This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: dancewithwolve2 Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.pennsylvania.counties.butler/9356.4.1.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: The Standard Steel Car Company opened on April 4, 1902. The new plant was located in Butler Township on the westem edge of the Butler city limits. When production began on September 1, 1902, 2,500 men were turning out sixty cars a day. When the company closed its doors as Pullman Standard in 1982, it had manufactured over 350,000 railroad cars. That story is discussed in the Heavy Industry section of this publication. Here we shall elaborate upon the town of Lyndora and its people. As the Standard Steel Car Company grew and prospered, many workers were needed, and the workers needed homes. A subsidiary of the company, the Lyndora Land Company purchased land to erect homes on 150 of the car works' 244 acres. Soon one hundred homes were built on the former John McElroy farm. The compa!)y also constructed fifty co-operative frame apartments along Hansen Avenue just west of the plant. Each apartment contained four rooms-two on each floor. Each room was twelve feet by twelve feet. These condominium type buildings soon became known as Red Row because of the boxcar-red paint which was used to cover the row near the street. (Pozar 101) The other two rows of apartments were gray and yellow. John Hansen named the new town Lyndora after his daughter Lynda and his wife Grace, whose nickname was Dora. Hansen also honored his wife and daughter by giving the name Lyndora to a hotel near his Hammond, Indiana plant. The prosperity of the plant and its large payroll caused considerable spin-off growth all over the western end of Butler as wet as in and near the new town of Lyndora. The Jefferson Street Apartments, Mifflin Apartments, and the Jameson Apartments were all constructed by the Standard to house supervisory personnel. These apartments were sold to private interests after World War II. Several new hotels including the Standard, Clinton, Williams, Waldron, and Red Onion were soon catering to the Standard Company's personnel, employees, salesmen, and businessmen. Several Lyndora residents such as Ann M. Twerdok remember residing in Red How. "There were six families in each condominium and there were no utilities. Water had to be pumped by hand. There was a row of sheds between the apartments. The sheds were used to store wood, coal, and a few tools. Some of the sheds were outhouses. The apartments were heated by black cast iron stoves and the light was provided by kerosene lamps." Ms. Twerdok continues, "The company owned the housing in Red Rowand the rent was taken out of the paycheck. When there was no work tenants did not have to pay rent. The ground around the apartments was covered with ashes which were packed down hard. It made a good surface for some of the games we kids played-games like hopscotch and jacks. There were very nice wooden sidewalks along some of the streets. Up across Hansen Avenue beginning where Tanglewood is today and extending south to the Lyndora Hotel was the business section. The west side of Hansen Avenue was lined with hotels, bars, and stores. I remember when my dad took me to eat at some of the hotels. They had colored cooks and waitresses and women weren't allowed in the bars. Behind Dr. Pawlowicz's present office was a big open field with cows: We used to watch the circus parade down Hansen. We were poor but didn't know it." Across the street from the Lyndora Post Qffice was a clothing store where Max Jaffe started his retail career in the dress department. At one time nearly 300 families lived in "Red Row." There was still such a housing shortage that many people rented out rooms in their own homes to boarders. One young Hungarian Slovak woman on Bessemer Avenue provided rooms and board for thirty-three boarders plus her own husband. The sign on the rear wall of Lyndora's American Legion building is a very good memento of that community's early days. It is a faded advertisement for the "Russian, Polish and Slovak Bank" urging residents to send money to the old country for the purpose of bringing other family members to Lyndora, and to work at the Standard Steel Car Company. Michael Kosar Legion post historian, Steve Zavacky and former Legion Commander Pete Uram explained in a Butler Eagle article which we could not date that the bank, which no longer exists, collected $250 per person from family members in this country, then made transportation arrangements and secured passports for those still in Europe. If residents deposited the money the bank would do the rest. Some Lyndora residents put their trust in other unofficial brokers who performed the same services as did the bank. Pete Uram's uncle and father were only 15 and 17 when they made the voyage without an adult. Uram's mother came to this country by herself when she was only seven years old! Speaking no English the newly arrived were "tagged" and directed to their destinations by helpful porters and others. Nearly all of Lyndora's residents came from eastern Europe-Carpathian Russians, Ukrainians, Slovaks, Poles, Hungarians, Croatians, and Serbians. The story came from a book done by Ralph Goldinger and Audrey Fetters called Butler County, the second hundred years Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.

This is really a great story. On Oct 27, 2009, at 8:56 AM, gc-gateway@rootsweb.com wrote: > This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. > > Author: dancewithwolve2 > Surnames: > Classification: queries > > Message Board URL: > > http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.pennsylvania.counties.butler/9356.4.1.1/mb.ashx > > Message Board Post: > > The Standard Steel Car Company opened on April 4, 1902. The new > plant was located in Butler Township on the westem edge of the > Butler city limits. When production began on September 1, 1902, > 2,500 men were turning out sixty cars a day. When the company closed > its doors as Pullman Standard in 1982, it had manufactured over > 350,000 railroad cars. That story is discussed in the Heavy Industry > section of this publication. Here we shall elaborate upon the town > of Lyndora and its people. > As the Standard Steel Car Company grew and prospered, many workers > were needed, and the workers needed homes. A subsidiary of the > company, the Lyndora Land Company purchased land to erect homes on > 150 of the car works' 244 acres. Soon one hundred homes were built > on the former John McElroy farm. The compa!)y also constructed fifty > co-operative frame apartments along Hansen Avenue just west of the > plant. Each apartment contained four rooms-two on each floor. Each > room was twelve feet by twelve feet. These condominium type > buildings soon became known as Red Row because of the boxcar-red > paint which was used to cover the row near the street. (Pozar 101) > The other two rows of apartments were gray and yellow. John Hansen > named the new town Lyndora after his daughter Lynda and his wife > Grace, whose nickname was Dora. Hansen also honored his wife and > daughter by giving the name Lyndora to a hotel near his Hammond, > Indiana plant. > The prosperity of the plant and its large payroll caused > considerable spin-off growth all over the western end of Butler as > wet as in and near the new town of Lyndora. The Jefferson Street > Apartments, Mifflin Apartments, and the Jameson Apartments were all > constructed by the Standard to house supervisory personnel. These > apartments were sold to private interests after World War II. > Several new hotels including the Standard, Clinton, Williams, > Waldron, and Red Onion were soon catering to the Standard Company's > personnel, employees, salesmen, > and businessmen. > Several Lyndora residents such as Ann M. Twerdok > remember residing in Red How. "There were six families > in each condominium and there were no utilities. Water > had to be pumped by hand. There was a row of sheds > between the apartments. The sheds were used to store > wood, coal, and a few tools. Some of the sheds were > outhouses. The apartments were heated by black cast > iron stoves and the light was provided by kerosene > lamps." Ms. Twerdok continues, "The company owned > the housing in Red Rowand the rent was taken out of the > paycheck. When there was no work tenants did not have > to pay rent. The ground around the apartments was > covered with ashes which were packed down hard. It > made a good surface for some of the games we kids > played-games like hopscotch and jacks. There were > very nice wooden sidewalks along some of the streets. > Up across Hansen Avenue beginning where Tanglewood > is today and extending south to the Lyndora Hotel was > the business section. The west side of Hansen Avenue was lined with > hotels, > bars, and stores. I remember when my dad took me to eat at some of > the hotels. > They had colored cooks and waitresses and women weren't allowed in > the bars. > Behind Dr. Pawlowicz's present office was a big open field with > cows: We used to > watch the circus parade down Hansen. We were poor but didn't know > it." Across > the street from the Lyndora Post Qffice was a clothing store where > Max Jaffe > started his retail career in the dress department. > At one time nearly 300 families lived in "Red Row." There was still > such a > housing shortage that many people rented out rooms in their own > homes to > boarders. One young Hungarian Slovak woman on Bessemer Avenue provided > rooms and board for thirty-three boarders plus her own husband. > The sign on the rear wall of Lyndora's American Legion building is a > very good > memento of that community's early days. It is a faded advertisement > for the > "Russian, Polish and Slovak Bank" urging residents to send money to > the old > country for the purpose of bringing other family members to Lyndora, > and to work > at the Standard Steel Car Company. Michael Kosar Legion post > historian, Steve > Zavacky and former Legion Commander Pete Uram explained in a Butler > Eagle > article which we could not date that the bank, which no longer > exists, collected > $250 per person from family members in this country, then made > transportation > arrangements and secured passports for those still in Europe. If > residents > deposited the money the bank would do the rest. Some Lyndora > residents put > their trust in other unofficial brokers who performed the same > services as did the > bank. Pete Uram's uncle and father were only 15 and 17 when they > made the > voyage without an adult. Uram's mother came to this country by > herself when she > was only seven years old! Speaking no English the newly arrived were > "tagged" > and directed to their destinations by helpful porters and others. > Nearly all of Lyndora's residents came from eastern Europe-Carpathian > Russians, Ukrainians, Slovaks, Poles, Hungarians, Croatians, and > Serbians. > The story came from a book done by Ralph Goldinger and Audrey > Fetters called Butler County, the second hundred years > > Important Note: > The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If > you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board > URL link above and respond on the board. > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to PABUTLER-request@rootsweb.com > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and > the body of the message