|
|
|
|
New book takes a look at Johnsonburg, Wilcox past |
|
|
|
Tuesday, 30 June 2009 |
|
Photo submitted by Dr. Dennis McGeehan Dr. Dennis McGeehan's newest book takes a look at the Johnsonburg and Wilcox areas.
By Heidi Zemach
Special to The Ridgway Record
JOHNSONBURG – A pictorial history being printed this November will be available to all those interested in what things used to be like in Johnsonburg, Wilcox and surrounding areas.
It was written and compiled by Dr. Dennis McGeehan, Ph.D, a local historian and photographer, President of the St. Marys Historical Society, and a professor at the University of Pittsburg at Bradford and Penn State DuBois.
In addition to an introduction, the book’s 128 pages brim with 235 black-and-white photographs, roughly two per page, with extensive captions detailing what the photos contain. They are arranged in chronological order, so people can get the entire history of the area from the 1880s to today, while perusing unusually clear, digitally enhanced old photographs.
McGeehan has always loved local history — since he was a young boy, looking with wonder at old photographs of the street on which he lived and being amazed that someone had once had the foresight to have taken a photograph of how things used to look. But as a photographer, McGeehan often is disappointed by the dearth of photographs contained in history books.
So this book — the forth one he has produced in a series by Arcadia Publishing called ‘Images of America’- fulfills that desire, he said. McGeehan is especially impressed with the clarity with which the publishing company has been able to enhance and reproduce these old, sometimes difficult to read photographs. The experience of producing the book, often involved visiting the places and talking to the people who played a part in the history — such as Johnsonburg’s three Imbrogno brothers. The fondness of the local people for their town and its history made a lasting impression on McGeehan. The Imbrogno brothers, all of whom served in World War II and worked at the paper mill for more than 45 years, had a great time going through the photographs, McGeehan said.
McGeehan received plenty of positive comments from readers of his other three books in the ‘Images of America’ series: photo histories of St. Marys, Elk County and Ridgway. Some readers tell him how pleased they are to recognize members of their own family, places, or significant events they remember. In turn, McGeehan aims to select meaningful human-interest photographs that tell a story a about the people portrayed, the way they used to dress and other aspects of the culture or rituals they once had that give insight into the times.
The book contains plenty of history of the paper mill, which has been the area’s dominating influence and has made the area what was and remains today. There are lots of photos of the mill at different stages of its past. There are also photos about the area’s industrial history generally: the lumber industry, tanneries, sawmills, as well as sporting activities and famous people. Important personalities include Mylert M. Armstrong, the industrialist who started the mill in the 1880s. Much of the area’s land was owned by New Jersey land speculator Benjamin Cooper, who was possibly allied with David Johnson, the first settler, McGeehan said. Johnson was your ultimate mountain man/frontiersman. He settled at the forks of the Clarion River, where he owned a potato patch. When people moved close by, he moved further west. Like Daniel Boone, “When he could hear somebody’s axe, it was time to move,” McGeehan said. When a small post office was established, and the town needed the name, the citizens named it Johnsonburg in his honor.
Alonso I. Wilcox, an entrepreneur involved in several different businesses, founded Wilcox. He was friends with Thomas L. Kane, who founded Kane across the county border. Kane was friends with Ulysses S. Grant, who stayed at the Wilcox House while on a visit with Kane. It was one of three times that Grant visited the area, including once as sitting U.S. President.
The book also portrays the many floods, including the most devastating flood in 1942 which wiped out an entire section of Johnsonburg: its “flats” area, a low-income part of town still fondly remembered for being the hub of entertainment, with saloons and late night celebrations. A record 26 inches of rainfall in 24 hours caused that flood.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the East Branch Dam in 1952-54, and several interesting photographs of its construction are included in the book. Two lumber mill towns, Instanter, on the one end of the seven-mile East Branch Lake, and Straight, on the other end, were flooded and destroyed in its creation. Former residents of Instanter still hold reunion gatherings near the site of their former village, whose remains reappear from the ground when lake levels are low, McGeehan said. He hopes people will enjoy having handy access to this rich local history via his book. It will be available at the Elk County Historical Society and at several other area locations following its November publication.
|
|
Last Updated ( Thursday, 30 July 2009 )
|
|
|
|
