Sometimes it seems that old photos of school students catch them with their most serious faces showing.


That's true of a lot of the children on this photo, submitted by Robert Di Domizio of Lansdale.

The attached photo is of the Clifton School that was located on West Fifth street, near Mitchell Avenue, Lansdale.

The picture was taken in 1917 or 1918 and was found among the photographs belonging to Clinton Lutz Sr., by Ann Patti Lutz, Clinton's daughter-in-law, according to Di Domizio.

Lutz was a long ago borough businessman.

Some of the known students include:

Top row: William Lutz, third from the right; Maria (Mary) Maiorano, right end.

Middle row: Clinton Lutz, fifth from the left.

Front row: Adelina Maiorano, fourth from the left (Di Domizio's mother); Mary Molettiere, second from the right; and Michele (Mike) Maiorano, third from the right.

As near as can be determined, many of the students were from the North Cannon Avenue area, Di Domizio said.

At the time the picture was taken, Cannon Avenue was alternately known as Third Avenue and the "Herman & Pool" Block, in Hatfield Township, he said.

It became part of Lansdale in the mid 1920s.

After the school closed in the 1930s, it became the private residence of Rosario and Anna Sciacca, Di Domizio said.

Gwynedd Square Presbyterian Church, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, didn’t always worship at its present building at 837 Sumneytown Pike, Upper Gwynedd.

Nancy Weber, a charter member and committee chair of the church’s 50th anniversary committee, submitted this photo and noted that it was taken in 1958.


It shows the one-room schoolhouse that had been on West Point Pike and that was used by the congregation when it was just starting.

The car and the style of dress of those outside the building attest to the 1950s date.

And as for the church itself, here is some history provided by the anniversary committee:

On Feb. 15, 1959, the first worship service was held in the old one-room schoolhouse, which was next to the newer West Point Elementary School.

Both building have since been torn down and the land purchased by Merck & Co.

Members scrubbed and painted the interior of the one-room schoolhouse, the committee said, and closed off the stage area to create two Sunday school rooms.

The new congregation was formally organized on June 14, 1959, with 117 charter members.

The organizing pastor was the Rev. Donald F. Shaw. Services were held at this location for 2œ years while building plans were prepared and implemented for the current site at 837 Sumneytown Pike.

Old maps showed this area at South Broad Street and Sumneytown Pike was known as Gwynedd Square, according to the anniversary committee.

Sometimes, it seems, you have to travel a long way to catch a glimpse of home.

That was the case for Harold Wolff of Upper Gwynedd, who provided these two postcards for your viewing pleasure today.

It seems Wolff had traveled to Oregon to visit his daughter and was strolling down a street, looking in store windows.

That’s when these postcards caught his eye — postcards from this area that somehow had traveled across the country.

One is a card showing the train station in Lansdale. It actually had been used, bearing a 1-cent stamp. It was sent in 1909 from some residents of Hatfield to a Mrs. Henry Hunsberger in Quakertown.


“Dear Emma: I believe you have forgotten us. We are all well. Hope this will find you the same,” it reads. One of the signers is named Mary.

The other postcard, showing the “airships and mountain scenic railway of Willow Grove Park” was never mailed to anyone, so its dating is unknown.



The park is just a piece of history now, of course, with a mall taking its place.

Just how the cards made their journey all the way to Oregon is anyone’s guess.

Pearl Espenship of Lederach submitted this photo of Russell Espenship, standing in front of his home in West Point.

Apparently the cat was very fond of Russell.


As Pearl points out:

“Rowena and Emanuel Espenship lived here for 55 years. They raised their three grandsons, as the parents passed away at an early age. The grandparents were 65 when they took on this responsibility.

“The three were Russell, Emanuel and Richard. They did a wonderful job, in this lovely 13-room house.

“After the youngest grandson, Richard, got married to Pearl Kramer (me), we lived with them and cared for them for 11 years. The grandparents died when they were aged 91 and 93.

“We have three sons, Richard, Gary and William. And the home is now the Miley Detective Agency.”

And in an updated footnote from the family, Pearl and Richard’s son, Richard, who graduated from Souderton Area High School and La Salle College, teamed up with his son, Scott Espenship, not too long ago in Florida to win the father-son division of the State Closed Family Championships, “Florida’s most prestigious such tournament, in Miami.”

The father and son complement each other in their tennis play, since Scott is right-handed and Richard is left-handed.

The Espenships have been playing doubles for 15 years. Scott is the coordinator of adult tennis for the Florida Tennis Association and Richard is a guidance counselor at an elementary school in Miami.

They have won plenty of tournaments in Florida and have been the top-ranked team in the state.

And to think it all started in a big old house in West Point.