August Explorations

Spence and I had a good week exploring some classic Americana sites. We had lunch at Eddie’s Diner, Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, that looks like a classic diner that has been remodeled, updated and has had substantial additions. In the original section, there are three booths to the right and a cashier stand with two additional booths to the left. There are 18 affixed stools along the straight counter, with a banner behind the counter noting the 25th anniversary of the diner (in 2012). The primary color scheme of the diner is a dark pink set against the stainless steel fixtures. Eddie’s Diner offered Spencer is first opportunity to try Birch Beer, which I think her enjoyed. The diner was busy and the servers knew many of the patrons by name.

The following day we made our way to Crystal Grottoes Caverns just outside Boonsboro, Maryland. The cave was discovered on 18 September 1920 when workers, excavating limestone to build Route 34, broke through and felt cool air emerging from the ground. After exploring the caverns, excavations were halted with the provision that the cave would be open to the public. The cave’s first day of business was 2 April 1922 when tourists were charged 7 cents to enter. Because no humans entered the cave until the twentieth century, many of the formations are pristine. This small roadside attraction, the only caves open to the general public in Maryland, is both fun and educational.

Just a few miles away stands the first completed memorial dedicated to George Washington on South Mountain.  Washington Monument State Park, located in Middletown, Maryland, was built by the citizens of Boonsboro on 4 July 1827. The more famous monument, the marble obelisk in Washington DC, was built between 1848 and 1884. Standing fifteen feet high at the end of the day, the Maryland monument was completed in September of that year can stood thirty feet. It has fallen into disrepair from time to time and was most recently rebuilt by the Civilian Conservation Corp in 1936.

A fellow visitor at the
Washington Monument

Holsum Bread Advertisement at Keystone Stores

The monument, which you can climb to the top of, offers a beautiful view of the valley below. Unfortunately, on the day we visited, the mountain was shrouded in clouds and fog. Every so often, the clouds would momentarily part to offer a tantalizing view of the valley below.

Our week ended with an exploration of the small borough of Pine Grove Pennsylvania. Among the interesting sites in the town was the Pine Grove Theatre, opened in 1910 and the Keystone Stores, an old grocery store that still has many of the old advertisements in its windows.

Grover Cleveland’s Boyhood Home

I had a few minutes to kill on a Monday morning in August and decided to seek out the boyhood home of the only American president to serve non-consecutive terms in office. Located on Academy Street Cleveland’s home in Fayetteville, NY still looks much the same as it did in the late nineteenth century. 

New York Central Railroad Station (Rome, NY)

Located on Martin Street, the train station in Rome was built between 1912 and 1914. The station was necessitated when tracks were realigned in the city and replaced an older station downtown. Currently, the station is served by Amtrak.

Restored in 2004, the interior of this lightly used station is beautiful. Many of the original (or at least old) features have been preserved. The wood benches that are fixtures in many stations look pristine. Signs direct patrons to services, such as newsagents and subways, that are no longer available. Overall, the station is a portal, not only to other places, but to a time when Rome was larger and more prosperous.  

A Texas Lunch in Lock Haven

Even though I had multiple ringed coffee-stains on my khaki shorts from a leaky cup I rested on my leg while driving, the employees and management of the Texas Lunch Restaurant in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania welcomed me to their fine establishment. After much consideration I chose the Texas Lunch after hearing an interview with Shawn Micallef about his new book about how we dismiss some eating options because of class concerns. This establishment, I decided, is where you have breakfast, not brunch. Open since 1918, the restaurant bills itself as the “home of the Growler,” which appears to be a hot dog of sorts. Large hot dogs and hamburgers seem to be a theme of “Texas lunch” establishments that dot Pennsylvania.

As you walk into the Texas Lunch, there are ten small booths that line the right hand wall. To the left is an open kitchen with a grill top and a deep fryer. Stainless steel is the predominant material throughout the restaurant. Beyond the cooking area, there is a double-U shaped counter with traditional diner stools, which is where I had my lunch. Prominently adorning the walls in the back of the restaurant are four replica New York Yankee uniforms (Ruth #3, Gehrig #4, DiMaggio #5, and Mantle #7). Across the way is a large shadow box with several autographed baseballs. There are a few items from Lock Haven University as well.

As I was having my grilled ham and cheese sandwich, two fellows wearing sleeveless shirts sat a few seats away at the counter. They each had two chili dogs and shared a plate of fries. Meanwhile, in a booth behind me, two late-middle age men talked about the experience of serving in the military while finishing the remainders of their soft drinks. This restaurant, located in the heart of downtown Lock Haven, is a place where all kinds of people gather for food and conversation, apparently for nearly 100 years.

Baseball: July 2014

Bowman Field in Williamsport, PA

This month I attended a game in my 48th minor league stadium, Susquehanna Bank Park at Historical Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The stadium was built in 1926 and is currently the home of the Williamsport Crosscutters. Originally the field was named Memorial Field but was renamed in 1929 to honor J. Warren Bowman.

The outfield wall of Forbes Field

Bowman Field hosted its first game on 27 April 1926, which was the first of a two game series between the Williamsport Grays and the Harrisburg Giants of the Negro National League. The Grays played as a member of the New York-Pennsylvania League in 1926, but opened against the Giants as a warm-up exhibition. The Giants, a much more experienced team, won both games easily.

Homeplate from the final game at Forbes Field, 28 June 1970

On my way to see two games at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, I stopped by to recce the remains of old Forbes Field. The former home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, from 1909 to 1971, was the site of some historic players and games, including Roberto Clements and Honus Wagner. The stadium saw Bill Mazeroski’s World Series winning homerun as well as the final three homeruns of the Babe Ruth’s career. Today, all that remains of the great stadium are the outfield wall and home plate, which is situated inside Posvar Hall (University of Pittsburgh).

PNC Park (July 2014)

Statue of Satchel Paige at PNC Park