Does anyone else get upset besides me when they drive through Pottsville’s Garfield Square during the “holiday season”? I miss those intricate cartoon characters that used to grace the Square and gave the midtown some holiday cheer. I remember all of them and the location that each was placed.
If you don't remember the glory days of the Square, then I will refresh your memory. Each cartoon character was sculpted from the best quality mahogany, walnut, cedar, cherry and maple; all brought in by Canal boat to the wharf behind Goodfella’s in Mount Carbon and then carefully unloaded and transported to Yorkville for the talented craftsmen to meticulously work their wonder and create such life-like reproductions of Mickey Mouse, Charlie Brown, Snuffy Smith, Steve Canyon, Dick Tracy, Beavis, Brenda Starr, Sgt. Snorkel, the Phantom and so many other whimsical cartoon characters.
Yes, each character was completely hand-carved by skilled Yorkville artists with exacting detail in the sanding, finishing and painting to assure excellence and beauty. Garfield Square at Christmas time was the place to be, believe me.
This cartoon woodcrafting goes back many generations as Yorkville was settled by German immigrants with skills honed in painstaking family traditions and heritage. During the long northeast Pennsylvania winters, these settlers would interrupt their boredom by carving the likeness of cartoon characters that they had heard after arriving in the new world. Thus began what has been called "the Yorkville Renaissance Period." Over a period of time the people in Yorkville began specializing in all aspects of cartoon character reproductions, giving employment to a multitude of carvers, carpenters, and painters.
I remember being an apprentice carver for one whole year, devoting myself to assisting a master craftsman create an astonishing life-like Nancy and Sluggo from the deep-orange Brazilian Rosewood brought up from Sao Paulo. Each piece was hand-painted with greatest of hand and eye coordination, using the finest latex paint from Hadesty’s and Mansell’s, that allowed the wood grain to show through, taking the art of cartoon carving to whole new level.
The exact year that the first cartoon character was carved in the city remains unknown. However, Benjamin Pott, the son of the city’s founder, presented a primitive, hand-carved likeness of one of The Katzenjammer Kids to the borough officials for display during one of the earliest Cruise Night celebrations. Yes, during the late 19th century, the cruise consisted of souped-up wagons and carriages that traveled up and down Centre Street. This Benjamin Pott artifact of white pine is now on display at the Schuylkill Visitors Bureau until January 6th.
From then on, the pieces of cartoon folk art were built to heirloom quality and with proper care, lasting for years to entertain generation after generation, each telling a story that could be shared – whether it was the story of Lil Abner or Beetle Bailey or Little Orphan Annie.
If you don't remember the glory days of the Square, then I will refresh your memory. Each cartoon character was sculpted from the best quality mahogany, walnut, cedar, cherry and maple; all brought in by Canal boat to the wharf behind Goodfella’s in Mount Carbon and then carefully unloaded and transported to Yorkville for the talented craftsmen to meticulously work their wonder and create such life-like reproductions of Mickey Mouse, Charlie Brown, Snuffy Smith, Steve Canyon, Dick Tracy, Beavis, Brenda Starr, Sgt. Snorkel, the Phantom and so many other whimsical cartoon characters.
Yes, each character was completely hand-carved by skilled Yorkville artists with exacting detail in the sanding, finishing and painting to assure excellence and beauty. Garfield Square at Christmas time was the place to be, believe me.
This cartoon woodcrafting goes back many generations as Yorkville was settled by German immigrants with skills honed in painstaking family traditions and heritage. During the long northeast Pennsylvania winters, these settlers would interrupt their boredom by carving the likeness of cartoon characters that they had heard after arriving in the new world. Thus began what has been called "the Yorkville Renaissance Period." Over a period of time the people in Yorkville began specializing in all aspects of cartoon character reproductions, giving employment to a multitude of carvers, carpenters, and painters.
I remember being an apprentice carver for one whole year, devoting myself to assisting a master craftsman create an astonishing life-like Nancy and Sluggo from the deep-orange Brazilian Rosewood brought up from Sao Paulo. Each piece was hand-painted with greatest of hand and eye coordination, using the finest latex paint from Hadesty’s and Mansell’s, that allowed the wood grain to show through, taking the art of cartoon carving to whole new level.
The exact year that the first cartoon character was carved in the city remains unknown. However, Benjamin Pott, the son of the city’s founder, presented a primitive, hand-carved likeness of one of The Katzenjammer Kids to the borough officials for display during one of the earliest Cruise Night celebrations. Yes, during the late 19th century, the cruise consisted of souped-up wagons and carriages that traveled up and down Centre Street. This Benjamin Pott artifact of white pine is now on display at the Schuylkill Visitors Bureau until January 6th.
From then on, the pieces of cartoon folk art were built to heirloom quality and with proper care, lasting for years to entertain generation after generation, each telling a story that could be shared – whether it was the story of Lil Abner or Beetle Bailey or Little Orphan Annie.
The Square in late December created a magical space where Pottsvillians spent time together, away from the hussle and bussle of the numerous gin joints, speakeasies and gambling halls that doted the city landscape. Just walking around the several blocks was a way to draw deeper meaning into the holidays of Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanza, all of which are still celebrated to excess by the Trout family to this very day.
In the latter part of the 20th century a movement to “clean up Garfield Square” took hold with its goal to rid the Square of the cartoon characters. Some so-called do-gooders believed that figures were graven images that were leading the population into idolatry. The movement won out and all of the priceless cartoon characters were banished to Port Carbon (a popular location for banishment, even to this day). The cartoon figurines were given a new home but not for long. In 2006 a particularly nasty flood put much of Port Carbon under water, washing away these treasured heirlooms down the Schuylkill River; all lost forever.
In the latter part of the 20th century a movement to “clean up Garfield Square” took hold with its goal to rid the Square of the cartoon characters. Some so-called do-gooders believed that figures were graven images that were leading the population into idolatry. The movement won out and all of the priceless cartoon characters were banished to Port Carbon (a popular location for banishment, even to this day). The cartoon figurines were given a new home but not for long. In 2006 a particularly nasty flood put much of Port Carbon under water, washing away these treasured heirlooms down the Schuylkill River; all lost forever.
Merry Christmas.....
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