* SECTION © — PAGE 2
Shavertown Firemen To Have Open House
Company Was Organized In 1925
As Shavertown Chemical Co. No. 1
. Jacob Rau Was Elected President At
Meeting In Shavertown Grade School
The original suggestions for the
formation of a fire company in Shav-
ertown came from a group of men
known as the Men's Club of Shaver-
town which later became The Shay-
~ertown Improvement Association.
According to the official seal of the
Shavertown Fire Company the comp-
any was organized in 1925 and in-
corporated in 1926, The name was
Shavertown Chemical Co. No. 1 and
the first meeting was held May 8,
1925 in Shavertown grade school
where it was agreed that the fire
company would meet on the first and
third Fridays. |
~ Early records uncovered by Pre-
sident Edward Carey and Secretary
Fred Malkames show that Jacob Rau
was first fire chief and Bernard B ush
president, , W.H. Morgan, secretary,
Sam Woolbert, treasurer and Al Ray,
financial secretary.’
Trustees were: “Benjamin Hicks,
Luther Major, Leo Swartz, Hale Gar-
ey and William Hoffman. ‘Albert Bush
was ifrst fire chief and Bernard Bush
first fire captain.
Committees were named at the or-
ganization meeting to solicit funds to
purchase the necessary apparatus,
which was mounted on a Winton Six
chassis donated by Bernard Bush.
FREE OF DEBT IN 1927 .
In 1927 a new chassis was purchas-
ed and guaranteed by the trustees
and at a special meeting, held in the
form of a smoker, the final note was
burned by Henry Shaver, freeing the
. company of indebtedness. :
In 1931 the membership decided
to come before the community once
a year for funds and called the event
‘a Community Day. The affairs were
huge successes and within three
years the company had raincoats, in-
surance for members, new tires and
other incidentals necessary to an up-
to-date fire company.
A Relief Association was organized
in 1930 and chartered by the Court.
Officers were: Andrew Fischer, pre-
sident; George Shaver, vice president;
Scott Van Horn, secretary; Ralph
Bertram, treasurer; George Prater,
Howard Appleton and Henry Shaver,
trustees.
Other early presidents of the Fire
Company ware: HH. Hill, HS. Van
Campen, LT. “Red” Schwartz, Will-
ard Gary, Andrew Fischer, George
Prater, and Cortez Jennings.
The above was largely taken from
a chronology published in a program
by The Dallas Post for the fifth an-~
nual Community Day held on the
Shavertown school grounds and in
the MLE. Church building on Satur-
day afternoon and evening, August
24, 1935.
Leo T. ‘Red” Schwartz, one of the
four living charter members of the
original organization has been a val-
uable source in filling in the early
history. Other living charter mem-
bers are: Herman Van Campen, Jacob
Rau and Sam Anthony. Deceased
charter members were: Charles Hoff-
man, Albert Bush, Hale Gary,Ralph
Bertram.
Ladies Auxiliary
It is noted the 1935 Community
Day program that Ladies Auxiliary
was organized, in 1934. However
when the new building was completed
in 1954 it was discovered that the
Ladies organization had never been
chartered and it ‘became necessary
to go through this legal process some
twenty-eight years after the Auxili-
ary came into being.
1935 officers of the Ladies Auxili-
ary were: President, Mrs. Martin
Bilbow, Vice President, Mrs. George
Prater, 2nd Vice President, Mrs.
Thomas Davis, Secretary, Mrs. Wil-
alim Dierolf and Treasurer, Mrs.
George Shaver.
Officers of the company in 1935
were: President Cortez Jennings, Vice
President P.M. Malkames, Secretary,
Daniel Shaver, Treasurer, Harry Sei-
gel, Financial Secretary, Horace Hall,
Trustees, Harry Goeringer, L. T.
Schwartz, H.S. Vian Campen, Ralph
Bertram and Harold Lloyd. Fire
Chief was H.S. Van Campen; Assist-
ant Chief George Shaver; 2nd Assist-
ant Charles Gosart and Captain Steve
Johnson.
“Red” Schwartz recollects that the
fire company always had g hard time
raising the necessary finances even
though they were providing a vital
service for the community. Their first
chore was to raise $900 for the chem-
ical tanks. These were placed on the
old Winton chassis with the members
of the fire company donating their
services for the installation. Plumb-
ing, carpentry and sheet metal work
was all dofie by the membership.
The first home that the fire truck
occupied was the private garage of
Herm Van Campen.
Hoffman Bakery Burns
Red was of the opinion that the
first fire chief wags Charles Hoffman.
Nonetheless when Hoffman was fire
chief one of the first serious fires de-
stroyed ‘the Fire Chief’s building and
4
THE DALLAS POST, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1962
DALLAS, PENNSYLVANIA
Sunday At 1
bakery, located on Main and Frank-
lin Streets.Clarance Miers and fam-
ily lived on the second floor but were
not at home when ‘the fire broke out.
Their furniture was saved by the
firemen but the building was a total
loss.
Parsonage Destroyed
The next serious fire destroyed
the Methodist parsonage on Pioneer
Avenue located where the present
parsonage now stands.
Still another fire interrupted the
ball game held between the single
men and the married men of ‘the
community. The ball game was never
finished and occasionally controversy
still flares as to who was the victor
in this game.
: Buy Own Building
About 1930 the Department bought
the former Fire Company building on
Main Street from Frank and Eugene
Piatt who had operated a garage at
that location for some time. The
building was bought for $4,500. A
house-to-house canvass, swelled by
funds from subsequent Community
or Feld Days raised the funds for
remodeling, about $3,000.
It is interesting to note that the
Community Days were held on the
lot where the Back Mountain Hard-
ware Lumber and Coal and Wyom-
ing National Bank and the Postoffice
now stand.This property cost the fire
company $450. The membership had
planned to use it for the construct-
ion of a roller skating rink and bowl-
ing alleys, but this venture never
matured.
The ground was later sold for $2,000,
a handsome sum in those happier
days. -
Somewhere about this time a sec-
ond hand truck was purchased and
new pumping apparatus was installed
on it, through the aid of Civil De-
fense. Committee was: Hod Woolbert,
Bert Stetzer and Reverend Edmon-
son. ;
Equipment was gradually improved
throughout the next few years with
no noteworthy additions on any given
date but the fire company continued
to grow on a more substantial basis.
Buys Fine New Pumper
In 1954 it was thought that a new
fire truck was vital to the commun-
ity. A fund-raising drive was organ-
ized to finance the project and Ed-
ward Hall was named chairman.
Cost was placed at $15,000. Civil
Defense agreed to pay $5,000 if the
balance could be raised by popular
subscription. The effort was success-
ful and a brand new Peter Pirsch
fire truck, equipped with tank and
pumper, was bought.
Members of the fund raising com-
mittee were:Granville Sowden, Shel-
don , Evans, Ross Williams, John
Baur, Daniel Shaver, Charles Man-
near, Dr. Malcomb Borthwick, Dr.
Michael Bucan and Thomas Graham.
Honorary members of the com-
Dr. Marshall C. Rumbaugh, rep-
resenting Back Mountain Lumber &
Coal Company, presented a sym-
bolic key to ‘the building to Edward !
Community Leaders Accept Symbolic Key To Building
Carey, president of: the Fire -Com-
pany, in the presence of FireCom- |
pany, and Kingston Township Com- |
munity Ambulance Officers. |
Left to right: Tom Hetferman, Jr.,
John Chapel, Joseph Youngblood,
Fred Malkemes, Gordon Austin,
Granville Sowden, Dr. Marshall C.
Rumbaugh, Ed Carey, Bert Pugh,
Martin Porter, Andy Roan, William
Fredericks, Bill Kreischer, and Harry
Smith.
mittee were clergymen Rev. John J.
O'Leary, Rev. Robert Yost, Rev.Fred-
rick Bidam and Rev. Russell Edmon-
son.
President of the Fire Company was
Robert Voelker; Vice President Thom
as Morgan, secretary; Allen Austin,
treasurer; Edward Carey, Fire Chief
Russell Edmonson; and assistant
Chief Emil J. Klinges.
The Pirsch Truck was the ultimate
in fire fighting equipment and Shav-
ertown Firemen were the envy of
every other fire company. It was al-
ways placed at the head of the line
at parades and fire company con-
ventions.
Just this year another addition was
made when a new Chevrolet Chassis
was bought and equipped with tanks
already in the possession of the
company.
Both trucks are kept in the new
fire company building along with the
Community Ambulance.
Finances for a number of years
now have been obtained through the
distribution of fire and ambulance
cards to each home with space pro-
vided for the insertion of quarters
to the extent of $5.00 ;
Both fire calls and ambulance calls
are answered without question when
the need arises without regard to
contributions.
Of the amount received from the
cards 70% goes to the Fire Com-
pany and 30% to the Community
Ambulance. ) %
It would be unfair not to mention
the community efforts of “Ted” Poad
in the affairs of both the Fire Com-
Frances Slocum Play Coincides
With Naming Of Recreation Area
Folks in the Back Mountain who
were not alerted to tune in-on Chan-
nel 28 Monday morning at 9:35, miss-
ed a delightful pantomime, given in
the main by local children, directed
by a local woman, following her
daughter's script, a reenactment of
the capture of Frances Slocum by
the Indians.
The pantomime, written by Deb-
orah B. Rogers and directed by her
mother, Mrs. Lewis L. Rogers III, who
lives on the old Dr. Howell place
outside Trucksville, was taped Wed-
nesday night at WBRE. A last minute
substitution was made in the cast,
Linda Bell taking the place of Nancy
Jean Coleman who had the part of
Nathan Kingsley, the white boy who
was killed during the encounter in
the woods.
Members of the cast were enter-
tained after the taping at the‘home
of Mrs. Robert M. Rosenbluth, senior
president of the Frances Slocum Co-
ciety, Children of the American Rev-
pany and the Ambulance Fund.
Ted is a past president of the
Fire Company and has always been
active in its welfare.
He has also acted as custodian of
the Ambulance Fund and has born
the responsibility of the distribution
and collection of cards since the in-
ception of the system.
CTR RRR
igratulations...to the
HAY
EL.
NEW MODERN BUILDING...
gt 4 Completely Heated By Electricity, the Most Modern Method
of Comfort Heating, The Luzerne Electric Division of UGI
LUZERNE E
ERTIWN FI
Ld
joins with Business Firms and Friends in Extending Best Wishes
to the Shavertown Fire Company. We are proud to be Asso-
olated with this Progressive Enterprise and the Community it
serves. :
olution.
Narrator was Miss Rogers; first
Indian, William Harradon Vincent;
second Indian Thomas Byrd Bobo Jr.;
Joseph Slocum, Joseph Henry Pool
5th; Frances Slocum, Susan Drum
Rogers; Isaac Slocum, Federick Mich
ael Shortz; Mary Slocum, Dianne
Lynn Davies; Mrs. Slocum, Sara
Louise Bobo; Ebenezer Slocum, Lewis
Leonidas Rogers 4th; Nathan Kinsley,
Linda Bell; Wareham Kingsley, Marc
Davies; Judith Slocum, Janet Eliza-
beth Flack.
Children were arrayed in costumes
of the Revolutionary days of America,
when little girls wore long skirts
fashioned after the styles worn by
their mothers. Mrs. Thomas Bobo
assisted Mrs. Rosenbluth with the
costumes.
Boys in the cast who have been
letting it grow since rehearsals start-
ed in August, are now luxuriating in
new haircuts. £
Some of the boys’ costumes, says
Mrs. Bobo, presented problems. How
to manage a naked scalp with a top-
knot, for an Indian, was solved by
using tan lisle stockings, with a tuft
of coontail lifted from a Daniel Boone
cap, stitched down the middle, plus
plenty of grease paint.
Real hams, all the children, reports
Mrs. Lewis Rogers. Her daughter
Deborah, 15, a student at Wyoming
Seminary, and State Director for
National Education of Children of
the American Revolution, conceived
the idea of a Frances Slocum pant-
omime last spring, and wrote the
script.
The story of the last day that
Frances Slocum spent with her fam-
ily was played without benefit of
scenery, but with authentic props,
churn, grindstone, cradle and pioneer
implements. Scalping of the boy
Nathan Kingsley was carried out with
a great deal of verve by a painted
Indian flourishing a dripping toma-
hawk, which he wiped carefully
afterward on his hunting trousers.
Patriotic /Education Week, which
started Monday and continues thro-
ugh Saturday, was designed to foster
increasing respect for the country,
the flag, and pioneer days. Restor-
ation of the country’s rich heritage
of landmarks is one of the goals.
A number of schools carried the T-V
program Monday.
The Frances Slocum pantomime
could not have been more timely,
coinciding as it does with decision to
name ‘the mew recreation area in
Carverton for the young white girl
who was spirited away by Indians
in November of 1778.
The fair sex are better pedestri-
ans than the males, says the Wyo-
ming Valley Motor Club. Statistics
show that men and boys are in-
volved in seven out of every ten
fatal pedestrian mishaps.
Everybody Is
Urged To Come
To Open House
Firemen To Explain
Rpparatus; Auxiliary
To Serve Refreshments
The entire Back Mountain Com-~
munity is invited to attend the Open
House conducted by Shavertown Fire
Company from one until six this Sun-
day.
Fire Companies and friends from a
distance are also expected ‘to be pres-
ent according to Edward Carey, Presi-
dent of the Company.
Members of the Fire Company and
Kingston Township Ambulance As-
sociation will be present to explain
the, modern equipment and to greet
old and new friends. :
Members of the Ladies Auxiliary
will serve refreshments consisting of
coffee and cake and soft drinks for
children. :
This is a community project, ex-
plained Mr. Carey, and we want
everybody to learn how the fire com-
pany operates and learn how to co-
operate with the fire company when
placing calls for assistance.
Mr. Carey paid tribute to the gen-
uine spirit of cooperation that ex-
ists between all fire companies of the
Back Mountain area in keeping fire
losses to a miniumn whereever they
may break out.
Our equipment is designed not only
to take care of our own needs but to
fit in with the equipment of all other
companies with whom we fight fires
when needed or who come to our as-
sistance when we need help.
If you are new in the community}
Mr. Carey said, and have never at-
tended a Fire Company meeting or
taken part with us, come out and get
acquainted. You are cordially invited.
Turkey Shoot At
Rod End Gun Club
A turkey shoot will be held Sun-
day at Harveys Lake Rod and Gun
Club from 11 till dark, for large and
small bore gifels.
Targets will be turkey cards and
standing deer targets up to 200
yards.
Refreshments will be available at
the club-house. The public is invited
even if one is strictly a watcher.
Other such shoots will be held
November 4 and 18.
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS
THE DALLAS POST
to completion.
modern Fire Company buildings.
— Congratulations=—
to the men of
the
SHAVERTOWN
FRE CO
[and the women of the Auxiliary]
Your civic responsibility and friendly cooperation have
resulted in bringing to this area one of the finest and most
of this achievement as we’ at Back Mt. Lumber & Coal
Company are proud of having had the opportunity to
work with you in seeing this community project through
You should be proud
BACK MT. LUMBER
& COAL CO.
SHAVERTOWN
Delegations from Wyoming Valley ¥
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