Byrnesville, Barnesboro, Northern Cambria, Cambria County, Pennsylvania

In 2005 we had a Byrnes Family and Friends Reunion at the Barnesboro Pool in Northern Cambria, Pennsylvania. The oldest person at the reunion was Edna Francina Byrnes Lantzy.

The image on the left is a scan of one of the pictures Edna brought to the reunion. Interestingly we think it is a picture of Uncle Bill Byrnes who was the eldest person at the 1981 Byrnes Family and Friends Reunion.

Edna is the little girl in the photograph at the extreme right. The concensus is that the man in the photograph is William H. Byrnes. William Henry Byrnes (1895-1983) was a brother to Edward R. Byrnes and Uncle Bill and Uncle Ed to Edna.

The background of the picture looks toward Barnesboro, now Northern Cambria, and a church steeple can be seen on the right above the barn which is above Edna.

I believe this is Prince of Peace Church on Chestnut Avenue. The Leonard homestead was just across St. Stans Avenue from this church, both the church and the homestead on Chestnut Avenue.

As a child I only knew the name of major roads as there were no street signs. It still surprises me when I visit to see the signs.

Inside The Shanty

In the online dictionary, Wiktionary, a shanty is 'An old run-down house or shack'. Where I grew up in Pennsylvania a shanty was a work shed and sometimes a wood shop. The shanty my grandfather built was as much a wood shop as a work shed.

There were at least two work shanties built in the back yard. An early shanty stood where the second (the one I am describing) stood and was between the house and two large black barns. It was as black as the barns. When the barns were taken down I believe the first shanty was taken down and rebuilt.

This second shanty was built right off the back of the house, maybe just 10' between the back door of the house and the only door on the shanty. There was a wide cement walkway between the house and the shanty. More narrow sidewalks went around to the front of the house and around the shanty and up the incline of the backyard to three steps which led up to the 'alley'.

Edward R. Byrnes was a wood worker and one of my earliest memories ever is tied to this fact. In the summer of 1950 while I was working on completing my first year of life I remember two huge black barns behind my grandparents house, the house being on James Street next to the Byrnesville Hotel.

Directly behind the house and a bit over to the east was my grandfather's woodworking shop affectionately known as the shanty. Behind that were two big old black barns. The back of the barns faced our backyard and a huge sliding door opened on the side nto a section of the barn which held a lathe and bundles and bundles of wooden dowels. I remember the doors opened at least three or four feet off the ground and I was allowed to sit in an open door in some of the sawdust.

Hey, it was cool I was young, like really young, less than a year old.

I remember wanting to run around in there, grab some of those dowels and look around but I was too small. My grandfather would use these dowels to build nativity créches. He would saw dowels in half and use them on the roof. I don't have one of the creches made by Edward R. Byrnes but I do have one made by my dad, Edward J. Byrnes (the créche he built is pictured above).

A bit more about that barn. My dad said they had horses, cows, and chickens over the years. He said he would find eggs. I will have to ask if he milked cows. There was another large barn across the alley which had been torn down before my time.

The picture right is of a watch holder Edward R. Byrnes built for his father Thomas J. Byrne(s). As you can see, he made it look like a grandfather clock. It is quite nice work with details including a split pediment, brass chain, brass pendulum bob, and brass weights.

Edward R. Byrnes also built whirly-gigs, advent wreaths, candlesticks, toyboxes, and wagons for his grandchildren. I was told he would split the bolts and bend them toward the nuts used to make toys for me so I could not take the toys apart. My family had a large toy box, 4 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet high which lasted till I was married and I made use of it for my boys.