SPECIAL MAP: Do you remember the motorcycle climb off High
Street Extension? How about the bee hive brick ovens, or the old
narrow gauge railroad?

Dick Robertson dropped by the other day with a map he drew of
the High Street area, including a couple clay pit that served as a
swimming hole for kids “of the day.” The map has an arrow pointing
to  the “Ten Foot” swimming hole we’ve been writing about in recent
weeks, one of many spots kids (of later generations, perhaps) used
to cool off during summer months.

One of the more interesting spots on the map was the home of
Thomas and Dorothy Servatius at Hawkins Hollow. It included tennis
courts and was partly encircled by the BB&K Railroad line which
even included a section of trestle.

The Servatius property was destroyed in a flood of 1942, and
moved in 1945 to 19 Sherman St.  The map also shows the first Penn
Brick pit and the notation, “factory abandoned.”

The motorcycle climb was located at this pit and, according to
Dick, was very steep. He remembered the Bradford Police Indian
motorcycle attempting to make the climb. Most of the riders got
stuck at the top lip and slid back down the talus.

The map also shows the Melvin-Peterson Clay Pit No. 1 behind
High Street, and a spot marked as a “suicide leap.” 

A dinky engine railroad traverses this entire property and
crosses High Street to service Penn Brick Corp. plant not far from
what was then Kinzua Street. Not far from Minard Street and Kinzua
Street, Dick has drawn bee hive brick ovens.

Meanwhile, Dick drew in the BB&K Railroad coming from
Glycerin Hollow (and beyond) at the edge of his map and looping
around to cross High Street Extension and enter the BR&P
Railyard.

The Bradford area’s connection to the oil and even timber
industries are well-known but this map is a reminder of another
once-flourishing local industry — brick manufacture.