ILLUSTRATED BOOKLET
The history of
Westmoreland County, PA, is recalled through a mixture of colorful tales
and factual data in this NEW 28 Page
Booklet, reprinted primarily from three hard-to-find
books: the 1843 edition of Historical Collections of the State of Pennsylvania
by Sherman Day, An Illustrated History of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
by William Egle, M.D., and Pennsylvania, a Guide to the Keystone State,
a WPA project published in 1940. The spiral-bound booklet is printed one-sided
on 60# paper, with the print enlarged for easier reading. A clear vinyl
sheet has been added to protect the front cover.
The communities mentioned include: Crabtree,
Export, Greensburg, Hannastown, Irwin, Jeannette, Laughlintown; Ligonier,
Madison, Mount Pleasant, Murrysville, New Amsterdam.Norvelt, Ruffs Dale,
Saltsberg, Scottsdale, West Newton, Youngstown (Martinsburg), and Youngwood.
The Day and Egle histories cover the early
development of this area, while excerpts from the WPA book, give a nostalgic
glimpse from a 1940 vantage point, including interesting historical notes,
especially as they relate to sightseeing possibilities. There is occasionally
some duplication of material, but often with a different slant or additional
details.
Among the many and diverse subjects in the booklet
are: Early settlers; Physical Features of the Land; George Washington at
Loyalhanna; Fort Ligonier; Battle of Braddock; Burning of Hanna’s Town and
taking of Many Prisoners; A Subterfuge Saves a Fort; Biography and Burial
Site of Arthur St. Clair, Revolutionary War General, Ohio territorial Governor
and Controversial Indian Fighter; First Court “West of the Allegheny”; William
Crawford, a Virginian in Pennsylvania; Old Pennsylvania State Road; Tyrany
of Dr. John Connolly; The Association of Westmoreland Society, actuated by
a love of liberty; Centennial Celebration of 1873; Birthplace of Henry Clay
Frick, partner turned rival of Andrew Carnegie; Westmoreland Homesteads,
a low-income housing experiment at Norvelt and other interesting bits of
history and trivia.
ILLUSTRATIONS include Greensburg,
Gen. St. Clair’s Monument, View on the Conemaugh with Pennsylvania Railroad.
