AREA HISTORY: With the farmer’s market regularly held in the parking lot of the Emanuel Lutheran Church, the newsroom received “A short historical narrative of Seaward Avenue,” submitted by an Era Reader.
The narrative begins, “Seaward Avenue is named for the Seaward family (Joseph Stevens Seaward) who settled in the area in 1843. Located in Oak Hill Cemetery is at tombstone with the Seaward name.
The original Seaward farmhouse was located at 129 Seaward Avenue, which was torn down during the construction of the Route 219 expressway 1973-74. Additional farmhouse type structures were #124 and #175 Seaward Avenue.
A story associated with the structure at #175 is that in the back wall of the house were some ‘drop down panels’ where weapons could be aimed at would-be ‘livestock’ rustlers.
The Seaward Avenue barn stood in the vicinity of upper Keating Avenue; however, Keating Avenue did not then exist. A drive (presently there) going off Seaward Avenue toward Keating Avenue was part of a housing development, which began in 1939 to late 1941. That property (75 acres) was purchased in 1929 by Ed Keating’s father, thus the street name.
(The Era’s own, former sportswriter Greg “Clarkie” Clark’s childhood and adulthood homes were on Keating Avenue).
Groundbreaking construction of Constitution Avenue was broken by Mayor Hugh J. Ryan on the date of the country’s ratification of the Constitution (June 21), thus the street was so named.
Two former Bradford High coaches made their homes on this ‘avenue,’ Ed Phillips and John Durham, as well as the former editor of The Bradford Journal, Dave Kreinson.
Prendergast Avenue was named for Ed Keating’s mother’s maiden name. Spring Street was named for the natural spring which flowed near-by and was the street address of First Lt. John Nelson, USAF, who died in a C-130 plane crash in Arkansas in October 1973.
