The end of the Tyrone YMCA finally came after standing dormant in the community for a number of years and the cost of repairs became too big a burden to handle. The final blow was the damages suffered to the gym and bottom floor following flooding in the downtown area in the late 1990s. Prior to those times, activities had been dwindling at the “Y” due to needed repairs and upkeep of the building.
Today, on the 1000 block of Logan Avenue, the site of the old YMCA has been leveled and folks ponder what will happen next on this ground.
The sun was shining, but it was a cold March 1st when folks gathered at the YMCA site to witness the opening of the time capsule that had been buried in the cornerstone some 98 years earlier. The YMCA had finally bowed under the blows of G & R Excavating which had carefully taken the building down “bit by bit.” When opening the time capsule and the metal box concealed in the stone, Glenn Ray of G & R, with some help, took every precaution to preserve what was left of its contents.
Mrs. Nancy Smith, president of the Tyrone Area Historical Society, was presented with the fragile contents from the time capsule by Mr. Ray. In the near future, these items will be preserved and later exhibited in the Tyrone History Museum, at the southern end of Pennsylvania Avenue.
The papers in the capsule had become very fragile with the ends crumbling off some. However, every precaution is being taken to restore and preserve all that was left in the box. The Museum will be the place to gather and view those precious items. As memories will be recalled again and again of hours spent at the YMCA, folks will ponder times and events of the past of those who placed the items in the metal box so long ago.
Another board member of the Tyrone Area Historical Society, Lori Eckert, said, as she watched the opening of the box, “The YMCA was a marvelous, marvelous place to go. Everyone has some sort of memory of it. It’s sad; it really is.” She concluded by saying that the YMCA was a wonderful place for the town to come and enjoy. “But that’s history, I guess.”
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