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Trolley Picture Gallery
"Trolley No 22" Limited edition, signed prints by local artist, Pete Foley, on sale now in our museum store. |
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Earl Spangler, a long time resident of Hershey, captured his childhood memories in the 1920's of growing up in Campbelltown, PA, in three "little" books, entitled "The Little Blue Books". Throughout his books, Earl recalls the trolley and the motormen that ran them. Here are a few excerpts from his stories. "The Symphony" is Earl's recollection of the sounds of Campbelltown. "There are distinctive sounds that leave little doubt this is the village of Campbelltown in the early twentieth century. Melodious vibrations are transmitted from a variety of sources, each begging a response. The trolley, swaying down the middle of main street with heavy steel wheels riding the metal rails, grinds out a rhythmical backdrop to the staccato chords of its shrill bell admonishing anxious motorists for attempting to beat it to the next stop." "The Penny" fondly recalls the importance of the penny to the youth of Campbelltown in the 1920's. "To the small child, the penny symbolized wealth and was highly coveted. A penny bought two pieces of candy at Schuckman's Store, where everyone was assured of getting his penny's worth. Five pennies purchased an ice cream cone or a bottle of sarsaparilla. Seven pennies were carried in the shallow knickers pockets to Sunday School, where four pennies were dropped into the sunday school offering and three into the building fund."........... "Periodically my playmate and I contemplated the impact upon a penny if caught between the heavy trolley wheels and the metal rail. We deferred the experiment for an extended period, fearing the conductor would detect the obstruction, stop the trolley, and present us to the awaiting wrath of our mothers. Equally disturbing was the prospect of a trolley derailment and the resulting injury to its patrons." "One hot summer afternoon we abandoned all fears and picked an opportune time to place a penny on the metal rail. We hid in the bushes by my Grandfather's front porch as the 3:00 P.M. trolley rumbled down main street. With heads buried in our hands we awaited the inevitable. To our surprise the trolley continued on without incident. After it was well out of sight we stealthily crept to the trolley track and removed the elongated sliver of copper from the rail. The ensuing argument over ownership of this precious memento was resolved the following day when we placed an additional penny on the track." "The Visit" tells the story of Earl's Grandma Jones and one particular visit to his home in Campbelltown. "Beulah's parents live at 11th and Mifflin Streets on the north side of Lebanon. Since Grandpa Jones could never afford an automobile, the street car passing through Campbelltown on its run from Lebanon to Hershey was Grandma's only means of escape from the city and a very monotonous life style.........Her scheduled visit on the morrow seemed doubtful since the weatherman forecast no abatement in the storm. We were all disheartened but nevertheless arose early to check each trolley on the hour with dampened anticipation. At 3:00 P.M. the street car did stop in front of our house, the doors opened, and the motorman helped an aged figure open her umbrella as she waddled down the steps. It was Grandma....." "The Chickens" tells the story of a truck, overloaded with chickens, that rolled onto its side one lazy summer day. "The driver miraculously crawled through the passenger door and, other than a few cuts and bruises, appeared unhurt. The same could be said of the hundreds of chickens which were released from their broken crates and wandering aimlessly in the street.............chickens everywhere. A small colony was wandering into the meadow across the street while others were either walking or flying into the neighboring lawns and onto the porches........The street car on its run from Lebanon to Hershey came to an abrupt stop amidst this bizarre blockade. The six foot six inch conductor, affectionately referred to as "Tiny Ebersole", emerged from the trolley and lamented the fact that, in his fifteen years of devoted service to the Hershey Transit Company, he had never been late before......... Excerpts from the "Blue Books" were reproduced with permission from Earl Spangler on July 8th, 2006. "The Little Blue Books" are available for reading in the library at the Hershey-Derry Township Historical Society.
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