National Guard Armory

The following is an update from Liz Zemba of the Daily Courier:

Once considered one of the oldest armories in Pennsylvania, the Mount Pleasant Armory on Eagle Street was torn down in 1998 shortly after it was purchased by Scott Caruso, a local businessman. Caruso had the building torn down because its roof had collapsed. He has since replaced the building with a parking lot for his funeral home, but he also makes the lot available to the public and to members of the nearby Visitation Roman Catholic Church during services.

According to John Maietta, press secretary for the Department of Military Affairs at Ft. Indiantown Gap, Pa., the former armory had been built in 1906 to house 60 soldiers. Most other armories in the state date to the 1920s.

The military had abandoned the armory in 1995 because it was in deteriorating condition and repairs were considered too costly. Caruso purchased it in 1998 for the high bid of $40,101.

Troops who had previously trained at the armory now drill in a new, $3.5 million facility on School Street in Mount Pleasant Township. The new building houses the 110th Infantry Battalion Headquarters and accommodates 285 soldiers. It was dedicated in late 1999.

E.Z., Mt. Pleasant