A Perfect Ending!

I was in Chester, WV on Friday, July 1, 2011 for the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony honoring four prominent citizens of the city, including my grandfather, Clifford Otto Comm (pictured left). My father, Clifford Lee Comm, spoke eloquently of his father in the sanctuary of the First Christian Church on the hill. Grandpa was described as the "Doc on the Corner" serving Chester as a pharmacist for over 60 years.

My family was with me on the trip and my 5-year old daughter instead of calling out “Are we there, yet?” from the back of the family truckster began asking, “How far to the Teapot?” She was referring, of course, to Chester’s roadside giant The World’s Largest Teapot.

As we took the Route 30 off ramp to Chester, I noticed some vehicles parked near the Teapot and workers restoring the old icon with a fresh coat of paint. I learned at the induction reception that a student from Oak Glen High School in New Cumberland is responsible for this latest fix up effort, part of an Eagle Scout project. Good for him!

As we turned the corner onto Carolina Avenue I took my eyes off the road and craned my neck to see if the back door of the Teapot was open. It was! It took all the strength an old Chester Kid could muster to continue to my parents’ house and not pull over for a look inside, but we were 20 minutes late already.


The World’s Largest Teapot sits on a cement pad below Marks Run very near to where the lower trolley loop entrance to Rock Springs Park was located. In fact, yellow bricks from the trolley turn around are still scattered near the site. I know, because I have one.

When I attended a Lincoln Highway teacher workshop in Pittsburgh their guest speaker was none other than Lincoln Highway aficionado, Brian Butko. Brian is the expert on the national road and has written many books on the topic. On the cover of his Greetings From The Lincoln Highway: America's First Coast-to Coast Road in the top right corner is a picture of Chester’s World’s Largest Teapot. Excited, I raised my hand during his lecture and blurted out; “I grew up next to the teapot!” My seemingly odd statement received an unintended laugh from the attendees and a smile from Brian.

Brian has worked on projects with PBS Pittsburgh documentarian Rick Sebak in the past and in 2008 Rick took on Brian’s favorite topic in a one-hour special called A Ride Along the Lincoln Highway. I heard about the project before it was scheduled to air and followed Rick on his blog about show.

Knowing I was a little late to the table, I left the following message on his blog site:

Joe Comm // Aug 22, 2008 at 2:45 pm
My son and I are really looking forward to the new Lincoln Highway documentary. I grew up in Chester, WV, a late addition to the highway route. There are still three intact concrete markers in my old neighborhood, not to mention the iconic “World’s Largest Teapot.” Will Rick visit Chester in his new road show? It’s only a stone’s throw from Pittsburgh, and has a rich history including the now defunct Rock Springs Park.

Rick responded:

2 Rick // Aug 23, 2008 at 6:15 pm
JOE: Bob the cameraman and I spent some time in Chester earlier this year, shot all three of the concrete markers, but the day was miserable, so we didn’t get any shots of the Teapot. We’re editing now, but your note may force me to send Bob back for a shot or two of that landmark. There’s just too much cool stuff all along the Lincoln.

Did you catch that? “Your note may force me to send Bob back for a shot or two of that landmark.”

Rick and his crew did return to Chester and their footage of the Teapot can be viewed in the documentary at 53:26 minutes. It shows a young-at-heart couple, Esther Oyster (Great name!) and Bernie Queneau, who met because of the Lincoln Highway Association and married when Bernie was 91-years old. Bernie was one of those boyscouts who planted concrete markers along the Lincoln Highway in 1928. How fitting that a local student is fixing up Chester's best-known landmark for an Eagle Scout project. In nearly the final scene of Rick's special, Esther and Bernie are shown approaching the big red and white Teapot holding hands. What a perfect ending!

My grandfather passed away in March 1993. He was everything a kid would want in a grandfather and more. I love him and miss him and my grandmother, Beatrice, dearly. Congratulations on your award Grandpa!

Fact 1: a large creamer once sat next to the teapot. It is now on display in the city building - the old Chester High School.

Fact 2: I nearly ran into Rick Sebak while on a Pittsburgh field trip with my students several years back. Rick was entering the gift shop building on the grounds of the Frick mansion and I was leaving. I wanted to say hello, but he was escorting his mother and looked busy.

Fact 3: The woman who showed Rick, Bernie, and Esther the inside of the teapot was none other than Susan Badgely who was also inducted in the Chester Hall of Fame along with my grandfather on July 1.

A Guided Tour of Rock Springs Park

Although I could show you around the eastern end of Chester and point out a few things which still remain from the Rock Springs Park era, like owner C.A. Smith’s house on the terraced hillside above Pyramus Street, or the rustic log house, once the family home of Bob and Virginia Hand and their two sons, or even the spring itself which continues to flow unceremoniously into a drainage ditch above Chester’s iconic World’s Largest Teapot, it would be impossible, none-the-less, to tour the old Victorian park or its beautifully landscaped grounds in any meaningful way, as it was completely erased in 1974 to make way for an onramp and cloverleaf exchange to the Jennings Randolph Bridge.

That is why I chose to organize my book, Images of America: Rock Springs Park, as not only a historical tour, but also a virtual guided one. In the book we meet at the entrance gate (pictured above) and together walk the shaded paths of the lower picnic area, where I point out the Old Mill Ride and its tragic history. Then we stop to watch an afternoon matinee at the Summer Theater, followed by a quick dip the huge swimming pool. Once calmed by the serene setting of the spring lake lagoon and the log bridge along Lover’s Lane, we take one last cool drink from the ancient rock spring and climb the steep steps nearby to visit the noise and excitement of the upper park. There, we make our way along a busy midway, where the screams of thrill-seekers rounding the final turn on the Cyclone and the sweet smell of cotton candy, buttery popcorn, and the burning flash of electric sparks coming from the Dodgem car pavilion, excite the senses and force us to hand over five dollars for a strip of ride tickets at the ticket booth.

Buy a copy of Images of America: Rock Springs Park and take a stroll down memory lane.

Here’s want others have said:

“Great book. I literally absorbed it in two evenings before bedtime. You did a great job on the research and will presented text along with the imagery. And thanks for sharing your personal feelings on the excitement, and thrill and deep nostalgia for Rock Springs Park.” ~Will

“I found the book very interesting, and well done. The natural beauty of the area and the landscaping of the park must have been quite a sight in the early 1900s. I liked how the book was organized, showing distinct eras of the park, and how it changed over the years. I love history and had a lot of fun reading this book. Thanks for writing it Joe!” ~Sam

“I had read from my hometown's online newspaper that the author had been in town to sign books. I wanted to purchase a copy because I grew up around that the time the park was well visited. The stories where very interesting; I really enjoyed the photos. ~John

“We all thank Joe for his time to write this book, this is how things stay alive for our kids, who cannot believe what all Chester had. Thanks Joe, you made a lot of people happy. I rode the rollercoaster, must say never road another. Lol.” ~Mary

“I can't lay the book down either. Joe did a great job documenting the history of the park.” ~Kassy