Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1924, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “…made my way to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, to meet Mr. Wehn, Secretary of the Board of Education. We went up into the hills and I made two sketches, which I afterward presented to him.” That spring, newspapers reported, “Jamestown’s School Cost Takes Big Jump” (The Warren Tribune, 8 May 1924, page 12). From 1919-1924, the cost for operating the public schools in Jamestown increased 13 percent. Class sizes were getting bigger as the town expanded. There was a similar situation all over the country as schools were continually planned and built.
Later in 1924, Moses wrote, “Our work is running to schoolhouses and parochial halls.”
New school buildings meant that there was in increased demand for stage scenery and draperies in these academic facilities. Although the projects were much smaller than touring productions and Masonic projects, these school auditoriums offered a constant stream of work.
Stages were also being outfitted with new equipment and scenery throughout Pennsylvania. In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on the “Evening News” reported, “New scenery and a new curtain was yesterday set up on the auditorium stage at the High School building. The equipment will be used the first time tomorrow evening for the opening performance of “The Charm School,” the senior class play” (March 26, 1924, page 4).
To be continued…
