Historical Society Scholarship Update

At it's monthly meeting held on September 4th, the members of the E. O. Austin Home/Historical Society added the following requirement for 2015 applicants:

Twenty (2) hours of community service at the E.O. Austin Home/Historical Society museum.

The scholarship criteria now reads as follow:


Each year the E.O. Austin Home Historical Society awards at least one (1) $300 scholarship to a

graduating senior of the Austin Area School District.

To be considered for this scholarship an application by the student must be made to

the Museum no later than May 1, 2015.

The application is to consist of a typewritten statement identifying the student and

stating their record of accomplishments, including, but not limited to academic record,

organization memberships, leadership positions held, completion of twenty (20) hours of

 community  service at the E. O. Austin Home/Historical Society  museum, and athletic

 participation, etc.

Accompanying the typewritten application must be a copy of the official acceptance letter to the

institution  of higher education the applicant plans to attend.

The winner of the E.O. Austin Home Historical Society Scholarship will be identified during  the

Austin Area School District graduation ceremonies.

The amount awarded will be presented to the recipient upon their providing the

E.O. Austin Home Historical Society a copy of their official transcript at the completion

of the first semester of college indicating they have successfully passed at least twelve


(12) college credits.

Main Street Improvements

Have you noticed the improved appearance of Main Street here in Austin, Pennsylvania, in the past couple of months?

Walter Goodwin, who is the new owner of the garage, has cleaned the building inside and out,  attractively arranged advertising on the windows, and installed new signage.

Bub Crosby, who recently purchased the building next to Harry's, has cleaned the windows and store front, making it much more attractive.  He has also been very busy working inside the building.  Bub's  daughter, Rhonda, has been helping him.  Bub has not revealed any plans for the building, but the effort he has taken in improving it's appearance is noteworthy and bodes well for our community.

Elk Watch Volunteer Training Saturday

Calling all volunteers!  Sinnemahoning State Park is looking for volunteers to staff wildlife watching stations in the park.  This public program, called “Elk Watch” will be held on Friday and Saturday evenings during the elk rut in September and October.

 

Volunteers provide information about Pennsylvania’s elk herd, help visitors learn to view wildlife in a safe and respectful manner, and have a lot of fun in the process.  Sign up for one evening, a weekend, or several weekends.

 

No experience necessary – we will train you!

 

If you are interested, please plan to attend the Elk Watch Volunteer Training on Saturday, September 13^th, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm.  This training will cover the basics of elk biology, antler growth, and elk behavior during mating season.  We will also discuss how to set up an Elk Watch station, go over the materials that will be used, and answer any questions you have.

 

Please pre-register for this training by phone, email or the DCNR event calendar.  If you are interested in being an Elk Watch Volunteer, but are unable to attend the training, please contact Kim at 814-647-8401 ext. 106.

The Bayless Pulp and Paper Mill

George C. Bayless

George C. Bayless, President of the Bayless Pulp & Paper Company, hailed from Binghamton, New York.

He was recruited by Frank Elmer Baldwin, lawyer and bank president, and, other community leaders to build a state-of-the-art paper mill here in Austin, Pennsylvania, which he did  in 1900.  At the same time ten (10) houses were built on north Rukgaber Street for employees.  These houses would be referred to as Bayless Row. The spelling of the street would later be changed to Rugaber.

Initially, the paper mill would employ approximately 200 people and have a monthly payroll of $9000.00.  By 1909 the monthly payroll increased to over $35,000.00 and the population of Austin was over 2900 people.

The Paper Mill was doing so well that a large cement dam was built.  It was constructed poorly and broke on September 30, 1911.  Seventy-eight known individuals lost their lives in the flood of 1911.

Although badly damaged, the Paper Mill did reopen.

Bayless died in 1923 and his son, Stanley, took over as manager of the mill.

In 1940 Bayless realized that the timber needed to make the paper was badly depleted and so he sold the mill.

The smaller dam above the Paper Mill gave way in 1942 causing another major flood damaging the mill and also the community.  However, no one lost their life as a result of this flood.  Nevertheless, the Paper Mill continued to operate until a large fire caused it to cease operations in 1944.

Donation Day

Going into the month of August, I felt certain that we would reach the $100 mark required for a check to be issued, so, I gave a lot of thought as to who should get the donations.

 As the days of August passed, I learned of the Austin Dam Memorial Association targeting their fundraising efforts  to improve the road to The Dam Ruins.  Although improvements had been made to the road prior to The Dam Show, it still needs much more work in order to make it acceptable.

  Also, the E.O. Austin Home/Historical Society is currently working on an outdoor exhibit not only of historical significance, but which will also add to the appearance of One Town Square.

Furthermore, both of these organizations consistently give back to this community.

Thus, I have decided to donate $50.78  each to the Austin Dam Memorial Association and the E.O. Austin Home/Historical Society.

If you too would like to support these two worthy, non-profit organizations, you may send your donation(s) to:

The Austin Dam Memorial Association
5384 State Route 872 North
P.O. Box 136
Austin, PA 16720

And/Or,

The E.O. Austin Historical Society
1 Town Square
P.O. Box 412
Austin, PA 16720

History and Pride Days

This years History and Pride Days have been scheduled for September 27th and 28th.   The Austin History and Pride Days, are an annual event aimed to bring as many community members and organizations together to celebrate Austin today, to recognize Austin's past, to support Austin's future and to simply have community fun. 

So far, this year’s event includes:

Saturday: BBQ and Live Music at the Austin Dam Memorial Park with tours(12-5),  
                Duffee 5K Scholarship Run(morning), 
                E.O. Austin Historical Museum Tours(all day), 
                Flea Market at the Austin Methodist Church(8-1), 
                Bingo at the Austin Firehall (evening).

Sunday:   Austin Methodist Church w/Choir on town square(10:30) &Free Community Luncheon 
               Fall Festival activities from 12-3 on the town square which includes 
              Potter County Farmers Market & Pet Parade
              E.O. Austin Historical Museum Tours and Ice Cream Sundae Social,  
              Tractor Pull, Tractor Parade,
              Vendors, Games & Food
              Austin Dam Memorial Park Welcome Center/Gift Store tours

The History and Pride Committee is seeking more participants.  If an organization would like to sponsor an activity, be a vendor, manage a game or contest, or simply would like to do something special at your own location in the Austin area for the weekend, they encourage and welcome you to do so.

They would like to have as many positive, interesting, and fun activities happening, as possible that weekend.

Vendors space for Sunday Fall Festival is free and can be obtained by contacting Andrea Ebbert with the E.O. Austin Historical Society, (814) 647-8358 or kaayoder@gmail.com.

Special Activities, questions, concerns, suggestions can be sent to Tracie Gordnier ataustindam@yahoo.com or at 814-558-9021.  

There is a need for musician(s) for the dam on Saturday.   If anybody is of interest or may know somebody of interest, please contact The Austin History and Pride Committee.

Austin, Pennsylvania's Connection to Willie Nelson

This month's AARP Magazine contains a What I Know Now article with Willie Nelson who happens to be one of my all-time favorite singers and songwriters. In the article, we learn that Willie is 81 years old and still on the road.  Willie states that the longest he has ever been off the road is one month.   Ironically, one of Willie's greatest hits is entitled On The Road Again.

If you have visited or are familiar with the history of Austin, Pennsylvania, then you know of the 1911 Flood which destroyed the town, and, in which, 78 known people lost their lives.  One of those people was a Willie Nelson, who was a grocer and Democrat Party leader in the community.  Willie was also an outspoken critic of the unsafe manner in which the concrete dam was being built and was often referred to as The Jeremiah of Austin.

Professor Gale Largey from Mansfield University grew up in St. Marys, Pennsylvania.  During his youth, he would ride up to Austin with his grandfather to view the dam ruins which still stand today.  When Professor Largey decided to put together a documentary on The Austin Flood, Willie Nelson, the singer from Austin, Texas, was the obvious choice to narrate the documentary.  Gale and a contingent of people from Austin, Pennsylvania, traveled to Austin, Texas, and after a number of meetings spanning a number of days, Willie agreed to do it.  The documentary is named The Austin Disaster, 1911: A Chronicle of Human Character.  A DVD of this entertaining and interesting doucmentary can be purchased at The Austin Dam Gift Shop, E.O. Austin Home/Historical Society, local businesses or by calling 800-577-6798.