History

Donations Keep Local History Room Thriving

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Preserving local history has been a goal of the Peters Township Public Library since its founding over 60 years ago. To go beyond clipping newspapers, in early 2003 the library staff began an Oral History Project with funding from Taste of the Township. The goal was to record and preserve the history of the township through audio interviews with past and present residents.

Community Day promotional materialsThe library worked with the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center Oral History Service Department to conduct the interviews. By April 2004, the collaboration had produced twenty-two interviews. They reflected various facets of the history of Peters Township – farm life, education, government, recreation, transportation, churches, and industry. Next, the interviews were transcribed, edited, printed, bound, and added to the library’s Local History collection. You can search the library catalog for “Life in Peters Township: an oral history project” and request any of the bound volumes to check out and enjoy.

Peters-Township NewsIn the spring of 2008, a two-story addition expanded the building with space for a Local History Room on the second floor. Over the past 12 years, the room has acquired copies of the bound oral history interviews and many photographs and documents received from various donors. Along with several volunteers, Head Reference Librarian Margaret Deitzer and Information Technology Librarian Ed Wolf continue preserving the donations that tell the story of the township from the late 1700s to present.

Carolyn Friedrich and Ed WOld with historical donationsLast year The Peters Township Library Foundation committed to channeling contributions received from the Washington County Community Foundation’s Day of Giving toward the library’s local history efforts. This donation supported the ongoing work of library staff and archivist Carolyn Friedrich to make the collection searchable from anywhere in the world.

Mr and Mrs Ed LybargerA recent donation from Edward and Janis Lybarger added extraordinary resources to the collections. The Lybarger family connection to the library began in the 1950s with his mother, Alberta Myers Lybarger. As president of the Women’s Club of Peters Township, her efforts helped to make the dream of a community library for the township become a reality. Their new donations cover topics like local schools, churches, civic organizations, businesses, and the development of the library through blueprints, photographs, newspapers, and artifacts. The library welcomes items like these to continue to document the past and present growth of Peters Township. Please call the library at 724.941.9430 for more information.

Line drawing of the Peters Township Public LibraryThe Lybargers have also financially supported The Peters Township Library Foundation, which continues to support this archival work, covering the costs of making this collection accessible to the public. Is preserving Peters Township history important to you? The WCCF Day of Giving is Thursday, September 10, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Your online donation that day to The Peters Township Library Foundation continues to support our efforts to preserve, arrange, scan, digitize, and store our growing collection of Peters Township Local History. Your tax-deductible gift will also benefit programming and resources not covered by the library’s operating budget. AND you will help us become eligible for added support from the WCCF’s $100,000 bonus pool. For more information, visit the WCCF Day of Giving web site.

NEW – Museum Experience Kits

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The Peters Township Public Library offers WAGGIN library cardholders access to a variety of local historical sites and museums through a “Museum Experience Kit.”

The sites in the kits include:

 

You can check out a kit for one week. Each offers complimentary admission for up to four people to each site. Kits include educational support materials and itinerary suggestions tailored to each site. Check availability at the Information Services Desk.

Budd Baer Subaru in Washington, Pa. is sponsoring the kits through a partnership with the History Center Affiliates Program (HCAP). The program includes more than 125 regional historical societies and organizations dedicated to preserving local history.

Air Force One with author John L. Haigh

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Join John L. Haigh on Monday, October 21 at 7:00 p.m. as he talks about his 12 plus years serving as a crew member aboard the Air Force One flight crew.

More about the author:

“As a young person growing up in a small coal mining community in western Pennsylvania, I dreamed of traveling and seeing the world. Upon graduation from high school, I enlisted in the United States Air Force, not knowing where my travels would take me. I volunteered for flying duty and was sent to McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey in 1963. From there, I traveled all over the world transporting troops. In 1973, I volunteered and was accepted into the 89th military airlift wing, special air missions organization at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, which required a top-secret clearance, and was the home of Air Force One. After experiencing my first Air Force One backup trip with President Nixon to Europe and the Middle East, I set another goal to become a permanent member of the Air Force One flight crew; but it did not happen right away. Meanwhile, I was privileged to fly missions that included a 33 day presidential goodwill trip with the Apollo 17 astronauts, (the last men to walk on the moon), around the world, the prime minister of India, premier of China, Chancellor of Germany, President of Turkey, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, President Carter’s mother, Ms Lillian, cabinet-level officers, members of Congress, high ranking military officers, Vice President’s Ford and Mondale. On September 1, 1979, I was selected as a permanent member of the Air Force One flight crew, during the last 16 months of the Carter administration, 8 years with President Reagan (19 months of which were served as his Chief Steward), 3 1/2 years as chief steward for President Bush SR. To quote President Bush Sr., “It was great to travel with the First Team”. The Presidents I was privileged to serve were ordinary folks like you and I, who did extraordinary things to be elected. Personally, I had the time of my life, fulfilling my dreams of world travels, and it truly was a privilege and pleasure to serve the Presidents aboard Air Force One.“

Register at https://tinyurl.com/y6j4ds9m to attend this program.

Alexander Hamilton: Immigrant, Patriot, Visionary

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A National Traveling Exhibition from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, made possible by the Rockefeller Foundation, is coming to your library!

Visit this exhibition during library hours from Friday, June 15 through Saturday, July 7. The library is closed on Sundays, June 17 and 24; Sundays, July 1 and 8; and Wednesday, July 4.

Using primarily reproductions from the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s renowned collections, and drawing on recent scholarship about Alexander Hamilton, this traveling exhibition will examine Hamilton’s role during the Revolutionary War and Founding period (1774-1804) in creating the economic, constitutional, social, journalistic, political, and foreign policy templates for modern America. It will acquaint visitors with a statesman and visionary whose life inspired discussion and controversy and shaped the America we live in two hundred years after his death.

Hamilton the focus of a talk and exhibit in June

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The Peters Township Public Library will welcome Denver Brunsman to present Hamilton, Washington, and the Creation of the United States on Thursday, June 14 at 7:00 p.m. Register here or call 724.941.9430 #1.

As Hamilton: An American Musical makes clear, it was crucial for Alexander Hamilton to have George Washington “on his side.” Brunsman will discuss the collaboration between Hamilton and Washington in creating the United States from the Revolutionary War and Constitutional Convention to launching the federal government and America’s financial system. Twenty-five years Washington’s junior, Hamilton acted as both a surrogate son and equal to the nation’s first president. Together, they made history in helping to shape our country as we know it. The talk will weave references to songs from Hamilton and the national traveling exhibition, Alexander Hamilton: Immigrant, Patriot, Visionary, which will be on display during library hours from Thursday, June 14 through Saturday, July 7.

Using primarily reproductions from the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s renowned collections, and drawing on recent scholarship about Alexander Hamilton, the traveling exhibition will examine Hamilton’s role during the Revolutionary War and Founding period (1774-1804) in creating the economic, constitutional, social, journalistic, political, and foreign policy templates for modern America. It will acquaint visitors with a statesman and visionary whose life inspired discussion and controversy and shaped the America we live in two hundred years after his death. The exhibit from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is made possible by the Rockefeller Foundation.

Denver Brunsman, Associate Professor in the History Department at George Washington University, where his courses include “George Washington and His World,” teaches annually at Mount Vernon. He is a coauthor of a leading college and AP U.S. History textbook, Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People and an e-book, Leading Change: George Washington and Establishing the Presidency. The recipient of numerous teaching honors, Brunsman was inducted into the George Washington University Academy of Distinguished Teachers in 2016.

Vietnam Memories Videos

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The Peters Township Library Foundation in partnership with The Peters Township Public Library has filmed and produced a selection of “Vietnam Memories” to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Tet Offensive and to delve more deeply into the experiences of local Vietnam veterans and the recollections of local residents.  Visitors are welcome to watch the Vietnam memories currently playing in our library lobby or with this link to our YouTube Channel. Our intention in providing this brief oral history is to honor those who served by sharing their stories and experiences firsthand to teach younger generations and the general public about this difficult time in our nation’s history.  In addition to thanking our guest speakers, we also offer special thanks to Jim McNutt and Diane Lioon for their commitment to making this project a reality. We also wish to thank PTHS Art Teacher, Lauren McCutcheon and the PTHS Art Club student volunteers, Cassie Tomlin, Rebecca Nelson and Kim Mincin for their assistance in painting our bunker scenery.

The Vietnam Memories videos are now airing on Comcast Channel 7 and Verizon Channel 38 on Mondays at 10:00 a.m., Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m., Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m., Thursdays at 11:00 p.m., and Fridays at 4:30 a.m.

George Dvorznak – An officer in the US Army in May 1967, George was stationed at the Long Binh Base, which housed the 3rd Ordinance Battalion’s largest ammunition dump in operation at the time. This is his story of the night the ammunition dump exploded.

Ron Worstell – Drafted by the US Army in 1968, Ron was assigned to the Infantry to provide security along the Ho Chi Minh Trail near the Cambodian border. He talks about his experiences with the Vietnamese villagers and how his 18 years of volunteer work at the Vietnam Memorial Wall have helped him overcome his survivor’s guilt.

Jim McNutt – In 1968 Jim McNutt was a US Army news correspondent in Vietnam. He was assigned to cover the action with the 60th Infantry Division’s Mobile Riverine Force as they patrolled the Delta south of Saigon. This is his exciting story of a surprise ambush attack while doing his job.

Jim Puhala – Jim was a helicopter pilot with the 1st Cavalry Division of the US Army. On November 8, 1967, he was called to provide fire support for US troops who were under heavy attack by the VC along Highway 1 in Vietnam. Hear his account of his helicopter being shot down and the crew rescued.

Richard Gotch – A MACV Advisor for the US Army in 1966, Richard’s job was to be the liaison between the US Armed forces and the South Vietnamese ARVN troops at the US Fort at Song Be. This is his story of an NVA battalion decimating the ARVN troops as they charged over a mountain into Cambodia.

Peter Bonadio, MD – Dr. Bonadio was assigned to the artillery headquarters near Chu Lai in August of 1969. He made his “rounds” via helicopter to three nearby firebases to inspect facilities and treat soldiers. He also provided first aid to the local villagers, sometimes with surprising results.

Judge Mike McCarthy – In 1970, Mike was a Seabee in the US Navy assigned to the Delta region in Vietnam. This is the story of how his team replaced a section of a footbridge which crossed the river while fellow Navy swift-boats distracted the enemy with firepower.

Patricia Fink – Patti showed her support for the POWs of the Vietnam War by wearing her POW bracelet from 1971-1973. The bracelets were a fundraiser for her mother’s Marine Corp Ladies Auxiliary. She shares stories about the support that the Auxiliary gave to the wounded Vietnam Veterans in Pennsylvania.