Recently, the ROAR Committee sponsored an evening “Lantern Walk” through the center of Russell bounded by North Main, Liberty, and Conewango Sts. It was very well attended with over 40 adults and a dozen children attending. Thom Russell, Vickie Ferrie and Lisa Miller were the presenters. Together, they gave the history of the structures that are there and those that have been there in the past, but are no longer standing. Participants were encouraged to ask questions or add information. At the end of the walk, participants returned to Russell United Methodist Church for refreshments. A historic 30-page tour booklet and map also were prepared for the occasion. Evaluation of the event was so positive that it may be repeated in the future. Given the present decline in the business district of Russell, it seems important to know where we have come from, so we can hopefully move ahead to a prosperous downtown Russell in the future. What follows is a small piece of what was presented that evening with focus on the history of the structures and businesses at the junction of Main and Liberty Sts. over time.

Main St. (old US Route 62) runs north and south, while Liberty St. runs east and west, with the Conewango Creek to the east and the blinking yellow light on new Route 62 to the west. The first hotel in Russell was built on the northwest corner of Main and Liberty Sts. by Lansing Wetmore in 1820. The structure was wood, thus susceptible to fire. In 1824, the hotel was destroyed by fire. Unfortunately, it would be almost a century before there was an organized fire department in Russell. However, a new hotel was immediately rebuilt by Marshal Jones that same year.

Meanwhile, in 1822, John Hunter had built another hotel on the southwest corner of Main and Liberty Sts. Five years later, in 1827, it too burned, but was rebuilt by Luke Turner in 1828. Turner ran a tavern/hotel in 1839, which was taken over by C.P. Jackson in 1841. Jackson ran the establishment until 1870. The structure was torn down in 1878.

At the same time, Marshal Jones was rebuilding the hotel on the northwest corner of Main and Liberty Sts. In 1824, Thomas Slone built a new hotel on the northeast corner. However, fate was not on the side of either of these entrepreneurs for in 1841 a conflagration consumed both hotels on the north side of Liberty St.

Here is the appearance of the former Adams Hotel today, on the northeast corner of Main and Liberty Sts. in Russell. Photo by Steve Horsley.

Meanwhile, A.G. Lane purchased the property on the northwest corner of Main and Liberty Sts. and built the Lane Hotel; the structure survives today at this location. A.G. Lane ran the hotel until 1886, when Hiram Lane assumed ownership. Hiram Lane continued to operate the Lane Hotel until 1904. E.J. Kelly became the proprietor in 1906. It is not clear how long Kelly operated the Lane Hotel. Legrand Russell operated the Lane Hotel tavern beginning in 1937. The Lane Hotel structure has housed numerous restaurants including Weston’s and Mae Barrett’s Crossroads. For several years, ending in 1960, the Russell Post Office was located in the north end of the building, just prior to opening of the present Russell Post Office building on the corner of Liberty and Conewango Sts. The building also was the location of two church congregations, Bob Abbey’s Second Hand Shop, Byler’s Yarn Shop, Richard Feeney’s Pet Shop and Dawn Whitten’s first Gift and Craft Shop. Today, the structure houses several apartments.

Across the street, on the northeast corner of Main and Liberty Sts., Roy C. Adams built an elegant three-story hotel with a two-story porch. The hotel opened on Christmas Day in 1893 and was very popular. For a time the third floor served as a Dance Hall and place for group meetings. Adams continued to operate the hotel until 1922 when prohibition dramatically reduced patronage. From 1922 to 1940 Frank Cox ran a tavern in the hotel and from 1936 to 1937 Charles and Etta Anderson ran the hotel. From 1922 to 1946 Gerald Mattison operated the Red & White Grocery in the first floor of the structure. The porches were removed at an undetermined time, while the third floor was removed in June 1969. Between 1955 and 1985 Ralph and Kay Swanson’s American Hardware Store occupied the first floor. Their slogan was, “The Store with Browse-ability”. Subsequently, from 1988 until 1991, David Van Ord had a hardware store in the building. The structure currently is vacant.

The early structures in downtown Russell were of wood construction, thus susceptible to fire. Moving across Liberty St. on the east side of South Main St. a two-story brick structure was built in 1896, which housed Charles A. Clark’s general store until sometime in the 1930s. The second floor of the building was used as a movie theater and gathering place. In the early 1940s, the Russell Volunteer Fire Department purchased the building, which they used until 1982, prior to moving to their present location. Fire trucks were stored beneath the building at the “basement” level. After the Fire Department vacated the building, it was used by MCM Enterprises to produce custom kitchen cabinets. Presently, the building is occupied by 10-4 Limited, an electrical equipment supplier.

Returning to the southwest corner of South Main and Liberty Sts., during the twentieth century there have been many proprietors on this corner. Jack Sweeney operated a gas station in the 1920s; George Widdifield operated the gas station in the 1930s. Larry Parks ran the station from 1950-1960. Howard McJunkin took over from 1960-1964. Duane Spicer operated the station from 1964-1967. Charles Martin was the proprietor from 1967-1977 and Willard Weatherby’s Keystone service station occupied the location from 1977-1994. In 1993, Pennsylvania enacted a law requiring a catchment beneath underground gasoline storage tanks to prevent pollution of ground water supplies. Due to the expense of complying with this regulation, many gas stations stopped selling gasoline and the storage tanks were removed, including those at this location. The site currently is occupied by the Handy Stop Repair Shop.

Over the past 200 years, the corner of Main and Liberty Sts. has seen quite a bit of activity. Where we will go from here is a pertinent question.

The former Clark general store was built of brick on the southeast corner of Main and Liberty Sts. in 1896 and did not experience the fires suffered by other wood structures. Photo by Steve Horsley.

ROAR Meeting

November 4

As noted above, the “Lantern Walk” was a great success, suggesting that a rerun next spring might be considered. The committee also is considering a “Cemetery Walk” highlighting the founders of Russellsburg and other notable early residents. Stay tuned.

ROAR will be installing Christmas banners on utility poles over the next few weeks.

The Russell and Akeley communities will celebrate a “Hometown Christmas” Saturday, Nov. 30, beginning at 4 p.m. The event will take place at Larimer Park and the Russell United Methodist Church (RUMC).

The former gas station at the southwest corner of Main and Liberty Sts. was built in the 1920s. Photo by Steve Horsley.

Community tree lights will be lit by the Pine Grove Lioness at Larimer Park beginning at 4 p.m. At 4:15 p.m., Santa will arrive in town on a Russell Volunteer Fire Department fire truck. The Russell United Methodist Church will begin serving a Soup, Cider and Hot Chocolate meal sponsored by ROAR in the Ministry Center at 4:30 p.m. During the meal, the Chautauqua Belles will perform in the Ministry Center, sponsored by ROAR. Also at 4:30, free framed pictures of Santa will be available, compliments of ROAR. And, at 5 p.m., the Conewango Clippers will perform at RUMC. Hayrides also will be available.

Early planning for Pine Grove Days next May has begun. It also was announced that the Russell Beautification Committee has disbanded, however, its functions will be taken over by ROAR. Look for ROAR members planting flowers next spring.

The next ROAR meeting will be held at the Pine Grove Township Town Hall on Liberty St., at 6:30 p.m. December 2.

Supervisors Report

Improvements to the Russell municipal water system are progressing rapidly. The contractor has replaced the last of the old cast iron mains with six-inch plastic pipe, eliminated several dead ends in the system and installed a number of new valves that enable much better control of the system. The new lines are being sanitized before being put into use. Once this is done, residences that were connected to the old mains will be connected to the new ones. The contractor is anticipating that all but a bit of cleanup and restoration work will be done by the end of the December. The remaining cleanup work will be done in the spring. The water system improvements have required that the township crew locate all of the shut off and control values in the old piping. This is no easy task, as there are few reliable blueprints of the old pipes. The crew has had to spend considerable time locating and marking what connections and valves they could find. This work has taken considerable man hours from much-needed road maintenance. Consequently, there are several road maintenance projects that should have been done by now, but will have to be pushed to spring. Among these are: finishing reconstruction of about a mile of Gouldtown Road, reconstruction and sealing of Egypt Hollow Road and other needed road maintenance work. Work on the Gouldtown Road, Egypt Hollow Road, Pine Street and East Street will be top priorities this spring. The 2020 township budget includes all of these projects, as well as replacement of several hundred feet of guide rails that are in poor condition.

The township’s efforts to restore the eroded bank at the mouth of Johnny Run have been stymied by the relatively long permitting process. The township has finally got all the necessary permits that will enable us to enter the creek, remove the offending tree that is changing its course and restore the eroded bank. However, the permit from the Fish and Boat Commission will not allow entrance into the creek until January 1, 2020. The reason for this restriction is that Johnny Run is considered a wild, native trout stream.

Other issues and concerns of the Board of Supervisors include: properties throughout the township with junk cars and trash accumulating on them, several properties that are in violation of the township’s nuisance ordinance and several properties that are close to meeting the criteria for determination as blighted property.

The supervisors have completed preparation of the 2020 budget and remind township residents that it is available for their review at the township office.

The recent November 8 storm is a reminder of what is coming. This storm did catch the township somewhat unprepared, as two of our trucks did not have the plows mounted. The trucks were being used for general duty and for hauling dirt from ditching work. However, the township is now prepared and remind residents to call the township office with any concerns about winter maintenance or any other road maintenance concerns. The township phone number is 757-8112. If you prefer to send your concerns by email, the township email is pinegrovetwp@verizon.net.

Residents are reminded that the Board of Supervisors meets the second Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the town hall on East Street in Russell. The meetings are open to the public and township residents are free to being up concerns or issues they may have. If you wish to do so, call the office prior to the meeting to be placed on the agenda.