In today’s column, Larry Oberly shares some current photographs of the Weaversville area, and we relate the properties to the history of the village.
The former Howertown Rose Nursery was a dairy farm. Mr. Samuel Schrantz purchased the farm and converted a portion of the property into a popular retail rose garden. Full of energy, he was also employed at Universal Atlas Portland Cement Company, in charge of its landscaping. The plant manager, “Butch” Boucher, wanted the plant grounds to have an attractive lawn and shrubbery landscape.
On the east side of Weaversville Road was the Kozero — later Kozero & Miller — Roofing and Hardware store. Kozero’s excellent roofers started their business in Northampton. As their business prospered, they constructed a new store on Weaversville Road.
They later became affiliated with Ace Hardware. Once again, the popular business needed to expand, so they purchased a site on Route 329, with the ownership being assumed by Mr. Dale Miller.
The land of Mr. Kozero’s Weaversville store was the former farm of Joseph Moran. An immigrant, Joseph and his wife worked extremely hard on the small farm. He was the last farmer in the area to replace his horses with a modern tractor.
Old-timers told me a very interesting World War II story.
With the outbreak of World War II, there was a major need for industrial workers, especially at Bethlehem Steel. If you were able bodied, you were hired. One day, a representative from Bethlehem Steel came to the village and visited men who were not eligible for military service.
One was Joseph Moran. Although he had no factory experience, he and a few neighbors were hired. They had no automobiles, so a daily bus transported them to Bethlehem Steel.
Our village justice of the peace was Mr. Frank Kramlich. A Spanish-American War veteran, he maintained an office in his home. The village regarded him as its attorney who could answer legal and tax questions when society was less complex.
More visitations in two weeks. Come along!
