Did you know?
Back on May 15, 1970, a local newspaper carried a front-page story about the progress being made for the “New Laurel Shopping Mall,” that was under construction across the road from the Connellsville Airport on Route 119.
It was reported that “thousands of pine trees” had been leveled and cleared to make way for the 350,000 square foot shopping complex.
One of the people who showed up to get a firsthand look at the construction work taking place knew a lot about working in wide open spaces – golfer Arnold Palmer.
Palmer, who was one of the owners of Laurel Development Co., had flown his private jet to the Connellsville Airport, and he, along with a number of local businessmen, were pictured at the work site.
Palmer’s visit to Fayette County as an entrepreneur came between his participation in the U.S. Masters tournament in April and the U.S. Open in June of 1970.
Of course, two other internationally famed golfers have had Fayette County ties.
Former Uniontown resident, Jim Furyk, who won the 2003 U.S. Open, and Sam Parks, Jr., who was once served as the golf pro at the Summit Hotel golf course, won the U.S. Open in 1935.
On this date in 1955, there was a story on the front page of the Uniontown Morning Herald that referred to a structure on the Fayette County Courthouse lawn as “dilapidated,” “unsightly,” and worse, an “obnoxious eyesore.”
According to the story, “Unless some unforeseen obstacle crops up, Uniontown soon will be rid of one of its most obnoxious eyesores.”
What was the source of such unfavorable comments? The Honor Roll that had been erected to honor Uniontown’s WWII veterans.
Attorney Anthony Cavalcante, who was the president of the United War Veterans Association of Uniontown, presented a resolution to the County Commissioners which called for the removal of the crumbling Honor Roll.
It was noted that the “Honor Roll has received severe criticism from Uniontown residents for some time.”
It was reported that the mayor of Uniontown made another proposal.
“Uniontown Mayor J. Watson Sembower expressed the opinion that an appropriate monument honoring the city’s servicemen should be erected on the triangular plot of ground at the Five Points West intersection. He also stated that the monument should be substantial in construction, possibly of stone.”
That’s just about what would happen in a few years.
There was a time, though, that another of Uniontown’s chief executives, Burgess Bob Warman, took a highly controversial set of actions.
“Warman taboos carnival music,” read a headline on the front page of the Morning Herald, nearly one hundred years ago today. (July 29, 1914)
“Prohibits Band From Giving Concert in City – Members of Hose Co. Bitter Towards Burgess,” said the sub-headline.
It was reported that Burgess Warman had strong objections to the carnival music being played within city limits, even though the carnival was performing under the auspices of the city’s volunteer fire department.
“He refused yesterday to allow the fire fighters to bring the carnival band into Uniontown for a parade and concert in Main Street last evening. The firemen are infuriated,” read the story.
“Whether Warman’s animosity is directed toward the local boys who risk their lives to fight the fires without pay or whether he is peeved because there is a carnival, he will not say,” it was reported.
There is an indication that many people in the community were siding with the carnival and the firemen – The Keystone Hose Company.
“Last night the crowds at the carnival were twice those of the opening night. A noticeable feature was the large number of women and children of prominent families there,” according to the story.
On July 27, 1956, the Morning Herald carried the front-page headline that said “Local Woman Reported Hurt in Sea Collision.”
The Italian ocean liner, the Andrea Doria, had been involved in one of worst maritime disasters in history just two days earlier.
A Swedish American Line ship collided with the Andrea Doria near Nantucket, Mass., causing the death of 52 people.
One of the survivors, though, was Uniontown’s Mrs. Sullivan (Angeline) Grego of Short Street.
“The 47 year-old Mrs. Grego was among the first survivors to arrive in New York City yesterday,” it was reported.
The next day it was reported that Mrs. Grego was in satisfactory condition at St. Claire Hospital in New York, and that she was showing signs of recovering from a back injury.