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 right.” — The Morning Herald, 18 Jan 1909.
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 man’s name mentioned in passing — typically in connection with courthouse tours. But my real introduction to his case only came after I began exploring our Rare…
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 Uniontown, and shook buildings as far away as Greensburg. The Pennsylvania Room maintains photos of the September 9, 1905 disaster that were taken by E.W. Hague,…
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 might have bought a Studebaker in Uniontown in the 1950s. (The Detweiler dealership, perhaps?) Another was trying to track down the name of the last…
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 Married Man’s Musings.” Genius of Liberty, 5 Jan 1899: 2.
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 shelves in the room — yes, all of them — I decided that it was time to sort through our yearbooks. The collection was reorganized…
The Way Things Were: Above the Clouds
The cover of a brochure for the Summit Hotel (also known as the Summit Inn) on Route 40, circa 1948.
The Way Things Were: J.C. Doolittle’s Blacksmith Shop
J.C. Doolittle’s Blacksmith Shop. A note on the back indicates that it was in the Smithfield area. Credit: Uniontown Public Library.