In the summer of 2003, the Tyrone Area Historical Society was given a unique model of an iron-ore washer, which is now part of the Tyrone History Museum’s permanent exhibit. Built by Ron Thomas’s great-grandfather, the model had been stored in several family members’ attics. A few months after the opening of the museum, Ron presented us with this wonderful model.
Iron-ore mining was an important early industry, and no history of Tyrone is complete without devoting some time to learning about what the industry did for the economy of the early Tyrone area. Ron, his father, his grandfather, and his great-grandfather all made significant contributions to life in Tyrone.
Great-Grandfather George Ellsworth Thomas
George Ellsworth Thomas, Ron’s great-grandfather, was born in September 1861, in Rock Springs, Centre County. He was married to Annie Lykens on June 6, 1886. He lived in the Warriors Mark area and worked at various farms and industries until 1919, when he moved to Tyrone for employment at the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company. His interest in building the model probably came from visiting the Dry Hollow Sand and Ore Mine in Warriors Mark Township, where his brother-in-law, David Lykens, worked as superintendent of the mining operation.
George cleverly built the model of the iron-ore washer by using common household materials. The actual washer was a tall, three-sided, wooden box with no top. Two large logs with paddles nailed along their sides were placed into the box. Steam power rotated the logs; hence, an adequate water supply was needed — from artesian wells. The movement of the logs and paddles pushed the ore out the end and down a chute onto a side belt where men stood and picked off mud balls (flint) and sand. When the ore left the belt and fell into the ore bin, it was as pure as possible at this stage of the process. From there it was loaded onto railcars and transported to the Saxton Furnace, in Bedford County, for smelting.
Grandfather Homer C. Thomas — Miller Brothers
Homer C. Thomas, Ron’s grandfather, born in June 1892 in Frogtown, east of Warriors Mark in Huntington County, was the son of George and Annie Lykens Thomas. For forty-two years Homer was the superintendent at the Miller Brothers Fuel and Supply Company, which operated in two locations — one on Burley Ave., where the current housing project now is located, and the second a block away, where the BiLo Foods supermarket now stands (13th St. and Washington Ave.). The sale of coal (both hard and soft), sand, and cement, along with gasoline and fuel oil, were the products of the operation.
A large, three-story warehouse stood at the 13th St. location, with a low, tin-roof building running from the tracks to the alley, housing the storage bins for coal, sand, etc. Granddad and Grandma Thomas (Homer and Helen) lived in a second-floor apartment above Miller Brothers’ warehouse. Helen would get short notice of incoming railcar loads and would make a mad dash to get her wash off the clothesline before the dust and dirt from off-loading would begin.
Since the time Ron spent with his grandparents at the 13th St. apartment was during the years of World War II, he was aware of the variety of materials trucked in and out of the huge storage facility. Homer got phone calls anytime, day or night, to open the loading docks to accept loads of various kinds of material — food stuffs, furniture, etc. On one occasion, he remembers a whole truckload of bags of oatmeal being unloaded to be stored and later trucked to a destination for the Army.
At the end of the coal yard next to the railroad tracks stood the Pennsylvania Railroad watch box. It was a special treat for Ron to visit this small, wooden shed with Hugh Tobin, one of the watchmen. When a train approached, Mr. Tobin’s job was to come out of the shed and hold up a stop sign to stop traffic at the crossing.
On Saturday evenings, Ron often walked downtown with Granddad Thomas, who had to take the money and receipts to the Miller Brothers Hardware Store. Since his granddad’s brother, Ralph, worked at the Tyrone railroad station, they would sometimes walk to the station to visit him. His Uncle Ralph worked in the Railway Express office, and he would give Ron rides on the wagon along with suitcases and boxes.
Granddad later owned the Homer C. Thomas Insurance Agency. The insurance agency and the Improvement Savings and Loan Association of Tyrone, Pa. were located in the Masonic Building on 11th St., where the Pennsylvania House now is located. Homer died July 7, 1971.
Maternal Grandfather Gilbert D. Rhodes
Another prominent businessman in Tyrone was Ron’s maternal grandfather, Gilbert D. Rhodes, born in 1866 in Gatesburg. He was owner and operator of Rhodes Planing Mill & Lumber Yard. The planing mill was located on the property that is now the parking lot for the Church of the Good Shepherd-United Methodist. Upon his death in 1924, the mill was taken over and operated by his sons.
Father Nevin Jackson Thomas
Ron’s father, Nevin Jackson Thomas, was born in Tyrone on September 12, 1916. Nevin Thomas (‘Bus’) was a longtime employee of the paper mill in Tyrone. After graduating from Tyrone High School, he started working at the Miller Brothers Hardware Store, located in the First National Bank Building (Jones Building). This was the former location of Franciscus Hardware Company. As an employee of Millers’ during the flood of 1936, he told of moving merchandise to the second and third floors as the water continued to rise. He also worked at the paper mill as a helper and later a runner. Then he sold life insurance for a short time before returning to the paper mill, working in the Quality Control Department. When he retired, his job title was Paper Inspector.
Boyhood in Tyrone
Ronald Nevin Thomas was born on March 8, 1940 in Philipsburg Hospital. Ron entered Logan School in 1944 at age four, the first year kindergarten was established in the Tyrone School District. He attended Adams School through fifth grade, but because of fire damage to the school, he went to Logan School for sixth grade.
He recalls boyhood summer days spent playing outdoors in the neighborhood with Larry, Linda, and Richard Derman; Bud, Judy, and Jenny Isenberg; Murray Fetzer; Jeff Rhodes; Ron Hampton; and Fred and Bonnie Rossman. They played hide-and-seek, cowboys and Indians, cards, football, baseball, kick-the-can, and toss-up and chase. Trips to the paper mill dam to fish and hikes to the hill behind the football field were common. He also remembers following the ice wagon to get a chunk of ice on a hot July afternoon. He remembers going to the El Patio Theatre on Saturdays where, for seventeen cents, you could stay for two shows.
While in high school, Ron played football (tackle), wrestled, and competed in track. He also participated in the mixed chorus and the choir. He was a member of the Future Teachers of America and served as president of the Key Club. During high school, he also found time to work at Woodring’s Clover Farm Store, located on Logan Ave. across from Ken’s Barber Shop.
Teaching Career
After graduating from Tyrone Area High School in June 1958, he was off to Shippensburg State Teachers College to prepare to be a certified social studies teacher with a minor in geography. He played football at Shippensburg for all four years. During the second semester of his freshman year, he met a young lady from Philipsburg, Sandra J. Lindsay, who was seeking a ride home for the weekend.
Ron graduated midyear in 1962 and took a full-time substitute position in the Southern Huntingdon School District. On June 8, 1962, Ron and Sandy were married at the First Lutheran Church of Philipsburg. They began their life together by taking up housekeeping in an apartment above the field house at Gray Field. They came to know very well the sights and sounds of fall football and Gardner Guards practice sessions.
In September 1962, Ron began his Tyrone teaching career in the brand-new high school building. He says, “Imagine going to work alongside teachers who taught you! It was quite an experience sitting in department meetings as the ‘new kid on the block’ with former teachers who just four short years ago were grading your tests and placing grades on your report card.” From 1962 to 1968, Ron taught social studies to grades seven through twelve.
From 1964 to 1969, he served as part-time administrative assistant to Principal N. Grant Hixon. From 1962 to 1986 he served as senior class advisor — organizing the senior banquet and the senior trips, and assisting with commencement. He also served as advisor to the Future Teachers of America for twenty years (1962-1982). And from 1982 to 1993, he served as advisor to the Tyrone Key Club.
After receiving a master’s degree in education secondary guidance and counseling from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1968, he served the school district as a secondary school counselor with the responsibility of working with students in grades nine through twelve until his retirement in 1995. He held the title of Director of Guidance (1994-1995).
“The Eagle,” Tyrone Area High School’s yearbook, dedicated its 1975 edition to Ronald N. Thomas. The dedication was in the form of a letter from the senior class, saying, in part, “Thank you for giving us a positive outlook on life.”
Borough Council and Mayor
In addition to Ron’s career in education, he also was involved in local government. He served on Tyrone Borough Council for approximately twenty years — from the late 1960s to the late 1980s. He served on Borough Council with Harry Sickler and Earl Collins and was one of the representatives from the 2nd Ward of Tyrone. From 1974 to 1978, Ron served Tyrone Borough as mayor while at the same time he fulfilled all his responsibilities at Tyrone Area High School.
In 1970, the pulp mill of Westvaco Corp. was shut down, thus eliminating 500 jobs. A display advertisement was placed in the Wall Street Journal portraying Tyrone as “This Town for Hire.” The town received quite a bit of publicity and sympathy from the ad, and local legislators took notice.
During Ron’s term as mayor, several projects financed by federal and state funds were begun or completed: a $31 million flood-control effort, a $12 million wastewater treatment plant and $8 million for connecting lines, $6 million worth of highway improvements, $2.5 million in housing construction, $20.5 million for the Route 220 Bypass, a $1 million medical building, a $1 million industrial building, and a $2.23 million renovation of a home for the elderly (Pennsylvania House).
On December 7, 1976, Ron was quoted in the York Daily Record as saying, “The Westvaco shutdown undoubtedly created sympathy for the town, but we also qualified for all the improvements. We didn’t get anything we didn’t deserve.” A unified effort on behalf of the community made a big difference.
The town celebrated America’s Bicentennial in 1976 during Ron’s term. He served as chairman of the Home Rule Charter Committee and therefore helped write the charter for the home rule form of government for Tyrone. The Tyrone Borough Regional Sewage Treatment Plant was officially opened January 15, 1977 during his term as mayor. Ron also had the privilege of cutting the ribbon to open a nine-mile section of the U.S. Route 220 Tyrone Bypass (Fuoss Mills to Bald Eagle).
So, when The Daily Herald labeled him “Teacher-Mayor” they were correct. After holding the office of mayor and discharging duties on Borough Council, Ron was a board member for the Tyrone Zoning Hearing Board, the Blair County Industrial Development Authority, and Altoona Enterprises.
Family and Faith
Son Gerald Nevin was born August 22, 1965. Gerry is married to the former Connie Jean Murray, and they have two daughters — Elizabeth (Nikki) and Jessica. They live in Spring Mount, Warriors Mark Township.
Sandy earned her B.S. degree in elementary education at Shippensburg State Teachers College in three years by taking classes during summers. She began her career by teaching a combined first- and second-grade class at Adams School for the 1961-62 school year. In 1963, she received a master’s degree in education from Penn State. Sandy’s entire teaching career was in the Tyrone School District, retiring in 1995.
Ron has been a lifelong member of Wesley United Methodist Church (formerly First United Methodist Church). He has and is currently singing in the choir. He taught Sunday school for many years and has served as superintendent of the Sunday School. As an active member of the Tyrone Area Historical Society, he volunteers time both at the Society’s office and at the Tyrone History Museum. Ron wrote the time line that has been added to the republished version of Ralph T. Wolfgang’s book, A Short History of Tyrone Borough.
During his retirement, he has begun his version of oral history. He is writing a series of letters to his granddaughters so they will have a record of his childhood and his experiences with his parents and grandparents.
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