The new, old-time barber shop in Schuylkill County, PA

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Mementos and memories People say that a picture is worth a thousand words. How true! Every photograph and memento in my shop has a story behind it. Most show local historical landmarks or my own family members back in the time when coal was king. Here is a quick tour of some of my favorites: Workin' in a coal mine This wall is a small tribute to the local men and boys who worked for years in the mines to earn an honest dollar to support their families. Most of the tools and equipment belonged to my father or other members of my family. Getting the shaft Primrose was the home of the Lytle Colliery from the 1890's until the early 1950's. The colliery began operations on the Primrose vein from their No. 1 and No. 2 slopes. When the coal company operators discovered how rich the Anthracite coal deposits were at this site, they sunk a shaft that eventually operated on seven levels and reached a depth of over 1,800 feet. At the base of the shaft, the No. 9 and No. 10 slopes extended the mining operations even further. The air, however, was so poor at these depths that compressed air had to be utilized so that the miners could work. How much coal did the Lytle Coal Company mine all total? Well, let's put it this way. If the coal were loaded on 10-ton trucks placed bumper to bumper, the line would stretch from New York to San Francisco - with enough trucks left over to cover the distance between Primrose and Philadelphia 6 times. The top photograph shows the colliery's No. 2 breaker, which opened in 1905, and power plant. The bottom one shows the colliery's head frame around the turn of the 20th century. Notice the tank attached to the cable on the upper right wheel of the Lytle tipple. When water flooded the lower levels of the mine, the tank was lowered into the shaft to the level of water. A hatch then opened so that the water could enter the tank. When full, it was hoisted to the top of the shaft and emptied into a portable chute system that carried the water away. When the water level in the mine was extremely high, additional tanks were added to the other compartments. In time, pumps were developed that could extract water from great depths and this system of mine water removal was abandoned. Get maps of the Lytle Colliery. Natural beauty No, this is not a picture from one of Pennsylvania's many state parks. This well-hidden treasure and oasis of pristine tranquility is in Forestville, a half hour hike headed towards Buck Run. Getting to West West Falls is neither easy nor well marked. You have to cross two pipes with a good ten feet drop to the ground or walk down and around the ditches. Then again, it's not for the masses.  What was a popular place to cool off from the summer's heat as far back as the 1800's is now the private property of the local water company - and officially off limits.   Thanks to Andy Makara, who took this picture for us over twenty years ago. If you build it, they will come From the 1890’s until the mid 1930's, the Greek Catholic Church of St. George was a prominent landmark on the hill overlooking the Minersville train station when you entered the town from the south or the west. My great-grandfather, Wassil Kramer, was one of the church's founders. The parishioners of St. George’s were immigrant families who came to America from the Sanok region of Galicia. This province of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire is now part of southeastern Poland and borders on Slovakia and Ukraine. In time, some parishioners established other churches within Minersville. The original church charter was amended and the parish was renamed St. Nicholas. In the late 1930's the parish built a new and bigger church on Front Street and the old church on Spruce Street was torn down. The stone steps that once lead to the entrance are all that remains at the site of the original church. America's oldest... ...is still America's best. But did you know that Columbia beer, brewed and bottled in Shenandoah, PA, and Bavarian beer, a product of the Mount Carbon Brewery in Pottsville, were more popular brews among many locals back in the old days? Still the best in PA! Cass Township High School was a grand building located at the corner of Route 901 and Forestville Road, literally across the street from the original Kramer's barber shop . The school, which closed its doors in 1966, was torn down completely in 2006. All that remains is the stone wall along Route 901 and the athletic field. The 1957 Cass Twp. Football team set an enduring record in scholastic football by completing the 1957 season UNDEFEATED, UNTIED and UNSCORED UPON. The 1958 team continued the streak for the first five games of the new season. Mahanoy Township, which scored in game 6 of the 1958 season, ended an unparalled 15 game streak, which today remains a Pennsylvania scholastic record. Local sports memorabilia For the kid in all of us Family photos

Copyright 2007-2009, Ron Kramer