I’ve known that the city of Monongahela posts audio recordings of council meetings online but I’ve never taken the time to listen to one until today. It was interesting and I thought Lost Monongahela readers might enjoy hearing a city council meeting too. Just click here to listen. The recording is about 23 minutes long.... Continue Reading →
Transfiguration Church, Monongahela PA, Diamond Jubilee Publication 1940 Freely Available Online
Yesterday's post, Transfiguration Church Through The Years, with 282 views in 24 hours was a pretty popular one. Nothing in that post would have been possible without coming across a physical copy of the Diamond Jubilee publication. It got me thinking, how would I have been able to write such a detailed post about the... Continue Reading →
Transfiguration Church Through The Years
Anybody living in the Monongahela area is familiar with the beautiful Transfiguration church (now named St. Damien of Molokai) located on West Main Street. I knew that an earlier church building once stood on this site but I never had seen any pictures of it so I was thrilled to discover this photo of the... Continue Reading →
Monongahela Area Photographic Mysteries To Be Solved Thursday Evening
Several photographic mysteries will be solved 7:00 PM Thursday in the parlor of the First Presbyterian Church, Monongahela, Pa. Here are few examples: (click image to enlarge) Mystery #1 The photo above was taken very early in the 1900's (my guess would be sometime between 1900 and 1912) when women almost always wore their hair... Continue Reading →
“Wild Flowers: The Nellie Sickels Photo Album as a Visual Memoir” at Monongahela Area Historical Society
Just wanted to let Lost Monongahela readers know about the next meeting of the Monongahela Area Historical society (MAHS). It sounds fascinating. Here are the details taken from the MAHS newsletter: The Monongahela Area Historical Society will meet 7:00 PM Thursday, November 20, 2014 in the parlor room of the First Presbyterian Church, located at 609... Continue Reading →
I Voted
I'm sure you've heard the song "I'm Proud To Be An American" on the radio and down at the aquatorium on the 4th of July. I've always found that song baffling because how can you be proud of something that is completely passive? I mean if you aren't an immigrant, what did you do to... Continue Reading →
This Day In 1864: Remarkable Case Of Petrifaction
The Monongahela Republican contains the following: "Parties engaged in exhuming the bodies of the MERCER family for removal from the old graveyard to Monongahela City Cemetery on Friday last, found the body of Mr. J.B. MERCER in a singular state of petrifaction. The graves of Mrs. MERCER and the two children on each side were about sixteen inches lower than that of their father, yet while their bodies had returned to dust and were perfectly dry, his grave was filled with water, and his body turned to stone.
Heard a beautiful song on WESA called "The Sweet Allegheny And Monongahela" by the A capella vocal group Vocal Point. Click on the "Listen" button to hear an interview with the group and also a brief portion of the song. Click on the second section to hear the whole song on Spotify for( free. (leave... Continue Reading →
Monongahela Newspaper Editor Recommends McKeesport Residents Drink Beer
The editor of the Monongahela Daily Republican writes that McKeesport residents have beer as their only option: McKeesport people are in a fix. The body of a man who is missing, is thought to be under the reservoir, and it is covered with thick ice so that the basin cannot be thoroughly dragged. Most people... Continue Reading →
Josiah Loves Cordelia At The Monongahela Cemetery
Photo of tombstones in an old section of the Monongahela Cemetery. (leave a comment)
A Gushing Invitation – From Monongahela City In 1868
I usually try save these old articles and post them on Lost Monongahela on the same date as they were published decades ago but I just couldn't wait with this piece. It was written by the publisher and editor of the Monongahela Republican, Captain Chillion (Chill) W. Hazzard and was published in the Pittsburgh Daily... Continue Reading →
Big Accident On Chess Street, Monongahela PA
I live along Chess Street and was sitting at my desk when I heard a car blow through the intersection at an extremely high rate of speed. About one minute later I heard the fire whistle blow and intuitively knew that the vehicle had collided with something. I clicked on the internet scanner and sure... Continue Reading →
Brick 5th Street In Monongahela PA Being Repaired
5th Street in Monongahela has been a beehive of activity this past week. A sewer line was replaced and the original bricks are being reused. Here are a few photos of the project (click image to enlarge): It's great to see the city of Monongahela replacing the brick instead of just filling in with concrete... Continue Reading →
This Day In 1904 – A Game Of Cards, It Resulted In Murder In A Pennsylvania Mining Town
Monongahela, Pa., Sept. 19 - A game of cards resulted in murder Saturday at Hazelkirk, a mining town, but was not reported to the police until Sunday. When George Nazok won $3 from George Kopko, the latter accused the other of cheating. Nazok made an angry reply and left the room. Kopko followed and fired... Continue Reading →
This day in 1864: A Fearful Scene
from the Gallipolis Journal - August 14, 1862 A Fearful Scene - During the late exhibition of Van Amburg's menagerie at Monongahela City, Pa. a fearful and exciting scene occurred. It appears that shortly after the audience had assembled, a terrific storm arose, which tore the canvass into rags, and threatened serious injury to the... Continue Reading →
Light-Up Night Photograph, November 1954 – Need Help With Identification
We found this picture down at the Monongahela Historical Society Museum. It's a photo taken November 1954 of Bill Polaski (with the pole) turning on the power for one of the Christmas decorations on Main Street in Monongahela. We would like your help identifying the other people in the photograph. I heard that one of... Continue Reading →
100 Years Ago Today: Cincinnati Mine Disaster – Day 2
The following article is from the April 24, 1913 edition of The Daily Republican. The lead story was about the huge explosion at the Cincinnati Mine in Courtney PA, just 2 miles from Monongahela. I didn't have time to transcribe this article but the image should be pretty easy to read:
Cincinnati Mine Disaster – 100 Years Ago Today. Daily Republican Article.
One hundred years ago today a terrible explosion occurred at the Cincinnati Mine in Courtney about one mile down river from Monongahela PA. Ninety-seven men died and many were injured. Below is an account of the accident which appeared in the April 23, 2013, edition of Monongahela's newspaper, the Daily Republican. EXPLOSION AT THE CINCINNATI... Continue Reading →
Today In 1911 – Women Drown As Steamer Capsizes In Gale On Monongahela River
STEAMER CAPSIZES IN GALE ON RIVER Boat Goes Down Near Allenport, Pa., Carrying Three To Death. MONONGAHELA. Pa., April 5 Caught In a gale of wind sweeping over the Monongahela river today, the steamer Henry A. Laughlln was overturned and sent to the bottom of the river near Allenport, drowning two women and a man... Continue Reading →