May 7, 2006 By Patty Yauger 5 min read

CONNELLSVILLE – A family seeking closure to the horrific, but heroic death of an ancestor, found solace Saturday as the city paid tribute to their loved one. During a ceremony held at the same location Francesco Stirone lost his life in 1911, a marker was dedicated by his family, city and county officials and several members of the community.

“It is so wonderful,” said Frank Stirone, the grandson of the honoree, as tears welled in his eyes.

Approximately 20 descendants of the Francesco Stirone family, from the Pittsburgh area and central Pennsylvania, attended the ceremony, with some, said Rick Stirone, only recently coming to know the bravery exhibited by his great-grandfather.

“As I’ve grown older, I’ve lost track of my family history,” said Rick Stirone. “We now know the story of a man we never met.”

Francesco Stirone had left his Trotter home on a cold January morning to go to Connellsville. His journey took him to the McCrory’s Five and Ten-Cent Store to look at postcards.

The store, located at the corner of North Pittsburgh and Apple streets, had brought together an array of merchandise under one roof and was a popular place to shop, according to Dr. David Geary, historian and former Connellsville resident.

“No longer were shoppers forced to go to specialty shops, but they could now shop for many things in one store,” said Geary. “Quality was good, and prices were low.”

About 10 a.m., an explosion inside the store sent a piano player that had been rendering music to shop by, through its front windows as beams dropped from the ceiling and shelves and counters overturned.

The blast blew down main electric and telephone lines along North Pittsburgh Street and caused the glass windows to break at the Aaron’s Furniture Store located across the street, said Geary.

While some escaped, many store workers and customers were trapped and chaos ensued as rescuers tried to get them from the now burning building.

Francesco Stirone was seen bringing out one young girl and then going back into the building to help save those unable to help themselves. However, he, too, became a casualty.

Five were killed in the explosion and 29 were injured, according to Geary.

Francesco Stirone had come to the United States from his native Italy in 1905 seeking the American dream. At the time, the region was producing more than 20 million tons of coke annually and many immigrants, like Stirone, sought jobs in the area mines. Connellsville was flourishing at the turn of the century, said Geary.

“It was a time when work in the coal fields was seen as more important than education,” he said. “Work paid money. Education didn’t.

“The local economy was booming; even middle-income families in Connellsville were building homes with upstairs rooms equipped with electric buzzers to summon help only the rich could do before.”

It was Geary and his cousin, William Morris, of Connellsville, who were able to supply the missing puzzle piece to Stirone’s family concerning his demise, said Mary Harrill, Francesco Stirone’s greatgranddaughter.

“I have been an amateur genealogist for years,” said Harrill. “I had most of the information about my great-grandfather, but I was looking for more details concerning the explosion.”

She tapped the resources of a local Internet discussion board and received a response from Geary.

“I knew about the fire from writing my master’s thesis,” said Geary of possessing knowledge of the blaze.

The two shared their respective information and along with Morris, the Stirone story was documented.

The story, said Councilman Terry Bodes, piqued his interest.

“I love Connellsville history and this is such a compelling story,” he said.

After exchanges with Harrill, Geary and Morris, Bodes determined the Italian hero should be remembered and began a campaign to purchase a marker and have it installed where Stirone lost his life saving others.

Bodes said he petitioned the city’s Italian community, including the Christian Mothers of St. Rita’s R.C. Church, the Holy Name Society, the Vito Martucci Funeral Home, Sons of Italy, Sons of Columbus, Italian Independent Club and attorney Carmine V. Molinaro Jr. for financial assistance in purchasing the plaque and all agreed to help.

“Everyone was very generous,” he said, adding that the Stirone family also contributed to the effort.

The City Church and its pastor, the Rev. Brian Higbee, who now owns the property where the store once stood, agreed to allow the marker to be installed at the site and host a reception for Saturday’s event.

Bodes, meanwhile, said the city and its leaders should be inspired by the act of courage exhibited by Francesco Stirone when he ventured to America and the fateful January morning when he lost his life.

“He never turned back. He never stopped,” said Bodes. “(The city) cannot quit. We need to recognize and embrace our history.

“In this year of our bicentennial, we must not only celebrate our past history, but we must also look to the future.”

Others taking part in the ceremony included The Molinaro Band, Fayette County Commissioner Vincent A. Vicites, city Mayor Judy Reed, the Rev. Frank Lesniowski and author Ceane O’Hanlon-Lincoln.