Ambridge's American Bridge Co. constructing a towboat, circa 1912

"Fabricating steel hull for towboat
at Ambridge plant of American Bridge Company"
Industrial World 
July 8, 1912

I suspect that when many people remember the work done at Ambridge's American Bridge Co. plant, they think of structural steel fabricated for projects such as bridges, skyscrapers, or sports stadiums. But the Ambridge plant also built boats.

Not big boats. The Ohio River isn't deep enough for a shipyard that could build large ships. However, the Ambridge plant had a Barge Yard which built hundreds of barges, mostly freight barges, but also more specialized ones for dredges, derricks, or tanks that carried liquids like oil. 

The plant also occasionally built towboats, or at least the hulls for them, with the boats being finished elsewhere by their owners. 

Towboats are the boats that push barges. So, towboats don't "tow" a barge by pulling it the way a tow truck might pull a car; they push. (What can I say? English is weird.) In contrast, tugboats do pull ships. So, as I learned only recently, the boats you see pushing barges in the Ohio River are towboat, not tugboats. 

I don't know what towboat the photo above shows being built or who ordered it. Industrial World's July 8, 1912 issue doesn't provide that information anywhere that I could find.  And, as of now, I haven't found information elsewhere about a towboat being built in Ambridge in 1912. Perhaps the photo was taken earlier than 1912.

_____

During WWII, American Bridge's Navy Yard, built across Big Sewickley Creek from the plant, also built ships: 123 LSTs (Landing Ship, Tank).

And, during WWI, Ambridge's American Bridge plant fabricated the hulls for large ships that were then sent to shipyards capable of finishing the ships' construction. One of those ships was the freighter U.S.S. Ambridge. 

The same photo as the one above was also published in Coal and Coke Operator, July 25, 1912.

Great St. Patrick's Day Flood, 1936: Ambridge stories

 

Unidentified boy looking at train on flooded railroad tracks,
east side of American Bridge Co., at the Ambridge Station 
St. Patrick's Day Flood, 1936
postcard
personal collection

The cause of the 1936 St. Patrick's Day flood—the biggest natural disaster in the history of the Pittsburgh region—has been blamed on weeks of abnormal weather. First a prolonged cold spell allowed an unusual amount of snow and ice to accumulate. Then, just before St. Patrick's day, a sudden rise in temperature caused a rapid melt. And if those weren't problematic enough, an hours-long downpour added to the amount of water that had already been rising out of local streams and along the banks of Pittsburgh's rivers. Previously unimaginable destruction and death followed in Pittsburgh and many other river communities. 

During the overnight hours of March 17, the Ohio River began to rise in Ambridge. Although located along the river, Ambridge was relatively lucky thanks to its natural topography and to the American Bridge Company's occupation of most of the riverfront. American Bridge, though, wasn't so lucky.

The "crackerbox" tenements that had once stood on the river bank between 9th and 10th street, and flooded in 1907, were gone by 1936. Reportedly, only some of the Ambridge houses on Bank St. along Big Sewickley Creek were flooded. (But neighboring Fair Oaks, on the opposite, lower bank of the creek, wasn't as fortunate. See the photo below.) The rest of Ambridge—homes, businesses, and, with the exception of American Bridge, industries—were high enough above the flood water that they were spared. 

Flooding in Fair Oaks along Big Sewickley Creek, 
opposite Ambridge
photo was taken from the upper part of Ambridge's Glenwood Dr.,
houses in the foreground are on Valley Rd.
March 1936
courtesy Ambridge Borough

Importantly, no Ambridge resident was reported as drowning in the deep, swift, muddy, and debris-filled floodwater. 

However, Ambridge experienced the same disruption of transportation, news, electricity, gas, phone, and telegraph service as other communities, not only along the river, but beyond.

Duquesne Light Co. substation
across Big Sewickley Creek from Ambridge,
Beaver St., Fair Oaks
March 1936 flood
courtesy Ambridge Borough

Roads were blocked by water, mud, or rockslides, making travel in or out of Ambridge pretty much impossible. Trucks that usually delivered food and other vital supplies could not make the trip into Ambridge. Rail service was suspended; a train was stranded on flooded tracks at the Ambridge station. 

Electric service was iffy and eventually limited to Ambridge's water plant, dairies, bakeries, and the phone company. Streets were unlit; buildings were lit by candles, flashlights, lanterns, and fireplaces for several days. Burgess P. J. Caul issued a special notice on March 20: 

Gas service in Ambridge from 8th St. south was shut off for several days as a safety precaution. As a result, many homes and businesses were unheated and stoves inoperable. 

Ambridge schools were closed until March 23 because they had no lights and heat.

Phone service was limited to emergency calls to the police and fire departments, doctors, drug stores, industrial plants, news offices, and other places that might need to be contacted if there was an emergency.

A big worry was that the Ambridge Water Works, with its location near the river, and already surrounded by water, might flood. Users were urged to conserve water. Ambridge's industrial plants were closed in the hopes that would ensure enough water for residential use. Fortunately, the Water Works survived the flood without contamination from the Ohio.

The only plant in Ambridge that remained open in the immediate aftermath of the flood was National Electric Co., so it could make critically needed replacement electrical equipment for damaged public utilities. But the company had to rely on its own power and water supplies. Electricity wasn't available from Duquesne Light Co. or water from the borough. 

Mail could not be delivered for two days. Outgoing mail couldn't leave Ambridge either.

The Ohio River finally crested in the Ambridge area at noon, March 18, measuring 44.3 feet at Lock No. 4 in Legionville in Harmony Township, more than 18 feet above flood stage. The flood water continued downstream, making its way towards other river towns in Beaver County, West Virginia, and Ohio. 

The flood at American Bridge Company

American Bridge Co.
Ohio River flood
March 18, 1936
postcard
personal collection

Ambridge's American Bridge, the largest structural steel fabricating plant in the world, seems to have been caught off guard by the amount of water the Ohio was rushing towards it that fateful St. Patrick's Day.

Men working at American Bridge the night of March 17 tried to save some of the plant's important property as the river began to push its way in, but the water came in so fast, and rose so high, the men had to abandon the plant at 3 AM. Plant electricians continued to work in the plant's powerhouse until 8 AM when they had to be rescued by boat. Power to the plant was finally shut off. The water continued to rise. 

On the morning of March 18, men who reported for work were sent home. American Bridge's barge yard and main shops were reportedly covered by two feet of water, a foot higher than during the disastrous 1907 flood. As a result, the plant couldn't operate and so was shut down. The local plant manager said all they could do was wait until the water receded to assess the damage. However, the damage was expected to be more than the "thousands of dollars" incurred during the '07 flood. That expectation turned out to be true, but did not do justice to the final cost of returning American Bridge to operating condition as the water continued to rise to a record eight feet.

On March 19, American Bridge officials said that the plant was still under four or five feet of water, after dropping about three feet from its high mark at 8 PM the day before. Repairs in the plant couldn't begin until the water receded. (Daily Citizen, March 20, 1936)

By March 20, water at American Bridge had receded "to the top of the lower level of the boat yard ways." Cleanup by several hundred employees began that morning. The "reclamation" and "re-conditioning" started in offices, shops, and yards where mud and debris had to be removed. Replacement of records and files destroyed by the flood began. Motors were taken to Ambridge's National Electric Co. plant to be cleaned and dried.

Once the power was turned back on, more workers would be added to complete the cleanup which would require "weeks" to finish. 

Cleanup continuing through April 6, when the all departments finally reopened. However, only the barge yard and a limited number of other departments were back to full operation. Other departments still were unable to fully open because the power plant, while working again, couldn't yet provide enough power. (Daily Times, April 8, 1936)

The Daily Citizen publishes despite obstacles

Getting news in 1936 wasn't always quick and easy in ordinary times, but for a while during and after the flood, finding out what was happening was much more difficult than usual. 

Most people relied on local newspapers and, maybe a radio if they, or a neighbor, were lucky enough to own one during the depression years. 

But without electricity, radio stations couldn't broadcast. Pittsburgh's powerhouse station KDKA could only broadcast intermittent alerts and emergency information. And without electricity, Ambridge residents couldn't hear radio news anyway. Battery operated radios weren't common then, and the batteries required electrical recharging. 

Ambridge's Daily Citizen found gathering and printing the news to be quite a challenge, but they, with the generous help of newspapers from neighboring towns, made a valiant effort.

The morning United Press news report usually delivered to Ambridge's train depot didn't come on March 18. UP's Pittsburgh office was flooded, so the Citizen had to get most of its stories via long distance calls from Cleveland, Ohio. When UP finally was able to contact the Citizen "by special wire," the reporter had to read the information by flashlight. 

With its gas service cut off, the Citizen couldn't operate the gas-heated linotype machines used for most of its printing. But the Sewickley Herald offered the use of their linotypes, enabling the Citizen to print "a limited amount of copy." The Citizen noted the published paper's unusual appearance, since it was set with the different typefaces used by both newspapers. Beaver's Daily Times also helped by sending "five galleys of their early copy."

Yet another problem arrived two days later when the Citizen's printing plant lost electric power, stopping its ability to print. But the Citizen was able to publish a four page edition, thanks to the Beaver Falls News-Tribune, which allowed the Citizen to use its equipment.

But that wasn't the end of the problems created by the flood. Four days into the flood, all of Beaver County lost electric power, and none of the papers in Beaver County could print. But the Citizen's staff still was determined to print a paper. Here's how they accomplished that with ingenuity, some unusual help from two people in Ambridge, an Ambridge industrial plant which had its own electrical supply, an extraordinary effort by the paper's staff, and finally, the help of a newspaper in neighboring Butler County:

A small motor was dismantled from a washing machine, loaned by [Ambridge business owner] C. F. Milleman, and attached to one of linotype machines.

At 2 o'clock this morning, employees practically dismantled the mangle and sewing machine of Mrs. Anna Ross, 184 Sixth Street, in order to procure the pully and gadgets found necessary for the completion of the primitive but nevertheless effective contrivance. Operators worked all night preparing for today's issue by the light provided by two kerosene lamps, a lantern and flashlights. The entire force was kept busy this morning setting much of the copy by hand. The Citizen's portable saw was moved to the plant of the National Electric Company where their power was used in order to trim all advertising cuts.

Forms and type were then transported by [automobile] to Butler, where the paper was printed on the Butler Eagle press. 

The Ambridge marauders and one man's excuse

A number of out-of-town papers wrote about a mob from Ambridge that had gone to neighboring Leetsdale, a community that had suffered a great deal of flood damage, in order to loot. Leetsdale residents objected. A riot ensued. Leetsdale's police chief had to call the National Guard to help.

Here's the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's March 21 account of the story:

I haven't yet found Ambridge's version of the whole Leetsdale looting story in the Daily Citizen, although according to the March 24 issue, one of the arrested Ambridge men offered an explanation of his actions to a judge:

Joe Gilbert, Bank street, Ambridge, was held under $2,500 bond at a hearing before Judge Ralph Smith, in Allegheny court yesterday on a charge of larceny, and he was committed to the Allegheny county jail.

Gilbert was one of the men arrested by the Leetsdale police for looting in the flooded area. According to Gilbert's story, he had no intention of stealing, but had come across a garage lodged against a tree in the garden flats 300 yards away from any house, and that looking in, he saw a raincoat and a jack, which he thought he was entitled to, since he had found them. Judge Smith, however, thought otherwise.

The March 23 Citizen did say in an article about Leetsdale's flood damage and cleanup that eight of the nine Ambridge men who had been arrested were sent home "with a warning not to be caught back in Leetsdale again" and added:

Twenty-two Leetsdale residents, mostly members of the fire department, were deputized as special police by the [Leetsdale] Burgess and were armed with sawed off shot guns with orders to shoot in the legs anyone caught below the railroad tracks after dark. 

The missing Ambridge boy

Another Ambridge story that made a lot of out-of-town papers was about a missing 16 year-old boy who hadn't come home after visiting his grandmother in South Heights, across the Ohio, a few days after the flood had arrived in Ambridge. Naturally, his parents were frantic and search parties sent out, but they failed to find the boy. However, the story ended with a weird twist. Here's what the Daily Citizen wrote in its Monday, March 23 issue:

After three days of frantic searching for Elmer Bauder, 16-year old son of John Bauder, 554 Maplewood avenue, missing since Friday [March 20], word was received this morning that he was all-right and he had started on a trip.

Friday morning, young Bauder invited Frank McGeorge to go to South Heights to his grandmother's to get a warm dinner. When told that he would be over there for two or three hours, McGeorge declined saying that he had to be home in an hour. He asked Bauder if the "gang" would see him that night and was given the assurance that they would.

He went to the home of his grandmother, Mrs. Elmer Laughner, where he did have dinner. He was given $3 to buy galoshes and went to Beck's store for this purpose. They did not have the kind he wanted and he said he would wait until he returned to Ambridge. At 1:30 o'clock he walked out of the store and that was the last that was known of his whereabouts.

Police were notified and searches of parties of three and four have combed Ambridge and the South Heights districts. Yesterday, the state police sent out a teletype of his description. He disappearance also had been broadcast over the radio.

This morning, John Bauder, received a postal card, postmarked midnight Friday from the Oakland Branch of the Pittsburgh postoffice. It read:

"Dad, don't worry. I'm alright. I'm going someplace. I'll be back home shortly. Tell Grandmother Laughner I'm away on a trip with the DeMolays" signed, "Red."

The reference to the trip with the DeMolays was made because of the illness of Mrs. Laughner and he evidently did not want his grandmother to worry about him.

It is thought that the youth got a ride to Pittsburgh on a delivery truck and, having $8 in his pocket, decided to go to Johnstown to view the results of the flood. Another conjecture is that he is heading south with the intention of visiting Lawrence Shomo, who is attending Atlanta Military Academy at Port Defiance, Virginia, and then continuing to St. Petersburgh to visit his uncle, who owns a drug store there.

There had been no trouble between the boy and his relatives so it evidently had not been premeditated as he was not dressed up when he left home Friday.

I was told that Elmer eventually returned home, but as of yet, I don't know when. Or what his parents had to say to him when he did.

The floating garage

The floating garage crashing against a pier of the Ambridge-Aliquippa bridge let go an automobile which quickly sank while another [automobile] was lodged safely in the remaining part of the building as it moved down steam. (Daily Citizen, March 20, 1936)

_____

The information in this article came from reporting in Ambridge's Daily Citizen newspaper unless another source is named.

Vintage cars, 6th St. and Duss Ave. circa late 1920s. And an intriguing corner in the corner

"2 Packards-1 Franklin East Corner 6th & Duss Ambridge"
circa late 1920s
Laughlin Memorial Library archives

Sometimes, when doing historical research, I find unexpected details that lead me in unexpected directions. And the photo above led to one of those times.

I don't know much about this particular photo other than the information that the late local historian Bill Bowan wrote at its bottom. "Early 20's - 2 Packards-1-Franklin East Cor 6th & Duss Ambridge." I don't know the identities of the people in the photo. I don't know why the three cars are parked where they were. And I don't know how Bowan came to own the photo.

And because I know so little, I thought I just would post the photo, say something about the photo's location, and that would be that.

"That" didn't turn out to be "that," but here's what I know about the location:

The houses in the photo's background look like 600 and 602 Beaver Rd. which are still there, so the photo was taken looking east. While 600 Beaver Rd. is on the 1923 Sanborn Insurance map, 602 is not. So I began to question the "Early 20's" date Bowan had written on the photo.

Maria Notarriani told me that the 602 Beaver Rd. house was built in 1926 according to Beaver County tax assessment records, so 10 years after the house at 600 Beaver was built:1916.

So the photo must have been taken later than the "early 1920's." Perhaps the late '20s?

Photos are often misdated--sometimes by a month or two, sometimes by many years. And I didn't believe the the date was critical to the history of the photo. So, blog post finished! But no.

Because while looking at the building on the left side of the photo, I had noticed that its Duss Ave. side slanted upward, and rather steeply too. While the left lower corner of the photo is both faded and out-of-focus, the incline of that corner building's ground floor is obvious. Hmm. Interesting. And me being me, I couldn't just ignore that.

Which leads me to ask: Does anyone have any information on the grading of the 600 block of Duss and/or the histories of the buildings on the east side of that block, especially the buildings closest to the Duss and 6th St. intersection?

Because at the time the vintage photo at the top of this post was taken, the 600 block of Duss Ave. sure wasn't as level as it is today:

600 block of Duss Ave. looking North
Google Street View
August 2011

And I've always wondered why the ground level of some of the buildings in the 600 block of  Duss, especially those closest to 6th St., looked odd, like they perhaps weren't built at the same time as the upper floors. Consider:

This is what the building on the corner of 6th and Duss, 600 Duss, currently looks like. Although it looks quite changed from the building on the left of the photo at the top of this post, tax records say it was built in 1920, so it must be the same building.

600 Duss Ave.
Google Street View
August 2011

The odd ground floors are especially evident in these buildings:

Left: Ross Auto Body, 606 Duss Ave.
Right: Filipino American Club of Ambridge (formerly Sons of Italy Lodge), 604 Duss Ave.*
Google Street View August 2016

Tax records also show that 603 Beaver Rd.,* the street address used by the Sons of Italy Lodge, was built in 1915. The 606 Duss building was built in 1920 according to tax records, although the 1923 Sanborn Insurance map only shows an empty lot on Duss at that site. (The map does show a building on Beaver Rd. that currently would abut, or connect to, the rear of 606 Duss.)

So the evidence seems to point to two possibilities: the buildings' current Duss Ave. ground floors were once below-ground basements; or newly constructed ground floors were added after that part of Duss was graded. Well, I guess there's a third possibility: the buildings' owners just wanted an unusual facade on the lower floor.

One other oddity about the 600 block of Duss that may be related to grading: while the houses on both sides of the street abut the sidewalk, those on the east (even-numbered) side have a raised porch with the entrance to the house about a floor above the sidewalk. While on the west (odd-numbered) side, the buildings' porches/entries are basically level with the sidewalk. That suggests to me that when the even-numbered homes were built, they were located on a hill; then later, the base of that hill was removed, and the bottoms of the porches were extended down to street level. But I'm not wedded to that theory.

I previously wrote about a vintage photo of 5th St. and Duss Ave. being graded, but I was unable to determine when that grading was done, except that the photo was taken between 1919 and 1928. I also don't know how much of Duss was graded then. So I don't know at this time whether the grading shown in that photo was related to any grading done in the 600 block.
_____

* When the building at 604 Duss was the Sons of Italy Lodge, it used the address 603 Beaver Rd., where there was a more formal entrance. The Filipino American Club, now located in the same building, gives its address as 603 Duss Ave., not 604, even though it's on the east, even-numbered side of Duss Ave.

I expect that one day someone is going to wonder why a building on the even-numbered side of Duss has an odd-numbered address. Just like I once wondered why the former Sokol at 424 Duss has an even-numbered address even though it's on the odd-numbered side of the street. Turns out the reason is that the original address of the Sokol building was 424 Melrose Ave. Later, in 1951, a large second floor social hall, entered on Duss, was added. 

The U.S.S. Ambridge

"Mrs. L.D. Reilly, Sponsor U.S.S. 'Ambridge'"
christening ceremony
Federal Shipbuilding Co.
Kearney N.J.
May 24, 1919
courtesy Beaver County Industrial Museum

The stately ship above is the U.S.S. Ambridge at her launch on May 24, 1919. And, yes, she was named for Ambridge PA, where much of the ship was made by the plant that gave Ambridge its name, the American Bridge Co., once the largest structural steel fabricating plant in the world.

During WWI, demand for ships was greater than available shipyards. Ships could not be built as fast as they were needed, even before the U.S. entered the war in 1917.

In 1915, naval architect Chas. P. M. Jack, had a rather brilliant idea. While the Ohio River at Ambridge was too shallow for a shipyard that could construct large ocean-going ships, the American Bridge Co.'s plant there had churned out hundreds of barges over the years. Could the plant construct at least the hull for an ocean-going ship, which could be then be sent to a shipyard where the work would be completed?

Previous similar attempts elsewhere had been failures, but none of the companies that had tried and failed had American Bridge's expertise in fabricating not only barges, but also large structural steel projects. So American Bridge was given the contract to build one hull. Not the entire hull, but 60 percent of one. That hull was shipped to a shipyard in Chester PA, where builders found American Bridge's hull fit the other parts of the ship perfectly.

So the Ambridge plant was given a contract for 12 more hulls to be constructed in 1915 and '16--eight oil tankers and five freighters, all finished by the Chester Shipbuilding Co. Later, American Bridge added new equipment, was awarded more contracts, increased its production, and was able to fabricate enough hulls for as many as four 9,000-ton ships a month. (Daily Times, May 17, 1919)

Eventually, American Bridge and other fabricating plants could produce enough ship parts that the U.S. Shipping Board's Emergency Fleet Corp. built new shipyards to keep pace with the capacity of the plants to supply them. One of the new shipyards was U.S. Steel's Federal Shipbuilding Co. in Kearney N.J.

The U.S. had entered the war by the time American Bridge built Hull #15, Order No. 218259, which was shipped to Kearney, where she was completed and christened "Ambridge," on May 24, 1919, six months after the war had ended. The name was chosen to honor the work done by Ambridge's American Bridge Co. An article on the ship's christening said that the plant had built much more than the hull. "The ship was practically all fabricated in Ambridge, but was shipped to Kearney where a few parts were added and the parts assembled." (Daily Times, May 26, 1919)

The Ambridge was christened by Mrs. L.D. Reilly, wife of the manager of Ambridge's American Bridge plant. She's the woman in the photo below holding the Ambridge pennant, front row, second from left. Her husband also attended, as well as R. G. Manning, the plant's chief engineer, and A. J. Carpenter, shop superintendent, none of whom are identified in the photo. Perhaps Mr. Reilly is the man holding an Ambridge pennant on the far right, front row.

"Launching Party, U.S.S. "Belfort" and "Ambridge"
May 24, 1919
Federal Shipbuilding Company
Kearney N.J.
courtesy Laughlin Memorial Library Archives

The Ambridge was not a military ship, but rather a commercial freighter. The Daily Times article about the christening gave the ship's dimensions as 400 feet long, 55 feet wide, and 35 feet deep, with a speed of 14 knots, and capable of carrying approximately 9,000 tons.

The U.S.S. Ambridge wasn't as imposing when she was at sea as she looked at her launch

"The U.S.S. Ambridge"
The Federal Shipbuilder
Aug. 1919 - Jan. 1922

American Bridge's work was admired enough that the issue of The Federal Shipbuilder with the above photo also included a poem, "General Philip Kearny Asks" by Fred T. Llewellyn, that included these lines:

From Gary come the boiler shells,
Farrell the sheet-bar tonnage makes,
And Ambridge with her quota swells
The multiple array of strakes,

During her career, the Ambridge carried cargo as varied as Dutch flower bulbs and $2,000,000 in gold bullion destined for a U.S. bank, sailing primarily to and from European ports, but also South Africa and Central America.

I don't know how common smuggling via commercial freighters was during the period when the Ambridge was sailing, but she was caught with contraband at least twice.

In February 1927, customs authorities found 4,200 bottles of champagne, valued at $50,000, hidden in a coal bunker on the Ambridge, as well as 13 cases of narcotics. (New York Times, Feb. 17, 1927).

Then in June 1930, customs officials found smuggled champagne again, this time 3,168 bottles valued at $31,680. (New York Times, June 3, 1930)

The Ambridge was scrapped in 1935.

Ambridge streetcar #1, 1906

Ambridge's streetcar #1
(possibly January 1) 1906
courtesy John Dunn collection

Why were all these men and children, dressed for cold weather--and way in the back of the left side of the crowd, a horse--gathered in the 400 block of Merchant St. around a streetcar? I assume it must have been an important event. And where were the women? In the streetcar? Not invited? Too busy to come?

While local historian Bill Bowan left some notes on the back of the photo about the area where it was taken, he didn't include an explanation of the reason the group posed with the streetcar, which if you look closely, has a number on the front--"1."

I believe that the photo may show Ambridge's first streetcar on the day it began service. But I have no confirmation of that identification.

The French Point Street Railway Co. made its first run on January 1, 1906, over still unpaved Merchant St.  Going south, the two-car line's route was French Point to 4th St., then west to Maplewood where it turned south again until 1st St., turned east and looped back to Merchant St. for the trip north. (Daily Citizen Trade Area Directory, 1956)

To provide the power to run the system when it began, the operators, rather cleverly I think, temporarily used the boilers and engines still in the former Harmonist laundry building, with the addition of electrical generators and machinery. A permanent power system was planned for the spring of 1906. (Ambridge-Economy Citizen, Dec. 28, 1905)

Future plans for the French Point Street Railway Co. also included:

• connecting the south end of the French Point line to the Pittsburgh Railways Co. line in Leetsdale, eventually connecting Ambridge with Pittsburgh, and  
• connecting the north end of Ambridge's line to the Beaver Valley Traction Co. lines in Baden via the newly completed Duss Ave.--once the new steel viaduct over Legionville Hollow was finished. This connection would allow riders to travel between Ambridge and Beaver.

In 1934, the Beaver Valley Traction Co., then operating the streetcars in Ambridge, replaced them with buses. (Daily Citizen, March 31, 1939) The old streetcar tracks on Merchant were covered with blacktop in 1958 (Beaver Valley Times, July 29, 1958), but reappear from time to time during resurfacing.


The area of 5th and Merchant Sts.

The tall building you can see behind the streetcar is the razed Ambridge Savings and Trust Co. building on the northeast corner of Merchant and 5th Sts.

Here's what Bill Bowan's handwritten note on the back of the photo said:

About-1906--Ambridge Pa. Looking North toward 5th St. on Merchant.

Empty Lot on corner became "Regent" Theatre and Goldstein's Clothing Store downstairs.--2nd Flr. Andy Labenz has 12 Bowling Alleys--Duckpins, and Pool Tables. Regent Theatre became "Penn" Theatre. Witmeyers Drugs--became Freymark Drugs. M. Libermans Mens Furnishing Shop became Heberlines Jeweler-Optician and Musical Store--Wm. J. Bowan -73.

Between the occupation by the Regent and Penn Theatres, another theater was in the building eventually built on the southeast corner of 5th and Merchant--the Senate.

Freymark Drugs was at 513 Merchant, so perhaps the building with the ad painted on the side?

American Bridge Company office building, 1903

American Bridge Company Office
1903
Beaver County Historical Research & Landmark Foundation archives

The photo above shows the west side of the American Bridge Company office shortly after the building was completed in 1903. The building, which was at the southwest corner of Park Rd. and 4th St., was razed in 2014.

The photo was donated to BCHRLF by the Zahn family and a copy passed on to me by Jeffrey Snedden, writer of the Beaver County Times' "Histories & Mysteries" column. Jeffrey said, "Jesse Zahn was one of the original employees of the American Bridge Co. in 1903 and retired with 47 years of service. He and his family lived in Ambridge early on, but moved to Rochester later. "

Thanks, Jeffrey!

You can see photos of the "Bridge Works" office being constructed in these other blog posts:

"The American Bridge office: Going up and coming down," February 16, 2014

"American Bridge Office building, early design," July 10, 2017

Ohio River Blvd. extended Allegheny Co. line to Ambridge's 8th St.

Ohio River Blvd., which now runs from Pittsburgh to New Brighton, was built in phases, each one extending the road further north. By the late 1930s, the boulevard had been extended as far as Emsworth. From there, vehicles needed to travel via local roads through towns like Emsworth, Sewickley, Edgeworth, Leetsdale, Ambridge, and further north.

Given the ever-increasing vehicle traffic and congested roads, Beaver County officials and business leaders were anxious for the "superhighway" to extend into the Beaver Valley, envisioning a road that went as far north as New Brighton, or perhaps, even as far as the Ohio border.

In October 1930, a committee from Ambridge's Board of Trade met with the Beaver County Engineer in Ambridge to study the road's best route through Ambridge. At the time, Park Road was the most western street in the southern end of town. The 1924 photo below shows what served as a road east of the railroad tracks at the American Bridge Co.

Area to the east of the railroad tracks at American Bridge Co.
July 2, 1924
Laughlin Memorial Library archives

WWII spurred the boulevard's extension from Edgeworth, where it ended at the time, to American Bridge Company's Navy Shipyard in Leetsdale, where vital LSTs were built, and in 1945 - 46 to 8th St. in Ambridge.

This 1945 War Department aerial gives a good view of American Bridge and the south end of Ambridge before Ohio River Blvd. was built between them:

Aerial map of American Bridge and south Ambridge
U.S. War Dept.
1945
Laughlin Memorial Library archives

The photos below show some of the progress of construction from the Allegheny Co. line to 8th St.

The first photo shows the work being done between the American Bridge Co. office building on the far right and the railroad station platforms.

"Progress Photograph of Ohio River Boulevard"
April 11, 1945
Laughlin Memorial Library archives

"Progress Photograph of Ohio River Boulevard"
April 11, 1945
Laughlin Memorial Library archives

The photo below shows the 200 and 300 block of Park Rd. (200 block to right, 300 block center and left) in the background beyond the parked cars. The houses in the photo are still there. I think the structure in the foreground on the very left is the corner of the elevated ticket office of the train station.

"Progress Photograph of Ohio River Boulevard"
April 11, 1945
Laughlin Memorial Library archives

"Progress on Ohio River Boulevard"
May 2, 1945
Laughlin Memorial Library archives

"View from Plant Bridge To Leetsdale"
"Progress on Ohio River Boulevard"
July 5, 1945
Laughlin Memorial Library archives

The new Ambridge section of the boulevard was formally opened October 15, 1946.

From the boulevard, drivers wishing to continue north would turn right on 8th St., then eventually make a left onto Duss Ave.

The boulevard's dead end at 8th St. was the site of a number of accidents over the years, with some drivers failing to notice that the road ended, and semi trucks having difficulty making the turn onto 8th St.

A further extension of Ohio River Blvd. from 8th St. to Baden opened in 1960.

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.

1950's big post-Thanksgiving snow: finally gone

The unexpected snow began in Ambridge on the morning of Friday, November 24, 1950, and by the time it stopped, 26 inches--much higher in drifts--had buried Ambridge. Much of the snow still covered the borough at month's end, despite days of cleanup efforts mounted by Ambridge Borough and individuals.

I'm pretty sure snow-weary Ambridge residents weren't happy to see the December 1 forecast of "more snow expected." Just what they needed. The snow had been more than inconvenient, it caused real hardship for some, and it was dangerous in more ways that one, although I didn't find any snow-related deaths reported in Ambridge, unlike other parts of the area.

Fallen borough building spouting
Daily Citizen
December 1, 1950

Daily Citizen caption:

AN ELDERLY WOMAN PEDESTRIAN narrowly escaped injury last night when spouting gave way from the roof of the borough building with a crash. The woman, whose name could not be learned, happened along at 11:30 o'clock and missed being hit by a few feet. The spouting was weakened by the heavy fall of snow. It will be removed today. In the meantime the area is roped off.

The Citizen reported that snow cleanup was continuing. Traffic had been jammed for hours the night before on Route 88 (later Route 65) in Freedom and Baden because of snow removal. The result was Ambridge plant workers being late for work. The jam lasted for so long that truck drivers fell asleep during their wait.

Alleys and three blocks of Merchant St. were finally cleared. And Ambridge's First Ward (the south end of Ambridge, a good portion of it razed in the early 1970s for redevelopment), the borough's often-neglected neighborhood, would finally get its first post-snow trash collection.

Still, travel on Merchant St. could be tricky. The photo below shows December 2 traffic on the 600 and 700 blocks of Merchant looking south. Clerc's Jewelry Store, 710 Merchant St., was at the sign you can see part of at the lower left. The only other business I can identify for certain in this photo is Young's Shoes, 701 Merchant, owned by Saul Young, but I believe the business with the white facade on the southwest corner of 6th St. was Gutowski's Bakery, 699 Merchant.

Ice and snow covered 600 and 700 blocks of Merchant St.
Daily Citizen
December 4, 1950

Citizen caption:

MERCHANT ST. JAM --There was plenty of trouble on Merchant St. Saturday due to ice and snow. Deep ruts caused transportation to proceed at a snail's pace at times.

The December 4 Citizen reported that snow removal by crews and equipment working around the clock had, by that point, cost Ambridge $12,000, equivalent to almost $120,000 in 2015. Snow was finally cleared along local highways, helped by two days of warm weather. For the first time since the day of the snow, buses were running on normal schedules.

Steam shovel removing snow in Ambridge
Daily Citizen
December 4, 1950

Citizen caption:

MOUNTAINS OF SNOW were removed from streets and alleys over the week end. As a result today there is no slowing of traffic. One week after the big storm the town is well cleared of nature's handiwork.

But, just when Ambridge thought snow had been cleared in time for the Christmas shopping rush, the December 11, 1950, Citizen reported another snowstorm was supposed to hit the area, with three inches predicted for that day, and five to seven inches more expected to fall that evening and the next day. Drivers were warned driving would be "extremely hazardous" and were advised to use snow chains on their tires. On December 13, the Citizen reported more snow was "likely" that night.

On December 20, the Citizen reported that the snow piles on First St., which had made parking difficult for shoppers there, had finally been removed, the last street to be cleared.
_____

The first two posts with even more photos of Ambridge during the big snow were:

"1950's big post-Thanksgiving snowstorm," November 28, 2015

"The slow, difficult clean-up after 1950's big post-Thanksgiving snowstorm," December 5, 2015

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.

1950's big post-Thanksgiving snowstorm

No one saw it coming. There was no warning. No one was prepared. No one knew to stock up on bread, milk, and toilet paper.

The weather forecast for the day after Thanksgiving was for "snow squalls," windy, and colder.

Snow reportedly started falling in the Ambridge area on the morning after Thanksgiving. Friday's Daily Citizen headline was "Surprise Snowstorm Hits District, 3 in. fall, more tonight."

The "more" turned out to be right.

By the time of Friday's morning commute, road conditions were already bad, and travel was slow and difficult. Several minor accidents had been reported. And the snow was still falling.

Traffic snarl in snowstorm
State St., Baden
Daily Citizen
November 24, 1950

Original caption:

LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW! And that just what it is doing today in Ambridge and the district. With a cold wave and winds propelling the whiteness from the west, the actual fall is yet to be determined. Starting at shortly before 6 a.m., the skies were overcast during the morning hours. Traffic was snarled and many people were late for work. The above scene was snapped on State St., Baden, showing extent of the traffic jam.

The Citizen reported that buses, as well as cars, were hampered by the slippery roads, and hundreds of workers were late to work that morning. Nothing was moving at all in more rural areas. The fact that the sudden snow wasn't predicted meant many cars didn't have snow tires or chains, and pedestrians weren't properly dressed for a heavy snowfall.

The snow kept falling.

Friday's Post-Gazette said in an article about the coldest weather of the season arriving in the area that day, "Snow accompanying the new cold wave is not expected to be heavy." That prediction about the snow turned out to be a tad off.

By the time workers left their shifts in the afternoon, they were stuck where they were. The buses had stopped running. Cabs weren't running. Even if drivers could dig out their cars, the roads were now impassable. Walking was difficult, if not impossible, with deep snow now covering sidewalks. And the snow was still coming down.

The Citizen's Friday forecast for Saturday was "more snow and cold."

And indeed, there was more snow.

The Citizen didn't publish on either Saturday or Sunday, but Saturday's Pittsburgh Press predicted a record-setting snowfall of 12 inches.

The Post-Gazette Saturday morning edition headlined "SNOWFALL NEARING 15 INCHES, Worst Storm in 6 Years Snarls Traffic for Hours. Street Car, Auto and Bus Travel Paralyzed Here." And more snow flurries were predicated.

The Post-Gazette reported the snow had fallen steadily for nearly 20 hours. That combined with high winds and temperatures that had fallen one degree every two hours, had created ice coated streets and "mountainous snowdrifts."

And how were conditions in Ambridge? The headline of the Daily Citizen on Monday, November 27, 1950, read "BURGESS DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY."

It looks like snow still may have been falling in the photo below. The photo was taken on Fourth St. near Merchant St. The building to the left would have been the Nicholas Grill, 401 Merchant. Later, the building became the Red Bull Inn, and is currently apartments. In the background, you can see the rear of what was then Holy Trinity Church at 415 Melrose Ave. [update November 29, 2015: The Holy Trinity building was brand new at the time and would be dedicated on December 17, 1950.]

Thanksgiving weekend big snow
Fourth and Merchant Sts.
November 1950
photo courtesy of Butch O'Keefe
used with permission

Snowfall in Ambridge was reportedly 26 inches, but drifts were significantly higher. Still, the Citizen reported that the digging out was going well and "well advanced in most communities." Ambridge's main and secondary streets (supposedly) were open, and side streets were expected to be "accessible" soon. State highway help had not shown up yet, and bulldozers from American Bridge Co. and Spang-Chalfant were among the vehicles being pressed into snow clearing service.

The photo below shows the conditions on the 600 block of Merchant St. Visible are Charles Men's Wear, 639 Merchant St., Isaly's, 643 Merchant, and Edel's Children's Shop, 647 Merchant.

Thanksgiving weekend big snow
600 block of Merchant St.
Daily Citizen
November 27, 1950

The Daily Citizen caption for the above photo read:

Many vehicles stuck in the deep snow and ruts on Merchant St. during the heavy snow storm. Cars were stranded in practically every street of the town. This truck was given an assist by others to get away from the curb.

Thanksgiving weekend big snow
600 block of Maplewood Ave.
Daily Citizen
November 27, 1950

Original Daily Citizen caption:

THIS SCENE SHOWS the effects of the storm in the 600 block Maplewood Avenue.

Industry kept going. All Ambridge area plants and mills except for H. H. Robertson were operating, although many employees were still digging out.

Thanksgiving weekend big snow
American Bridge Company
Ohio River Blvd.
November 1950
photo courtesy of Butch O'Keefe
used with permission

The photo below shows another view of Merchant and Fourth Sts., looking east, up the hill towards Duss Ave.

[Updated November 29, 2015:
I believe, but am not sure, that at the time,

The three-story brick building at 398 Merchant St. was the Hess Hotel, later the Fox Hotel. (Confirmed by Butch O'Keefe). If you know for sure, please leave a comment.

Also, if you know the identity of the businesses in the building to the far right that says "upholster(ing?) on the window and "Furniture Service" on the sign above the window, the next building to the east that may say "Barber Shop" on the window, or was at the southwest corner of Fourth and Merchant, please let me know.

According to Butch, the building to the far right that says "upholster(ing?) on the window and "Furniture Service" on the sign above the window, was Walgoria Upholstery & Furniture Repair. Butch says the building at the southwest corner of Fourth and Merchant was Laman's Wallpaper and Paint. The business between Walgoria and Laman's that may say "Barber Shop" on the window, remains unidentified. If you can identify it, please let me know.]

Thanksgiving weekend big snow
Fourth and Merchant Sts. looking east towards Duss Ave.
November 1950
photo courtesy of Butch O'Keefe
used with permission

Most stores in Ambridge were closed, but food stores that managed to open were busy. The photo below showed the line in front of the Kroger's market on Saturday, November 25. At the time, Kroger's was at 625 Merchant St. Later, a Sun Drug Store occupied that building, currently the location of the River Valley Tang Soo Do Academy.

"Prospective customers waiting outside Kroger store"
625 Merchant St.
Saturday, November 25
Daily Citizen, November 27, 1950

In the photo of the 500 block of Merchant St. looking north, you can see Davidson's Department Store, 510 Merchant on the right, and the AmBee Shoppe's oval sign at 517 Merchant.

Thanksgiving weekend big snow
500 block of Merchant St.
November 1950
photo courtesy of Butch O'Keefe
used with permission

All borough employee leaves had been canceled, as had garbage and ash collection. (Yes, ash from coal furnaces used in homes and businesses, not trash.)

Public and parochial schools were closed too, but were expected to reopen on Wednesday, November 29. While school entrances were said to have been cleared, the roads weren't cleared for buses, and teachers were snowbound in their homes.

1950 Thanksgiving weekend big snow
Ambridge High School
Bridger yearbook, 1951

1950 Thanksgiving weekend big snow
area between back of Ambridge High School and Stadium
Bridger yearbook, 1951

A single lane had been cleared up Breitenstein Rd. as far as Ridge Rd. and then to Wilson Ave. Harmony Township police and employees of municipal departments tried to reach isolated homes to deliver medicine, bread, milk, and other needed supplies. "Their only pause in the 'missions of mercy' being for short meals," the Citizen reported.

Some buses were running on Monday. Woodlawn and Southern was "maintaining schedules." The Beaver Valley and Ohio River buses hoped to be operating by Tuesday.

Burgess Walter Panek asked those shoveling sidewalks and roofs not to throw snow into the streets and to make sidewalk paths wide enough for pedestrians to walk.

According to the U.S. National Weather Service, the November 24 - 26, 1950, snowstorm is still the largest snowfall on record in Pittsburgh, with an official depth of 27.4 inches.

Next: the cleanup after 1950's Thanksgiving weekend big snow.