Shamokin PA Mural Tour

Mural 1: Shamokin History Mural
Created August 2012
Artists: Claude Harrington, Matt Leavens, Jeff Tweed
Location: 8th & Independence streets & side of 2 East Independence Street
Sponsored by NCCAH

The inaugural Shamokin mural was created in 2012 and celebrates historical features of the area including:

• The Eagle Silk Mill clock - In the early 1920s, the Eagle Silk Mill was the largest textile mill under one roof in the United States. A piece of the former Eagle Silk Mill clock is now used as a hostess stand at the Heritage Restaurant on Market Street, Shamokin.

• Coney Island Lunch, a historic Shamokin eatery still serving great hot dogs, burgers and bottled sodas
  

• F & S Brewery - Fuhrmann & Schmidt Brewing Company (1906) was the successor company to the Eagle Brewing Company (1854 – 1878), the M. Markel & Company (1878 – 1893) and Phillip H Fuhrmann (1893 – 1906). The brewery closed in 1920 for prohibition and reopened in 1933 and produced F&S Beer and Ale until the brewery closed in 1975.
  

• Trains - Originally chartered in 1826, the Danville and Pottsville Railroad was the third oldest line in the United States. Construction began in July 1834 on the 20-mile section between Sunbury and Shamokin and was completed in 1835. Its primary purpose was transportation of coal. Coal was taken in two-ton dump cars pulled by horses or mules from the mines to the river front where the coal was dumped into canal boats to be taken to markets in Philadelphia and Baltimore. The rails were wooden stringers topped with flat iron bars, and the trains were pulled by horses and mules. The first passenger cars were the "Shamokin" and the "Mahonoy" and were each pulled by two horses. “The Shamokin” is currently on display in the Franklin Institute. The first “Iron-T” railroad tracks in the world were manufactured by the Danville Iron Company and used on the Shamokin Valley Branch between Sunbury and Shamokin. These allowed the use of heavier steam engines.
  

• The invention of the traveling waffle iron - Although, the earliest waffle irons originated in the 14th century, John Kleimbach, a German immigrant in Shamokin, created a portable waffle iron in 1891 for the Mansion House Hotel. His waffle iron was cast in iron in Danville and could make 12 waffles. Kliembach became a traveling waffle salesman; his waffles became immensely popular at the Chicago World’s Fair and sold for a penny a piece or ten cents a dozen.
  

Mural 2: Edgewood Park
Created July 2013
Artists: Matt Leavens, Claude Harrington, Jeff Tweed
Location: 209 E. Independence Street
Sponsored by the NCCAH
Located at the corner of Market & Independence streets, this mural is two paintings on adjacent sides of the same building. It celebrates Edgewood Amusement Park which was open from 1904 to 1964.These paintings depict lovely scenes, favorite rides and stands popular at the park. In its heyday this pleasure resort boasted a picturesque lake for boating, a scenic atmosphere for picnicking with free Sunday afternoon band concerts and a wondrous variety of amusements. Park rides featured the famous School of Mines, which was a side-friction roller coaster with educational features pertaining to mining. Other rides included a Ferris Wheel, Scenic Railway Roller Coaster, Temple of Mirth, Touring the Alps, a coal steam engine train ride and a fun house. Also located in the park were a bazaar, restaurant and café, a skating rink, a penny arcade, a theatre, a promenade and a trolley. In 1926, a two-million-gallon swimming pool was added.

Mural 3: Ice Cream
Created July 2014
Artists: Claude Harrington, Matt Leavens, Jeff Tweed
Location: Antioch Place, 531 N. Market Street
Sponsored by NCCAH and Sam & Kathy Vetovich

Milk delivery and ice cream are celebrated in this mural. Reed’s, Maurer’s and Martz Dairies were popular ice cream shops in Shamokin. Tharp’s Ice Cream was an ice cream delivery service. In the days when most milk was delivered and ice cream shops were all the rage, these businesses were hot spots for the entire community. Their legacy lives on in this mural sponsored by NCCAH and Sam & Kathy Vetovich.

Mural 4: Anthracite Italian Specialties
Created July 2015
Artists: Claude Harrington, Matt Leavens, Jeff Tweed
Location: 150 E. Independence Street (OIP)
Sponsors: NCCAH and Joe & Candy Gallina

Shamokin’s Italian immigrants and heritage are depicted on the mural on the side of the OIP restaurant. Family members depicted in the mural are ancestors of the Gallina family, which currently owns the Original Italian Pizza. At the dedication of this mural, many of the families who had Italian stores in the area were present as sponsors of the painting. Look within the painting for a list of these families.

Mural 5: Shamokin Theatres
Created June 2016
Artist: Jeff Tweed
Location: 8^th & Independence streets (2 W. Independence Street)
Sponsor: NCCAH

In its heyday, Shamokin had seven movie theatres. Three of those theatres remained after the 1950’s and are represented in this mural. The Majestic, the Capitol and the Victoria (also fondly remembered as the Vickie) were painted by muralist Jeff Tweed as a personal commemoration of the theatres he loved as a child.

Mural 6: Central Drug Store
Created August 2013
Artist: Claude Harrington
Location: 8^th and Independence streets (2 W. Independence Street)
Sponsor: NCCAH

Located on a busy corner, the Central Drug Store was a hub of activity for many years.

Mural 7: When Coal Was King
Created July 2016
Artists: Claude Harrington, Matt Leavens, Jeff Tweed
Location: Heritage Restaurant, 52 N. Market Street
Sponsors: NCCAH and Sam & Kathy Vetovich

This mural pays tribute to the storied history of the anthracite region when the coal industry was king. Painted on the side of the Heritage Restaurant, restored and owned by Sam and Kathy Vetovich, it memorializes their grandfathers, Sam Vetovich and Clarence “Mooch” Kashner. Sam owned a bootleg mine. Shortly before the Great Depression, small groups of unemployed miners dug their own coalholes and built coal breakers and trucking operations, creating an entire bootleg coal industry. Mooch was a miner, a mine inspector, President of the Independent Miners Association and an advocate of mine safety and safe rescues throughout his life.

Mural 8: Celebration of the Arts
Created August 2017
Artists: Claude Harrington, Matt Leavens
Location: Kallaway Center for the Arts, 144 E. Lincoln Street
Sponsor: NCCAH

The Kallaway House was donated to the Northumberland County Council for the Arts and Humanities in 2014 by Dr. John and his wife, Joann. It was dubbed the Kallaway Center for the Arts and is home to art classes, special events and meetings. The mural reflects the importance of art and its impact on children.

Mural 9: Dick Kashner – Dedication to Youth Sports
Created July 2019
Artist Emma Dailey, a 2019 Shamokin Area High School graduate
Location: 35 N. Market Street
Sponsors: NCCAH and Sam & Kathy Vetovich
Celebrating the dedication of C. Richard ‘Dick’ Kashner who was involved in youth sports for over 50 years, this mural includes a painting of an actual picture of Dick playing softball in the 1970’s. Dick was instrumental in the creation of the Shamokin Area Little League, the Bunker Hill Sports Complex and with Paul Metrocavage, the creation of the Shamokin Area Youth Baseball League. Throughout his many years of coaching, Kashner had a positive impact on many athletes.

More Shamokin and Coal Township History