“People tend to forget that the word ‘history’ contains the word ’story’ (Ken Burns). Situated in the southwest corner of Pennsylvania, along the Monongahela River, California, Pennsylvania has many stories to tell.
According to records found at the California Historical Society, the town itself was officially named California in 1849 by Miss Elizabeth Wilkins of Greenfield (now Coal Center). However, before then it had been named Columbia and Sagamore (in memory of the Indian Chief). California officially became a borough on November 26, 1853 and shortly thereafter began assuming all the duties of a borough. A town that has it’s beginnings before the start of the Civil War is bound to have a rich history. California boasts some of the oldest and most unique homes and businesses in the area.
Take for example, the California Public Library. It is actually housed in a genuine train station, with a genuine caboose displayed on the lawn. According to an article published in the California Focus, in 1881 when the Pittsburgh, Virginia, and Charleston Railroad was completed trains ran through California everyday from Pittsburgh, and made as many as 25 scheduled stops. These trains carried both passengers and baggage. Local woman Pat Cowan said that she remembered her mother taking the train to Roscoe and Brownsville. When the Pennsylvania Railroad ceased its passenger service in the 1950’s, the building stood empty until 1958 when the California Public Library decided to rent it for a sum of $10 per month.
On the library website, www.calpublib.com, on July 18, 1979, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission notified the mayor of California that the train station, and essentially the library, had earned its spot in the National Register of Historic Places. Although the train no longer stops to take a rest or take up passengers at the station, they can still be heard whistling and rumbling past on the same tracks various times throughout the day.
Today the library is very much different than it was many years ago. In keeping up with modern times, the library has gone to a computerized system. They now have programs such as preschool story hour, the Toddler Patch, teens and elementary summer reading club, and they even had a Harry Potter program last year. If you wish to visit the library and concept the interior, you can call (724)938-2907 or log on to www.calpublib.org to inspect the hours of operation.
There is much history surrounding the library, but if you take a quick trip a few blocks down you will find a much more interesting story.
At Third Street and Boro Way you will uncover a large chunk of California history. Here is where you will find the California Union Memorial Park. This is actually a cemetery, but is definitely not your stereotypical one. What is so unusual about this cemetery? It is the only cemetery to have its tombstones not buried in the ground, but instead have them plastered to two 60 foot concrete retaining walls near the graves used to be.
The reason behind this distinctive memorial is rather simple in explanation. According to an article published in the Herald Standard for the dedication ceremony, in 1958 area law allowed the stones to be removed from the cemetery because there was not enough funding for the cemetery’s upkeep. A memorial was made and included the names of over 100 people who were buried there.
In 1995, students of California University decided they wanted to bid the old stones and find the one that belonged to Job Johnson, one of California’s founders. Three veterans of the war of 1812 are buried there as well as 35 Civil War soldiers.
On Saturday September 24, 2005 citizens and organizations gathered at a ceremony to dedicate the walls. In an article written by Jenny Susa for the Herald Standard on September 25, 2005 about the ceremony, Mary Beth Graf, president of the California Region Historical Society said “Many of you descended from the people who first cherished this property and buried their loved ones here.” It may be possible that some of your ancestors may have been buried there, or lived in California at one point in time.
If you wish to check if any of your ancestors are buried there, or discover who you are and where you came from, the best place to go is just a few short blocks away. According to Cowan, the California Area Historical Society is the only dwelling that carries a colossal array of records, including church records, which include birth, marriage, and death records. They also have the history of Washington, Green, Fayette, and Tem Mile Township history. They keep the regimental history of the Civil War, military history, local history for towns such as Daisytown and Roscoe, and they even have a few old yearbooks as well. Cowan said, “Our goal is simply to preserve the history of California.”
The Historical Society is located on the corner of Fifth and Wood Streets inside another building that is an important part of California’s history, the Gallagher House.
According to literature keep out by the California Region Historical Society, the Gallagher House was built in 1903 by Johnathan Winnett Jennings, A Methodist minister. It was owned by the Jennings family until 1919 when Margaret Jennings deeded it to Charles McCormick. Not long after, a local merchant named Louis Kotler bought the property and lived there until 1930 when the Gallagher family obtained the home. In 1993 his descendants kindly donated the property and it became the Historical Society.
At the Historical Society you will find either Mary Beth Graf or Pat Cowen among the records. Pat Cowen is more than respectable to succor in your search, being born and raised in California herself. She can tell you all about the changes she has seen in California during her 75 years residing there. She even attended the college, before it was California University, when it was still the State Teacher College.
Even if you don’t want to look into the past, you can tour the Gallagher House during normal business hours. By calling Mary Beth or Pat you can find out the hours or set up your tour. The number for the Historical Society is (724)938-3250.
California may not be rich in money or population, but there is definitely many stories to be told, and a deep history just waiting to be dug up and peeled away fair like the old stones in the Union Park.
Genealogy Records for the San Francisco Bay Area are now Online
