A trip to the Connellsville Canteen

Military enthusiasts do not have to wait for the next military show when visiting the Connellsville Canteen in South Western Pennsylvania. A unique stopping point for breakfast or lunch when visiting the area, the canteen honors the men and women of Connellsville, Pennsylvania and the surrounding Fayette County. While the men of the area went off to war, the local women contributed to the war effort in opening a “Canteen” that ultimately fed over 600,000 troops that passed through Connellsville during WWII. While enjoying a delightful meal, the visitor is surrounded by walls filled with memorabilia that explains the sacrifices and contributions of local residents telling how the war was won while reminding one of the price of freedom. The Connellsville Canteen located at 131 W. Crawford Avenue in Connellsville is open Monday to Friday for breakfast and lunch from 8:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. in an 1800’s style train station opened in 2012 to mirror the original train station where 800 women of all ages in the period 1944-1946 offered the soldiers food and drink twenty-four hours a day passing though on the B & O train system.

The original B&O train station was located on North Water Street in Connellsville where currently a historical marker honors the women who staffed the canteen at the station. Often a train with fifty to seventy cars carrying a whole battalion of 300 to 500 soldiers would stop to change crews, engines or both, giving a few minutes pause at the station. Fortunately the soldiers were met by canteen workers, on duty “round the clock” offering food and snacks. The current Connellsville Canteen was started by local residents Michael Edwards and Daniel Cocks to help revitalize the downtown center by starting a local trust. By receiving a grant, one of their first projects was to build the current train station which would serve as a WWII museum that showcased the Fayette County residents who served during WWII and to honor the 800 volunteer ladies who served the troops who stopped in Connellsville. Local businesses, individuals and churches also donated to the project. A major addition to the project was the trust’s ability to also bring in the Harry Clark Sandy Creek Indian miniature train display from Nemacolin and then building the canteen around the massive 44 foot x 30 foot display considered one of the best scratch built train displays in the United States.

Knowing this information and looking forward to a new adventure, this author and his wife Judith made the one hour plus drive from Pittsburgh to Connellsville enjoying newly found roads on a delightful spring day. Arriving at the Canteen, we fortunately were greeted by Daniel Cocks who suggested we enjoy a delightful lunch by the welcoming staff. (Fig 4) As the leader of the Fayette County Cultural Trust, he volunteered to give us a personal tour upon finishing lunch. A visitor will be immediately overwhelmed with the walls filled with WWII memorabilia showing local veterans and their contributions to the war effort. When the Canteen first opened the community was asked if anybody had photographs of any service members they would like to display at the Canteen. Families got together and donated memorabilia from their attics and basements preserving all these artifacts. Photos of Fayette County and Connellsville veterans poured in resulting in a restaurant décor that was amazing to be immersed in while having breakfast or lunch. The variety of articles and photos could include a bottle from the Hiroshima bomb blast or a concentration camp uniform from Dachau. All of this effort by the Fayette County Cultural Trust helps keep WWII history alive.

After completing some luncheon specials suggested by the helpful staff, we would be treated to the promised personal tour by Daniel Cocks. One of the most interesting local personalities showcased on the walls of the restaurant were photos of local hero John Woodruff, who was a graduate of Connellsville High School and the University of Pittsburgh. John competed in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and won a gold medal along with fellow American Jesse Owens. One photo shows John Woodruff winning his gold medal in the 800 meter event adjoined by a photo of Jesse Owens winning his gold is the Broad Jump. An adjoining photo shows John Woodruff posing with a German officer and another member of the US Olympic team named Fritz Bezzelt donated by Bezzelt’s son to the collection. It was noted that Fritz Bezzelt would be killed in Italy on January 10, 1945. In an adjoining display of photos one would see a street sign from Connellsville named John Woodruff Way with a large model of the Hindenburg flying overhead and one of the German Olympic torches. At this point I asked Daniel Cocks about the Connellsville connection to the Hindenburg when he indicated that it flew over the stadium during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. He went on to point another amazing connection to the Hindenburg and a Connellsville native named Herbert Morrison. The connection was that Herbert Morrison was on the scene during the historic moment when the Hindenburg exploded upon landing in New Jersey. Morrison was reporting for WLS Radio when with his camera man, he gave the famous speech describing the Hindenburg going down in flames and the memorable quote “Oh the Humanity” in a famous historical film as the airship fell to the ground in flames at its mooring station.

At this point in exploring this fascinating WWII museum, Daniel pointed out what looked like a military bicycle leaning against the back wall of the restaurant. What made it especially unique was a frame that could be folded placing the front and rear wheel together. He pointed out when paratroopers dropped into battle they could hold the bicycle against their chest and when landing open the bike to ride quickly on the battlefield. It seemed to be an entirely appropriate artifact since the Connellsville Canteen is bike-friendly and sits only a few blocks from the Great Allegheny Passage in the heart of Connellsville. The Great Allegheny Passage offers 150 miles of spectacular biking and hiking from Cumberland, Maryland to Pittsburgh through Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands. Mounted nearby was wall display case telling the story of “A Deadly Doll” what appears to be a beautiful little 9” Japanese doll. These dolls were filled (in the hole in the center) with explosives and used as mines. As explained in the display if a soldier saw one and picked it up to take home to his little girl, it would explode and kill him. Also seen is a photo showing a doll being held by the granddaughter of Lloyd M. Chatt who happened to find the doll while serving with the U.S. Marine Corps in the South Pacific during WWII. He was fortunate to find it in a warehouse were the dolls were stored before being filled with explosives. Another unusual item donated to the Canteen was a German Flag found in the living room of Hitler’s home at Berchtesgaden. The variety of WWII mementos and photos of local soldiers and sailors were tastefully covering the walls of the Canteen.

One interesting photo display shows nine local young girls called the South Side Kiddies who lived in the vicinity of Sycamore Street and Newmyer Avenue in Connellsville. Their plan was to perform in a local talent show in the garage of a local resident to raise money for a War Bond drive. The girls from 3-9 years old put on two evening performances which was filled to overflowing with some of the audience standing outside the open garage door. American flags and red, white, and blue bunting adorned the outside of the garage and managed to raise $53.34 for the war bond drive. On the same wall a large blue and white WWII Minuteman Flag of the US Treasury Department was prominently displayed as an award for US Bond Sales by the residents of Fayette County.

Not to be forgotten were the 800 women who volunteered at the Connellsville’s original canteen who offered travel-weary soldiers sandwiches, coffee, candy, cake, chewing gum and other hospitalities. Opportunities to work and volunteer in the war effort offered women valuable roles within the workplace especially in industries that were left in the need of workers. The women would not only feed the troops but even take them to places if they needed to go somewhere. Many photos showed the canteen workers at the original B&O railroad station in Connellsville from 1944 to 1946. Masses of individual soldiers, sailors, and airmen filled the walls of the restaurant often showing their military awards. Included were photos of women supporters during a 1942 Victory parade carrying banners supporting troops overseas. My wife Judith, who was a long time V.A. Hospital nurse in Pittsburgh, appreciated seeing multiple collections of Red Cross nurses uniforms worn during WWII. Also on display was a wedding gown made from the silk of rejected parachutes since the use of silk reduced the availability of wedding gowns of the war time period. Even this writer enjoyed seeing a photo display of a notable Connellsville native named Myrna Darby. Myrna was born April 10, 1908 in Connellsville and briefly worked as a stenographer. After making a stage debut in a Pittsburgh production, she moved to New York and won a beauty contest run by a newspaper. Florenz Ziegfeld saw Myrna and hired her to be in the Ziegfeld Follies. Critics said she was the most beautiful woman to appear in the Follies. She soon appeared in ads for Lucky Strike cigarettes often seen in the hands of soldiers serving overseas in WWII. (Fig 16a or Fig 16b) The Canteen had additional rooms not seen with additional displays where the Fayette County Cultural Trust, in collaboration with University of Pittsburgh and Osher Lifelong learning, extend invitations to adults “50 and better” for an unique educational journey in Connellsville with classes to enrich the knowledge base of residents.

While visitors can enjoy exploring the many WWII displays, one should not forget one of the main projects of the Connellsville Canteen is the display of the Harry Clark’s Indian Creek Valley Railroad Display inside the canteen. Harry Clark was born in Connellsville in 1920 and spent most of his life in the area where he married and raised his family. He himself served in the military from January 1942 to December 1945 in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. He fought on the island of Saipan and Tinian. Harry worked in the building trades and expressed his talents in building the detailed train display over 40 years to exacting detail. Perhaps his interest in trains was due to his father and grandfather working on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The display was rated the best handmade display in America by the Railroader Magazine.

The day turned into a real adventure in terms of a delightful lunch and enjoying the hospitality of Daniel Cocks. As a military enthusiast, the displays were numerous and turned into a real learning experience. As Judith and I left we realized that new visitors would have a true military experience while enjoying an enjoyable breakfast or lunch. Being a focal point of the Great Allegheny Passage, the Connellsville Canteen is a great stop for the hikers and bikers to replenish and nourish their bodies and soul. Visitors come away with a real appreciation of the local citizens contributions to the successful conclusion of WWII. The visit highlighted the real contributions of the Fayette County Cultural Trust to make the Connellsville Canteen a priority stop for visitors to the area.