June 2020

A Letter from Karen Hechler, Society President This year, 2020, was to be a special year for the Connellsville Area Historical Society; it is our 50th anniversary. The Executive Board was planning some special events. Then COVID-19 hit us!

This will be a truly historic year which people will always remember, but not for events planned for the Historical Society's 50th birthday. People in the future will interview you about living through this time of a pandemic virus affecting the entire world when more Americans died from corona virus in 2 months than all the Americans who died in the war in Viet Nam which lasted in excess of 9 years. Recently, the Daily Courier carried a story of a Connellsville native, now 105 years old, who remembers the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. People will be interviewed in the future about how this current pandemic changed their lives. Can you imagine 2020 seniors from Connellsville Senior High School and Geibel Junior-Senior High School discussing their senior years? It won't be anything like the traditional senior years that you and I experienced. So far, most of us in Connellsville, Fayette County have been blessed as compared to Americans in places like New York City and Los Angeles, but our lives have been greatly affected by this virus, and we wonder what the new “Normal” will be like.

The only event that we enjoyed this year was the March meeting held March 11, 2020. We had a great meeting where participants brought Connellsville memorabilia items to share with each other

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History of the Historical Society

In this article from society president, Karen Hechler, we explore the history of the Connellsville Area Historical Society, the restoration of the Gibson House, and the society today. Pages 3 to 7.

Tales from the Archive

Sarah Reedy, our archivist, takes us around the Gibson House Archive. We learn about the latest collections donated the Connellsville Area Historical Society. Page 8.

Ornaments

2020 adds the third ornament to the Connellsville Area Historical Society’s Historic Connellsville series! The ornaments are $25.00 each. Proceeds benefit the Connellsville Area Historical Society. Page 9.

Stay safe & Wash you Hands

Connellsville Area Historical Society Newsletter

Happy 50th Anniversary, Connellsville Area Historical Society!

June 2020

and tell us the history of the items. Refreshments were quite varied and good. We just got the meeting in on time because the country was under shut down orders by the next week.

Right now, with our social distancing, it will be impossible to continue with our new tradition of inviting a historian to speak at a dinner-lecture the Friday evening preceding the Braddock Crossing of the Yough week-end. This year, I had invited Brady Crytzer to speak at the Canteen on Friday, June 26, 2020. We do not know if the Canteen will be open, and if people will feel comfortable enough to attend a dinner-lecture in a small area that does not offer the safety of your own home. Also the number of people attending would have to be small to fit into the space available, and we cannot afford to have a dinner without at least 30 people in attendance.

The Yough River Park and the Crawford Cabin Site have been closed to the public. Bur even open, there will be limits placed on gatherings of people and what we can do. At the Braddock's Crossing of the Yough event, the only area where the Historical Society makes any money is the refreshment stand which is located in the small Spring House. Who would want to be confined to such a limited space? Our menu would have to be extremely limited. We are unsure, at this time, but leaning toward canceling this year's Crossing event. We will not have the June 10, 2020 Flag Day Picnic this year.

We Fondly Remember Tom RusnackIn February of this year, we lost a very important member of the Connellsville Historical Society, Tom Rusnack, a man who loved Connellsville. Whenever I need a picture of Connellsville from any era or information on any aspect of Connellsville History, I called or E-mailed Tom or Bill Sechler. Both men have a wealth of information about Connellsville. I already miss not being able to call Tom. Tom created our first Web page for the Historical Society and had been our only Web Master until his death. Sarah, our Archivist, has taken over this responsibility. I have heard through the years about the fine organization of our Web site.  Tom also served for years as a member of the Board of Directors of the Society. We appreciate all that Tom did for the Historical Society, and we remember his contributions to our cause of preserving Connellsville History.

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(Tentative) Upcoming Events

AUGUST 12, 2020 - This is our Annual Corn Roast. We will wait and see if things are better, and it is possible to continue this annual event. Details will follow.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 - We will make this our Annual Meeting with the election of officers. Hopefully, Francis “Coco” Molinaro will speak on the history of the Molinaro family. People will be asked to bring an ethnic dish to share at the Gibson House at 6:00 PM.

OCTOBER14, 2020 - Judy Keller has agreed to present her program on accounting for all Connellsville veterans who lost their lives in the Second World War. Judy did some of her research at the Gibson House.

NOVEMBER 11, 2020 - Pride in Connellsville Area Poster and Poetry Contest reception will depend on the situation within the public and private schools and if such a contest will be feasible this year. Details to follow.

DECEMBER 5, 2020 - It's a Connellsville Christmas is held at the Gibson House. We welcome visitors into our beautiful home, have excellent iced cut-out cookies, and have a Christmas concert.

DECEMBER 9, 2020 - If at all possible, we will hold our Annual Christmas Party at the Canteen.

June 2020

Special Thank You To Somerset Trust… When I was planning the June 26, 2020 dinner-lecture, I sent out requests for donations to help defray the cost of the dinner. Somerset Trust graciously donated $500.00 to the Society. I was willing to return the money if the event did not happen, but I was told to use the donation for the Historical Society. Once a project is decided upon, it will be announced to the public.

A Legacy for 2020, Our 50th Year We are blessed with a fine collection of Connellsville History, but unfortunately, our space for housing our collection is limited.  We have a full attic that could answer our needs, but it was badly damaged in the fires of 2001 and has yet to be restored.  It will cost approximately $20,000 to provide safe storage for our books and other items to be stored in the attic.  If you have suggestions for the Historical Society to accomplish this goal, contact me at 724-628-5344,  I am willing to donate to this project, and perhaps, you would too.

It Has Been a Good, Productive 50 Years: Connellsville Area Historical Society by Karen Hechler, President of the Connellsville Area Historical Society

In December of 1970, a small announcement concerning forming a historical society for Connellsville appeared in the local Daily Courier. The call was for all interested people to attend an organizational meeting to be held in the local Connellsville Chamber of Commerce office then located on Pittsburgh Street. The meeting was under the direction of William Balsley, a local West Penn executive and well known local historian. Mrs. Edith Knabenshue was the director of the Chamber at that time.

Being a United States History teacher, and early in my teaching career, this opportunity sounded like something in which I should be involved. I felt rather uncomfortable going to the meeting because I didn't think that I would know anyone. When I got there, I saw Tony and Barb Keefer also teachers in the Connellsville School System. I was really impressed with Bill Balsley and his vision for a Connellsville Historical Society. The Chamber donated $50.00 to get the historical society organized. In my enthusiasm, I eventually ended up becoming not only a charter member of the Connellsville Historical Society but the first recording secretary of the group. Bill Balsley became our first president, and we couldn't have had a better person for the job. Other officers included 1st Vice President – Mrs. Barbara Keefer. 2nd Vice President – Hubert Reidman, Corresponding Sec. - Carmel Caller, and Treasurer – Mrs. Louise Balsley.

For the first few years of our existence, we held our monthly meetings of the Executive Board at Bill and Louise's Balsley's home on Cedar Avenue. This was the house that Bill's father had built for the family and even had a barn like building at the back of the lot. The original house is gone now due to a devastating fire. Among the first orders of business was to receive a charter to conduct business which was granted by Fayette County Common Pleas Judge John Munson. Next we had to devise a constitution

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and by-laws, and then apply for tax free status. Under the direction of Carmel Caller's guidance, we were awarded a determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service designating us as a non-profit, charitable organization under Code 501 (c) (3) making all donations tax deductible. We also began offering programs that would appeal to those wanting to know more about our local history at the Connellsville Senior High School in the former faculty dining room.

We needed a first major project as the new Connellsville Historical Society, and we decided that we needed to reprint some important local histories which had been out of print for years. These books were the Centennial History of Connellsville 1906 and the 1884 Ellis History of Fayette County. Unfortunately, the Society had no money to publish these important reference books. After discussing several fund raising projects, it was decided to try something rather new in the early 1970s, an Antique and Crafts Show. We arranged to rent the Armory on Washington Avenue. Our first attempt was a one day show on a Saturday in late October 1971. I was given the job of being in charge of the Connellsville Historical Society's First Annual Antiques and Crafts Show. A floor plan had to be devised, letters had to be sent out to prospective participants, a menu had to be planned that could be prepared in the basement kitchen and carried upstairs, a publicity campaign had to be organized so that the public knew about our fund raiser, and the Armory gym floor had to cleaned up and tables carried in for the participants. How we did it, I don't know. But we were younger and enthusiastic. This first event was successful, and those who sold antiques or crafts suggested that we have a two day event rather than one day because it was so much work for them to set up for only one day. It was during this show that Mary Thornburg's apple dumplings were introduced big time to the Connellsville community. What a hit they made!

Over the years, we were moved with our Antiques and Crafts to the New Haven Hose Social Room, the gymnasium and cafeteria of Connellsville Junior High East (now Connellsville Middle School), and the Connellsville Senior Center. These events were very successful and enjoyed by the public, and they made it possible to finance several important Historical Society projects.

To reconstruct the home of one of the original inhabitants of Connellsville, Colonel William Crawford, on the original site of his home, was a dream of our founder, Bill Balsley. To build the cabin as close to the original site as possible, the Historical Society had to obtain ownership of some property along the banks of the Youghiogheny River that was included in the original deed of Col. Crawford. No one seemed to have a deed to the Crawford land, so Bill Balsley and Bill McCoy went to the Fayette County Court House and applied for ownership of the property. With a deed to the Crawford property, Bill Balsley arranged to have the Cabin built, under the authority of the Fayette County Commissioners and the Connellsville Historical Society, in time for our nation's Bicentennial in 1976. At the Cabin site, we eventually had the Spring House built and furnished with a small bathroom, tiny kitchen complete with a refrigerator, sink, and stove. Another addition was our original pavilion so that we could have events even if it rained. The first pavilion was serviceable but did not have a concrete floor or electrical outlets. After an exceedingly bad snow storm, the pavilion was destroyed, and the search was on to replace the pavilion by obtaining grants to cover the cost. Grants were obtained from the Fayette County Hotel Tax Grant and Community Foundation of Fayette County to build a new pavilion. Keith Miller of M&D Excavating was the contractor for the new structure which was dedicated June 25, 2011 at the 8th annual Braddock's Crossing. The new pavilion was dedicated as the William Balsley Pavilion to honor our founder.

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From the earliest days of the Historical Society, our property along the Youghiogheny has been used for numerous outings. We had our formal dedication in 1976. We have had and still do have our annual Flag Day Picnic and our annual Corn Roast. We have had band concerts highlighting the Molinaro Band for several years, and we had a mini Maple Sugar Festival, under the direction of Joe Pinney, for a few years, One year, J. Harold Arnold asked us to have a colonial style banquet for the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce to be served in Crawford's Cabin. Col. Crawford was known as being a gracious host. We served venison stew ( really beef stew), home made bread, garden vegetables, and apple dumplings for dessert. It was a great event, but a lot of hard work under difficult conditions.

In the period of the Bicentennial of our nation, the Connellsville Historical Society was invited to serve punch and cookies at Fort Necessity National Battlefield during the July 3-4 event remembering the Battle at Fort Necessity. This activity would not be permitted today due to regulations concerning food that can be served at a national park. But we hauled our refreshments up to Fort Necessity, set up our tables, and served punch and cookies while dressed in our Colonial costumes that we had made for out nation's 200th birthday. We had a great time and loved being involved in this historic event.

Connellsville was once known as Stewart's Crossing and was identified as such on the few maps available of this area in the 1750s. In 1755, when General Edward Braddock was marching his troops west to capture the French fort, Fort Duquesne, at the Forks of the Ohio, they came to Stewart's Crossing to cross the Youghiogheny River. In the late 1990s, history minded people began planning the 250th anniversary of the French and Indian War. One of the events would be tracing the march of Braddock's Army into the wilderness. The army came through Connellsville on June 29-30, 1755. Bill Balsley had always wanted to recreate that crossing, but never had the opportunity. We had flown the three flags, the British, French and United State, over Memorial Bridge during the nation's Bicentennial in 1976, but never had the opportunity to cross the Youghiogheny as Braddock had. To recreate that Crossing of the Yough in June of 2005 would be the perfect celebration for Connellsville as our unique part of the history of Connellsville and the French and Indian War. Bill was unable to attend our first crossing in 2005 due to health reasons, but he knew we had accomplished his dream. The event was directed by Karen Hechler who considers Bill Balsley to be her mentor. A lot of behind the scenes work went into preparing for this first crossing, but when the picture of the soldiers and civilians crossing the Yough made the front page of the Herald Standard, it was all worth the effort. This year, 2020, will be the 17th Annual Braddock's Crossing of the Yough. We started the event in 2004 as a dress rehearsal, but didn't cross until 2005. We have begun most of the River Crossings with an Opening Ceremony, and a constant participant in this ceremony has been the duo of Todd Reagan and Ben Haines delivering a stirring rendition of our National Anthem. Thanks due to the effort of former Mayor Judy Reed, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 21 in Connellsville, under the leadership of Jim Flynn, has invited the reenactors and workers to come to dinner on the Saturday night of the event. Last year, we added a dinner-lecture on the Friday evening before the Crossing, at the Connellsville Canteen. Our first speaker was the eminent historian, Dr. David Preston, expert on the Battle of the Monongahela where Braddock was defeated on his march to Fort Duquesne. We hope to make this dinner-lecture an annual event.

Bill Balsley had been most interested in obtaining the Gibson House located at 217 West Patterson Avenue, facing Arch Street and the Youghiogheny River. We believe it to be the oldest building in

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Connellsville being built in 1818 by the grandson of John Gibson who had come into our area in the late 1790s and eventually going into the iron industry with Issac Meason. The home was the residence of the iron master of Gibsonville, an iron furnace community locate approximately where the current Connellsville High School Stadium exists. The house is built in the traditional Georgian architecture using beautifully cut stone blocks with a magnificent door featuring a sunburst glass panel above the door as well as side glass. When we obtained the building in 2001, it had experienced two devastating fires and had to be totally renovated. The house was purchased from the Enderly family with money that we had made by selling the reprinted histories of Connellsville and Fayette County. I am so pleased that we were able to save one of Connellsville's most important landmarks, Too many have been lost over the years. The early renovation came under the direction of Harry Porter. The most important original project was the need for a new roof and rebuilding the chimneys, Harry used bricks from the Soisson Brick Yard to rebuild the chimneys. The interior had been greatly damaged by the fires. New electrical wiring, heating system, plumbing, new plaster board, new windows, new front door, and new hardwood floors were the big issues, The Society got help with the restoration by obtaining grants such as one from Rivers of Steel. Help in restoring the beautiful front door came from Carol Sligar Morrisetti. who actually grew up in the Gibson House. Most of the new woodwork in the house was done by James “Art” Graham, master carpenter. The woodwork in the original parlor of the house was a gift to the Society. Art did the woodwork, and the room was named in honor of his wife, the Nelda Kern Graham Room. When Art was unable to complete the woodwork in the Gibson House, Bill Radlosky was contracted to finish the job. The second floor left room was dedicated on May 12, 2019, as the Harry Porter Military Room when both Harry Porter and Florence Shutsy Reynolds were honored. Harry was honored for his military service in the United States Navy and his dedication to the restoration of the Gibson House, and Florence for her military record in the WASP organization and also receiving the Congregational Gold Medal, for her service to our country, which she donated to the Connellsville Historical Society ,

The Gibson House is now the official home of the Connellsville Area Historical Society, but for more than 40 years, our office was located on the second floor of the Carnegie Free Library. Originally, our office was located where the Museum Area is now located. The office was manned by members of the Green Thumb organization which is a federal program hiring older citizens to train them to enter the work force. Having labor provided, made it possible for the Historical Society to have skilled people work with the public and to do genealogical research for the public. We did not have the financial means to pay staff. We had some amazing people work for the Historical Society in this capacity. Eventually, our office was moved to the Connell Room also on the second floor of the Library. This room was much smaller, and was not as convenient for our needs. The Library was also looking for ways to better utilize the space in the Library, and we had purchased the Gibson House and were renovating it. We needed to store our collections and organize them so that they could be used for public research. So, it was time to move our items into the Gibson House

What a mess when we moved to the Gibson House! We have moved out of the Library quickly without enough time or professional help to move properly. How do you organized collections without professionally trained people? We thought that we could do the organization ourselves, That was impossible. People go to college to learn how to do this work properly. We did not have the finances to

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hire a professional archivist. After checking with other historical societies who were facing the same problems, I was told that I might check with some of the surrounding universities to see if they could recommend recent graduates who might be looking for experience to enhance their resumes. I got very lucky when I contacted Duquesne University. The area that I needed is known as Public History. The professor that I contacted, put out an E-mail to recent graduates to see if there was any interest, I was connected with Margaret Hewitt. Margaret was with us for a year. She took a total mess and organized it into a workable program. She then moved on to the Butler County Library as an archivist. There were always new additions to out collections and work to be done with existing collections so we needed another trained archivist. Charter member of the Society, Barbara Keefer, said that she knew a graduate from Duquesne University with a master's degree in Public History. Would we be lucky again? Yes, we hired Sarah Reedy, and she has been working with us for several years.

The Gibson House is now the official home of the Connellsville Area Historical Society. We hold many of our meetings in this building, and our archived collection is housed here. Our collection begins with the original Zachariah Connell papers to current Connellsville events with many things in between, We have plenty of West Penn materials thanks to the Bill Balsley collection. Check to see what we have available. At the present time, guests are welcome to come to the Gibson House to visit and research on Wednesday and Saturday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Sarah, our archivist, will be there to assist you. Visitors may come on other days by calling 724-628-5344 for an appointment

One of the most satisfying activities that the Connellsville Historical Society sponsors is the Annual Pride in Connellsville Area Poster and Poetry Contest which has been offered to the schools in our area for over 25 years. The contest was designed by Deborah Mullaney and encourages students in grades 4-9 to research local history and create a poem or poster on the subject which attracted his/her attention. Prizes are awarded in the categories of 1st, 2nd, 3rd place, honorable mention, and special merit. Prizes are awarded at a reception held at the Connellsville Presbyterian Church where each student presents his/her project which is displayed on screen for all to see. The presentations are followed by refreshments provided by the Downtown Committee of the Connellsville Redevelopment Authority. In 2019, 27 of the posters, which have been submitted over the years, were recreated as metal posters and can be seen along the Yough Bike Trail leading into Connellsville. Grants to cover the expense of this project came from the Laurel Highlands Visitors Hotel Tax, Community Foundation of Fayette County and the Connellsville Rotary Club. The Society sponsored a picnic reception this fall at the Balsley Pavilion to honor all the artists whose posters now welcome bikers and hikers coming through Connellsville.

These are a few of the major activities sponsored by the Connellsville Area Historical Society over our first 50 years. This year we will add another historical ornament to our current collection highlighting the 50th year of our existence by picturing Crawford's Cabin and Braddock's Crossing. We hope to be remembered with a banner along the streets of Connellsville. Work needs to be done at the Gibson House to restore the attic to increase our storage space. Even though we have an entire house, we need more room to store supplies and historical items. The basement of the house also needs repairs so that it can be of use to the Society. The Society has been involved with the publishing of AROUND CONNELLSVILLE, a part of Arcadia's Images of America series We have also printed pictorial histories and the 1906 Centennial Program Booklet. A goal of the Society is to publish a history of Connellsville

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for grade school children. We are always pleased to receive Connellsville Area memorabilia to increase our collection of Connellsville history. We would like to have guests use our archived materials more often by being open more than two days a week.

As we enter our next 50 years, we wish to continue to be true to our original statement which was, “The purpose of the Connellsville Area Historical Society is to bring people together who are interested in the history of the Connellsville area, and to discover, collect and preserve any materials which will help to establish or illustrate the history of the area”.

It has been a very busy, difficult at times, successful at times, varied, unexpected, amazing journey of 50 years. I'm glad to have been part of this experience. Many of the projects of the last few years have been made possible because of a most generous gift to the Historical Society from the estate of one of our former Presidents, William McCoy and his wife, Margaret “Peg” McCoy. Their generosity was overwhelming. I'm glad to have been part of this adventure, and to have seen an idea suggested by Bill Balsley in 1970 blossom and bloom into the Connellsville Area Historical Society. Who knows where the next 50 years will lead and what will be accomplished and remembered by 2070.

From the Gibson House Archive… by Sarah Reedy, archivist

On New Year’s Day 2020, the new decade promised to be the start of the “Roaring 20s.” Unfortunately, the 2020s have started with a whimper. The introduction of Coronavirus (COVID-19) has had a drastic affect of on our daily lives. Every sector of daily life has been changed; some for good. Museums and historical societies are no different. In response to COVID-19, the Gibson House Museum and Archive closed it’s doors. We miss our visitors and researchers, and we can’t wait to reopen our doors!

History continues to be the focus of our thoughts and operations. The Historical Society received several new items since the start of 2020. These items include: new archival supplies, a research table and four new collections! The Connellsville Area Historical Society would like to thank Carole Jo Babish-Sutor, David Petrone, George Rowe, and Kent Yozie for their generous donations to the Connellsville Area Historical Society.

These collections cover a wide range of Connellsville’s history. The first collection is the Dorothy Peterson Sutor Papers donated by Carole Jo Babish-Sutor. Mrs. Sutor Papers contains documents for the Class of 1932, Beta Sigma Phi, and the Order of the Eastern Star. The collection includes ephemera from class reunions throughout the years.

The next collection was donated my David Petrone. Mr. Petrone’s Papers range from Connellsville High School’s first Musical “Oklahoma” to twentieth century military documents to a brick from the Soisson Brick Co. The most unique item in the collection is the coat worn by Petrone during the production of “Oklahoma” in 1971. “Oklahoma” was the first musical performed at Connellsville High School.

The third collection was donated by George Rowe. These papers date from 1941 to 1942. Photographs and papers in the collection are connected to the Connellsville Senior High School’s courses and football

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team. One of the photographs in the collection was taken on September 26, 1941 on “Dad’s Night.” The photograph, taken by Fred Rowe, Sr., shows the Connellsville High School Football team celebrating in the locker room. This photograph is a favorite because it shows the team smiling and laughing; a far cry from the stone-faced photographs in the yearbook. Among the players, a young Johnny Lujack can be seen hugging his teammates.

The fourth collection was donated by Kent Yozie. The Yozie collection is the largest of the collections received. Yozie’s papers contain years of genealogical research into the Whipkey family (five 4’inch binders!). This collections will be invaluable for researchers who have a connection to the Whipkey family and those who are deep diving into Connellsville’s history.

Find these collections and many more at the Gibson House Museum and Archive. We look forward to welcoming visitors and researchers soon!

Historic Connellsville Ornaments These ornaments are available at the Gibson House. If you are interested in purchasing an ornament please contact Karen Hechler at (724) 628-5344. Profits benefit the Connellsville Area Historical Society.

2020 - 50th Anniversary of the Connellsville Area Historical Society ($25.00)2020 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Connellsville Area Historical Society. Established in 1970, the Connellsville Area Historical Society was created to preserve and share the history of Connellsville, PA. The Society’s mission continues today through educational programs, the reproduction of Col. William Crawford’s Cabin, and the Gibson House Museum and Archive.

The pen and watercolor drawing shows Braddock’s army fording the river at Stewarts Crossing. This scene was beautifully depicted by Helen Alt, Connellsville artist and member of the Connellsville Area Historical Society. The opposite side of the ornament shows the reproduction of Col. William Crawford’s Cabin built in 1976.

2019 - 75th Anniversary of the Connellsville Canteen ($25.00)The Connellsville Free Canteen was in operation from April 1944 to April 1946. The ladies of the Connellsville Free Canteen met every train of soldiers that passed through Connellsville, PA. The Canteen served service men and women for free! One of only 3 nationwide, who served service women for free.

2018 - 200th Anniversary of the Gibson House ($25.00)In 2018 the Gibson House celebrated the 200th Anniversary of its construction.

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