Rostraver Township Historical Society

A reminder that the Rostraver Gathering is being held today at the Rostraver Central Fire Department hall in Fellsburg. Always a great get together. Hope to see you there.

Demolition of Donora/Webster bridge July 1, 2015.

Harmony School December 1, 1911. Note five of the students are identified. Can anybody identify the other students? Any Cooks or Finley’s in this picture? Harmony School was located near Rehoboth Church.
Photo courtesy of Dalton Smith.

Lebanon 6th Grade Class 1952/53.

4th grade Lebanon School 1950/51.

Picture taken October 2, 1935 in Pricedale along Tyrol Boulevard. The picture was taken from the Pittsburgh Steel Railroad bridge above Tyrol. The picture shows the old coal tipple of Sommers No.3 mine. The area still looks the same today except for the old tipple is gone.

Nusser Farm early 1950’s. Note Interstate 70 doesn’t exist yet.

Photo courtesy of Elaine Nusser Philips

Kmart Store in Rostraver Township. It would close its doors September 2017.

It’s with heavy hearts that we have to report the lost of one of our Lifetime members. On Monday Shirley A. (Hart) Rozik passed away.
Shirley was born in Newell but was raised in Webster and was very proud of that fact. Shirley was a quiet person with a huge heart that loved history and made it a point to attend our presentations every month. Once you meet Shirley you no choice but to like her. The knowledge she possessed was amazing, even at the age of 89 her mind was as shape as ever. I will always consider Shirley the Webster Historian at the society. On a number of occasions I would depend on Shirley for historical information on Webster when I ran into a dead end in my research’s . She always had the answers and was always willing to share that knowledge with all. We will sorely miss seeing her happy face at the society, but our memories of her will last us a lifetime.
We would like to send our condolences to the Hart, Rozik and Medley families, the good Lord is receiving a very special individual.

John Hepple

Doors open at 5:30 PM today (8/12//2024) at the Rostraver Township Historical Society. Today’s presentation will be Dangerfield Newby (Fight for Freedom ) done by author Jon-Erik Gilot. Program will start at 6:30PM.
Admission is Free and open to the public.

Gilmore mine in Webster around 1900.

Photo courtesy of the Donora Historical Society.

On Saturday September 7th, 2024, the Rostraver Township Historical Society will be presenting a historical program and a Cemetery Walk at the Rehoboth Presbyterian Church located at 442 Rehoboth Road, Rostraver Twp, PA 15012. The program will begin at 1 PM in the Church Sanctuary, John Hepple, President of the Rostraver Township Historical Society, will give a brief history of Rehoboth Church.
Following John’s presentation there will be a Cemetery Tour highlighting some of the historically important figures buried there.
The program is open to the public and all are welcome to attend.

Junction of Route 71 and old 51 near Sweeney’s restaurant and gas station. The building across from Sweeney Restaurant was also owned by George Sweeney, but he would sell it to the Thompson family who still own it today. Picture taken in the early 1940’s.

Early picture of Donora Webster Bridge circa 1910 prior bridge being used for auto traffic.
The Webster Hotel and the train station can be seen in this early photo.

Kmart Plaza 1990’s in Rostraver Township.

John Daly Farm in Rostraver Township. The house was built around 1794. The road in front of the house is Route 51 today. The house still stands today at the junction of Fells Church Road and Route 51. The history this building has witnessed.

Super 71 Drive- In theatre opened on June 22, 1948 at a cost of $150,000 and was the area’s largest. It would close in September 1995. Seventy-Six years ago it celebrated its grand opening.

Pictures courtesy of Henry Perney.

The Rostraver Township Junior High School was built in 1924. The total cost to build the structure was $160,000. The first class to graduate 9th grade was the class of 1925. Thirty-three students would graduate that Year.
In 1928 a 10th grade would be added and the first 10th grade graduating class would only be 8 students. In 1934 a 11th grade would be added and no one would graduate that year due to the fact that Rostraver would finally have a 12th grade in 1935. In 1935 the school would become the Rostraver Junior/Senior High School and in 1937 the school would add a large addition due to overcrowding at the school. Only 30 years latter the school would be closed permanently.

Early picture of Twin Coaches along Route 51.

Answer to yesterday’s post about the 5 one room school houses still standing in Rostraver Township.

1. Concord #3 managed by RTHS
2. Concord #5 Private Residence today
3. Lenity Along Lenity Road
4. East Donora private residence today
5. Gibsonton

Yesterday the society received a donation of the original blueprints for the 1938 renovations of Lebanon Elementary School in Fellsburg . Lebanon school from 1793-1938 was always a one room school house, in 1938 Rostraver Township school board decides to eliminate all the one room school houses in Rostraver Township. Instead of destroying the one room Lebanon School it was decided it would be renovated to a 7 room school. The attached blueprint is the final plan of that renovation in November 1938.

In the early 1900’s Rostraver Township had 13 one room school operating in township. Today five original one room schoolhouses still exist in Rostraver Township. Can anyone guess the 5 one room schoolhouses still in existence today?

Elk Place(Redtown) March 2018. Today very few houses still remain from the old Sommers No. 4 mine.
Many were torn down from constant flooding caused by the plaza along Broad Avenue in Rostraver Township

Hogan’s miniature golf course and Ice Cream shop in Sweeney Plan.

The old Rehoboth Church built in 1836. It would be demolished in 1899 for the current church structure. The brick and church furnishings of the old church were auctioned off.

How many of you remember Hamilton’s Store near Concord #3 school in Rostraver Township? Closed in 1965.

Kelly Auto Parts along 201 near Allen’s Crossroads. Family owned business that once operated in Rostraver Township for many years.

Kmart restaurant inside the store in Rostraver Township 2017 when the store was going out of business.

Stephen Beato sorting out slate at the tipple at Sommers No.4 Mine in Pricedale 1948.
Photo Courtesy of of the Walter’s family.