National Park Service Special Hisory Study

2. ASPECTS OF THE SOCIAL, RECREATIONAL, AND CULTURAL LIFE AT ALTOONA

The railroad's influence was pervasive in all aspects of life in Altoona. in 1853, the Pennsylvania Railroad encouraged the newly founded city to establish a city band which played on a regular basis on stands set up beside the railroad-owned Logan House Hotel. Also, this band played at parades and other festive occasions. [31]

The Pennsylvania Railroad on November 13, 1858, opened the Altoona Mechanics Library and Reading Room in a railroad building on Eleventh Avenue and Thirteenth Street. The library was open to anyone willing to pay a small fee. In 1860, the railroad moved the library to the second story of a railroad ticket office and in 1885 to the Logan House. The Pennsylvania Railroad in 1926 donated the entire library to the Altoona School District along with $20,000 to cover the initial expense of establishing a free public library. The free public library opened in 1927 and eventually became the present Altoona Area Public Library. [32]

In the 1850s the railroad constructed housing for employees and in the 1860s, the railroad began selling off this company housing to employees. By 1875, the Pennsylvania Railroad provided the town with a number of amenities. They provided a school for employees' children which was kept open all the time for the convenience of the workers and their families. The railroad purchased a steam fire engine for use by the town and shops in fighting fires. Also, the railroad developed a reservoir system to supply the shops and town with water. [33]

In 1878, the railroad assisted in the establishment of the Altoona Cricket Club and providing a sports field known as the Cricket Field. In later years, this area became the site for railroad sponsored athletic events including baseball games, football games, equestrian competitions, tennis matches, and track and field events. This athletic field served the varied recreational needs of Altoona until 1959 when the railroad sold a portion of the land to the American Stores Company. This company razed the existing structures and constructed a shopping center. [34]

Railroad management joined with prominent people of Altoona in 1883 to establish a hospital. The railroad donated the land for the hospital and after it opened, the railroad continued to provide financial support to the facility on a yearly basis. Railroad representatives over the years served on the board of trustees as part of their commitment to community service. [35]

In the early years of the twentieth century, the Pennsylvania Railroad helped with financial support of a golf course for the use of employees and contributed to the establishment of a Young Men's Christian Association which provided recreational opportunities for workers and their families. Railroad management in turn deducted a dollar a year from the employees paychecks to help defray the cost of supporting the YMCA. This organization provided facilities for basketball, volleyball, badminton, boxing, individual exercise, swimming, ping-pong, bowling, billiards, socials, and banquets. In addition, the YMCA offered classes in crafts, music, gym, and religion. Railroad organizations such as the Altoona Works Chorus, Apprentice Club, Welders Society, Retired Workers Association, Shop Bowing League, Middle Division Band, Pennsylvania Railroad Supervising Agents, Pennsylvania Railroad Veterans Association, Pennsylvania Railroad Floral Association, and Railroad Police Officers Classes held meetings in the YMCA. [36] The Pennsylvania Railroad participated in community festivities by setting up displays for special occasions such as hosting a touring exhibition of the "Train of Tomorrow" for the 1949 Altoona centennial celebration and a slide show for the 1946 community celebration of "Brotherhood Week." These programs displayed to the community various products of the Altoona Works and these activities continued to emphasize the paternal role of the Pennsylvania Railroad in the city. [37]

Despite the efforts of the Pennsylvania Railroad to provide workers with various amenities, various writers that visited Altoona described in the terms such as "At best the city is not a garden spot ..." [38] and filled with ". . . dirty-gray frame houses badly in need of paint. . . ." where "Soft-coal soot fogs the city. . . ." [39] Life in Altoona was not without the drudgery and bleakness of nineteenth century industrialism, but a number of amenities existed to provide for social and recreational needs of the railroad workers.