Newspaper Since 1889 The Dallas Post . ® Vol. 105 No. 28 Dallas, Pennsylvania SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS & LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS Wednesday, July 13, 1994 FRED AND VIRGINIA SWANSON Saving the day He numbered Harveys Lake's poles Editor's Note: This is the first part of a two-part series about the people and history of Harveys Lake. The second part will appear in next week's issue. By GRACE R. DOVE Post Staff Poeple unfamiliar with Harveys Lake addresses may wonder why people say that they live at Pole 12 or Pole 223. Why not a box number? The pole numbering system was Back Mountain Major League all-star April Naugle stabbed a soft liner during the team's second round win over Nanticoke last Railbeds may become place to hike, bike, ski By GRACE R. DOVE Post Staff Railroads, once the lifeline of the Back Mountain, may soon regain their importance in the area as part of a unique system of scenic hiking and bicycling trails. A two-mile stretch of aban- doned track between Main Street, Luzerne, and Carverton Road in Kingston Township has been se- lected by the Anthracite Scenic Trails Association as the first leg of a possible Rails to Trails sys- tem. Rails to Trails is a statewide and nationwide organization dedicated to restoring abandoned railroad grades for use as hiking, biking and cross country ski trails. Because they have gentle in- clines and wide paths, the rail- road grades, built to last practi- cally forever, make ideal trails. “We have been walking the trail and have applied for state and federal grants to develop design plans,” said association president Judy Rimple. “Wildcat Falls be- hind the Dallas Area Municipal Authority (DAMA) is simply beau- tiful as it runs across the trail and down the side of Bunker Hill.” Because some private proper- ties abut the rail beds, the asso- ciation is exploring easements and rights-of-way rather than outright purchase of the land, Rimple said. The original railroad rights-of-way were purchased by a realtor and sold to property owners after the railroads went out of business. Trail users try to be good neigh- bors, producing no noise or litter, said Rob Lewis, the association's recording secretary. Long-term plans call for a 47- mile trail network stretching from Luzerne to Dushore, much of it requiring no special easements. “A lot of the proposed trail goes through state gamelands and is already be used for recreation,” said Lewis. a “Many man-hours went into the construction of the railroads. They're an untapped resource waiting to be rediscovered.” Joel Eneboe Bike shop owner, “serious” rider “It's a great idea, a good way to expose people to the beauty of the area,” said Joel Eneboe, owner of Dallas Bike Works. “The gentle grades make easy riding, espe- cially for the recreational cyclist.” During his ten years of “seri- ous” bike riding, Joel has ridden sections of the Rails to Trails system and likes it. “Many man-hours went into the construction of the railroads,” he said. “They're an untapped re- source waiting tobe rediscovered.” Rimple said that many area conservation and outdoor recrea- tion groups, including the Back Mountain Land Trust, the Susquehanna Trailers, the Back Mountain Trailers and the Wyo- ming Valley Bicycle Club, have become interested in a scenic trail in the area. The 30-member Anthracite Scenic Trails Association plans to work with Luzerne Borough, inter- ested in the trail as part of its Main Street revitalization project and plans a fall cleanup of the section of the railroad grade be- tween Luzerne Borough and DAMA, The group meets the third Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m, at the Kingston Township build- ing. Memberships are $15 for individuals and $25 for families. For more information on the Anthracite Scenic Trails Associa- tion and Rails to Trails, call Judy Rimple at 675-9018. | ie devised by Fred Swanson, who served as chief of police of Lake Township for 30 years. Back then, most of the lake lay in Lake Township, with the Dallas and Lehman township lines com- ing together at Sunset. When he started in 1932, Har- veys Lake didn't have an efficient locator system for homes. People simply lived at Sunset, Alderson, Laketon, Point Breeze, Shawanese or Sandy Beach. “I counted the utility poles along the road around the lake and had Legends abound in lake's history, pg 14 them numbered in consecutive order, starting at Sunset and ending at Shawanese, so that I could find people's homes easier,” he said. Swanson calls himselfthe Andy Griffith of Harveys Lake and Lake Township, which resembled Mayberry RFD when he was po- POST PHOTO/RON BARTIZEK Saturday. Second baseman Meilssa DeCesaris and right fielder Kourtney Bouthot ran to back up. More photos, story on page 9. — Ht er or afin 100 lice chief, though with more ex- citement. He has pulled 17 bodies from the water, delivered two babies, doubled as fire marshal, con- stable, coroner and truant officer and worked 24 hours a day as the police chief responsible for the township's 34 square miles. He also knew plumbing and electrical work. “I was the only policeman in Pennsylvania who would stop, take off my gun belt and fix your washer,” he joked. Swanson was also the pall- bearer at many funerals. .Every- one looked up to the police chiefin those days, he said. ; He recalls many accidents and incidents at the lake, some of which, like the petrified horse and wagon, have become legends. Many wagons, cars and trucks went through the thin spots in the . ed ice during the winter when the 5 frozen lake was used as a short- | See POLE NUMBERS, pg 14. Two nabbed In vandalism spree electric meter had been discon- =| By RONALD BARTIZEK Post Editor Dallas Borough police have arrested two persons believed to have caused over $3,000 in van- dalism damage to two area prop- erties, Peter Thomas Palmentere, 21, of 119 Lehman Avenue in Dallas, and a 17-year-old male juvenile are both in custody awaiting hearings. They are charged with multiple violations for breaking into Slocum Insurance and the Daddow-Isaacs American Legion hall, and ransacking the build- ings. Police said the insurance office was entered in the early morning hours of July 6, after the outside electrical meter had been discon- nected to disable an alarm sys- tem. A window at the rear of the building was smashed to gain entrance. Once inside, police said the two caused $2,200 in damage by overturning file cabinets, breaking furniture and spraying fire extinguishers throughout the building. The Legion building was en- tered in a similar manner at about 4 a.m. July 8, again after the Auction met goal nected. Entry was gained by breaking the window in a rear door. The barareawasransacked, . bottles smashed and beer and | liquor poured over the counter and floor. . About $15 in quarters and six : 0 | $1 bills were taken from behind . | the counter, along with some beer | | ASA at RAS av; and liquor, and the cash register © was forced open. Damage was. | estimated at $1,500. haat Dallas Borough police chief Jack Fowler credited officer . Russell Devens with quickly solv- | ing the crimes. “He just stayed with the case until it was solved,” Fowler said. Devens is the inves- tigating officer in the Legion inci- dent, while patrolman Bill Norris in. Palmentere has been charged with burglary, criminal trespass, criminal mischief, theft by unlaw- ful taking and receiving stolen goods. He is being held in the Luzerne County jail. The juvenile faces similar charges, and is in custody at the juvenile detention center. Both face double counts, one set for each incident. Quilt, painting brought big bids By RONALD BARTIZEK Post Editor Judy Dickson couldn't attend the 48th annual Back Mountain Memorial Library auction Satur- day night, but she bought her special treasure anyway. “I sent a friend with a check and told her not to come home without the quilt,” Dickson said Monday. So, after spirited bid- ding, the friend wrote a check for $950 and the quilt, made by third graders at Dallas Elementary School, was captured. Dickson's daughter, Jonelle, helped make the quilt, supplying the apple square which represented Sep- tember. Dickson couldn't do her own bidding because she was watch- Auction photos, pg 6 ing Jonelle's twin brother play in’ Ss an all-star game at the time the quilt went over the block. o The $950 price didn't faze her. in the least. “I expected $1,000 to $1,500,” she said. “I know how those third-grade parents are. It's a beautiful piece of memorabilia to have.” Dickson and a host of other bidders overcame erratic weather to make the 48th annual Back Mountain Memorial Library auc- tion a success, according to auc- tion chairman Joe Kluger. “To me, it was a success whether we made the goal or not,” he said. Some See AUCTION, pg 3 H Red Cross blood drive Tues., July 19, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.,Irem Temple Country Club. Call 823-7161 for appointments. 14 Pages 1 Section Calendar.............. 9 Classified........ 12-13 Crossword........... 12 Editorials..........cu... 4 Obituaries............ 12 SChoGk: iui re 8 SPOONS... oie 10-11 CALL 675-5211 FOR HOME DELIVERY, NEWS OR ADVERTISING The Dallas Post MAILING LABEL- Please enclose this label with any address changes, and mail to The Dallas Post, P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612-0366 investigated the Slocum break- Ey! aE | Hd * i {i A
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers