Sep 13, 2025
Rae Schroth submitted the above photo of Lakemont Park’s Leap-the-Dips from June 3, 2001. At left is a sign displayed at the park when the Leap-the-Dips was awarded a state historical marker in 200. At far left is a Mirror file photo of the Skyliner roller coaster, which was brought to Lakemont Park in 1986.
Readers are encouraged to send or deliver old local photographs of general interest for use in Yesteryear. Information about people and places should be included. Photos must be 30 years old or older and should be sent to Yesteryear, Altoona Mirror, P.O. Box 2008, Altoona, PA 16603, or emailed to community@altoonamirror.com. For more information, call Brenda Carberry, community news coordinator, at 814-946-7459.
Local news on this date
Sept. 13, 1950
The Industrial Committee of the Altoona Chamber of Commerce, M.M. Devorris chairman, was in contact with Washington, D.C. asking that Altoona be included in national defense plants because of the Korean War, saying during World War II Altoona did not get its fair share of war work.
Sept. 13, 1975
State Sen. Robert Jubelirer, substituting for Mayor William Stouffer who was recovering from heart surgery, sawed a railroad tie rather than cut a ribbon to open the Loretto railroad car of steel magnate Charles Schwab to the public of Altoona for a $1 fee for a 36-hour open tour. The car was on a rail siding at Chestnut Avenue and Second Street.
Sept. 13, 2000
Deforia Lane, a music therapist at the University Hospital of Cleveland, was to hold a Journey of Cancer Survivorship at the Ramana Inn. She said music can help in cancer healing and families and friends of survivors were welcome.
Sept. 13, 2015
Altoona City Council created the Altoona General Authority, Matt Pacifico chairman, which was to apply to the state’s City Revitalization Improvement Zone program (CRIZ) for a possible $300 million in local development.
Sept. 14, 1950
A special military train carrying the remains of 33 Pennsylvania National Guardsmen killed in a train collision in Ohio while enroute to Camp Atterbury passed through Altoona enroute to Wilkes Barre, where most of the soldiers were from. A special honor guard of 33 soldiers, one for each deceased guardsman were on the train.
The 110th Infantry and 28th Division Band of the Pennsylvania National Guard stationed in Altoona arrived at Camp Atterbury, Ind. Sgt. E.H. Woomer, a member of the guard, was covering their activities for the Altoona Mirror. They expected to be stationed in Germany.
Sept. 14, 1975
Ground was broken for a new Central Pennsylvania Humane Society shelter in Greenwood with Barbara Hoenstine, society president taking part. It was the same day the 12th annual dog show was held at the site with winning dogs in six categories from best behaved to best tricks.
Altoona Mayor William C. Stouffer returned to work at City Hall after a two-month absence due to a heart operation and recovery, saying that he felt “great” and would run for re-election. Councilman Melvin L. Ellis had been serving as interim mayor.
Sept. 14, 2000
Amtrak was setting records for the number of passengers and the amount of money it was making, Altoona Amtrak manager Mike Tsikalas saying the Altoona office was sold out a lot of days and a week in advance for a ticket was sometimes needed. A total of 22.2 million passengers rode the previous year.
The Blair County commissioners and Claysburg-Kimmel School Board approved a tax break for Sheetz Inc.’s new $20 million warehouse it was to build in Sproul under the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance Act (LERTA).
Sept. 14, 2015
The Altoona Mirror Sunday Spotlight featured Dave Cuzzolina, retiring after working in communications at UPMC Altoona and before that Bon Secours-Holy Family Hospital, and after graduating from Penn State spent 19 years as a reporter-editor-managing editor of the Altoona Mirror newspaper.
The Sept. 11 National Memorial Trail, though not yet completed, opened for bicycle riders, passing through Cresson, Hollidaysburg and Huntingdon from New York. It commemorated the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that brought the Twin Towers in New York City down. Events of that day killed more than 3,000 people, including at the Pentagon.
National, world news on this date
Sept. 13
In 1948, Republican Margaret Chase Smith of Maine was elected to the U.S. Senate; she became the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress.
In 1971, a four-day inmate rebellion at the Attica Correctional Facility in western New York ended as police and guards stormed the prison; the ordeal and final assault claimed the lives of 32 inmates and 11 hostages.
In 1997, a funeral was held in Kolkata, India, for Nobel peace laureate Mother Teresa.
In 2008, crews rescued people from their homes in an all-out search for thousands of Texans who had stayed behind overnight to face Hurricane Ike.
Sept. 14
In 1901, President William McKinley died in Buffalo, New York, of gunshot wounds inflicted by an assassin eight days prior; Vice President Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him, becoming the youngest-ever U.S. president at age 42.
In 1927, modern dance pioneer Isadora Duncan died in Nice, France, when her scarf became entangled in a wheel of the sports car in which she was riding.
In 1982, Princess Grace of Monaco, formerly film star Grace Kelly, died at age 52 of injuries from a car crash the day before.
In 1991, the government of South Africa, the African National Congress and the Inkatha (in-KAH’-tah) Freedom Party signed a national peace pact.
Local news compiled by Tim Doyle. National, world news from The Associated Press.
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