Dressed in knickers and knee socks, 82-year-old James Leary shared tall tales garnered from his three-quarters-of-a-century living in Jamestown.

One tale was about his experiences as the water boy for the Jamestown High School football team in the '30s.

"I wasn't big enough to carry a full bucket of water, so I had to carry a half-bucket," he said.

The team, wearing uniforms borrowed from Thiel College in Greenville, was soundly defeated by its opponent from Oil City.

"And that was the end of football in Jamestown," he said.

Leary shared his memories Saturday at the community's sesquicentennial celebration kickoff at Jamestown High.

Borough residents reminisced about the town's past and spoke about its future at the 150th anniversary of the town's founding. The program started with a tureen luncheon and included music performed by the Jamestown High band.

Tom Crawford, 80, told the gathering of about 50 people that U.S. Route 322, then the main thoroughfare from Cleveland to Philadelphia, wasn't entirely paved when he was growing up.

"It was all paved, except for about 3 miles outside of the borough," he said. "My father would harness up his team and tow people out of the mud. Some days, the harness would never come off. If it was someone he didn't know, he'd charge a buck or two, but if it was someone he knew, there would be no charge."

That sense of community, said school Superintendent David Schaffer, is part of the foundation of Jamestown.

"People in this town look after each other," he said.

Irene and Albert Drake, who have lived in Jamestown since the mid-1940s, said remembering the past is important.

"Like with these pop music songs," Mrs. Drake said. "How long do they last? The old things give you something to come back to."

Her husband said he had taken part in the community's centennial celebrations as well.

Mayor Esther McClimans delivered a brief speech on Jamestown's future. She described a communitywide downtown revitalization effort to begin shortly.

"We're beginning to plan now on a revitalization to attract new businesses to our downtown area and to help the businesses that are already here," she said.

Also planned for the celebration are a display of Jamestown artifacts and memorabilia at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall on May 24, a communitywide yard sale June 28 and an ice cream social Aug. 16.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Amanda Smith-Teutsch at: ateutsch@sharonherald.com

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