This Week In History: Halloween Across a Decade
Halloween has come and gone — my favorite holiday by far! Yesterday I sat at the PA Room’s desk, dressed in full pirate regalia and eager to scare any kids who wandered…
Quotes: A Bit of Embellishment
“According to the Pittsburg Sunday papers a trolley car was blown off the track at Oliphant. Outside of the fact that the incident is not true the story is all…
Quick Tip: Navigating World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
This could also be filed under: When in Doubt, Read the Instructions. While I don’t use them all that much, I’ve always found the World War II Draft Registration Cards (freely…
The Way Things Were: Clyde L. Queen Collection
Photo of an unknown pair from the recently donated Clyde L. Queen collection. Queen was a minister in Point Marion. Credit: Uniontown Public Library.
This Week In History: The Monaghan Affair, 1936
It’s a little remarkable to me that, being a connoisseur of all things dark and spooky, I’d never read about Frank Monaghan until I began working here. Yes, I’d heard the…
The Rand Powder Mill Disaster, 1905
Next month marks the 109th anniversary of the Rand Powder Mill Explosion, a series of blasts at a Fayette County black powder factory that killed 18 people, shattered windows in…
Quotes: The Challenges of Making Money (or Stealing It)
“Three more bankers were sentenced to the penitentiary Saturday. The gentle practice of appropriating other people’s money is sometimes subject to slight discouragements.” — The Morning Herald, 18 Jan 1909.
Stories in Stone: John Gallagher, Jr.
For all the inquiries about family history I get from visitors to the PA Room, I also field plenty of unusual questions about local history. One patron wondered where his uncle…
Quotes: A Married Man’s Musings
“The fellow who wrote that ‘a woman’s only weapon is her tongue’ was evidently a bachelor, with no expert knowledge on the subject of pokers, broomsticks, and hatpins.” — “A…
Judging (Year)Books by Their Covers
Ah, the most mundane of library tasks: “reading the shelves,” or going book by book and putting everything in order. A few weeks ago, after reading the general history and genealogy…