- Last Updated on Saturday, 28 May 2016 16:17
Spring Cement City Home and Walking Tour…Another Sellout!
An absolutely gorgeous 72-degree day welcomed 35 guests for the first of our two 2016 Cement City Home and Walking Tours on Sunday, April 24.
This is our sixth year in hosting these tours and promoting history and tourism in Donora. The walkers came from all over southwestern Pennsylvania. The tour started at the museum with a photo presentation on Donora’s National Historic District – Thomas Edison’s Cement City from 1916 and 1917. A walking tour followed in the Historic District to point out various architectural details and concluded by going into three Cement City homes to point out interior details with rooms restored to period. Light refreshments were served and a good time was had by all.
Not only was this tour a sellout, but we are already accumulating a waiting RSVP list for our next tour on Sunday, October 2nd at 1 p.m. The Steelers play a night game on this date. This tour is already 70% full, so if you have any interest, you should RSVP by phone or email ASAP. If you have any questions about Cement City or one of our Home and Walking Tours, please consult our website and click the “Cement City” tab.
Donora Baseball Featured In Rotating Exhibit
Donora baseball is featured in our rotating exhibit that greets visitors at the entrance of the Smog Museum. Donora has a rich history that predates even Ken Griffey Sr., Stan “The Man” Musial, and the town of Donora itself. A photo from Watkins General Store that was situated in West Columbia, the village that preceded the town of Donora, is part of the display that shows young men before a sandlot game.
Another is a three foot panoramic photo of the two teams that faced each other on opening day in 1911 in Brooklyn, New York -- the Boston Braves and Brooklyn Superbas (the team name before the Dodgers.) The picture not only features two future Hall of Famers, but Donora’s first major leaguer, Bob Coulson, who played for the Superbas. There are other photos, and if you like baseball history, this is a “must-see” museum display.
Game Films – Monongahela Football and Basketball
Amongst the many items that the Donora Historical Society has in its collection are over 80 reels of football and basketball game film of high school teams from all over the Mon Valley from 1963 to 1979. They are original 16mm films that are in the process of being converted to DVD. We are attempting to gauge interest on who might be interested in having these films converted and purchase copies either by individual player, team or fan.
Monongahela High School has at least one game for the following seasons: ‘64-’65, ‘65-’66, ‘66-’67, ‘67-’68, and ‘68-’69. The years of ‘66-’67, ‘67-’68 and ‘68-’69 are nearly full seasons. There is also one basketball game between Monongahela and the newly formed Belle Vernon High School from 1966.
If you have any interest or have questions on exactly which games we have, please consult the Historical Society by voice mail or email listed below, or see the full list of games on the website under the “Game Films” tab.
Additional Info
If you have additional questions about the subjects mentioned above, the society, museum, meetings, or volunteering, feel free to stop by, email us at: DonoraHistoricalSociety@gmail.com, or call 724-823-0364 and leave a message or visit us on the web at www.DonoraHistoricalSociety.org.
