HISTORY OF MAHONING PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania 1798-2019


Book Description

This work includes a thorough history of this frontier congregation that began worshiping there in 1798, and originally known as Tent Church and Tent Hall (because they worshipped in a tent). Located very near the Ohio border, the Mahoning Church has been in continuous operation for over 220 years! Originally formed as an Associate Presbyterian, the book follows the congregation's journey through various denominations over its long history. The compilation follows the lives of its preachers and congregants. Extensively sourced, it also contains historical church records of baptisms from the early 1800s, and burials in the adjacent cemetery from 1811. The cemetery was first referred to as McBride's Hill and Tent Hall and is the final resting place for at least four Revolutionary War Soldiers. A beautifully written memoir of Daisy Crespi, a student from the old Tent Hall School, also forms a part of this comprehensive work. The old Tent Hall School, established around 1808, stood for years on the church property and photos of various classes are included. A must for any genealogist researching early Mercer County and Lawrence County, Pennsylvania ancestors, as well as those in neighboring Lowellville and Poland, OH.
















Ellwood City


Book Description

Ellwood City was the concept of 19th-century entrepreneur Henry W. Hartman. In 1889, he formed the Pittsburgh Company to create a town south of the Connoquenessing Creek near the village of Hazel Dell. Local farm properties were purchased, and the town quickly began to take shape. Along with houses, the first major building was the Hotel Oliver. The Ellwood Short Line and later the Beaver and Ellwood Railroads were built to meet the demands of the growing steel industry. In 1891, the Ellwood Shafting and Tube Company was founded, producing the first seamless steel tubing and establishing Ellwood City as the "birthplace of the seamless tube industry." Mills, financial institutions, stores, schools, churches, civic organizations, and building trades thrived as construction in the new town grew.




Forgotten Honor


Book Description

"On May 10, 1970, Sgt. Leslie Halasz Sabo Jr., was killed in Cambodia during the Vietnam War. His fellow soldiers immediately recommended him for the U.S. military's highest decoration for combat valor, the Medal of Honor. However, the records of his heroism were lost for nearly 30 years in a bureaucratic snafu that kept even his friends and family back home in Ellwood City, Pa., from knowing of Sabo's courageous acts. Now, finally, Sabo's story is being told, and the United States is on the verge of recognizing a long-forgotten hero. Forgotten Honor explores not only the story of Sabo's combat feats, but also the unique bonds that link Vietnam veterans and the power of sacrifice."--Cover.







New Castle and Mahoningtown


Book Description

Founded in 1798, New Castle was a small borough located at the confluence of the Shenango River and Neshannock Creek. Mahoningtown, a small borough located just south of New Castle, was a thriving community founded in 1836. The two towns boasted flourishing industries, and in 1896, a trolley line was created to run between them. In 1898, Mahoningtown officially became the seventh ward of New Castle. By that time, New Castle was a third-class city, and railroads and steel were the area's major industries. Eventually many important products were manufactured here, including both Castleton and Shenango China, which were used in the White House. New Castle became known first as the tinplate capital of the world and, later, as the fireworks capital of the world. The stunning postcards featured in New Castle and Mahoningtown document the fusion of these two communities. Among the memorable views are the diverse scenery and amusements of Cascade Park and the parade for baseball manager Chuck Tanner, who led the Pittsburgh Pirates to their fifth World Series.