The Laufer place at Falls, Pennsylvania - front view
River Road is to the rear of this picture
This view faces the Susquehanna River

That's the neighbor's "outhouse" on the left. Ours was to the right!

In the spring of 1947, just after the Susqehanna river had receeded after another of its regular March floods, Joe and Loretta were attending a party at the Walter's Cottage on River Road. The owners of the cottage next door were busy cleaning up after the flood. Joe, in his usual semi-serious, half-kidding way threw out a challenge: "I'll give you $500 and a carton of cigarettes for it". "Sold!," said the disgusted owner of the mud-filled cottage. And the rest is history. It may have been the Stegmaiers speaking when he made the offer, but Joe was fully sober when he finalized the deal -- and yes, he threw in the cigarettes. They were probably his brand, Lucky Strikes!

Several weeks later, after the papers had been signed, Joe packed Loretta and their four kids, Joe, Etta, Billy, and Karen (she was 5 weeks old) in the Ford, and drove the 22 miles from Wilkes-Barre to Falls to show them their new "summer home". Their first glimpse of their new "summer home" was not as exciting as anticipated. They were greeted from River Road by what looked like a crumbling bungalow.

One of the earliest pictures of the cottage
This is the back, but the part facing River Road,
the part of the cottage first seen by a visitor.
That's the kitchen with the two windows facing the road.

However, as soon at the family walked around to the front of the cottage, a much more impressive image was seen (see photo at top of this page). And from the front porch, over a wide expanse of "gully" there it was: the mighty Susquehanna River, still flowing "high" after the spring thaw.

Within months, Loretta was to be pregnant again, this time, with Mary Lou, as this new phase in the life of Laufer family began. This period would last only 25 years -- because on June 24, 1972, a hurricane named Agnes would rip the cottage off its foundation and send it down River Road, ending a quarter century of special memories for the Laufer family.

What started out as a handy-man's special, would eventually get electricity, running water, indoor plumbing, finished walls, and all sorts of amenities, and evolve into a truly special "summer home". Handyman Joe did most of the work by himself -- with a little help from his sons, daughters, nephews, brother-in-law, and "helpers" (the aray of guys he hired for his coal business).

Joe, Sr., Tony Kaporch (Wilkes-Barre neighbor) and Joe, Jr.
In the Laufer boat at the Laufer dock on the Susquehanna.
The motor was a 1 and one/half horsepower Evenrude!

Falls was the location of many a weekend party for friends and relatives. Hardly a weekend passed without a keg of beer being tapped. Because Joe, Etta and Bill were in their High School years during the heyday of Falls, there were class "weiner roasts", parties and outings during the 1950's. During the latter years of the cottage, Karen and Mary Lou entertained there, also.

In the Summer of 1969, less than three years before "Agnes" would destroy the cottage, Joe, Jr. brought a 21 year old West Virginian, Penny Raad, to Falls. Here they are in the kitchen.

Once Hurricane Agnes took the cottage, there was no going back. The laws would not permit rebuilding in the flood plane, and Joe received "market value" for the property. It was a great loss to the family, and the end of an era. It was most unfortunate that the next generation of Laufers were not able to benefit from the "summer home" the way their Moms and Dads did.

Return to The 2002 Reunion page

Return to Laufer-world home page