W-b's Ex-police Chief Seeks School Job 
Tony George, A Former Teacher, Says He Has Applied At A Local Vo-tech.

Animal Awareness

By MARY THERESE BIEBEL marytb@leader.net
 Friday, January 23, 2004 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3 





 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When trains lumbered into the Lehigh Valley Railroad's Noxen depot decades
ago, Cathie Pauley and her friends ``used to jump into the coal car, ride
through town and then get yelled at. My grandmother wouldn't let me back in
the house until I took a bath in the creek.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A quick dip to get rid of the dust, and Pauley was presentable again. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It's not quite that easy to restore the old depot itself. That labor of
love, championed by the North Branch Land Trust, has taken months and, so far,
$210,000. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But Land Trust members are so pleased with last year's progress - new roof,
new floors, fresh paint, walls no longer crooked - they're inviting the public
to an open house 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 31. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Just don't try to drive right up to the depot, organizers caution, because
there won't be room to park. Tours begin about 2/10 of a mile down the road,
at the old Noxen School, which is also undergoing restoration. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There you can climb aboard a wagon and let a pair of sturdy Percheron
horses - Jake and Ike - pull you to the depot in style. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It will be reminiscent of the days when passengers used to arrive at the
station in horse-drawn buggies, Land Trust director Linda Thoma said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Older Noxen residents also have told her ``they have affectionate memories
of playing in front of the potbellied stove as children.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Visiting the depot on a frigid afternoon early this week, Thoma and Land
Trust Treasurer Marlyne Lipfer wished the stove was still there, emanating its
cheerful warmth. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For now, the freight room, station master's office and passenger waiting
room are chilly, mostly empty caverns. But the structure is so improved from
last year - when its walls were actually tilting - Thoma can't wait for people
to see the difference. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We want to get people here to touch this and to feel this,'' she said,
spreading her arms. ``This is real.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On Jan. 31, tour guides will be able to point out where the station master
sold tickets, where he unloaded freight, and where he moved the lever that
sent semaphore signals to approaching trains. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The busy man sometimes took on additional duties you might not expect -
including at least one stint as sports announcer translating from Morse code. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``In 1921 there was a fight in Jersey City, N.J., a boxing match,'' history
buff and Trucksville native Harry Owens said. ``The men of the town came and
sat in the waiting room of the station. How the fight was progressing was
coming over the telegraph. This was how the people got their news.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Owens, who now practices law in Mechanicsburg, is so enthusiastic about the
restoration of the depot, he's trying to locate appropriate memorabilia to
donate to the museum the North Branch Land Trust wants to house there. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Yesterday (Monday), I gave them some actual Lehigh Valley Railroad
pencils from 1925,'' said Owens, who can't remember how much he paid for them
on eBay. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Thomas and Lipfer hope other members of the community might have come by
furniture that was once used at the depot, or at other depots, and be willing
to present that to the envisioned museum. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 They also hope to inspire more support - not just financial, but physical -
for phase two of the restoration. ``We can use carpenters, plumbers,
electricians and unskilled laborers to carry things,'' Lipfer said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 With volunteer labor, Thoma said, the Land Trust hopes total restoration
costs will be less than an estimated $500,000. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 She can't predict how long it will take for the project to be completed.
``It depends on how much help we get. With enough volunteers, it might not
take long at all,'' she said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Seeing what they've already accomplished, Land Trust members are hopeful. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Each week, as the work progressed (this summer), you could see the
building take on a new personality,'' Lipfer said. ``It's gone from very sad
and downtrodden to very happy.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 IF YOU GO &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 What: Tours of Noxen Train Depot &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 31 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Where: Tours start at old Noxen School, now a community center and library. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 How to get there: From Wilkes-Barre, take state Route 309 north past
Dallas. Follow signs to Noxen, then look for the library sign (silhouette of a
person reading). &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Admission: Suggested donation is $5 per adult. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Perks: Ride in a horse-drawn wagon, warming up and purchasing refreshments
in the old schoolhouse. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 USEFUL TO YOU &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If you give a donation to the Noxen Train Depot project, or buy something
at the bake sale, your money likely will count double. The Susquehanna Chapter
of Thrivent Financial Services will match the funds raised Jan. 31, up to
$800. The organization is associated with St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Noxen. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Restoring Connection To History Open House To Aid Noxen Train Depot Project