Programs & Exhibits
Legends & Lore of Western Pennsylvania
July 16th, 2011
On Saturday, July 16th, the McKeesport Heritage Center continued their '2011 Summer Speaker Series' by hosting a discussion about local folklore and urban legends. The program was based upon the popular book, Legends & Lore of Western Pennsylvania by local author, Thomas White. As the curator of special collections at the Gumberg Library at Duquesne University and an Adjunct Professor of History at La Roche College, White has become a trusted authority on such an intricate subject. With countless hours devoted toward the research of the region's forgotten tales and ghost stories, White's expertise in this field made him the perfect candidate to headline this particular program. It was with great pleasure that the McKeesport Heritage Center was able to announce Thomas White as the guest speaker for this event.
With the presentation set to begin, all of the empty seats in the McKeesport Heritage Center's meeting hall were disappearing quickly. At one point, it was 'standing room only' before the volunteers set up additional chairs. After a few brief announcements and an introduction, the guest speaker received a round of applause as he made his way to the podium. From the very start, Thomas White captured the attention of the crowd with his strange and unusual tales. He spoke of local legends including one about a disfigured 'Green Man' who allegedly stalks the area around a tunnel in South Park Township. Another legend that was examined involved a U.S. Air Force B-25 Bomber that 'vanished' beneath the Monongahela River near Homestead. Other topics of discussion included the stories from haunted locations like Dead Man's Hollow and Blue Mist Road in North Park. Occassionally, White would add a bit of humor to each rendition and trigger some laughter from the audience. Before concluding his presentation, the folklore historian answered questions from the audience before receiving another ovation.
Immediately following the discussion, the director of the M.H.C. and the administrator of the DMH website conducted drawings for gift basket door prizes. Each basket contained brand new dvds from popular show like the Discovery Channel's Mythbusters and The Travel Channel's Ghost Adventures. In addition to the dvds, the gift baskets also included LED flashlights, books on urban legends, and other DMH promotional items. Afterwards, refreshments provided by the DMH website were served as Thomas White spoke one on one with guests. He also signed copies of his books until they had sold out. All throughout the McKeesport Heritage Center, visitors could be found browsing the gift shop, examining the unique collection of historical treasures and touring the one room schoolhouse. As the event drew to a close, one volunteer stated that everyone that she had spoke with really seemed to enjoy the program. Another volunteer immediately called the event a huge success after counting over one hundred names in the guest registry. It was later reported that the Legends & Lore of Western Pennsylvania event had the highest attendance record of all the 'guest speaker' programs held at the McKeesport Heritage Center. Overall, it was truly an enjoyable day for event planners and volunteers as well as all of those who attended the free program.
July 16th, 2011
On Saturday, July 16th, the McKeesport Heritage Center continued their '2011 Summer Speaker Series' by hosting a discussion about local folklore and urban legends. The program was based upon the popular book, Legends & Lore of Western Pennsylvania by local author, Thomas White. As the curator of special collections at the Gumberg Library at Duquesne University and an Adjunct Professor of History at La Roche College, White has become a trusted authority on such an intricate subject. With countless hours devoted toward the research of the region's forgotten tales and ghost stories, White's expertise in this field made him the perfect candidate to headline this particular program. It was with great pleasure that the McKeesport Heritage Center was able to announce Thomas White as the guest speaker for this event.
With the presentation set to begin, all of the empty seats in the McKeesport Heritage Center's meeting hall were disappearing quickly. At one point, it was 'standing room only' before the volunteers set up additional chairs. After a few brief announcements and an introduction, the guest speaker received a round of applause as he made his way to the podium. From the very start, Thomas White captured the attention of the crowd with his strange and unusual tales. He spoke of local legends including one about a disfigured 'Green Man' who allegedly stalks the area around a tunnel in South Park Township. Another legend that was examined involved a U.S. Air Force B-25 Bomber that 'vanished' beneath the Monongahela River near Homestead. Other topics of discussion included the stories from haunted locations like Dead Man's Hollow and Blue Mist Road in North Park. Occassionally, White would add a bit of humor to each rendition and trigger some laughter from the audience. Before concluding his presentation, the folklore historian answered questions from the audience before receiving another ovation.
Immediately following the discussion, the director of the M.H.C. and the administrator of the DMH website conducted drawings for gift basket door prizes. Each basket contained brand new dvds from popular show like the Discovery Channel's Mythbusters and The Travel Channel's Ghost Adventures. In addition to the dvds, the gift baskets also included LED flashlights, books on urban legends, and other DMH promotional items. Afterwards, refreshments provided by the DMH website were served as Thomas White spoke one on one with guests. He also signed copies of his books until they had sold out. All throughout the McKeesport Heritage Center, visitors could be found browsing the gift shop, examining the unique collection of historical treasures and touring the one room schoolhouse. As the event drew to a close, one volunteer stated that everyone that she had spoke with really seemed to enjoy the program. Another volunteer immediately called the event a huge success after counting over one hundred names in the guest registry. It was later reported that the Legends & Lore of Western Pennsylvania event had the highest attendance record of all the 'guest speaker' programs held at the McKeesport Heritage Center. Overall, it was truly an enjoyable day for event planners and volunteers as well as all of those who attended the free program.
Event Photo Gallery
M.H.C. Director Michelle Wardle and Thomas White.
Special thanks to Thomas White for helping to make this event such an incredible success for the McKeesport Heritage Center and for the DMH Website. Also, thank you for all the effort that you've put into collecting and preserving our region's forgotten tales! I certainly appreciate it!
- S.B.
Junior Event Photographers
During the Legends & Lore of Western Pennsylvania presentation, one of the event planners enlisted the help of two younger audience members to serve as Junior Event Photographers. Jayme and Blaze cheerfully accepted the task and quickly began photographing the activity in the McKeesport Heritage Center's meeting hall and main lobby. Shortly after the event concluded, the film was sent out to be developed. Unfortunately, due to a defective flash bulb on the 'single use' 35mm camera, only six of the twenty-two photographs taken were retrieved from the roll. The photo gallery below contains those photos. Thanks again to our friends, Jayme and Blaze for their assistance at the McKeesport Heritage Center's Legends & Lore of Western Pennsylvania program!
Blaze and Jayme - Junior Event Photographers
