Two articles and an accompanying photo that appeared in the Olean Times Herald in July of the Civilian Conservation Camps has brought response from readers who believed they recognized relatives in the photo.

The photo, believed to have been taken in the 1930s, showed young men working at Camp 6 in the Marienville, Pa., area. The initial story appeared on July 9, and on July 25 the Olean Times Herald ran an updated story on a Scio woman, Doris “Jean” Taylor, who recognized her late father, Thornton K. Taylor, in the photo. Her father is seen in the back left of the photo wearing a bandana on his head.

Most recently, Augie Iacucci, a former resident of Olean, also contacted the Times Herald to let us he believes his late brother, Thomas Iacucci, is shown at the far right wearing a cap. Augie Iacucci sent along photos of his brother during the same period to substantiate his belief the young man shown is Thomas.

Augie Iacucci said he and his brother grew up in a house at 208 W. Oak St. and his brother joined the CCC as a young man.

ON ANOTHER NOTE, the Times Herald ran a story last weekend about Ron Sheppard, a nurse at the Absolut of Allegany nursing home, who carved a large sailboat by hand to help overcome hand and arm injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident. Mr. Sheppard had noted that he cut his fingers on numerous occasions while carving the ship with an Exacto knife.

After reading the article, Times Herald reader and fellow woodcarver Robert Worden of Olean offered to donate some of his carving tools to Mr. Sheppard to help him out with his new craft.

Acts of kindness from people like Mr. Worden are what make living in the Twin Tiers special.

OLEAN GETS TWO mentions in a new book, “New York Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff” by New York City writer Cindy Perman.

In the Western New York section of the book, the writer lists the two cutlery museums in Cattaraugus County: the CUTCO Ka-Bar Visitors Center in Olean and the American Cutlery Museum in Cattaraugus.

“CUTCO makes everything from flatware to fishermen’s knives and Ka-Bar makes military and sporting knives,” Ms. Perman writes. “Here, you’ll learn about the ergonomics of knife handles and see a 7-foot CUTCO knife that offers an up-close look at blade design.”

Of the American Cutlery Museum, she writes it is “a small grassroots operation aimed at preserving the region’s history of cutlery manufacturing and use.”

Meanwhile, Rock City Park on Route 16 south of Olean gets a mention in the book.

“The formations are massive - some three or four stories tall - creating canyons with nooks, crannies and gaps where rocks overlap. The formation resembles a bunch of giant aquarium rocks, just waiting for a fish - or a human - to swim through.”

A third mention for Cattaraugus County is the Antler Shed Taxidermy and Whitetail Museum at 8558 Hebdon Road in West Valley.

The place mostly features more than 4,500 sets of whitetail deer antlers gathered over 40 years by Lenny Nagel.

(E-mail Jim Eckstrom at jeckstrom@oleantimesherald.com)

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