Today was a day for the Cassel Kids to enjoy the Ghost Town of Leetonia. I found them huddled around the wood-burning stove enjoying roasting chestnuts in a variety of ways some more promising looking then others. The blackchestnut dug out of the coals looked beyond hope.
It was great to see kids enjoying something other than video games and watching the next generation forming fond memories in Leetonia. The kids names are Front: Avery; Middle row: Elliot and Colton; and back row Lee Cassel.
Craig Cassel shared his 1999 master thesis paper with me he did on Leetonia and the Pennsylvania lumbering industry and it is very good. I am copying it and hope to share some of it with you at a later date along with some interviews of some still living residents of Leetonia. There are not many left to tell their tales and I hope we can record as much as possible.
From the Cassel kids to the Mountain Girl, Paula, logging out and smelling the roasting chestnuts!
3 comments:
Read your post on family fun in Leetonia and realy enjoyed it. Colton and Lee have stayed in "town" for several days to trap and sled. Hopefully they will get some new snow tonight. Glad you are enjoying my paper. I will be glad to make a copy of the primary source from which I base my quotes. It is an artifact written by Leo Baily in or around 1945. He wrote his autobiography years ealier only to have it misplaced and following WWII he decided to sit down and write some his most outstanding memories of growing up in Leetonia. In the original manuscript he talks about the Mahone farm where your house is located. I will bring it along up or wire you the document if you want to provide me with your e-mail address. Thanks for the Blogs. Now I can visit Leetonia anytime.
Craig hope you look at this, I would love to have the original artifact from Baily on file. If you can sent it word doc. to campeaglebear@yahoo.com I would appreciate it. I love the work you did on your paper...nicely written. My grandfather last name was Maholm for the record.
Can the Baily memoir be posted either here or a link here to another site? It would be very interesting to read.
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