On a 90 degree curve of Route #119, the Gapen home was the largest and most prepossessing in the neighborhood. It was made of brick for one thing and I can’t recall many of those. And it was surrounded by a manicured lawn and cement sidewalks. Of course it had a large front porch comfortably furnished with rocking chairs. When I delivered the Uniontown paper, that is where the papers were dropped to be assembled and delivered.
The Gapens were older in years in my early life and I hardly knew them. They had two grandsons who lived with them, Duane and Gerald Smouse, who went to Marion School. Mr. Gapen owned quite a bit of the adjacent land and had several rent houses and a defunct garage on land along Route #119.
But the point of this epistle is the land behind this house. I don’t know when it started or how long it was open but I do know it was there in the late 30’s and half of the 40’s. It was a great mound of refuse five or six hundred feet behind the Gapen house. It was the refuse dump for the city of Point Marion. (At least there were no plastic bags in it).
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Oh, what a fond memory - GAPEN'S DUMP....
What do I remember about the dump? Well, first would be the smell. It was kinda wiffy. Then there was the local guys who on spring and summer evenings would set the dump on fire and then set around the edges and shoot rats. The pop of 22's sounded many an evening on Blosser Hill. Then there was Owen Gapen's big barn full of "stuff" he had pulled off the dump and had for sale. It was jamed full of old clothes and other odds and ends. I looked but never bought anything. I guess because I did not have any money.
The kids on Blosser Hill loved to rome around the dump. We would set up bottles and throw rocks at them. Looking back now it suprises me that our mothers did not have a fit. I guess they never knew we were there.
Does anyone remember the two old Gapen dogs....Sport and Tug. Sport was big, brown and white and kinda lumpy. Tug was short and long and black and white. I was told in their day they were both good hunting dogs. By the time I knew them they were getting along in years. Tug had originally belonged to Lloyd Stewart but when he moved he gave him to the Gapens.
Owen Gapen could have a book written just on him. But I won't get into that.
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