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Ken Poorman
stuff about Castanea Pa . . .
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My roots are
in Castanea Pa 
I was raised at 15 East Brown Street in Castanea Pa. My father, Kenneth
John Poorman, worked at the Paper Mill, and my mother was Pearl Hall Poorman from Renovo Pa. I went to the Castanea
Elementery School, a block from our house, and attended the Castanea EUB Church next door. At one time, everyone
in Castanea was related, mostly Poorman's, I think. When I lived there, there was nothing to do but ride your bike.
I think it's pretty much the same today.
Here's a few pix . . .
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Castanea Station
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A little info about Castanea PA . . .
I remember that many of the really old people pronounced it Casteena. When
I grew up there in the '40's and 50's, there was one EUB Church, the Castanea Elementery School (1-8), two grocery stores,
Miller's with a post office and gas pump, and Donnie Nestlerode's with a butcher and ice cream shop. There was
the Crissman's meat packing plant, New York & Pennsylvania Company paper mill, two garages, Gillotte's and Doc
Miller's, the Piper Airport, Greystone Tavern, Cummings Florist and Castanea Fire House (with bar). That was
about it. A few hundred people, and at one time, everyone was related. I lived there for a total of about
26 years, in three different places, at my parents' at 15 East Brown Street, at 104 East Keller, and on Island Route.
| Castanea EUB Church |
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| After it was turned sideways in the '50's |
| Castanea School |
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| Mrs. Poorman's 5th & 6th Grade 1954 |
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| "The Bald Spot" |
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▼ Village of Castanea Pa (upper left) ▲
Piper Airport, Castanea
Township (center) Yep, right over the Bald Eagle
Crick,
at the foot of the Bald Eagle Mountain
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VILLAGE
OF CASTANEA FOUNDED 1871
CASTANEA TOWNSHIP FOUNDED 1877 At
the February term of the Clinton County Common Pleas Court, held in 1877, a petition was presented by a number of the inhabitants
of Dunnstable township, praying for the erection of a new township by the division of Dunnstable, which, on account of its
great length and ill-shaped size, was inconvenient to a large number of its inhabitants. The petitioners asked for a
division of said township by a line commencing at a point ton the northern bank of the West Branch of the Susquehanna river,
where the southern end of the division line between Woodward and Dunnstable came to the river; thence in a southern direction
through Great Island to low water mark on the souther side of Great Island; thence down the river to the northwestern corner
of Wayne township. March 1st, 1871, the Court appointed George J. Eldrech, Jacob Quiggle and John Earon to
inquire into the propriety of granting the said prayer. May 19th, 1877, the commissions made their report,
recommending the said division. The voters of Dunnstable township met on December 1st, 1877, and by a majority
vote consented to the said division, and on December 10, 1877, the Court approved the division, and gave to the new township
the name of Castanea. The township of Castanea is bounded on the east by Wayne township, on the south by Lamar, on the
west by Allison, on the north by Woodward township and Lock Haven. It contains the village of Castanea, from which it
derived its name.
My Grandpa's House
where I grew up |
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| 15 East Brown Street |
Village of Castanea PA 17726
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I really did paint Dad's
old 50 Chev |
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| Tropical Turquoise-HA! |
This bright Tropical Turquoise thing was not smart. The Lock Haven Police could see
me coming a mile away. But I learned some very valuable life lessons from them, for which I'm grateful still. |
| My First House |
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| Island Route |
Castanea Township PA 17745
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Read the Castanea Hotel Story by Matt Connor
Life in Castanea Article
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The Fable, Smith, Simpson, Lucas Brewery
Castanea Pa - See History
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Brewery Article 1
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Brewery Article 2
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When i was a kid . . . me and my friends used
to play in the old brewery on Nittany Road, up by the reservoir. In fact, the locals used to call Nittany Road the Brewery
Road. Our next door neighbor, Kate Keller Hamburger, Mom's best friend, was raised in the Keller House at the Castanea
Reservoir. There was a big old safe on the second floor of the Brewery. The steps going up to the second
floor were dilapidated and falling apart, and it was a challenge just getting upstairs without falling through the old wooden
steps. We always played with the dial trying to get the safe open, but never succeeded. I wonder if anyone ever
got that old safe open, or if it is still there? I wonder what's in it?
When
my granddaughters were little, I told them stories about how we went into the dark brewery and tossed stones down into the
vats to see how long it took them to hit bottom . . . SPLASH! Moral: Don't play in brewerys, or you might fall in the
vats and die!
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William T. Piper Memorial
Airport |
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I used to enjoy
watching the Piper planes take off and land in my back yard when I lived on Island Route by the airport in Castanea Twp.,
adjacent to the taxi strip. We sat on the back porch or carport by the garage and watch touch & go's while we bar-b-qued.
Some of the pilots/owners asked to tie down on my property, or drive through my yard to get their engine worked on at
Gillott's Garage. I had to be concerned about Kenny & Randy playing ball in the back yard, so they didn't drive
a ball through a plane.
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The old Wayne Hotel, down the "back road" . . .
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Wayne Hotel Article
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My sister-in-law, Corrine King, bought the old
Wayne Hotel on the back road and lived in it for about 15 years. She's mentioned in this Wayne Hotel article by Matt
Connor. I remember seeing her doggie, a Golden Retriever, in the barn out back. Friendly dog, can't remember its
name. I think we only ever visited her there once that I can remember, maybe twice. I bumbed into her and her
Mom in the Village Inn a couple times, once right before Tootie died. I lived on the Back Road for a few years, 104
East Keller Street, and Corrine used to baby-sit for us. Her Mom and Dad, Tootie and Herb, and she and her sister,
Carol, lived across the street one door down. East Keller Street turned into Youngdale Road after leaving Castanea Township
toward Youngdale and McElhattan. My Dad wrecked my motorsycle once down the back road, on the curve just before crossing
the railroad track just outside of Castanea a ways. I was in the Navy at the time, and he had my Triumph all fixed up
by the time I got home, and you couldn't even tell it was wrecked. He put a new windshield on it, new fender, new spill
bars, a new gas tank, battery cover, etc. He got scraped up a bit. Your lucky, Dad. He didn't tell
me until I got home from the cruise. Guess he didn't want me to worry. Ha. Love you Dad. Dad
had a big Indian when he was young. I think he said it was Maroon.
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We used to go to the circus and carnivals at
the Castanea Fire House. I remember the medicine show (and peeking into the side shows!) HA! You should have
seen some of those side shows!
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We used to have a school in Castanea.
That's where I lerned to speel and do mathmatiks. Way back when it was next door to my Grandpa's house on East
Brown Street, which later became the E.U.B. Church. Then the school moved up the street a block to Logan & West
Brown Street, and later became the Big Woods Bible Church - so there is no school in Castanea today. Well, I guess
that's a better thing . . . they couldn't teach me to spell or do math anyway. And no, we didn't have a universite!
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My Poorman Family . . .
Shoemaker & Farmer; Trinity Methodist
Church in Lock Haven was founded in his home in 1833 in the little red house by the dam; died in Youngdale; buried
in the Union-Throne Cemetery in McElhattan Pa
My GGG Grandfather
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Blacksmith & Car Inspector on
the Railroad; member of Castanea EUB Church; member of Knights of Pythias; buried Union-Throne Cemetery in McElhattan
Penna
My Great Granddad
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Paper Mill; lived in Castanea; died in Lock Haven; buried in Highland Cemetery in Lock Haven Pa - My Granddad |
Paper Mill; lived in Castanea; died in Lock Haven; buried in Hall-Wertz Cemetery, Halls Run, Renovo Pa
Still miss you Dad! |
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MY
POORMAN TREE
Hans Georg Poorman
Peter Poorman Sr.
Jacob Poorman Sr.
Peter Aquila Poorman
Joseph
P. Poorman
Robert Curtin Poorman
John Sylvester Poorman
Kenneth John Poorman
Kenneth R. Poorman
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Insurance/Claims Manager, Ret.
Jeffersonville Pa
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Business Owner
Lock Haven Pa &
Pompano Beach Fl
My Bro
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I'll try to remember some of the people
in Castanea: Larry Adams*, Patty Bauman*, Jim Carey, Charlie Clukey*, Dave Clukey, Peggy
Conklin*, Shirley Conklin*, Bill Conklin, Bob Conklin, Gordie Corter, Ann DeGarmo*, Phyllis DeGarmo, Ruthie DeGarmo, Albert
Emel, Donna Eyer, Steve Eyer*, Jay Frazier*, Carol Fredericks, Dick Fenton*, Patty Foringer*, Larry Haines, Lucy Haines, Rex
Haines*, Ruby Haines, Sharon Hale*, Tyler Hammond, Sharon Hill*, Zane Houser*, Paul Jacobs*, Corrine King, Carol King,
Betty Masorti, Dave Masters*, Sam Mazotta, Deanna McCloskey*, Pearl McKeague*, Helen Nonemaker*, Delores Peck*, Steve Poorman,
Bob Quiggle, Butch Quiggle, Tom Quiqqle*, Susan Ritchey, Mike Romaneski, Sandy Romaneski, Ken Stabley, Dick Stabley*, Bill
Severino, Dick Severino, Bobby Schadt, Bobby Shaffer, Linda Shaffer, Dorothy Straub*, Bootsie Shearer, Dick Toner, Linda White,
Billy Yost, Bonnie Yost, Buddy Yost . . . (*my 8th grade class of 1957).
Other
than the aboive mentioned families, I'll try to think of some other family names from Castanea. It's a very
small Village, and at one time, everyone living there was related. Here goes: Hamburger, Kauffman, Heckel, Caprio ,
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Ok, I give
up. If you can think of any more Castanea people, send me an email and I'll add them to the list. (Thanks to Peggy
Conklin Cingle for adding to the list.)
CASTANEA PA - SUPERFUND SITE
So, I was reading that Castanea is a big superfund site! I remember the colors in the
Bald Eagle Creek - it used to be red, green, blue, yellow . . . you know, ROYGBIV! Different colors different days.
I always looked at the "crick" when we crossed the bridge to see what color it was. You know, when the old
bridge was between Cummings Green House and the Fire House. The new bridge is "up the crik" a ways now.
I think we played at all of these places at one time or another . . .
CASTANEA, RTE
220 BYPASS SITE, RTE 220, PAD981108392
CASTANEA TWP, BREWERY HOLLOW, BREWERY
HOLLOW RD, PAD980831804
CASTANEA TWP, COMMUNITY PARK, TWP RTE 375 PAD980831382
CASTANEA
TWP, FIRE HALL STATION, LEGIS RTE 8013 & TWP RTE 375 PAD980831267
CASTANEA TWP, SOUTH STREET SITE, SOUTH
ST OFF OF MRYTLE ST, PAD980831853
CASTANEA TWP, AIRPORT SITE (MUNRO FARM), TWP RTE 375, PAD980831929
CASTANEA TWP, BALLFIELD SITE, DIRT RD OFF SOUTH ST, PAD980831861
CASTANEA TWP, CLAY
MINE SITE, MACKEY AVE, PAD980831507
We played at Brewery Hollow and the Community Park a lot. Dad built some of the picnic tables that I see are still
there. They were made of really heavy wood, and bolted. Very sturdy. Harvey's Run ran through our property,
it was only a few feet from our house. So we used to walk up the run with our boots, all the way to the Keller Reservoirs
and up the Kammerdiner Run, and sometimes down Harvey's Run to the Bald Eagle Creek. We used to shoot our pistols
at the Clay Mine. Even my kids played around the airport when we lived on Island Route, adjacent to the airport.
So there we were, playing in a chemical dump . . . nice. When I was little, I thought the rainbow trout were that way
because of the colored water. Ha!
LINKS . . .
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