1957
The Borough of West Pittston was celebrating its 100th anniversary. The petition to incorporate the borough was signed by 55 residents on Aug. 19, 1857, but the actual granting of the petition by the court did not occur until November 1857. According to westpittstonhistory.org, “The first election for borough office was held on Jan. 7, 1888 at the old Vine Street (now Race Street) schoolhouse. Elected to the office of Burgess was J. Amherst Wisner and councilmen were A. J. Griffith, William Apple, Cornelius Stark, Bradley Downing and Theodore Strong. The first borough clerk was Isaac W. Moister and Peter Polen was elected to the office of borough treasurer.”
The Dial Rock Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution planned to restore a local historical monument erected by the D.A.R. chapter in 1912 to the memory of Harding brothers Benjamin, 25, and Stukley, 23, who were killed on June 30, 1778 during the start of the Wyoming Massacre. The monument was described in an issue of the Sunday Dispatch as “A pea-conglomerate on a solid base. Attached on the face is a bronze marker commemorating the historic stand of the Harding men who fell in battle. The memorial is placed on slight rise in the ground. Leading to it are stone steps set into the earth.” The memorial had become overgrown with trees and weeds and the steps, through 45 years of cold winters, were pushed out of alignment. The monument stood on the lower end of the Triple Springs Farm in Harding, Exeter Twp. Although there isn’t mention of when the work would start, the DAR chapter hoped to garner funds or engage volunteers to carry out the restoration. A search of what happened to the marker did not yield results. In 1976, the members of the Dial Rock Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and community members were on hand for the installation of a new plaque in the Jenkins-Harding Cemetery in West Pittston dedicated to the memory of the brothers who are buried at the site.
1959
In an article appearing regularly in the Sunday Dispatch in 1959, local historian Charles A. McCarthy wrote, “Prior to the incorporation as a separate municipality, a majority of the “Freeholders” of Pittston petitioned the Grand Jury on Jan. 5, 1853 to incorporate part of Pittston Township as the Borough of Pittston.” On April 11, 1853, Pittston was declared a borough. According to history.org, “At its birth, the United States was not a democratic nation.” Being a freeholder, or property owner, was a requirement. Some colonies required a voter to own land or personal property of specified value, or pay a certain amount of taxes. These requirements delayed a male colonist’s entry into the voter ranks until he was established. This reflected the early belief that freeholders, as property owners, had a legitimate interest in a community’s success and well-being while totally excluding women and minorities and people of limited means. Freeholder is defined as “a registered voter who owns local property and has been a local resident for a specified length of time.”
1960
The St. John’s High School Catholic Youth Center gymnasium ranked among the most modern in Northeast PA. The project, which began in September of 1959, would have the capability of seating approximately 750 spectators. Cost of the center was expected to top $250,000. According the US Inflation Calculator, that figure would equate to $2,084,619.93 today.
Walter Gorman and Charles Austin, both of West Pittston, and Thomas Boshard, of Pittston, were three of seven remaining members of the Pittston Camp 17, United Spanish War Veterans who were appointed national aides on the staff of National Commander-in-Chief Charles Howard. The appointments were made “for their many years of loyal service and devotion to comrades and camp.” Soon after the Spanish American War ended in early 1899, veterans formed societies in order to keep in touch. By 1904, the groups began to merge into three main groups, The Spanish American War Veterans, Servicemen of the Spanish War and the United Spanish War Veterans.
With over 1300 participants, Pittston’s Veterans Day Parade was expected to be the biggest in the city’s history. The 14th annual parade was expected to contain six high school bands, units from the Air Force Station at Benton and Tobyhanna Signal Depot, various fire companies, many veteran organizations, Gold Star Mothers and Girl and Boy Scout troops.
Facts about Veterans Day
• It was first celebrated on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I.
• In 1926, Congress passed a resolution for an annual observance.
• In 1938, Nov. 11 became a national holiday.
• In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation changing the name to Veterans Day in order to honor veterans of all American wars. The day is to honor those who have died fighting as well as those who survived.
• In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed by Congress, which moved Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. The law went into effect in 1971, but reverted back to Nov. 11 in 1975 by President Ford because of the important historical significance the date held.
1962
Angelo and Ansi Mancia, owners of Mancia Brothers Butcher Shop on South Main Street in Pittston, were preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday. Angelo and Ansi also owned a turkey farm In Plains Township, raising over 300 holiday birds ready for sale. The birds ranged in weight from eight to 18 pounds.
Charles McCarthy, area historian, wrote of C.C. Bowman and his two-cylinder five-passenger Autocar. The Autocar, purchased in 1902, was the second automobile to be owned by a Pittston resident, the first being a White Steamer purchased by Corydon King, a print shop owner, in 1900. Entry into Bowman’s car was gained through the rear, passengers sat on either side facing each other. The gravity flow of the fuel in Bowman’s car frequently required the driver to back the car up William Street to his 109 address. Bowman traded the car for a Pierce Arrow in 1904.
1972
The Sunday Dispatch Inquiring Photographer asked, “Whom do you think will win the presidential election?” Bucky Mazur, of Harding, answered, “I think McGovern will win; people like change, no matter how well Nixon has been doing, voters like change every four years.” Will Hapeman, of Pittston, added, “I believe Nixon will win because of his foreign and domestic policies. He has a reputation of being straight forward, not two-faced.” Dave Hetro, of Exeter, stated, “I think McGovern will win; many people feel any change will be an improvement.” Bob Power, of Harding, said, “I think the best man will win; in other words, no comment.” The 1972 presidential election was between United States President Richard Nixon and Senator of South Dakota George McGovern. Nixon won the election by a landslide, winning 49 of 50 states. George McGovern got 17 electoral votes.
Top 10 songs of 1972:
1. “My Ding A Ling” – Chuck Berry
2. “Garden Party” – Ricky Nelson
3. “Nights in White Satin” – Moody Blues
4. “The Backstabbers” – O’Jays
5. “Burning Love” – Elvis Presley
6. “I Am Woman” – Helen Reddy
7. “Ben” – Michael Jackson
8. “Go All the Way” – Raspberries
9. “Play Me” – Neil Diamond
10. “I Can See Clearly Now” – Johnny Nash
This date in history
1872 — Susan B. Anthony is arrested for trying to vote.
1930 — Sinclair Lewis becomes the first American to win a Nobel Prize in Literature for his novel, “Babbit.”
1935 — Parker Brothers Co. launches “Monopoly,” a game of real estate and capitalism.
1968 — Shirley Chisholm, of Brooklyn, New York, becomes the first elected African-American woman to serve in the House of Representatives.
2009 — The deadliest mass shooting at a US military installation occurs at Fort Hood, Texas, when US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan kills 13 and wounds 29.
Born today
1913 — Vivien Leigh, British actress famous for her role as Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone with the Wind.”
1918 — George Sheehan, cardiologist, well-known for his book, “Running and Being.”
1942 — Art Garfunkel, American singer, one half of “Simon and Garfunkel.”
1943 — Sam Shepard, American playwright and actor.
1947 — Peter Noone, singer, songwriter, musician, best known as Herman of Herman’s Hermits.
