Trending
People enjoyed swimming and other outdoor activities at Kough's Mountain Lake Park located on the William Penn Highway between Duncansville and Cresson. The swimming pool built by the Koughs, for a time, would be the world's largest cement bottom pool. The pool, which measured 57 x 127 yards, was built by 100 men using horse-drawn excavators. It held 3.7 million gallons of water. There was also a bathhouse, icehouse, two refreshment stands, several gaming booths, a miniature golf course and a shooting gallery. An open-air dance floor was added in 1934 but was destroyed in a snow and ice storm in 1936. There were also dining shelters, a playground and hiking trails. Mountain Lake Park would draw as many as 8,000 visitors on a day.
Around the park had developed six motor lodges, an ice cream stand, two bars, a restaurant, auto service and gasoline station and a motel. The Borough of Duncansville had a prohibition for playing baseball on Sundays so Kough built a baseball field below the main park, where the Duncansville baseball teams would play when their schedule would have a Sunday game.
Some of the notable personalities that were at the park included the Clyde Beatty, Cole Brothers Circus, which in the 1940s was involved in a train derailment on the mountain and was stranded for the summer. The circus held shows at the park during that time. Johnny Weissmuller, better known as "Tarzan" in the movies, trained as an Olympic Swimmer at the pool. The dance hall was popular and had visits from comedian George Burns, and heavy weight champion, Rocky Marciano.
In 1959, new State Parks were built at Shawnee and Prince Gallitzin. Realizing that Mountain Lake Park could not compete with free swimming at the State Parks, the Daughertys (owners at that time) closed Mountain Lake Park and turned it into their personal residences.
(The photo was found on Facebook with text from Rich Studebaker)
Readers are encouraged to send or deliver old local photographs of general interest for use in Yesteryear. Information about people and places should be included. Photos must be 30 years old or older and should be sent to Yesteryear, Altoona Mirror, P.O. Box 2008, Altoona, PA 16603, or emailed to community@altoonamirror.com. For more information, call Brenda Carberry, community news coordinator, at 814-946-7459.
Local news on this date
Oct. 25, 1950
Altoona native Leo J. O'Connor was playing trombone with the Harry James Band and appearing in the movie "I'll Get By" now at the Capitol Theater. He previously played with the Red Norvo Band and the U.S. Marine Corps Band in World War II.
Oct. 25, 1975
The Logan Valley Mall Merchants Association was sponsoring the second annual Halloween charity carnival at the mall named "Witches 'n Snitches" with more than 25 ghoulish games and booths, including a costume contest for different age brackets.
Oct. 25, 2000
A number of employees at the Giant Eagle Supermarket on Plank Road in Altoona were being taught American Sign Language by students from Mount Aloysius Junior College in Cresson under a program called Students in Free Enterprise.
Oct. 25, 2015
Bernard Joyce, a former Altoona Area School District administrator, was appointed a Blair County jury commissioner by Blair County President Judge Jolene Kopriva upon the death of Vincent P. Frank of Altoona.
Oct. 26, 1950
Altoona Mirror president D.N. Slep and WRTA Radio program director William S. Clear greeted nationally known columnist George E. Sokolsky as he spoke at Roosevelt Junior High auditorium. Sokolsky's column appeared in the Mirror and his radiocasts were over WRTA.
The American Women's Voluntary Services group, Mrs. W.E. Kerr Altoona chairwoman, held a United Nations fifth anniversary banquet at the Penn Alto Hotel and welcomed New York AWVS secretary Mrs Warner P. Purdy.
Oct. 26, 1975
The Blair County Tuberculosis and Respiratory Disease Association separated itself from the American Lung Association, executive secretary Eliza Leader explained, and would be putting out its own Easter Seals for a fundraiser.
Dee Anne Helsel, an Altoona native now an actress in Hollywood, was to appear on the hit television show "The Waltons." She had previously appeared on "Little House on the Prairie" and the "Dinah Shore Show."
Oct. 26, 2000
Altoona Mayor Tom Martin urged PennDOT not to make the replacement for the Seventh Street Bridge a "plain jane" bridge but to use aesthetics and Penn DOT hired John Rita of Albert Michael Gallery to do a concept drawing of a replacement.
The Altoona Parking Authority began using "boots" on the wheels of vehicles who owed more than five parking tickets after several months they did not use them due to a legal challenge in which the authority lost money but said "the money is flowing again."
Oct. 26, 2015
Blair County Attorney Joel C. Seelye was explaining a new program called "Wills For Heroes" to Altoona Firefighters, how to prepare wills and other important documents for first responders in case of fatal accidents.
The Newburg Volunteer Fire Department of Altoona, Fred Schwarze chief, painted its red fire truck purple to call attention to domestic violence, and the truck was gaining interest from the Associated Press and other groups from outside the area.
Local news compiled by Tim Doyle. National, world news from The Associated Press will return next week.