Delta, Pennsylvania 2017

Slalte Ridge Presbyterian Church

This church, in Cardiff MD, is where we were married on November 27, 1959. It is located about a half-mile down the street from my family home, but across the Mason-Dixon line into Maryland.

Slate Ridge Presbyterian Church

I grew up as a member of this church, and remained a member until I married Bob and we moved to Ebensburg, Pennsylvania.

My childhood home

Built by my father's parents on Chestnut Street in 1907, it has been vacant for some years now and has fallen into disrepair, which makes me sad. When they lived here, it was a beautiful home with a large yard, bordered on two sides by huge sycamore trees.

Take a close look at the slate roof. I posted other pictures in this gallery about Coulsontown and the slate that was mined here. Fascinating information.

Delta Elementary School

This is no longer the elementary school, but it is where I attended grades 1-9. My parents and both sisters all graduated from this school. It was closed when I was in ninth grade, and we were transferred to Kennard-Dale in Fawn Grove.

Delta Farm Products

At one time, this property was a prosperous business built by my father and his father in the 1920s (I believe). They went through the Depression, a fire, and other struggles until the 1960s when my father sold it. Unfortunately, I don't know more details. At its peak, it housed a locker plant (frozen food lockers), a slaughter house, and a milk plant that picked up milk from surrounding farms and shipped it to a dairy in Philadelphia.

Obviously, it is no longer prosperous, and neither is the town of Delta. How I would long to see a rebirth of Delta.

Slateville Presbyterian Church

This was not my family's church, but my mother's parents and grandparents are buried in the cemetery next to the church. Perhaps they were members at one time, but I really don't know.

According to the sign above the door, it was rebuilt in 1867, but I don't know when it was originally built. I'll have to do a little research.

When we visited Delta last week (November 11, 2017), Bob and I wandered this cemetery, searching for the graves of my mother's parents.

Slateville Presbyterian Church, located on the edge of Delta is where my mother's parents and grandparents are buried. It took a bit of wandering among the graves, but I finally found and took pictures of their gravestones.

Mrs. Clarence Stubbs was a neighbor of my family. She did baby nursing, and took care of me and my first baby when Gretchen was born.

Lonnie and Edith Gehr lived next door to my parents.

Beverly was the Gehr's older daughter. She died very young. I was told it was as a result of a tonsillectomy, which frightened me, when, at age 8 I had to have my tonsils removed. Thankfully, all that happened to me was a bad sore throat that was treated with ice cream.

Darlene was the Gehr's older daughter, the one who told me about her sister dying from tonsil surgery. Darlene was a good friend and was a bridesmaid in our wedding in 1959.

After an hour or so of wandering among the graves, I came upon this headstone for my great grandparents. My great-grandmother died shortly before I was born, so I never met either of them. I believe my sisters, who were 11 and 13 years older, called her Nannan, although I'm not positive. She suffered with TB.

I found the gravesite of my grandmother and grandfather (Ninie and Daddad) right next to her parents' burial site. I hadn't remembered that they were buried there. I don't remember that they were members of Slateville Church, but they may have been. The next time we return to Delta, I want to check that out.