SWIMMING HOLES: More followup today on Bradford’s old swimming
holes…
Judi Robinson writes, “Back in the ’50s up Hedgehog Lane at the
base of the mountain where the road went over the creek, there was
a very nice swimming hole the neighborhood kids used. It was deep
enough for us to be able to jump off the 8- or 10-foot pipe that
ran under the road. It was always ice cold but that didn’t bother
us. Occasionally the farmer would have his cows in the lower
pasture and we would have to share the area with them.”
Frank Milks writes, “When I was very young we used to live on
Tuna Crossroads. The Erie Railroad tracks was our path to BAB
towards Limestone. We had a rope swing tied to a large tree but you
had to be careful not to land on the two pipes which ran across the
pond. Everyone in the neighborhood would go there even some girls.
The McCartneys, Howards, Chases, Doleskis, Ickes,’ Walkers. Wow,
was it fun. Mom used to check my hair to make sure it was dry
because she didn’t want us swimming there. We used to sit on the
pipes and wave to the few passenger trains as they went by.”
Pete Gigliotti adds, “Anne Ferro’s comment about Fathom Deep
prompted my own memories of swimming there as well as in the
spillway behind what used to be Hobson Place School.”
“A typical summer day was hours and hours of playing baseball on
the field near the school followed by cooling off in the nearby
creek. We also spent time trying to catch the minnows that tried to
swim up the spillway, but between the algae and the oil, the
spillway was always a bit slippery.
“And riding your bike across the spillway without falling in was
one of the joys of those years. And, yes, there was always an
ever-present oil slick in the water nearby, but we never cared,
though I’m sure our moms did when they washed our clothes.
“When I returned to Bradford with my two sons (I now live south
of Harrisburg) I often took them to the creek to skip stones or
take a little dip as a way to share my childhood with them. I hope
current generations are also enjoying that simple pleasure.”
