I asked a good friend and longtime member of the Tyrone Area Historical Society to share with us some of his memories from nearly a century of life. Milford E. Buterbaugh, better known to most as “Mootz,” will be 99 years old on September 20, 2012.
Mootz was born in Swissvale, Pennsylvania but his family moved to the Bald Eagle area in 1917 when he was 4 years old. I asked what changes in his life stood out; this was his response.
The mode of transportation changed from horse and buggy to cars. Mootz’s father had a new 1917 Dodge automobile when they moved five miles north of Tyrone where only three local people had motorized transportation back then. Many roads could not be used by cars because they were only dirt and when they got wet they turned to mud. The road from Tyrone to Bellefonte, built in 1853, was wooden planks and known as Plank Road. In 1926, at 13 years old, Mootz had his first job working on the new road to replace the planks. His job was to water the straw on 8-foot-wide sections of concrete for 21 days until it cured. He got paid 25 cents per hour — great money back then for a young man.
In 1928 electricity came to Bald Eagle, eliminating the need for oil lamps for lighting. He recalls it helped in many areas of life. The light bill back then was $4.00 per month. In 1941 Mootz bought his first refrigerator to use in place of the spring to keep things cold. It cost $68.00. Mootz bought this new appliance for his wife Betty (Dayton). In 1942, he bought Betty a new sewing machine from Sears Roebuck & Company for $60.00. She still has this machine today.
Marriage and the Yellow Bowl
I asked what events in his life stood out. He quickly responded his happiest day was when he married Betty in Winchester, Virginia on September 27, 1939. He recalled with a smile that they drove to Maryland first but had to go on to Virginia, where there was no waiting period. The fee for the minister and license was $5.00. The Buterbaughs will celebrate their 73rd anniversary this year.
Mootz and his family have always lived in the Bald Eagle area in the home he and Betty bought in 1946 from Betty’s aunt, Nan Miller. The house was built for a tea room business known as the “Yellow Bowl” that Nan ran in the summer months when she wasn’t teaching in Altoona. It was on the corner of Routes 220 & 350 which had a lot of traffic. Today you can pick their house out as you descend exit 52 from I-99; it has tall white pillars and during football season it has a large banner hanging to honor Tyrone football.
Football, Voting, and Woodrow Wilson
Mootz told me of his love of football. He played for a while in high school, but got hit really hard by his friend, Sam Decker, at practice and decided he really didn’t want to get injured. He became their #1 fan from that point on.
Another important event in Mootz’s life is Election Day. He has not missed an election since turning 21 years old. His father Edwin served the Republican Party in Washington, D.C. under Representative M. Clyde Kelly in 1926. While with his father in the Gallery of Congress, Mootz met then-president Woodrow Wilson. What he experienced in D.C. made him realize the importance and privilege of the vote. Mootz hopes young people realize how important their vote is — especially today.
Mootz believes not using alcohol, not smoking (except for a short time before he met Betty in 1936), and hard work have contributed to his long life. Mootz still mows his own lawn and does chores around the house when needed. Mootz contends God and family are his “Greatest Blessings!”
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