All Ages

The Donaldson’s Crossroads intersection 1920s

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Courtesy of the Walter E. Donaldson Family, this is a photograph of Donaldson’s Crossroads intersection in the 1920s. The Donaldson home is located at the far left in this photo. This busy intersection, named for the Donaldson family, was a crossing of country roads early in the 20th century. McMurray Road crosses left to right while the Pittsburgh-Washington Cinder Road crosses from the bottom. The farmhouse was built in 1900, and was razed in early 2011 to permit redevelopment of the property.

Currently we know this location as the intersection of Route 19 South and McMurray Road with an average traffic count in excess of 46,000 vehicles daily.

In 2003, Peters Township Public Library, in partnership with the Senator John Heinz History Center, began a series of oral history interviews featuring past and present residents. Taking part in these interviews was Robert J. Donaldson and his sisters, Patricia Donaldson Stutzman and Alice Donaldson Coffield. During the course of the interviews, numerous photographs were shared like the one on this page, which led to a call for historic photos from other residents.

The response was enthusiastic, with hundreds of images either donated or loaned so that the library could share the visual history of the community. Most of the images have been scanned and many are available for you to view and enjoy on the Local History Photos page on this web site. Visit the library where you can checkout the oral history transcripts that were transcribed from these interviews. They are available on the 2nd floor nonfiction under 929.2 PET. Ask a librarian if you need help locating this series.

 

3 Ways to Help Your Neighbors

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Peters Township Girl Scout Troup #16241 is collecting food for “Blizzard Bags” from November 28 through December 16 at the library. Peters Township Meals on Wheels provides a ‘Blizzard Bag’ to their clients in the event that meals cannot be delivered. The Girl Scouts are collecting these items to help prepare ‘Blizzard Bags’:

  • Canned Soup
  • Cracker packs
  • Cookie packs (regular & sugar free)
  • Hot Cocoa packets (regular & sugar free)
  • Fruit cups (regular & sugar free)
  • Pudding cups (regular & sugar free)

Peters Township Food Pantry is an extension of the Greater Washington Food Bank serving individuals and families who are financially at a reduced income. Drop off your non-perishable food donations during library hours in the large bin under the main staircase. They are always in need of proteins (peanut butter, tuna, stews) or personal care items (toilet paper, shampoo, paper towels, soap). The PT Food Pantry distributes on the 2nd Friday of the month, which would be Friday, December 9.

Last date to drop-off toys for Washington County Toys for Tots is December 6. The Washington County Toys For Tots was established in 2003 and is a local chapter of the National Toys For Tots Organization. Your generous contribution will help to provide a brighter Christmas season for hundreds of deserving children in our local communities. All toys donated must be new, in unopened original packaging and unwrapped. Visit the Washington County PA Toys for Tots web site for a list of suggested donations for various age groups. If any item requires batteries, please attach the appropriate size and number to the box. The last day for toy drop-offs at the library is Tuesday December 6.

The Big Snow Thanksgiving Weekend 1950

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With temperatures approaching 70 degrees recently, we are reminded of another November day 66 years ago when Pittsburgh was hit with a huge snow storm the weekend after Thanksgiving that dumped 30 inches of snow on the city and surrounding areas. Ed Lybarger, one of our volunteers and a library patron recalls…

I was 5 years old at the time, so the memory isn’t always precise.  The newspapers forecast “flurries” on Wednesday.  

As I recall, the snow fell much of the day and all night Friday…much more than was forecast…and into Saturday morning.  There were no newspapers Saturday; the city and surrounding areas were shut down.  Peters Township at that time used a large Galion road grader to plow snow from the roads; that had been accomplished by the time my dad dug a path up to the top of the driveway where he had left the car Friday.  Other photos taken at that time show the plowed but still snow covered road (now Old Oak Road) and a neighbor who was likewise excavating.  I do not recall whether this was Saturday afternoon or Sunday.  The power was out but we could cook with our gas range.  We had gas forced air heat, which depended on electricity to run the blower.  Conveniently, we had a couple storage batteries in the house, and my dad rigged the furnace blower to run from them, so we had at least some heat for a while…a good thing, since it became bitterly cold following the storm.

You can read the front page story from the Pittsburgh Press from the day after Thanksgiving, November 24, 1950.

I do not remember how long it took to get things back to a semblance of normalcy.  I was not yet in school, so there is no memory of missing it.  I believe my dad went to work (in Mount Lebanon) Monday, though, so the highway was open.  Just how much snow was there?  It varied across the region, but the number 30 seemed to be popular around here!  

Visit our Local History Photos page to see more images from Peters Township past! Credit for the photo on this page: Samuel F. Lybarger photo, courtesy of Edward H. Lybarger

Getting Through the Holidays Gluten-Free

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While visiting a local farm last summer, Melanie Jaskulski’s 5-year-old daughter noticed a little girl wearing the same gluten-free alert bracelet as she was and ran to talk to her.  The elated look on her daughter’s face of meeting someone “just like her” made Melanie realize she needed to do something to bring gluten-free kids together. After doing some research, she discovered Generation GF, a national organization, and she decided to start a local chapter in this area.

To help families have a fun, gluten-free holiday season, the library is collaborating with Generation GF to host Getting through the Holidays Gluten-Free on Saturday, December 10 from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Register online to attend this free, family-friendly event or call 724.941.9430 #1.

Featured speakers include:

  • Amy Macklin, RDN, one of the leading private practice Registered Dietitians/Nutritionists in the United States who specializes in helping families and individuals to live, learn, master, and even enjoy the gluten-free lifestyle. She is the author of Growing Up Gluten Free: A Lifestyle Guide For Raising Your Gluten-Free Child. A book signing will follow the program.
  • Meredith Hartladge, a Nutrition Consultant currently completing her Master of Science in Holistic Nutrition. She will be sharing recipes and samples of quick, easy snacks for gluten-free children and tips for entertaining gluten-free guests over the holidays.
  • Melanie Jaskulski, the founder of Generation GF Pittsburgh.

Generation GF, a program of the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG), is designed to build confidence in kids, teens, and young adults, and help develop them into the future leaders of our gluten-free community. Their goal is to provide safe environments where kids do not have to worry about what they are going to eat and can just enjoy the fun that comes with being a kid. More information is available at https://www.gluten.org/.

Great Halloween Costume Swap wrap up

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Nearly 100 costumes were collected and swapped at this year’s Great Halloween Costume Swap last Saturday, October 8 at the library.

After collecting donated costumes for two days prior to the event, the Go Green Club volunteers organized the costumes by size on tables in the Multi-purpose Room. Families waited patiently for the swap to open at 9 a.m. and were given numbered tickets to enter the room. When a family’s number was called, they entered the swap and began their search for the perfect costumes.

The crowd of over 60 persons was a mix of first-timers and veterans who had participated in the swap for the three prior years. Both children and adults left the library that morning with gently-used costumes that were new to them. The GO Green Club hosts the event to encourage the community to swap their slightly used costumes to save resources, packaging, transportation costs, and money.

Costumes and accessories that remained after the swap were donated to the South Hills Interfaith Movement which provides food, clothing and services to people in need in Pittsburgh’s southern suburban neighborhoods. The Go Green Club plans to host the next Great Halloween Costume Swap in October 2017. For more information about the club, email ptplgogreenclub@gmail.com.

Great Halloween Costume Swap

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For the fourth year in a row, the Peters Township Public Library’s GO Green Club will host the Great Halloween Costume Swap on Saturday, October 8 at the library. Instead of purchasing new costumes each year, the group aims to encourage the community to swap their slightly used costumes to save resources, packaging, transportation costs, and money.

Persons interested in participating can drop off used costumes for children, teens or adults on Thursday, October 6 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. or Friday, October 7 from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. at the library. Costumes should be in GREAT condition. Participants will get a token for each costume donated for the swap. Return on Saturday, October 8 from 9:00 to11:00 a.m. with your token and shop for a swap. Any costumes and accessories remaining will be donated to a local charity. More than 100 costumes and accessories were swapped last year.

Adult and high school volunteers are needed on Friday, October 7 and Saturday, October 8 to help with the swap. Email ptplgogreenclub@gmail.com for more information.