Neal Gieske dressed up as a cowboy.
By William Gieske
Gruvers Farm:
After two years of city living we moved back to the country. Pop (William Henry Gieseke Sr.) worked with a Mick Gruver who lived with his mother. She had died and he did not want to stay at the house so he rented it out to us.
We now had a car so we could get around better and the bus still ran. This farm was located on the other side of the school house and is no longer standing. We knew all the people in the area and became friends with The Molls who raised bees.
My brother Neal was supposed to work for him one summer but refused so I helped him the second summer we lived there. I dug out a large stump next to the house, mowed the lawn and did other chores as needed. I also helped with the bee hives of which there were fifty-two.
Mr. Moll was one of the leading bee keepers in the area so I was able to learn a lot about bees from him. He liked to experiment so he made hives that were six foot high and we worked them from a step ladder. Some hives had two queen bees that were kept separate from each other, and this made a strong hive with lots of bees to collect honey.
In the fall, we gathered the crop and separated the honey from the wax. It was a hard job but very interesting. The best part was you could eat all the hot wax and honey you wanted. The hardest part was keeping the bees from the work area as they could smell the honey and wanted in. I liked working with the bees and Mr. Moll gave me two hives of my own. I would amaze our company by bringing in a super from the hive covered with bees. On a warm day with good honey coming in bees can be very docile. Mr. Molls hives were all like that with the exception of a few that were a different breed and could get nasty.
One year when Pop had his vacation, we were going to go somewhere but, as usual it rained. As luck would have it the wipers on the car stopped working. On the old cars the wipers worked by vacuum and would stop when you went up a hill. Ours had stopped all together so I took them apart. They were located up above the windshield under the upholstering. I guess I was pretty good as a mechanic to be trusted to do this and I got them working.
School:
I was in junior high school so that meant I would go to Broughal. This school had a very tough reputation at this time. We were not given a bus ride. Only those from Lehigh County rode the bus. That meant the kids from Colesville, and beyond, got a ride.
About five of us rode our bicycles to school. We would meet at the top of the hill and after the bus went by would peel off like the combat pilots we thought we were and one by one pass the bus before it reached the city line. Hwy. 378 as we know it today was then Route 309 and had just been constructed so it was good riding down the hill. We went every where on our bikes so the ride to school was not much of a ride.
I was assigned a home room and went in and met the music teacher whom we called PP Bartholomew. He appeared to be very mild mannered and I wondered how he could handle the kids in the school. One day I heard him with an unruly student, and my questions about his ability with a bad student were no more.
One of my first classes was math. I went in and met Mr. Andrews. I found out later he had dated my Aunt so I received a warmer than usual welcome. I was given a seat in the front and waited until the rest came in. After the students straggled in, as kids will, Mr. Andrews came in and asked one student why he sat in the rear as he was told to sit up front. The kid told him in a smart manner that he liked it back there. Mr. Andrews insisted he come up front. I was to scared to observe all that went on as I was still very impressed by the reputation of the school. There were more words exchanged and then a scuffle and the next thing I saw was Mr. Andrews dragging out the kid who was seen no more, fed to the lions I guess. Mr. Andrews turned out to be much more mild mannered than the first day would indicate.
Another teacher had also grown up with my father, so I got along good with her. She taught history and was a tough as nails. She stood in the hall when classes changed and knew who the bad students were and if they were acting up she would, without a word, give them a rap behind the ear. If you were punished at school you certainly did not want the word going home as that would be worse.
The gym teachers were also tough but fair. I think that I enjoyed school there as much as any where. PP the music teacher knew my mother as he played organ at the church or something. He conned me into acting in a play, one Bob Hope had made famous. I believe it was Charlies Aunt or something like that. One of the girls in the play lived in the children’s home up in Fountain Hill. I know this because old PP had us put on the play outside the school several times and he took us home. We must have been pretty good as we played it about five times in the evenings at places other than the school but, unfortunately, we never made Broadway.
Lunch:
We usually left the school at lunch because with the bikes we could go down town and cruise around. During the warmer weather in spring we would go to the hot dog stand on Third Street get two hot dogs and a Pepsi and head over the bridge to the Fritch Coal Co. Ramp. We went in the back of the silk mill building later known as the Sure Fit building. Here we swam in the canal after we ate the dogs and drank the soda. The two dogs and the soda cost fifteen cents plus two cents on the bottle. After we swam we went back with the bottle and got two long pretzel sticks and then back to school. I spent one year at Broughal and the next year I went to Liberty. On the way home after school or when we came over the hill we would wait on a side street for a slow truck going up the hill. Traffic permitting we would dash out and grab the tailgate chains for a free lift up the hill.
Friends:
Our old friends, the Nebingers, lived out the road in Wydnor so we renewed our friendships. Eddy and I were close and traveled all over on the bikes. Bill Diehl lived in Colesville and rode the bus to school. He wore monogrammed shirts and was always very neat. His initials were WED and when I saw him in the shirt I thought it stood for Wednesday and figured his shirts were marked for every day of the week.
Bill had a bike and rode with us sometimes. He built beautiful model airplanes, much better than my efforts, but also more expensive. I would load mine with paper and glue when they were going bad and torch them for their final flight. Stories about the fighter pilots of the first World War always interested us. Eddy later flew a fighter plane during WW2.
Bill Diehl and I went to town one night on his bike as mine was out for repairs. Going down the Wyndotte Street hill our brakes quit. It was a real hairy ride down that hill narrowly avoiding several cars on the way down much faster than we wanted to go. Being young it did not stop us from going over to the North Side and then riding home. When I took the brake apart we found the washers in the New Departure brake all stripped of their lugs. I was repairing bikes for other kids and could even build a wheel.
One day, I came down the hill in Seidersville with my hands holding on my hat and at Ortweins Lane I hit gravel that threw me over the handlebars onto my shoulder breaking my collar bone. I refused to go to a doctor and just carried my arm in a sling for about a month.
Neal:
My brother Neal, who is two years younger than I, was out at Nebbys playing cowboys and Indians with Bob in the garage. Bob was using a 22 rifle that was loaded and Neal got shot through the chest just missing his heart. He spent two weeks in the hospital and came home to be babied some more. He milked that injury for years and no one caught on.
The doctor said he should play a horn so they bought an expensive trumpet for him. I had gotten a German Shepherd pup, and one day I was in the kitchen and heard the pup cry out, I looked out and Neal was bending over him.
I put two and two together and got five. I charged out and knocked Neal over and when he got up gave him a fat lip. That ended the horn blowing for a while. I found out after that a bee had stung the dog but was not sorry at all because it made up for other things. I found out years later he made a punching bag with straw to practice with but when he tried me out he again lost. Brothers.
Mine Hole:
During the summer we swam in the mine hole at Freidensville, PA. At one time, this was a big zinc company mine so the waters had healing powers. If you had abrasions or poison ivy rash it would heal fast after you swam there.
There were all kinds of neat places to ride, hills, valleys and also dirt roads though out the area. We went all over with our bikes, Hellertown, Springtown, Leitsville, and Bingen, PA. were some of our favorite places.
During the winter we tried putting clothesline on like chains for better traction on ice. Winter did not stop us from riding.
Fishing:
Mom met the Sloyer family and Bob Sloyer and I went to school together. We stayed friends until he moved to California after the war. I visited him in Lousy Anna when we were there in 1943. His father liked to go deep sea fishing and they went several times a year in two cars of men.
I was invited to go and made several trips to Bowers on Delaware Bay. We would leave early evening and drive almost all night to get there as it must have been a six or seven hours ride back then. When we got there the younger men would find a card game or head for the fire house.
We pulled out early in the morning before first light. I liked to ride on the deck and handle the anchor that the Captain let me do when he found out I was capable. We caught porgies mostly and would come home with tubs full all iced down. They were good eating and welcome as you could not buy fish at the store like today.
As soon as we came back to the dock it was ice-cream as this seemed to help cut the salty taste the best. When I fished the Delaware Bay years later I remembered those trips.
Motorcycles:
Bob Sloyer bought a Harley Davidson bike as he was old enough to drive. They also had an old Plymouth Sedan on which I learned to drive, without a learners permit as I was too young. One day the bike was on the lawn by the house so Eddy and I were amusing ourselves by coasting down the lane and pushing it back. When we were done we checked out all the controls and found a little pump on the gas tank. After we tried it six or seven times Bob came out and we found out it pumped oil into the crankcase. He was very upset with us and started up the engine after much kicking of the starter. The black oil smoke that came out left a steak on the grass about thirty feet long, very impressive.
The first ride I had with Bob on the bike we went down a dirt lane and on the curve we hit gravel and spilled. Other than brush burns no one was hurt. Some times we would ride in the winter time. We did not have clothes as good as today for cold weather so when we came back we were almost froze. Most of the houses had pipeless furnaces in them. These had a large grill in the floor over the furnace where the heat came out. After a ride we would stand on the grill for a time, until we thawed out.
Farming:
We had gotten another rental cow, so we had to make hay for feed. Pop still could cut grass with his scythe and now we raked it and put it up by hand. I was old enough to help so we tried all sorts of ways to do it the best. We had a big garden, not as large as before but big enough. We learned the hard way to stay out of the garden in the early evening when the bees came home. They were like dive bombers heading back to their hives.
Tessie Williamson was visiting and was out in the garden when a bee or two got caught in her hair. Bees do not like hair or wool that is also hair. It makes them think it is an animal after their hive. Tess screamed so the whole neighborhood knew something was wrong. As I said, we stayed out of the garden in the evening.
The fields were all overgrown so we spent a lot of time cutting and burning brush. Pop bought an old Chevy car that I cut the body off. He also picked up a Ruxtal axle as we were going to make a tractor. I cut off the body leaving just the front end and made a set for us. With no weight on the rear we needed chains that gave better traction but could throw mud when the wheels spun. I remember a birthday party we had when Geraldine Clauser wore a white sailor suit. I was giving rides and we got stuck in the creek, I spun the wheels and she got covered with mud. It was my job to milk the cow when my father worked nights, and when we had a party, I usually gave a demonstration. The best part was when everyone crowded in to look I would squirt milk on them.
Evenings in the summer time, I would often walk down to the little stone bridge by the fire house with my dog. It was pleasant sitting there while the dog played in the stream or hunted in the grass. The SYWYCO fire company at that time consisted of one model T fire engine with a large pump and it carried so much water it needed help going up the hills.
The old stone building was the firehouse and during the fall they rolled out the fire truck and held dances to raise funds to operate. I can remember going there one evening when the entertainment was all home brewed, wash board for the band and all. Sitting on the bridge I would watch the older boys drive by in their Model A Fords with the extra large tires that were the in thing then. Like all young boys, I would think about the day when I would have my very own car.
Bob and Eddy had a homemade canoe so three times Eddy and I came down from Allentown, PA, to Bethlehem, PA. We came down the canal twice and one time tried the Lehigh River. The second time on the canal we had a sail that helped sometimes. When we got to the lock at sixteenth avenue I remember the kids of the family that lived there coming out to bother us. The lock was in pretty good shape then yet. The whole canal was in good shape but flooding and neglect left it in ruins later on.
The Nebingers moved back to town out in the Pembroke section. Where they lived was near the old circus grounds. I remember going over to stay overnight with them and going to see the circus come in and set up. We had big circuses then. When they were set up, they would let you in to see the animals.
When Just Born Candy Company came to Bethlehem, they had an open house. They came in with the help of some program to bring in business. I do not know what the building was used for before, but remember the open house. At that time they were a chocolate company only so everything was about chocolate. I remember the large copper kettles and seeing the beans for the first time.
This area was mostly farm land when you went away from the railroad that went through. Stefko Boulevard was only a trolley track from Broad Street to Pembroke Road. On the North by Easton Avenue it ran under the electric towers. It was renamed after a city politician who built a lot of homes in that area.
The second year we lived on the farm, I went to Liberty High School. I exchanged off with walking and riding the bike. There were about five of us who walked so we had company. We all walked very fast as it was a long way to go. I remember one December, I rode across the Hill To Hill bridge when the large grist mill under the bridge was on fire. I was riding with my head down and never saw the fire as it was so cold all I was interested in was getting there.
One day we saw a large column of smoke going up. We found out it was the large pile of tires from the junkyard under the bridge. There were thousands of tires there and since they were rubber not some other material as today, they burned with tremendous heat. Bob had a friend who lived under the bridge and rented a garage where they fixed their motorcycles. Sometimes, Eddy and I went with him to this garage. In cold weather, they heated with a small stove using tires for fuel. We would sneak to the junkyard tire pile and quick grab one and run back. The tire had to be cut up with a hack saw to fit in the stove. Lots of work for a little heat.
When you walked across this bridge one of the interesting sights was watching the shear work. This was a large machine that was used to cut steel like a big scissors. It had large jaws that opened and shut like a hungry animal looking for its prey. It was interesting to watch the workman feed steel into the jaws to be sheared like you could cut paper.
The house for this place is gone and the whole area is different. The large trees along the little stream are gone and the fence rows are missing. The area is now the Lower Saucon Park and the one room school is the township building.
When we lived here Neal had a goat that would get loose and go into the school looking for him. Mom sold penny candy to the kids at recess. There was a large pear tree and when the bees came after the pears we could lasso them with fine wire and have a self powered kite.
The ice dams across the way were a source of lots of fun. We fished for little blue gills and skated in the winter. I had a twenty two rifle I used to shoot the water snakes in the pond. I remember one box of cartridges I had would not fire as the gun was wore bad. We put the shells on the cement wall and hit them with a hammer to get them to fire. One of them went off with a loud bang and sent some of the wall into the tops of my fingers opening them up. It slowed down the fire works after that. I traded that gun for a possum, one of the dumbest mistakes of my life.
We had a pie safe in the cellar, these are screened in boxes so pies are safe from flies and mice. I put old Mr. Possum in there and he escaped, probably the best thing that could of happened. Possums are one of the dumbest critters ever born. They only weigh a few ounces when they are born so it does not leave much room for brains. I became more convinced dogs are the best of pets.
It was here that I started hunting. I don’t remember my first shotgun but do remember spending every spare moment hunting mostly with Chic Clauser. Sometimes I went with the Forkers other places but I hunted mostly around the farm. Sometimes, on a holiday, we would hunt all the way to Hellertown and back. Chic and I did a lot of hunting and fishing together. We would hike to Bingen and fish the Saucon creek or go to Hellertown to fish below Water Street.
At this time the Saucon was crossed by a covered bridge and we could get shelter from the weather if we needed to. Beyond Hellertown there were two mine holes. There is a little park there also. I remember one fall we hiked there to fish and spend the night. When we arrived some adults were holding a party so we fished a little and then took to the benches to sleep. It soon turned cold and the adults were still partying and we did not get any sleep. After the adults left, we crawled up on the large sheet metal stoves, and as they cooled down we went on them farther, in order to keep warm. It was a miserable night we spent waiting for the dawn so we could fish. We spent the day there and hiked home that afternoon.
One day the Kirvin boys came calling. They lived on Black River Road. Billy Rissmiller wanted someone to put up wheat that was already shocked and they needed one more helper. I went over the next morning and we started to work. We were using a team of horses and hauling shocked wheat into the barn. Billy came out and said he wanted it all in, as it was going to rain. We told him we would never make it but if he gave us a quarter bonus we would try. We were getting fifteen cents for one hour so this would be a big bonus. He agreed so we began to really hustle. We almost upset the wagon several times, as this was very steep hill work, and you had to be careful how you turned. We took turns driving and braking. One trip when it was my turn to brake, I started late and could not get the brake on fully because of stickers along the lane. The brake was put on at the last minute and the team went into the barn holding back all they could. It was a bank barn and when we got stopped the tongue of the wagon was out the loft door about two foot. It was too close to an accident for any of us to laugh about at the time. We got all the shocks in but never got the bonus. We thought we were lucky to get paid.
One day I heard a tractor on the next farm to us. I knew they had none so I went to look. A young fellow and his friend were plowing up an alfalfa field with a small John Deere Model L tractor. After we talked awhile he let me plow with the tractor, much more than I really wanted to. This was my first but not my last experience with a tractor.
Published U.S. Legacies August 2005
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