TIE PLANT: We’ve been learning some interesting tidbits about
Bradford’s history as we research what was known as “the tie plant”
that involved the production of railroad ties many years ago.

We previous printed a partial list of employees at this plant
which, at least for a time, primarily used Italian immigrants as
workers.

Other people, however, have reported that many of the workers –
apparently during a later period – were African Americans.

And we’ve also been told that German Prisoners of War from World
War II worked at the plant at one time. It would be interesting to
fill in the blanks of this company’s history.

Bim Colligan stopped by earlier this week to tell us he had
worked at the tie plant – officially, Koppers Inc. – when he was 14
years old. This was during World War II.

The manager at that time was a man named Bill Klinger – not Bob
Klinger, as we had reported previously.

Many of the employees were blacks, he said, who were extremely
strong – as was needed for this type of work.

The blacks, he said, would frequent Jimmy’s bar located at
Chestnut and Corydon streets (catercorner from the fire station) –
one of the few places in town where they could go without a
problem.

Among the names he recalls was Ruck Price and Nelson White, who
went to Bradford High and whose parents lived in a trailer right at
the tie plant.

We also heard from Nancy Leichner of Bradford who tells us her
family had lived at the end of the tie yard, and her dad, Charles
Lautner, was a forman. This was in 1938-39.

Quite a few blacks were employed at this enterprise, she said,
adding that at one time Bradford have a thriving black population.
She pointed out they once had their own church even – the AME
(African-Methodist-Episcopal) Church once located at the corner of
Mechanic and Bank streets.

THIS, TOO: We also heard from Alice Razzano who wrote to tell us
we had misspelled a name in a previous column. Correctly, it’s Carm
“Foote” Razzano (not with an “i” as we had said).

Finally on this subject for today, Tom Ewell tells us the
Salamanca (N.Y.) Rail Museum a few years back had included a photo
of the tie plant in its annual calendar.