The Eckley Oral History Project

George Surgent (6-19-12) - (Interviewing while visiting his sister, Irene Surgeon)

I. George stated previous to our interview that a great amount of his information was handed down from his mother and father. Those statements which seem to be questionable or has been noted as being second-hand information will be marked with an asterisk *.

II. Sister Helene Surgent will be in Eckley this Friday. 6-23-12, with information from Aunt Veronica Polancezsky who lives in Philadelphia area - picture of John Mitchell and information on Molly McGuires.

III. Family moved into Eckley about 1906. First lived in house #102 (1906-1921), moved to house #162 (superintendent's house) in 1921 and the family has lived in this house ever since. Irene now living here.

IV. Eckley store was first owned by the Company (coal co) then Evan C Reese owned the store, then the company took it over again. (unexplained - says see Bruno Lagonosky for details)

V. Says to see Mary Lurko for information on Molly McGuires - her Grandfather, Frank McHugh , was a Molly, a runner for the Molly's - the only person *known to be a Molly. *

VI. Traveling stores - "hucksters" came to Eckley into the 1940's A. Beer man came to town once a week ? horse-drawn cart, with "keg" quarter barrel wooden kegs, and jugs of whiskey "Old Honey" (brand name) which the owners would fill family jugs from large jugs of whiskey kept under the seat. (This was before prohibition ? the whiskey). B. Butcher would come in Eckley every other day from Freeland. He would come in a horse-drawn wagon cart which had curtains on the side - later by truck. Butcher block on the rear of the wagon, with the meats in the front of the wagon C. Grocery man came two or three times a week. He had canned goods and mostly "dried goods."

if the grocery man didn't have what you wanted in the wagon, he would take 'your order' and bring it the next time he came to town he brought the order. D. Bread man came to Eckely about 3 times a week. He wasn't that important to the town, because most people baked their oen bread. He did sell som bread, cades and pies to those who didn't bake, or those who hadn't baked that day. E. [?] [?] man would come in with bolts of material. [?] yard goods [?] [?] "Jews" who came with bundles on their backs filled with different [?yard] goods. Extended Surgent famile and heir addresses as [?] further investigation. To be received from sister Helene when she comes to Eckley. Eckley B. Cox got the Eckley [?] [?] cheating. He was a surveyor for a Philadelphia Coal Company. He surveyed the Eckley land but told the Company that the land was no good. Leter he bought the land. He is suppose to hav served time in prison for this [?] deed (not certain, but he still retained ownership to the lands. This is the reason that [?]. Cox was teh "Angel of the Anthracites' to atone for her husband's deed. Legend - when a man was drowned and his body could not be found, the people would throw loaves of bread into the water to make the body rise. George Petrushka's father drowned in no. 1 hole, and would be a good informant for such a legend, as this process was used when he drowned. After 7 days his body rose to the top of the water. X. Check with below for pictures ([?][?] saves paper). Thomas E. [?] 108 Maple St Freeland, Penna. 636-3532

[ ?. Mercron ?] # 130 #126 Mary Zurko / Margaret Mahoney 8/1/72

Children ( circled ) Mary's Zurko's mother was blamed for her last 2 children (twins) who were miscarried into the mgmt pail (underlined) (!) - It's darn good for you - you only went to Hazleton for nonsense, people said. She actually went to shop for her kids. Young kids Used to hitch rides on ole Beer wagons or any itinerant merchant who passed through. Especially favored were wagons going to Freeland or Hazleton.

Remedies( circled) Every January - sulphur & molasses tonic

If you got a cut, put a broad leaf from a plant on cut to stop bleeding & cleanse it.

If you had a carbuncle, you got pine sap(pitch) & mix w/ fels-naphtha soap to make a paste. Apply to carbuncle to get the core of the infection out.

Flax seed used to make a poultice - put flax seed in hot water to make it.

Some people said they "had to have a bottle of beer to make me strong." Women especially drank a bottle before doing garden work.

Mary Zurko - 7/19/72 6:45 p.m. - 7:30p.m. House # 130 Proprietors " Co." store - #1 Mr. Keller - early 1900's - late 1800's #2 Evan C. Reese/ #3 Mr Shoepak "Anything" -Would take you out of - in car town to get any furniture you wanted - would be delivered to co. store - " Bridgie" O'Donnell - worked for Evan as Bookkeeper - lives on Washington St. Freeland Has phone # listed under Nellie - See Agnes Kaschak about Co. store - Contents Yard goods: cottons, linens, silks, etc flannel ( "outing" flannel) - used for girls' winter slips & nighties Paints: lead-based, enamel, stain Shoes: work/boots/rubbers Molasses in keg Vinegar in keg/cask Box cakes - 10 lb. box of cakes/cookies -[?] 2 1/2 'x 1 1/2' x 1 ' ( arrow from word box pointing to ) Hitchner's Brand - good Patent medicines Crackers in boxes 10# wood w/lids on top Shave cream [?] Ready- made clothes Hardware: tools/rakes, etc. young plants,seeds, fertilizer, feed brooms, brushes kitchen cabinets - $60-$66 (up left had margin up side of lines 8-16) If he didn't have it, he'd get

Prop. went to surronding towns to get goods people wanted - got em wholesale

Mr. William Bachman took weekly orders house - to house - came around filling every store wagon- saurkraut, fish, cake - all kinds of foods

Fresh fish: flounder, lshad, smelts, oysters ( works scribbled out) smelts, oysters rugs, curtains, draperies, thread

Law N' Order People arrested for coal pickin' Most of the people [unreadable] around their {unreadable] and/or moved up so to avoid paying co. store bills

Coal & Iron Pol. would chase "Thief" and/or broke their buckets.

Mary Zurko/ Agnes Kascak Women's Role( circled) [ 7/19/?] 100-[?]

Women's role ( words next to bracket for next paragraph) [Sc?] carpet on [Ben?] or [ Poll?] take carpet out to hydrant - rinsewring it out (3 women to do this) Later done with hand wringer - "Z- fold" ( drawing of how to fold)

Housing [In??] ( in left margin) Early rugs were coarse bags (burlap) Early chairs were benches (horizontal line across page) Games Amusements ( arrows pointing to each paragraph below)

- Square Dances / Virginia Reels at [Laur?town] 50 yrs ago + before - Fri. & Sat - nites Warned - boys would accompany the girls in goups - often teased about what the dangers were - ghosts, snakes, etc.

Sleigh ride parties in winters - groups of boys & girls would organize - 2 horses pulled sleigh ( like Currier & Ives Prints)

Ice skating parties

Some evenings boys would take girls in mine cars down in to mines. Boys would clown & show off a lot

D.Mo[??????] Mary Zurko

House Architecture Margaret Maloney 7/26/72 Welsh mine foreman Mr. Crabtree ordered the house down from Nicholas' to be torn down! - Capricious action on - his part -- Now site of Co. store.

(The next paragraph is bracketed on the left side)

- Coxe's - Fixed houses anytime anything went wrong with the interior or exterior - colliery carpentry crew always took care of it. Foreman was Mr. Keller, as Mary recalls it.

If your toilet went bad, the CO. Built a new toilet on the site "if it was good" - if not, someone from the colliery dug a new hole and the carpentry crew came in. "Owner" had no say as to how it was built or what style it would be.

- " Huss never gave us a nail."

Yard: garden

Yard was planted with food: corn potatoes, cabbage corn beets tomatoes beans lettuce onions cucumbers parsley, all the way from the road to where the shade are now, + extending to the Back (?) Road.

Huckle berry bushes + peach trees were in yard.

The yard was fenced by 3 or 4 boards laid horizontally, similiar to present fence but with more boards.

Swing in yard was( word scribbled out) put up in late 30's or 40's. It was a gift to Mary, daughter who was doing domestic hours work in Freeland. Husband put up swing on stout logs cut from the woods.

She thinks the grape arbor was there before the swing + was put there for shade.

Sidewalk was made of boards, ( boardwalks). Ditch on N side of yard near house was there always + was there to drain off rain water from neighbor's higher yard + porch into the street.

Fences were also in front of house. It surrounded the property, even in bacof sheds.

Flower garden was located in front of the stoops + (?) the porches, up to the fence boardering the road.

There was a gate for each neighbor.

There was a boardwalk from gate over the ditch in the road, onto the road.

A. Versano Anne Timko House interior + architecture 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm 8/16/72 1915 - The year she married + moved in here.

This Back St. home consisted of a kitchen, front room + upstairs bedroom. There was only a shed aagainst the kitchen, and the summer kitchen or shandy. There was also an open porch ( boards) on front of the shed, and a board walk leading from the shed to shandy.

Shed(underlined): 6 ft. long _

At first it was small, built for protection against rain. It had a door to the outside. Later, husband built a bigger one. It had a slanted roof, Then she had a bench with buckets of water, a little table, a cupboard, chairs, some pans stacked on top fo each other. Toward the last she had a small shelf bor a clock in the corner ( Western.) Worked in shed: Wash dishes, prepare meals. When it was hot.

Kitchen(underlined):

Had a coal stove (where hole is) a ( word crossed out) table on W end + chairs. Walls were not decorated, but were papered. It had a cloth ceiling. In kitchen kept burlap (bug?? ????????????) flour.