Ambridge memorabilia: Slovenski Narodni Dom token

Slovenski Narodni Dom token
credit: Al Travis

Al Travis said he found several tokens like this among his late father's possessions. They're from Ambridge's Slovenski Narodni Dom (S.N.D.), also sometimes called the "Slovenian Auditorium," "The Slovenian Club," or "the triangle building."

If you lived in Ambridge from the late 1940s through the early '70s, you probably remember the triangular S.N.D. building at the intersection of Merchant St. and Beaver St.

Slovenian Auditorium
120 Merchant St.
ad
Daily Citizen Trade Area Directory
1956

Al said, "I think they were used when someone had bought you a drink, but you already had one. Not certain though." Does anyone know for sure of the tokens' purpose?

Ambridge memorabilia: Ambridge Hotel plate

Ambridge Hotel plate
circa 1905
Bob Mikush collection

This lovely Ambridge Hotel porcelain plate is 6 1/2 inches across. I wrote about the history of the Ambridge Hotel, built in 1905, on April 27, 2014.

Here's a closeup view of the plate's center:

According to the information of the back of the plate, it was made in Germany for the Ambridge News Co. 

I have very little information about the Ambridge News Co., including how long the company was in business. While I've found ads mentioning the Ambridge News Co. in issues of the Pittsburgh Press from 1905, 1906, and 1911, and another in a 1938 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, no address or other information was provided.

However, the company was the publisher of many early Ambridge postcards. One bit of information about the business comes from the temperance march postcard in my blog post about the 400 block of Merchant St. It was published by the "Ambridge News Co., Horlick Bros.," which leads me to think the Ambridge News Co. was connected to prominent Ambridge newsdealer Steve Horlick.

Because the plate was made for the Ambridge News Co., and not the Ambridge Hotel, I believe it was made as a souvenir and not for the hotel's use. That belief is supported by other information on the plate's back: "Wheelock" was a major U. S. importer of souvenir china from the late 1890s until WWI.

Mark on back of Ambridge Hotel plate

Ambridge memorabilia: Ambridge Savings and Loan Association passbook

Ambridge Savings and Loan Assoc. passbook
savings account of Eddie Dzubak, Sr. and Marie Dzubak
courtesy of Lesabeth Trzcianka and Eddie Dzubak, Jr.

Once upon a time, customers of banks and similar businesses kept track of their deposits, interest earnings, and withdrawals with a passbook like the one above. This Ambridge Savings and Loan passbook belonged to the late Eddie Dzubak Sr. and his wife, Marie Dzubak, also deceased.

Ambridge Savings and Loan: the answer to that frequently asked question: What was between Davidson's and Economy Bank?

Ambridge Savings & Loan
506 Merchant St.
Beaver County Times
March 4, 1970

The former Ambridge Savings & Loan building is now the location of WesBanco Bank.

Ambridge memorabilia: Martsolf Furniture Co. advertising postcard, 1912

Martsolf Furniture Co. advertising postcard
postmarked 1912

This lovely postcard, mailed in 1912, advertised furniture, and seems to be directed primarily towards newlyweds.

Marsolf Furniture Co. was one of the earliest businesses in Ambridge, opening in 1904 at a new building on the southeast corner of 8th and Merchant Sts. After the store closed, its building became the location of Caplan Wholesale Grocery.

Here's the back of the postcard:

Back of postcard above

Ambridge memorabilia: National Air Mail Week cacheted envelope, 1938

Ambridge National Air Mail Week postal cover
May 19, 1938

I've added postal cachets to my growing list of "random things I now know something about only because I've been researching Ambridge's history":

This envelope, postmarked May 19, 1938, in Ambridge, was part of a U.S. Postal Service week-long promotion of air mail. I think most of us now assume that mail going any distance travels by air. But not so in 1938, when mail primarily traveled by trucks, trains, and ships. Cross-country or overseas letters could take weeks to arrive at their destination.

The Postmaster General at the time, James Farley, declared May 15 - 21, 1938, "National Air Mail Week" (NAMW) to mark the 20th Anniversary of the first scheduled delivery of mail by plane. All local postmasters were encouraged to create a unique commemorative NAMW “cachet”-- that design on the left side of the envelope--to mark the event. And they were supposed to bring attention to the benefits of air mail. Citizens were urged to send at least one letter by air mail during the NAMW celebration.

May 19, the day of the postmark on the never-mailed envelope above, was the day chosen for special NAMW events. Among the events were one-time-only NAMW plane flights, with planes carrying mail between the many towns celebrating NAMW. Many of those towns didn't have airports, but landing strips for small planes were prepared on local streets and fields.

Ambridge's NAMW cachet, featuring Old Economy Village, was one of an estimated 10,000 that were used in towns across the country. I don't know if a plane landed in Ambridge on May 19, 1938, but I'm going to try to find out. I'll update this post if I find any more information.

Here's a closeup view of the Ambridge cachet:

Ambridge NAMW cachet

Ambridge memorabilia: parking meter token, Ambridge District Chamber of Commerce

The parking meter token below is somewhat of a mystery.

Ambridge parking meter token
side 1

Ambridge parking meter token
side 2

The reason the token is a mystery is because it indicates it was distributed by the Ambridge District Chamber of Commerce. Only I can't find any information about a "District Chamber of Commerce" in Ambridge PA ever existing.

If I have ever come across a reference to an Ambridge District Chamber of Commerce, I don't remember it. Or thought it significant enough to note.

The only mentions of an Ambridge District Chamber of Commerce I've found during several online searches were by people selling tokens like the one above.

I would have guessed that the token was from the mid-to-late 1950s, when Ambridge businesses were facing strong competition from the new Northern Lights Shoppers City with its 5000 spaces of free parking. But all I've found from that time are mentions and ads of the "Ambridge Chamber of Commerce."

I checked with Bob Mikush, whose family business, Mikush Maytag Home Appliance Center, has been a member of the Chamber of Commerce for generations. He said he'd never heard of a District Chamber of Commerce.

I mentioned the token to Kimberly Villella, the president of the Board of Directors of the latest iteration of Ambridge's Chamber of Commerce, the Ambridge Regional Chamber of Commerce. Kim said that her research of the history of the Ambridge Chamber didn't find an Ambridge District Chamber of Commerce.

So far, Kim and I have found four Chamber of Commerce groups that have been in Ambridge over the years, none with "District" in their names: The Ambridge Chamber of Commerce; The Greater Ambridge Chamber of Commerce; the Ambridge Area Chamber of Commerce; and the Ambridge Regional Chamber of Commerce.

So was the "Ambridge District Chamber of Commerce" on the token a mistake? Or, as unlikely as it seems, could the token possibly be from an Ambridge District of another town like Gary, Indiana?

If you know anything about an Ambridge District Chamber of Commerce, or when the token might have been used, please help solve the mystery and let me know.

Ambridge memorabilia: Ambridge Hotel receipt 1909

As much as I'd like to, I usually don't buy much Ambridge memorabilia due to budgetary restrictions. But this Hotel Ambridge receipt was an exception. I bought it for two reasons: 1. As brief as it is, it taught me something about the Hotel Ambridge/Ambridge Hotel that surprised me; and 2. It amused me. Quite honestly, mostly because it amused me.

Hotel Ambridge receipt
Sept. 11, 1909

The receipt is on 8 1/2" x 6" now-fragile lined paper. It says:

 "Received of C. A. Lockwood 1.50 for Electric Current to run Fan for One Month. Gus C. Frank."

Can you imagine what current* hotel bills would look like if guests were billed separately if they used a room's electricity to charge all their technology--cell phones, ipads, laptops, and the like?

You can read about the history of the Ambridge Hotel and see photos of it in my April 27, 2014, blog post, "The Ambridge Hotel."
_____

* I probably shouldn't admit this, but I didn't intentionally write "current" as an electrical pun, but I like it, so let's pretend that I did.

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.

Ambridge memorabilia: Armco "Iron Man" keychain, 1969

In 1969, the Ambridge Works, Armco Steel Corp., won Armco's Iron Man award for outstanding safety. According to the Jan. 28, 1970, Beaver County Times, the Ambridge Works beat out Butler PA, Baltimore MD, Houston TX, and Ashland KY plants for the award.

The award was presented at a Feb. 5, 1970, ceremony at the plant. I'm guessing the keychain in these photos was distributed to employees to mark their achievement.

Iron Man Award Keychain
Armco Ambridge Works
1969
Side 1

Iron Man Award Keychain
Armco Ambridge Works
1969
Side 2

According to the Times article: "The Armco Iron Man contest began in 1925....The Ambridge Works became eligible to compete in 1962." In that first year, the Ambridge plant ranked last.

At the time of the award, the plant employed about 1,700 workers. When it closed in 1985, 1,200 employees lost their jobs. The plant's former site is now the location of the Ambridge Regional Distribution and Manufacturing Center.

Ambridge memorabilia: Spot's Tire Shop postcard

This old advertising postcard belongs to John Domansky, Sr., who let me scan it. Thanks, Johnny!

Spot's Tire Shop
advertising postcard
813 Merchant St.
postmarked July 5, 1927
owned by John Domansky, Sr.

813 Merchant was later the site of Braun's Quality Cleaning, which can be seen in the parade photo in the May 5, 2014, blog post "Merchant Street: 800 block, circa 1948 - 1955. Plus the WRYO mystery"

The building is now the location of DeWalt Health Foods.

Mikush Maytag and DeWalt Health Foods
811 and 813 Merchant St.
March 22, 2014

Ambridge memorabilia: the "meat man" and his bus

I am especially fond of today's Ambridge memorabilia item for several reasons, including the fact that I first saw it during one of my earliest visits with Bob Mikush to talk about Ambridge history.

Bob started showing me some of his Ambridge memorabilia, and when he brought this out, the following conversation ensued:

Bob: Bet you don't know what this is.

Me: It's the meat man's bus!

Bob: How old are you?!

Which made me laugh. Old enough to remember the meat man's bus which had made quite an impression on me when I was pretty young.

Mobile Meat Market ashtray
circa 1940s - early '50s
owned by Bob Mikush

When I was growing up in Ambridge in the 1950s, residents didn't always need to go to the store to buy fresh food items, sometimes they came to you, if not to your door, then at least to the curb on your block, via a variety of trucks. Having sellers regularly come to your block made life easier at a time when most families had only one car which the wage-earner took to work--if the family owned a car at all.

Among the people who regularly brought food to our house or block, I remember the United Dairy milkman, the "egg lady," Gutowski's bakery, plus the huckster who sold fruit and vegetables. And the "meat man."

While milkmen weren't uncommon in that era, a butcher on a bus was. In my house, he was known as "the meat man."

One of the other reasons I was so excited when Bob showed me the "Mobile Meat Market" ashtray was because virtually no one I'd talked to about growing up in Ambridge in the 1950s remembered the meat man's bus, even older neighbors. When I mentioned my memories of the meat man's bus, most people were either skeptical, or they outright scoffed.

Yet my memories of going onto the meat man's bus with my grandmother seemed genuine, especially memories of the interior: the bus smelling of raw meat; a wooden chopping block; cleavers and knives hanging from hooks; meat being brought out from a refrigerator; and sawdust covering the floor to sop up blood. All I really remember about the meat man himself was that he wore a white apron that was stained with blood. I also have a vague memory of the meat man sometimes having a helper on the bus working with him.

I remember going for a Sunday drive with my family--remember those?--up Glenwood Ave. towards Ridge Rd. and driving past a house with the meat man's bus parked on the side. I was so thrilled! Wow, that must be the meat man's house! To me, the meat man was a celebrity.

Weird the things that stick with you 60 years later.

When Bob showed me the Mobile Meat Market ashtray, I felt vindicated. I had proof the meat man and his bus once existed.

More recently, I came across this ad in the Holy Trinity R. C. Croatian Church dedication program from 1950:

Mobile Meat Market ad
Holy Trinity R. C. Croatian Church dedication program
December 17, 1950

Ambridge memorabilia: Ambridge swimming pool bathhouse pin

I've seen quite a bit of Ambridge memorabilia over the past few years, but this is the one that brings back the best memories for me. And it's the one piece of Ambridge memorabilia I most wish was mine.

Ambridge pool pin
courtesy Linda Kastriba Kuhni

For those of you who aren't familiar with Ambridge's Borough Swimming Pool asking "what is that?!", it's a bathhouse pin.

Instead of swimmers taking their clothes to the pool area with them, most would "check" their clothes in the bathhouse. Swimmers would grab a wire basket when they entered the bathhouse. After changing into swimsuits, they'd take the basket to a counter where "checkers" would exchange the basket for a pin. The basket would then be put on a shelf area numbered to match the pin. Most swimmers pinned the pin to their swimsuit for safekeeping. When the swimmer would be ready to go home, they'd go back to the counter and exchange the pin for the basket with their clothes.

Although, apparently not everyone gave back the pin. Linda Kastriba Kuhni, who took the photo above, says that the pin belongs to her husband, and #15 was his baseball team number. He wanted the pin so much, he abandoned the t-shirt he'd worn to the pool so he wouldn't have to give up the pin. Her husband has been carrying the pin on his key ring ever since.

You can read more about, and see photos of, the Ambridge Borough Swimming pool in these blog articles. Yeah, I write a lot about the pool.

- Ambridge Borough Swimming Pool, Part 1

- Ambridge Borough Swimming Pool, Part 2: Getting there--the trek to the pool

- Ambridge Borough Swimming Pool, Part 3: The bathhouse--the girls' dressing room

- Pool, Part 3: The Bathhouse -- The Boys' Dressing Room

- Ambridge Borough Swimming Pool expansion: the solons' inspection

- Ambridge today: Pool steps

- Ambridge today: the pool bathhouse once stood here

- Ambridge Borough Swimming Pool, Part 4: hot summer fun in the three pools

- The happy beginning and the sad end of the Ambridge Pool with the unfortunate series of events that led to its closing and razing

- The Ambridge Pool slide

Kindergarten May Altar and procession, Divine Redeemer School 1955

At Divine Redeemer School in the 1950s, classrooms always had a decorated May Altar honoring St. Mary during her special month of May. The kindergarten class of 1954 - 55 honored Mary not only with an elaborate altar, but also a procession with a May Queen, her court, and their classmates.

Here's a group photo in front of the altar. I don't know the names of all the students. If you can help fill in the blanks, please let me know.

Kindergarten class
Divine Redeemer
May 1955
photo courtesy of Margaret Barlow Kosis

Students, left to right:

Front row (floor): unknown *

Second row: Donna ?, Nancy Bohinsky, Margaret Mary Pavicic, Marlene Vukovcan, Margaret Barlow, unknown girl, Martha Farkasovsky

Third row: unknown girl, unknown girl, Antoinette Shorter, hidden/unidentifiable, Deborah Hlozek, unknown girl, unknown girl

Fourth row: unknown boy, unknown girl, Jane Presto, hidden/unidentifiable, unknown girl, Josetta Scisciani, Barbara Kutzko, unknown girl, unknown boy

Fifth row (left side boys): hidden/possibly Ronald Mazur, David Yanko, hidden/unidentifiable,

Back row (left side boys): Joseph Meshanko, Stephen Farkasovsky

Fifth row (right side boys: hidden/unidentifiable, unknown boy

Back row (right side boys): unknown boy, unknown boy

_____

My mother, Agatha Bohinsky, helped decorate the altar. Some of the flowers came from our garden.

May Altar
Divine Redeemer Kindergarten
May 1955
photo courtesy Agatha Bohinsky

Below are some snapshots taken by my mom on the day of the procession and crowning:

The kindergarten room in the first Divine Redeemer School,** a former hotel, was the only classroom on the first floor. It had a entry door leading directly into the classroom. Upper grade students used another entrance a few feet to the right, which led into a large lobby with stairs to the upper two floors.

The kindergarten May procession wasn't a long one. It began with the students exiting through a door at the end of the kindergarten room furthest from the entrance door. That route allowed the procession to enter a hallway that led to the lobby used by the other students. The procession then left the building through the lobby door, turned left, proceeded a few steps in front of the building, then back into the kindergarten room through its entrance door.

Kindergarten boys exiting lobby doors during procession,
boy on right with rosary is David Yanko,
girl behind David is Mary Ann Shvach
Divine Redeemer School
May 1955
photo courtesy Agatha Bohinsky

Marlene Vukovcan exiting lobby doors during procession
Divine Redeemer School
May 1955
photo courtesy Agatha Bohinsky

May Queen
Margaret Mary Pavicic exiting lobby doors during procession
Divine Redeemer School
May 1955
photo courtesy Agatha Bohinsky

Crowning St. Mary

May Queen Margaret Mary Pavicic

Marlene Vukovcan watching

Divine Redeemer School

May 1955

photo courtesy Agatha Bohinsky

 May Queen Margaret Mary Pavicic
Divine Redeemer School
May 1955
photo courtesy Agatha Bohinsky

Sister Alberta
Margaret Mary Pavicic, Marlene Vukovcan, David Yanko
Divine Redeemer School
May 1955
photo courtesy Agatha Bohinsky

David Yanko and unidentified boy
Divine Redeemer School
May 1955
photo courtesy Agatha Bohinsky

Jane Presto in front of May Altar
Divine Redeemer School
May 1955
photo courtesy Agatha Bohinsky

Kindergarten students
Divine Redeemer School
May 1955
photo courtesy Agatha Bohinsky

The students I can identify in the above photo are:

Two girls seated in front left to right: Deborah Hlozek, Jane Presto

Girl holding pillow: Barbara Kutzko

back row, left to right: Joseph Meshanko, unidentified boy, David Yanko, Nancy Bohinsky (partially hidden by Barbara), Margaret Mary Pavicic, Marlene Vukovcan, Mary Ann Shvach

____

One thing I love about vintage small town papers is that they covered events such as a parochial school kindergarten May crowning.

May Queen and some court members
Divine Redeemer May Crowning
May 1955
Daily Citizen

Daily Citizen caption:

KINDERGARTEN MAY QUEEN CROWNED -- Margaret Pavicic, rear center, was crowned "Queen" at Divine Redeemer School kindergarten last week. Members of the court included, left to right, front -- Debra (sic) Hlozek and Jane Presto, and rear -- Nancy Bohinsky, Margaret and Marlene Vukovcan.

_____

* The girl sitting on the floor in the group photo appears to be holding a copy of our Kindergarten "Certificate of Graduation." Here's mine:

Nancy Bohinsky'
Kindergarten Certificate of Graduation
Divine Redeemer School
1955

** The first Divine Redeemer School was at 300 Merchant St. in a building now used by the Karnavas Vending Co. Here's what the building looked like in the 1956 Divine Redeemer Golden Anniversary book. The door on the left front of the building was the kindergarten room entrance. You can see how far the May Queen procession had to walk to return to the kindergarten room from the the main school door, to the right between two sets of windows.

Divine Redeemer School
Divine Redeemer Golden Anniversary book
1956

Ambridge memorabilia: Ambridge Has It All!

Ambridge Has It All!
promotional pin
mid-to-late 1950s?

This "Ambridge Has It All!" pin belonged to the late Edward (Eddie) James Palsa, who grew up in Ambridge before moving out West. He attended Divine Redeemer Church and School and Ambridge High School (class of 1962). The pin was sent to me by his son, James Palsa, who lives in California.

I don't know for sure how old this pin is or what it was promoting. Bob Mikush, my go-to-guy for information about Ambridge memorabilia, says that he thinks the pin was given out by Ambridge merchants after Northern Lights opened in 1956, reminding shoppers that they didn't need to travel to Baden to shop for anything.

Ambridge memorabilia: Fitzgerald & Syka needle kit

This small, but nicely-equipped, cardboard sewing needle kit was a promotion for the Fitzgerald & Syka Oxygen & Ambulance Service. The kit belonged to the late Edward J. (Eddie) Dzubak Sr., posted courtesy of Eddie's children, Lesabeth Trzcianka and Eddie Dzubak, Jr.

While over the years, Eddie Sr. owned and operated three gas stations in Ambridge, he also worked for the Fitzgerald & Syka Funeral Home--which became the John Syka Funeral Home in 1974 --for 60 years. The funeral home provided one of Ambridge's earliest ambulance services.

I don't know exactly how old the kit is, but the "COngress-6" phone exchange places it after the mid-1950s--before then, Ambridge's exchange was "AM-6"--but before all-number dialing started (around 1963?)

The front cover of the kit shows the funeral home on the corner of what was then Latimer Ave. (now Kennedy Dr.) and 9th St. where it still is located.

Needle kit, front cover
Fitzgerald & Syka Funeral Home
circa mid-1950s to mid-1960s
owned by Eddie Dzubak, Sr.
courtesy of Lesabeth Trzcianka and Eddie Dzubak, Jr.

Needle kit, interior

Needle kit, back cover
Ambulance & Oxygen Service
Fitzgerald & Syka

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

_____

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.

_____

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.

Ambridge memorabilia: American Bridge Company safe

When an employer shuts down, employees may take a few mementos before the doors close forever. I've seen people end up with all sorts of things with the business' name on them, things like letterhead and envelopes, pens, matchbooks, ashtrays, coffee mugs, and memo holders.

Not too many employees go big and go home with a memento that's 38 inches wide, 30 inches deep, 75 inches tall and weighs somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 pounds.

When American Bridge closed down its Ambridge office in 1983, Dawn Patrice Fisher Wilson took home the office safe that had been in the office's basement. What a beauty!

American Bridge Company safe
photo courtesy of Dawn Patrice Fisher Wilson

Here's Dawn's story:

My grandfather and my dad both worked at American Bridge from a young age until retirement. I got my love of history and preservation from my dad. He always loved that safe.

My grandfather was a blacksmith, and he started in 1917, retired in 1958. Dad was a draftsman for most of his career. He started in the plant in 1950. Sometime later, American Bridge asked for volunteers to attend drafting school at their expense. Dad was one of the volunteers and became a draftsman. He retired in 1983.

I started with USS in the financial management associate program in 1981. I was assigned to the Ambridge Plant first, then the Shiffler Plant in Lawrenceville for one year. I was transferred to the USS Chemicals Division and assigned to the LaPorte TX plant in 1984 when American Bridge was shutting down.

The safe wasn't always tucked away in the office's basement. But my dad never lost track of it. The basement door and stairs were facing, I think, 4th St. Grandfather and Dad lived on Park Road, so they would use that entrance often. 

The plant manager at the time the office was about to close stated that I could have the safe if I was able to get it out of the basement the next day. My dad hired a local company, Greens Moving, I seem to recall, and they were able to move it to his home located in Cranberry Twp. A two ton safe is not something a younger person living in an apartment while being transferred to different parts of the country can easily transport. Dad has kept it in his basement all of these years. Unfortunately now is the time that the safe must be relocated. It will be coming to Texas shortly.

You can see the sad end of the Ambridge American Bridge Company office building in my February 28, 2014, article, "The American Bridge office building: going...gone!"