Honeymoon at Paradise Valley Lodge in Mt. Pocono, PA

My parents would have been married 55 years today. I have recently begun to scan old photographs and came across the photo above which is now my favorite photograph of them. So young, so happy, so corny. Bonus for the weird stuffed squirrel near the ceiling.

Like many young newlyweds in the 1950’s in the Philadelphia area, they honeymooned in the Poconos, specifically at the Paradise Valley Lodge which appeared to cater to the honeymoon crowd.

Honeymoon certificate from the Paradise Valley Lodge, 1959. Click for full size.

 They received a certificate (right), signed by the proprietors, to commemorate the occasion.

And, in case the newlyweds ran out of things to do, the lodge offered hay rides:

Charlie & Carol Conrad (upper left), 1959. Click for full size.

My parents also sampled the nightlife of Mt. Pocono. Here they are at the High Point Inn:

Charlie & Carol at the High Point Inn (right), 1959

As far as I can find, the Paradise Valley Lodge no longer exists. The High Point Inn burned down in 1968 and I found out in an obituary for the former owner that the nightclub had animal acts, including lions, bears, horses and dogs. My parents never mentioned that.

U.S. Social Security Act
Application for Account Number

157-05-3184
Name: Mamie Ware Garrison
Residence: 37 Arbutus Ave, Pitman, NJ
Employer: Works Progress Administration Project 68-194
Employer address: Itaska Bldg, Pitman, Gloucester Co. NJ
Age: 62
Date of Birth: 7-3-1874
Place of birth: Camden, NJ
Father: George Washington Ware
Mother: Elizabeth Craner
Sex: Female
Color: White
If registered with the U.S. Employment Service, give number of registration card: 3508-5097
Date signed: 5-20-37
[signed] Mamie Garrison

Original Source Citation:
Mamie Ware Garrison, 157-05-3184, 26 May 1937, Application for Account Numbers (Form SS-5), Social Security Administration, Baltimore, Maryland.

Mamie (Mary) E. Garrison Death Certificate

State Department of Health of New Jersey
State File No. 09544
Place of Death:
  County: Salem
  City or Borough: Elmer
  Length of Stay: 2 mo
  Address: 326 S. Main St.
Usual Residence: 140 S. Broadway, Pitman, Gloucester, NJ
Name of deceased: Mamie (Mary) E. Garrison
Date of death: Feb. 8. 1960
Sex: Female
Color or Race: White
Marital status: Widowed
Date of Birth: July 3, 1874
Age: 85
Usual Occupation: Retired
Kind of Business or Industry: Esterbrook Pen
Birthplace: Camden, NJ
Father’s Name: George Ware
Mother’s Maiden Name: Mary Kranner
Was deceased ever in the US Armed Forces? No
Social Security No. 157-05-3184
Informant: Milford Garrison – Son
…
Burial:
  Date: 2-11-1960
  Name of Cemetery: Evergreen Cemetery
  Location: Camden, NJ

———

Original Source Citation
New Jersey, State Department of Health, death certificate 09544 (1960), Mamie (Mary) E. Garrison; Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, Trenton.

When I sent away for my grandfather’s railroad retirement files I did not know what to expect. One surprise that provided a neat bit of new information were copies of his Social Security applications (SS-5).

There were two of them: the original one from 1936 and a second one in 1953. It took me awhile to figure out why there was a second SS-5 form:

Orville W. Garrison 1953 SS-5. Click to see full size.

 Then, I read lines 1 and 2 more closely:

The second application was filed to correct a misinterpretation of handwriting in the original 1936 application. Apparently someone’s v’s looked too much like r’s:

The v is more apparent in his signature on that application:

The neat new bit of information was my great-grandfather’s middle name. I now know his full name was John Samuel Garrison.

Orville W. Garrison’s 1936 SS-5. Click to see full size.

My grandfather worked in the forests of Idaho as part of the Civilian Conservation Corp. The picture below is another newspaper clipping I found among my grandmother’s things. The CCC began in April 1933 and the age requirement was 18-25. My grandfather turned 26 in September 1933 so if this was May 1933 (my best guess, see below) he only just qualified. There was a later amendment to the program that allowed older veterans to enroll. My grandfather was also in the military at one time, so this may be later than 1933. My grandfather is on the far right.

At Conservation Camp
Photo by Sylvanus Doughty
The four above youths from Pitman were taken to the Citizens’ Conservation Camp, May 31, by Sylvanus Doughty, local Director of Emergency Relief. They enlisted for a period of six months and will work in the forests. The names of the youths, reading from left to right, are: David Maguire, 128 First avenue; William Groome, Waverly and Linden avenues; Harry Clark Johnson, 25 Circle; Orville Wilson Garrison, 223 Boulevard.

The reverse side of the clipping appears to be one of those “X Years Ago Today” articles with news from 1908. If the article was “25 years ago” this would date the article as 1933. The local news being Pitman and the byline being “–Grove News” leads me to assume this clipping was from the local Pitman paper, The Pitman Grove Review.

Chris… …ng and fa… have b… …adford, Pa., f… months, are spending the summe[r]… home of Mrs. Behling’s pare[nts] Mr. and Mrs. W.C. Watson, North Broadway.
The Episcopalians are holding services in the K.G.E. Hall every Sunday evening.
Chester McGear, of Philadelphia, is building a cottage at the corner of Grant and Lincoln avenues, Pitman Summit. He and his family expect to occupy it about July 1, 1908.
“The Review” Directory of Pitman for 1908 will be out about July 15.
John M. Hitchinson and family, of Camden, are down for the season at their West avenue cottage.
Herman P. Hurff is now engaged in house moving and raising, as well as building. He is a good mechanic and understands his business.
Childs’ Grocery Company will open a branch store in the new McCowan Building, Pitman avenue. This is their 99th store.
Make your cottage and grounds look nice. Paint, flowers and plants will do it. –Grove News.
The new post office will soon be under roof. The metal ceiling is ready and so is the furniture and fixtures. –Grove News.

Click on the images to see them full size.