The following article appeared in Tyrone Division Special, Vol. II, No. 2, September 1922. This booklet was one of a series that had been published by the Tyrone Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad “every once in a while in the interest of safety first.”
The Tyrone Division P.R.R.Y.M.C.A. Athletic Park, which stands second to no other athletic park in the country, was completed in 1910; it is a matter of proud mention that, in entirety, it is the product of Tyrone labor and genius. Located just off Twenty-third Street, Tyrone, it is easily reached by pedestrian, trolley, and auto. The employees of the Tyrone Division, and the many others who enjoy its wonderful privileges, are asked but a small membership fee each year for same.
On entering the park the eye is greeted with a delightful spectacle. Indeed, Alice in her Adventures in Wonderland, must have beheld scenes such as this. Seventy acres of beautiful, green lawn; well-kept driveways and walks; everywhere the evidence of harmony and order; surrounding, the majestic Allegheny mountains lend the finishing touch.
The regulation ball diamond is complete in every respect, and competing nines enjoy it daily through the ball season. Twilight League ball has become a popular institution, and large audiences are always in evidence. At the edge of center field is a fine, 85-foot flag pole, painted white. In connection with the ball field is a commodious grandstand and bleachers, with a total seating capacity of twelve thousand.
Underneath the grandstand are dressing rooms, shower baths, and every other convenience for the players and athletes; as well as a medical room, office room for visiting officials, etc. The scoreboard is near the flag pole in plain view from the grandstand and bleachers.
A quarter-mile running track embraces the ball diamond, a portion of which runs directly in front of the grandstand, affording all a good view of the finals on track events. There also is a 225-yard straightaway, and regulation horseshoe and quoit grounds.
Tennis is ever-popular. The six “skin courts” are kept in the best of condition by rolling; line markings are always fresh and white; all are enclosed by a twenty-foot mesh wire to prevent balls from being knocked out of bounds. Just outside, stands a pretty, rotunda-like rest pavilion where players may “bide a wee” after a heated contest.
The Tea House, which is of rustic design, is centrally located, and is used by the Ladies’ Auxiliary and other clubs to serve luncheons. This, as well as the pretty grove in the east corner of the park, is an ideal picnic spot.
On June 21, 1915 twenty of Tyrone’s leading citizens formed the Tyrone Golf Club and proceeded to lay out a nine-hole course. This year [1922] the course will be made eighteen holes. At present the Club has more than a hundred members. The Club is an organization separate from the Y.M.C.A., but one must hold membership in the latter before making application for the Golf Club. The golf outlook for the future is very bright, indeed.
One of the most popular spots in the park is the swimming pool, and little the wonder. The pool, which is of concrete construction on both bottom and sides, is 55 by 207 feet graduated from a depth of two to seven feet. All about are well-kept terraces, lawns, and flower beds, enhancing wonderfully its charm. The water in the pool is supplied by a clear, sparkling stream whose source is in the nearby mountains, and is the same water that supplies one of Tyrone’s reservoirs. The pool is emptied and cleaned every Saturday night during the season. Alois Maschke, expert swimmer, has been at the pool since its opening, and due to his watchful care there has been but one minor mishap. He gladly has taught hundreds the art of swimming and proudly states, “Tyrone is one of the greatest towns for swimmers in the state.” Up to this writing 130,727 persons, ranging between the ages of four and eighty, have enjoyed a pleasant dip and swim here.
The bath house, sitting back twenty feet from the pool, is of the pleasing bungalow style with roomy veranda fronting. It contains fifty locker dressing rooms for men and one hundred for women — all on the main floor — while on the basement floor are general dressing rooms for the younger folks. Shower baths and every other comfort for the bathers are conveniently located throughout.
Thousands have enjoyed this wonderful park, and many more thousands will enjoy it in years to come. Visitors are ever enthusiastic over its charm. The Tyrone Division P.R.R.Y.M.C.A. Athletic Park is a joy and a pride to Tyrone. The park always will be an honor to the men — through whose foresight, originality, and genius — unfolded it into a splendid reality.
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