Estelle Roger

I grew up in a western Pennsylvania mining town called

De Lancey. We also called it Adrian, named after St. Adrian's Catholic Church. It was located 2 1/2 miles from a business town by the name of Punxsutawney. The official ground hog town today. When the ground hog see it shadow he forcasts the weather for the remaining 6 weeks of winter.

Going to town was a rare an exciting occasion for us. Our teacher took us to town to see the silent movie (Beau Geste). Also remember seeing (Son of the Shiek) with Rudolph Valentino.

There was a lot of excitement in town the day that Charles Lindbergh made the first solo flight to Paris. I believe that was in 1927. We happened to be there for another reason however, to see an Alaskan sled drawn by a team of Huskys and the Eskimos dressed in their elaborate furs. This was the first time we saw a fur Parka and we were quite impressed.

Our Parents took us to an Italian festival in a town called Florence. The particular contest impressed me, the participants who were men, climbed the greasy pole. It was about the size of a telephone pole and the man that climbed the highest point won a prize.

In those days we didn't have sleds but that didn't stop us from sliding down the hills on a piece of cardboard or tin. Pennsylvania is a very hilly state, with beautiful scenery.

In the spring we went to the fields and woods to pick flowers. The violets and arbeautas were our favorites. The latter is the state flower and has a beautiful fragrance. Mother always insisted that we come along to help her pick blue berries in the woods. We hated this chore because it seemed such an effort to fill a pail with the tiny berries. We disliked peeling goose feather off the quill. Mother made pillows and feather quilts from the geese that she raise. My Parents raised their own pigs, geese and chickens, and had their own vegetable garden and canned the vegetables and fruit. She made head cheese with pigs feet, shanks, veal and spices. This was a delicacy, we seasoned it with a little vinegar to taste. Everything was made from scratch like homemade bread and rendered lard. We enjoyed the bread with the cracklings after the lard was rendered. Of course in those days most people put up there own sauer kraut. Dad made home brew and root beer for us. Sometimes we could hear a cork pop from the pressure in the bottle. Mother pressed our clothes with irons heated on the black coal stove and at night we used a kerosene lamp for light. We heated the house with a pot belly stove. The water was carried in from the pump in the square, until dad drew up a water line into the house.

If we had a sore throat mother would prepare hot goose lard with milk and chopped garlic. An infection was treated with a poultice made from raw potato of a paste made of bread and milk.

Our neighbor looked a site when he jumped the bannister with his feet all blue from stomping grapes in the apartment next door to him. This was a rare site that stayed in our minds.

Dr. Stevenson was the only doctor in town. The night my sister was born a neighbor woman came to assist him while my brothers and myself were sent upstairs to bed as this happened in the evening. The baby was born downstairs.

The very first song we learned at the catholic school was (Old Black Joe). When we moved to another mining town called Onandago we had one class room with 8 grades and a big pot belly stove in it and one teacher. A picture of (The Blue boy) was my award for being the second best speller in the 6th grade throughout the year.

Forget to mention that mother washed the clothes on a wash board.

In this town, we were introduced to the words Ku Klux Klan for the first time. We saw them burning the cross on the hill at night. We were surprised to hear that our neighbors were members of this organization. They seemed like such nice people. At that time we didn't know what they were.

Finally had indoor plumbing and had the convenience of indoor toilets. Until that time we used the out-house.

My brother provided the entertainment evenings when he played the banjo and harmonica by ear. The neighbors would gather around to listen to songs like Red Wing and Whispering. We would wind up the old phonograph and play Bye Bye Black Bird and Baby Face and Yes Sir That's My Baby. Dad's favorite record was Silver Threads Among the Gold.

After those long hours at the mine dad took time to build us a merry-go-round. He attached a long plank that revolved on a post in the ground. The children would hang on to the ends and go round and round. I will never forget the little man figure dad carved that was attached to the windmill. When the wind blew, the mill propelled this little man to make like he was sawing wood. It had a saw in it's hand. Dad had it perched up high on the fence post.

We were always excited about Christmas morning when we found our stockings filled with fruit candy and nuts. Also received some stuffed toys. We had a natural tree that dad chopped down in the woods. The ornaments were beautiful. Mother put on candles that nested in a holder that was clipped on the edge of the branches. We lit the candles only when we could be near to watch, so that the tree would not catch fire. In the evening we liked to play outdoor games like hide and go seek, etc. These were called the roaring twenties when they danced the Charleston and we moved to Chicago in 1928. Estelle Rogers