WESTMORELAND  COUNTY, PA 

The history of Westmoreland County, PA, is recalled through a mixture of colorful tales and factual data in this NEW 33-Page Booklet, reprinted primarily from  four hard-to-find vintage books. The spiral-bound booklet has the print size adjusted to fit 8 1/2 x 11 paper. A vinyl sheet protects the front cover.

Source books include: Historical Collections of the State of Pennsylvania (1843) by Sherman Day; An Illustrated History of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (1876) by William Egle, M.D.; Pennsylvania, a Guide to the Keystone State compiled by WPA writers; and My Pennsylvania, a 1946 project of the Bureau of  Publications, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. (Some Information may be repeated in various excerpts, but often with a different slant or with additional details.)

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 years, while excerpts from the WPA book, give a nostalgic glimpse from a 1940 vantage point, including interesting historical notes relating to sightseeing possibilities. The recently added excerpt from the fourth book includes a 1940s map of the county, several photos and a concise update of the county's progress as it looked shortly after World War II.

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.

Wouldn't this make a unique gift?