Beaverdale

Beaverdale is an unincorporated community in Summerhill Township in Cambria County.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Beaverdale had at least three Jewish-owned stores: Charleson, Kranzler, and Lewine & Goldblatt. These businesses were damaged in major fires in 1928 and 1931.

Goldblatt

Joseph Bernard Goldblatt (c.1897) immigrated to the United States from Lithuania around 1908 and settled in Summerhill Township. He initially lived near a Jewish family that ran a jewelry store, William and Pearl Joseph and their children Isadore, Charles, and Freda. By the mid-1920s, he had married Bertha Rosenthal. They had three children, Marilyn, David, and Sidney.

Joseph Goldblatt was a part owner of the general store Lewine & Goldblatt. The business was damaged in the 1928 and 1931 fires. The partners also operated the Ell & Gee Company store in Nanty Glo. In 1948, Goldblatt started a business in Beaverdale called South Fork Hardware Co.

In 1988, Dr. Sidney Goldblatt made a major contribution in memory of his parents to help the Beaverdale Public Library construct a new building. A memorial plaque now marks the façade.

Krantzler

Abraham Krantzler (1891-1985) immigrated to the United States from Roschayarech in the Galicia region of Poland in 1909 and settled in Beaverdale. He initially operated a dry goods store at Cedar Street and Jefferson Avenue. In 1927, he acquired a hardware store from W. B. Cann and renamed the business Krantzler Hardware. He ran the business until 1976, when the building was damaged in a fire.

Krantzler married Thannie Shapiro (1893-1927) of Altoona. They had six children, Esther, Sarah, Ruth, Rosalyn, Robert, and Jeannette. After the death of his first wife, Krantzler married Dora (Fruhlinger) Krantzler.

Rosalyn Miriam Krantzler O’Cherony (d. 2016) was senior class president of Beaverdale High School in 1940 and a member of its debate team. She graduated from Penn State University in 1944 with degrees in Political Science and Spanish. She was hired as a secretary for the U.S. Department of State and became assistant to the cultural attache at the American Embassy in Havana. She was promoted to a position managing the Scientific, Cultural and Educational Exchange Program. She later joined the Cuban-American Cultural Institute in Havana and served as a consultant with the U.S. School and Camp Consulting Agency.

Robert Krantzler (d. 2010) married Helene (Slutker) Krantzler (d. 2018). They had four children, Jay, Joseph, Daniel, and Alan. Helene Krantzler was one of the founders of the Beaverdale Public Library along with Reverend Stephen Slavik in 1965. Robert and Helene Krantzler also partnered with the Goldblatts in 1988 to acquire land for the new public library.

Lewine

Morris Lewine immigrated to the United States from Zagar in present-day Lithuania around 1900 alongside several siblings who used the spelling Levine. He settled in Beaverdale, where he started a business with Joseph Goldblatt, who appears to have been a maternal cousin. With his wife Minnie, Morris Lewine had three children, Yale Sander, Florence, and Marian.

Charleson

Myer Charleson immigrated to the United States from present-day Poland around 1892 and settled in Summerhill Township, where he ran a store. With his wife Annie, he had at least eight children, Millie, Lillie, Esther, Eva, Abe, Samuel, William, and Doris. His sister married into the Edelstein family of Nanty Glo, creating an economic link between the two towns.

Bibliography

Rauh Jewish Archives

• Beaverdale materials, from Barry Rudel Papers [MSS 1394] (catalog record).

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College

• Beaverdale Collection (online).
• Goldblatt Family materials, from Beaverdale Collection (online).
• Krantzler Family materials, from Beaverdale Collection (online).
• Lewine Family materials, from Beaverdale Collection (online).

Exhibit History

• Author: Eric Lidji
• Created: June 14, 2026
• Current: June 14, 2026

Acknowledgements

• This entry was made possible through a grant from the United Jewish Federation of Johnstown, Beth Sholom Congregation, and the David A. Glosser Foundation.