McKees Rocks and Stowe Township

by Arcadia Publishing

Overview

McKees Rocks and Stowe Township, just downriver from the Point of Pittsburgh, contributed significantly to the growth of steel and transportation in western Pennsylvania.

In 1888, the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, known as the ""Little Giant,"" built a 100-acre maintenance facility in McKees Rocks, igniting the spark to the region's massive industrial, business, and population explosion. By 1910, the population soared to 15,000, fueled by the rapid influx of nearly 6,000 immigrants. A landmark event in labor history occurred in July 1909, when 5,000 foreign workers, representing 16 different nationalities, waged a long and bloody strike against the Pressed Steel Car Company. McKees Rocks and Stowe Township showcases a region whose diverse history includes the largest Native American mound in Pennsylvania, visits by George Washington, floods, and even Al Capone. Today a rich mix of ethnic cultures still flavors the local neighborhoods, and the accomplishments of homegrown businessmen, musicians, clergy, athletes, public servants, artists, and educators are recognized and respected throughout western Pennsylvania and beyond.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738564715
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	06/15/2009
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	1,022,791
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Bernadette Sulzer Agreen is an amateur genealogist, local historian, and freelance writer. The McKees Rocks Historical Society was formed in December 2007 to promote and preserve the history of McKees Rocks and Stowe Township.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 Sacred Ground and Famous Footsteps 9

2 A Railroad Builds a Town 13

3 Coming to America 19

4 Early Days 27

5 Neighborhood Views 39

6 Town on the Move 59

7 Rising Waters 75

8 Changing Scenes 83

9 Learn and Worship 89

10 Remembering Faces and Places 107

About the McKees Rocks Historical Society 127

Editorial Reviews

Title: Images of America: McKees and Stowe History Come Alive
Author: Staff Writer
Publisher: Allegheny West Magazine
Date: July 2009

Thanks to the passion of Bernadette Sulzer Agreen, a former high school Spanish teacher and long-time systems analyst for Mellon Bank, the McKees Rocks Historical Society now has its history documented in a new book, "Images of America: McKees Rocks and Stowe Township."

One of a series in the popular collection of history books published by Arcadia Publishing and written by local authors, the story of McKees Rocks and Stowe Township took root because of Bernadette's interest in genealogy. She attended St. Mary's School and lived in McKees Rocks until she was ten years old.

Having foreign-born grandparents, she grew up hearing German and Slovak at family gatherings. It was her interest in genealogy that motivated her decade-long research and visit to her ancestral German village in presentday Hungary in 2007.

Having her book published in 2009 is noteworthy to Bernadette for two reasons. First, it is the 100th anniversary of the pressed steel car strike, a landmark event in labor history in the United States. Second, it marks the 100th anniversary of her grandfather John Sulzer's arrival in McKees Rocks from Austria-Hungary.

Highlights of the new book include the McKees Rocks Strike of 1909 between the Pressed Steel Car Company and its workers, the Rox Ice Arena and the Rox Rangers (later known as the Rooney Rangers), the largest Native American Mound in Western Pennsylvania, and why merchants and borough leaders raised the street level five to eight feet for a half-mile stretch of the main business thoroughfare.

When Bernadette started the process to compile the book, there was no organized collection of photos or historical items available. So, the McKees Rocks Historical Society was formed in December 2007, which allowed her to be put in contact with other local history enthusiasts and collectors from which she could draw information and photos for the book.

In return, Bernadette wishes that the proceeds of the book benefit the McKees Rocks Historical Society, which will enable the group to continue its efforts of collecting, preserving, and exhibiting its archival collection for the benefit of the community and its future generations.

From the Publisher