After the floods

Dec. 22, 2019

This town was built on a cedar swamp and sometimes the branches of Wildcat Creek like to get out and stretch a bit. Over 100 years ago Jake Anderson, who owned the west half of town, used to pole through what is now the Maple Street area in his little skiff.

In modern times First Street is especially bad. In 1990 the street was a raging river as I recall. Cars in the Rainbow Park lot off of First were in the water up to their door handles. Beerbower Park was a lake. The little pedestrian bridge between the Park and Mommsen washed out. Actually it was almost gone as a result of the high water and a couple kids rocked it away, finishing the job. I saw it happen.

The 1990 flood happened right after Simpson clearcut a hill on the southeast corner of town. Following the flood Simpson turned the property into a housing development and after having cut all the trees comically named it "Evergreen Heights." Although too late for the 1990 victims, they did install a retention pond.

Another place that used to flood was near the intersection of Summit Road and what is now Buck Street out in the new development north of the railroad tracks the McCleary Grange lost due to some unfortunate financial decisions from what I understand. Anyway, I see they have a retention pond there now.

Night scene, 3rd and Mommsen

Feb. 25, 2014.

Misty morning First Street

Photo taken this morning on my walk, 6:02 AM. Lots of rabbits running around the road at that time of morning. Other times I've enountered raccoons and deer on that stretch of First between Beck and Mommsen.

No baseball today

Dec. 12, 2010. In the "100 year flood" of 1990, I think it was, I saw Beerbower Park completely under water, basically a lake. The pedestrian bridge over Sam's Canal washed away. First St. north of Mommsen was a river. It didn't help that Simpson had just clearcut the woods on Hospital Hill so the runoff was extra bad.

Simpson cut all those trees and then turned the site into a residential development (now on Oak Lane) originally and ironically named "Evergreen Heights." You could make this stuff up, but no one would believe you. 

Christ Pappas 1882-1956

"Born in Samos, Greece."

Henry McCleary, who ran this company town, "wished not to tolerate unions" and hired many workers from Italy and Greece and other parts of the Mediterranean in the early part of the 20th century as they were not likely to organize as laborers at that point in history.

Many of the Italians, who mostly arrived from the northern part of Italy, remained in McCleary. Angelo Pellegrini, perhaps McCleary's most famous historical resident, landed in McCleary as a boy in 1913. The neighborhood blocks around First and Mommsen (where the Pellegrinis lived) was known as "Little Italy."

Many of the Greeks who worked here did not settle in McCleary, although a few remained such as grocery store owner Nick Rillakis. The McCleary Cemetery has a small Greek section and a few of the headstones are carved in the Greek alphabet.

May 25, 2012

Saint Valentine's Day on First Street

 

Feb. 14, 2015.

This wetland was once home to the last old growth tree left standing in McCleary. When it was finally cut down in the 1930s, the tree was dubbed "Shakespeare" since the rings indicated it dated back to ca. 1600.

The northern portion of First St., from Mommsen to Beck, once served as most of the eastern border of Henry McCleary's lumber mill.

So far as I know, the first three Euro-settlers in what is now McCleary were all foreign born. The Becks, who lived where the McCleary Hotel now stands, were Danish. The Mommsens, who lived at the end of the road that bears their name, were German. Jake Anderson, was a surly Norwegian bachelor who lived at the top of the T at present 5th and Oak.