NEPA ~ Off Topic ~ Chatting Thread ( New ) (Kingston, Clark: flea market, opportunity, time)

[Sneaky Pete]

Originally Posted by Clark Park

I think while I'm staying in W-B I'll take a drive down to the Hazleton area and re-visit Eckley Miner's Village.

The history of anthracite mining is fascinating to me. I might also visit a nearby state park if the weather is nice ... isn't there one with the words "tubs" in the name?

I Remember lurking this site years ago and seem to remember some posts that you made detailing your fascination with the everyday life of a Miner in the area and asked for some stories...

One poster told of his grandfather coming home from a days labor in the Mine and taking a bath in a large standing tub in the kitchen, while his wife replenished the hot water from a pot warming on the kitchen coal stove.

You said something to the effect of 'these are exactly the type of stories I am interested in..'

Or something along those lines..

I might have you mixed up with someone else...it has been a long time

[Sneaky Pete]

Originally Posted by draketrutta

Times have changed in W-B Pete.
Today, walking the tracks will give Clark a bird's eye view of degeneratry - (crack ho's, up to no good types of all kind). Guys I know that fish the river down that way have & use their carry permits & never get too far from their vehicle (river rats are sneaky).

A pack of Lucky Strikes will cost you $8.70...

Clark - what are you into?
If it involves staying within WB city limits - I got nothing.

Hey Podnah...thanks for your input...not that I plan any cross tie walking when I'm there in late June fishing the Susky but it's good to know what to expect with the derelicts and crack ho's...

Being former LE, I have a CCW...there are some places I fish near Trenton City during the Shad run that are pretty dicey too...

A lot of peeps I put away have a tendency to recognize me and call me some choice names and try to distract from my fishing concentration...but when the bite is on, they are as much bother as a cloudy day.

8.70 for a pack of Lucky's huh?

Jeez...that's Highway Robbery.

[Gerania]

It's Seven Tubs Natural Area. If you take 309 North out of town, I'll be on the right. Use GPS or look closely for the brown park sign. Walk down the steep hill, take a left and walk along the creek. There might be quite a few people there on the Memorial Day weekend, but it's still heaven on earth. I used to stop there on my way back to suburban NJ. There are, or were, a few letterboxes in the park.

[Clark Park]

Originally Posted by Sneaky Pete

I Remember lurking this site years ago and seem to remember some posts that you made detailing your fascination with the everyday life of a Miner in the area and asked for some stories...

One poster told of his grandfather coming home from a days labor in the Mine and taking a bath in a large standing tub in the kitchen, while his wife replenished the hot water from a pot warming on the kitchen coal stove.

You said something to the effect of 'these are exactly the type of stories I am interested in..'

What a fantastic memory you have!!! Yes, that was me. I seem to remember hearing about Ma scrubbing down coalminer Pa in the tin tub, who was naturally stark naked in the middle of the kitchen. Nothing weird or unusual about that way back in those days.

I also heard stories of mother and the kids surreptitiously picking out pieces of coal from the culm piles near the breakers to obtain "free" fuel for their stoves. The mine companies forbid this practice, but the security police looked the other way because they understand how hard it was for miner's families to eke out a living.

Originally Posted by Gerania

It's Seven Tubs Natural Area. If you take 309 North out of town, I'll be on the right. Use GPS or look closely for the brown park sign. Walk down the steep hill, take a left and walk along the creek. There might be quite a few people there on the Memorial Day weekend, but it's still heaven on earth. I used to stop there on my way back to suburban NJ. There are, or were, a few letterboxes in the park.

That's it! I think I'll brave the crowds and visit that place with my friend from Kingston who doesn't have a car and doesn't have many chances to get out into the countryside.

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by Sneaky Pete

Great book, heyna?

Wow, Ms. G..you have quite fascination with ''The Pines'..are you a Piney or from NEPA?

Somehow the copy I got of McPhees book ( second hand at a Trenton bookstore) had a few original photos of Curtsingers piney pics pasted on the flyleaf and back cover.
Not ones that were published in the book.

BTW..great and knowledgeable info you gave Clark Park about some of those venerable buildings to visit in WB...
I've never seen any of them myself...really have to check 'em out.

All I remember of downtown WB was the cool Mr.Peanut in the Square...

I enjoy, en-joy the great outdoors! Manny Gordon told me to do that. Dad took us on Sunday drives and to state parks. My eldest brother was an eagle scout and took me hiking and camping, backpacking. There are some nice natural springs running off of those mountains. They're all on private property now. They were then, too, but no one cared if you just hiked through and filled a couple of canteens.

I remember Mr. Peanut. Seeing him was always a thrill. He was big and he gave you food. You can't beat that.

Clark Park, 7 Tubs is off of 115 south. I'm not sure why I said 309, but something in my female or Gerania brain associated driving up hill with north. Have someone take your picture by the big cow on Wilkes-Barre Township Blvd., 309 bypass. There aren't too many giant fiberglass cows around these days. Maybe there never was.

Have you ever been to Hollenback cemetery? It's on North River St. across from the hospital. That place is a gem... and an oasis. Not far from the entrance, there's a statue dedicated to the two Revolutionary war era soldiers who were killed in the mountains--one on Wilkes-Barre Mountain by Indians. All the big names have a mausoleum on the hill. There's a Woodman of the World monument far left about 3/4 of the way back. It's worth a visit.

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by Sneaky Pete

Great book, heyna?

Wow, Ms. G..you have quite fascination with ''The Pines'..are you a Piney or from NEPA?

Somehow the copy I got of McPhees book ( second hand at a Trenton bookstore) had a few original photos of Curtsingers piney pics pasted on the flyleaf and back cover.
Not ones that were published in the book.

BTW..great and knowledgeable info you gave Clark Park about some of those venerable buildings to visit in WB...
I've never seen any of them myself...really have to check 'em out.

All I remember of downtown WB was the cool Mr.Peanut in the Square...

I just re-read this. You got Bill Curtsinger photos in your book? Damn. At least you know what they are and appreciate them.

[draketrutta]

Clark - if you go to Eckley Miners Village outside of Freeland, you may want to ride a couple miles further down the road. Pagnotti Enterprises is still working the coal there. I believe they still have a big drag-line set up there.

Knox Mine Disaster Site - the event that basically shut down the Antracite Coal Mining in the greater Wyoming Valley. (Google is your friend). There is a historic marker along River Road up towards Pittston. You can walk in if you wish. If the river level is low - you can still see some of the remnants of railroad cars that were dumped into the void in a failed attempt to stop the mines flooding.

[Clark Park]

Originally Posted by draketrutta

Clark - if you go to Eckley Miners Village outside of Freeland, you may want to ride a couple miles further down the road. Pagnotti Enterprises is still working the coal there. I believe they still have a big drag-line set up there.

Knox Mine Disaster Site - the event that basically shut down the Antracite Coal Mining in the greater Wyoming Valley. (Google is your friend). There is a historic marker along River Road up towards Pittston. You can walk in if you wish. If the river level is low - you can still see some of the remnants of railroad cars that were dumped into the void in a failed attempt to stop the mines flooding.

When I visit Eckley, I always love driving through the little hamlet of Jeddo. Jeddo is a perfect coal miner's "Patch Town" with company houses built in row, but one that evolved over time, so the homes have been modernized and improved over the years and decades. Make no mistake about it though, Jeddo is a coal patch town. I am always on the lookout for such places.

For those of you interested in anthracite mining history and heritage I suggest a quick visit, in Hazleton, to the site of the Lattimer Massacre where innocent coal miners and their families were gunned down by sheriff's deputies during a peaceful parade that merely asked for a $1 a week raise in wages. Dressed in their Sunday best, carrying American flags and banners, these miners were mostly eastern European immigrants out with their families. A shameful page in the history of the US.

[draketrutta]

Clark - that incident was portrayed in the movie The Molly McGuires filmed in Eckley & Jim Thorpe.

The Molly Maguires (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Clark Park]

I am back from my 4 day NEPA Memorial Day Weekend. I had a good time. I never made it to 7 Tubs because my Kingston pal had other ideas ... he insisted on going to an indoor flea market in Blakeslee instead. We did take some nice drives out into the countryside though.

On my own I made it to Eckley, where I ran into two acquaintances from Philly! That place is a treasure. Every resident of NEPA should visit Eckley. It is our history, our heritage, the real story of ordinary people. Hard working people. Survivors.

I drove south through Frackville, Ashland, Shenandoah, Gilberton. On Memorial Day I had lunch at a little Ma and Pa luncheonette on the main street in Mahanoy City. Afterwards I saw the parade. Two fire trucks, an ambulance, a couple of cop cars with lights on, high school marching band, some veterans, a couple of floats. People sitting on the front porch of their modest row houses. It was very sweet. I loved being part of it.

People, if you have out of town guests PLEASE make sure they do not stay at the Motel 6 near the arena. It's new, and it's clean, and ... that's the only good thing I can say about it. I hated the place!!! It was so cheaply made and appointed, the typical college dorm room is luxurious by comparison. No closet. No mini-fridge. No desk. No dresser. No ironing board nor iron. No night table. No lamps. Only one ice machine in the "lobby." The flat screen TV was mounted on a tacky laminated panel and you had to twist your neck sideways to watch it from bad. It was designed to be watched from sitting on the toilet??? What idiot designed the room?

The security lock on my room didn't work properly. The water never got hot - only warm ... so I had to turn the water on the hottest setting in order to take a lukewarm shower. No bathtub, only a shower stall. The towels were the worst - thin and rough. Everything about the place was cheap, cheap, CHEAP. Stay away from that place!