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Let’s Talk Connellsville

9 min read

By William Balsley and Karen Hechler For the Herald-Standard

Planning a celebration to commemorate a city’s bicentennial is a major undertaking. I’ve been attending most of the meetings of the Connellsville Bicentennial Committee and know much of the behind the scenes discussions and work involved in planning events that will honor our local history as well as attract people with multiple interests. You must have the traditional parade, souvenirs, musical events, pageants, commemorative booklets, etc. Other celebrations that have been generated by this committee include the Geranium Festival (Memorial Day weekend), which hopefully will become an annual event, and the re-enactment of Braddock’s Army crossing the Youghiogheny River (June 25-26) as part of the War for Empire celebration and Connellsville’s part in the French and Indian War.

Not only does the committee have to plan the events that will attract people to our celebration, but much time and effort has to go into raising money to finance these expensive activities. Fund-raising cannot be avoided. Monetary prizes are necessary to attract groups to participate in a parade, pay for publishing pamphlets, publicizing the activities along with many other expenses.

The committee working on the bicentennial celebration is a small but dedicated group facing a major responsibility of planning events and remembrances that will be enjoyed and saved for years to come. Stories and booklets will be passed on to future citizens of Connellsville.

One of the most important results from the centennial of Connellsville was the writing and publishing of the Centennial History of the Borough of Connellsville, 1806-1906. It has been reprinted by the Connellsville Area Historical Society and continues to be a major source of historical research on Connellsville’s early years. We are fortunate to have this fine history prepared by a committee of outstanding Connellsville citizens. I wonder if they had any idea of the far-reaching effects their efforts would enjoy for years to come. They had the foresight to include a chapter on what happened during the centennial celebration.

The celebration for the centennial took place from August 14-17, 1906. A quote from the centennial history was, “Those four days mark the greatest event in the history of Connellsville, and while not as lasting as the coke which made Connellsville’s name famous, they will long be remembered by her citizens. All historic paths in Connellsville lead to the great Centennial.”

The idea for the centennial celebration began in the fall of 1905, and the first meeting to consider the details took place on Jan. 9, 1906. According to the centennial history, the meetings were generally full of enthusiasm, but there were other moments of apathy. This sounds so familiar; it must be a common occurrence with any group planning a big event.

There were difficulties deciding on a date for the events. I remember our recent discussions concerning dates for our bicentennial. We decided to spread the events throughout the bicentennial year rather that all events happening within a four days period. One big discussion revolved around the bicentennial parade. It was decided to hold the parade in the spring of 2006, while the schools are still in session so that there will be band representation from the local schools as well as from surrounding colleges. Looking at the parade participants in 1906, there must have been more community bands in those days. And what is a parade without lots of marching bands? So we decided to have our parade during the time when marching bands are available.

The Centennial Association was formed with officers that sounded like Who’s Who in Connellsville in 1906. There were 38 names mentioned in the centennial history of the officers and committee chairmen alone. Among all the names mentioned, there were no women as officers in 1906. I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of interested and involved people.

The city must have looked beautiful for the centennial. Every business was decorated with bunting and flags. The private citizens also decorated their homes. There is a picture in the centennial history of the J.M. Gray residence attired in decorations for the big event. On one of the streets there were large white arches that were bright with flags during the day and lighted with white electric lights at nights. That must have been something in 1906. We know that people had electricity in their homes by that time, but not of the magnitude of today. The high point of the decorations was the monster coal and coke arch of the H.C. Frick Coke Co. that was erected at the corner of Main (Crawford Avenue) and Pittsburgh Streets. The three local coke plants: Trotter, Leisenring No. 1, and Davidson, contributed the coal and coke used in the construction of the arch. The arch was illuminated with 657 lights and cost more than $10,000. Of all the images from the 1906 celebration, the coal and coke arch is the one that has lasted the longest time. I wonder what will be the defining image of the 2006 celebration?

There was an information booth near the arch so that visitors to our town would be able to find their way around. The visiting newspapermen, including those from Pittsburgh, were cared for in a pressroom located in the Smith House, a fine hostel, where they had access to typewriters and other necessities. This was taken care of by the Press Committee.

Police protection was provided even though the crowds were quite orderly. The centennial history stated that there were very few arrests. The West Penn Railway Co. also had a full force of special officers on the cars at all time and, “…detectives from Pittsburgh kept a watch for crooks and pickpockets.”

Also on display was “Old Maude”, a No. 2400 railroad engine of the Mallet type. This attraction was provided by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad at considerable expense. This engine was the largest engine in the United States and had been one of the featured exhibits by the railroad at the St. Louis Exposition in 1904 (this was the exposition honoring the 100th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark Exposition). Connellsville, in the early 20th century, was a major railroad hub. The 1906 history stated that “Old Maude” was really two engines in one and was used on the Connellsville division as a helper between Rockwood (my home town) and Sand Patch. (I had to include this because my father, Melvin Hechler, was a railroader and often talked about Sand Patch). The engine was decorated and placed on a siding near the railroad depot. It was teamed with a locomotive of the past so that the modern people of 1906 could see how far the world had come in improving railroad power.

On top of these exhibits, there was a museum located in the old Pennsylvania Railroad station on Pittsburgh Street. This display included historic items from pioneer families of Connellsville. The ladies of the Museum Committee took care of the displays. So we find out that women, although not officers in the organization, were involved. Thousands of people visited the displays.

Even the gravesite of Connellsville’s founder, Zachariah Connell, was spruced up for the occasion. It has been neglected for years, but the weeds were pulled, and a fence was place around the family burial grounds, and a tombstone was placed on the grave.

The first day, Aug. 14, 1906, was mainly taken up with speeches and musical presentations. The trains and streetcars coming into Connellsville were crowded with visitors. Many people returned home to Connellsville for the celebration. It was very much a “home coming” event. The actual opening of festivities began at 10 a.m. with speeches followed by several hundred school children singing patriotic songs as they were arranged as a living American flag. The music was provided by the Connellsville Military Band. In the afternoon there was a reunion of the “old timers” at the Carnegie Library. An automobile parade of about 100 cars took place also.

On the first evening, the lights on the wooden arches, the coal and coke arch, and in private homes were turned on, and the display of electricity was considered one of the finest in western Pennsylvania. There were band concerts and a carnival to entertain the visitors. So many people were in Connellsville that the hotels could not accommodate everyone so some people had to go to Uniontown and Scottdale for rooms.

The second day was directed by the Centennial Association, and the high spot of the day was the parade. The parade was more than one mile long starting on the South Side. There were 100 horses in the parade from the Davidson works alone. All the participants are listed in the 1906 history. About 25,000 people saw the parade which lasted from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The third day was “Merchant Day” and the Connellsville and New Haven Merchants’ Association was in charge. The big event in the morning was the parade. There were carriages and floats representing businesses in Greensburg, Uniontown, Normalville, Connellsville, New Haven, and even Douglas Business College.

There was a huge ox roast in the afternoon that was attended by 15,000 people in the grove on the Hogg Addition. The lunch was free to all. There was even a drawing for a free lot in Connellsville based on coupons given out by merchants.

The fourth day was quiet with some morning speeches, and a huge fireworks display to culminate the centennial festivities.

The 1906 Centennial Association left huge shoes to fill in planning the 2006 celebration. I realize that economically things were very different 100 years ago. Our emphasis will not be on the same industries as in the past. But our responsibility is to provide an entertaining, informative look at our city, our history, and what we hope for our future. More citizens have to volunteer their time and talents to help this Bicentennial Committee provide a celebration commemorating Connellsville so that in the future, researchers, like myself, will look back and be amazed at what was accomplished in 2005-2006 as plans are made for our bicentennial. It’s not going to happen without a lot of workers and a lot of effort. What will be the defining image of the 2006 celebration? Will there be a lasting and useful tool for future historians like the 1906 centennial history has been for us? Let’s hope so!

Your comments about or submissions to this column are welcome. Please send them to Pete Skirchak, Connellsville Editor, 160 W. Crawford Ave., Connellsville, PA 15425 or e-mail: pskirchak@heraldstandard.com.

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