JUNK YARDS BY GEORGE BLUM
I'm not sure whether it was Glosser's junkyard or Liziwitz's(sp), but as a boy of the 40's, I absolutely haunted that place, once I found out that they apparently had a bodacious government contract and had gathered and transported real "mountains" of European battlefield metal objects, to this wonderful place and time, made to order for a young lad in search of adventure! First of all, it should be known that this place was only a 20 minute walk from home on Von Lunen road in Dale, and my mother knew nothing about this irresistable magnet of a place. where wonderful items like shell casings of all sizes, from 30.06, 45 cal., 9 mm, 50 caliber, 8mm, and 380, up to cannon sized shells, projectiles of all shapes, sizes, and origins! But all of them had been deactivated, or been fired! Truly huge piles of these munitions, and many many other objects that were a part of the terrible, giant of machinery called war!
When this seeming, endless landscape of these former tools of death and destruction came to my attention, I immediately knew that I could never share this knowlege with my mother, as she would declare it "off limits" and I would never be able to prospect this treasure trove of history again. I made the 20 minute walk there numerous times and watched these mountains of expended ammo, pieces of bayonets, an occasional crushed helmet, and other types of endless clutter.
All of these objects were suddenly downgraded, and relegated to 2nd best category, upon my next visit, when numerous flatbed railroad cars appeared on the nearby siding, and I stood breathless as I gawked shamelessly at maybe 10 or 12 complete German tanks squatting threateningly atop the flatbed haulers! To me, it was on a par with discovering the treasure of Sierra Madre.
I probably need to explain here and now, that I never encountered an employee of this junkyard, and always tried to keep a low profile when prospecting there, and friends that occasionally went there with me, were likewise never accosted!
That being said, I climbed to the deck of the flatbed, and drank in the evil presence of that ugly tank, up close. These tanks seemed to be smaller than those big panzers that I always saw in the movies, and were painted up in very light sandy sort of colored, camoflage, with German crosses for insignia! All had their armament removed, and some had damage, and I thought at the time that these might have been part of General Rommel's North African Campaign, which I saw on the "Movietone News", in theaters every week.
At any rate, I immediately climbed atop that first tank, and after peering cautiously down the hatch, swung into the darkened, foreboding interior of this enemy fighting machine. Some of these tanks did have evidence of carnage, but this one did not(much to my relief)but it did show evidence of hurried abandonment, the heady aroma of human sweat, urine, and lots of documents in German, pens, some empty, small caliber pistol shells, just plan trash!
I took the time to sit for awhile, and savor the confinement, and lack of visiblity inside that tank. I did manage to open a couple of sort-of slit apartures that I assume were to accommodate rifle, or small arms fire! I/we paid several visits there, while those pale tanks were there, but we never found anything that we had hoped to discover there!
Fond memories of those great old Johnstown Junkyards!
DALE MIDDLE SCHOOL BY RITA KING
In the 1970's I enjoyed teaching at the beautiful Dale School.
It was a healthful building for the students with great heat from the radiators and plenty of natural light entering the large classrooms through the tall windows. It was comfortable walking on the wooden floors.
Sometimes I was asked to teach 7th and 8th grade math classes in the adjacent middle school building which is now an apartment building.
Sadly, the Dale School Building was closed in 1980. The students were transferred to the Brownstown and Lorain Schools.
Many fond memories were made in that building which sadly is no longer there!