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Small Grocery in ByrnesvilleThomas J. Byrnes built a number of buildings in the early 1900's in an area which would be called Byrnesville located adjacent to Barnesboro and Spangler.About a hundred years later Barnesboro and Spangler become Northern Cambria, Pennsylvania. Although this small part of Northern Cambria is still known to a lot of local people as Byrnesville I've yet to find records of the village ever being incorporated. |
| Thomas J. Byrnes built houses, barns, shanties, sheds, one hotel, and a wide single story structure. This structure was used for a number of things; initially it was intended to be used as a hall. The hall would have been a nice area large enough for wedding receptions, parties, and dances. The hall was probably built within a few years of the hotel which was built in 1902. | |
| Perhaps the hall was rented out for various occasions. Somewhere in the 1920's or 1930's the hall was divided up with one part becoming a garage, and the other part a store with a pool hall in the back. Orlando Byrnes (1904-1955) ran the garage probably in the 1930's and 1940's. It seems reasonable that Bunny started the grocery store in the building when he came home from WWII. | |
 Bunny Byrnes about 1942 |
 Wife Mary Simon Byrnes and Bunny |
- Chanel quilted wallet
- Chloe shoulder bag
- Dolce
Friday, May 8. 2009
Bunny's Store in Byrnesville I
Tuesday, April 21. 2009
Bunny's Store in Byrnesville II
Margie In Bunny's Store in Byrnesville. Inside Bunny's Store
The picture of Margaretta Zeon Byrnes (1922-2006) shows Margie running the store when she was in her twenties. Being born in 1922, the picture was probably taken in the 1940's.
Although small, it seemed the store had everything. From the picture alone we see the store carried Kellogg's Rice Krispies, Gold Medal Flour, Ritz Crackers, Quaker Oats, canned vegetables, applesauce, Jelly, jams, lunchmeat, bread, milk, eggs, ice cream, soda, candy, packaged noodles, and snacks of all kinds.
As kids of course we only noticed the candy, soda, and chips.
Paul Byrnes (1922 - 2006) told me there were other small stores in Byrnesville. He said DeFazio's had a store on Almond Street across from the home of Bobby Brown near Walnut Run, and Mr. Sampson, a blind man had a store in Byrnesville before Bunny's Store. Sampson's store may have run the store in the hall before Bunny Byrnes bought it. There was even a small store in the Byrnes Hotel in the tavern area of the first floor. Marcellus Byrnes and his family ran a store in the 1930's from the hotel tavern. Edna Byrnes Lantzy told me that her family would sometimes just give kids candy or the difference on a loaf of bread if they were short of money. The store in the hotel probably didn't survive the depression.
Continue reading "Bunny's Store in Byrnesville II" »
Little Gayle
Little Diane
Little 'JT' JimmyWednesday, March 25. 2009
Byrnesville Boney Town
A Home in Byrnesville. October 2008.
Continue reading "Byrnesville Boney Town" »Boney Town There are cities from coast to coast
Whose industries are many,
And there are mining towns like Byrnesville
With coal and boney so plenty.Like all good things we have in life
The boundaries seem too short.
The entire town from end to end
Can be seen from Byrnes's Resort.From Whiskey Row to James Street
Are cycled cow path spans
With potholes patched with furnace ashes
And lids from garbage cans.You can't travel very far
Until you'll hit a bump.
The reason is that Byrnesville
Is three-fourths boney dump!But work is never a burden
Someone is always there.
Help is around the corner;
Everyone does his share.The children are never lonely
There is someone to understand.
And the old folks are never abandoned
Because the children lend a hand.We grow up knowing we love our place
Even though it isn't so showy.
We'll return to Byrnesville some day
Even though it's three-fourths boney.Neighborhood gossip will make the rounds
And the stories will stay the same.
Even though I may not be there,
I hope my name will remain.
Janice Begenyi '76
