Dominic Dempsey is trying to earn his wings.

A member of Boy Scout Troop 352 in West Pittston, Dempsey took a group of about 20 people on a walk through the town as part of his Eagle Scout project Sunday, pointing out once-prominent business locations that grew the community’s economic structure in their heydays.

The West Pittston Historic Commerce Trail, as Dempsey dubbed the project, included 15 stops along the route and featured locations such as Grablick’s Milk Bar, Old Mill Pine and Vulcan Iron Works. Dempsey said he chose this as his project because he always had an interest in his hometown’s history.

“It’s just so interesting. When you look at it, in the past, there’s so many businesses and mom-and-pop shops that grew to be big businesses,” he said. “So I think it’s very, very neat.”

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The 17-year-old said his cousin, Drew Slater, had previously completed a historic residence trail for his own Eagle Scout project, and he wanted to continue in his cousin’s footsteps by adding a commerce trail that could help complete the town’s history.

Dempsey said he began conducting research on the old businesses by speaking to community elders, and continuing his own research from there, including historic societies, newspaper clippings and documentaries. In all, the project took him a few months to complete, he said.

“When you look through it, there’s just so much that no one would ever know by just looking at the town,” he said of the trail guide that he created for attendees. “I think everything together as a whole makes it spectacular.”

Starting off at the monument across from PNC Bank on Wyoming Avenue, Dempsey and his fellow troop members led the way down the avenue to West Side Auto, where fellow Boy Scout Eric Whyte read some information about the shop, which has been in existence since the 1940s. Fellow troop members assisted Dempsey with his project as they took turns reading facts to the group at various locations throughout the trail.

Moving across Wyoming and up Luzerne Avenue, Dempsey stopped at Ballyhoo Ice Cream and noted that the corner lot used to house Kings Market, which was one of several small community grocery stores. As the group turned to head up Exeter Avenue to Old Mill Pine, 18-year-old Marianna McHugh explained why she came out for the event.

“Dominic is a good friend of mine,” she said. “I know he’s been working really hard (on this project).”

McHugh said she’s learned a few things herself while completing the trail, such as that PNC Bank used to be Grablick’s. McHugh said she only knew of a Grablick’s in Pittston, but not of one in West Pittston. She commended Dempsey on his hard work and love of local history, saying that not many young people care to look into their town’s past.

After passing the Hitchner Biscuit Company and moving onto the former site of Vulcan Iron Works (which is now the site of the borough building), Dempsey spoke about how the machine shop manufactured equipment for the coal miners, and later became a manufacturing plant for World War II before burning to the ground in the 1970s.

West Pittston Mayor Tom Blaskiewicz thanked the scouts for their hard work and dedication to their community, and urged residents to help restore the town to its full potential. As Blaskiewicz walked the trail, he carried a plastic bag, picking up trash and other debris off the street.

Troop leader Ryan Foy said Dempsey has done a fantastic job with his project, which he plans to donate to the library for community members to utilize and learn more about their hometown.

Dempsey’s father, Chad, agreed. “He put all this work in and I want to see the fruition of all his labor,” he said of his son’s project.

Slater also commented on Dempsey choosing to supplement his original Eagle Scout project, adding that he’s happy to see his cousin work his way up and through the ranks of the scouts as he did in the past.

Foy said Dempsey will later be interviewed by a district Eagle Scout board, who will decide if he’s earned the right to hold the Eagle Scout badge.

“It’s almost kind of like a job interview,” Foy said of the various duties and tasks one must complete. “They don’t just give it to him, he has to earn it.”

Dominic Dempsey, of Boy Scout Troop 352, West Pittston, far left, goes over an itinerary with a group gathered to take a historical tour of industrial and commercial businesses in West Pittston on Sunday.
https://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_WP-Tour-Walk-1.jpgDominic Dempsey, of Boy Scout Troop 352, West Pittston, far left, goes over an itinerary with a group gathered to take a historical tour of industrial and commercial businesses in West Pittston on Sunday. Tony Callaio | For Times Leader

Dempsey, far left, gathers the tour group at West Side Auto on Wyoming Avenue in West Pittston, while Eagle Scout Eric Whyte, second from left, notes that the business has been in existence since the 1940s.
https://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_WP-Tour-Walk-2.jpgDempsey, far left, gathers the tour group at West Side Auto on Wyoming Avenue in West Pittston, while Eagle Scout Eric Whyte, second from left, notes that the business has been in existence since the 1940s. Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Eagle Scout hopeful leads groupalong West Pittston business trail

By Marcella Kester

For Times Leader

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