Last Updated: 13-JUL-2020
Written by Luella R. Frazier 1966 - (Luella R. Frazier Born in Pittsburgh - 04-SEP-1907 Died - 01-JUL-1977 from a heart seizure) - Luella lived in New Kensington from 1941 to 1977
History records that in 1669-70 Robert Chevalier DeLaSalle and his voyagers came gliding down the Allegheny on a journey which he believed might lead him to China. The explorer was but 26 years old. One wonders what he might have said to his aids as the expedition passed the stone wall which is now New Kensington. Surely he must have asked some question about the great wide valley of Pucketos Creek. Perhaps the party may have encamped here and made minor explorations.
Certainly the are was in that day totally uninhabited by the white man. It was the Indian's hunting ground -- forest primeval. Woodlands full of wild animals, streams full of fish.
Before the formation of Westmoreland County, all the vast regions of this continent were, according to the system of the English Government, the property of the English King, to do with as he pleased. To satisfy a debt oweing from the Crown to Admiral William Penn, a donation of the tract now commonly known as Pennsylvania was granted to William Penn, son and heir to the creditor, a Quaker in religion, and a favorite in the Court of Charles II.
Governor Penn proposed to purchase, from the Indians, all of their titles to the occupancy of the land. By treaty with the Five Nations, in 1736, all land within the boundaries of Penn's territories were claimed to have been purchased. This treaty was supplanted by another made in Albany in 1754, when the Indians of the Five Nations (later six) conveyed to the Penn's, all the "lands westward to the setting of the sun". The Five Nations were the tribes of the Mohawks, the Oneidas, the Cayugas, the Onondagas and the Senecas (later they admitted the Tuscaroras to their Nations). With the influence of the French, the Indians claimed that they did not understand the limits of the purchase, and that the lands were conveyed which did not belong to the tribes making the conveyance, giving rise to further disputes. Despite these disagreements, the colony grew and flourished for more than 60 years under wise policies instituted by Penn, and carried out by his successors. But as yet all settlements were confined to the east of the Susquehanna, and the Indians still held northwestern Pennsylvania.
Through many causes the Indians who claimed these western parts were, before the middle of the century (1750) confined to their reservation on the Ohio River, a name which embraced the river we now call "Allegheny".
The French used their influence to represent themselves as the only true friends of the Indians. This caused much enmity between the tribes for the advantage of the French King and the harassment of the white settlers.
During the Revolutionary War the Penn's sided with the Crown and against the colonies. On the 28th of June, 1779, the Divesting Act was passed by the Continental Congress, and by this Act, all Tories were stripped of their land titles and the titles were vested in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Accordingly, all titles to proprietorial lands within these bounds are traceable to the State, and are not of an earlier date the year 1779.
Cumberland County was erected in 1750, and from it Bedford County was constituted March 9, 1771. With the opening of the land offices, the flood gates were open for the invasion of the white race into the wilderness and the woods of Western Pennsylvania. The land was priced at 5 pounds sterling per 100 acres and one penny quit-rent per annum. The settlers were mostly second generation Scotch-Irish and Germans. They settled along the rivers, feeling that this land would quickly grow in value. With this growth came the settlement of Westmoreland County, named for a town in England which was similar to our County in topography. Westmoreland was legislatively established on the 6th of February, 1773.
Westmoreland County began its civil existence as the eleventh of the original provincial counties and was the last one erected under the hereditary proprietaries and under the reigh of the English Law. The territory included in Westmoreland embraced all the southwestern part of Pennsylvania. The authorities did not feel safe in taking in any territory west of Fort Pitt on the Ohio River, nor did they feel safe about the western boundary, for the Mason and Dixon line had not been completed farther west than the western part of Maryland. Virginia claimed all territory in Pennsylvania west of the mountains. It was Penn's hope to assert their claims as against those of Virginia.
Arthur St. Clair was the Penn's representative in this western area. He vigilantly watched their interests here. He saw the need for a county west of the Allegheny Mountains and petitioned that Bedford was too remote to spread and civil government over this section. An element of trappers and hunters had moved into these parts who flaunted what laws there were.
St. Clair was appointed prothonotary and clerk of the courts of the new County. His education, military service and prominence, made him the most distinguished man of the west at this time. Though he had been educated in England and was an English Army Office, there was not the least danger of his becoming a Tory. On the contrary, he had the most radical views on the impending difficulty between Great Britain and the Colonies. His espousal of the American cause was one of the most independent and significant acts of his eventful life. At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War St. Clair was a Colonel in the Continental Army. He could well be called "Father of Westmoreland."
St. Clair had served in the Indians Wars and was very aware of the trouble these tribes visited on the settlers of Westmoreland County. He made the Commandant at Fort Pitt aware of these maraudings and steps were taken to give aid to the valley.
Many forts were erected. Fort Hand was erected on a farm in the present Washington Township, one mile north of North Washington. General Hand, who commanded Fort Pitt, strengthened and rebuilt it, and it took his name. The General took most of his men on an expedition and it was reported at Fort Pitt that there was "not a man on our frontiers from Ligonier to the Allegheny River, except a few at Fort Hand, on Continental pay". It was then ordered that one Hundred and twenty men "be placed at such stations as would best be calculated for the defense of the County".
Colonel William Crawford built Fort Crawford a short distance above the mouth of the Puckety Creek. The purpose of the Fort, as given "was to cover the Indian trail and the Fort, to patrol the river from below the second bend and above to Fort Armstrong, below what is now Kittanning, also to scout the Pucketos Creek Valley." The Fort served as a retreat for the settlers; when necessary it was a rallying point for the scouts who patrolled the region when the Indians were about, and was a protection to the troops who garrisoned it. Fort Crawford was a stockade fort and may have covered about two acres. An early resident said he could find part of the parapet of the Fort in 1856. The Fort was not very substantial and proved hard to maintain, however it was used, more or less regularly, for about sixteen years.
Fort Crawford was used by the settlement of some fifty persons as a refuge during Indian attacks, a storehouse for munitions and supplies, and to house soldiers. Because of the river freezing over in the winter, it was difficult to get supplies to the base during cold weather. The few settlers were able to raise only enough food for their own use. As a result the soldiers abandoned the Fort during the winter months returning again in the spring. The Indians seemed content to hug their own camp fires during the winter and rarely made any attacks in the settlements. The Fort was abandoned in 1793, but the Indians did not cease their harassment's until 1810.
A portion of the Manse grounds of the Parnassus Presbyterian Church was once an Indian burial mound. Several times graves have been opened, Indian artifacts found, the bones of the savages examined. In 1942 the Massy Harbison Chapter, NSDAR, erected a large boulder to commemorate the historic site of Fort Crawford. A bronze plaque upon it has a fitting inscription.
In no part of the county were Indian names more common, nor the remains of Indians more easily found than in this section of Western Pennsylvania. Rivers, Creeks, towns, Indian lookouts, and grave yards were given Indian names.
The area that is Westmoreland County had been open only six years for settlement when the Revolutionary War began. It had been erected as a County less than three years before the war was started. The county was almost entirely a community of farmers and struggling pioneers, with two small towns, Hannastown and Pittsburgh (Fort Pitt) neither with a population of over three hundred. Westmoreland had the proud distinction, as records show, of furnishing more men for the various branches of the revolutionary army than the entire city of Philadelphia.
While most if the men were serving with the Continental Army, the Indians opened bloody attack against the unprotected frontier. The Indians joined with the British against the settlers because of the alluring rewards offered by the English Officers for scalps. It was easy for the Indians to join the British - they both regarded the settler as an intruder. Assisting and often directing activities in the attack against the settlers were the White Tories, who were cruel and merciless to the point of being inhuman.
Indians, who had annoyed the settlers around Fort Pitt during 1778 and 1779 came from Ohio, or from the headwaters of the Allegheny River. The Senecas of the upper Allegheny were the strongest of the Six Nations, their men were sagacious, courageous and cruel. Their chief leaders at this period were Cornplanter and Guyasuta. The Seneca wigwams in the Allegheny valley exhibited hundreds of scalps as trophies of their incursions into Western Pennsylvania.
History records stories of brave men and women who escaped from the red marauders, hiding their families and themselves. The plight of Massy Harbison and her family is history of the times in our valley. It is told, and retold, of her bravery and daring, her hardships were almost unbearable. She lived through them and finished her life span in the valley of her horrors.
The first settlers of this region were from Virginia and from the Cumberland Valley of Eastern Pennsylvania. Their path of migration closely followed out Pennsylvania Turnpike, with a difference - the settlers went over the mountains not through them. This trek led through a trackless wilderness. It was made on foot, or on horseback if they were affluent enough to own a horse. They drove livestock before them, with the children riding awhile and then walking a great part of the way. They brought with them such tools and implements as they could carry - that were most essential for the establishment of their home. Often the father would come out to this place and live for a year or two to see whether his family would be likely to survive if they settled in this valley. Their cabins were made of hand hewn logs, and their furniture was still growing in the forest.
In April, 1769, John Little paid, to the Government of Pennsylvania, the sum of $181.76 for a parcel of land containing 300 acres, more or less. He named the site "Parnassus" and this is the first time we find this name used in the Allegheny Valley. Benjamin Armitage purchased the adjoining acreage which he called "Hermitage" and this became New Kensington. Three hundred acres adjacent to "Hermitage" were purchased by Robert Mc Crea and this was later Arnold. These three parcels of land comprised the present area from Logan's Ferry north to Valley Camp.
When Parnassus was given its name, the Revolutionary War had not been fought, so the patent for this land was not granted to John Little by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania until July 20, 1781. The patent description was "beginning at a Spanish White Oak opposite the Sewickley Old Town (Springdale), and bounded on the East by barren land etc.". Pennsylvania, one of the original States of the American Union, came into existence subsequent to the application of the name "Parnassus" to the district. Therefore, the name "Parnassus" antedates the Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War, and the birth of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
This district was first part of Allegheny Township, which was organized in 1796, and received its name from the River that formed its northwest boundary. The first officers were: Supervisors, Ezekiel Matthews, and John Leslie; Constable, Thomas Reed. Among the early settlers of Allegheny Township were the Stewart family in 1790; the leechburgs in 1791; Watts (William and John) in 1801; Hills, Chochran, Hawks, before 1800; Butlers, Alters, Wilsons, Longas, McKees, Copelands, Armstrongs, Ashbaughs, ere 1828.
Massy Harbison, at the time of her abduction by the Indians, lived in Allegheny Township at the headwaters of Chartiers Creek. She and here husband were the first settlers in this district. The township, from its peculiar position between the Allegheny and Kiskiminetas River, was especially subject to Indian outrages at a time when the remainder of the County was enjoying comparative security.
Logans Inn was once an important stopping place for travelers during colonial days, and many famous men were among those entertained there, as they made their way through the farmlands of the frontier en route to Fort Pitt, Fort Venango, or other destinations.
The Logan Family was closely associated with this district's early history. The family held the original charter from the English Government, deeding the land to John Little. The second owner was John W. Woods, of Pittsburgh, and the third was Alexander Logan. Alexander first settled in Springdale (Sewickly Old Town) and he had the first Post Office there. He was an agent for eastern land owners at this time. A log cabin was built for their home and Mrs. Logan told of many times preparing breakfast with several Indian braves sitting in her kitchen. Sometimes these friendly braves became marauding savages, and the family had to flee to Fort Pitt for safety. The Logans Ferry U.P. Church was built on part of the River Farm purchased from Alexander Logan.
The story is told of the time that Aaron Burr stopped at Logan's Inn for several days just after his duel with Alexander Hamilton. That was before newspapers and letters were infrequent luxuries. Thus, the Logans did not know about the duel and did not recognize Mr. Burr. At that time he was on his way to Blennerhasset Island to enlist Blennerhasset's assistance in the scheme to build a new empire in the southwest at the expense of Mexico.
Charles Dickens was a visitor at Logan's Inn during one of his visits to the United States, and he mentions the old inn in his book "Our Mutual Friend". The inn was located near the river at a spot where cable towers of the West Penn Power Co. have been erected.
In the spring many rafts were tied to the landing near Logan's Inn, where the raftmen spent the night, before continuing their trip to Pittsburgh. People that journeyed by canal boats often left the boat at Springdale and came over by the ferry to the Inn.
Some of the Logan families inherited land in what is now Parnassus and they were among the founders of the Parnassus Presbyterian Church. It is not known just the exact time the first church services were held in the village, it must have been about 1836/37. The services were in a hall on Main Street. The building of the Church was begun in 1840 and was built on land purchased from John W. Logan. The Church was built along the edge of a cemetery then in use for several years and later enlarged to become the Church Cemetery. One Revolutionary soldier, Alexander Logan, in interred there, along with his wife and some of his family. His grave bared a government marker.
The original Parnassus church building was sixty by forty, with slab benches with the round side of the slab under, supported by legs of rough wood, one end smoothed and driven into auger holes in the round side of the slab. It was not an uncommon thing, during the service, for children to go to sleep and fall off the seat. It has also been left on record, that some older people did the same thing.
There was no church in the village before this time, the question of denomination arose for the new congregation. Mrs. Elizabeth Logan, wife of Hugh Logan, Sr. was of Episcopalian persuasion. To have a church nearby was very important in here life. She went by horseback and surveyed the people round about as to their preference in denomination. When the majority preferred the Presbyterian services, she was loyal to the will of the majority and through the remainder of her life served faithfully in the Parnassus Presbyterian Church, and raised her family in the Church of her adoption.
The condition of the schools in 1834, when the first free-school law was enacted, was extremely rustic. The district were few in number and the houses built of logs and poorly seated, only rude slabs without a back support. The discipline was often enforced by the free use of the birch, for moral suasion was not tolerated. Female teachers were not employed prior to 1834, in fact the idea of a "girl" teaching school was a wonderful thing to think about. The attendance was quite irregular, as many had a great distance to go. Among the teachers were Samuel Owens, Luther Wills, George Crawford, Robert Jeffrey, Samuel McConnel and Wilson Sproull. If any one desired to teach, he would first apply to a member of the school committee, and if he "looked fit to teach", he was then sent to some "very learned man" to be examined, who after a few scattered questions had been asked on the different branches taught, was pronounced duly qualified, and immediately entered upon his duties. The wages ranged from ten to twenty dollars per month. From 1845 to 1860, the following men were among the most prominent teachers: D. McKee; W.R. Trout; James Hawk; and others.
Immediately after the close of the Revolutionary War, the people very generally turned their attention to the subject of internal improvements, and chiefly to the matter of transportation. The opening of the canal along the Allegheny River to Pittsburgh was fifty years before the incorporation of Parnassus as a Borough (or about 1825). Most of this area was then farmland. The canal boats carried their produce to market, and carried passengers in comparative luxury. The passenger boats, drawn by two horses, left the dock at six o' clock in the evening, and arrived in Pittsburgh at four in the morning for a fare of twelve and one-half cents including bunk, meals were served for the same price. The first boats were from six to eight feet wide and approximately sixty feet long. The could carry as many as seventy passengers in addition to the freight load. Boats carrying farm produce from the district were drawn by three horses. Early residents say that the location of what is now Barsky's Hotel, was once a canal stop, with the passengers fording the river.
The first railway was built by the Pittsburgh (Kittanning) and Warren railroad Co., later Allegheny Valley R.R. Co. As early as 1856 rail service was furnished as far north as Kittanning.
Burrell Township was taken from Allegheny Township and organized in 1852. The territory it included was New Kensington, Arnold, Upper Burrell Township and the City of Lower Burrell as we know them today. It was named in honor of Judge J. Murry Burrell, who was President Judge of the Court when it was erected.
Within Burrell Township there were several villages and railroad stations. McLaughlintown was in the southeast part of what is now Upper Burrell, and in a region early settled by the McLaughlins, Kunkles, Swanks, Wylies, McClintocks, Cockrans, Byerlys, Burrys, Hunters, and Borlins. It had a store, post office and several shops. Two miles northwest were Milligans' Mills. Going north from Parnassus, the first station on the Allegheny Valley R. R. was Arnold, near which was residence of Captain R. P. Crawford. Here were located the salt-works and oil refinery of Porter, Crawford & Co. Chartiers Station laid in the northwest part of the present Lower Burrell Township, and was an important shipping point. Near it lived the old families of Leslies, Shearer, Goldinger, George, Miller, Read and others.
Nearly all of the early settlers of Burrell Township were Scotch-Irish extraction. The Crooks family, located on the Pucketos Cree in 1791, and came from Antietam Creek. William Ross was born in Ireland, and on his arrival in this country, first located in Franklin and Adams Counties, moved here in 1794. John Ross followed in 1801, John died June 23, 1927, aged fifty-four years. William Ross married Esther Reid of Greecastle April 19, 1803, and died at age eighty-seven years on August 28, 1849. John Stewart settled in 1804 with his brother William, who died April 19, 1850 aged sixty-eight years. John Bales settled here in 1805. These men were among the founders of the Puckety Presbyterian Church. Among other early settlers were the McLaughlins, Millers, Hummels (David Hummel died May 23, 1867, aged sixty-nine years) Connells, Hunter, Skillens, Blacks, Moores, Logans, Shearers, Leslies, Swanks, Milligans, Woolslayers, Rowans, Ludwigs, Dugans, Youngkins, Fredericks, Kunkles, McCutchens and Ashbaughs, among others.
One of the first pioneers was James Johnston. He was a Revolutionary soldier who had served with the distinction under the command of General Anthony Wayne. He lived to be one hundred and three years old and was buried with full military honors in Dugans Graveyard on Greensburg Road.
David Alter came to Pucketos Creek from Cumberland County. His father was born in Switzerland and emigrated to America before the Revolution. He married Elizabeth Mill, his sister married Governor Ritner. His eldest daughter became the wife of Major George Dugan, and his eldest son, Joseph, was the father of Dr. David Alter. David Alter Jr. was born in 1775, he was a Captain in the War of 1812. He was an inventor that was far ahead of his times and was little noted. He built the "Alters Mills" on the Pucketos. His son, Joseph, married Margaret C. Dinsmore of an early family.
One of the first lands entered, or patented, was a five hundred acre tract to a man named Wharton, which was subsequently purchased by the McLaughlin family.
When the Allegheny R. R. was completed in the winter of 1855-56, Parnassus Borough consisted on the Presbyterian Church, The farm residence of John W. Logan, a house of his tenant near the church, and the dwelling of Alexander Cook, erected during construction of the railroad. John W. Logan laid out the town immediately after the completion of the railroad. The first building erected was by A. B. Copeland for his store (the first here), the second by A. H. Wylie, and the third building was Mr. Copeland's residence (burned in 1868), the forth the "Eagle Hotel". The post office was established in 1856 with John W. Logan as postmaster. His successor was George L. Lee.
The Borough of Parnassus was incorporated April 9, 1872. A. B. Copeland, A. H. Wylie and W. R. Logan with Samuel Skillen were appointed by the Court to fix boundaries. The first Burgess was John Fluke, the Councilmen were J. C. Stewart, W. J. Sproull, James H. Elder, S. Y. Cursan, A. H. Wylie, W. J. Wentz, W. R. Logan, Stephen Hughan, Clerk, D. S. Dewalt, Treasurer, J. C. McCutcheon; Street Commissioner William Bright, High Constable J. W. Neff.
Round Hill Cemetery was located on ground commanding "a picturesque view of the Allegheny River", which was donated by the late Hugh Logan. The first three internment's were Hugh Logan, b. Dec. 3, 1788, d. June 29, 1873; his wife, Elizabeth, b. April 24, 1798, d. Nov. 2, 1878. Nancy Hultz, b. Nov. 17, 1802, d. Nov. 28, 1878.
From its infancy, Parnassus was prosperous Borough. This fact coupled with the natural resources of the formation of the Burrell Improvement Co. and to their securing the unimproved lands in and north of Parnassus to Valley Camp. This property had been owned by three men, Capt. Crawford, Dr. Alexander Young, a professor at the Allegheny Theological Seminary, and Mr. Stephen Young, who lived his latter days on Freeport Road, once a part of his original farm.
The Burrell Improvement Co. was a concern which had achieved phenomenal success in land dealings in the Pittsburgh are. In February, 1891, Samuel E. Moore, President of the Company. Mr. Moore was born in Pittsburgh and had the reputation of being the leading expert accountant in that City. The Burrell Improvement Co. purchased, July, 1890, a large tract of land situated 18 miles from Pittsburgh, on the Allegheny Valley Railroad, and in June, 1891 laid out the town of Kensington. The Biographers of Mr. Moore projected that his foresight entitled him to be immortalized as the founder of the town which sprang into existence as if by magic.
The Improvement Company offered free transportation from Pittsburgh for those who would come to view the site of the land sale. About 15,000 people were attracted. The price scale of the first several hundred lots was from $30 to $300. Residents sold their cattle and raised money as best they could to "get in on the ground floor". That they were prudent is born out by the fact that many purchasers doubled their investments in less than a month. The first lot sold was at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Ninth Street. The third lot sold was at the corner of Tenth Street and Fifth Avenue to D. A. Leslie, where he opened the first drug store.
The sale continued for three days. The first days sale realized $63,000, at the end of the third day the staggering amount of $135,000 had been paid for lots with corn growing on them, and only a plowed furrow marked the boundaries of each section and each lot. Muslin signs were displayed bearing the names of proposed manufacturing plants, yet to be built. The Kensington boom was literally without precedent in Pennsylvania, and it was all the more remarkable when the permanent results were noted.
By 1892 five hundred houses had been built and all were crowded. Judge Doty of the Westmoreland County Courts made the order to incorporate the Borough of New Kensington on November 28, 1892. The territory included the present site of Arnold and New Kensington, including all the territory north of Parnassus Borough to Valley Camp, to be operated as one local municipality. February 21, 1891, was the date fixed for the election of the first officers.
Many problems arose in the beginning of the Community. A very serious dispute arose after the first election. Two political parties were in the field, the Citizens' Party and the Peoples' Party. The election board returned the correct tally of the votes showing that the candidates of the Peoples' Party had been elected. The Board then proceeded to issue certificates to the loosing candidates. The case was brought before Judge Doty who sided with the Peoples' Party and issued a writ directing the election board to make a true return and in the face of their own return, to issue certificates to the minority candidates. The first Council Meeting was held on March 15, of the year 1893, in the office of Horace G. Durbin, Esq. Dr. E. E. Patton was elected President of the Council at the meeting. D. M. McCarty was the first Burgess but he soon resigned to become the first Postmaster.
Various mergers were proposed with other municipalities, the first was in January, 1895. This was a wild scheme to make New Kensington part of Pittsburgh. It was one of the first "Greater Pittsburgh" ideas. It was not carried out because of the lack of enthusiasm involved with the scheme.
At first, our Borough was called Kensington after Kensington, England, but the Post Office discovered that there was already a Kensington in Pennsylvania. Therefore, the prefix "New" was added. The town grew overnight. It might have been called a "boom town" originally, but that boom was backed by solid worth and the growth was of the substantial kind that is most valuable.
From the first election held in 1891, there were political problems. The Borough was divided into two wards, with the area now Arnold being the Second Ward. In October, 1895, a movement was begun to incorporate the Second Ward as a second Borough. Since the withdrawal seemed the only hope for peace, there was no opposition to the separation of the two communities. The incorporation and separation was completed in January, 1896.
In 1930, Valley Heights, Valley Camp and East Kensington area were annexed from Lower Burrell Township. In 1931 Parnassus and New Kensington consolidated to function as one municipal government. One of the local historians relates, that every train was obliged to stop at Arnold. Under terms of the right-of-way, given to the Pennsylvania Railroad, the conductor of every train had to stop and register in a little shelterhouse erected near the old Arnold Station - regardless of the type of train. When the Railroad abandoned the registration the right-of-way was canceled. The folks of Arnold always had the laugh on their New Kensington neighbors who came from Pittsburgh, or elsewhere, and had to alight in Arnold, for the reason that none of the fast trains stopped in New Kensington.
The industry that sprang up in New Kensington was the major substance of the growth of the City. In 1886, Charles Martin Hall perfected the process of securing pure aluminum from its oxide. That discovery gave impetus to the development of New Kensington, and gave it the appellation of "The Aluminum City". The mother plant of the industry was established in 1891, but regretfully none of he original building are now standing.
Some of the other industries that contributed to the expansion were the Excelsior Glass Works which manufactured lamp chimneys; there was the Sterling White Lead Company, Bradley Stove Works, Pennsylvania Tin Plate Company, Hunt Air Brake Works, Cold Rolled Steel Plant, and enameling works, a brewery, Glenn Drilling Company, Chambers Glass Works of Arnold, which became American St. Gobain among others.
New Kensington is seventy five years old. Only an infant in the passing of time. Her potential is ahead, her progress has just begun.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
History is not just places and dates, history is people. In writing this brief history of New Kensington I have consulted many people, papers and works.
It would be a great service to our City if someone would write a comprehensive history of her past. So much cultural good has come from out City that will soon be lost to antiquity - because no one has written in down. Those who are most familiar wit these legends are growing older and time will take her tool - the story will be lost forever.
I grateful acknowledge the time and material so freely shared with me in gathering this material.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
History of Westmoreland County - Alberts - 1882 History of Westmoreland County - Boucher City of New Kensington - Civics Class of Ridge Ave. Junior High School 1961/2 Souvenir History of Parnassus Presbyterian Church, 1842-1942 Daily Dispatch Peoples Library
Luella R. Frazier 1966