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Focusing on the lives
of any person or family who has lived in Little Washington,
Washington County, Pennsylvania at anytime throughout
history to recent times, through data and family stories.
NEW SEARCH BOX ADDED
CANONSBURG, PA
Genealogy and family history
research in the area of
Little Washington, Washington County, Pennsylvania from 1700 to present.
Nearest cities: Houston, PA (1.9 miles ), McGovern, PA
(3.0 miles ), Cecil-Bishop, PA (4.2 miles ), Thompsonville, PA (4.7 miles ),
McMurray, PA (6.9 miles ), East Washington, PA (7.0 miles ), Washington, PA (7.5
miles ), McDonald, PA (8.2 miles ). Latitude: 40.26 N, Longitude: 80.19W
Going the Long Way
by Judith Florian
After the introduction of the Interstates, it always felt like Canonsburg was a
very long way away when going the "back way" through Meadowlands. If
you would like to read about that drive, turn first to the write-up on Houston,
PA.
Just outside of Houston, one enters the beginning of Canonsburg, PA with Pike
Street running all the way through Canonsburg. West Pike turns
decidedly East, running almost parallel to Conrail's tracks several blocks off
to the right. Pike comes down a slight grade at North Jefferson Avenue,
which marks the old section of "downtown" Canonsburg. Here you
will pass Sarris Candies, a famous place in this area, where delicious chocolate
candies are made and sold. There used to be a Hardware store and a five
& dime store in this section -- are they still there?
Up from Jefferson, the next intersection is North Central Avenue. Turning
left here, one passes the Senior High Rise building, and begins going up the
lower section of a very long, very steep hill that goes almost straight up
without reprieve. In 1978, I lived at the very top of North Central, in a
red brick three-story gigantic house that had been converted to apartments,
three to each floor. Each apartment on the 3rd floor (where I was) was a
one bedroom. Mine faced Central, with my bedroom on the side closest to
Pike St. I didn't have a car, so to go for groceries or anywhere was
a long walk down Central, almost pulled by my daughter's stroller. Walking
down on the right sidewalk, we'd pass by numerous houses on both sides. One had
a single tombstone in the front yard, which was recently featured in a
story in the Observer-Reporter (they were searching for information about a
person named Hudak* whose grave was located there). Often we'd cut across
one of the side streets on the right to go over to Jefferson Avenue, which was
flatter than Central, if I needed to go downtown. Or, I'd cross
down streets to the left to go grocery shopping at the far end of Canonsburg.
Coming up the hill was a very, very long trek, pushing a baby and stroller.
I had to call a cab to go home with bags and boxes of groceries in tow.
Then came the hard trek up and down three flights of stairs, still carrying a
pre-toddler on my hip on each trip....up....and down...over and over...
balancing baby in one arm and one bag in the other.
It was when I lived in Canonsburg that I learned how to drive, often making my
way on I-79 south to Waynesburg where my sister lived (see write-up about
McMurray PA). Since I only lived in the 3rd-floor walk-up for less than a
year, I never got to visit the Town Park in Canonsburg or the other attractions
of the City. For Easter that year, I visited Sarris Candies for my
daughter's first chocolate bunny. And, my daughter had her very first
emergency room visit at Canonsburg Hospital after she drank a 1 oz. bottle of
lavender perfume I'd just bought (ever see a baby drunk? It's kind of
funny, and every breath was of obnoxious-smelling perfume ... but, oh so scary
to a new mom!). The Canonsburg Police were so helpful that night, giving
us a Police escort and waiting in the E.R. to see if she was okay.
They joined the doctors in a few chuckles over the sweet-smelling
"drunk" baby, and helped calm a very frightened mom that night.
The birthplace of:
Perry Como, the singer/musician who died 2001, Canonsburg is full of the
descendants of other immigrant parents and grandparents who worked, struggled
and helped build the town. The glass/pottery plant and nearby mines where
they had worked have long been closed, but the town continues to build its
resources towards the future. Canonsburg has long been known as the
antiques capital of SW PA, where the past is valued as an integral part of this
Pennsylvania town. There's been a strong emphasis on education in
Canonsburg, from the original Jefferson College to the continued successes of
the Canon-McMillan School District and its graduates. Close to the
location of the old Western Center, Canonsburg has benefited from the new
community of Southpointe with its golf course, and retirement living built
alongside stores, banks and medical facilities. The town is still
small enough to carry forth the values of the citizens, while offering a variety
of services needed for a growing community.
*Quoted from the Observer-Reporter newspaper: "The name
carved into the stone, Hudak, is that of an as yet obscure person who was born
in 1887 and died in 1915. Canonsburg officials hope to hear from any descendants
who have information about the grave site."
Map of Downtown
Canonsburg with Businesses labeled. - this map is at that major bookseller
online - good map though!
Directory of Businesses
and Schools in Canonsburg, PA. [Note: You'll need Java to see Maps connected
to this site. But, the Maps at http://www.us.map24.com/
are interactive and offer unique features.]
Pictures of the Southpointe
Area (takes a minute or two to load)
Directory to Southpointe
Businesses (*many* minutes to load on dial-up, but has a map with
"key" to buildings)
Donora Historical
Society (Est. 1946)
Regional
area of Washington County (east section)
SEND ME YOUR PICTURES OR MEMORIES OF
CANONSBURG,
PA
(washington.co.pa.webmaster@gmail.com - and put
Beallsville in the subject line)
See Fairs
page.
POP: a bit over 8,500
Streams, rivers, and creeks: Brush Run
Posted to the PAWASHIN Mailing List on Oct. 18th, 2005 by Gina
Nestor, under subject "Canonsburg Cemeteries":
Oak Spring Cemetery - est. 1775
Speer Spring Cemetery - est. 1832
Payne AME Cemetery - est. 1856
Sacred Heart of Jesus Polish National Catholic Cemetery
St. Michael's Byzantine Cemetery - 1915
St. Patrick Cemetery - est. 1903
Covenanter Cemetery - 1806
Chartiers Hill Church Cemetery - est. 1775
Woodruff Memorial Park - est. 1999
Forest Lawn Gardens - est. 1968
St. John's Russian Orthodox Cemetery - est. 1918
Go Back to TownTalk
Index
Site History and Updates: Dec '05; Jan '05; Mar
'06
Email
Washington.Co.PA.Webmaster
(c) Judith Ann Florian
159 E. Main St.
Girard, Ohio 44420
Copyright Notice - Data / info. for individuals and surnames may be
reproduced for personal family histories only, but not for any commercial use or
sale. Please give credit to Judith Florian and Catherine L. Caldwell for
locating newspaper items and original documents. You may use J. Florian's
research conclusions if credit is given. No other data or images may be
reproduced without permission. © 2005-present, Judith Florian, Copyright All
rights reserved.
This page was last updated on Friday, January 16, 2009 00:15
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The background was chosen specifically to
emphasize the matriarchal role of women in "the life" of
children and families, and the resilience of all the women of
southwestern Pennsylvania. |
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