Well, dear friends, it is exhilarating to think that Spring is just around the corner. But in the case of the "column," your nice letters are the spur. It is very heart-warming to be missed when you skip a week. not that I played hooky for that purpose. But I am very happy if the common bond - our love of the old home town and its environs - has brought us a little closer together. Because you seem to get such a tremendous kick out of J.C. Moore's history, written in 1916, of Saltsburg in the 1860's, I am going to continue where we left off last week. You remember that Mr. Moore had introduced us to the bee borers, who had staked out claims in an old carpenter shop up there on Market St., facing the Stahl property, and had built their own apartments. These borers, you remember, had "NO TRESPASSING" signs at the rear. To continue:

"Where Davis Brothers' Lumber Yard is now was Butler Myer's boat building and repair yard; opposite the T.m. Duncan property was a row of stables in the rear of the bank, a large barn or livery stable, a manure pile which covered half the street, where dozens of hogs slept. Many a time we boys would each pick out a nice fat hog, catch him by the ears, jump astride, and with a grunt he was off and we enjoyed a regular bronco ride as long as we stuck. (If Ralph Edwards, of "Truth or Consequences" fame, had been along, he would have shouted, 'Aren't we devils!') The whole block was Stahl's to the Post Office and up to the alley below Elmer Goodlin's property, nothing remains as it was then. (This sentence is a little ambiguous, but since I am not sure of the meaning, I will leave the punctuation just as I found it). About as far back as the rear of the Odd Fellows' Building was a store and frame house (rear stone and front frame), owned and occupied by John Guthrie. About where Stahl's building stands was a large barn, and from that corner, all along the street, was a row of cherry trees, extending to the Post Office and from there up Point St. to the alley. The balance of the property was an apple orchard. About where O.L. McGogney's house now stands was the old cider mill with a stone spring house in the rear. In this old farm house, barn and orchard I spent many a happy day with my boy friend, Page Guthrie. Well do I remember the large fire place in the kitchen, with its iron cranes, hanging with cooking pots and kettles and the wide, shallow kettles on the hearth, with lids turned up like pans to hold the hot coals to bake the bread and roast the meat. Everybody used the old dip candles in those days, and it was my delight to snuff the candles. The property where R.T. George has his store (1916, remember) was the old Porter homestead. James Porter, father of David Porter of Avonmore, owned clear up to the old railroad. I can imagine I see Mr. Porter yet, coming to the front door and ringing a large dinner bell, that could be heard all over the little village - for the boys to come to meals, and it was the signal for the rest of us boys to go to 'eats.'" ****

Now I will save the rest until the next issue. For you old-timers of Saltsburg I hope this has been a lovely walk down memory's lane. I'll be with you next week - God willing.

Sincerely,
Florence B. Taylor

Next - 2/16/50 - History of Saltsburg in the Sixties (continued) by J.C. Moore
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