In the early part of the twentieth century, bobsledding was a much-loved winter pastime. Some bobsleds were long and wooden and could seat a few people. Other models were shorter and made for just one or two people and equipped with couplers so they could be fastened together like train cars. Bobsleds had wooden runners, and could be controlled with either a steering wheel or a tiller.

Decades ago in Montgomery, some of the steepest hills in town were used for bobsledding. While it was considered to be a fun activity, it could be a dangerous one.

According to the Montgomery Bicentennial History Book, Pinchtown Hill was a popular spot with its long, gradual slope. But for those who wanted more of a thrill, West Houston Avenue was the place to go. This was usually attempted with someone at the intersection to warn horse and carriage drivers, and later automobiles, to stop and leave the intersection clear for a bobsled to pass through. Bobsledders would take off from the top of West Houston Avenue and pick up such speed that they would cross the Main Street intersection and go up the hill beyond Hotel Houston.

The Hotel Houston was demolished in 1976, but the five-story hotel occupied a stretch of land on the corner of Main Street and Houston Avenue where the Montgomery Memorial Park is today.

It’s not surprising that such an extreme bobsled ride could occasionally result in injuries.

The Bicentennial book recorded that, “Mrs. Hazel McCarty related an incident when one night she disobeyed her father . . . and she and a friend accepted a bobsled ride on Houston Hill. Halfway down they had to turn out for a team of horses and the rope caught on the runner of the sled. When she hobbled home with injuries, half scared to death, her father decided that she’d been punished enough with the aches and pains and she never got on another sled.”

Some people were bound and determined to finish the ride no matter how dangerous the circumstances were. The Bicentennial book had another frightening event. “Lillian Starr recalls one night half way down the hill one of the men on the bobsled who had matches in his pocket caught fire and she remembers what a mad scramble that was. Apparently one didn’t stop in the middle of a hill.”

There was at least one report of a bobsledding accident that involved a sled colliding with a bobsled. In the early twentieth century, sled riding was commonly called “coasting.” The Williamsport Sun reported in the February 2, 1912 issue that, “While coasting on Houston Avenue yesterday morning, the young son of Mr. and Mrs. William Frey ran into a large bobsled crossing Main Street. A gash that required four stitches to close was cut in his head.”

While bobsledding is now a thing of the past in Montgomery, the steep slope of West Houston Avenue is now the site of the Montgomery Volunteer Fire Company’s Pumpkin Roll each year. It’s a much safer way to enjoy seasonal fun on one of the steepest slopes in Montgomery.