Curfman's Tour of Roaring Spring Ends

This week wraps up the last leg of the walk around Roaring Spring that lifelong resident Larry Curfman is sharing with readers in his own words.

The memories start at “back to Cherry Street.”

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During the war years, around 1944-45, there were three or four P-36 twin tail fighter planes flying over Roaring Spring. People ran outside to get a look at the new twin tail figures.

I also remember my parents talking about a man named Will Ketner. The Ketners lived a half block from our house near the P.S. McGee Dairy and he had one sister.

Will was on his way overseas and was a pilot of a B-19 or B-25 bomber and he flew over the town and over Cherry Street, dipping his wing as a way to say hello to his parents.

The residents of the 500 block (even side) were my family: John, Martha, my brother Bud – Jack and Ida Roush my grandmother. We lived at 500 Cherry St. in a double house with only cold water and no indoor bathroom. Our heat for the house was a room stove in the library to heat the whole house.

The first person I remember that lived beside us was an elderly lady we called Aunt Granny Snare. Her granddaughter, Louise Heidlebaugh, also lived on our street and next to her was Maude McInally, her daughter Elsie and her husband, Issac Ayers. They had no children.

Next was Jobie Hall, his wife and son Herbie, who was mentally challenged. Also brother Edward and sister Hilda who was murdered by her husband.

Next was a family by the name of Coppersmith.

Next was Chester A. Riley, his wife and daughter Shirley. He owned Riley’s Memorial Tombstone Markers. Shirley married Glenn Bechdel. They had four children.

There was an Irishman, who loved to catch snapping turtles and eat them. He said they were all white meat.

Next was the Helsel family, wife and daughter Bernice who married Bill Shambaugh. Brother Ira had a barber shop behind Galen Snyder’s gas station at the five points. He later moved to the little house at the alley of Poplar and Cherry streets.

The next house was the Oscar Dick family. They had one daughter Louise who married Issac Heidlebaugh.

Next was Mrs. Weidenbauer whose son Elvin was the school principal.

Next was a double house and one side was the George Bush family with one son Bill and one son Wayne who became a Pa. state policeman.

The big house on the corner was where three or four families lived. It is now a parking lot for the Catholic Church.

On the odd side of the 500 block, Tom Oldham, wife Helen and two children John and Margi Ruth lived. Tom was killed when the paper mill blew up in 1951. His co-worker Leo Johnson also died. Margi is the only one now living, she married Dick Hoover.

Next was Paul Neeter and wife, they had two girls. Next was the ball field, as we called it. It’s now the Bill Bush Park.

Next was Jack Umbower and his wife. They had no children and anytime our ball would go into their yard, they would keep it.

Next was Alton Kreider and wife Mary and sons Jack and Dick

The Homer Horner family was next, they had sons Don and Dick and daughter Libby. Then was the Will Ketner family.

Next was Edger Daniels and wife, no children. He worked at R.S. Blank Book Co.

Next was Rosemary Burket’s home. Her dad, “Fish” Pote, was a stonemason, artist and magician. During baseball season he (Fish) would paint on the sidewalks the time, who was playing and what field. I made a photo album at work and he painted a picture of the Spring Dam on it and charged me $5.

The building at the end of the street was Croft’s store, it was a small grocery store and the owner was the Frank Croft family.

In the first house of the 400 block, even side was the Alfred Shambaugh family wife Ruth, sons Bill and Boyse and daughter Arlene. Alfred worked at the paper mill.

Next was a double house on one side where Jim Imler and family lived. They had two daughters, Gladys and Kay, and a son, Glenn “Pete.” Jim worked at the R.S. Blank Book Co.

On the other side was Dave Longenecker’s family, two sons Bob and Dick and sister Yvonne.

Next was the Frank Croft family who owned the store at the end of the 500 block. They had five children: Jack, Sherm, Carol, Joan and Diana.

Next was the Roy Replogle family. I know they had a son, Don.

Then was the Doctor Dibert family. They had a son and daughter and later moved to Williamsburg.

The Roland Turley family, moved into their house. They had a son, Tom, and a daughter.

Next was the Charles Brown family with son Russell and daughter Virginia who later taught at Roaring Spring High School.

Next was the Schuman family. They raised their niece, Erdene Ellmore.

Across the street on the corner was the Ray Hetrick family and they had at least seven children. The dad was an electrician and sold kitchen appliances.

Next was Sherm Hainsey and wife. He worked at the Blank Book Co.

Next was a Schaffer family. They had one son.

Next was The Rev. Paul Marsden family.

There was Galen Snyder’s mother’s home. She worked at Replogle’s Restaurant until she was in her 80s.

Next was the Thomas family, daughters Shirley, Barbara Jean and son Donnie.

Next was a double house and one side was Frank and Nora Wentz while on the other side was Albert and Dorothy Gochnour. They had one daughter Marsha who married John Biddle.

Next and last was the Peanut Hall family with wife Clova and daughters Margi, Donna, Linda and Cheryl.

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Note from Larry Curfman: To the many people who said they enjoyed my “History Report on Roaring Spring” that brought back memories of the town, thank you. Your kind words meant a lot to me. There was one gas station that was wrong and that was Galen Snyder’s Mobil, not Glenn Snyder’s.

I missed two businesses after the Dept. Store. One was the feed mill in back of the Dept. Store, and the other was the Borough Building, which was the Borough Office, Police Dept. and Fire Co., all in the same building.

I need to thank John Biddle for Kathy Mellott getting in touch with me to write the stories.

And most important, Joe Conlon, who kept after me to write what I did. Without his encouragement, I would not have written it.