While there are many books available that spotlight the communities and history of the original municipalities of Mifflin Township, the Mifflin Township Historical Society is proud to present these books for sale, authored by Society members.
All prices include PA sales tax.
A Collection of Books by Society President Daniel J. Burns
Homestead and the Steel Valley
“Western Pennsylvania is dotted with what are known locally as mill towns, but few of these communities epitomize this definition more than the municipalities of Homestead, West Homestead, and Munhall. Commonly referred to as the Steel Valley, these towns were home to some of the greatest steel-producing operations in the world. As the Mon Valley’s steel production answered the nation’s call during two world wars, so did the workers who unloaded countless barges of coal and fed the mills’ great furnaces that produced the material needed for weapons, armament, and tanks. Workers emigrated from every country in Europe to make their mark in America. Many of these people spoke little or no English and endured long hours of labor in often hazardous conditions. Their families brought with them the traditions of their varied European cultures, filling their communities with ethnic diversity.
Through 200 photographs, “Homestead and the Steel Valley” conveys the proud heritage of three communities and their role in the nation’s history.
Pittsburgh’s
Rivers
Duquesne:
Images of America
Located just 11 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, Duquesne has a history that began when British general Edward Braddock and American colonel George Washington marched through the area and were defeated by the French in 1755. Once a part of Mifflin Township, Duquesne was later named in honor of the French governor general of Canada. Through the 1800s, the area was primarily fertile farmland. After the construction of the Carnegie Steel Mill in 1901, the town became an industrial giant in steel production. Incorporated as a town in 1891, Duquesne became rich in culture, with people from ethnic backgrounds as diverse as the skills they utilized to build the community. By the height of World War II, the Carnegie Steel Company, now the Duquesne Works of United States Steel, employed over ten thousand people.
Through nearly two hundred photographs, this book honors the history of this prosperous town.
Bedford And Its Neighbors
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Daniel
J. Burns is
a Sergeant with the Duquesne Police Department
and serves as the President of the Mifflin
Township Historical Society. Burns has a
degree in journalism and was a high school
English teacher before pursuing a career
in law enforcement. When not working as a
police officer or in a teaching capacity,
Burns’ interests lie in historical
research and documentation. You can visit Dan’s web site at: Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh
• Mary Ann Knochel •
Formally established in 1843, the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh traces its history back to April 1754, when the first Eucharistic Liturgy was celebrated within what is now Pittsburgh. Franciscan friar Denys Baron established the first Catholic house of worship in this part of the world and dedicated it in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He constructed his small parish at the forks of the Ohio River, and from his meticulous records of baptisms, births, and deaths, there is evidence that he ministered not only to the soldiers of Fort Duquesne, but to people of Native American, Irish, and English descent as well. “Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh” illustrates how the seeds planted by this first humble faith community grew a rich Catholic tradition nurtured by émigrés from myriad European countries, who brought with them traditions and an unwavering faith that has enriched the southwestern area of Pennsylvania for more than 250 years.
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A Collection of Books by Society Sponsor Lisa Alzo
Three Slovak Women
Three Slovak Women is a nonfiction account of three generations of Slovak women in the steel-producing town of Duquesne , Pennsylvania and the love and sense of family binding them together. The book opens with Verona Straka, who immigrated to the United States from the tiny village of Milpos, Slovakia in 1922. The first section unfolds with Verona 's journey from her homeland, and then chronicles her arranged marriage to János Figlyar, a hardworking, but stern coal miner/steelworker, whose fondness for alcohol led him to the often violent outbursts of which she was the target. The story then follows Verona 's first-born, her daughter Anna, as she grows up as a first-generation American, fearful of her father and devoted to her mother, and how this influenced the choices she made for her own life. Finally, the book concludes with Verona’s granddaughter, Lisa, showing how the opportunities presented to her differed from those afforded her mother and grandmother, with reflection on family values and traditions of the Slovak culture-honoring those that have been passed down from the previous two generations, while lamenting what has been lost.
Baba’s Kitchen: Slovak & Rusyn
Family Recipes and Traditions
Some of my fondest memories from childhood are the times spent in my Baba’s kitchen. The aromas of fresh bread baking in the oven and chicken soup simmering on the stove, the blending together of voices young and old, and my grandmother in her apron and babushka, provided a warm and welcoming atmosphere for her family.
The kitchen served as the center of the home and as the place where some of life’s most important lessons were taught and learned. Simple principles of generosity, honesty and love. It was also in this kitchen I learned to eat the foods and celebrate the traditions that were central to my Slovak and Rusyn heritage. Paska bread at Easter, Bobalky at Christmas and Halushki every Friday night.
Baba’s Kitchen is a collection of recipes and traditions passed down through the generations in my family. I share them as a tribute to my grandmothers and to Rusyn and Slovak women everywhere who continue to preserve and share their cooking, rituals and traditions.
To order either of the above books, please visit Lisa’s website.
Slovak Pittsburgh
No other city in the United States is home to more Slovaks than Pittsburgh. It is estimated that close to 100,000 Slovak immigrants came to the area in the 1890s looking for work and the chance for a better life. The hills and valleys of this new land reminded newcomers of the farms, forests, and mountains they left behind. They lived in neighborhoods close to their work, forming numerous cluster communities in such places as Braddock, Duquesne, Homestead, Munhall, the North Side, Rankin, and Swissvale. Once settled, Slovak immigrants founded their own churches, schools, fraternal benefit societies, and social clubs. Many of these organizations still enjoy an active presence in Pittsburgh today, serving to pass on the customs and traditions of the Slovak people. Through nearly 200 photographs, “Slovak Pittsburgh” celebrates the lives of those Slovaks who settled in Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania, and the rich heritage that is their legacy.
Pittsburgh’s
Immigrants
Since the mid-1700s, Pittsburgh has welcomed generations of immigrants. This region in southwestern Pennsylvania was once a magnet for European immigrants who carved out livings in steel, iron, glass, and other factories along its famous three rivers. Those immigrants built the city’s ethnic neighborhoods: the Irish North Side, the Polish South Side, the Italian Bloomfield, as well as other immigrant enclaves in smaller cities and towns in the surrounding areas. The diversity of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods symbolizes a city truly rich in history and culture. Many notable Pittsburghers in business, the arts and entertainment, and sports were either immigrants themselves or children of immigrants. “Pittsburgh’s Immigrants” pays tribute to the hardworking men and women who made significant contributions to the growth and development of western Pennsylvania and left a legacy of rich and vibrant ethnic culture that endures to the present day.
For “Pittsburgh’s Immigrants,” Lisa partnered with the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, which serves the dynamic and diverse needs of people living in western Pennsylvania.
To order your copy of “Pittsburgh’s Immigrants,” use the link below.
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Lisa
A. Alzo, a long-time member and
proud Mifflin Township Historical Society
sponsor, is a freelance writer, instructor,
and lecturer. She is also a published author
of books and magazine articles related to
immigrant history. You can also read Lisa’s blog at:Homestead & Mifflin
Township: Postcard History
• Jim Hartman •
Homestead
and Mifflin Township shows an era of days gone
by through the medium of postcards. Mifflin Township
was one of the seven original townships when Allegheny
County was formed, and it covered the Monongahela River
as well as the present-day communities of Clairton, Duquesne,
Dravosburg, Hays, Homestead, Jefferson Hills, Lincoln
Place, Munhall, Pleasant Hills, West Elizabeth, West
Homestead, West Mifflin, and Whitaker. The original Mifflin
Township ran along the Monongahela River from Hays (Six
Mile Ferry) to present-day West Elizabeth. The area began
as a quiet farming community in the 1850s but had become
a great industrial steel giant by the dawn of the 20th
century. Local steel mills produced vast quantities of
rail, structural steel, and armaments for both world
wars. This collection shows Homestead and Mifflin Township’s
industrial achievements, architecture, and places of
entertainment.
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Jim
Hartman, board member and one of
the founding fathers of the Mifflin Township
Historical Society, assembled this collection
into a memorable book from the society’s
archives and from the collections of many
friends of the society.