Category: History || By M.F. Bowers

Following up our excerpts from Walter Riggs' "The Early History of McKeesport," we are reprinting portions of M.F. Bowers' "Memoirs of McKeesport." Like Riggs' history, this article originally was published in 1960 as part of the city's Old Home Week celebration.

Bowers was a celebrated journalist for the Daily News whose lively articles about McKeesport history and personalities are collected in scrapbooks at the McKeesport Regional History and Heritage Center in Renzie Park.

McKeesport first began to experience growing pains in 1851 when the W. D. Wood Works, located on a few acres at the foot of Walnut Street, opened a sheet iron mill.

From an original workforce that employed 30 men, the plant to grew to employ 1,200 men, the larger force being listed early in the 1900. The plant was discontinued in the 1950s.

However, a real population and building boom came between 1880 and 1890. It was started in 1872 by the National Tube Co., which bought a large tract of land extending from Walnut Street to Huey Street bounded by Fourth Avenue and the Monongahela river.

The tube works, featuring "iron tubes," grew rapidly and sent the then-borough population skyrocketing. In the first eight years of the tube company's activities, the borough grew from 2,523 persons to 8,212, or more than four times the 1870 population.

Then came the real boom. The tube works began to expand. Men brought their families from many sections of the U.S. to McKeesport, mostly by railroads, steamboats and wagons. Hundreds crossed oceans to get here and get work. They came from New York's Ellis Island in day-coaches, with trunks, huge packs of clothing on their backs, high heel boots, women with shawls and other wraps about their heads, summer as well as winter.

In the decade from 1880 to 1890, the population grew from 8,212 to 20,751, a gain of about 157 percent. The U.S. Census Bureau at the time listed McKeesport as the fastest growing municipality in the nation, on a percentage basis.

In that period plans of lots were opened in what was called Riverview Park, now part of the Seventh ward. New streets were opened and modest homes were built as rapidly as possible. Jenny Lind street, named for a famous Swedish vocalist, was filled for blocks with homes of Swedish families. New streets were named for tube company officials, Flagler and Converse for instance.

McKeesport was not done growing rapidly. In the following two decades, from 1890 to 1910, the (by this time) city of the third class jumped from 21,000 to 42,694. It went from that to a high of 55,355 in 1940, and for the first time since 1850, took a drop of slightly more than 4,000 in 1950. The decrease, was due, of course, to the trend to the suburbs.

. . .

First Railroad Train: More than a century ago McKeesport's population almost to a man, woman and child of the borough's 2,126 people turned out on a cold January day to see the first railroad train pass through. It was in 1857.

It was a big day for McKeesport. The train was operated by the Pittsburgh and Connellsville Railroad Co., which held grants and rights for transportation "by canal or railroad." Promotion of the road began as early as 1837, but money was so scarce the time was extended to 1847. Again trouble was encountered and work on the railroad was halted until 1854.

Romantic and useful as they were, people forgot about the sturdy stern-wheel steamboats and hungered for faster transportation. Borough officials, hearing that the line would "go through the hills," fought hard to have the route come straight through the town, and they succeeded in getting the tracks where they now are seen.

It cost taxpayers about $400,000 to get the tracks where they are. Borough officials were stubborn and refused, at one time, to settle with the railroad company for $10,000.

Later, in 1883, railroads were built through the borough to connect with other towns on the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers. Those lines some years ago ceased carrying passengers, but the old Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which took over the Pittsburgh and Connellsville Railroad, hangs on to operate passenger trains despite automobiles and airplanes.

Today (1960) McKeesport is anxious to get rid of a dozen or more grade crossings. It will cost several million dollars to have the tracks re-routed on Fourth Avenue, but present-day officials and civic workers think it will be well worth the price.

. . .

McKeesport's First Vehicle Bridge: McKeesport's first vehicle and foot-passenger bridge, the old Third Avenue span, soon to be razed (1960) was erected in 1884.

The battle for a bridge began in 1865, shortly after the Civil War ended, and lasted until 1884, when the Third Avenue Bridge Co. celebrated the span opening with pomp.

A few joined in making merry over the progressive step, but others ---- the ferry-boat operators --- never forgave the men who put up $75,000 for a thing that put them out of employment.

It was the beginning of the end for ferries, steam and manpower, on which for more than half a century town and country folk crossed the so-called dare-devil Youghiogheny and the picturesque Monongahela rivers, when they were not frozen with ice strong enough to support two-horse teams.

The war between the states had just ended when B. B. Coursin and W. E. Harrison procured a charter for a bridge at Third Avenue, to connect with Reynoldton (the 10th Ward).

Rivermen and ferry operators decried the progressive movement. They said the promoters sought to take bread and butter from their table.

Skiff liveries were numerous in the old days. They thrived at night and on holidays, young gallants would take their lady loves skiff-riding. Some took guitars and other string instruments. By the more expert, skiffs were used for boat racing, mill men often wagering heavily on their favorites.

Two steam ferry boats were the "Nora" and the "H. B. Sinclair." The former was owned by Quincy McClure, a noted trap-shooter and riverman. The McKeesport ferry station was at the foot of Second Ave., a few yards from the McClure homestead, which still stands.

River banks were crowded in flood times and often the steam ferries, in attempting to make the trip to Stonesboro or Dravosburg, failed to negotiate the distance without the strong current taking the boat down the "Mon" a thousand yards or so, but the sturdy little ferries never were wrecked and usually got back to landings without damage.

Sentiment against bridges was so strong that it was abandoned, but the promoters simply bided their time. In 1884 the first bridge was built. McKeesport had prospered. The population was more than 5,000. Ferrymen were not so numerous and other and better-paying work became available.

Bridges sprang up almost like mushrooms. In a few years, the Dravosburg bridge was opened, to be followed by the Riverton bridge to Duquesne, the Thirteenth Avenue span to Port Vue, the (old) Boston-Versailles structure, the Fifth Avenue bridge, the Fifteenth Avenue and the Jerome bridges, in the order given.

. . .

Early "Nicks": What's this --- McKeesport standing out as the home of the world's first nickelodeon (movie theater)?

So it was said in a full-page advertisement in a national magazine many years ago.

The truth is that the world's first movie theater, or "nickelodeon," was not opened in McKeesport. Pittsburgh is entitled to that honor, but McKeesport was close in time and distance from the "nick" produced in a Smithfield Street store-room by the late John P. Harris, for whom McKeesport's "John P. Harris Memorial Theater" was named.

Incidentally, Mr. Harris built the Memorial at a cost running into high figures because he remarked in the early 1900s that "McKeesport has been good to me and some day I'm going to do something for it." About 25 years later, the Memorial was the answer.

Mr. Harris established McKeesport's first nickelodeon early in 1906, in a store-room he used for only a few weeks when the march of progress caused him to move. On April 17, 1906, he was one of several property owners who made way for the People's Bank Building.

He moved to the Wild furniture store building at 409-411 Walnut Street, now the site of the Daily News Building.

The cheap amusement houses sprung up like mushrooms. Along came the "Dreamland," at 232 Fifth Avenue. The room extended back to Church Alley.

A run-way from the alley to the rear of The Daily News press room, then at 508 Walnut Street, was used by newsboys to get their papers. They made life miserable for J. H. Ruben and his ushers at the Dreamland. The boys climbed over roofs and peeped for free at the movies.

Another early five-cent movie house was the Penn, at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and the B. & 0. tracks, first operated by Jacob Weiskircher and then by others. Then came a cluster of houses in the 500 block of Fifth Avenue --- the Lyric, Globe, Olympic, Liberty and Avenue, later called the Victor.

The Avenue was among the first to be owned and operated by a native-born McKeesporter, Thomas V. Barnes, an easy-going Shaw Avenue boy who branched out a few years later.

Mr. Harris later in 1906 took over the old Altmeyer theater at Fifth Avenue and Blackberry Street, where he featured pictures and five acts of vaudeville for 10 cents. The corner room and some upstairs rooms were occupied by C. G. Falkenstein's Hotel. The theater entrance was next to the hotel.

Motion pictures developed rather slowly, and it was a long time before people ceased to complain that the "flickers" were hard on the eyes. Store-room amusement houses gave way to palaces and prices gradually climbed. Silent films gave way to the spoken dramas, and then came color movies and more talk --- talk of television as we now have.

You are previewing your comment. Be sure to click on 'Post Comment' to store it.