Parkesburg Yesterday

Main Street in Parkesburg looking west in front of the Methodist Church in January 1942 as posted on Facebook yesterday by Betsy Wilde Benner. 

Parkesburg Yesterday

Parkesburg Today is indebted to Kathi Rendall and unofficial Parkesburg historian Kerry Glenn this morning for the contents of this post.  Kathi posted the three post cards below on Facebook yesterday and Kerry's subsequent comments were worth capturing on these pages.  Thanks to both!

Post card courtesy of Kathi Rendall

Kerry Glenn's comment:

See the "Bell Telephone" sign two doors west of the Bank? That's where the town's switchboards were prior to 1933. Two of my Great-Aunts worked there as Operators - Helen Varnes and Irene Cromleigh.

Post card courtesy of Kathi Rendall

Kerry Glenn's Comment:

A few of those old tourist cabins are still there - and another is next door at the former "Piston Poppers" cycle track. Cement post is the Lincoln Highway mile marker, installed in 1928.

Post card courtesy of Kathi Rendall

Kerry Glenn's comments:

1916 Seagraves. When my Grandmother & Grandfather (F. Roy and Mae Varnes Connell) returned home from their Honeymoon trip in 1925, the Fire Co. pulled up in front of their house one evening, sat them up high in the back, and drove them all over with the siren wailing and the bell clanging.

My Grandfather was Fire Chief at the time, and they came up in the fire truck to 520 Second Avenue prior to the monthly Fire Co. meeting, put them on the truck and drove around town, then dropped her off at home again and they drove back over to the old Fire Hall (State Street) and then had their meeting. 

Parkesburg Solicitor Opening Main Street Law Office

Borough Solicitor John Carnes has acquired and is in the process of renovating the property at the corner of Main Street and Route 10 with the hopes of opening a new law office this Fall.

Carnes, a Parkesburg native and Borough Solicitor since 2006, is completely renovating what was previously a single family dwelling.  When the work is done later this Fall, he'll have a law office on the first floor and a three bedroom apartment on the second floor accessible by a door at the rear of the building.

In a conversation Monday, Carnes said workman are replacing all the flooring on the first level with old pine floor boards salvaged from a demolished building elsewhere.  

In the next several weeks those same workers will repaint the entire exterior of the building from top to bottom, as well as pave and line the 5 car parking lot between the building and Route 10. 

"I'm really excited about refurbishing this old house and having an office in Parkesburg," Carnes said.

We're not only happy to have John back in the 'Burg but thrilled to see 101 Main Street fixed up and given new life!

Weekly Wrap

As submitted by Kerry Glenn on Facebook

By Magdalena Stuehrmann

This Saturday in the Parkesburg Today,  two tickets to the Lions Club Circus were offered to the first person lucky enough to identify the location and name of the old building pictured on the blog by noon on the fourth. Also in news about the fourth, residents were warned that no yard waste would be picked up this week to keep the area looking great for the holiday. The Parkesburg Lions Club made a generous donation of $250, to the library and residents were kept posted that the library would be closed in honor of the Independence Day holiday. The library’s June News was posted, alerting members of the community (including parents with children who need to be out of the house for a while) to various activities hosted at the library over the summer, including a poetry group, a knitting group, and an American Girl Club.

            This Friday, we were alerted to all the Fourth of July hot spots in Chester Country for planned fireworks, introduced to possible relief for the invasion of the stink bugs, which was my first post at Parkesburg Today, and updated on the situations of school budgets across the area. Administrators and teachers agreed to one-year pay freezes, though so far it looks like this has only occurred for administrators in the Octorara District. The day began with a reminder of the fireworks display in Minch Park around 9:30.

            This Thursday, we were treated to a picture of a flag-bedecked red barn, presumably in honor of the upcoming holiday, a whimsical photo out of a Strasburg Ave. window. We also met Mr. Gerry Treadway, a frequent contributor to Parkesburg Today and dedicated patriot, setting out extra flags in honor of Independence Day. We were updated on both the Octorara District budget (which includes $1.6 million in cuts) and West Fallowfield Christian School where 24 top achieving students were awarded the Presidential Education Award. Parkesburg's own The Tree Doctor, Mike Martorano, alleviated our confusion over the strange purple boxes that hang from trees on Route 41 – they are traps for the infestation of tree eating Emerald Ash Borers.

            Wednesday would have been a revelation day for many of us, if we weren’t already acquainted with the coffee addiction sweeping the globe! The world seems to love its coffee! It was also made apparent that some of us don’t feel safe enough in Walmart to leave our guns outside the store – the clientele of mothers, teens and families can sure be frightening!

            Tuesday saw the beginning of the Parkesburg fire company fair in Minch Park, and the opening of several rooms for rent at Parkesburg Arms – 42 rooms, 8 bathrooms and various common areas are features of the building. The history behind “TheFlats” was revealed as well as an excellent picture submitted by Parkesburg Today's frequent yet reluctant contributor, Kerry Glenn,  of the buildings, date as yet undisclosed.

            Sunday in the Parkesburg Today, the day care business, Curiosity Corner went on the real estate market, asking price $1, 300,000. Any takers, check out Loopnet.com for more details.