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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
CHARLEROI, PA
Genealogy and family history
research in the area of
Little Washington, Washington County, Pennsylvania from 1700 to present.
Nearest cities: North Charleroi, PA (1.0 miles ), Monessen, PA
(1.7 miles ), Speers, PA (1.8 miles ), Twilight, PA (1.8 miles ), Belle Vernon,
PA (2.4 miles ), Wickerham Manor-Fisher, PA (2.6 miles ), North Belle Vernon, PA
(2.6 miles ), Dunlevy, PA (2.9 miles ). Latitude: 40.14 N, Longitude:
79.90 W
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A Touch of Luck, A Little Magic, A Lot of Glass....
by Judith Florian
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Luck came two-fold in the beginnings of Charleroi, PA. Three men were
touched with the luck of arranging to sell what, on the surface, appeared to be
useless hilly, rocky land to farmers Robert McKean, Thomas Redd, and William
McMahan. The decision to create a town with sale of lots on March 4, 1890
was soon followed by a second touch of luck: the discovery of oil and natural
gas, and the laying out of the railroad during this time. This once
not-so-wanted piece of property along the Monongahela was quickly transformed
into a very productive industrial center. With the necessary ingredients
in place, glass factories were lured from Pittsburgh, PA and the town was well
on its way to prosperity. With many glass workers recruited from the
famous Belgium glass-works city of the same name, Charleroi PA shares an
ethnicity, work ethic, and family values with the homeland of Charleroi,
Belgium. Corning Glass came to Mon Valley as early as 1893.
The Charleroi Mail newspaper documented life from across the county and
for its own streets. Frequent references were made to the 'foreigner'
workers in the coal mines, glass works, and brick factories of the town.
Like elsewhere in the county in the forty years between 1880 and 1920, hand guns
of various sizes were common in the pockets and coats of most anyone on the
streets. A raucous and rowdy nature was frequently present in many
localities. In contrast to tight family-oriented communities, there were
often fights between ethnic groups. Stresses associated with
employment and the dangers present in those work places, especially the mines,
gas/oil fields, and on/near the railroads at the time, often leaked over to the
community. It was not uncommon to see reports in the Charleroi
Mail about work accidents (mine roof falls; explosions in mine and homes;
railroad deaths) as well as non-work accidents (train-hits-pedestrian;
trolley/automobile accidents; and shootings during arguments). Editors of
the local newspaper often submitted their own commentary on these local
happenings. Through it all, the great people of Charleroi continued to
move forward, ever mindful of their own and their children's future.
The Monongahela River
was the life of small towns up and down its banks. Often coal seams could
be seen jutting from its sloping and sometimes steep banks, where individuals
would cut (mine) out the coal. Some opened small tunnels, called slope
mines because they sloped downward from the outside. These men would load
rafts to carry their coal, just as coal companies loaded their tonnage onto
boats and barges to make the trip to the west and south. Rail cars were
also used, bringing coal further from the river to also be added in for the trip
to markets. Glass factories and a new brick kiln added their products to
the always-present need for river travel. Lock No. 4 on the river, built
in 1844, was always busy. Winter months and dry weather was hard on all
manufacturers, when either low water levels or ice prevented daily movement on
"The Mon." During those periods, the daily newspaper kept track
of the river conditions and whether or not ships could be moving soon.
From humble beginnings of three farmers who would have undoubtedly failed in
bringing forth crops on this hilly landscape, Charleroi turned into the
"Magic City" whose citizens dreamed a better life through their
industries and hard-workers. Charleroi birthed many of the early leaders
in the reformation of the coal industry, who strived for better pay and working
conditions through unionization and creation of the United Mine Workers of
America. Of the coal miner ranks, several UMWA Presidents came from the
Charleroi area, striving for safety and pay improvements at the turn of the
century that went on to provide some benefit to miners in later years.
UMWA President John K. Tener went on to become a Pennsylvania Governor
from1911 to 1915 on the Republican ticket.
Although Charleroi's
boom days with coal, natural gas, and oil have slowed, the town remains
prominent in the Mon Valley and in Washington County. The Monongahela
River has been witness to the lives who have passed upon its waters or settled
in homes on its banks, from the bather to the swimmer, from Indian canoe to coal
barges and passenger ships, in good weather and bad. "The Mon"
has given life and taken lives throughout its history... and will continue to
support and challenge those who must rely on it.
Other facts:
Charleroi is the birthplace of: Shirley Jones - (born 1934),
actor.
Church in Charleroi: Holy Trinity Church
Reservoir: Tri-Cities Reservoir
Creek: South Branch Maple Creek
SEND ME YOUR PICTURES OR MEMORIES OF
CHARLEROI
(washington.co.pa.webmaster@gmail.com - and put
Charleroi in the subject line)
See the Army Corps of Engineers website for more history about
the Monongahela River.
The Upper Mon. Org website
has some info about the river. A sad picture of the trash
accumulation on the river is at the this site too.
See Monongahela
River pictures.
Aerial views and pictures of the river are found at the Watershed
Atlas Map.
The Monongahela: River of Dreams, River of Sweat was
written by Arthur Parker. The book was published by Keystone Books in 1999
[8 1/2 x 11 inches; History - American; Hardback: $41.95 TR; ISBN
0-271-01875-5] See Penn
State University Press's listing of books.
The
Wikipedia Encyclopedia online lists these cities, towns and boroughs
along the Monongahela River,
Allenport, Pennsylvania
Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania
Braddock, Pennsylvania
Brownsville, Pennsylvania
California, Pennsylvania
Charleroi, Pennsylvania
Clairton, Pennsylvania
Coal Center, Pennsylvania
Donora, Pennsylvania
Dravosburg, Pennsylvania
Dunlevy, Pennsylvania
Duquesne, Pennsylvania
Elco, Pennsylvania
Elizabeth, Pennsylvania
Fairmont, West Virginia
Fayette City, Pennsylvania
Fredericktown-Millsboro, Pennsylvania
Glassport, Pennsylvania
Granville, West Virginia
Greensboro, Pennsylvania
Hiller, Pennsylvania
Homestead, Pennsylvania
McKeesport, Pennsylvania
Monessen, Pennsylvania
Monongahela, Pennsylvania
Morgantown, West Virginia
Munhall, Pennsylvania
Nemacolin, Pennsylvania
New Eagle, Pennsylvania
Newell, Pennsylvania
North Braddock, Pennsylvania
North Charleroi, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Point Marion, Pennsylvania
Port Vue, Pennsylvania
Rankin, Pennsylvania
Rivesville, West Virginia
Roscoe, Pennsylvania
Speers, Pennsylvania
Star City, West Virginia
Stockdale, Pennsylvania
West Brownsville, Pennsylvania
West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania
West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
Westover, West Virginia
Whitaker, Pennsylvania
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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