What memories do you have of this 1969 event?
The follow-up discussion to this post on Facebook illustrate the vivid memories longtime residents of Parkesburg have of this fearful night 42 years ago.
Kathi Rendall Really Jack? Why do you say that? It was pretty sensational for me 1/2 block away...
Sunday at 5:09pm
Jack Mariano Had the Pagans not been involved (an outside gang) there probably wouldn't have been an incident.
Sunday at 5:29pm
Ken Knickerbocker Interesting Jack. I stumbled across a clipping from Rome, Georgia last week. The story was more than a local incident.
Sunday at 5:34pm
Kathi Rendall That is in fact what happened. There were many people shot who had been at a Labor Day party that came down to investigate an incident had happened earlier in the day.
Sunday at 5:36pm
Kathi Rendall Blown out of proportion? It was my 13th birthday and I had to crawl in my own house below the windows. I did stand up long enough to see a dead man in the street. My father, brother and another man were hiding in our bushes with guns. The town was under a curfew for quite some time, the store were looted, windows broken. It lead to years of racial unrest.
Sunday at 5:38pm
Jack Mariano Some of the folks at the Arms weren't happy about a couple of the black guys from tha bar across the street. The Arms folks solicted the help from a couple members of the Pagans motorcycle group. Mysteriously, one fellow was shot and killed. I do not know if they ever proved who actually did the shooting.
Sunday at 5:39pm
Jack Mariano Ken...I was about 15 or 16 and I thought the Pagans were "cool" in fact my dad worked with the Pagans local VP (Jack Anderson). One of my buddies and me rode our chopped up bicycles back and forth past the Arms several times that afternoon.
Sunday at 5:41pm
Jack Mariano Mr. Dickinson (although I didn't know him personally) used to walk shirtless in the street, pounding his fists on his chest. That bothered a lot of people but really, it wasn't breaking the law.
Sunday at 5:43pm
Jack Mariano Racial tensions were already a ltille high after the killing of a young black man on Main St. - a few years prior.
Sunday at 5:44pm
Jack Mariano I recall one of the defendants saying that he was asleep in his upstairs room and never heard anything.
Sunday at 5:46pm
Jack Mariano Unfortunately, I had to leave the area to report for work at the Cathlolic Church for BINGO.
Sunday at 5:47pm
Jack Mariano Actually, I walked down Chestnut St. to First Ave. and stood there watching. All of a sudden, this familiar brown VW rolls down first ave and turned to go back towards thre railroad station. "Familiar" because it was Mr. Anderson's car. Also, there was a rather large man in the passenfger seat...all I could see was his shoulders and his "colors" I thought UH OH! and I returned to my job.
Sunday at 5:57pm
Jack Mariano Sometime later, the church hall received a call that there was a "riot" downtown, make an announcement that all patrons should go home but not by way of First Ave.
Sunday at 5:58pm
Jack Mariano Subsequently, Borough Council hire a full time Police Chief out of Chester, PA and five full time police officers (plus a couple of part time officers) which they later on discovered that the Bourgh could not afford.
Sunday at 6:01pm
Jack Mariano Kathy, I do remember a story about a party, do you remember where this was held?
Sunday at 6:02pm
Debbie Reynolds Helms
I was there when this happened. I probably told this before. My brother's band was playing in the lounge and my Mom was in there to listen to them. I was with Lee Mitchell and Lisa Stoltzfus and not sure who else. There were Pagans sho...See More
Sunday at 6:30pm
Debbie Reynolds Helms I remember the shots and noise and a black girl I knew from school said to me These negros are crazy tonight. And walking down and seeing bullet holes in the stores the next day. I was just scared for my Mom and brother. I and Lisa had gone into the Arms before this happened. We'd go into the door behind the bar to use the bathroom there. But we didn't go into the lounge. We were trying to see the band.
Sunday at 6:36pm
Debbie Reynolds Helms I don't remember that happening but I can't remember everything about that incident. I just know it was a wild night!!
Sunday at 7:17pm
Bill Glenn
Somehow the community knew that there may be an incident brewing at the Arm’s Hotel that evening. My parents forbid me from being in that area until farther notice. At that time period I was mobile on my bicycle and often rode it to the far reaches of the town limits. So where did several of us young boys end up that evening….?!??!?!.... In front of the old ACME building across from the Arm’s Hotel. I’ll try and remember who was with me: Scott Smith, Mark Smith, Greg Kellon & Ron Wiggins – I don’t think brother Kerry was with us. So, we just hung out there – sitting on our bicycles trying to be cool (because we had banana seats and high handle bars on our bikes) Suddenly the commotion escalated and before we knew it there were GUN SHOTS! We got out of there quick! I remember pedaling up the hill behind Butler’s Hardware – pedaling so hard that I thought I was going to break the spokes out of the wheel. We all kept riding as fast and as hard as we could until we all got back to 3rd Ave. There were probably 4 to 6 shots fired – it happened pretty quick – and as we were riding away.
Sunday at 9:04pm
Deb Zwicker Wilson Bill - Storytelling must run in your family ..... You tell a story as well as your brother Kerry! More please . . . .
Sunday at 10:25pm
Heather Thompson Kellon I graduated in 1998 and there was still racists. Blacks sat on one end of the cafeteria and whites on the other end. It was even worse when I was in second grade. They had to close the school several times, because of the KKK trying to scare off anyone who wasn't white.
23 hours ago
Debbie Reynolds Helms I think I'll pick my brother's brain to see what he remembers from inside. Dave Jones was the lead singer in the band and for some reason every time he would wear this one shite satin shirt he would somehow get blood on it.
22 hours ago
Kerry Glenn
Mayor Graham Boice had died the week before this, and if memory serves me, Chief of Police Earl F. Shipman ("Shippie") was ill and hospitalized. At the Boro Council meeting the following week, Council President William J. Findley was elevated to the office of Mayor (per State law), and "Shippie," who was likely already well past retirement age anyway, retired. Not long before his death (late 1990s?), Bill Findley told me the first thing he did as Mayor was to call Jack Anderson down to the police Station for a face-to-face meeting, and Bill said he pointed his finger in Jack's face and said, "I want those P____ns (biker gang) OUT OF PARKESBURG."
22 hours ago
Debbie Reynolds Helms Shipman looked old when we were kids! I thought he was scary! My Dad took him on a few times though!
20 hours ago
Dave Tennant Sr. I always stopped at the Arms on my way home from work for a beer.That day when I walked in, all I saw was strangers & guns. Roy Skiles Sr. walked up to me & said Dave, you have a new baby at home,get out of here now. I left & drove to my home on fourth ave. As I stepped onto my porch the shooting started. Thanks Rima.
18 hours ago
Bob Stoner AS I REMEMBER IT, THE ARMS WAS ALWAYS AN INTERESTING PLACE. IF YOU WERE LOOKING FOR TROUBLE, YOU'D FIND IT IN THERE.
18 hours ago
Dave Tennant Sr. Bob Stoner, The Arms was always a very peacful place to meet your friends, & have a beer. The mentality of some people in that era was certinally in question. Issues between blacks & whites at that time were certinally an issue. I truly believe that all of us have put it behind & together move forward. My humble opinion.
Debbie Reynolds Helms Dave I think it sticks in my mind so well too because my Dad had passed away in November 1968. Had he still be living I'm sure I would have been no where near there. And it was a big event in my young teenage life.
11 hours ago
Jack Mariano Ken, any suprise that a sory like this was big news in GEORGIA during this period?
8 hours ago
4 comments:
Jack Mariano
You are an idiot. You made up lies. You wrote those lies just to get people angry. You just did it for me. Harry never ran around with his shirt off and beat on his chest. He was always well dressed and clean. I worked with you for thirty years. You know where I live, stop up and I will set you straight. Ms Nita
Jack,
Like I said you are an idiot.
I received articles from Germany. They were sent to me by an Army Sgt. who was on duty there.
Ms Nita
JACK, Blown out of proportion? I have received articles from Maryland, DC, Virginia and Louisiana.
Ms. Nita, I appreciate you weighing in tonight and earlier this week. The old newspaper clippings I found prove your point. This incident made front page news way beyond Parkesburg. Also judging from the memories posted here, the experience left a lasting impression on the minds of what were then Parkesburg's children and youth. I was glad to see Jacks comment, which was made early in the conversation, quickly corrected by Kathi Rendall.
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