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Lopez
History
The village of Lopez is
built at the junction of the Loyalsock and Lopez Creeks. It
was named Lopez after the tributary that flows into the
Loyalsock Creek from the Southwest. There are several versions
regarding the origin of the name Lopez. One version is that
about 1816 the Susquehanna and Tioga Turnpike was being built
from Lake Ganoga to the Loyalsock Creek at Seemans, and thence
to the place where the village of Mildred is now located. A
man by the name of Lopez went with the road builders and
furnished board and lodging to the men employed in building
the Turnpike. He erected crude camps built of logs at
different places as the work progressed. Since one of those
camps was built on the bank of the unnamed creek about five
miles above its junction with the Loyalsock Creek, it is said
that the stream was called the Lopez Creek after the man
conducting the camp on its bank. Or the current story is that
during the construction of the Turnpike, a man by the name of
John Lopez was killed by a falling tree; and the stream was
named after him in commemoration of the accident.
The present site of Lopez was, at one time, a vast wilderness,
and game and fish were plentiful. There was a roomy cabin
built of logs and covered with hemlock bark some little
distance above the confluence of the two creeks near the old
H. M. Kellogg residence. This was the goal of innumerable
hunters and fishermen in search of game and formed a stopping
place, both going to and coming from their hunting and fishing
trips.
In those days there was no bridge across the Lopez Creek.
Teams had to wade through the water, except when Jack Frost
had bridged the stream with ice. For people traveling on foot,
a large hemlock that stood back some distance from the bank
was felled. The part of the tree lying on the bank balanced
the part reaching about two-thirds of the way across the
stream. It stretched six or seven feet above the water where
freshets could not wash it away. The other third of the
footbridge was composed of heaps of rocks that formed
stepping-stones. About 1876 the County Commissioners erected a
wooden bridge across the Lopez Creek. They coated the wood
with a protective coating of coaltar, so for a number of years
afterward the locality was known as "Tar Bridge."
The first house in Lopez was built by Reily Steinbach. who had
the contract to peel the bark from the trees west of the Lopez
Creek and on the flat south of the Loyalsock Creek. This house
was located where John and Joann McDonald now live. The
settlement did not grow for a number of years and merited its
name Tar Bridge. But when the Lehigh Valley extended its line
from Bernice to Lopez in 1886, the name it bore at that time
did not appeal to the growing town; and when a post office was
established in 1887, the name given was Lopez. In May of the
same year, J. S. Hoffa of Dushore built a sawmill with which
there was a small store erected back of McGee's Hotel. The
mill was sold to C. J. Willhelm who operated it for several
years. In later days the store was owned by Mrs. Shymansky.
D. W. Osier of Forksville, realizing that a booming town would
soon be built at this point, erected a hotel in the winter of
1886-87. He sold it to Deegan and Farrell. Other proprietors
have been Tony Rouse, Paul Daly, Walter Yarosh, Pete Stavisky,
and lastly, Mrs. Vera Gulich until it burned in the tragic
fire on April 30, 1982.
In 1888 Trexler and Turrell purchased a large tract of timber
on the Lopez and Painter Den Creeks and built a large sawmill
on the outskirts of town. Soon houses to accommodate the
workers and their families were constructed. A large company
store was erected, and the village of Turrelltown was
established. Large splash dams were built across the Lopez
Creek, and logs were floated to the mill. By 1897 the timber
had all been cut from their tract of land, and Trexler and
Turrell sold their mill to Jennings Brothers who converted it
to a hardwood mill. Turrelltown still exists as an attractive
community. Families purchased the homes, and over the years
they have modernized them. The store building was bought by
Mr. and Mrs. Martin Kwaitkowski who converted it to a dwelling
house. It was destroyed by fire a number of years ago.
In 1888 the Jennings Brothers, who were operating a sawmill on
Taylor Creek near Seeman's Hotel (what was the old Kachmarsky
farm) moved their mill to Lopez. The Jenning's Mill was
located along the Loyalsock. To provide housing, forty homes
were built along the Pigeon Creek Road and along the side hill
north of the Loyalsock. They also built a large general store
on the bluff overlooking the stream. Worth and Cortez Jennings
built homes on either side of the store. Today Joe & Tina
Tabor live in the only original home on that side of the
creek.
In order to provide work for the women of the community and to
utilize the slab wood from the mills, a Kindling wood factory
came into being. The first one was erected in 1888 by
McCartney and Hall. It was located along the Thorndale Branch
of the railroad on the flat near the Papke home. It was burned
down in 1890 and was rebuilt the same year. Later it was sold
to the Standard Kindling Wood Company of New York City who
sent their product to the large hotels there.
In 1895 the Fisher Kindling Wood factory was built on the flat
below Walshes and six months later was destroyed by fire. It
was rebuilt in 1896, and it again burned down during the same
year . Sixty days afterward the factory was rebuilt and in
operation. It was again visited by fire in 1897, and the
packing room burned. The damage was soon repaired. When the
Lopez Mills ran out of timber and closed in 1905, the kindling
wood factory continued to operate using wood from Trexler and
Turrell at Ricketts until it was destroyed by fire in March,
1907. At that time it was the only industry still operating in
Lopez.
In 1894 J. W. McCartney built a clothes pin factory near the
Jennings Hardwood Mill. Eventually it was sold to the Jennings
Brothers who operated it until their lumbering operation was
transferred to Maryland.
By 1890 Lopez had become a lumbering center with a population
of over a thousand people. To meet the needs of the citizens,
a number of business places were established. In addition to
the large general company store of the Jennings Brothers,
Clark Brothers built a general store near the location of the
old Chesonis building. Henry Castle and C. A. Johnson were the
proprietors of prosperous general stores. Wes Johnson erected
the old post office building and operated a store there. It
later burned in the fire of 1982.
There were three restaurants. John H. Yonkin erected the
building that recently housed Catherine's Gift Shop and had a
restaurant there. William E. Steafather was the proprietor of
a restaurant in the building that used to be the John Decker
home. Reed Frutchey operated a saloon and restaurant in 1904 -
05, and then he sold it to James P. McGee who converted it to
the McGee Hotel. Jacob Per of Hughesville opened a
branch-clothing store. H. M. Kellogg was the proprietor of a
well-stocked jewelry store; and in partnership with Dr. J. L.
Christian, he operated a drug store. Harry Brewer had a
draying business at the old George Adams house. A. L. Dyer
conducted a meat market and also a livery stable. D. W. Pealer
had a combination shoe repair and harness shop and residence
where the Andy Decker family now lives.
There were three barbershops owned by W. L. Johnson, Lawrence
Dunn, and L. R. Carrington. The Barber Shop of W. L. Johnson,
in which later Becky Johnson sold post and greeting cards,
this once housed the McGuire Studio and Hobby-Photo Shop now
gone in the fire of 1982. A wholesale liquor store was run by
J. P. Gorgg. Dave and Marty Brown erected a large hotel
building which, in recent times, was the Chesonios store, Grid
Iron and lastly Dougher's Inn. The chief attraction back then
was several bears in pens. They sold to Henry McDermott who in
turn sold the building to H. W. McKibbins.
Lopez was the only lumbering community in the area which
allowed liquor to be sold; therefore, on pay day "woodhicks"
from Ricketts and other nearby communities came to spend their
hard earned money as quickly as they could drink it away.
There were four hotels: The Lopez House with James P. McGee,
proprietor; the McKibbins House, H. w. McKibbins, proprietor;
the McDermott House, Henry McDermott, proprietor; and the
Jackson Hotel, Mrs. Julia Jackson, proprietor. Jim McGee had
the largest hotel in town, and he did a thriving business.
Woodsmen coming into town would give him their money, and
McGee would keep track of it until it had all been spent at
his bar. Then the woodhick would sober up and return to the
woods to work several months before he could save enough to
repeat the process.
There were four churches that conducted regular religious
services in the town. In the year 1890 a group of Protestant
fold gathered in the schoolhouse for instruction in the
Scriptures. This group wished to be recognized as a regularly
organized body, so they set a meeting time for congregational
organization. After the Annual Conference had made its
examination, the body was formally recognized as the Lopez
United Evangelical Church. Worship services were conducted in
the school from 1890 until 1896 when a congregational meeting
was called for the purpose of providing a church building.
Jennings Brothers donated lumber, and a church building was
erected that same year. It was dedicated by the Pastor, the
Reverend I. E. Spangler . The Methodists erected an edifice on
Main Street in 1888. The Lutherans were permitted to hold
their services in the Methodist Church with the pastor coming
from Ricketts every Sunday. A Roman Catholic Church, commonly
known as St. Mary's Chapel, was located over Mrs. Mary
Collin's Store. It was a Mission Church of the Mildred parish,
and was served by the same priest, Father J. A. Enright. The
Chapel was dedicated in 1911. The building was subsequently
donated to the Scranton Diocese by Mrs. Paul A. Daly . With
the exodus of the lumber interest in the summer of 1905, many
of the people engaged in lumbering followed the Jennings
Company to Maryland. Consequently the population of Lopez was
reduced about one-half.
In 1902 the Murray Brothers came from Scranton and opened a
mine which bore their name, and the development of the
surrounding coalfields brought a return to prosperity. The
breaker which the Murrays erected was one hundred sixty -five
feet high, taller than any other in the anthracite field .
When the mine was ready for full production, many miners and
their families moved in to the village and began acquiring
property and building homes. The young women of the miners'
families provided a source of labor, and the Mason Silk Mill
was erected near the site of Jenning's Hardwood Mill along the
Turrelltown Road to give them employment. Charles Obert of
Dushore was the superintendent of the mill for a number of
years until the silk industry declined all over the country,
and it was closed. A building boom was on once more, and
Albert Dyer opened a building supply and hardware store.
Building contractors were the Steafather Brothers, John
Gavlick, and Fred Leyfert. During the days when the coal
industry was at its height, there were quite a number of
stores in the village. On the Main Street, J. J. Martin was
the proprietor of a men's clothing store. Sam, the Turk, sold
imported fabrics in a shop which would be operated in the
Shymansky Building at the rear of McGee's Hotel.
Wolf Sachs and his family lived in the old V.F.W. Hall and
operated a general clothing store. There was also a millinery
store with Lizzie Kernan as the milliner. The town had two
barber shops with Lawrence Dunn and Will Johnson the
proprietors. Johnson Brothers Store and the Company Store with
Charles McCarthy, proprietor, provided the citizenry with
groceries and general merchandise. There were two shoe repair
shops operated by Dan Pealer and Dan Filler: Mike Sulick and
Sam Yarosh were the Proprietors of modern meat markets. There
were three hotels with bars. They were McGee's Hotel, Rouse's
Hotel, and Chesonis's Hotel. Several saloons came into being
and Steve Hallabuk bought John Yonkin's Restaurant and
converted it. Eventually he built a new saloon near the
Walshe's home and sold the former one to Fred Leyfert. William
Steafather's restaurant became a saloon, and some of the
proprietors were Sam Yarosh, William Urban, and John Decker.
In the days when the automobile was just coming into its own,
Arthur L. Seeman built a garage and repair shop across Route
487 from the school grounds on the present Centennial Park. As
for recreation there were two ice cream parlors, each with a
pool room in the rear. The proprietors were C. E. Donlon and
Fred Leyfert.
Lopez also boasted of the first moving picture theater in
Sullivan County. The Teitelbaum Brothers erected it next to
their wholesale liquor store. There were performances there
three times a week with admission ten cents for adults and
five cents for children. Since the films shown were silent
ones, Elsie Leyfert, Merle and Dorothy Johnson, and Dorothy
Seeley were hired to play appropriate music on the piano. The
health of the community was not neglected. Dr. J. L.
Christian, a very fine physician, practiced medicine there.
The dental needs of the residents were taken care of by Dr.
Lewis White. When he died, as the result of burns sustained
when a kerosene lamp exploded, Dr. M. B. Warburton came to
take over the office. In the winter of 1918-19 an epidemic of
Spanish Influenza, which was sweeping the country reached
Lopez. Whole families became ill which meant that there was no
one to nurse them, provide food, or keep fires going to heat
their homes. Dr. J. L. Christian realized that it would be
necessary to provide a center to care for the many influenza
patients. He contacted the Red Cross, and they rushed in beds
and supplies. An emergency hospital with two hundred beds was
set up in Rouse's Hall. Dr. M. B. Warburton, the dentist, and
nurses Sadie Cangley and Anna Finan assisted in caring for the
patients. Townsfolk who were able assisted in pre- paring
food, doing laundry, and other necessary tasks. Because of the
expert care given to the patients at the hospital, the death
rate was low.
During the years a number of enterprises were started. Many of
them were of short duration. One of the firsts of these was a
stone quarry, which was operated for a couple of years. A fine
yellow sandstone was obtained from the ledges back of Church
Street. The huge blocks were cut and hauled to the railroad
station on heavy wagons pulled by six horses. The blocks were
shipped to Scranton where they were used to erect a church.
The cost of transportation was prohibitive, therefore the
project was abandoned. In 1911, the Stony Brook Lumber Company
was formed. A sawmill was erected on the site of Jenning's
Mill on the Loyalsock. In order to reach the timber in Crane
Swamp on Dutch Mountain about ten miles of railroad was laid
on Jennings old roadbed. The work of constructing the line was
done by forty Italians under the supervision of William Keiter
of Bloomsburg. The men were housed in the former Jenning's
Store building at Shady Nook. In 1916 the lumbering operation
was over, and the mill was torn down. In the early twenties
Joseph Smith came from Mt. Carmel and purchased the Mason Silk
Mill He converted it into the Weldon Pajama Factory. For many
years it provided employment for the local people as well as
for those from other communities. Another industry, which
flourished for a few years, was a brick plant, which was
erected near the pajama factory. The clay used in making the
bricks was obtained from the Daddow Estate on Dutch Mountain.
The Highway Building in Towanda was constructed of bricks from
this plant. When the President of the Company died, there was
no other member capable of carrying on the business. The
remains of the kiln are still standing. A company from
Pittston acquired the pajama factory and opened the Sullivan
Woodcraft Company. They employed a number of local men. Their
specialty was custom furniture. After a couple of years of
operation, the structure was destroyed by fire. Although it
was a thriving business, it was not rebuilt.
There were changes in the churches of the area, too. With the
moving of families as the lumbering days came to an end; the
Methodist Church was closed. In 1907 the building was sold to
the Russian Orthodox denomination. The following year, 1908,
the Greek Catholic Church was built by the Steafather Brothers
and was dedicated the same year by Father Nicholas Chopey who
served as the parish priest for many years. In 1911, Mrs.
Anthony Rouse gave the second floor of her store building to
be used as a place of worship for those of the Roman Catholic
Faith. The name St. Mary's Chapel was given to it.
In more recent years there were more changes made in the
village. Rouse's Hotel has had a number of proprietors. Mr.
and Mrs. Paul Daly took over the management upon the death of
the Rouses. When the Dalys retired, Walter Yarosh took over
and ran the hotel until he joined the Army at the beginning of
World War Two. Mr. and Mrs. Pete Stavisky became the new
proprietors. After a number of years Mr. and Mrs. Stephen
Gulich purchased the business, and Mrs. Vera Gulich was the
proprietor until the fire of 1982. Somewhere along the way the
name was changed to Hotel Lopez. The Chesonis Hotel changed
hands. It is known as the Grid Iron with Mr. and Mrs. Robert
Reese as the proprietors and then Doughers Inn.. Joseph
Hrubenak (Motsko} purchased Leyfert's Ice Cream Parlor and
Pool Room and carried on the business for a number of years. A
number of years ago the building housed Catherine's Gift Shop
where one cold find many lovely and unusual items offered for
sale.
There were three beer gardens, which were operated by Mrs.
Hallabuk, John Decker and Andrew Decker. When Charles McCarthy
closed the Company Store, Joe Ellis opened a grocery store
there with James V. Christini of Mildred as the manager. The
business continued for several years.
Ernie Fiocca was the proprietor of a barbershop in the Harry
Steafather Building at the corner of Main and Church Streets
for some time. Mr. and Mrs. Bernard J. Ortlieb of Dushore
became the proprietors of Johnson's Store and operated it for
many years until their recent retirement. The building is now
gone, victim o the fire of 1982. For many years John Hurray,
Jr. (Shoester) conducted a Shoe, Repair Shop in the Sulick
Building. Many a game of pitch was played on a wood table near
a old potbelly stove.
Alex Stavisky established a greenhouse, nursery, and florist
shop on Main Street. He supplied flowers and plants to
customers from a large area. Some of the old landscape
projects still remain in the county.
During the years when Lopez was in its hey day, the social
life was interesting and varied. Rouse's Grove was the center
of activity in the summertime. Frequent dances were held in
the large pavilion. Fred Leyfert showed movies in his building
there. On holidays the whole community turned out for picnics.
There was even a merry-go-round to entertain the children. In
the winter months activities took place in Rouse's Hall. The
opening highlight each year was the Election Day Dinner and
Supper which were prepared by the Ladies Aid Society of the
Evangelical Church. Over two hundred people would be served.
Dances, plays and concerts were presented in the Hall
throughout the winter months. At that time Lopez had its own
band under the direction of William Bellas. Sulick's Hall
furnished its share of entertainment for it was there that the
popular Voelke "Big Balls" were held.
Another attraction was basketball. A town team composed of
Paul Dyer, Wilbur Johnson, Glen Springer, John Zondory , and
Andrew Kozemko earned a reputation for skill in playing the
game. They were challenged by teams from as far away as
Towanda, Binghamton, Wilkes-Barre, and Scranton; and they were
usually the victors. The games were played in Rouse's Hall
until it was condemned. Then they were transferred to Sulick's
Hall. As Lopez passes it's Centennial, it has become a sleepy
little town nestled in the hills of Pennsylvania. It would
seem at times, that the village is almost oblivious to what is
going on in the outside world; but newcomers are rapidly
moving into the area. A number of former residents have
returned to the old home town on retirement, and others are
planning to take up residence here when their working days are
over. It shows that with all their traveling, all their
experiences with other people, and all those early, really
earnest efforts to shake off all traces of the old home town,
they have come to realize that life in a small town is, after
all, the best.
The History of Lopez was edited from "100 Years of Pride"
compiled by the Late Edith B. Shuman and illustrated by Robert
McGuire.
More History/Legends:
History of Lopez Name - November 21, 1889 issue of The
Sullivan Review - Courtesy of Tina Pastusic
Lopez is coming in for a great deal of favorable newspaper
comment just now, and the busy, bustling, booming little
lumber city deserves it. Where, but a little over three years
ago stood a howling wilderness today stands a town of nearly
1000 people and the name of "Tar Bridge" (originally applied
to it) has given way to the more euphonious name of Lopez.
By-the-way, that name was originally spelled "L-o-p-a-z" with
the accent on the last syllable. We published the history of
the name in December 1887, but will re-produce it for the
benefit of those who may have become interested in the town
since: "Years ago, when the old Berwick Turnpike was in course
of construction, John R. Lopaz was employed by the company as
a laborer and his good wife kept boarding house, moving along
the line as section after section was completed. At what is
now known as "Lopez Hill" John Lopaz was engaged one day in
removing a blast that had failed to explode. In some manner he
exploded the charge of powder while sitting prone upon the
rock and was hurled into the air along with the shattered
bowlder. He was not much hurt, but the rock was thence forward
called "Lopez Rock" and when the Turnpike was finished the
place was known as "Lopaz Hill," and the creek of course was "Lopaz
Creek." And now after all these years the name of John Lopaz
is indelibly stamped upon one of the fastest growing towns in
northern Pennsylvania. This is the true story of the name of "Lopaz"
THE HISTORY OF LOPEZ
as told by Guilmar Lopez
In the year 2003,
five adventurers, Saul, Rudi, Hugo and Maylin, led by Guilmar
Lopez, decided to head Northeast of Trenton in search of the
mystery as to why a faraway small town surrounded by
mountains, 2,445 feet above sea level, and 41" north latitude
76" west longitude in the middle of rural Pennsylvania, is
named Lopez, like their own last name. Here is their story.
Once
upon a time on an afternoon in the year 1876, a traveler
decided to take a shortcut across the Appalachian Mountains.
He was coming from the direction of Mildred, PA, and heading
to Wilkes-Barre, PA, with a load of cargo on his horse-drawn
carriage. Three miles after he left Mildred he came across an
obstacle.....he had to cross a river on what appeared to be a
dilapidated bridge. Being a brave man, the traveler did not
hesitate to cross over, not knowing at that time that his name
would forever be marked in that place. As it turned out, the
old bridge collapsed under the weight of the cargo and the
traveler, his carriage, cargo and two horses were swept down
the turbulent currents of the river to their deaths. Sadly,
the only thing that was known about this traveler was his last
name "Lopez". And it was there that the first victim befell a
tragic accident that generations later have not forgotten.
And so, from these fellow travelers comes to you this
little story of a gypsy man, whose tragic fate left his name
stamped on this small town forever. Who knows if these five
adventurers will return to this town again or if that visit
was like a comet that ones sees only once in a lifetime.
Guilmar Lopez 2003
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