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Archiver > WVHANCOC > 1999-02 > 0919536738


From: Janet Waite <>
Subject: [WVHANCOC-L] Historic Chester Sites
Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 13:52:18 -0500


Hi All,

I've finished typing the first of several articles from The Messenger.
These articles will eventually be uploaded as text files and links added on
the main Hancock County Website. Hope you will enjoy them.

Happy Hunting,

Janet

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Historical Chester
Historical Compilation by Roy Cashdollar
Source: The Messenger Volume 3 Issue 31 Thursday, October 30, 1997
Courtesy of Mr. Greg Rayburn Editor/Owner

THE MERRY-GO-ROUND AND ROCK SPRINGS PARK

The Merry-Go-Round and the Cyclone were teh two most popular rides at old
historic
Rock Springs Park which had its beginning as an amusement park in 1898
under the
late Jim McDonald. Prior to that, the park had two different owners and
was just
used for picnics or family outings. The bridge construction moved the park
forward
swiftly.

In 1900, C.A. Smith purchased the park and added many new rides. Mr. Smith
purchased
the horses for the Merry-Go-Round from a well-known company in
Philadelphia. The
carvings of these horses made them very valuable to antique dealers. Many
people
living here today can remember when as small children they tried to grab
the brass
ring to get a free ride. In addition to the large number of rides, the
park had
beautiful grounds, a swimming pool, a lake, a small zoo, and even live
shows on
the midway.

Rock Springs Park may be gone from the area but the memories of those happy
visits to
it will never be gone. There were often crowds of over 20,000 people at
some of the
larger picnics. People would come by excursion boats, trains, or
automobiles. On
special picnic days or important holidays, the park had giant fireworks
displays.
The Golden Star picnic was especially popular because ice cream was given
away.

CHESTER HIGH SCHOOL

Chester High School was completed in 1926 by the Finley Brothers.
Construction began
in 1925 and the school was dedicated on January 4, 1926. At first it
consisted of 12
classrooms with two being done by the WPA during the depression. The WPA
project
provided a nice auditorium and gymnasium. Prior to this addition,
graduation was held
at Rock Springs Park, the Presbyterian Church, or the City Hall auditorium.
The last
class to graduate from Chester High School was in 1962, and after that all
students
attended the new Oak Glen High School. The old high school is now used as
a middle school.

The old Chester High School had only two principals in its history, Mr.
Rabinstein and
Mr. R.M. McFarland. Many local graduates returned to teach at their former
school.
The big affair of the year for the students was the Prom which usually was
held at
beautiful Virginia Gardens in Rock Springs Park.

ALPINE THEATRE

The original theatre, called the Lincoln Theatre because of its location on
the old
Lincoln Highway that ran through the center of Chester, was later named the
Alpine. The
building was first used as a livery stable and then became the Arner-Bower
Funeral Home
until a fire in 1916. The building was repaired enough to house the
Chester China for
a few years. The old Lincoln Theatre was quite a place, having been a
livery stable.
It was not unusual for rats to make an appearance during the shows. The
Saturday matinee
for 10 cents was very popular, especially when they had a Western, plus
serial stories
that ran for 10 or 12 Saturdays.

As an added attraction during the Depression, the theatre had dish night
once a week,
giving away a piece of local pottery, anticipating that the person
receiving it would
come often enough to collect a whole set. Amateur nights were held when
anyone who
wanted to could perform. Buster Brown and his dog performed on Saturday
afternoons
while they were in town to promote Buster Brown shoes. The Alpine closed
when outdoor
theatres and television became more popular.

WORLD'S LARGEST TEAPOT

The Teapot was purchased by Mr. Wilford "Babe" Devon in 1938 and moved to
Chester from
Carnegie, PA. It was used as an attraction to his business. He had the
first soft ice
cream in the area and sold other such items as hot dogs and soft drinks.
The teapot had
three different owners before the land where it was located was purchased
by Bell
Telephone Company. The Teapot was in need of much repair when the Chester
Planning
Commission made arrangements for its removal to a spot at the edge of the
old Rock
Springs Park on property given them by the State of WestVirginia. It was a
major
attraction bringing hundreds to Chester each year to see it. Even weddings
have been held
at the Teapot.

STREET CAR

The early Bridge Company with stockholders from East Liverpool and Chester
was interested
in using the bridge for a street car line from East Liverpool to Chester,
but the East
Liverpool City Council refused until March of 1897 when they granted a
24-year franchise.
The lines were started in April and by May 26, 1897, the first street car
line crossed
the bridge to First Street in Chester turning up Virginia Avenue to Third
Street, then
right over to Carolina Avenue and finally left up Carolina Avenue to Rock
Springs Park.
The first car was No. 11.

The first street car barn was in Chester (later the old Cord Tire Company),
but moved to
the East End of East Liverpool. The street cars were very regular and
provided comfortable
transportation to the areas in West, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

TRAIN STATION

The first train came to Chester in 1900 when lines were extended from
Kenilworth. The
railroad at that time was the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis
Railroad.
Years later, it became the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and existed as
such until 1990
when their property was sold to the City of Chester. Stations were located
at First
Street and Ninth Street with the Ninth Street Station handling all the
supplies shipped
into Chester. A hotel was located at each station.

The station agent was kept busy with supplies for the local potteries, the
mill and later
the rubber factory, and the local automobile agencies since all cars were
delivered by
rail. The station was truly a landmark for the upper-end of Chester. In
prosperous
times, there were five employees at the station. An extra track was
installed for an
extra engine in case of an emergency.

TAYLOR, SMITH AND TAYLOR COMPANY

The pottery was formed originally at Taylor, Lee and Smith in 1899. It
began operations
in 1900. Lee sold his interest to Taylor in 1903 and the Smiths purchased
the Taylor
interest in 1906. A West Virginia charter was granted to Smith in 1907.
At one time,
this pottery was the world's largest pottery under one roof. It had been
expanded to
17 kilns by 1913 withover 400 employees and a payroll of over $140,000. At
its peak,
it employed over 800 workers.

It soon became one of the leading dinnerware companies in the world. It
was famous for
many innovations it brought to the industry. The Smiths, both C. A. and W.
L., upon
retiring, passed the control to their sons who later passed it on to their
sons. The
Smiths sold the plant to Anchor Hocking Glass Company who operated it a
very few years
until it was closed and the property sold. The Dietz family owns the
property at the
present time.

CHESTER CITY HALL

The original City Hall was a very small building on the corner of 4th and
Indiana Avenue.
Council looked for a new site and selected the present location which was
just a large
empty hole on Carolina Avenue. The present City Hall opened in 1927 and
was constructed
also to house the Chester Fire Department.

The front room was the Police Headquarters where Mayor's Court was held. A
clerk's
office and Council Chamber were also on the first floor. The rear right
corners held
two jail cells. A caretaker's apartment, gymnasium/auditorium, kitchen and
stage were
on the second floor. A lot of memories exist from use of the second floor
area. Chester
High School played their basketball games, stage plays and school plays
were presented,
clubs and political caucuses were held, and graduates received their
diplomas there.

The caretaker would cook the prisoner's meals for $1.00 a day. The late
Demar Miller had
many musical programs in the auditorium and secured many of the radio stars
from the
Midnight Jamboree in Wheeling, including Big Slim and his horse, Little
Sunflower, Shirley
the cowgirl, and others. After the war when veterans returned after World
War II, the city
opened the auditorium for basketball leagues. The Kiwanis had their first
pancake supper in
1952 at City Hall and the firemen held minstrels and bingo there. During
the flood of 1936,
the basement had over 4 feet of water in it.

THE OLD CHESTER BRIDGE

The early businessmen of Chester quickly learned that if this new area were
to succeed, they
had to have a bridge connecting them to East Liverpool. The ferry boat was
not successful,
as it was often frozen in the ice and could not move.

It took from 1893 to 1895 to obtain enough investors to undertake the
construction of the
project which was to cost $250,000. In 1896, land was purchased in Ohio
for the connection.
By March of 1896, excavation for the piers began. By June, 1896, all stone
work was
completed and the iron work was started in July, 1896.

Nine months of hard work was climaxed December 31, 1896 when the 1,466 ft.
long bridge was
completed. Many people walked the bridge but the official opening was New
Years Day 1897. To
walk or ride horses across, the cost was 5 cents a person.

The Chester bridge was sold to C. A. Smith in 1901 after it had gone
bankrupt. In 1936, the
bridge was completely rebuilt without stipping the traffic.

It was closed to traffic in 1972.

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