Lawrence County Historical Society

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Distinguished Flyer By Betty Hoover DiRisio Staff Sergeant Charles D. Bacon of Cecil Avenue, New Castle, served as a gunner on a B-29 during World War II. He graduated in June 1942 from the huge Air Corps Technical school at Keesler Field, Mississippi as an airplane mechanic. ... In July 1945 he received the Distinguished Flying Cross for participation in combat and operational missions from bases in India and China. His unit went on to the Pacific where in September, 1945 he received the Air Medal for meritorious achievement in B-29 combat missions against Japan. This photo shows S/Sgt. Charles D. Bacon, right gunner, on the lookout for Japanese fighters as his Boeing B-29 20th Century Unlimited heads towards its target at Anshan, Manchuria. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ecker R. Bacon, Grandview Ave. His wife was the former June A. Aubel. The couple later settled in Cleveland.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH Black Roundhead Lost to Modern History By Betty Hoover DiRisio...Continue reading

UNIDENTIFIED: In August 1891 local veterans hosted a G.A.R. picnic at Rock Point. Among the holdings of the Lawrence County Historical Society is a collection of old printers blocks, presumably made in 1891, of local Civil War veterans, most of which carried identifying information. Most of the men were with the 100th & 134th Pa. Vol. regiments. The block with this man's image had no name. Do you know who it may be?

New Castle Jewelry Training School By Betty Hoover DiRisio In 1945 a group of six business associates comprised of three veterans of WWII and a manufacturer of jewelry and two business executives founded the New Castle Jewelry Training School for the purpose of teaching a complete 18-month course in manufacturing and repairing jewelry. ... The organization received a state charter in April 1947. The charter officers of the organization were Paul J. Wald, president; E. L. Rolls, vice president; Joseph Bloom; treasurer and technical adviser, Carl Ochenreider, comptroller, Mont Sweezy; counsel; J. Clyde Gilfillan; dean, Paul J. Cubbison; registrar, Josephine E. Jenkins. William E. Nixon was an expert diamond setter from Pittsburgh was one of the instructors. The school appears to have been set up to assist returning veterans. Ads in the News pled for rooms or apartments for veterans in order for them to attend the course in Rehabilitation Training. The school taught students from around the country representing some 18-20 states. The group first used facilities at 242 E. Washington Street. It purchased the former Aiken/Pearson St/Central school on Pearson street and completely remodeled it to fit the needs of the fast-growing school. The first class of students numbered 33 men who were enrolled on June 2, 1946. By December 185 students were enrolled. That number grew to 350 by December 1947. The faculty numbered 25 at the time, the date the first class of students graduated. It appears that the last class was in 1951. The building appears to have been sold at the County Treasurer’s Sale in May 1956 for back taxes. From 1959-1971 the building was occupied by New Castle Battery. Thanks to Stephanie Fulena for inquiring about the use of the Pearson Street School as a jewelry school that prompted this research.

A Common Education Betty Hoover DiRisio The Pennsylvania Constitution of 1790 required that public schools were to be established throughout the state. Yet it took over forty years before laws were put in place funding and establishing the school system. In 1831 a fund was set up within the state treasury and the law provided that once the fund was earning over $100,000 a year in interest, the interest could be used to fund public schooling. ... That is not to say that schools didn’t exist. Existing schools were paid for through subscriptions by parents of the children attending. If you had no money to pay, your child did not receive an education. In 1833 Mercer County (of which Lawrence was part) had paid nothing to educate the poor. In 1834 the law to establish common schools was passed. Counties and townships were required to vote on whether or not they wanted an appropriation for common schools funded by a tax. If they voted no, they would receive nothing from the fund; if they voted yes they would receive money and would have a tax levied on them for educating the poor gratis, and the money would be paid out of the county treasury to such districts to be added to their common school fund. It took a number of years before everyone bought into the system. The system allowed all children, rich or poor, or black or white, to receive an education. By 1843 there was enough money in the coffers for distribution; and there were two common schools in New Castle. By 1851 there four common schools in the city: Northeast, Southeast, Northwest and Southwest. One was located a little South-East of where the old Fountain Inn once stood at the Diamond on the East side of Cochran alley, and was known as the Bell School. One was on North Street and one was on North Beaver. The location of the fourth has yet to be discovered. In 1852 all four buildings were sold and New Castle went to the Union plan of schooling whereby schools were graded, children after meeting standard requirements were promoted from one grade to the next. The new Union School, later known as Martin Gantz was located on N. Jefferson and had seven grades or rooms. In 1858 the second Union school was erected in East New Castle. It was known at times as Central, Aiken, Pearson or Reynoldstown school. Photo: First Union School in New Castle - Martin Gantz; Second Union School "Central" in New Castle. (Central became New Castle Battery.)

We are working towards finding when this PHMC History Marker was removed/stolen from the exit on US 422 near New Castle School of Trades. We have narrowed the probable accident that hit the marker between December 30, 2011-November 2018 (utilizing the History Marker Database and Google Maps). Should you have a more narrow date range, please let us know to inform the police department. (Photo by Mike Wintermantel, December 30, 2011)

Today, we dedicated a room within the Joseph A. Clavelli Cultural Heritage Center to our former board member and long-time volunteer, Maryann Galiano.

October 23, 1983. Beirut bombing and loss of American soldiers. Shenango class of 1980 lost one of our classmates Sgt James McDonough. Remember him and say thank you to the servicemen and women you know. He was taken too young.

The Lawrence County Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, in New Castle, PA, have always taken a special interest in educational work, and as a r...esult of nearly 50 years of their efforts, the site of the first church in Lawrence County has been marked with a proper monument. On Flag Day 1922, a memorial tablet was unveiled at Moravia, Lawrence County, PA, marking the site of the establishment of the old Moravian Village, Friedensstadt, founded in the Spring of 1770. The site marks the location of the first Christian settlement and church in the entire district of Western Pennsylvania, west of the Alleghenies. The marker, a huge granite boulder, resting on a large base, (the large base is now gone, but the boulder and plaque still remain), was donated through the generosity of Mr. David Kirk, President of the Crescent Cement Company, of Wampum, PA. Everson Clifton Hulbert, a civil engineer for the Crescent Cement Company since 1910, and one of Mr. Kirk's able assistants, engineered the work. It bears a bronze keystone containing the inscription: "This stone marks the site of the former Moravian Indian village of Languntoutenunk, or Friedensstadt, or city of Peace. Settled by the Moravian Indians in the spring of 1770. The majority of the members of this Mission had formerly belonged to the Missission at Wyalusing, before removing to Lawunakhannek on the Allegheny River, from which place they removed to this site. In the spring of 1773 the inhabitants of this village moved to Gnadenhuetten and Schoenbrunn in the Tuscarawas Valley, where other Moravian Missions were organized." Erected by the Pennsylvania Historical Commission, the Moravian Historical Society and the Lawrence Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution. 1921. The surrounding community, as well as the chapter, were very grateful to Mr. Kirk for his generous gift. A program was prepared and Benjamin G. Graham, of the New Castle Public Schools, presided and introduced the speakers. The principal addresses were made by Mrs. Anthony Wayne Cooke, President General, and Dr. Joseph H. Bausman, who also presented the marker. Judge J. Sharpe Wilson of Beaver, PA, in his speech of acceptance on behalf of the people, thanked the Daughters for their patriotic gift of so beautiful a monument to the pioneer founders. The marker was unveiled by Vera and Violet Simonton, the five-year-old twin daughters of Mr. and Mrs. F.G. Simonton, of Edinburg. The two roadside historical markers along Route 18 at Moravia, marking the site of Friedensstadt, were placed by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission on March 12, 1948.

From our current exhibit: Urban Renewal of the 1960s, photographs by John Hitch. Demolition of old County Jail Take home the exhibit! Order the accompanying book on our website. https://hoytartcenter.org//new-castles-urban-renewal-thro/

A Very Honest Taxpayer in New Castle - 1842

We are saddened to hear of the passing of our eldest member, Virginia Gurgacz at 102. We were also informed of the passing of our former volunteer and life-long member, Eleanor Coates. Our thoughts are with these families at this time.