A good friend of mine recently discovered an old film reel from this event, which she purchased and converted to digital. She let me view this historical find, a copy of which she is currently offering via eBay auction, and allowed me to take a few snapshots of some of the area residents shown on the film. The following individuals are unidentified, but while I don’t know them, I wish I did! Do you recognize anyone?

In Search of Old Shamokin…140 Years Ago

It looks ordinary enough, but it proved to be a real mystery. I tried and failed numerous times to identify the approximate location it shows, and I’m usually familiar with the main sections of Shamokin. The only two distinctive buildings in the photo are the church at the lower left, and the large building just to the right of it. I could not, however, identify either structure.

So I–and some family members–started considering and rejecting a number of theories as to the possible location–Springfield, Market Street, Shamokin Street. It took us forever but we finally struck on the solution when it occurred to us that the residential building in the photo might be the parish office of Mother Cabrini Church, formerly St. Edward’s.

Of course, there was a problem–the office is directly adjacent to the church, but the latter does not appear in the photo, meaning that for some reason the office (rectory at the time) had to predate the church’s construction in 1873.

However, an old letter I’ve had for some time seemed to hold an explanation.

Above are two 1873 letters from one Sophronia Martz to her brother, Jesse. Sophronia was a relation of Catherine “Aunt Kitty” Martz, and resided with her in the house on Sunbury Street later designated the McConnell Mansion. In one letter, she makes reference to the laying of the cornerstone of St. Edward’s Church, and the unfortunate accident which accompanied it–the only clue, in fact, to determining the date of the letter:

“Perhaps you have heard of the accident that occurd here last week when they were going to lay the corner stone of the Catholic church, they had a platform erected which gave way and left quite a number of persons down into the basement … some few were hurt very badly, the church is to be in front of the old one.”

While area histories make reference to an older St. Edward’s Church being located in the vicinity of the current Cameron Bridge area, Sophronia’s letter would seem to indicate another structure was in use shortly before 1873. The description of it being located behind the later church also fits with the photograph, if we are to assume the residential building was indeed the rectory, and current parish office. I drove there and had a closer look at the exterior of this building, and from all appearances it did seem very likely to be one and the same with the structure in the photo.

But what exactly is the history of the parish office–and St. Edward’s parish itself?

History of a Parish

The most well-known name associated with the early history of St. Edward’s is that of Rev. John Joseph Koch. Herbert C. Bell, in his 1891 History of Northumberland County, writes that he was pastor of a Shamokin parish since 1866. Known as a beloved and, in Bell’s words, “universally respected” figure, he was said to be of “unbounded enterprise and commendable public spirit,” and he remained with St. Edward’s for more than half a century, until his passing in the early 1920s.

In such a space of time he also must have become well acquainted with a wide array of Shamokin’s citizens. One such acquaintance was said to be  none other than one of Shamokin’s most imposing names, the famed entrepreneur of endless connections in local society, Monroe H. Kulp.  Paul T. MacElwee in his 1986 News-Item story on Kulp calls him a friend of the Rev. Koch, although Kulp himself was not Catholic, and relates an anecdote of a conversation they supposedly had on the subject of Kulp’s Edgewood project.

Census records provide some insight into the names connected with the church’s history during Koch’s era. In 1870 one Daniel Risley also served the church as priest, and was in residence at what presumably was the Shamokin Street rectory. A nearby building was the home of John Flanigan, sexton. In 1900 two priests in addition to Koch occupied the parochial residence, one of them a John C. Thompson; in 1910 an Edward O’Flynn was listed as an assistant.

Koch’s biography in Bell’s History of Northumberland County claims that the parochial residence was built in 1869. It served as the church’s rectory up until recent decades.

An Architectural History

Originally built as an Italianate, the building was later remodeled, probably at the end of the 19th Century or early in the 20th, in a classical style.

About 1913, looking west.

Comparison with the earlier sketch indicates that during the remodeling, the building was extended, adding a wing on the north side. A look at the interior seemed to confirm this. The two sides of the large basement show differences in construction, and floors of the north wing are built slightly lower than those of the adjoining rooms. Originally, the main staircase ran along an exterior wall.

In the spacious third floor, an imperfection in the wall indicates the original roof line. The rooms on the north side are to the right.

Another view of the third floor

Rear of the parish office, looking approximately east. The roof line of the west wing of the building (containing porch) does not meet up with that of the main building. While both are original sections of the structure, the lack of alignment is also evident in the 1870s bird's eye photo, confirming the identity of the building.

The Office Today…

Downtown Shamokin, as seen from Shamokin Cemetery. Note Mother Cabrini Church just left of center. This would seem to have been approximately the same location from which the 1870s photo of the two ladies overlooking the town.

So I officially kicked off my return to research with another visit to the Heritage Museum on the second floor of the American Legion Building. If you’ve checked the censuses, vital records and more, and you need a more informal but rich source of information to dip into for leads on your Shamokinite ancestors, the Heritage Museum is the place to go. The beauty of it is that you can never be sure what you’ll find–you may just wind up stumbling onto a gold mine. It’s two good-sized rooms and a long hallway full of miscellany–everything from old photos to diplomas to a large collection of high school reviews to commemorative booklets to letters and coal company papers to trinkets to goodness knows what else. It seems the majority are from this century, but you’ll certainly find some older articles, too.

As for me, I turned up two wonderful pieces of history I hadn’t seen before. Books of Shamokin maps, from 1913 and 1922. These are the types of things that were drawn up by utility companies to mark the locations of water lines, etc., but they contain detailed, close-up maps of every part of Shamokin, showing the streets and footprints of buildings. Some, such as churches and firehouses, are named, and are color-coded to indicate a frame or brick building. The footprints are occasionally a little inaccurate, but they show bay windows, porches, and the like.

For me, this was an excellent opportunity to get a better idea of the layout of Shamokin’s famous Edgewood district in that era. I’ve only seen two other maps like this, one of which was from 1889, before any significant development of Edgewood took place. The 1913 map, however, shows Edgewood in its prime, including several park buildings.

__________________________

1913: Lynn Street. East is up. The large block at the upper left is Oaklawn, the famed residence built by M.H. Kulp. An approximate footprint of the house, as well as garage and coops, are shown. The streets, it seems, have changed drastically. Park Avenue is now Kulp Avenue; Edgewood Avenue was renamed Woodlawn. Not visible in this section is the western end of Lynn Street, which now turns southwest and becomes Park Avenue. That turn, it seems, was non-existent in 1913.

At the bottom of this map, across Park Avenue from Oaklawn, is the residence of Millard F. Nagle, probably built in 1910, and still standing. __________________________

1913: “Dear old” Edgewood Park, one of M.H. Kulp’s most acclaimed projects.

__________________________

Flashforward to 1922: a more familiar, and more populated, view of the Lynn Street area. The apparent development of these neighborhoods that took place in the intervening years may have influenced the changing of Oaklawn’s street address: in 1910, it seems to have been known as 1651 Arch Street¹, while by 1918² and 1920³ it had been changed to 1701 Arch. Later, it was designated as 1701 W. Lynn.

The street names, such as Park, Edgewood and Lake Avenues, must have changed relatively recently, as the map lists both their old and new names. By this time, the three diagonal streets branching off from the main ones have also been laid out. However, the street at the western side of the Nagle property does not appear to meet with Lynn Street, as it does today. Several of these 1922 maps also have names of residents penciled in, but the date of these notations is not known. Probably they are significantly more recent than the map, since some names are listed where houses are not.

The Park Hotel can be seen at the bottom right, at the end of Park Avenue.

__________________________

Things have changed, but the Edgewood of old is still traceable. Many thanks to the museum for another opportunity to stroll through those streets of 1913 and 1922.

___________________________________________________________________________

(Postcard from “Shamokin, My Hometown.”)

1. 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Coal Township, Pa., p. 91, sheet 34 A,  dwelling no. 401, fam. no. 401; Monroe H. Kulp.

2. 1918 WWI draft registration card, Josiah Alexander Simpson. Place of residence and employment listed as 1701 Arch, Shamokin. Simpson was driver and later chauffeur for the Kulp family.

3. 1920 U.S. Federal Census, Coal Township, Pa., p. 85, sheet 7 A, dwelling no. 132, fam. no. 133; Sarah Kulp.

Shamokin Cemetery: The large mausoleum is visible in the background

By many, a cemetery is considered an eerie, morbid, sometimes even macabre place. It’s an overused setting in films and novels of the horror variety, and is not very often associated with anything other than death or desolation in some form. But, although a cemetery certainly marks some of the more despondent moments of history, it is also, to the people who made the Shamokin Cemetery tour on Saturday, May 23rd possible, a place to recognize and remember those who are buried there, and, for a few hours every year, to bring that past back to life.

Meeting the Past: The Reenactments

At 10 and 2 o’ clock Saturday, the Anthracite Heritage Festival’s Shamokin Cemetery tours, narrated by coordinator Frederick “Fritz” Reed, took visitors on a one-and-a-half-hour walk past the final resting places of many of Shamokin’s most significant citizens. Stops at several gravesites were made, and both the history of the individuals interred there, and the history of the town in general, were recounted during the tour. What truly made the event an unforgettable experience was the appearance of four reenactors–portraying Kimber Cleaver, J.J. John, Henry Reese and Sarah Kulp–who told their stories in the first-person to the assembled Shamokinites of the present day.

The first reenactment of the tour began when, after the introduction and a few stops at various graves and the Soldier’s Circle, the tour continued to the grave of Kimber Cleaver, where Reed slipped briefly behind the headstone and returned wearing an old brown hat. After introducing himself with some shyness as Kimber Cleaver, and remarking on his surprise at all the people gathered to listen to him, he told the crowd that sometimes “Mr. Reed comes by, and we talk.” He’d asked Reed to talk to everyone about Shamokin, but, Cleaver said, “he’s not very talkative.”

“Cleaver” went on to speak of his early days, when he first became a teacher, as his Quaker mother had been. Later, he went into surveying, and built several inventions related to mining, only “I never took a penny, because it was for the miners’ benefit.” He also told of inventing a new kind of protractor, but although he was credited for the invention, he did not receive the rights to it.

Later, he explained, “a lot of my friends decided I should be in politics.” They encouraged him to run for several different offices, which he did, but lost at each in turn, until finally “they ran me for Governor,” where he ran as a member of the Native American party.

“I got beat pretty bad,” Reed, as Cleaver, confessed.

Grave of Kimber Cleaver

Cleaver assisted in the laying out of the cemetery when it was founded, and in return the company offered him a plot in the cemetery. Gesturing toward the area surrounding the weathered tombstone, Cleaver remarked, “I just took this little one here.”

When the streets of Shamokin were being laid out, he was appointed to name several of them. He chose to name them after famous Americans and men of literature, such as Lincoln and Shakespeare. But, Cleaver explained, he was also urged to name one street after himself, and he reminded the listeners of the tiny one-way alley alongside the current Dollar General store. “That’s Cleaver Street.”

The tour presently moved on to the gravesite of J.J. John, where reenactor David Kopitsky, Sr., looking the distinguished part in a gray top hat and toting an eagle-headed cane, waited for the tour group’s approach. In the role of J.J. John, he began to narrate the story of his long and accomplished lifetime, beginning with his birth in Catawissa in 1829.

“At eighteen,” he explained, “I started to teach.” Some years later, however, he made the first of many career changes: “Then I decided, I think I’ll become a doctor.”

In subsequent years, he became the owner of a pharmacy in Shamokin. Shrewdly, he bought out other local pharmacies until his own was the only one in town, which Kopitsky as Dr. John pointed out was certainly an advantageous situation.

“Dr. John” also told of enlisting in Company K, Thirty-sixth Volunteer Militia when General Lee invaded Pennsylvania during the Civil War, and in 1874 of his election to the State Legislature. As a member of the House, he was a strong supporter of compulsory education, but despite his efforts it never became law during his lifetime.

“I lived to the ripe old age of eighty-six,” Dr. John summed up his story, “and all that time I was concerned about the poor of the community.”

Afterwards the tour group was allowed in to view the nearby large mausoleum. The massive doors, tightly shut, were unlocked and forced open with some difficulty by cemetery keeper Dave Donmoyer, who, once the lock had finally clattered inward onto the marble floor, escorted the group inside. Among those buried in the mausoleum were William McConnell, Shamokin businessman and state senator, and his wife, Ida V. Martz.

Next to speak on the tour was David Kopitsky, Jr. as Henry Reese. Dressed in an old-fashioned blue police officer’s uniform, which he explained was due to the fact that he became Shamokin’s first chief of police in 1866, he began by telling the listeners of his birth in Wales and immigration to America. In Minersville, he went on, he became a bodyguard during the era of the Molly Maguires, until he joined the army at the outbreak of the Civil War.

It was at this time that Reese gained his most enduring fame. In Petersburg, Virginia, a strategic Confederate stronghold, a number of Union soldiers from Pennsylvania mining backgrounds came up with the plan of excavating a tunnel beneath the Confederate fortifications and setting off a charge of explosives in the “mine” that would destroy the enemy defenses.

This plan, “Reese” told the audience, was accepted.

“So we began to dig…and we began to dig…and we began to dig.”

But, when the digging was completed and the explosives put in place, the Union soldiers waited several hours for the blast that never occurred. Finally it was decided that two men–with Reese as one of them–should venture into the mine to find out and repair whatever was delaying the proper work of the explosives. Upon reaching the end of the tunnel, Reese discovered the problem–a break in the fuse–and repaired it. Then, before quickly making his way back to the open air, he carefully lit the famous fuse that would give his name a place of honor in the history books.

This time, said Reese, the charge exploded, creating a great chasm that would soon be known as “the Crater.” At first, it served its purpose, destroying the Confederate fortifications and a number of men.

“We blew approximately 125 of them to smithereens,” Reese recalled.

Ultimately, however, the ensuing “Battle of the Crater” was one of the largest debacles suffered by the Union Army in the Civil War. In five hours, there were approximately five thousand casualties.

It was primarily because of this defeat that although Reese was nominated several years later to receive the Medal of Honor, it was never awarded to him.

Before the tour group moved on, guide Frederick Reed asked Reese to explain his nickname, “Snapper.” In response, the “Hero of the Crater” admitted: “I had a very, very short temper.”

When Reese had taken leave of the group, Reed led the way along the path to the foot of the steps leading deeper into the cemetery. Indicating a charming Victorian lady in pink walking before the Monroe H. Kulp mausoleum, he announced to the crowd: “I’d like you to meet Sarah Kulp.”

During the next few minutes, reenactor Suzanne Kopitsky as Mrs. Kulp recounted to the audience the story of her husband’s career in business and politics. On the subject of his early life in Shamokin, she told the tale behind his nickname, “Farmer,” which according to popular anecdote was bestowed upon him by Shamokin schoolchildren because he lived out of town.

In the middle years of his life, “Sarah” went on, he was urged by friends to run for Congress. Thus, she said, “he got involved in politics–Republican politics–in a very Democratic area.”

Despite all the odds against him, however, he won the election and became the first man from Shamokin to be elected to Congress.

“When he was there,” said Kopitsky, “that’s when we met.”

Their wedding, Sarah recounted, was described as “the prettiest and most prominent wedding in the history of the community.”

“Which was not a bad description,” remarked Sarah with a fond smile.

She went on to describe Kulp’s Edgewood Park project– “a family park, there was no alcohol allowed” –and another of his most well-known accomplishments, Kulpmont: “My husband, who was never bored, decided he wanted to build a town.”

But in 1911, Sarah confided with melancholy to the listeners, Monroe H. Kulp’s life of success and achievement was cut short when he succumbed to an illness of nearly a year’s duration.

“We tried everything,” she said, “but the rheumatism won.”

Sarah concluded by telling the group with sincerity, in words that surely reflect the hope of everyone who brought the past alive on May 23, “We wanted to make sure no one would forget all the things we did.”

Bringing the Past to Life: An Interview With the Reenactors

Before one of the Anthracite Heritage Festival cemetery tours, I had the opportunity of meeting and speaking with the participants about their work, the planning and preparations that go with it, as well as their personal views on the task of a reenactor.

Frederick “Fritz” Reed, who acted both as event coordinator, tour guide and reenactor, has had the responsibility of choosing whom to portray in a cemetery with over 17,000 burials since the tour’s beginnings during the first Anthracite Heritage Festival in 2006. Initially, he said, Kimber Cleaver was selected as one of the historical Shamokinites to be portrayed because his grave’s location fit on the tour route. Reed, a former mayor of Shamokin, added however that Cleaver’s involvement in politics made him a figure he could relate to. Cleaver, he said, was “my kind of person,” and “a great believer in his community.”

The reenactors, who are all volunteers, did not rehearse for the tour, but were given excerpts from county biographies and other history articles which provided them with information on the historical figures they portrayed. The primary source for the portrayals of Monroe and Sarah Kulp was the late Paul T. MacElwee’s definitive 1986 article, “Monroe H. Kulp: Shamokin’s Most Outstanding Citizen,” and Bell’s History of Northumberland County was consulted for the portrayal of J.J. John.

David Kopitsky, Sr., who portrayed Dr. John, said he believed John was “a Renaissance man,” because “he did so many things;” citing John’s numerous careers, from teaching to medicine to politics and insurance.

Asked what kind of image he aimed to paint of Dr. John in the reenactment, Kopitsky said he wanted to portray him as “self-assured,” “self-confident,” and “not afraid to tackle” a situation.

As a reenactor, Kopitsky said, his goal was “being able to portray the history to those who are interested in learning about it,” and to “give back to the community.”

David Kopitsky, Jr., who portrayed Henry Reese, was enthusiastic and experienced on the subject of history and said that as a history teacher he had known of Reese for some time because of his significant role in the Civil War. To Kopitsky, Reese was an immigrant to America who took advantage of the opportunities in the new country, and ultimately “made a good life for himself and his family.” Kopitsky acknowledged however that though Reese was also an accomplished police officer and Shamokin burgess in his later years, his primary claim to fame was his war record, and had the Civil War not happened, he might have “fallen into obscurity.”

When asked to sum up his overall objective as a reenactor, Kopitsky responded confidently:

“To give an accurate portrayal, and to let those who are watching make their own interpretation.”

Suzanne Kopitsky had the two-fold task of portraying Sarah Kulp, while primarily discussing the biography of Sarah’s husband.

“I tend to portray her,” Kopitsky said, “as a classy lady,” and “affectionate for her husband.”

Kopitsky described Monroe H. Kulp as a “resourceful” man who it seemed was involved in almost everything of importance in Shamokin at the time. She also mentioned the notable Shamokin couple’s reputation for philanthropy and regard for their community.

“They were very giving people,” Kopitsky remarked.

On the subject of what she hopes to achieve as a reenactor, Kopitsky said, “I feel like there’s so much history in Shamokin that has the potential to be lost. I want to make sure that this [tour] keeps going so that that history isn’t lost.”

Kopitsky concluded by saying that she hoped more volunteers would contribute to the tour, which was short this year by two reenactors.

“I would like each stop that Fritz makes to have one person there.”

Then, as the next tour group approached, “Sarah” went to join the others as they walked the graveyard paths, three long-gone personalities of Shamokin’s olden days, resting in the cool, dark window seats of the large mausoleum, or standing on the hill, watching for the arrival of another group of visitors. But as the day ended, and they left the cemetery to walk back to contemporary lives, canes swinging and skirts bustling, those same long-gone personalities became once more the silent names on the weathered gravestones, reposing for another year.

I arranged to take the 12:00 tour, and as I got on as soon as it arrived, I was able to take a number of photos before many passengers came on.

The trolley, which seats about twenty people, had a beautiful oak interior with brass accents and round ceiling lamps, and in the back a speaker played quaint haywagon-style tunes. Tour booklets were laid out on the seats, featuring old and new photos for stops on the ride.

Oaklawn, in Edgewood (Coal Township), looking northwest. Built c. 1900 by M.H. Kulp

As the trolley proceeded into Coal Township, one of the stops was the former site of the Eagle Silk Mill–the original mill, built 1909–where now one of the numerous elderly housing highrises in town is located. On Lynn Street, the tour guide pointed out Oak Gardens, the small housing development that was once the site of the Kulp residence, Oaklawn.

The trolley continued down Lynn Street and Park Avenue, with the guide noting the former location of the Park (originally Kearney) Hotel, and the entrance to Edgewood Park, where now Shamokin Area public schools stand.

Stadium and parking lot on school property. Originally the site of Edgewood Lake and pool.

From the parking lot shown above, the trolley turned and headed back into Shamokin, clanging the bell in the old fashion as it returned to Market Street.

Overall, the trolley tours lent unique atmosphere and nostalgia to the Heritage Festival. A thirty-minute trip back in time on a method of transportation once common in Shamokin, it was an experience that was informative, memorable, and an irreplacable part of the festival action.

_______________________________

As I was not able to revisit the museum at the American Legion Building today, the next festival article will be on the cemetery tour, and should be posted within two or three days.

(Festi)

Certainly, this was the most fruitful, exciting, informative and simply amazing of the three annual Heritage Festivals I’ve so far attended. Starting with the 10:00 cemetery tour, moving on to a trolley tour of Edgewood at 12, interviews with the cemetery tour reenactors at 1:30, and finally a visit to the Anthracite Heritage Museum and adjoining military museum at the American Legion Building around 3, I made it a point to do and see as much as possible, and I have to say I definitely accomplished a lot!

Vendors on Market Street

This is where I initially arrived to pick up tickets from the corner booth. I then proceeded to the Shamokin Cemetery, where I came early to meet and talk to a few people. The tour was fascinating, and I kept my ears peeled for interesting quotes which I quickly scribbled in a notebook. Along the approximately one-and-a-half-hour tour, several stops were made, with commentary by event coordinator and guide Frederick Reed on numerous individuals of the distant and recent past interred in the cemetery, while reenactors also portrayed four prominent figures. Later on I’ll post a more detailed article about the tour, along with photos and a few comments from the participants.

Although I only traveled on the trolley this year, it was pleasant to watch the buggy and wagon traversing downtown Shamokin every now and then–what was once, in the good old days, just a common sight.

Horse and buggy, as seen from the trolley

I also stopped by the American Legion Building before calling it a day. There, I visited the Heritage Museum (see my post from March for more information on the museum), and also happened to find my way into the military museum in the next room. Elegant old furniture and paintings (one is visible in the photo below) adorned the spacious room, which held mostly photographs of local area servicemen from the Spanish-American War, WWI and WWII–and thankfully, nearly every one included an identification!–but also old books, scrapbooks and clippings. Unfortunately, one of my cameras was just about at its capacity, and the other one was home in rehab (recharging) from overuse, so I was only able to take one photo. However, the Heritage Museum, and, I’m presuming, the adjoining military museum as well, will be open tomorrow, so if possible I will visit there again for additional photos.

Military museum, American Legion Building - WWII photos

Next, I will be posting photos and information from the trolley tour, which went through Edgewood. Indeed, this was a great day, and I’m certainly glad I attended!

I hope to visit and take photos of as many places as possible, and upon my return, if I have enough photos, I’ll use separate blog posts for each locale. I’ll also be presenting a detailed article about the cemetery tour reenactments, including an in-depth look at how that event is organized, with remarks from the participants themselves.

For a detailed list of the attractions at the 2009 Heritage Festival, check out this News-Item article. The News-Item also delivers a great pitch for the attractions of the festival weekend in “Heritage Festival kicks off today.” A search on the News-Item website will yield additional info.

Finally, I’d like to wish the best of luck to everyone who has made this event possible, and I’m certain the 2009 festival will be a great success!

This blog certainly needs a makeover, too. If you see anything out of whack for a while, that’s why. Mostly I’m changing the introduction page and adding a Profiles section with short biographies, document transcriptions and assorted information on significant individuals I’m researching. There may also be a Photos page with images of local landmarks and some old photos connected with my research.

It’s certainly going to be a busy month, but I’ve been attending the Heritage Festival for almost three years in a row now, and I’m eager to share the excitement, history and local color of this wonderful summer event here in coal region Shamokin. Yes, a busy but memorable month ahead!

I’ve never actually been in this part of the American Legion Building before. Aside from the library entrance, there are two entrances at either end of the facade, and it’s the one at the left that leads to the Heritage Museum. It opens, first, into a small vestibule, which, though old, by its construction probably isn’t original. The vestibule, however, then opens onto a large, empty, high-ceilinged room with superb stone walls and a long staircase under an archway. Along the ceiling, a carved inscription dedicated to the memory of the soldiers of the World War (that would be the first, as the building was erected in 1922), follows the perimeter of the room.

Upon arriving, I proceeded up the stairwell to a door marked with the name of the museum. Turning right as I entered, I came upon a long narrow hallway with several tables lining one wall, containing mostly school group portraits from the 1920-1950 period, though a few from earlier dates were there as well. Some old documents and miscellaneous items, including a case of rulers with the names of local businesses, could also be found.

Here I met Mr. Carr, who had collected most of the items at the museum. He was quite helpful, and showed me into the next two rooms, which contained a bounty of old documents and photos. I spent an hour and a half going through them, and still had not time to see everything. School memorabilia, yearbooks and reviews, made up a good portion of the collection, but there were also a number of portraits (most unidentified, unfortunately), church records and booklets, and several family diplomas, baptismal and marriage certificates. Most of these last were from the Mulliner family, but there were a few Henninger, Neugard, and Fetterman names as well, among others. I saw dates as early as 1901, but most of the diplomas and certificates were from the 20s. The portraits varied in time period from the 1890s/1900s, or perhaps earlier, to the 1940s and 50s. There were also binders containing old miscellaneous paperwork such as invitations, business letters, etc. Newspaper clippings, most of them recent, from the Centennial (1964) or later, were also to be found. Just before I left I came upon quite a few old directories, most fairly recent–within the past fifty years or so–but some appeared to be a little older. It was getting late, however, and I had to leave, so I did not get a chance to go through them until this morning.

Naturally, I did turn up some interesting finds. A 1924 high school yearbook included a photograph of Dorothy Shuman, daughter of Harry W. Shuman, who was a nephew of M. H. Kulp. According to the 1920 census, Dorothy was at that time living with Kulp’s widow, Sarah, at her Edgewood residence. Apparently, she lived with her for a number of years, as the yearbook lists Dorothy’s address as 126 N. Shamokin Street, to which Sarah Kulp relocated after the sale of Oaklawn in 1923. In the yearbook, the remarks by “Dot’s” portrait read:

Just gaze upon this charming bit of feminine beauty. Really, dear readers, we just don’t know what to say about her. She is a good sport, a fine pal, and all around good fellow. If it were not for all this, perhaps, we could say something, but we know when we are beaten. We wish every success.

So beautiful and refined
I hope she doesn’t mind,
If I tell you this time,
She’s got an awful line.

A 1932 yearbook mentioned Monroe Shuman, Dorothy’s brother. Born in 1914, he was named after his great-uncle.

“Sunny”

This little boy we call the “Coach,”
He’s razzed and teased the limit.
But when his “Mamma” calls,
He’ll be there in a minute.

I also located a few photos of (I believe) Harry Shuman, Jr., brother of Monroe and Dorothy, and better known as H. Wilt Shuman. And, on one shelf in the museum, I found a fairly large, black tin lockbox, empty, with the inscription “Compliments of Kulp Lumber Co., G. Gilbert Kulp, Prop.” With Gilbert as the proprietor, this box must date from before 1929.

As I dug through the multitude of dusty treasures, a cd player in the other room played recordings of the former WISL station, on which host Tom Kutza used to discuss his memories of old Shamokin. Between commentary, Big Band tunes played, along with a rendition of “Dear Old Edgewood Park,” and the locally famous 1940s “Moke from Shamokin.”

After an hour and a half, I had to get going, but returned again this morning shortly after eleven. The oldest of the directories, it appears, was 1928-29, and though there was a gap between those years and around 1950 or so, there were several directories from post-1950. In the back of the room, I found a diary from around 1934-37, written by someone named Betty. I did not see any surname for the author in my perusal of the diary, but there were frequent references early on to a “Grandma Shott.”

In a “Labor Day Handbook” from 1916, I also came upon a portrait I had never seen before of William C. McConnell, who was running for office (State Senate) at the time. On the subject of photos again, I really must say there were more portraits at the museum than I could tell you. Some were from Thomas Photography, others Lippiatt, Swank, and more, and some were school pictures. Many more were in books. Unfortunately, the majority had no identification, but I’m sure there must be plenty of genealogists and locals out there who might be able to recognize someone. I tell you, this place can be quite the gold mine for anyone interested in Shamokin history, genealogical or otherwise. There was a lot of interesting miscellany, too, like souvenirs from local businesses. Quite honestly, I saw a little bit of everything.

The museum, however, doesn’t seem to be getting a lot of attention. Last night, I was the only visitor there the whole evening, except for someone who stopped in briefly, mostly asking about the flood damage to other areas of the building. When I signed the guestbook again the next morning, there were no other names after mine. So I’d like to say that if you’re at all interested in Shamokin area history, or your ancestors from the area, be sure to visit the Heritage Museum. I think it’s an invaluable resource and a fascinating glimpse into the town’s past. According to the News-Item, the museum will be open from noon to 3 pm tomorrow.