Lewistown, PA anyone? (Scranton, Denver, Penn: townhome, neighborhood, purchase)

[Robert Gift]

In what part of the river?
Would be fun to look for it.

May just be a story.
They got the money but claim they didn't.

I'm told there is a steam locomotive in a river. At 12 y/o I forget where.
It derailed and went into the river and sunk in the mud and was not worth
getting out.

[turboredcart]

Speakimg of 2 cent bottle deposit- in IL it went up to a nickle. Well-WI a few months later raised it to a dime. So we were going to get a car load of bottled to take up there for 2x ther return. :-)

[Christian2003]

Yes, the train still runs down the middle of Chestnut St. It travels north to Burnham and the Standard Steel factory.

[Robert Gift]

Thank you so much, Christian.

I appreciate it.

As a child, while visiting my grandparent's home on Pennebaker Ave, I used to take my squirt gun and a rag and clean the railroad crossing signal red lens at the grade crossing under the 322 overpass.

Then I would enjoy seeing the train go north in the morning and return in the afternoon.
In places, the track would sink when the tremendous weight of the cars would pass over. Very impressive as a child. Still impressive now.

The diaphone curfew horn still sounds at 10 p.m.
Have you heard it?

I remember being frightened by it as a child.
It would sound a strange, BEEEEEEEEEEEEE......arUUgah, BEEEEEEEEEE......arUUgah,...........arUUgah.
Can't imagine what caused the "arUUgah" sound, unless it was residual air pressure escaping through the horn.

Does it still make that strange sound?

Thanks again,

Robert Gift

[sherrijean981]

Hi, I live in Milroy, PA, not far from Lewistown. I don't know about the horn in town but they just reopened the railroad from Krentzman's on Back Maitland Rd. and it now crosses Rt 322 again and travels up Chestnut Street and over the river.
My grandparents were from Lewistown, they used to live in the alley behind the old grocery store on Valley St., don't remember the name, but there is an electric company in there now. My family was from Burnham, Freedom Ave.
Yes there are drugs in Lewistown, in all the small towns around, but if you get on the Attorney General site and look under drug busts you will be amazed at the number that have happened and the hundreds of dealers taken off the street. Every day they are arresting someon. The drugs are being brought in from NJ, NY, OH and MI on I-80 and I am so glad they are arresting them, finding them in the truck stops, etc. They are also coming from Phila. and Harrisburg and our locals are doing a lot a arresting on those dealers too.
If anyone is looking to move here there are many, many houses now being sold. One person who had a dozen or so was selling what he had and they were going low but they needed updated. There are new housing developments going in here in the Reedsville/Milroy area and Milroy has a number of manufactury plants, one Corvette America does do hiring occasionally but not sure how often. Others you have to go through Career Link for applications. Lewistown has a number of manufacturing plants, Lowes, Walmarts, etc. Belleville, about 10/13 miles off Rt 322 bypass had a nice size plant but there was a notice the other week that they will be closing down in 18 months.
We are surrounded by the most beautiful mountains and have state parks in a couple different areas around us. When the comets are falling in the sky you can sit at the top of the mountain and watch them with a beautiful clear view. There are look-outs on some of the mountains that makes for nice Sunday rides with the kids. Which was what I remember from my kid days in the late 50's. We used to go to my Paps small store (it was in a room in his home, off the kitchen, a local street store) and get small bags of penny candy to take along. The little wheels of licorice with the red dots, the paper with colored dots, little black licorice animals, lolipops, etc. etc. What a wonderful time back then as a kid. We went sled riding down one of the streets, 1st Ave., in the evening with my Mom and Aunt. Played baseball in a field behind our house, had a ridge we used to swing on the monkey vines and played handball on the garage doors. lol
The friendly people haven't changed, and as for controlling, I haven't noticed that. But some of the towns do have a 10pm curfew now for kids. They have to because they are out of control!! And part of the problem with the crime rate is the drug situation. My opinion. When we moved from Centre County back to Mifflin County you didn't have to lock doors, now it is a must, car doors too.
Hope this gives you some more info.

[Robert Gift]

I thought the railroad went right down the middle of Water? Street before crossing the Juniata River trestle.

With money obtained from returning coke bottles, did I spend it at your father's store in the late 50s?
I'll have to look at a map to find the store and railroad track route.

I used to buy Nik-o-Nips, which were miniature wax pop bottles filled with pop syrup.
I thought someone told me we were to chew the translucent wax bottle with the liquid inside.
Upon first try I realized that was not the intent. Yuck.

I also bought a set of minature metal cars at such a store and remember being disappointed that I got two orange cars.
Then discovered that one was pink. The two colors were so close together that it was difficult to tell them apart.

I'm surprised they still have an audible curfew horn.
I like it, but would think too many would complain and it would be silenced except for emergencies.

Thanks, Sherri

[Christian2003]

The curfew horn doesn't sound off at night anymore, they still use it as a fire call for the volunteer firemen. I'm originally from Baltimore but grew up in Lewistown and remember the curfew quite well!

[Robert Gift]

Thank you, Christian.

A few days ago, a woman told me on the telephone that they still sound the curfew horn at 10 p.m.
(I thought it was earlier, because I was still up when I heard it.
I'd be surprised my parents would allow me, as a 7 year old, to be up that late.)

Do you remember it sounding so strange?

"BEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.......arrUUgah...............BEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEE......arrUUgah,............arruugah" ??

I am now fascinated by how it could make such a strange sound.
Or, is this a youngster's embellished and altered memory?

I also remember a RXR crossing signal which had "square-ish" red lens which protruded out from each signal lamp.
Did you ever see such a thing?
I have never seen one since, and wonder why such a design.

Thank you,

Robert

[sherrijean981]

Originally Posted by Robert Gift

In what part of the river?
Would be fun to look for it.

May just be a story.
They got the money but claim they didn't.

I'm told there is a steam locomotive in a river. At 12 y/o I forget where.
It derailed and went into the river and sunk in the mud and was not worth
getting out.

Hi, there was also supposed to be a bank robbery, maybe the same one, up the river towards Mount Union, there is supposed to be money on Jack's Mountain from a robbery. Some still look for it on the walks over the mountain. Also my aunt told me one time there was supposed to be a train lost in the Seven Mountains somewhere. I am not old enough to remember a train going through there but I do remember a lot of the railroad tracks through parts of Mifflin and Centre County and when the tracks were removed. I was in high school in Centre County after moving from Mifflin County in 1960 and our bus stopped at some then.

When I was looking for information on our family tree in Lewistown I found out one of the grandmothers or an aunt was hit by the Trolley car that ran through town. If I remember correctly it was making a turn somewhere and it hit her. I think she died from the injuries. Also going further back and in Huntingdon County one of the gggrandparents daughter or sister was killed by a train while walking with her daughter. If you search the old newspapers there are so many accidents of people getting hit, or falling off the trains.

A good place to check for any old information would be to get copies of the "Common Ground Magazine" that is put out in McVeytown. All stories of families throughout the Juniata Valley with pictures, recipes, lots of stories, and not much advertising. They sell subcriptions and you can pick it up at most of the stores in the area for $3.50 (I think it still is, I get mine at yard sales and book sales).

[sherrijean981]

Originally Posted by Robert Gift

I thought the railroad went right down the middle of Water? Street before crossing the Juniata River trestle.

With money obtained from returning coke bottles, did I spend it at your father's store in the late 50s?
I'll have to look at a map to find the store and railroad track route.

I used to buy Nik-o-Nips, which were miniature wax pop bottles filled with pop syrup.
I thought someone told me we were to chew the translucent wax bottle with the liquid inside.
Upon first try I realized that was not the intent. Yuck.

I also bought a set of minature metal cars at such a store and remember being disappointed that I got two orange cars.
Then discovered that one was pink. The two colors were so close together that it was difficult to tell them apart.

I'm surprised they still have an audible curfew horn.
I like it, but would think too many would complain and it would be silenced except for emergencies.

Thanks, Sherri

Hi, My Pap's little store was on Freedom Ave. Burnham. I remember the little bottles of syrup. We used to drink the syrup and THEN chew the bottle. Our way of stretching the treat. It chewed awhile like gum then we spit it out. Pap could have had some type of boys toy back then. He used to let us get the soda tops out of the cooler tray and he saved them and was able to get each of us girls a bride doll from the company. He would have had a boy toy from that because my brother was the only male grandchild and he doted on him. Wouldn't have got us girls without the brother. lol

Here in Milroy the fire alarm goes off on Saturday morning, we thought it would be the noon whistle but it is usally a little after 11:00 am. We live around the corner from the old fire house- it had burnt down (funny that happening at a fire house) and now is the senior center and library. But we are actually across the street from it with only the old Barnett warehouse between us. So it is loud but everyone up and down the street says the same. In an emergency it goes off a lot more times. And the new firehouse is now on another street up the hill from us so we get all the vehicles coming down the street unless the fire/accident is out the valley or back town.