the triangular intersection of Beaver and Merchant Sts. I wrote what I then knew about Stephen's store in the August 14, 2015, blog post, "Ambridge's triangle buildings--there was more than one." I now have more photos and more information about Stephen's store, and I'm planning on writing more about it, I hope soon.

Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 1948 - 1981

Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
1026 Melrose Ave.
Daily Citizen
August 25, 1954

Daily Citizen caption:

KINGDOM HALL -- Jehovah's Witnesses gather each Tuesday, Friday and Sunday evenings at Kingdom Hall, Melrose Ave., Ambridge to study and discuss the Bible. The congregation number approximately 150. To be a members (sic) of the congregation one must go forth and preach from the Bible unless one preaches he or she is considered a visitor of the congregation and not a member. The group meets each Sunday morning, at Kingdom Hall, at 9:30 a. m. and leaves at 10:00 a. m. on a round of Bible preaching--they also go forth on other mornings to perform similar instruction. All members of the congregation are preachers and a group of special servants direct the teachings, handle business matters and conduct the affairs of the group. Robert Marciniak is the congregation servant in Ambridge. The local group erected the Melrose Ave., edifice.

The congregation started in Ambridge in 1924, at first meeting in private homes, later in rented halls on 5th St. and at 1133 Merchant St. In 1948, the members of the congregation built the Kingdom Hall building at 1026 Melrose Ave. in 60 days. (Spang-Chalfant newsletter, Nov. 1957, "Featuring the Ambridge Churches.")

The Melrose Ave. building was a one-story, light red brick building. Built on a single narrow but deep lot, the design of Kingdom Hall made the most of the space available, covering almost the entire lot except for a little bit of a front yard. A woman who had gone there said that because the building wasn't very wide, but it was really deep, the interior made her think it looked like a bowling alley.

The congregation moved to its present building, constructed by volunteers, in the Fair Oaks section of Leet Township at 194 Ambridge Ave. in 1981.

I remembered the Melrose Ave. Kingdom Hall and wondered what had happened to it. I didn't see it when I visited Melrose on one of my trips back to Ambridge. The building now at 1026 Melrose Ave. didn't look at all like Kingdom Hall. Was it razed after the congregation moved to Leet Township?

It was only after I looked at a satellite view of the building at 1026 showing a narrow, but very deep building on the lot, that I realized that Kingdom Hall had been hiding in plain sight, disguised as a two-story apartment building with a modern facade and an extension towards the sidewalk on the left-hand side. The only feature visible from the front that gives a clue that it was once Kingdom Hall, is the original right-side front window.

1026 Melrose Ave.
March 27, 2014

St. Mathias Episcopal Church

St. Mathias* Church, built in 1905, was one of the first churches built in Ambridge. Like two other early Ambridge churches--the Methodist Episcopal and Zion's First Evangelical Lutheran, the building no longer exists. But unlike the other two congregations, which continued in new buildings, the St. Mathias congregation disbanded without ever building a second church.

St. Mathias Church
640 Park Rd.
postcard
postmarked January 1908

St. Mathias Church
640 Park Rd.
postcard
postmarked Nov. 11, 1908

According to the Old Economy-Ambridge Sesqui-Centennial Historical Booklet, the congregation disbanded in 1932.

If the building looks familiar to those of us who lived in Ambridge in the 1950s or earlier, that's probably because the former St. Mathias Church building was bought by St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church (earlier called St. Mary Greek Catholic Church) in 1940, and used by that church until it was razed in the early 1960s when the current St. Mary's building was erected.

St. Mary Greek Catholic Church
Spang-Chalfant newsletter
November 1957

_____

St. Mathias Church was incorrectly identified as a 1906 St. Veronica's church in the book Ambridge by Larry R. Slater:

* Sometimes spelled St. Matthias.

The Essex Apartments/Hotel

The Essex Apartments building was built in 1916 according to Beaver County tax records.

postcard
Essex Apartments at 461 Maplewood
pre-1930

In the postcard above, the Essex Apartments is the three-story building with porches. You can see that the lot to the Essex's right is empty. The building that once was the Beth Samuel Synagogue, but is now used by the Maple Restaurant, wasn't built yet. However, the two-story brick building near the corner that was once the office of the Ambridge Gas Co. is there.

Maplewood Ave. was still a two-way street back then.

By 1950, the Essex Apartments had become the Essex Hotel. Growing up in the 1950s and '60s, I knew the Essex as mostly a residential hotel.

Essex Hotel ad
461 - Maplewood
Holy Trinity R. C. Croatian Church dedication program
December 17, 1950

A business for sale ad in the February 20, 1985, Beaver County Times offered the Essex Hotel with "29 rooms, and 5 room apartment" at $69,900, reduced from $120,000.

The building is now the Maplewood Personal Care Home.

Maplewood Personal Care Home
461 Maplewood Ave.
September 28, 2014

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Here's the reverse of the above Essex Apartments postcard for those interested in such things:

postcard, reverse

Group photo: United Polish Societies Drum and Bugle Corps

Until I started working on this blog, I had no idea that Ambridge once had so many bands!

The United Polish Societies Drum and Bugle Corps was created in 1938. The corps made its public debut in that year's Halloween Parade, dressed in mummer's costumes. Later that year, they marched in their corps uniforms in the Armistice Day* parade in Beaver Falls.

United Polish Societies Drum and Bugle Corps
on Laughlin Memorial Library steps
circa 1938
25th Anniversary Program
United Polish Societies of Ambridge

The United Polish Societies 25th Anniversary Program identifies the band members as follows:

First row: Alfreda Ryzowicz, R. Giska, E. Gadomski, A. Barszcz, S. Barszcz, L. Grzegorek, D. Gadomski, A. Gause, H. Wolicki, R. Tomaszewski, L. Topolski, W. Ryzowicz, J. Lojek, F. Skindzier, Vaclav Klimek, instructor.

Second row: E. Terlewski, E. Kalinowski, F. Jankiewicz, G. Sulkowski, R. Makowski, L. Ostrowski, H. Urbanik, G. Lipinski, S. Gruszczynski, S. Malinowski, A. Kokoszka, D. Rubel, John F. Tomaszewski, president.

Third row: S. Kowalski, I. Bialorucki, R. Lojek, W. Swiniarska, G. Kokoszka, D. Wagner, D. Topolski, E. Pokryzwnicki, D. Tomaszewski, R. Szczepaniak, H. Wisniecwski.

Fourth row: W. Janicki, W. Bajek, H. Barszcz, J. Kosinski, A. Sowa, E. Rubel, V. Janicki, P. Lewandowski, R. Kasper, A. Janicki, H. Kowalski.

Drum Major First Half: Alfreda Ryzowiecz, Second Half: Dolores Tomaszewski. Flags donated by: Stanley Ference, Frank Ference, Stanley Jurkowski, Jr., and J. C. Smalling.

*****

There are a lot of familiar Ambridge family names on that list. I had to laugh, because my spellchecker was really busy, marking all the last names but one as misspelled. The only name my spellchecker approved of was "Wagner."

Vaclav Klimek taught music and led the Ambridge Community Band, Ambridge Symphony Orchestra, and Sewickley Symphony Orchestra, although he made his living as a home builder.

My mother's maiden name was "Gause. My sister who does genealogy is checking to see if the "A. Gause" in the photo might be related to us.

*****

The United Polish Societies of Ambridge was founded in May 1930 with the aim of working in the interest of all Polish people in Ambridge and keeping Polish language and customs alive.

Ambridge's Polish National Alliance, Gr. 1013, and Polish Falcons Nest 182 were the most prominent groups in United Polish Societies. I'm not sure which other Ambridge Polish groups were officially part of the United Polish Societies, but the 25th Anniversary Program has photos of members of the following groups:

Polish-American Citizen Club of Ambridge,
Polish Women's Alliance, Gr. 300,
Polish Army Veterans Post 60,
Women's Auxiliary of Polish Veterans Post 60,
St. Stanislaus Gr. 889, P. R.C.U. (Polish Roman Catholic Union),
St. Stanislaus P.T.O.,
St. Hedwig Society, Gr. 47,
St. Joseph Union, Gr. 58,
Queen Wanda Society, Gr. 2193,
Rosary Society (of St. Stanislaus?).
_____

* Now Veteran's Day

Group photo: Divine Redeemer School graduation,1963

On Tuesday, June 21, this photo of the Divine Redeemer School graduating class of 1963 was posted by Maria Notarianni on the Good Samaritan Parish Archives' Facebook page. The photo was taken on the Divine Redeemer Church steps.

The photo brought back a flood of memories. That's me, Nancy Bohinsky, third row from the bottom, far right, wearing lovely white, cat-eye glasses.

Divine Redeemer School graduation
1963
courtesy of Good Samaritan Parish Archives

Here's the list of all the students in the photo:

Bottom row: Joseph Gallik, David Yanko, Martha Farkasovsky, Mary Dzubak, Barbara Kutzko, Thomas Bercik, John Sofranko

Second row: Sister Melania Papso, Joseph Meshanko, Susan Hrusko, Mary Ann Butrey, Margaret Mary Pavicic, Daniel Fornadel

Third row: Marilyn Kozak, Margaret Barlow, Jane Presto, Marlene Vukovcan, Debbie Hlozek, Nancy Bohinsky

Fourth row: Antoinette Shorter, Jane Burke, Stephen Sikirica, Thomas Sofranko, James Sofranko

Top row: Stephen Farkasovsky, JoAnn Husar, Mary Ann Shvach, Karen Mikush, Stephen Sinchak

Most of us had survived spent eight or nine years together at Divine Redeemer School. We then separated and went to several different area public or parochial schools for 9th through 12th grades. Since some of my classmates didn't belong to Divine Redeemer Church, I never saw a few of them again after our graduation day.

Maria wanted to know why we wore those long dresses. Honestly, I'd wiped our wearing them at graduation out of my mind. If I remember correctly, those were the same dresses, and wreaths, we wore in 40-hour devotion processions in 7th and 8th grade. The lower grade girls wore shorter dresses for processions.

Other than "tradition," does anyone remember any reason we would have worn those dresses?

Divine Redeemer School ceased to exist in 1969 when it merged with the St. Stanislaus and St. Veronica schools to create the Ambridge Area Catholic School. Divine Redeemer's school building housed grades 4 through 6 of the consolidated school system.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh closed Divine Redeemer Church in 1994.

Only one Roman Catholic Church remains open in Ambridge--Good Samaritan, which occupies the former St. Veronica buildings. Ambridge no longer has any R.C. parochial schools; the last one, Good Samaritan, was closed in 2005.

Group photo: Divine Redeemer booth, Nationality Days 1966

The first Ambridge Nationality Days was in April 1966. The photo below belonged to the late Eddie Dzubak, Sr. His daughter, Lesabeth Trzcianka, says she believes the photo was taken during that first festival.

left to right in booth: Pat Halicek, Marie Dzubak, Virginia Ochman, Dorothy Roman
Divine Redeemer Church booth
600 block of Merchant St.
Nationality Days
April 1966?
courtesy of Lesabeth Trzcianka and Eddie Dzubak, Jr.

On the left side of Merchant St. you can see Perlman Jewelers, 609 Merchant St.; a business with a sign that looks like it says "Gil's" which I don't remember at all; Lee's Shoppe, 619 Merchant, which sold women's clothing; and Sun Drugs, 625 Merchant.

On the right side, you can make out a bit of the sign of Dr. Alter Steinberg's optometrist office, 608 Merchant; Krauss Jewelers, 610 Merchant; the white building to the left of Krauss was Timney's Appliances, 612 Merchant; and on the left of Timney's was the old Prince Theatre building.

Last year's 50th Annual Nationality Days probably was the last one to be held. There are no plans to hold one this year or in the future. I haven't been to Nationality Days for many years, but I heard it just wasn't the same now that there are fewer ethnic churches to staff the booths and make the food sold at them, fewer ethnic organizations to provide entertainment, and fewer businesses to help support the Chamber of Commerce which sponsored the event.

If you want to read more about Nationality Days:

The debut of Nationality Days, Part 1, May 14, 2014

The debut of Nationality Days, Part 2, May 15, 2014

Nationality Days 1983, May 15, 2015

Zion's First Evangelical Lutheran Church

Zion's First Evangelical Lutheran Church
Park Rd. and 8th St.
November 20, 2013

Zion's First Evangelical Lutheran Church's architecture may be more contemporary than most of the other Ambridge churches, and its church building may be newer than many, but Zion's congregation is one of Ambridge's oldest, going back to the very beginning of Ambridge.

In the early 1900s, after land that had belonged to the dissolved Harmony Society was sold off--most importantly to the Berlin Iron Company, which later merged with the American Bridge Company-- new residents of many nationalities and faiths moved into the area, among them, German Lutherans, joining the few Lutheran families already living there.

There was already a German church in the area, but it was not Lutheran. The Harmony Society, whose members had split from the Lutheran Church in Germany, had come to the U.S. to escape religious persecution and for freedom to follow their own beliefs. The Society's church, on the 1300 block of Church St., was where the Society held its own, unique religious services. After the Society disbanded, its church served as a community church, with the remnants of the Society as well as various denominations without their own churches, holding services in the building. Ironically, in 1907, the church became a Lutheran congregation, the still-existing St. John's Lutheran Church.

According to the history of Zion's shared with me by the church's current pastor, Rev. Cletus Fahrion, area Lutherans met on April 25, 1904, for the purpose of establishing a Lutheran Church. Worship services began on May 9, 1904, attended by 25 people, and soon after that, the church charter was signed.

At first, the congregation worshiped on the top floor of the Ambridge Savings and Trust Co. building* on 5th and Merchant Sts. They began to raise money to build a church of their own, and bought lots on Park Rd. between 7th St. and Bryden Rd. (the current 8th St.)

Here's a bit of Ambridge history I don't believe I'd come across before reading about Zion's beginnings: American Bridge offered to donate $500 to any congregation that could build a church before January 1, 1905. I don't know the significance, if any, of that particular date.**

In addition, to qualify for the $500, any church built had to cost at least twice the value of the property on which it stood. According to Zion's 100th Anniversary book, the congregation's first pastor, the Rev. Paul Kummer, "accepted this challenge and was able to oversee the total construction of a brick and cement block edifice at a cost of $5,250."

The cornerstone for that building was laid on October 9, 1904, and dedicated on March 26, 1905.

The postcards below show that first church building.

"German Lutheran Church"
postcard
postmarked January 20, 1910

The card below was also mailed, but the postmark is indistinct, so I don't know which postcard is older.

"Zion Evan. Lutheran Church"
postcard
date unknown

Here's a church photo from the 1924 Economy Centennial Souvenir Program:

"Zion's Evangelical Lutheran Church"

Economy of Old, Ambridge of Today

1924

Here's a photo of an ivy-covered church on the cover of Zion's 50th Anniversary program:

"Original Church Building 1904 - 1953"

Zion's First Evangelical Lutheran Church

Fiftieth Anniversary program

May 2, 1954

Eventually the congregation grew to a size that a new church building was planned, and on March 16, 1953, the Rev. Frederick B. Haer presided over the groundbreaking for the new building. On May 3, 1953, the first unit of the basement was dedicated.

The original church building was razed beginning in August 1953.

Here's the architect's drawing of the proposed new church building. Compare it with the photo of the current church at the top of this post; it's different. The drawing more resembles the current 8th St. side of the church, but doesn't quite match that either. Can someone provide an explanation?

"Proposed Zion's First Lutheran Church"
Dedication program
November 3, 1957

Here's a photo of the new church under construction from the May 30, 1957, Beaver Valley Times:

New Zion's First Evangelical Lutheran Church under construction

Beaver Valley Times

May 30, 1957

Original Times' caption:

NEW CHURCH -- This partially completed building soon will be the new home of the congregation of Zion First Lutheran Church, Ambridge. The building's cornerstone will be laid Sunday afternoon.

According to the Times' article accompanying the above photo, the cornerstone would include: a Bible, Luther's Small Catechism, the church constitution, the 50th Anniversary booklet, the 1956 church report, a membership list, and copies of the Beaver Valley Times and Daily Citizen.

The current church building was dedicated on November 3, 1957.

In 2004, Zion's First Evangelical Lutheran Church celebrated its 100th Anniversary.

Zion's First Evangelical Lutheran Church

One Hundredth Anniversary 1904 - 2004 booklet

cover

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I can't identify the building in the background of the two Zion's postcards, and it's really bugging me. The only large building I know of that was near the church in 1910, when the colored postcard was mailed, was the Second Ward School built in 1904. But the background building on the postcard looks nothing like that school. The roof-line is obviously wrong.

The first Ambridge High School, later Park Road School, was immediately south of, not behind, the original church, and it wasn't built until 1914, so it didn't exist when the colored postcard was postmarked.

The background building doesn't look like the Ambridge Hotel built in 1905 on the corner of Merchant St. and Bryden Rd. (now 8th St.), and the location of the background building on the postcards seems wrong for the hotel.

Houses had already been built on the 700 block of Maplewood across from the Second Ward School by 1905, and I would think they'd block the view of any buildings on Merchant St.

Perhaps artistic license by the artist who drew the postcard scenes? Seems odd though that the same building would appear on two postcards. And, although indistinct, the same building may be in the background of the ivy-covered church photo from the 50th Anniversary book.

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Zion's Church Trivia: longtime KDKA radio DJ Art Pallan was the keynote speaker at Zion's 80th Anniversary Dinner on May 4, 1984.

* Later, the Ambridge Savings and Trust Company building was home to the Economy Bank of Ambridge. The building was razed and that corner is now the location of Wesbanco Bank's drive-through.

**Another early Ambridge church was the Methodist Episcopal Church, chartered on January 5, 1904, built on the southeast corner of 6th St. and Melrose Ave., and dedicated on August 7, 1904, claiming the title of the first church to be built in the borough of Ambridge. (The older Harmony Society church was built in Economy, not Ambridge.) That church was bought by Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in 1907 and razed about 10 years later to build the church that currently stands at that intersection.

Group photo: Women's Christian Circle 1913

Women's Christian Circle
Ambridge Methodist Episcopal Church
at Heinz plant
Sept. 16, 1913
courtesy of Beaver County Genealogy and History Center

Caption on the photo:

Womens (sic) Christian Circle. Ambridge M. E. Church Visit at Home of Heinz 57 Varieties, Pgh, Pa. Sept. 16, 1913.

And, yes, Heinz was giving out pickle pins back in 1913.  H. J. Heinz created them to draw attention to his display booth at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. I wonder if any pins that may have been given to the women and children in the photo are still around. Alas, the once very popular Heinz factory tours were discontinued in 1972.

The Methodist Episcopal Church was the forerunner of the First United Methodist Church of Ambridge, 7th St. and Maplewood Ave. The M. E. Church once was located at 6th St. and Melrose Ave., but was sold in 1906 to Ss. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church and later razed to build the Ss. Peter and Paul Church that is still standing. That M. E. church was the first church to be built in the new borough of Ambridge. You can see a photo of that early church in my February 21, 2015, blog post, "Sixth Street and Melrose Avenue, 1904."

Ambridge once had a Heinz vinegar plant, located between Sherman and 11th Sts., behind what is now the Trinity School for Ministry, and before the school, an A & P. Later, the Heinz building became a company warehouse that the April 28, 1931, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported was "destroyed" in a fire. Some of the warehouse must have survived because you can see at least a part of it in post-1931 photos, like the photo in my May 25, 2014, blog post, "A Memorial Day past." Whatever part of the Heinz building remained was destroyed in the March 14, 1985, Larstone Corrugated Carton Co. fire.

I don't know who any of the women and children in the photo are. If you recognize someone, please let me know. As always, you can enlarge the photo by clicking on it if you're on a computer, or tapping on it if you are using a mobile device.

The slow, difficult clean-up after 1950's big post-Thanksgiving snowstorm

The early predictions about how long it would take to clean up Ambridge's 26 inches of snow were just about as accurate as the predictions about 1950's post-Thanksgiving weather had been. So, not at all.

(If you missed the post about the surprise, record-breaking snow, you can read my November 28 post by clicking here.)

Although, given that on Monday, November 27, Ambridge's Daily Citizen reported that the digging out was going well and "well advanced in most communities," that Ambridge's main and secondary streets were open, and that side streets were expected to be "accessible" soon, those who lived, worked, or shopped in Ambridge might have expected a swift return to life as usual in the area.

After Monday, it became apparent that digging Ambridge out would take longer than first expected.

On Tuesday, November 28, the Daily Citizen published the photo below showing the snow-covered 500 block of Merchant St. looking south. On the far left, you can see Gusky's Home Furnishings, 550 Merchant and Krauss Jewelers, 546 Merchant.

500 block of Merchant St.
after the big snow
Daily Citizen
November 28, 1950

The Citizen's original caption for the above photo read:

CONDITIONS ON MERCHANT ST. are far from normal as the above photo suggests. While traffic is livelier today, there are few vehicles. Roofs are being cleaned of the excess snow. More buses are operating and the situation is developing to the normal stage.

Tuesday's Citizen reported that more streets were "passable," and Ambridge Street Commissioner Joseph Matzzie said, "We ought to have everything well under control within a few days. We are over the hump but not yet out of the woods."

But some neighborhoods were still snowed-in. Contractors Sigmund Gavlik and Stefan Blanarik and Stefan's son Steve, had taken it upon themselves to clear Ridge Rd. Ext.

A.M. Byers announced that the payday scheduled for Wednesday, November 29, would be postponed until Friday, December 1, since banks were closed.

Buses were running, but not necessarily via their usual routes or schedules.

The snow presented economic opportunity to people willing to shovel, especially shoveling roofs.

Clearing roof of snow
Daily Citizen
November 28, 1950

The Citizen's caption for the above photo of men clearing snow from a roof read:

ROOFS BEING CLEANED OF DEAD WEIGHT of snow is giving employment to scores of persons charging $3 per hour, some owners of Merchant St. buildings have paid out $50 for removal. Still the work continues as many are fearful structures will collapse because of the pressure. Borough officials have requested prompt removal of the whiteness without delay from flat roof structures. 

Monday, Ambridge school officials had said they planned to open schools on Wednesday. But by Tuesday, they realized that they didn't know when school could or would resume. On Tuesday, the Citizen reported that public and parochial schools in Ambridge would remain closed "indefinitely." All school activities and special functions were canceled or postponed.

But no school meant playing in the snow, assuming kids could get out their doors, and the snow wasn't over their heads. Parents were reminded that children should not ride sleds on streets with busy intersections like 4th, 5th, and 14th Sts. at Duss Ave.

On Wednesday, November 29, Burgess Walter Panek reportedly said that "all possible measures" were being taken to clear the streets of the huge snow banks. Harmony Township reported that it was using bulldozers and graders and working "around the clock" to clear the snow there.

The Citizen reported that bus lines were jammed, and service was "far from normal."

But you know conditions might be improving in Pittsburgh, at least enough for essential activities, when it was announced that the twice-postponed Pitt - Penn State football game was going to be played on Saturday, December 2, although at Forbes Field, not Pitt Stadium, as Pitt had been unable to get the equipment needed to clear some 2,000 truck loads of snow from its stadium.

By Thursday, November 30, there was some good news: H. H. Robertson had resumed operations, and Laughlin Memorial Library, closed for six days, would reopen the next day, December 1, and no fines would be charged for November 24 through November 30.

By this time, the 400 block of Merchant had been cleared. The 500 block was supposed to be cleared next, but then Ambridge announced it might clean the 700 block first. One problem: Ambridge's snow removal had been hampered by the State Highway Department's commandeering of the Gavlik Co. equipment Ambridge had been using, and Ambridge was reduced to using only its own equipment.

A lot of snow remained, even on Merchant St. This photo shows the huge banks of snow piled up in front of Davidson's Department Store, 510 Merchant St. On the far right of the photo is the Economy Bank of Ambridge, 500 Merchant. Note that the parking meters have been cleared. Priorities!

Snow piled in front of Davidson's Department Store, Wed. Nov. 29,
510 Merchant St.
Daily Citizen
November 30, 1950

Original caption:

PLENTY OF SNOW REMAINS--This photo was taken in the 500 block yesterday in front of the Davidson store. It shows there is plenty of "back-breaking" work to be accomplished before Merchant St. is cleared of the whiteness.

The photo below was taken in front of the Sears store at 653 - 655 Merchant, but the Sears store isn't in the background. Maybe the photo was taken from the Sears side of Merchant looking towards the opposite side of the street. Hard to tell with all that snow. I don't know what "Market" is behind Russell Peck the shoveler. Anyone recognize it? Wish the Market's sign was easier to read. 

Russell Peck shoveling snow
600 block Merchant
Daily Citizen
November 30, 1950

Citizen caption:

RUSSELL PECK, Glenwillard, shoveling snow on a truck in front of the Sears & Roebuck store on Merchant St. 

The Prince Theatre, 638 Merchant, was "closed until further notice" according to the Tuesday, November 28 Citizen. I don't know if it was open at the time its marquee was being cleaned of snow.

Walter Addison cleaning Prince Theatre marquee
Daily Citizen
November 30, 1950

Citizen caption for photo above:

WALTER ADDISON, 310 Park Rd., caught in the act of shoveling snow from the marquee of the Prince Theatre Building on Merchant St.

Shoveling snow on Merchant St.
Daily Citizen
November 30, 1950

Citizen caption for photo above:

DICK CONANGE, 559 Merchant St., had a job on hand removing snow on Merchant St. Looking on is Bill Davis, 643 Glenwood Ave.

While buses were running on Merchant, getting on one could be a challenge as this photo taken in front of Krauss Jewelers, 546 Merchant, shows:

Waiting for a bus in front of Krauss Jewelers
546 Merchant St.
Daily Citizen
November 30, 1950

Citizen caption for the above photo:

WAITING FOR A BUS -- People in a narrow area on Merchant St., cut through the snow, stand patiently awaiting transportation to take them home.

Still, snowbanks could be useful:

Mary Kacharin and Joan Artista
snow seat
Daily Citizen
November 30, 1950

Citizen caption for photo above:

MAKE USE OF SNOW -- Mary Kacharin, 104 Pine St., sitting on a snow bank of all places, on Merchant St. Standing is Joan Artista, 1027 Bernadine Ave. 

Not just the shovelers benefited from the snow:

Sol's Harry Neft
Daily Citizen
November 30, 1950

Citizen's caption for photo above:

 LOOKS LIKE GOLD -- stated Harry Neft of Sol's Auto Store as he helped to unload a prize truck-load of tire chains. Assisting are Leonard Copus, wearing cap, 342 Pine St. and Milton Hertneky, 1018 Beaver Rd.

It should be no surprise that alleys behind businesses had sizable snow problems too:

Bobby Knause next to snowbank
alley behind Penney's
601 Merchant St.
Daily Citizen
November 30, 1950

Citizen's caption for photo above:

BOBBY KNAUSE, 12, 328 Park Rd., a DAILY CITIZEN carrier is pointing to the large pile of snow in the alley, rear of the J. C. Penney store.

I don't see any pointing by Bobby, but maybe the pointing was very subtle.

When you didn't have to shovel it or travel through it, the snow and icicles were beautiful.

Zion Lutheran Church parsonage covered with snow
Eighth St. and Maplewood Ave.
Daily Citizen
November 30, 1950

Citizen caption for above photo:

WINTER SCENE -- The icy finger of winter paid a visit to Zion Lutheran church parsonage at Eight and Maplewood Ave., when the old fellow made his rounds here.

As the photos show, Ambridge still had a way to go with its snow clearing efforts. More photos and an article about the final clean up efforts to come.

Thank you people of Ambridge and neighboring communities!

I want to thank the people and organizations in Ambridge and neighboring communities for opening their homes, archives, museums, memories, and photo albums for me including: Laughlin Memorial Library; Good Samaritan Church archives, especially Maria Notarianni;  Little Beaver Historical Society, particularly Dave Holoweiko and Chad Lilly; Rev. Cletus Fahrion and Sharon Shingleton of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church; Bob Mikush; Mary Ann Vlasic Syzmoniak; Connie Gee; and Gary Augustine.

If you see any of the people I've thanked, let them know you saw them mentioned on the blog. Some of them don't have a computer.

And then there were the folks I met just wandering around Ambridge taking photos who stopped and talked to me, curious about why I was taking the photos. I didn't get all of your names, but I enjoyed our chats about Ambridge. I especially enjoyed meeting the young men standing at the corner of Sixth Street and Melrose Avenue who were so excited to see Major A. E. Weed's 1904 photograph of that intersection.

Sixth Street and Melrose Avenue, 1904

Sixth Street and Melrose Avenue
1904
photographer Major E. A. Weed
collected by Louis Vukovcan
photo courtesy of Stacey Brock
used with permission

The above photo of Sixth Street and Melrose Avenue came from the collection of the late Louis Vukovcan via his granddaughter, Stacey Brock. The photographer was Major E. A. Weed.* Based on the hill in the background, I believe the top of the photo is east.

On the left is the J. F. Brown Meat Market. I don't have any information on that store.

On the upper right there's a building that appears to be a church. Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church now sits at the intersection of Sixth and Melrose, but it is not the church in the photo.

Ss. Peter and Paul didn't have a church building before August, 1907, when local Ukrainian Catholics purchased the Methodist Episcopal Church which then stood at Sixth and Melrose. That Methodist church was built in 1904, the first church built in Ambridge, so it must be the church in the photo.

[Update February 28, 2015: Here's a photo of that Methodist Episcopal Church obtained from Ss. Peter and Paul by Maria Notarianni. The photo was included in Ss. Peter and Paul's 100th Anniversary book, Yesterday, today and forever: the first 100 years, 1907-2007.  Unlike Major Weed's photo, the photo below shows some of the front facade of the church which faced Sixth Street, the street in the foreground. Like Major Weed's photo, it shows the rose window on the west side of the church's steeple and the steps that led from Sixth Street into the church.

Methodist Episcopal Church
Sixth Street and Melrose Avenue
erected 1904
photo from Yesterday, today and forever:the first 100 years, 1907-2007
Ss. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church

End of update.]

About 10 years after Ss. Peter and Paul moved into the former Methodist church building, it was razed to build the larger church which still stands on that corner.

Ambridge was just getting started in 1904. The American Bridge Company had started building on former Harmony Society land only the year before. The Borough of Ambridge wasn't incorporated until 1905. In the photo, it looks as though the streets in that area were still unpaved, sidewalks hadn't been built, but a storm drain had been constructed.

Here's what the building on that same corner looked like in May 2015:

600 Melrose Ave., 6th St. view
May 2, 2015
credit: Nancy Knisley

I thought the meat market building might have been the deep, yellow brick building at 600 Melrose shown in the 2015 photo above, but the part of the current building (or buildings?) nearest to Melrose (left side of photo), with its double windows on the second floor, doesn't appear to me to match up with the photo of the meat market. There is a rectangular section of the 6th St. side's current brickwork that is noticeably different from the other bricks, and I was hoping it would match the meat market's window. But the location of the second story windows don't match those above the market's large window. I guess it's possible that the building has had a number of changes to its facade, as there are several other areas with obvious differences in the brickwork. 

However, the back part of the current building--the part with the dormer, side entrance, and four second-story windows--resembles the building to the right of the J. F. Brown Meat Market in the 1904 photo with a dormer added. But I'm not sure whether the second story windows' location match. On the other hand, it looks to me like evidence of the two first-floor windows to the right of that building's door in the 1904 photo exists in the current building: one bricked over; the other now the location of another door. 

Update December 2020: The building at 600 Melrose Ave. has been razed. 
_____

*A Major E. A. (Edward Augustus) Weed was a famous bicyclist at the turn of the 20th century, noted for his bicycling travels. I do not know enough about the life of Major Weed to say that he was the photographer of the photo above, but it is an intriguing possibility. I'm attempting to contact Major Weed's great-grandson to try to get more information.

Update: February 24, 2015: I have exchanged several emails with the great-grandson of the famous bicyclist Maj. E. A. Weed, and based on Dave Weed's information, I think it's almost certain that the photographer is the bicyclist. And he definitely had more of a connection with Ambridge than just taking some photos while biking through it. Note the entry "Sometime in 1906" below. Neither Dave Weed nor I have found information on an "Ambridge Socialist Local." If you know anything, please leave a comment.

The information below is posted with Dave's permission:

Nancy,What a joy to hear from you, and thanks for contacting me!  A quick review of the chronology I have assembled on my great-grandfather indicates that he arrived in Pittsburg PA on October 4, 1904 after rattling around the East Coast and central states by bicycle for a few years.  He was giving the occasional illustrated lecture on his travels in Mexico back in 1897-99.  As you figured out, his full name was Edward Augustus Weed, with the ‘Major’ designation coming from a brevet promotion gained during the Civil War.
 Gus (I use that name to distinguish him from his son and grandson, both named Edward) traveled with a camera, so it makes perfect sense that he would have taken the photo you’ve posted.  He was definitely in the area at the time.  He was also one of only a couple of men referred to as ‘Major E. A. Weed’ I have ever run across in the 20 years I have been researching his life (my only hobby).
...
Looking further into my records, which are a little thin in this time period, I find the following info which brackets Gus’s time in your area:

October 6, 1904- Arrives in Pittsburg, ending a journey taken primarily by bicycle that has taken him from Portland OR to Mexico City, Cuba, and around the east coast and mid-west.  He racked up a total of 49,735 miles on this trip, and I’m guessing some 20,000 miles of this was actually pedaling. 

December 19, 1905- He separates from his third wife.  She later lived in McKeesport PA.  (Great story here, I’ll pass that along some day) 

Sometime in 1906- He’s the secretary of the Ambridge Socialist Local, so he must be living in the area.  He had dabbled in early progressive movements for years. 

September 3, 1906- He’s in Castle Rock PA.  He attended a socialist gathering there on Labor Day with the intent of shaking the hand of Eugene V. Debs, a well-known labor-rights activist.  (Turns out that Gus was a US Deputy Marshal in Chicago during the Pullman riots of 1894, and at some point was assigned to guard Debs while that gent awaiting trial in a local jail)

December 8, 1906- He’s reported to be in New York. 

May 17, 1908- Gus is awarded a medal by the Continental Road Club of America for riding 112 miles in one day on a fixed course in Long Island NY.  He was 67 years old at the time.  He departed on his bike for Maine, then on to California, two weeks later. {Gus also traveled through the Pittsburg area back in 1892.  He was the manager of a rail car sent out by the state of Oregon to advertise for new immigrants.}

Dave also sent along photos of Major Weed:

Major Edward A. Weed
"Champion Long Distance Bicycle Tourist of Portland, Oregon,
 who is Now Representing the Police Gazette on the Road"
January 5, 1901
photo courtesy of Dave Weed
used with permission

Major E. A. Weed
San Francisco Labor Day Parade
September 5, 1910
photo courtesy of Dave Weed
used with permission

Ambridge trivia: Did you know...? #4

The Maple Restaurant building was once the Beth Samuel Synagogue.

Maple Restaurant
463 Maplewood Avenue
September 28, 2014

Beth Samuel Synagogue
463 Maplewood Avenue
Program
Beth Samuel Synagogue and Community Center: dedication ceremonies,
May 26, 1963

The Maplewood Avenue building was the Beth Samuel congregation's first permanent home. Previously, the congregation had met in homes, businesses, and the old Ambridge library at 462 Maplewood Avenue. Because the 463 Maplewood building eventually became too small to accommodate the congregation's growing membership, the congregation purchased land on Kennedy Drive (then Latimer Avenue) near 8th Street in 1961 and built a new synagogue and community center, currently called Beth Samuel Jewish Center. 

After the congregation moved into its new home in 1963, they sold 463 Maplewood Avenue to James (Jimmy) Pappas who had been looking for a building in which to open a new restaurant. Pappas opened the Maple Restaurant in August 1963.

Maple Restaurant ad

Historic 462 Maplewood Avenue

When I stopped at the rather unremarkable looking building at 462 Maplewood Avenue during a visit to Ambridge, it was to take a photo of the faded painted Coca-Cola sign on its south side.

Coca-Cola sign,
462 Maplewood Avenue
March 22, 2014

I didn't realize until today that 462 Maplewood is of historic interest far beyond the sign.

I knew that Beth Samuel Congregation once not only had a synagogue at 463 Maplewood Avenue, now the location of the Maple Restaurant, but also that during the 1920s, the congregation had met in a building on the opposite side of Maplewood. But I didn't realize until working on the upcoming "Church/synagogue" list on my Ambridge List of Lists that it was in that building, 462 Maplewood.

462 Maplewood Avenue
Google Street view

And what's more, before Beth Samuel, the building was home to the Ambridge Library.

How many other ordinary looking Ambridge buildings have we walked or driven by, not realizing the importance of their history?