xzmattzx
July 31st, 2006, 04:35 AM
I drove up to Schuylkill County to visit the town of Pine Grove, the place where my dad grew up. I haven't been in the town since January 2002, when my grandpa died. I went up to visit the graves of my grandparents, and to take some pictures of the town.
Pine Grove is your typical mountain town. There is no industry here; There are farms outside of the town, in the valleys, but other than that, there isn't even an old factory to supply manufacturing jobs. The town's economy is as dead and stagnant as you can get; there is not a single restaurant in the main part of town. There are a couple biker bars on the main street, a cell phone store on the main street, a gas station, and a convenience store, and that's all the business in town.
Pine Grove is located a few miles from where Interstates 81 and 78 meet. The town is situated on State Route 443; State Routes 895 and 125 lead into town as well. Outside of town, State Routes 501 and 645 lead towards the borough. I used State Route 501 north from Lancaster, one of the two routes we would take to drive to grandma and grandpa's, to get to Pine Grove.
The population is around 2100, and has stayed in the 2000-2500 range for the past 50 or more years. As I said, there is no growth in the town because there is no industry.
The town is basically a dump, but I nevertheless have fond memories of the area. And as a kid, I heard the stories of what it was like growing up in Appalachia. It made me appreciate what I had and how lucky I was to have a nice lifestyle. My dad certainly didn't have many "luxuries" that we all have and take for granted. Since my grandpa was a steel mill worker at Bethlehem Steel who raised 7 kids on his hourly wage, things that we now call necessary were not available as my dad grew up. For instance, my grandparents didn't have running water in their house until the late 1960's, when my dad was in high school. An outhouse and well filled the demand. Also, when food was scarce, my dad would have to pick dandelion leaves in the yard for a salad, and sometimes also had to catch snakes in a nearby swamp for meat (that is, if it wasn't deer hunting season and the deer supply had run out). Of course, other families throughout Appalachia certainly had similar experiences, so my dad isn't unique in that respect.
Hearing these stories as a kid, it made me thankful that I had luxuries like a family TV, a refrigerator, etc. Of course, the reason I had these things growing up was because my dad was a very smart kid and used his love for science and for learning in general to get him out of a poverty-stricken area; he paid his way through college and grad school and eventually got a doctorate at the University at Buffalo in Pharmaceutical Sciences or whatnot, and promptly was offered a job in Delaware with DuPont.
The town looks pretty much the same as it did when I was last here in 2002; in fact, nothing about the town has changed from what I can remember. This is the kind of place where it's a big deal and a sign of growth if someone builds a new house.
Pine Grove has one famous resident: Conrad Richter, a Pulitzer Prize winner and the author of a few popular books, such as A Light In The Forest.
Welcome to Pine Grove.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/729/dscf4929auc2.jpg
Tulpehocken Street, also State Route 443, is the main road in town. Here are some houses and buildings on Tulpehocken Street. Some of them are nice, but some are also ugly and neglected.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/7779/dscf4930akf0.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/5648/dscf4931ahg3.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/4795/dscf4932abf4.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/7242/dscf4933aje9.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/1148/dscf4934ath7.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/7456/dscf4935apb4.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/3003/dscf4936ade0.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/9875/dscf4937aai3.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/525/dscf4938asb0.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/6527/dscf4939abj2.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/4153/dscf4940aep9.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/423/dscf4953ark6.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/1773/dscf4960arj9.jpg
Looking uphill to the town cemetery. Conrad Richter is buried in the cemetery, as are my grandparents and other ancestors from my dad's side of the family.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/9987/dscf4941aub3.jpg
The local high school baseball field. For some reason, it's in town at the top of the hill, a couple miles from the school. In any case, there are some nice views for just a high school baseball field.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/7927/dscf4944atc2.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/9821/dscf4945apm1.jpg
A view of Blue Mountain to the south from the cemetery.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/4041/dscf4946apf1.jpg
Looking north down Walter Street.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/623/dscf4947adm7.jpg
Back to Tulpehocken Street.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/3469/dscf4948ati6.jpg
The town must've renamed a road after Conrad Richter since I was last here. Condrad Richter Drive is on the east side of town.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/2751/dscf4949abm1.jpg
Some industrial facilities in the main part of town.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/6136/dscf4950ahi4.jpg
An old building in the main part of town. Notice the rusted sign advertising water softeners. The water around here has a very very high concentration of iron. Water softeners are necessary in order to have clean water to drink and bathe in.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/7509/dscf4951ard5.jpg
Looking towards Tulpehocken Street.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/8205/dscf4952azs5.jpg
Pine Grove High School. This is the only high school for miles. It's not like the town needs more than one high school anyway.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/8051/dscf4954alt5.jpg
Outside of the borough, things look pretty bleak as well.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/161/dscf4955ala3.jpg
The house where my grandparents, dad, and aunts and uncles lived. I believe it's empty now. The house sits on State Route 443 north of town.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/6058/dscf4956ahz5.jpg
The back yard. Someone added that tire swing after my grandparents died, because they never had that.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/7104/dscf4957auf0.jpg
The house again. It looks just like it did when I would visit it once every few weeks.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/1369/dscf4958aka3.jpg
The view from the house. The foothills of the Appalachians are in the background, and it's a good place for hunting. In the foreground is a baseball field that has been neglected for years. It was common to hear rifles go off in the mountains during deer season. My grandparents saw many wild animals that wandered out of the woods onto the old baseball field, including deer, foxes, turkeys, pheasants, and even a black bear once.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/8236/dscf4959alc2.jpg
A small park on the edge of town welcomes residents, and even an ossaional visitor passing through town.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/2644/dscf4961aoi7.jpg
As some of you might know, my mom and her side of the family is from Buffalo, and so I have shown that area in photos many times. I hope you liked the tour of where the other side of my family comes from.
Pine Grove is your typical mountain town. There is no industry here; There are farms outside of the town, in the valleys, but other than that, there isn't even an old factory to supply manufacturing jobs. The town's economy is as dead and stagnant as you can get; there is not a single restaurant in the main part of town. There are a couple biker bars on the main street, a cell phone store on the main street, a gas station, and a convenience store, and that's all the business in town.
Pine Grove is located a few miles from where Interstates 81 and 78 meet. The town is situated on State Route 443; State Routes 895 and 125 lead into town as well. Outside of town, State Routes 501 and 645 lead towards the borough. I used State Route 501 north from Lancaster, one of the two routes we would take to drive to grandma and grandpa's, to get to Pine Grove.
The population is around 2100, and has stayed in the 2000-2500 range for the past 50 or more years. As I said, there is no growth in the town because there is no industry.
The town is basically a dump, but I nevertheless have fond memories of the area. And as a kid, I heard the stories of what it was like growing up in Appalachia. It made me appreciate what I had and how lucky I was to have a nice lifestyle. My dad certainly didn't have many "luxuries" that we all have and take for granted. Since my grandpa was a steel mill worker at Bethlehem Steel who raised 7 kids on his hourly wage, things that we now call necessary were not available as my dad grew up. For instance, my grandparents didn't have running water in their house until the late 1960's, when my dad was in high school. An outhouse and well filled the demand. Also, when food was scarce, my dad would have to pick dandelion leaves in the yard for a salad, and sometimes also had to catch snakes in a nearby swamp for meat (that is, if it wasn't deer hunting season and the deer supply had run out). Of course, other families throughout Appalachia certainly had similar experiences, so my dad isn't unique in that respect.
Hearing these stories as a kid, it made me thankful that I had luxuries like a family TV, a refrigerator, etc. Of course, the reason I had these things growing up was because my dad was a very smart kid and used his love for science and for learning in general to get him out of a poverty-stricken area; he paid his way through college and grad school and eventually got a doctorate at the University at Buffalo in Pharmaceutical Sciences or whatnot, and promptly was offered a job in Delaware with DuPont.
The town looks pretty much the same as it did when I was last here in 2002; in fact, nothing about the town has changed from what I can remember. This is the kind of place where it's a big deal and a sign of growth if someone builds a new house.
Pine Grove has one famous resident: Conrad Richter, a Pulitzer Prize winner and the author of a few popular books, such as A Light In The Forest.
Welcome to Pine Grove.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/729/dscf4929auc2.jpg
Tulpehocken Street, also State Route 443, is the main road in town. Here are some houses and buildings on Tulpehocken Street. Some of them are nice, but some are also ugly and neglected.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/7779/dscf4930akf0.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/5648/dscf4931ahg3.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/4795/dscf4932abf4.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/7242/dscf4933aje9.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/1148/dscf4934ath7.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/7456/dscf4935apb4.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/3003/dscf4936ade0.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/9875/dscf4937aai3.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/525/dscf4938asb0.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/6527/dscf4939abj2.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/4153/dscf4940aep9.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/423/dscf4953ark6.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/1773/dscf4960arj9.jpg
Looking uphill to the town cemetery. Conrad Richter is buried in the cemetery, as are my grandparents and other ancestors from my dad's side of the family.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/9987/dscf4941aub3.jpg
The local high school baseball field. For some reason, it's in town at the top of the hill, a couple miles from the school. In any case, there are some nice views for just a high school baseball field.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/7927/dscf4944atc2.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/9821/dscf4945apm1.jpg
A view of Blue Mountain to the south from the cemetery.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/4041/dscf4946apf1.jpg
Looking north down Walter Street.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/623/dscf4947adm7.jpg
Back to Tulpehocken Street.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/3469/dscf4948ati6.jpg
The town must've renamed a road after Conrad Richter since I was last here. Condrad Richter Drive is on the east side of town.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/2751/dscf4949abm1.jpg
Some industrial facilities in the main part of town.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/6136/dscf4950ahi4.jpg
An old building in the main part of town. Notice the rusted sign advertising water softeners. The water around here has a very very high concentration of iron. Water softeners are necessary in order to have clean water to drink and bathe in.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/7509/dscf4951ard5.jpg
Looking towards Tulpehocken Street.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/8205/dscf4952azs5.jpg
Pine Grove High School. This is the only high school for miles. It's not like the town needs more than one high school anyway.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/8051/dscf4954alt5.jpg
Outside of the borough, things look pretty bleak as well.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/161/dscf4955ala3.jpg
The house where my grandparents, dad, and aunts and uncles lived. I believe it's empty now. The house sits on State Route 443 north of town.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/6058/dscf4956ahz5.jpg
The back yard. Someone added that tire swing after my grandparents died, because they never had that.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/7104/dscf4957auf0.jpg
The house again. It looks just like it did when I would visit it once every few weeks.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/1369/dscf4958aka3.jpg
The view from the house. The foothills of the Appalachians are in the background, and it's a good place for hunting. In the foreground is a baseball field that has been neglected for years. It was common to hear rifles go off in the mountains during deer season. My grandparents saw many wild animals that wandered out of the woods onto the old baseball field, including deer, foxes, turkeys, pheasants, and even a black bear once.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/8236/dscf4959alc2.jpg
A small park on the edge of town welcomes residents, and even an ossaional visitor passing through town.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/2644/dscf4961aoi7.jpg
As some of you might know, my mom and her side of the family is from Buffalo, and so I have shown that area in photos many times. I hope you liked the tour of where the other side of my family comes from.