Readers remember brothers’ Brownsville Studebaker dealership
Bill Griffith After reading our series of articles about retired businessman Bill Griffith, several readers wrote to share their memories of the Griffith brothers and their Brownsville Studebaker dealership.
Sherman Elias of White Oak, Pa., wrote, “I enjoyed your article about Bill Griffith. I was just out of high school and celebrating a Jewish holiday when I left the synagogue on Second Street, walked up to the Studebaker garage, and bought my first new car. It was a fire engine red 1950 Studebaker Champ with overdrive. It must have gotten 50 miles to a gallon, or at least it seemed that way to me. I think I paid at least $1,500 for it, and I still remember how nicely the Griffiths treated me when I bought my first car.
“As Bill Griffith jokingly mentioned in your article, a person couldn’t tell if the car was coming or going, but I felt like the main man. Later I joined the Air Force, and I drove it back and forth from Fort Worth, Texas, many times until I shipped out for overseas duty. Thanks for a fine article about a nice guy.”
The red Studebaker Champ must have been a popular choice. Mal Crawford of Raleigh, N.C., had one too.
“I too have fond memories of Bill Griffith and his brother,” Mal wrote.
“In June of 1950 when I married my wife Winona, I had neither a car nor a job as we planned our honeymoon to a West Virginia state park. My grandmother advanced me $500, and we negotiated with Bill Griffth for a black 1940 Ford coupe. It was ran fairly well except for jumping out of second gear.
“Five months later I was called to the army, so we traded the Ford for our first new car, a red 1950 Studebaker Champion. The Champion was the first car I had ever driven that could climb Summit Mountain without having to drop down into second or low gear. There was no lack of power there.”
Some readers may have the mistaken impression that all automobiles in the 1950s were gas guzzlers, since gasoline cost only about 20 cents per gallon. Mal Crawford echoed Sherman Elias’s comment about the Champ’s gas mileage.
“One of the reasons I traded my 1950 Champion,” Mal explained, “was because of a trip I took through the Smokies. I had been getting up to 35 miles per gallon in the country, but when I got to the mountains, the mileage dropped to 29 miles per gallon. I thought something was wrong, and that it needed more power. I know we would all be happy to get 29 miles per gallon today, but after owning it for two years, I wanted something with more horsepower.
“So I traded it, with only 29,000 miles, to Bill Griffith for a new green 1952 Landcruiser, which was also quite a car. Bill’s wife continued to drive my red Champion for a long time.”
Hannah Millward Fisher of Corona, Ariz., e-mailed, “Your wonderful column brought back many memories. After the war, one of the first new cars that drew much attention was the Studebaker. My dad’s cousin, John Lamb, had one of the first postwar Studebakers in Brownsville, and Bill Griffith can probably tell you what color it was. John took my dad up to Griffiths’ Studebaker garage to see the new cars, and my dad traded our 1940 black Ford, which he had bought from Herbertson’s, for a 1948 black Studebaker Champion.
“Dad had purchased the Ford in 1940 for $1,000, and he traded it in almost 10 years later for $900. My dad liked to deal with the Griffiths, and as I recall he would often talk to Bill’s brother Charley about a new car. After about two years, the Champion was traded for a maroon Commander, and then two years later, my dad purchased a pale green Land Cruiser.”
One reader informed us that our article about the Griffiths’ Studebaker dealership, which was located in the former Girard Hotel, provided a connection with her own past. Edie Robin of Delray Beach, Fla., wrote, “I had to write after seeing the picture of the Girard Hotel in 1908. That’s what it looked like when my grandparents, Joe and Nellie Cooper, owned it. I only remember it as a garage and then the auto dealership. I had never seen a picture of what the original hotel looked like, so thank you for this article and for the photograph. Inadvertently, your article provided me with a picture from my mother’s past.”
Thornton Field
In an article last month, Brownsville native Bernard Frank, now of Pittsburgh, asked about the origin of Thornton Field’s name. We asked the Reader Roundtable for help, and several folks came through with information.
Mary Forsyth of Jefferson Township wrote, “Wasn’t part of the property where Cox-Donahey School is now and eastward towards Route 40 once owned by people named Thornton? I seem to recall some people who contacted me years ago, when I worked at Redstone Cemetery, who were descendents of the Thornton and West families. I do know that there is a large Thornton plot in Redstone Cemetery, Section E, that dates back to the Revolutionary War, and there are some Revolutionary War veterans buried in that plot.”
A note from a gentleman in Cumberland, Md., supports Mary’s recollection. Henry B. Thornton of Cumberland wrote, “To my knowledge, the field was named after my grandfather, John Russell Thornton. The Thornton family owned property adjacent to the site where the Cox-Donahey School is now located. The Thorntons previously owned a service station on Thornton Road [now Route 166] in the late 40s and early 50s. Mr. Thornton worked as a coal miner while his wife, Etta Crawford, managed the service station.”
Further corroboration was provided by Ralph Rosendale of Grindstone, co-author of “A Coal Vein In Our Veins,” the story of the Colonial mines.
“I have a 1902 underground mine map,” Ralph told me. “It shows Pike Mine, and it identifies the owners of the surface properties above the mine. Pike Mine (People’s Coal Company) ran out under the Thornton area. The map shows that Sarah Thornton owned about 1/2 acre of land, and a large block of land, mainly between Redstone Cemetery and Thornton Road, is shown as belonging to ‘Thornton heirs.’ A 1917 map that I have shows that by that year, the National Road was concrete and Thornton Road was brick.”
Thanks, Reader Roundtable members, for shedding light on how Thornton Road got its name.
Reunion Update
It is not too soon to make plans to attend your school or community reunion this summer. We have already heard from several reunion coordinators regarding upcoming events.
The largest reunion in the area will probably be the “Sixth Annual BHS Reunion.” This four-day extravaganza welcomes all graduates of the Brownsville High School Classes of 1954 through 1962, their families and friends, as well as interested parties from any other class who would like to attend. The reunion organizers have emphasized that anyone who attended Brownsville High School during these years, regardless of whether he or she graduated, is invited to attend.
The festivities will commence on Thursday, Aug. 1 with a casual get-together from 2 p.m. until 1 a.m. at the Front Street home of Pat Purcell. Friday, Aug. 2 features an outing (“On The Mon”) at the West Brownsville American Legion with a disc jockey playing “oldies but goodies” from 2 p.m. until midnight. On Saturday, Aug. 3, guests will enjoy a traditional reunion dinner/dance at the American Legion in West Brownsville with happy hour from 5 – 7 p.m., class pictures starting at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and a live band from 9 p.m. until 1:45 a.m. The four-day event will culminate on Sunday, Aug. 4 with a breakfast at the American Legion from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Reservations received before June 30 are $40 per person or $70 per couple. After that date, cost is $50 per person. To make your reservation, send your check, payable to “BHS Annual Reunion,” to Pat Purcell, 401 Church Street, Brownsville, Pa., 15417-1715. For more information, you may call Pat at 724-785-7638.
Another school reunion that has proven to be very popular for the past two years is the Hiller Grade School Reunion. The third annual reunion will be held on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2002 at the Brownsville Sportsmen’s Club picnic grounds. The cost is $20 per person, and all alumni, their family members and friends are welcome to attend.
To place a reservation, send your check or money order to Richard Filchock, Box 124, Hiller, Pa., by July 30. For more information, you may call Richard Filchock at 724-785-8029. As reservations are received, the list of those planning to attend will be posted on the reunion web site at: http://hiller-reunion.yearbookhigh.com.
For those who like to plan far ahead, here is an early announcement for a reunion to be held next year. The Brownsville High School Class of 1953 is planning its 50th reunion for Aug. 9, 2003. The event is still in the planning stage, and members of the class of 1953 are requested to get in touch with Nancy Bender of Grindstone for details. Nancy’s telephone number is 724-785-7974, and her e-mail address is ncb@lcsys.net.
Other class or community reunion organizers who wish to publicize their upcoming events in this column are invited to contact me as soon as possible with all pertinent information.
Comments about Glenn Tunney’s weekly articles may be sent to Mark O’Keefe (Managing Editor – Day), 8 – 18 East Church Street, Uniontown, Pa. or e-mail mo’keefe@heraldstandard.com . Glenn Tunney may be contacted at 724-785-3201, glenatun@hhs.net or 6068 National Pike East, Grindstone, Pa., 15442.