The "When Music Was …… Well, Music" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Searching on YouTube for a few of my favorite Everly Brothers songs.  Loved the smooth-sounding, pitch-perfect harmonies that the two produced in the late 50s to early 60s.  They were labeled by Rolling Stone "the most important vocal duo in rock", since they were said to have influenced the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel and many other artists of their time as well as beyond their time.  About a week ago one of those famous brothers, Phil Everly, died a few days before his 75th birthday.  

Phil and Don Everly in the 1960s.

Just a youngster to many of us.  He died in Burbank, California of compli- cations from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease brought on by a lifetime of smoking.  He was the younger of the brothers by two years.  Don was born in Kentucky while Phil was born in Illinois.  Their father, Ike, was also a musician who was honored as one of the four musicians of "The Four Legends Fountain" in Drakesboro, Kentucky.  The Everly Brothers got their first taste of singing on their dad's radio show.  They were one of my favorite music groups who actually expressed my feelings in music.  Music where you could understand the words, dance to the beat and would express memorable sentiments.  Sometimes even your own sentiments.  The Everly brothers had great stage presence, really neat hair and looks that I wish I would have had when I was in high school.  Matter of fact I wouldn't mind having the looks and hair now.  The Everly Brothers breakthrough hit was "Bye Bye Love" in 1957 when it rose to No. 2 on the U.S. charts.  Later that year they reached No. 1 with "Wake Up Little Susie."  In 1957 and 58 the brothers toured with Buddy Holly and were said to have changed Buddy and his group, The Crickets, from jeans and t-shirts to Ivy League suits.  Phil served as one of Buddy's pallbearers at his funeral in February 1959.  The brothers continued working together as well as with others until 1973 when their act suddenly came to an end when Phil stormed off the stage during a concert at Knott's Berry Farm amusement park in California. For years after they pursued solo careers until 1983 when they reunited with a concert in London on September 23, 1983 followed by work in the studio with a few new releases and more concerts.  In 1986 the Everly Brothers were among the first 10 artists induced into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  That same year they returned to their boyhood home of Shenandoah and gave a concert to a crowd of 8,500.  Also included in the visit was a parade, street dedication and class reunion.  Don and Phil joined Simon & Garfunkel as the featured act in Simon & Garfunkel's Old Friends reunion tour of 2003 and 2004.  The live album of the tour has Simon and Garfunkel telling how they were influenced by Don and Phil.  We all have favorite songs from our favorite musicians and I'm no different.  

Phil and Don in more recent years.

My favorite Everly Brothers songs would have to be "All I Have To Do Is Dream" (a song about a guy who loves a girl and can always be with her in his dreams), "Wake Up Little Susie" (which showed a moral code about what friends and others would think about a young couple being together all night) and "That's Old Fashioned" (which expresses a moral code about being old fashioned and having only one true love).  A few years ago Carol and I saw the Everly Brothers in concert at the American Music Theatre in our hometown of Lancaster, PA.  All the fabulous songs from our youth as well as the right-on harmony that are associated with the brothers.  Only thing they lacked was charisma and personality.  They projected as rather bland and made us feel as if they were glad when the concert was over.  We were told that the bothers arrived in separate buses and didn't spend any time together backstage.  But, you could close your eyes and imagine you were fifty years younger listening to songs when music was ..... well, music!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "You Just Never Know!" Story

The Sprint on the left and Aerostar on the right before the kids
and I shoveled them free of snow on Janet Ave.

It was an ordinary day.  Cold as all git out and hard on the hands and feet.  I just finished shoveling out the Ford Aerostar and Chevy Sprint which Carol and I use all the time.  We have lived on Janet Ave. for years and every year is the same when it snows.  Shovel the walks then the cars.  Kids usually help knowing that some year they will want help shoveling their car from it's parking spot along the street in front of the house.  We have a detached single-car garage behind the house which would hold one of the cars, but then you have to shovel a pathway from the garage to the street on the rear alleyway in order to get the car to the street.  Supposed to get really cold tonight and school may be called off yet another day.  Bring back memories from when you were a kid or parent in the northeast part of the United States?  Well, we didn't know at the time that the worse was yet to come.  Come morning we heard on the radio that schools would be one hour late in order to get the morning rush on the roads complete before the school buses had to take to the roads.  Since I teach at the same school where my children attend, I had to be to school at the regular time so I dressed, ate breakfast and headed out the door to the car.  Hoped in the Aerostar and started it without any trouble.  Knew I could escape the parking space, since I had moved the car back and forth a dozen or more times after I had shoveled it out yesterday.  So, put the car in "D" and gave the accelerator a slight push.  No go!  Eased off and tried again.  No go!  Now what, I thought to myself.  Can't be stuck since I dug it out yesterday.  Put it in "R" and tried it again.  No go!  So, I got out of the car to see what could be keeping the wheels from moving.  Wow!!  I should tell you at this point that Janet Ave., located in the Grandview Heights development of Manheim Township, is about five or six blocks long.  the street starts about three or four blocks to the west of our house, gradually rising and then sloping down towards our house and one final block to the east.  What I found was the right hand side wheels of the car encased in ice.  Walked up a block to the west and found that a water main had burst late last night and sent a torrential stream of water down our block and the final block of Janet Ave.  All the cars on our side of the avenue were entrenched in ice.  And the cold temperatures weren't going to relax their hold for quite a while.  I tried chipping the ice, but to no avail.  Already late at this point so I found a friend in the next block to the north to take me to school, but Carol would have to stay home today.  Later that day the temperatures rose enough for the ice to release its hold on the wheels and tires of the cars and we were able to get out of our spots.  Always think of that morning when I park the car in cold weather.  You just never know!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Sampler" Story

It was an ordinary day.  I had just finishing putting in the ninth stitch on the sampler that I was preparing for framing.  A week or so ago a woman brought a remarkable piece of history into Grebinger Gallery where I work part-time matting and framing customer's work.  The sampler carried a date of Friday December 12, 1794 in the bottom left hand corner.  She told Keith, the owner of the gallery, that she had paid $600 for the piece and would like to have it preserved.  A sampler as old and beautiful as this needed to be matted and framed with preservation materials.  The sampler had been taped to a piece of cardboard that wasn't acid free and had been framed directly against the glass.  The work was beginning to discolor and slightly deteriorate. When I was sewing it to a piece  

of acid-free mat board, I could not straighten the edges for every time I pulled slightly the piece would wrinkle.  I sewed it to the board as it was brought to us.  The sampler, or needlework, is a piece of embroidery that is a test of skill in needlework.  Some of the oldest samplers were constructed in the 15th and 16th centuries.  At that time in history there were no pre-printed patterns that could be purchased so a needlewoman or seemstress would create a stitched model.  This sample for others, that was stitched on a small piece of cloth, was known as her "sampler."  16th century English samplers were stitched on a narrow band of fabric that was usually six inches by 9 inches.  They became known as band samplers which were often mentioned in wills and passed down in families through the centuries.  What I am working on reminds me of a band sampler.  It carries the approximate measurements and the geometric designs in it that were also a trait of samplers in that time in history.  The piece that I have finished is sewn to a mat board that has a fabric covering.  I use fishing line so you will only miminally see the stitching. The mat board is them attached to a piece of preservation foam board with acid-free tape.  Around the work is a double mat, using the same mat that I sewed the piece to as the main mat and then a second, or accent, mat of burgandy.  Again, both of these mats are acid-free.  Conservation glass will go on top of that, but will not touch the sampler.  The glass will stop UV rays from damaging the sampler.  The owner of the piece must now choose a frame to finish the historic piece.  I'm happy and honored that she trusted us to do the job and hope she will enjoy what we did for her.  PS - click on the sampler to enlarge it.

The "Reaping the Benefits" Story

Newly repointed stores along King St.

It was an ordinary day.  Heading into Lancaster's Central Market to visit with a friend who is retiring when I noticed that something was different.  I stopped and looked around and then realized that the scaffolding was no longer encasing the Lancaster Heritage Center and it's row of shops as it had been for quite a few months.  Decided to delay my trip into the market and headed into the Strawberry & Company shop where I sell my altered Polaroid photographs.  As I entered the rear of the shop which is on Market Alley, there was Wayne, the owner, talking with a customer.  After a few minutes he greeted me and I was asking him about the removal of the scaffolding that was suffocating his store and business for quite some time.  

Same section of the block, but from the west end covered
with scaffolding and a gauze to protect patrons from harm.
Strawberry & Company is located about mid-block behind
the red flags.

I can remember back in the early spring when they set up the scaffolding all around the five-story building which runs south a half-block from center square.  The front of his store was tough to enter because of the scaffolding and I'm sure more than a few customers bypassed his store fearing what might fall on them.

You had to walk through this maze to
get to the front door of Wayne's store.

Wayne told me that he was promised the work would be done by Thanksgiving, but they didn't tell him Thanksgiving of what year!  Well, Christmas finally came and went and the work still hadn't been completed, so when I saw the results of the work without the scaffolding I was taken by surprise.  I asked him how he liked his new windows and doors that were replaced on the rear of the building.  He told me he has been going around adding tape to the windows and doors in both the front and back to try and keep out the winter cold. Place looks great with all the brick repointed and the new window casings, but evidently the insulation of the stores wasn't of concern to the company that did the work.  

Looks safe, doesn't it?

He told me the threshold or doorsill hasn't been put in place yet so that is also adding additional space for the cold air to enter.  He complained that the workers ruined one of my photographs, but did pay for the photo with insurance money.  He's hoping everything will be done soon so he can clean the shop and remove the sawdust and dirt acumulated from replacing the windows as well as all the dust from the pointing procedure.  Come spring and all is finished, the buildings will be another big plus to the downtown area of Lancaster, PA.  Always seems you must suffer slightly in order to reap the benefits.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Entrance into Strawberry & Company.

Workers finishing the repointing.

The rear wall of the building.

Completed wall of the building.

Rear of the store with new windows and door.  You can see the opening under the door that is missing the threshold.

The "Only One Team Was Cheering" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Carol and I traveled to Maryland to visit with our daughter and her family.  Our intent was to take in two youth basketball games as well as share some time together with our granddaughters before returning home to Lancaster.  Our granddaughters both play recreational girls basketball in Frederick County and our youngest, Camille, had a game in the morning while Courtney played in the afternoon.  Rainy day with temperatures in the mid-30s.  Crummy day to travel!  Very little traffic greeted us on the roads and we made good time on Route 30W as well as RT15 South.  Had a chance to relax for an hour before it was off to the Urbana Middle School where both games were be held.  

Camille dribbles the ball down the court.

The middle school gym features a full-sized basketball course with standard-height rims. The girls playing in the games today are anything but full-size or standard-size.  But, they do a great job of playing basketball for fun.  Camille's team is one of four Urbana School District teams in the 8 and under category.  These four teams play in the Frederick County Youth League along with teams from other parts of the county.  

Referee Bill explaining what this
young girl did while she attempts
to understand him.

My daughter, Brynn, told me that today's game is against a team from Frederick, MD which is about a twenty-minute drive from the Urbana area.  We arrived in a slight drizzle and entered the gym to be greeted by cheering from the previous game which was still in progress.  Games in the youth bracket are 8 minute quarters with the clock constantly running except for time-outs or personal fouls, which must be very flagrant or the game could last all day.  Game is meant to last 32 minutes with a 5 minute halftime.  My guess is they allow about an hour per game, but the later in the day the games are scheduled, the more chance they may start later than planned.  Camille's game was scheduled for 11:30 AM, but didn't start until close to noon.  As the teams warmed up I noticed that the other team, dressed in black uniforms, were very quiet while all the girls on Camille's team, dressed in blue and white, were yelling to each other.  

Camille stealing the ball from the other team.

Then I struck me!  They were deaf!!  I asked Brynn, "How can 8 year-old girls that can't speak and perhaps hear play basketball against Camille's team?"  "Watch and see.  This team is from the Maryland School of the Deaf in Frederick," she said to me.  Wow, was I amazed.  No, I mean, really amazed!  All girls are required to play man-to-man (yes, I know they are girls) defense to prevent all the girls from trying to get the ball away from the girl with the ball.  Bill, one of two referees who I talked with after the game and found out is my age believe or not, controlled the game.  Both referees carried towels and would throw them or wave them at the girls in black at the same time they blew their whistles for the others.  How they remembered to do that is another amazing feat.  Bill made sure he explained all his calls to the girls so they might not do the same thing again.  All this occurred while the clock was running the 8 minute quarter.  

Guarding against the dribble.

The coaches for the black team were giving sign-language signals to the girls as they played and the girl in black, who would bring the ball up the court after the white team would score or lose the ball, would sign to her coach with one hand while dribbling the ball with the other.  I sat there in amazement the longer the game progressed.  I had come to see my granddaughter play a game of youth basketball and I was getting a free clinic in LIFE.  The Maryland School for the Deaf is a school with campuses in both Columbia and Frederick Maryland that provided free public education for Deaf and hard-of-hearing Maryland residents, from birth to age 18.  

A true study in patience.  Bill holding his towel which was used
to help stop play if the whistle didn't work.  Bill talked with me
after the game when I found out he played midget football
in Lancaster, my hometown, as a kid in the 1950s.

At the Frederick campus about 30% of the more than 300 students live on campus weeknights, since it is too far to bus transport them.  They are fed and sheltered in dorms for different ages and sexes.  The school started in the fall of 1868 with 34 students arriving.  Some walked, some arrived in carriage or on horseback.  Their accommodations back then were two abandoned stone barracks that had housed captured Hessian soldiers during the Revolutionary War.  These barracks are still used along with others that have been added over the years.  All is funded by the taxpayers of Maryland.  My impression of the game today was …… well, Camille's team won the game by a sizable amount, but the Deaf School team won my heart!  I can still see those girls playing their hearts out, even after the whistle sounded, until the end of the game when Bill went up and down the line of both teams giving high-fives to all who played.  Oh yeah, Camille scored 4 of her teams 18 points and …… it felt strange that only one team was cheering.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Cream Always Rises To The Top" Story

My Cream Top Dairy bottle.

It was an ordinary day.  Putting the water pitcher away after our pork and sauerkraut dinner on New Year's Day.  We keep the bottles of wine and liquor on a shelf above the refrigerator and the water pitchers next to them above the microwave.  I tried to stretch high enough so I didn't have to get a chair, but it didn't work.  As I pushed it back from the front ledge of the shelf, I heard the sound of glass against glass.  "You'd didn't break that I hope!" I heard from the direction of my wife.  So I grabbed a chair from the kitchen table and after climbing on top of it, found the reason for the noise.  The Cream Top Dairy glass quart bottle was at the rear of the shelf and was the item that created the response from my wife.  And, no, I didn't break anything.  But, after our guests left Carol and I talked about the good old times when our parents had ....... milkmen.  

An early dairy in Lancaster.

Carol lived in Martic Forge which is a small crossroads in southern Lancaster County.  She told me she remembered Turkey Hill Dairy making morning deliveries and putting the glass quart bottles in the metal milk box on the front porch.  She was in grade school at the time, shortly after Turkey Hill Dairy was founded.  The same Turkey Hill Dairy that is one of the largest manufacturers of milk and ice cream in south-eastern Pennsylvania and the same Turkey Hill that advertises on the panel which is behind home plate at the Phillies ballpark in Philadelphia.  I told her that my earliest memory of home delivered milk was when I was in grade school and living on North Queen Street in Lancaster City.  We had a metal milk box on the front porch and the Cream Top Dairy truck stopped a few times a week.  After we used the milk mom would wash the bottle and put it back in the milk box.  Stuff was really neat, at least to a young boy.  

Cream Top bottles that were delivered to
my home on North Queen St.  The milk would
be in the bottom and the cream on the top
curved part of the bottle.  Pretty neat.

The bottom of the bottle had regular whole milk in it and the top had heavy milk, as my mom called it.  Actually it was homogenized milk and the cream would rise to the top after bottling.  She could use it to make whipped cream when needed.  I'm not quite sure how long we continued to get milk delivered, but I do not remember the metal milk box interfering with my racing my toy cars on the rubber mat on the front porch when I was a pre-teen so I assume the milk box was gone by then.  There are now 31 dairies listed online that do business in Lancaster County.  Back when I was a child I doubt there were that many since the population was considerably less than what it is today. I can remember Queen Dairy located on South Queen Street as well as Pensupreme Dairy that was in both Lancaster and York.  Originally it was called Lancaster Sanitary Milk Company when it was founded in 1921, but changed in 1929 to Penn Dairy with a trade name of Pensupreme.  Pensupreme also had a corral of convenience stores that closed when the company went out of business.  One other dairy that I can recall was Moore Dairy, but I have no idea where it was located or how long it stayed in business.  Turkey Hill Dairy has withstood the test of time and is the largest dairy in Lancaster County.  Same dairy that delivered milk to Carol and her family back in the 1950s.  I have no idea where my Cream Top Dairy bottle came from, but I suspect my mom gave it to me at some point.  She probably had a few that she never returned to the milk box on the porch.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Historical Medals From The Past: Part II" Story

It was an ordinary day.  And, I'm typing the final part of my story dealing with the medals that are procuded by the Red Rose Coin Club.  I have a friend who has been a member since 1997 and when I saw an article in the local newspaper about the latest medal they have struck and are now offering for sale, I gave him a call to see if he knows anything about them.  Look over the last two posts on the subject and you will get the history associated with the medals and how they are produced.  Today I will feature a few more medals and give you some background on each.

This 1996 medal was struck to recognize the country's oldest college preparatory school for girls which is located in Lititz, PA.  The school's history began in 1746 as a place of learning for both boys and girls of Moravian Church families.  20 years later it was changed to girls only.  The first school building was a log cabin known as the "Sisters' House" which is now called the "Castle."  It was completed in 1762.  Margaret Marvel of Baltimore, MD was the first non-Movavian admitted to the school.  The "Linden Hall Echo," the school's newspaper and the oldest publication of it's type in the country, was started in 1877.  The 46 acre campus is beautiful with old well-cared-for buildings as well as a stable.  A few years ago I had the honor of visiting the campus when the Vienna Boys Choir took a tour as well as sang in the chapel before presenting a concert to benefit the Parish Resource Center where my wife works.

Henry Norwood Ewell, more commonly known as Barney Ewell, was one of Lancaster, PA's earliest members of the Olympics.  At Lancaster McCaskey High School he set records in the 100 and 220 yard dashes as well as the long jump.  At Penn State he was a 9-time collegiate All-American and won 12 gold medals in the NCAA competitions.  Although a member of the Olympic team, he didn't compete due to World War II.  Instead he served in the Army during the war.  After the war he returned to Penn State and qualified for the 1948 Olympics.  There he tied the record of 10.2 seconds set by Jesse Owens in the 100 meters.  He was later classified as one of America's 10 all-time greatest sprinters by U.S. Track and Field News.  My only memory of Barney was through my dad who went to school with him at McCaskey.  My dad said Barney borrowed quite a bit of money from him, as well as others, and never paid him back. 

This medal was to honor the Union Fire Company No. 1 which was formally organized on August 14, 1760., but conceived by the Lancaster Borough Fathers in 1742.  This company led the campaign for a water disturbution system, better streets, street lighting, trained police and constables and the most advanced firefighting apparatus.  It also began a paid professional firefighting department in 1882.  Last summer I wrote a story about the first pumper that Lancaster City ever had.  It was purchased by a private dealer in Lancaster and was being prepared to take to Philadelphia for a car auction.  I had the chance to go and see it and photograph it.  Check under the heading vehicles and you can read about it.

The 1991 medal honored Lancaster's only, and the United States 15th, President of the United States.  He was the nation's only bachelor President and lived at Wheatland on the outskirts of Lancaster City with his foster daughter, Harriet Lane who later served as the best lady.  He came to Lancaster to study law in 1809 and was admitted to the bart in 1812.  He was considered a near-failure as President, but he entered a no-win situation in which the slavery question had reached the ultimate "boiling point."  I have made a few visits to Wheatland and it's majestic surroundings.  Recently I wrote about it and you can find the story under the history link. 

Steamer "Lady Gay" is the sixth medal issued by the Red Rose Coin Club of Lancaster.  The medal depicts the steamer at the old Witmer Bridge which was built in 1798 and spanned the Conestoga river just east of Lancaster City.  It was built in 1890 at Conestoga park on the west side of the river just south of the bridge.  It had a 12 horsepower steam engine which was later replaced with a 20 horsepower steam engine.  It was 75 feet long and 11 feet wide which was later extended to 19 feet in width.  It was a double-decker stern-wheeler with the boiler and stack in the center.  It carried 375 passengers between Witmer and Rocky Springs Park at the southern end of Lancaster.  It was christened July 4, 1890 and was later taken out of service when the trolley came to town.  I must admit I have absolutely no recollection of the "Lady Gay."

The final medal to show you pictures the Strasburg Railroad.  I have many fun recollections of this train, most recently taking my grandkids on rides, and a special trip on Thomas the Train with my grandson Caden.  The RailRoad was built in 1832 to connect with a rail route built in 1825 between Philadelphia and the Susquehanna Canal, near Columbia, PA.  I have recently written about the beginnings of that railroad and can be found under vehicles.  In the beginning of the Strasburg R.R. it used horse drawn carriages and wagons on wooden rails.  In 1851 iron rails were installed for the new steam-powered locomotives.  The railroad now serves as a tourist stop with trips that take you on "The Road to Paradise."  

The "Historical Medals from the Past: Part I" Story

It was another ordinary day.  For the past few days I have been staring at bronze medals that line the side of my computer screen.  They are photos that I took at a friend's house of the medals that depict scenes in Lancaster County, PA and were strikings from the Red Rose Coin Club.  The club was started in 1958 and began making the medals that year.  My friend has the entire collection even though he did not join the club until 1997.  I posted a story about the medals a few days ago and wrote that I will feature a few coins in other posts and today I have selected six medals which I will picture and give you some background into the history of the event that is depicted.  Many of the medals I have written stories on in the past and now the medal will "bring to life" the story that I had written.

This is the 40th medal that was issued by the club.  "Tradition and Innovation" describes the celebration of the sesquicentennial anniversary of Millersville University.  It was in 1855 that the citizens of Millersville, Lancaster Co. established a teacher's institute to train teachers.  In 1859 it became a Normal school and was certified to prepare teachers to educate the children of Pennsylvania.  In 1983 it became a University with a liberal arts program that was offered to 8,000 students.  The building that is pictured is D. Luke Biemesderfer Library which is now home to the administrative offices of the university.  I entered Millersville State Teachers College, as it was known, in 1962 and graduated in 1967.  I continued with post-graduate credits after that time.  I recently wrote a story about the new library that was just opened and dedicated.  175 were struck in Silver and 37 in gold.

The 42nd medal features the Low Grade Railroad.  It was a low-grade southern bypass along the Susquehanna River that ran from Enola through Columbia, PA, then across southern Lancaster County to Atglen.  It was started in 1902 and opened in 1906.  The cost was $19.6 million and took the lives of more than 200 men during the construction of it.  The line featured a stone bridge over the Susquehanna and steel spans over the Conestoga River and Pequea Creek. The image shown here is over the Pequea Creek.  My wife lived near the bridge when she was a child and would often swim in the creek that ran under the bridge.  

This medal pictures the massacre of the Conestoga Indians on December 13, 1763 when a group of vigilantes, calling themselves the Paxton Boys, attacked a small Native American community called Conestoga Town in southern Lancaster, Co.  It was land set aside for them by William Penn.  The thugs burned the town and killed the six people they found on the property.  They then headed to Lancaster where they killed the rest of the indians in front of the prison.  These were peaceful Native Americans who had been promised protection by county authorities.  The event is one of the most shameful in the history of Lancaster City.  The rear wall of the Fulton Opera House has the remnants of the prison as part of its structure.  I have written about this event several times over the years.  If you care to read more about it click on the history link at the head of my stories.

The Lancaster Locomotive Works was issued as the 28th commemorative medal by the Red Rose Coin Club.  It was in 1853 that investors organized the Lancaster Locomotive Engine & Machine Mfg. Co.  It was located on five acres of land facing the Philadelphia and Columbia R.R. tracks on East Ann St.  Lancaster native John Brandt Sr. was responsible for building locomotives at the facility.  The locomotive pictured on the medal is the "John Breckenridge" which was named for President James Buchanan's Vice President.  It is a 4-4-0 engine with twin steam domes and a Brandt trademark brass rod extending forward from the cab, ending in a coil about 8" in diameter.  In the "Panic of 1857" the company filed for bankruptcy and after another attempt during the Civil War, no more locomotives were built there after 1870.

Frank W. Woolworth is the featured person on this issue of the Red Rose Coin Club.  Woolworth began his retail career un Utica, NY, but failed.  His first success was a 5 & 10 cent store he opened in 1879 in Lancaster, PA at 170 N. Queen St.  He had a retailing idea that would expand to thousands of stores around the world and make him rich.  In 1899 he built the store featured on the medal at 19-21 North Queen St.  It featured a limestone facade and the first elevator in Lancaster.  It was topped by two gold-domed towers and a popular roof-garden restaurant.  That majestic building was demolished in 1949.  He also erected the 60-story Woolworth building in New York City.  With the growth of discount stores, all Woolworth stores were closed in 1997.  

This was the 25th commemorative medal that was issued by the Red Rose Coin Club in 1990.    It was struck this year to remember the 1890 opening of the electric trolley cars in the city and suburbs of Lancaster.  At first there were horse-drawn cars beginning in 1874 and eventually tracks were laid for the electric trolley.  In January of 1890 a merger of the Lancaster City Street Railway Co. and East End Railways provided the impetus for the switch to electric-powered cars.  Eventually the Conestoga Traction Company gained control of all 200 miles of track for the railways.  By 1947 the local trolley made its last run.  Today the majority of the original tracks have been removed. 

These six medals are just part of my friend's collection.  I will feature a few more in the next week to show you more of the history of my hometown, Lancaster.  It was another extraordinay day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Toll Gates and Turnpikes" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Checking a photo in the book "From the Beginning - A History of Manheim Township" which was written by C. Nat Netscher and designed and laid out by yours truly.  264 pages of copy, photos and drawings dealing with the township in which I was born and still live in Lancaster County, PA.  Pretty neat and I have written about it before, but today I have something different to share with you.  Has to do with the turnpike.  My friend Jerry and I were talking about the word turnpike and he was telling me that the word really referred to the long stick or pole that blocked the passage of cars or whatever until the toll was paid.  Wow, learn something new everyday.  I guess I should have known that since I did a chapter titled Transportation in the book that I laid out for Nat.  So, while Jerry and I were seated in my office, I dug out the book and showed him one of the photos that showed travelers on the New Holland Pike paying their toll at the gate.  This pike later became free for travel after the government took over the maintenance of it.  This same area, long before there were any roads, used the local waterways as a means of transportation.  Originally the Indians and then later the colonists trampled down pathways which eventually became roadways.  In the later part of the eighteenth century and the first part of the nineteenth century turnpikes where everywhere.  Most were to carry travelers to local destinations.  Then the first major toll road in the United States was completed.  The turnpike ran from Philadelphia to Lancaster and bore that name.  It was built in the 1790s.  Soon other larger turnpikes were constructed along the east coast.  In the mid to late nineteenth century private toll road building was particularly active in the West where stage companies, ranchers and mining companies laid out turnpikes to attract business for their investments.  By the end of 1930 Manheim Township's six toll roads had been made free for travelers.  At most toll gates or pikes was a toll house where the gatekeeper lived that collected the tolls for traveling on the road.  I found a couple of interesting photos that show two of the local toll gates with their toll-houses next to them.  

The toll gate and toll house where Forest Hill Road meets
the New Holland Pike in Upper Leacock Township.

One toll gate is located where Forest Hill Road meets the New Holland Pike in Upper Leacock Township while the other photo show travelers on the New Holland Pike just east of Pleasure Road in Manheim Township.  Both of these gates were taken down by 1930.  Many travelers bought tokens to be used at the toll gates while others paid in cash.  A Mrs. Waters, who collected tolls at the Pleasure Road gate said she learned that earmuffs came in handy to prevent her from hearing the swearing that took place by impolite customers.  

Travelers on the New Holland Pike are paying a toll at this
gate just east of Pleasure Road.  

She reported that the larger the car, the more likely the driver was going to give her a harder time.  Many tourists to the area in the early 1900s couldn't believe that such a thing as a toll road existed.  She told the local Lancaster newspaper, during an interview, that one of her jobs was to take down the license plate number of cars that refused to pay and she would phone the general manager of the turnpike company to be on the lookout for the cars.  She also remembered one driver who had tried too hard to avoid paying the toll whose car sideswiped a utility pole, turned over several times and killed him.  All so he didn't have to pay a fee for using a road that had been built by someone who wanted to get their money back for building the road.  So, today when you use a turnpike near you it probably was at one time a toll-road where a gatekeeper collected the fee by moving the wooden gate, stick or pole away from the road so you could pass through.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "An Historical Memento To Treasure" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Cropping all my photos that I took about an hour ago at a friend's house of medals that were created by the Red Rose Coin Club in Lancaster, PA.  The club was started in 1958 and every year they created a medal that reflected on some event, person, place or thing that had a connection to Lancaster County, PA.  Medals were made that depicted the Strasburg Railroad, F.W. Woolworth Department Store and the Conestoga Wagon to name a few.  

The logo of the Red Rose Coin Club

My friend joined the club in 1997, but still was able to purchase all the medals from 1958.  His collection is quite impressive as well as memorable.  The medals are about the size of a silver dollar and can be made in either silver or bronze with the silver medals more expensive as well as more valuable.  The price is based upon the cost of the metal when the medal was made.  I'm not sure of the edition number of each medal, but enough were made so that new members and interested persons could purchase past medals. The medals were designed by a club member who happened to be a talented artist.  He would create the design then it would be given to a sculptor who prepared a plastic mold from which a rubber copy was made.  An engraver would then prepare a metal die and then strike the medals.  A few years ago the artist in the club gave up his duties and a new member of the club took over the drawing of the design.  The pictures and detail seem to be the same to me, so I assume the new member is as talented an artist as the first one.  

The 1913 Red Rose Coin Club medal.

I was able to photograph all 55 medals that my friend had and make copies of small cards that described the medals from 1966 through 1996.  The other medals may have had cards to describe the image, but he doesn't have them.  The scenes are easy to view and describe, so a card for most is not necessary.  This year's medal is an interesting one.  It depicts the massacre of the Conestoga Indians by the Paxton "Boys" in December of 1763 - 250 years ago.  The design shows the massacre with the killers dressed in anachronistic 19th century garb and the Indians half-naked in the snow in front of the Lancaster Prison which eventually became the Fulton Opera House in downtown Lancaster.  I have written stories of the Indians as well as the Fulton Opera House in past posts.  This year the medals cost $15 for a bronze version and $65 for the silver.  In the next few weeks I will post images of a few of my friends medals and give you some of the history behind each medal.  Many of the medals I have written stories about over the last four years and now I can share the medal and a brief story about them.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Passage of Time" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Watching a bowl game on the TV in the family room and needed a break so I went to my den to grab my laptop.  While walking towards the den the lights from the Christmas tree drew my attention.  The hallway as well as the living room was dark making the tree lights twinkle as they illuminated the myriad of ornaments that Carol and I have collected during our 46 years of marriage.  Soon it will be taken down and no one will be able to enjoy it until next year.  So I decided I should take a few photos to share before that event takes place.  The following are the results of my photo shoot.  I have selected the ornaments that show our love for the beach and ocean on our travels.  Hope you enjoy them as much as we do.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

LDub's tree glowing in the dark. 

One of our  latest additions from our visit at the shore this year. 

My favorite, even thought it is not beach oriented. 

Three voluptuous women jumping the waves. 

Our fish Santa. 

A boat ornament from St. Thomas. 

Sanibel Island, FL ornament. 

Suitcase ornament. 

Ornament we purchased in Fort Myers, FL.

Beach scene painted on a sand dollar.

Ornament made from shells. 

Another sand dollar beach scene. 

Lighthouses from the Chesapeake Bay. 

Beach scene. 

Our friends Jerry and Just Sue gave this palm tree with lights to us for Christmas a few years ago. 

Lighthouse ornament. 

Adirondack chair with hat.

Palm tree made from sand. Came from Barbados.

Sand Dollar ornament. 

Ornament we purchased when we traveled to the Panama Canal. 

Hawaiian Shirt ornament. 

St. Croix ornament. 

This is actually a key chain, but we like it better as an ornament. 

Santa made from a Crab's shell. 

Another Santa made from a shell. 

Another Adirondack Chair with wreath. 

Ornament made from a tin can in Jamaica.

Cape May ornament.

Santa made to look like a lighthouse.

Swimming through our tree! 

Sandals ornament. 

A glass sand dollar from St. Croix from Jerry and Just Sue. 

More sandals.

A reindeer sand dollar.

A glass ornament from St. Croix.

Pelican ornament from St. Maarten. 

And the flying fish from Barbados ornament.