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As you may know, I have decided to re-think the Steubenville side of my PRR Panhandle 2.0 layout.

The best way to get ideas about what to put there involves:

  • Researching the area via the internet, libraries, and other physical or on-line sources.
  • Photographing the prototype in an effort to capture what can be transported back to the 1950s and used.


Below are some of the 150 photos I took of the area yesterday.

This is a structure I found on North 6th Street, just about 1 block south of the site of the PRR station. It is the Schwaben Beneficial Society.  The plaque just below the top 2 windows is inscribed "Schwaben Beneficial Society 1886".

DSCN3595

Check out the gargoyles!

DSCN3596

And the angel at the center top of the structure.

DSCN3597

As well as the very cool and intricate brick work.

DSCN3598

This is a neat brick house at the corner of N. Court and Clinton Streets, near the Historic Brownstone District.  More than likely it was the home of a politician, banker, or senior manager in the steel mills.

DSCN3621

The swankiest hotel in town used to be the Ft. Steuben at the corner of 4th and Washington Streets.  It is now an apartment house.

DSCN3629

Here's a close-up of the front entrance.

DSCN3630

This is the side of the hotel.

DSCN3631

Here's a closer look at some of the superb cornice work up top.

DSCN3632

We are at the corner of 5th and Market Streets. The corner building used to be an S.S. Kresge. My grandfather would take me there as a small boy and buy me roasted nuts and pistachios. The soda fountain / candy shop was located at the rear of the store - off camera to the extreme right.

DSCN3638

Further down (east, towards the river) Market Street is the Exchange Realty Building. The bottom left storeroom housed Morley's. On the right was Fisher's. A large vertical sign hung over Fisher's. I plan to further research these businesses.

DSCN3646

The Exchange Realty Building has some ornate and beautiful cornice detail.

DSCN3648

Further east on Market is the building formerly occupied by the Beall and Steele Pharmacy. Note the mural depicting that business around the turn of the century. The alley is S. Commercial Street.

DSCN3654

Further east, the next building's previous occupant is easy to identify - it's the W.T.Grant building. Along the south side of Market we find at least 4 Five & Dime stores of some flavor - McCrory's, W.T. Grant, S. S. Kresge, and F.W.Woolworth - in the space of 3 blocks!

DSCN3658

The next store is McCrory's, one of the Five & Dimes, at the corner of Market and 4th Streets.

DSCN3670

This is the end of Part 1.   Part 2 will be posted soon.

George

 

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Last edited by G3750
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Great pics, I see these almost everyday. I can remember riding the bus from Toronto before Mom started to drive...in the late '60s. We go shopping at The Hub and have lunch. There was so many people on the sidewalks! I remember the traffic bells that would stop all the traffic so the people could cross the streets. All the stores were open and busy. Then the Mall came and downtown about died, now the Mall is about dead. Love to see the downtown come back.

mowingman posted:

Nice photos. All showing up now.

I lived in Stuebenville for a little over a year back in 73-74. I remember a lot of nice structures as you have shown. I also remember lots of railroad activity, lots of steel mills, and lots of smog. That was about the time it was rated as the dirtiest city in the U.S.A.

Jeff

Jeff,

I seem to remember that small stretch of land south of Weirton but just north of Follansbee being rated as the most polluted area in the world (with regards to air-borne particulates).  As you drove south on WV Route 2, visibility would be impaired by the clouds of pollution billowing across the road.    This was in the vicinity of the Koppers plant on the WV side of the river.  Of course, the prevailing winds were westerly, so a lot of the junk must have been coming from across the river (south Steubenville).

George

Dad used to drive for Hancock Manufacturing in Toronto..they made Purlator filters for one.Every Friday they would take their trucks down to Wheeling Mack for service. When we got near Follensebe, it stunk so bad from the coke plant I remember trying to hold my breath all the way thru town, and everything was orange.

Steamer posted:

Great pics, I see these almost everyday. I can remember riding the bus from Toronto before Mom started to drive...in the late '60s. We go shopping at The Hub and have lunch. There was so many people on the sidewalks! I remember the traffic bells that would stop all the traffic so the people could cross the streets. All the stores were open and busy. Then the Mall came and downtown about died, now the Mall is about dead. Love to see the downtown come back.

Wow, I had forgotten about the bells at the intersections!  Yeah.  My grandfather would take me as a little boy and we would walk around downtown Steubenville just looking at all the activity.  This photo expedition brought back some great memories.

But you know what I really miss?  Spahns.

SAM_0362

George

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Images (1)
  • SAM_0362
Steamer posted:

And a girl I was seeing back in the '80s lived in an apartment in The Ft Steuben..one time we went and checked out the ball room...magnificent. Did you stop at Naples for some pasta?

That was the spot many of us went to lunch at while in high school. I still go there when I visit home. The last time I was back they were closed for a week. The only week out of the WHOLE YEAR that they were closed would be the week I came home. Just terrible, lol.

G3750 posted:

As you may know, I have decided to re-think the Steubenville side of my PRR Panhandle 2.0 layout.

The best way to get ideas about what to put there involves:

  • Researching the area via the internet, libraries, and other physical or on-line sources.
  • Photographing the prototype in an effort to capture what can be transported back to the 1950s and used.


Below are some of the 150 photos I took of the area yesterday.

This is a structure I found on North 6th Street, just about 1 block south of the site of the PRR station. It is the Schwaben Beneficial Society.  The plaque just below the top 2 windows is inscribed "Schwaben Beneficial Society 1886".

DSCN3595

Check out the gargoyles!

DSCN3596

And the angel at the center top of the structure.

DSCN3597

As well as the very cool and intricate brick work.

DSCN3598

This is a neat brick house at the corner of N. Court and Clinton Streets, near the Historic Brownstone District.  More than likely it was the home of a politician, banker, or senior manager in the steel mills.

DSCN3621

The swankiest hotel in town used to be the Ft. Steuben at the corner of 4th and Washington Streets.  It is now an apartment house.

DSCN3629

Here's a close-up of the front entrance.

DSCN3630

This is the side of the hotel.

DSCN3631

Here's a closer look at some of the superb cornice work up top.

DSCN3632

We are at the corner of 5th and Market Streets. The corner building used to be an S.S. Kresge. My grandfather would take me there as a small boy and buy me roasted nuts and pistachios. The soda fountain / candy shop was located at the rear of the store - off camera to the extreme right.

DSCN3638

Further down (east, towards the river) Market Street is the Exchange Realty Building. The bottom left storeroom housed Morley's. On the right was Fisher's. A large vertical sign hung over Fisher's. I plan to further research these businesses.

DSCN3646

The Exchange Realty Building has some ornate and beautiful cornice detail.

DSCN3648

Further east on Market is the building formerly occupied by the Beall and Steele Pharmacy. Note the mural depicting that business around the turn of the century. The alley is S. Commercial Street.

DSCN3654

Further east, the next building's previous occupant is easy to identify - it's the W.T.Grant building. Along the south side of Market we find at least 4 Five & Dime stores of some flavor - McCrory's, W.T. Grant, S. S. Kresge, and F.W.Woolworth - in the space of 3 blocks!

DSCN3658

The next store is McCrory's, one of the Five & Dimes, at the corner of Market and 4th Streets.

DSCN3670

This is the end of Part 1.   Part 2 will be posted soon.

George

 

I remember McCrory's! It lasted through the 80's. Two other great landmarks would be Treasure Island and Creegan's. Treasure Island was department store located on North 7th street. I believe there was only one other location, in Sharon PA.  The building still exists but it has been converted to an Auto Zone and Rite Aid Pharmacy I believe. 

Creegan's was a company that specialized in animated puppets, Christmas Trees and decorations. They used to always showcase them in their windows. If you lived in Steubenville you just had to visit the store or at least drive by it. It was the sight that would get you in the holiday spirit. I might add, Creegan's was the first place I ever saw LGB trains for sale. It was located on North 5th street, one block away from the Market Street location you have taken pictures of.

Last edited by luvindemtrains
luvindemtrains posted:

I remember McCrory's! It lasted through the 80's. Two other great landmarks would be Treasure Island and Creegan's. Treasure Island was department store located on North 7th street. I believe there was only one other location, in Sharon PA.  The building still exists but it has been converted to an Auto Zone and Rite Aid Pharmacy I believe. 

Creegan's was a company that specialized in animated puppets, Christmas Trees and decorations. They used to always showcase them in their windows. If you lived in Steubenville you just had to visit the store or at least drive by it. It was the sight that would get you in the holiday spirit. I might add, Creegan's was the first place I ever saw LGB trains for sale. It was located on North 5th street, one block away from the Market Street location you have taken pictures of.

Yes, I drove past what used to be Treasure Island and you're right - it's an AutoZone.

And Creegan's was quite a novelty in its time.  There were quite a lot of stores that sold electric trains in Steubenville in the 1960s - The Hub, M&M Hardware, and of course, Sears.  Sears had the most fabulous huge train room.

George

Steamer posted:

The former Treasure Island does have Auto Zone, but there is a Family Dollar in the other half, not Rite Aid. I remember Sears when they were at their place by Rt 7, but by the time I came along, there were no train displays.

And George Creegan just passed away a few weeks ago.

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that. I actually thought he had passed a few years ago. His store was a sight to see. I lived in the apartments, when I was in 5th grade, above that building and he was our landlord. 

The "old Sears" used to have our local fair nearby. You could see it as you drove down Rt. 7.

I couldn't remember what stores were exactly in the Treasure Island location. I do believe at one time, there was a pharmacy where Family Dollar is. Can't remember which one.

Steamer posted:

there may have been...I remember the Krogers on the left, and Treasure Island on the right. Pretty sure there was a pharmacy on the left side of TI....I remember you had to go thru a little gate to enter and another one to exit the pjarmacy area.

Yes I remember the Kroger-Treasure Island duo. While grandma and mom were grocery shopping I would be in Treasure Island in toy department looking at what...you guessed it trains. All they had was HO Scale (Bachmann, Tyco, and some Model Power). That's where the train thing all started.

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