Purpose and goals…
The purpose of this information is to inform past and current residents of Middle Taylor Township, Cambria County (Johnstown) Pennsylvania - specifically those who live or lived in the Benshoff Hill, Valley View, and Linkville Road sections of central and southern Middle Taylor Township - about groundwater contamination that has existed and is currently still present below the ground due to past operations at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation (BSC) Rosedale coke plant and associated transporting and dumping of coal refuse, slag and industrial and other process waste materials from the coke plant at/to the Riders Dump (Rosedale) Disposal Area. Many of the past and current residents are family, friends and neighbors that I used to know. The goals of this website are to:
Inform residents past, current and future about the conditions;
Make past and current residents think about the conditions as they relate to known family, friends and neighbors who may have contracted strange, unusual, or rare cancers, diseases or other serious medical or health conditions;
Ensure this historical data, information and research remains preserved for use by future generations;
Encourage additional community discussion on the topic; and
To potentially bring grant funding to Middle Taylor Township or the Greater Johnstown Area for further evaluation, study, testing, or remediation of polluted soils, surface water or groundwater that exists.
(Note: Although at times it may be generally mentioned, the information contained herein does not specifically address the impact and/or effect of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution associated with stormwater runoff, on-lot sanitary sewage, or illicit discharges. Nor does it address the impact and/or effect of particulates and contamination associated with air pollution from the multitude of coal-fired power generation plants, remnant iron and steel mills, or other industries past or present in or in-proximity to the Greater Johnstown area. Following the “Conclusion” section of this website, I do present an extra section related to the air pollution topic and which I expand just a little bit more about the mills in Johnstown and coal-fired power plants in the region around Johnstown.)
Old family photograph of my dad John E. Thomas (left) and my Grandpap Joseph Thomas (right) taken along the road at my grandfather’s house now Taft Street in the Valley View/Benshoff Hill section of Middle Taylor Township. Exact date unknown, probably around the mid 1960’s.
Location…
General area of focus: The vicinity which this information generally applies to is Middle Taylor Township, Cambria County (Johnstown) Pennsylvania. Geographic coordinates for general reference are 40.3482, -78.9234. The general location (site) area is central and southern Middle Taylor Township GENERALLY bounded as follows:
To the north by Waterfall Drive and the area around Hinckston Run Reservoir (dam);
To the east by the high point ridge of Route 271 William Penn Avenue in East Taylor Township;
To the west by the boundary line with West Taylor Township along the Prosser Hollow stream valley and just beyond the ridge which is Benshoff Hill Road;
To the south by the Minersville, Cambria City section of the City of Johnstown and at the confluence where Hinckston Run stream enters the Conemaugh River near the 4th Avenue Bridge.
Primary area of focus: The primary area of focus is the central and southern portion of Middle Taylor Township in the geographical area locally known as the Benshoff Hill, Valley View, and Linkville Road sections of the township and also the eastern portion of Middle Taylor Township along the Hinckston Run stream valley at the boundary with East Taylor Township. The Riders (Rosedale) Disposal Area is situated at/along this eastern boundary.
Refer to various vicinity and location maps provided in the “Images 1” and “Maps of the Entire Site Area” sections of this website.
Map of the jurisdiction of Middle Taylor Township, Cambria County (Johnstown) PA. Jackson Township is at the top of the map (north), East Taylor Township is to the right (east), Minersville and the Conemaugh River in the Cambria City section of Johnstown are at the bottom (south), and West Taylor Township is to the left (west).
About the author…
I would like to thank you so much for visiting this website to learn more about this topic and the extra sections provided. The author and creator of this website is Scott J. Thomas, a former resident of the Benshoff Hill/Valley View section of southern Middle Taylor Township, Cambria County (Johnstown) Pennsylvania. Scott was born in 1966 and lived with his family for about 25 years on Benshoff Hill (ie. the “Hill”). He lived near the intersection of what is now Taft and Castle Streets. Scott graduated from Ferndale Area High School in 1984 and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering Technology. Scott moved from Johnstown to Virginia in 1994 and was married in 1995 to his wonderful wife Judith. He has four children (all grown), four grandchildren and a dog named Willow.
During his youth, Scott played baseball in the Lorain-Moxham little league and for Lorain-Moxham in the city pony and colt baseball leagues. Scott wrestled for the Ferndale Area elementary, junior high and senior high school teams. He was a District VI runner-up in 1983 and 1984 and a PIAA Class AA Northwest Regional Champ (Ferndale’s first ever!) and a state qualifier to Hershey in 1984. He took part in the freestyle and greco-roman wrestling program for the Johnstown Wrestling Club and qualified for the Pennsylvania team that went to Junior Nationals in Iowa in the summer of 1983. He then got a scholarship for wrestling under head Coach Pat Pecora and wrestled for four years at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown a Division II college. Coach Pecora just became the all time college wrestling wins leader with 617 in February of 2020.
During and following college, Scott coached the Ferndale Area Elementary School wrestling team for over 10 years and was assistant varsity wrestling coach for Ferndale Area High School for six years until 1994. He also played city league softball for the champion Phoenix Tavern, was one of the founding members of the West Central Elementary Wrestling (WCEWL) and Flood City Summer Wrestling Leagues, and was a PIAA wrestling referee for many years until moving to Virginia.
Scott has been a practicing civil engineer with focus on water resources for over thirty years. He is a licensed professional engineer in the Commonwealths of Pennsylvania and Virginia. He worked for private sector consulting engineering firms in Pennsylvania and Virginia for twelve years and then worked for public sector local and state governments in Virginia for over twenty years doing drainage, erosion and sediment control, non-point source pollution, stormwater management, watershed management planning, tidal wetlands and most recently project management for local government stormwater capital improvement program projects in the Virginia coastal plain/Hampton Roads region and a regional engineer for the Virginia state dam safety program.
This compilation of historical data and information is a summation of over 30 years of research obtained as a resident of Middle Taylor Township and as a practicing and registered professional civil engineer with focus on water resources. This website is a testimony in honor of and out of respect to all my family, friends and neighbors, living or deceased, who lived or currently live in Middle Taylor Township and the Greater Johnstown Area. I still know and keep in contact with several generations of folks from the township, the city and Cambria County and will remain dedicated to continued pursuit of the purpose statement and goals as outlined for as long as I can. (P.S. - plus my brother Jeff Thomas badgered me, convinced me and supported me to create this website!!)
Again, I will stress that this website provides a summary of data, research, and documentation for information purposes only. It is meant to inform past and current residents of Middle Taylor Township and family, friends and former neighbors. It is based on sound science, engineering and technological research. The purpose statement and goals are proudly listed above.
MY SELECT PHOTOS
This is me at my Grandpap Joseph Thomas’ house in the Valley View/Benshoff Hill section of southern Middle Taylor Township now Taft Street. Date was around 1968.
This is me at our house in the Valley View/Benshoff Hill section of southern Middle Taylor Township now Taft Street. Date was probably around 1968 or 1969.
This is a very young me with my dad John E. Thomas in the spring or summer of 1968.
This is a very young me with my mom Nancy J. (Zahoran) Thomas during Christmas in 1967.
Both of my “grandpaps” are in this photograph, having a good time and drinking down some cold brews probably after a hard week at work and probably bought from Schultz’s beer distributor in Cambria City and chilled in the old fridge in the garage. On the left is Grandpap Joseph Thomas from on my Dad’s side and on the right is my Grandpap Joseph “Cac” Zahoran from on my Mom’s side of the family (date unknown)
Former Middle Taylor Stutzman School building, which housed Kindergarten through 4th grade. It is across from the Middle Taylor Township Volunteer Fire Company fire hall on Benshoff Hill Road and is now the township municipal building (source Middle Taylor Township facebook page).
Kindergarten class of Middle Taylor, Stutzman School, across from the Middle Taylor Taylor Township Volunteer Fire Company fire hall. I am just to the left of the teacher Ms. Bantley-Leverknight (1971-72).
This photograph and the one above are old photographs of what used to be our house and yard in the Benshoff Hill/Valley View section of southern Middle Taylor Township, now Taft Street. The top view is looking from the yard toward the house (north) and this view is off of our back porch deck looking toward the side of the house (west).
Old photograph of what used to be our house and back yard in the Benshoff Hill/Valley View section of southern Middle Taylor Township, now Taft Street. This is a view off of our back deck looking directly south. Cambria City is beyond the trees and way down the hill.
Little league baseball photograph and some statistics of All-Star team participation while in the Lorain-Moxham little league. Date is 1979. I saw an article in the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat that this Lorain Moxham little league baseball field is to be razed to make room for another rental picnic shelter (2020).
This is a picture of the “crew” from Middle Taylor, circa our senior year 1984. In front single is Ray Murgas “Purge” and in back from left to right is me, then Ray Balog “Balog”, Andy Herbert “Pubes”, and last on the far right is my cousin Rick Rokita “Legba”. The picture actually has the date showing December 1984. It was a get together at our house for my birthday. Unfortunately two of my best friends from growing up are now deceased, way too young - Andy and Ray Balog. Both are missed dearly.
Ferndale Area High School senior year wrestling at the PIAA Class AA Northwest Regional wrestling tournament in Clarion PA in spring of 1984. This was a semi-final match in the 112 lb. bracket. Went on to win by a score of 9-8 in a very close match in the finals to became Ferndale’s first ever regional champ!
PItt-Johnstown wrestling team my senior year 1987-1988. I am the third from right in the front row.
Starter with the Pitt-Johnstown wrestling team 1984 - 1988.
Old photograph of Ferndale Elementary wrestling coaches. I am in the back row on the right. My best friend Andy Herbert (now deceased) is next to me. Bottom row left is Jeff Blue and to the right is my cousin Rick Rokita. Exact date unknown but probably around 1986.
Coach of the Ferndale Area Elementary wrestling team (back right). The other coach is my good friend Roger “Jim/Spider” Metzgar. Exact date unknown but probably was around 1990. Photo was taken in the Ferndale Area High School gym on Harlan Avenue.
My family - my boys Jarin, Joshua, Curtis, Shane and my wife Judi taken a long time ago probably in the fall of 1999.
One of the few pictures I have of me and my brothers all together in a nice formal picture setting. Again it was a long, long time ago probably around 1990 or so.
This is me with my beautiful, wonderful wife Judi at the Yahner family reunion at Patton Park in northern Cambria County, Patton PA (July 2018). On the date of this photograph we had been married for 22 years.
In July 2014, while my wife Judi and I were visiting my father-in-law Steve Yahner (now deceased) in Patton PA, he had mentioned that they (Yahner Farms) were out and about at several locations harvesting with the combines. We insisted to go see and drove outside of town and found our cousin Rick Yahner running the combine. Just as a note, I had known Rick even prior to getting married to Judi from my wrestling days in high school and I wrestled with his brothers Rob and Dave at UPJ. Anyways, we stopped and got out to take a picture. He (Rick) saw me and stopped and insisted that I jump in and ride with him in the combine. By luck or destiny, it just so happened that a reporter from the the Altoona Mirror newspaper at that very moment was driving an Route 36 and stopped to take a picture of us. It was the front page headline in the Altoona Mirror Saturday edition the next day. It was a real special moment for me for some reason as it “combined” my life all together as one - agriculture, Cambria County, being married, my wife’s family, my father-in-law, my family, my wife, Pennsylvania, Virginia, thoughts of conservation and nonpoint source pollution, thoughts of my work with the Envirothon team in Virginia, thoughts of the Yahner family legacy, and thoughts of wrestling. I was so proud plus it was really, really cool riding in the combine on such a beautiful summer day!
Historical Note 1: In a side bar note, during all of my research for this website, I came across multiple times the documented history of an intricate and utterly fantastic water commerce transportation system that ran across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and used in the early to mid- 19th century. This system included the Pennsylvania Canal System that ran through the City of Johnstown from the east end of town along the Little Conemaugh River through the middle of town to the Conemaugh River. Although in school we had learned about this commerce system and how much a marvel it was with it’s horsedrawn freight carriages, inclined planes in Cresson, and of course the canal component, in all my near thirty-years of growing up in the Greater Johnstown Area I was never aware it actually ran through the City! A map exhibit of the canal system near Clinton Street where the future Bethlehem Steel Corporation Gautier Gate would be situated is shown below. For more information about this transportation commerce and canal system, visit the following:
Historical Note 2: In current times, sometimes immigration is used as a tool to stoke fear for political purposes. Least we forget the impact that immigrants had on the history of Johnstown. The story of immigration associated with Johnstown and the coal and steel industry is just plain fascinating and amazing. The Heritage Discovery Center in the Cambria City section of the City of Johnstown is a great place and resource to learn more about it. Among others, southern European and Slavic immigrants began to appear in the 1870’s to provide sources of unskilled and semi-skilled labor to the Cambria Iron Company. I come from these immigrants as I have a Slovak and Russian Orthodox heritage from both sides of my family. I have and always will love all the church picnics, the labor day ethnic festival, memories of the church we attended in Cambria City, and of course all of the ethnic foods such as haluski, halupki, goulash, kielbasa, pierogi, potato pancakes, gobs, etc. and, of course, chili and onion hot dogs and Galliker’s lemon iced tea from Sheetz! For more about the history of immigration and Johnstown, visit the following: