Ambridge Memories: products

Showing posts with label products. Show all posts

Thursday, February 22, 2018

A. M. Byers Co. 1930 - 1969

A. M. Byers Co. plant under construction
Duss Ave.
Daily Citizen supplement
August 10, 1929

The A. M. Byers Co. plant was the last of the large industrial plants to be built in Ambridge.* It opened in October 1930, producing wrought iron and wrought iron pipes, using a new mechanized production method, the Ashton process, which allowed the plant to produce higher-quality wrought iron--and produce it faster and at a lower cost.

When Ambridge's Byers plant was working at capacity, it reportedly produced more wrought iron than all the other wrought iron plants in the U.S. did combined.

A.M Byers Ambridge plant in lower half of photo
(J & L across the Ohio River)
courtesy Beaver County Industrial Museum
used with permission

The plant closed with only two weeks notice in December 1969, the victim of declining demand for wrought iron products and increasing costs.

A. M. Byers Co. Ambridge plant
Duss Ave.
Beaver County Times
December 19, 1969

Beaver County Times caption:

DOORS TO BE CLOSED -- The Harmony Township Plant of the A. M. Byers Co., experiencing economic difficulties as a result of rising costs and product demand decline, will be shut down Dec. 31, bringing to a close 40 years of operations. At stake are 485 jobs including 127 office and supervisory personnel. Employment at the plant has been down for several months.

The former Byers production buildings are used by several businesses: Brunner Recyling, O'Neal Manufacturing, and Leeco Steel. The former Byers office is a U.S. Air Force Recruiting Center.

It was emotionally comforting for me to see that the Byers smokestacks still stand tall.

A. M. Byers smokestacks
Duss Ave.
April 29, 2015
credit: Nancy Knisley

My memories of the Byers plant

Two things stand out in my memories of the Byers plant, besides the fact that my Uncle Fritz Yerzek worked there.

The one memory I'm sure I share with anyone who lived in the area while Byers was operating, is the inferno produced by the Bessemer converter, located only about 150 feet from the west side of Duss Ave. The working converter would light up the night sky in shades of gold and orange. Multicolored smoke would rise high into the air. And sparks would drift into Duss Ave. onto passing cars if the wind was right.

Even as a kid I was astonished that Byers was allowed to put the converter so close to what was a major road at the time.

Byers' Bessemer Converter
courtesy Laughlin Memorial Library archives

If our family car drove past Byers while the converter was working, my mom would say, "Don't look! Don't look! You'll hurt your eyes. You might go blind." But of course, I always snuck a look. The scene was awe inspiring in a somewhat terrifying way.

My other memory is the large, round, wrought iron plate that hung on a frame on the Duss Ave. side of the Byers office. I don't know what the plate really was called, but we always referred to it as the "gong."

The Bessemer converter ended up on display at Station Square in Pittsburgh. Does anyone know what happened to the "gong"?
_____

* Technically, the Byers plant was in Harmony Township, not the Borough of Ambridge, but, like other Harmony Township businesses, it used an Ambridge address and advertised itself as being in Ambridge.

Saturday, April 22, 2017

American Bridge Co. ships 165-foot girder by rail, 1950

Ambridge's American Bridge Co. produced some amazing products. Here's one of them:

Longest Steel Girder
American Bridge Company
Acme press photo
February 14, 1950

The back of this press photo describes it:

Workmen put a protective coat on the longest steel girder ever shipped in one piece from the Ambridge, PA., plant of U.S. Steel's American Bridge Company. The 165-foot, 75-ton girder is bound for use in a Philadelphia railroad bridge. Ten others, just like it, are being made for the job. Four standard length railroad flat cars are needed for the giant girder.

Ambridge's American Bridge Co. plant, once the largest structural steel fabricating plant in the world, was operating by 1904 and closed in 1984.

Friday, July 15, 2016

Fabricating Mackinac Bridge towers at American Bridge Co.

Michigan's Mackinac Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it was built in the mid-1950s. The bridge was an engineering marvel and one of the American Bridge Company's greatest bridge construction projects.

American Bridge's Ambridge plant, at that time the largest structural steel fabricating plant in the world, fabricated the bridge's towers.

According to the Mackinac Bridge Authority,

The towers were fitted together horizontally at Ambridge, PA., taken apart and shipped by rail to St. Ignace (MI). The pieces were then placed on a barge and towed to the site and the creeper set them in place. This was like putting together a puzzle.

I'm not sure what phase of fabrication the photos below show. Maybe someone who knows more about this project can provide some helpful descriptions.

Fabrication of Mackinac Bridge towers
American Bridge Co., Ambridge
circa 1955
credit: Mackinac Bridge Authority

The plant was closed for virtually all production in mid-1982, and closed for good in the spring of 1984.

Saturday, June 18, 2016

American Bridge Co. testing Army gun containers

When I first wrote this article, I had only the first two photos below. But now I have a third, and there's more information about this American Bridge project written on its back, so see the update below.

~~I don't know more about this American Bridge Co. project than the notes written on the back of these two press photos.~~

If you know any additional details about the project, please leave a comment.

This is the press note on the back of the first photo below:

"U. S. Army containers. Made by the American Bridge co. being tested on the Ohio R. These containers are made to keep guns dry."

Testing Army gun containers on Ohio River
American Bridge Co.
Ambridge
January 7, 1946

That's the still-standing historic Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge in the background of the photos above.

Update July 15, 2017, another photo, more information:

Final test of ammo containers
American Bridge Co.
Ambridge
January 11, 1946

Here what the back of the photo above says:

The final test for Army storage cans, Pittsburgh, PA.--Big cans, designed for the Army as protective containers for preserving Army equipment, went through the final test of their efficiency and came through successfully. As a test of waterproofness, they were dunked in the Ohio River, near Pittsburgh, and proved to be watertight. The loaded cans can be tossed overboard in places where there are no dock facilities, and be towed to shore by smaller boats or allowed to wash ashore. Photo shows: After the test, the can is loaded back on the flatcar on which it traveled 6300 miles from Pittsburgh to the West Coast and back, to test its endurance in all climates.

If you look closely, you can see a bit of the Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge in the background of this photo too.

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Economy's Lover's Lane

Lover's Lane, Economy, PA
State Library of Pennsylvania
Old Economy Village archives

The Harmonites, noted for their celibacy, may have refrained from sex, but that doesn't mean they refrained from romance. And apparently romance was common enough that 14th Street between Duss Avenue and Beaver Road became known as Lover's Lane.

Lover's Lane, Economy, Pa.
postcard
postmarked January 22, 1909

The December 26, 1916, Daily Times, explained how Economy's Lover's Lane got its nickname:

On Sundays in the olden time the young people of the village were not allowed to leave the town, not even to visit the farmers on the outlying districts and so by degrees they began to appropriate this grassy, shaded lane, where they strolled by twos, dreamed dreams, and said pleasant nothings fraught with much meaning as has been the custom of lovers for centuries and so "The Lane" became "Lover's Lane."

Lover's Lane, Economy, PA
State Library of Pennsylvania
Old Economy Village archives

The 1924 Economy Centennial Souvenir Program, Economy of Old, Ambridge of Today, compiled by Elise Mercur Wagner, described Lover's Lane: "Heavily shaded on both sides with trees, with a wide path of well-trodden grass between, it was the favorite walk of young people at eventide."

That program says that Lover's Lane's real name was "Mulberry Lane." Among their many industries, the Harmonites had a silk mill, and mulberry leaves from the trees they planted were used to feed the silkworms they raised. But the mulberry trees weren't well-suited to the area's climate, and the "cocoonery" was shut down in the 1850s.

Apple trees replaced the mulberries in the Lover's Lane area, and Mulberry Lane became Apple Lane. The handwritten note on the photo below says, "Apple trees planted in the 1870's to replace a row of mulberry trees (Morus Multicaulia) east of the silk factory at 14th St."

Apple Lane, Economy, PA
State Library of Pennsylvania
Old Economy Village archives

The 1916 Daily Times article says that once Economy was sold, and the Liberty Land Company opened the formerly-gated Apple Lane as a street in 1903, "the old apple trees began to decay and become scraggy. Now they are nearly all dead."

The newspaper mourned the end of Lover's Lane which it called "one of the historic old land marks of Economy":

"Lover's Lane" in Economy carries with it more than historic interest to many who resided in the village before the modern spirit of progress had transformed a beauty spot into an ordinary city street.

The paper said Ambridge's street commissioner was in the process of removing the trunks and broken limbs, noting, "The street is nearly all built up now."
_____

Update December 19, 2018: I'm aware that the people in one of the photos above are not wearing Harmonist clothing. But even before the Harmony Society sold its property in Economy, it had hired workers who lived in the community, but were not Harmony Society members. And Sarah Buffington, curator at Old Economy Village, told me that the Harmony Society did not prohibit visitors from strolling in Economy.

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Wrapping Christmas gifts at Sears, Northern Lights

Finding a Christmas season job wasn't easy during my college years at the end of the 1960s, not because jobs were scarce, but because I wasn't able to come home to Ambridge until shortly before Christmas Day. Most businesses that hired for the season tended to want employees who could work from before Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve.

So, when Sears at Northern Lights called in December while I was still at school and asked my mom to check with me to see if I'd be interested in working between the day I got home from school through Christmas Eve as a gift-wrapper, I said, "Sure!" Sounded like something I might even enjoy doing. And if I didn't, at least I'd be making a little money.

Wrapping Christmas gifts at Sears, which I did two Decembers in a row, turned out to be one of my favorite jobs ever.

At the time, Northern Lights, which had opened in 1956, was a busy, thriving place, crowded with shoppers, and despite its huge parking lot, finding an empty space often wasn't easy. Sears, a newly built addition to the center at its far northwest corner, where Giant Eagle is now, was only a few years old, having opened in October 1963.

Sears, Northern Lights,
Beaver County Times,
October 22, 1963

This Sears was much bigger and, not surprisingly, more modern than the old Ambridge store at 653-655 Merchant Street which had closed the week before the Northern Lights store opened.

The Ambridge store had carried appliances, sporting goods, tires and car accessories, paints and building materials, and tools--oh, and toys in Toy Town at Christmastime. Everything else had to be ordered from the Sears catalog, then picked up at the store when delivered. But the Northern Lights store was a complete department store, carrying everything the Ambridge store had, plus clothing including furs*, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics and perfume, candy, white goods (linens, towels, drapes), housewares, and furniture. And there was a snack bar.

Christmas ad, kids' winter outerwear
Sears Northern Lights
Beaver County Times
December 16, 1969

During my wrapping stints, the Northern Lights Sears still had a new store feel, all bright and shiny, but even more so decorated for the holiday season. Lights twinkled, ornaments sparkled, tinsel glittered. The store was bustling with shoppers eager to buy and staffed with employees eager to help them do that.

Christmas ad: electric organs, record players, and radios
Sears, Northern Lights
Beaver County Times
December 2, 1969

The small gift wrapping counter was set off from the shopping areas, near the customer service and credit departments if I'm remembering correctly. Even so, the store's cheery Christmas spirit flowed into our little out-of-the-way nook.

Depending on how busy the store was expected to be, I usually worked with one or two affable and energetic young women. We got along great and laughed a lot together. At one point, a manager came to the wrapping counter to try to recruit one of us to demonstrate a new waist-slimming product--a platform that rotated back and forth as you did the twist on it. The not-perfect gift for someone you loved, but maybe a buyer would think ahead to her New Years resolution to get in shape. One of my colleagues was delighted to be asked to perform for customers for a bit, and quickly volunteered.

Christmas ad, TVs
Sears Northern Lights
Beaver County Times
December 9, 1969

Sears offered customers free gift boxes and wrapping. The wrapping wasn't anything fancy. Customers got a box lined with tissue paper, a choice of papers, some ribbon, and a bow. Even with my minimal gift wrapping experience I could handle that without training, which hadn't been offered anyway. Really, the hardest part often was nicely folding the clothes and Christmas towels and cloth napkins before arranging them in the box. Or removing stubborn price tags.

We wrapped bracelets, blankets, blenders, babies' toys, and bubble bath. We wrapped record players, eight-track players, hair dyers, and electric shavers. Luckily, the bulkier items already came in a box, and no one asked us to wrap a car battery or a bike.

Christmas ad, automotive center
Sears Northern Lights
Beaver County Times
December 9, 1969

The customers were uniformly pleasant, chatting about their Christmas plans and the people the gifts were for, while patiently waiting for us to finish the wrapping. Who knew that gift wrapping could be such a social activity?

Most shoppers just wanted boxes, said thanks, and hurried on their way. But some, mostly men, were grateful to avail themselves of the wrapping, especially as Christmas got nearer. I believe many men would have happily paid to have their gifts wrapped. Free wrapping made them even jollier. And their apparently having stopped at a bar on their way to the store made them jollier still.

Christmas ad, women's clothing
Sears Northern Lights
Beaver County Times
December 2, 1969

Often the men would ask our opinion about what they'd bought. Was the robe appropriate for a woman in her 60s? Was the scarf trendy enough to satisfy a teen? Their sister was about our size, did we think a "medium" sweater would fit? Did we like the smell of Yardley's English Lavender?

Christmas ad: women's robes and hose
Sears Northern Lights
Beaver County Times
December 16, 1969

Some of the men would look mildly embarassed, others unabashedly naughty, when we opened their bags to find sheer black negligees and lacy lingerie. Others, I think, just wanted to see how we'd react, if we'd say anything about the sexy gifts. But we were gift wrapping professionals, and we didn't bat an eye.

Our late Christmas Eve customers were mostly men, relieved to have found something acceptable to give their kids, wife, parent, or girlfriend. And, yes, even the remaining wrapping paper we had would be fine.

Christmas ad, last minute gifts

Sears Northern Lights

Beaver County Times

December 22, 1969

On Christmas Eve, I was wistful as I stamped my time-card and turned it in for the last time, then stepped out into the cold, crisp night air to walk to the car where my mother was waiting to pick me up. I was looking forward to joining my family for their traditional Wiligia dinner, followed by Midnight Mass at Divine Redeemer Church. But I'd miss the joyful holiday bustle and the happy people who let us wrap their gifts.
_____

* Sears trivia: When the Northern Lights store opened in October 1963, the manager said that Sears sold more minks than any other store in the world.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

The A&P on 14th and Merchant Streets

If we remember an A&P in Ambridge, we probably remember the one story, yellow brick building that ran between 11th and Sherman Streets just below the west end of the National Electric factory, currently the site of the Trinity School for Ministry. This post is not about that A&P. It's about the A&P with an interior that looked like this:

Interior, A&P, 14th and Merchant Streets,
circa 1930s?
photo courtesy of Richard McFarland,
used with permission

According to Richard McFarland, the A&P on 11th Street was not the original location of A&P in Ambridge. Richard says that before A&P moved to 11th Street, it was at 303 Fourteenth Street, at the corner of 14th and Merchant Streets, the building in the photo below.

[Update Nov. 7, 2019: I've been unable to confirm that there was an A & P at 303 Fourteenth St. And researchers from Old Economy Village and the Ambridge Historic District have raised doubts that the A & P shown in the photo at the top of this page was at 303 Fourteenth St.

However, I have found an A & P at 311 Fourteenth St. in Beaver County's Mercantile Appraiser's List published in the 1930s.]

303 14th Street,
November 20, 2013

I do not know what, if anything, is in the building now, but previously, it was the Croatian Club, home of the Croatian Fraternal Union, St. Nicholas Lodge #304. Before the Croatian Club, the building was the location of the AP Hotel/Restaurant, owned by Anthony Pazzanita.

Here's a larger view of the interior photo:

Interior, A&P, 14th and Merchant Streets,
circa 1930s?
photo courtesy of Richard McFarland,
used with permission

The man in the photo is Richard's great-uncle, Harry McFarland, the A&P's manager. The numbers on or near the products appear to be prices: 19 cents for what is in the bin next to Mr. McFarland, 20 cents for the white product in the bin next to the candy case, 34 cents for the Mother's Oats.

I do not know when the A&P moved to the larger, more modern store on 11th Street.

That's all the information either Richard or I have about the A&P in the photo. Can anyone provide more information about the store?

Perhaps someone who knows more about the products and packaging shown in the photo can help date the photo. If the bread in the foreground is pre-sliced, that puts the photo in or after 1928. I see Clark Bars (my favorite!) on the counter, but Clark Bars were made before Ambridge existed. Maybe someone can place the era by the Clark Bar wrapper.

Even if we don't remember the A&P being in this small brick Harmonite building near Old Economy, our older relatives did. Joseph Bacon, who grew up in Ambridge, said, "Dad showed me the building on 14th Street where the A&P was before it moved to 11th St. Dad remembered the old A&P where the grocers would actually get your goods for you. Grandma Bacon told me how much she missed the service when A&P moved to 11th Street."