Lewistown, PA anyone? (Harrisburg: sale, mobile home, school)

[sherrijean981]

On the other side is some kind of old club, was used a couple years ago to house prisoners while they built the new prison. There is the Coleman Hotel, now houses elderly. A couple other stores on that side to and it goes around the corner at the square to a couple more restaurants and a barber. There is a county jail on the corner further west and across the street from that is an antique mall. I think it is called "the Butterfly", but not sure. It used to have a Wolfe's and Heilig Meyers Furniture Store in. The post office is also on the corner. There is a cable company and a tattoo shop on the same side. After that I don't know what is on the streets, besides some attorney's offices.
So you can see it still has things going on but the stores that were there in the 60's are gone for the most part. They hold all kinds of events downtown, Motorcycle Clubs and Car Clubs have events, they have some all day event for the Kids. don't remember what it is called. They have a Art's Festival at Rec Park. They have put a new community center in there, I sent a picture but I was on the highway so you probably won't recognize it. it is at the entrance to Rec Park. They have been doing a project to clean up Chestnut and some of the other streets on that section of town. They just redid part of the Rec Park and put a nice walk way in from Montgomery Ave and new plants. It looks wonderful. They have a couple ball fields there, a swimming pool, a couple mile track around the park, and lots of toys for the kids to play on. We go in every now and then and walk or I would take my granddaughter and ggrandson in to play. It is also not far from the Shelter Thrift Shop that I like to go to.

By the way. I worked with an elderly woman in State College as a companion, who had a grandson that lived in Colorado, I thought Denver. His name was Layng and he had a couple of Furniture Stores that you bought unfinished stuff and either he finished them or you could do it on your own. They sold it and moved to State College, a couple years ago.

But you could send pictures of your town. I will never get a chance to get there and I love seeing others pictures.

If there is somewhere in particular you want pictures from just let me know. Was the house the white one with the awning on it? It is amazing how things have been changing. I went in around town a couple weeks ago and there have been 3/4 houses torn down. They have new codes in PA and if you buy a house you have to upgrade them or bring them up to code anyways. Some of them it is better to tear down.

We bought a reposessed mobile home off the internet and paid a very small amount for a very nice home. It needed new carpeting and someone took the garden tub but we are redoing the rooms one at a time but it is really nice for what we paid. They said the woman had ordered it special. Very solid and well built. I had some pictures of it after the front yard was planted but can not find them. If I do i will show you what we got and will tell you what it was worth and what we paid. But the point I was going to make was we were out of our home and living with our kids for 2 1/2 months because we had to put it in and up with codes to follow and they had to come and okay each step. We ran into more expenses than we were expecting and even though we are renting the lot, we had to pay for all the footers to be put in and get the lot ready. So don't let anyone tell you a mobile home is cheaper, it isn't. It is as well built as a house though. We just don't have the foundation.

Well this went on long enough. i will end up getting kicked off here. lol
Jeannie

[sherrijean981]

I would love to hear the bells. That is awesome that you can do that. Have you ever been to the Chrystal Cathedral, with Rev. Schuller, that father. I loved to hear him preach and I have read some of his books. His son doesn' "speak" to me. Do you understand what I mean?
Jeannie

[Robert Gift]

Originally Posted by sherrijean981

HI, No none of the photo's are of my families home. I found my battery charger and will go around this coming week and take more for you. I was in the car and couldn't really get angles and things.

Lewistown is one of the little towns who suffered from the BIG "Mart" stores and malls. The downtown is mostly restaurants, Glicks' Shoe Store (remember that one),

Name sounds vaguely familiar but I was too young.

Originally Posted by sherrijean981

one working movie theater, and Paul Fagley and company are working on restoring the Embassy. Glick's and a Subway are in the old GC Murphy, Wilson's has a corner jewlrey store on the other side of the street. A bank beside him. The Trolley Car (is actually one of the old trolley cars) is a restaurant. A Church Thrift Shop, there used to be a chinese restaurant but not sure what is in there now. There is a video store and one of the corner banks was empty, don't know if anyone bought it or not. On another corner there had been a Beauty School but it is now a bank/credit place. BonTon takes up a good section of the street, and a small courtyard between them and Capparelles Furniture Store and a couple other businesses beyond them. On the other side, part of the court house is in the old Danks building downstairs and a rehabilitation unit upstairs. There is a South Hills Business School Annex in there somewhere, a jewelry store, a CVS, a gym. Might be other stores but not sure what they are. There is still a bank on the opposite corner of the other bank, other side of Market St. The little candy shop is gone. There had been a second hand shop in there but she closed and ended up having it condemned because she took cats in and wasn't able to take care of them. They closed it off, arrested her and found over 50 cats. It was supposed to have stunk to high heaven and the people who had businesses around her didn't like that, so they had reported her for it.

Many places have a well-meaning animal lover whose situation gets out of hand like that.

Originally Posted by sherrijean981

there is also an Original Italian Pizza Restaurant there. And Kirk Stevens has an auctioneer center where McCrory's used to be. I don't know what is on the corner, that one seems to change a lot. So that was the 2 blocks of Market St on the east. The west has the old court house, now the Historical Society. You might be able to get a lot of info from their site. Check under Mifflin County or even their name. Under GenWeb they are found because I used to work on our family info. The old Montgomery Wards building now houses Doctors in the mental health field, and I'm not sure what all is on the bottom floor. At one time there was even a beauty shop in there. On up the street is a artist shop, a flower shop, appliance store and I am not sure what is in the end shop where I remember Super Shoes. I used to love going there, could get a pair of loafers for $.99. Can't do that now, not even 2nd hand.

You can get shoes here for $.99 at Thirft stores on special sales.

I think there was a large, for the time, grocery store north of Lewistown, maybe in Burnham.
Was it's name White or something?.
It's parking lot was on the west side of the store and the building backed up against a hill.

I used to find jewelers around town, three that I recall, and ask them for their broken watches which I enjoyed disassembling. They were very kind. One gave 3 pocket watches to me. What a treasure!

If not too much trouble, I would love to see the area of railraod crossing signals which I "maintained". One faces west towards Pennebaker.
I vividly remember the sound of vehicles speeding across the metal expansion joints of the overpass bridge above the RXR crossing.

Do I correctly recall a single separate house on a lot across Pennebaker from Grandmother's house?
Do you think her house interior is only 12 feet wide?

I recall the chimney fire I witnessed was up the street on the east side - maybe the house where that single lot ends.

[sherrijean981]

Originally Posted by Robert Gift

Name sounds vaguely familiar but I was too young.



Many places have a well-meaning animal lover whose situation gets out of hand like that.



You can get shoes here for $.99 at Thirft stores on special sales.

I think there was a large, for the time, grocery store north of Lewistown, maybe in Burnham.
Was it's name White or something?.
It's parking lot was on the west side of the store and the building backed up against a hill.

I used to find jewelers around town, three that I recall, and ask them for their broken watches which I enjoyed disassembling. They were very kind. One gave 3 pocket watches to me. What a treasure!

If not too much trouble, I would love to see the area of railraod crossing signals which I "maintained". One faces west towards Pennebaker.
I vividly remember the sound of vehicles speeding across the metal expansion joints of the overpass bridge above the RXR crossing.

Do I correctly recall a single separate house on a lot across Pennebaker from Grandmother's house?
Do you think her house interior is only 12 feet wide?

I recall the chimney fire I witnessed was up the street on the east side - maybe the house where that single lot ends.

I didn't even think of it until you mentioned "overpass above rxr crossing" but I don't believe in 1950's it would have been it. The corner of Pennebaker and Walnut St.'s have an overpass, the railroad lines being on the Walnut St. crossover, running on the opposite side of the creek to Burnham. It would cross over Walnut and go behind Pennebaker Ave. I remember a couple years ago the corner house had been for sale and I thought it looked like a nice house but our thought would have been the railroad running behind it and crossing the highway under the Rt322 Bypass bridge. That bridge was not there in the 1950's. I don't remember when put in but we were using Rt 322 going into Lewistown by Valley St, around the square and South on Main St. There was a bridge going up Walnut St, just past the railroad tracks. Could you have been under there at the creek? I don't know of any overpasses with cars on that the train would have gone under in that area at that time.

Do you have a map of the area in that time range? Was the Historical Society able to give you any info?

I looked at my photo's again. You are talking about the next picture of a white house with a red brick house beside it? I remember my grandparents home in the alley behind Valley St and it was a very thin home with another house attached. I always dislike being in it because the only place light came in was the back of the house in the kitchen with 1 window. I have always been claustrophobic and it was in high gear in that house. lol

My father was an agent for the Penna. SPCA in Centre County. We knew how all the well meaning people were when it came to animals. That job was why we moved from Mifflin County and Burnham. As kids we worked in the kennels and as a family we went on complaints with my Dad in the evenings. Where else could you play with all the kittens and puppies but not have them in the house?? lol

[sherrijean981]

I don't remember grocery stores at that time. Never thought about where the food came from. I know my Pap helped my parents out with that some times. When I was older we went to a Weis Market that was in a little mall, has railroad tracks behind it, there is still an old train there with the windows all broke out. The Standard Steel is on the other side of the creek. Now the Weis is on the other side of the street in a bigger Mall. I am not even sure what the name of the grocery store was in front of my grandparents house. I thought it was a Weis but I could be wrong.

[Robert Gift]

Originally Posted by sherrijean981

I would love to hear the bells. That is awesome that you can do that. Have you ever been to the Chrystal Cathedral, with Rev. Schuller, that father. I loved to hear him preach and I have read some of his books. His son doesn' "speak" to me. Do you understand what I mean?
Jeannie

Yes. I have played the organ and carillon at the CC - not for services.
I played the carillon for a Christmas event so that my friend, James R. Lawson, could hear his bells from ground level.
Lawson played the carillon at Riverside Church in NYC.
The largest carillon in the world, their largest bell, called a bourdon, is 40,926 lbs! Sounds a tenor C natural.
He retired but was soon called by Robert Schuller to inaugurate the CC carillon. Then, invited to be their carillonneur. Jim retired at 84 in 2003
and moved to his home town, Cody, WY. He died that October.

Our 10-bells in the Denver City Hall were never tuned. Still fun to hear
and brings Civic Center alive with the sound of music.
This afternoon, someone called from reading an article about the bells in 5280 Magazine. But I couldn't read it online.

Jim did not care much for Schuller, Jr. Not the intellect of his father, who just recently retired. Hour of Power is seen here on Sundy morning.

[Robert Gift]

Originally Posted by sherrijean981

... When I was older we went to a Weis Market that was in a little mall, has railroad tracks behind it, there is still an old train there with the windows all broke out. The Standard Steel is on the other side of the creek. Now the Weis is on the other side of the street in a bigger Mall. I am not even sure what the name of the grocery store was in front of my grandparents house. I thought it was a Weis but I could be wrong.

Weis sounds familiar!!! (Earlier I said White.)
I remember it being by itself.
I wondered if the track heading north from Lewistown passed behind it. Hmmm.
Interesting!
Thank you, Jeannie.

[sherrijean981]

The old Weis Market building now houses "Ollies" , a wonderful buy-out store, where you can pick up wonderful items at a very low cost. Do they have one there? There is also a auto supply store, the Burnham Post Office, and an Eye care store, used to be Weis Eyes, not sure if it still is.

I will get you pictures on that too.

[Robert Gift]

Originally Posted by sherrijean981

I didn't even think of it until you mentioned "overpass above rxr crossing" but I don't believe in 1950's it would have been it.

You are correct. It was built in the late 50s or early 60s.
Yes, from the map I see it is Walnut St. Thank you.

Originally Posted by sherrijean981

The corner of Pennebaker and Walnut St.'s have an overpass, the railroad lines being on the Walnut St. crossover, running on the opposite side of the creek to Burnham. It would cross over Walnut and go behind Pennebaker Ave. I remember a couple years ago the corner house had been for sale and I thought it looked like a nice house but our thought would have been the railroad running behind it and crossing the highway under the Rt322 Bypass bridge.

I would have loved it for the train running right behind.
I remember it being brown in color.
The house south of it, or two houses south of it, had the chimney fire. It's chimney was on the north side it's house.

Originally Posted by sherrijean981

That bridge was not there in the 1950's. I don't remember when put in but we were using Rt 322 going into Lewistown by Valley St, around the square and South on Main St. There was a bridge going up Walnut St, just past the railroad tracks. Could you have been under there at the creek? I don't know of any overpasses with cars on that the train would have gone under in that area at that time.

Do you have a map of the area in that time range? Was the Historical Society able to give you any info?

Never went under Walnut Street bridge that I can recall.
But we were scared crossing north on that RR trestle over the "river".

I haven't had a chance to call LHS again.
You can see an aerial view at this: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp...3d&ambiguity=1

You can click for an aerial view and zoom-in to a point. Fantastic!

Originally Posted by sherrijean981

I looked at my photo's again. You are talking about the next picture of a white house with a red brick house beside it? I remember my grandparents home in the alley behind Valley St and it was a very thin home with another house attached. I always dislike being in it because the only place light came in was the back of the house in the kitchen with 1 window. I have always been claustrophobic and it was in high gear in that house. lol

Sounds like same design as grandparent's duplex.
Very narrow and long. Uselessly narrow back yard.

Originally Posted by sherrijean981

My father was an agent for the Penna. SPCA in Centre County. We knew how all the well meaning people were when it came to animals. That job was why we moved from Mifflin County and Burnham. As kids we worked in the kennels and as a family we went on complaints with my Dad in the evenings. Where else could you play with all the kittens and puppies but not have them in the house?? lol

Wonderful!
An Arab (Muslim?) family on our cul-de-sac reported that my home had excrement from my pot-bellied pig, Piganini. I used to take him for walks.
Inspector showed up unannounced and found the house immaculate.
Later that family moved away. Perfectly fine with me.
But I should like them because they don't eat pork!

[sherrijean981]

My grandfather, Victor Sheaffer, also worked for the Visco. He had left the area for a while and worked in their WV plant, well one of the VA's. lol He and my Gram are the ones that lived in Lewistown. They eventually bought the house off Walnut St, behind the Uni-Mart. My Gram passed away in the house as she was reading. My Mom and Dad bought the house from my Pap before my Dad retired from the SPCA. My Pap stayed with them a while then moved to Harrisburg with my aunt. My Mom and Dad passed away in the house within a year and a half of each other. We sold it!! My younger brother by 15 years would not even stay in it the nights after my Mom passed away. He found it uncomfortable. Just a few interesting things on the house. We wondered how many before my family had passed away in their but never looked.