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April 26, 2024
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History - Our Towns
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Butler Junction
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Map showing Butler Junction opposite Buffalo Creek from Freeport and across the Allegheny River from Garver's Ferry.
Black and white photos below provided by Bill Blystone, formerly of Butler Junction.
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Butler Juction many years ago...
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Bill Blystone says, "Here's a picture I took many years ago of Butler Junction before the new bridge was built in 1966. This picture was taken from the old road bridge between
Freeport and Garver's Ferry side.
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| The picture shows all the old houses- about 65% of the houses on the right side of this picture were demolished to make room for the new road bridge. Some of the houses left are practically under the new bridge."
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Lower Butler Junction coal mine.
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Coal miners, early 1940's.
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View from the rocks south of Freeport looking north towards the coal mine and slag dump.
Bill Blystone recalls, "We used to swim near the slag dump and it's still there and readily seen from the river.
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| Of course the mine coal tower and area near that is all gone and overgrown now, the mine closed many years ago."
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Butler Junction School, 1934
Bill Blystone says, "I'm the scowling face in rear row at left of door as you look at picture."
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| He recalls that there was, "one teacher, one room, all 8 grades, all subjects... the 3 R's, History, Geography, Citizenship, music, etc.. plus the teacher had to operate the school facilities such as the furnace, cleaning the room, ordering supplies , etc. I wonder how many teachers today could do that and do it efficiently."
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Blystones' house, 1941.
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| Bill Blystone says, "I included the picture of the coal company house where we lived to show how rough things were--out houses instead of bath rooms, no running water, there was a spring outside where we could catch a bucket full at a time unless the pipe was frozen with ice as it was many times in the winter. We didn't have it so good back then."
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