Hard Times on the Iron Rails In the mid-1870s, life for American railroad workers was harsh. The country was mired in a severe economic depression following the Panic of 1873, often called the Long Depression. Businesses were failing by the thousands, unemployment was high, and those who still had jobs saw their wages dropping. The…

Italian Roots in Bloomfield (Early 1900s) Bloomfield, a neighborhood just three miles east of downtown Pittsburgh, earned the nickname “Pittsburgh’s Little Italy” thanks to a wave of Italian immigration in the early 20th century. While the area was initially settled by German Catholic immigrants (who built St. Joseph’s Church in 1886), Italians from villages in…

A Roadside Beacon in Butler County’s History In the rolling hills of Butler County, along the old north-south corridor of Route 8, stands the Beacon Hotel – a tavern and roadhouse that has watched a century of local history unfold. Established around 1929 and family-run ever since , the Beacon Hotel earned its name by…

Frontier Fort at the Forks of the Ohio In the mid-18th century, three mighty rivers meet at a point of land in what is now downtown Pittsburgh. This strategic “Forks of the Ohio” was the prize in a global conflict between empires – the French and Indian War (1754–1763). After wresting control from the French…

In Pittsburgh’s Hill District, history lives on every corner – in the echoes of jazz that once poured from basement clubs, in the memories of civil rights battles, and in the resilient spirit of its people. Nestled just above Downtown Pittsburgh’s “Golden Triangle,” the Hill District rose to prominence in the early 20th century as…

In the early 20th century, America’s love affair with the amusement park was at its peak – by 1919, there were between 1,500 and 2,000 amusement parks operating across the United States . Pittsburgh was no exception. In fact, Pennsylvania was once home to nearly 150 amusement parks that eventually closed , and the Pittsburgh…