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Remainder of Genealogy / Family Sites
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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
MONONGAHELA, PA
Genealogy (often misspelled geneology) and family history
research in the area of
Little Washington, Washington County, Pennsylvania from 1700 to present.
Nearest cities: New Eagle, PA (1.8 miles ), Baidland, PA (2.0
miles ), Wickerham Manor-Fisher, PA (2.4 miles), North Charleroi, PA (3.7 miles
), Monessen, PA (4.5 miles ), Charleroi, PA (4.7 miles ), Donora, PA (4.9
miles), West Elizabeth, PA (5.5 miles ).
MON-what?
by Judith Florian
Imagine being a 3rd-grader in southwestern PA. Its morning, the second
class of the day, spelling class as a matter of fact. Teacher has
hand-outs about Pennsylvania geography and you're learning how to spell and
sound out the names of the various towns. Washington isn't so hard, just
break it in three "Wash-ing-ton." But, today's lesson is the
hardest of the whole week! The whole class of 45 students tries their best
to "sound it out."
M-A-N-A-N-G-U-H-A-L-A ...
M-E-N-A-N-G-I-L-L-I ...
M-E-H-AU-N-G-A-L-I-E ...
M-O-H-O-N-G-E-Y-E-L-A ...
M-O-N-N-O-N-G-A-L-Y ...
M-O-N-G-A-L-I-L-I-A ...
The teacher is undaunted, having heard all these misspellings through-out the
years; she knows that the town of Monongahela can only be spelt at first by
sheer memorization. Indeed, throughout the years, the river and the city
have been spelled as: Manaungahela River, Me-nan-gi-hil-li,
Meh-non-au-au-ge-hel-al, Monona, Mehmannaunringgehlau, Mehmannauwinggehla,
Monongahelia, Mo-hon-ga-ly River, Mo-hon-galy River, Mo-hon-gey-e-la River, Mo-hong-gey-e-la
River, Mohungahala River, Mohunghala River, Monaung River, Monaungahela River,
Monna River, Monnyahela River, River, Mononga River, Monongahalia River,
Monongahaly River, Monongaheley River, Monongahelia River, Monongalia River,
Monongalo River, Mononguhela River, Mononyahela River. How much simpler it would
have been had the name "Muddy River" persisted, or if the town had
retained one of its earliest names of "Eden," or "Paradise,"
or "Gloucester," attributed to the days when the first owners of
William Nowland, Peter Froman and James Linnes had purchased these tracts of
land at the mouth of Pigeon Creek seven years before the nation was born.
Even the name "Parkinson's Ferry," named after Joseph Parkinson who
laid out the town of Monongahela, is easier to spell. Or, Williamsport, as
it was once known. But, after being called Monongahela City for a time,
this place became simply (well not so simple to spell) -- Monongahela.
Joseph Parkinson and "the Devore brothers" operated
competing ferries across the river from each other. In the earliest of
days, ferry movement was by muscle-power. Oars were used, or rope-pulleys
set up on one bank to the other. Sometimes it took all evening to row
across. Horses were sometimes employed to haul the rafts across, which
also carried horses, other animals, people and goods. As a site of
high river traffic, the ferry has always had high importance to people for
trade, livelihood and even religious worship. In an account of one church,
it was written that the church built its own ferry system along the river to
enable folks who lived across the river to be able to attend church on the other
bank. Indeed, the Monongahela River has always been of vital importance to
the city that carries its name, as well as to the other towns along the banks of
the river.
Joseph Parkinson was also a trader and supply agent who traveled as far as south
as New Orleans as a trader. By 1805, having gained title to Williamsport
in the late 1790s, Parkinson's town had a church, cemetery, school and market.
Much later came a steam mill and tannery. In anyplace that populates,
along with businesses, the building of churches is a high priority of settlers.
The citizens of this area of Washington County were especially interested in
their faiths, as evidenced by the 200 churches within the city of Monongahela,
representing about every denomination one might consider. For this reason,
Monongahela is called "the town of churches."
As the town grew, so
did the need for sources of entertainment and pastime. In 1887, Dr. H. J.
Gamble built the Gamble Opera House and in 1905 opened the Gem Theater which
showed motion pictures. This was a new oddity, Dr. Gamble having pioneered
the art of motion picture. Three other theaters followed: The Ideal
Theatre (opened 1906), the Anton Theatre (1911), and the Bentley Theatre (1914).
Folks came from all over Washington Co. to enjoy the entertainment offerings,
via train or horse and wagon. Like in other towns, vaudeville type acts
became regular showings in local venues.
Of course, the River
itself has always been part of the pastime of citizens, whether spent fishing
from its banks or watching the ships pass. (Although reports in newspapers
described the muddy and often foul waters, people did swim and bathe along its
banks.) The Army Corps of Engineers website describes the River as:
"The Monongahela River runs north from the confluence of the West Fork and
Tygart rivers at Fairmont, West Virginia. It flows through the coal fields and
mountains of West Virginia and into Western Pennsylvania where, in its valley,
lies one of the great industrial areas of the country. The Mon joins the
Allegheny River at Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River." From the
first sign of industrialization, the river has always been attacked by
pollution, which continues today.
SEND ME YOUR PICTURES OR MEMORIES OF
MONONGAHELA
PA
(washington.co.pa.webmaster@gmail.com - and put
Monongahela 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.
Go Back to TownTalk
Index
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
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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