Showing 1–20 of 36 results
Pittsburghers are slow to give up their ghosts. Rusted skeletons of industrial mills and rail depots line the rivers, corroded reminders of a city’s past forged in steel; churches built in the nineteenth century by devout East European immigrants now stand desanctified and decayed; structures that once epitomized the pinnacles of science, commerce, transportation, and…
Long before they famously debated each other during the 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon debated the merits of the new Taft-Hartley labor law in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, in April 1947. But their minds were clearly on bigger things. As fate would have it, Kennedy and Nixon shared a Pullman compartment…
Carl’s Story begins in the woods near St. Mihiel, France, almost a century ago on September 16, 1918. On that victorious day, when the US Army won its first battle in Europe and the war was just day from ending, Carl Willig, a doughboy in Company H and the uncle of author, Noretta Willig, was…
McKeesport Hospital is a testament to the wonders of community. We are forever indebted to its power and endurance that has both sparked our creation and shone us brilliantly through a century of constant challenge. Since 1894, McKeesport Hospital has been the cornerstone of quality health care to its adjoining communities, providing immediate access…
I am a Pennsylvania State Trooper, a soldier of the law. To me is entrusted the honor of the force. I must serve honestly, faithfully, and, if need be, lay down my life as others have done before me, rather than swerve from the path of duty. It is my duty to obey the law…
In Did You Know That Boy? author Dale Saller has followed his penchant for history and nostalgia with the narrative of the lives of “The McKeesport 23.” He tells the story of the ordinary lives of twenty-three men raised in the Western Pennsylvania region known as the Mon Valley, specifically the city of McKeesport. They…
Five-and-ten stores were immensely popular during the middle of the twentieth century, selling cheap, dependable goods to people from all walks of life. Now the product of a bygone era, these stores were revolutionary in their time, but few today appreciate how important they were in creating our present-day consumer culture. In this sensitive yet…
Paolo Lomeo arrived in America to fulfill the hopes and dreams of his parents, Giuseppe and Agatina. After serving in the Italian Army during World War I, he was excited about raising his family in a country that would protect their personal freedom in order for them to obtain financial independence. Having established Roma’s Fruit…
Welcome to spooky Southwest Pennsylvania! Stay alert! Ghosts lurk around every corner. Even the most unexpected places might be haunted by wandering phantoms. Did you know that there’s a road so spooky that it’s called Shades of Death road? Or that there’s a haunted living-history museum where former residents still walk the halls?…
The ghostly woman of Summit Cut Bridge, a black hound that guards the Gates of Hell and the whispering dead entombed beneath the Black Crossthese are the spirits of southwestern Pennsylvania. Join local author Thomas White as he recounts such chilling stories as that of Revolutionary War witch Moll Derry and the phantom bride of…
American soldiers stationed in the UK came away winning more than just a war, they also won the hearts of young women across Britain. At the end of World War II, more than 70,000 GI brides followed the men they’d married – men they barely knew – to begin a new life in the United…
Purportedly named for the many beech trees growing on its hillsides, Beechview was settled by Scotch-Irish and English pioneers in the late 1700s. This Pittsburgh neighborhood stretches along a broad ridge two and a half miles south of the the Point. While Pittsburgh grew and developed into the political and economic center of the region,…
Braddock, Allegheny County is named after British general Edward Braddock, a military leader whose miscalculation of Native American fighting prowess cost him fame, glory, and life in 175. The place of defeat was long remembered as Braddock’s Field. The battle was a world-changing event, as it altered the course of American and world history. George…
Brookline was settled in the mid-eighteenth century as a farming community along Pioneer Avenue, a state road from Pittsburgh to Washington. The West Liberty Development Company and the opening of the Liberty Tunnels, in 1924, helped this Pittsburgh neighborhood grow. The area became a choice locale for city workers and others to settle. It is…
Located just eleven miles southeast of Pittsburgh, Duquesne has a history that began when British general Edward Braddock and American colonel George Washington marched through the area and were defeated by the French in 1755. Once a part of Mifflin Township, Duquesne was later named in honor of the French governor general of Canada. Through…
Western Pennsylvania is dotted with what are known locally as mill towns, but few of these communities epitomize this definition more than the municipalities of Homestead, West Homestead, and Munhall. Commonly referred to as the Steel Valley, these towns were home to some of the greatest steel-producing operations in the world. As the Mon Valley’s…
Explore the riveting story behind what is considered America’s best traditional amusement park, Kennywood. For more than a century, Kennywood has been the Pittsburgh area’s playground. Founded in 1898 at the terminus of the Monongahela Street Railway trolley line, the park quickly grew into a favorite summertime destination. Kennywood is unique in that it is…
Located at the confluence of the Youghiogheny and Monongahela Rivers, McKeesport was settled by David McKee in 1755. In 1769, McKee acquired land from the Colonial government and one of his sons, John, laid out a village that became known as McKee’s Port because a ferry was operating there. Early industries included coal mining and…
Names for Versailles Palace in honor of the French allies during the American Revolution, Versailles Township was one of the original seven townships of Allegheny County. Wedged among the Monongahela, Youghiogheny, and Turtle Creek Valleys, the region was a prime spot for the growth of industrial, commercial, and residential plans. David L. Clark (creator of…
Since the mid-1700s, Pittsburgh has welcomed generations of immigrants. This region in southwestern Pennsylvania was once a magnet for European immigrants who carved out livings in steel, iron, glass, and other factories along its famous three rivers. Those immigrants built the city’s ethnic neighborhoods: the Irish North Side, the Polish South Side, the Italian Bloomfield,…
