Roots run deep
I’ve always known that I have roots in the Mon Valley, and that the Monongahela River was a lifeblood of sorts for my family. My grandfather, Walter Maund Jr., was a riverboat captain for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and hailed from Charleroi. My great-grandfather, Frederick Cosgrove, was also a Charleroi-based riverboat captain, working for Hiernaux Transportation Lines, according to his obituary. Both of them started as deckhands and worked their way up to captain.
What I didn’t realize until I started tracing my family tree, is that my Mon Valley roots go way deeper than just my grandparents and great-grandparents. I uncovered a number of aunts, uncles, cousins and even some great-great (and so on) grandparents who settled in various parts of the Mon Valley and worked on the rivers or in the mines in some capacity.
So, I’m pretty excited that Mon Valley Magazine is one of the titles that I get to oversee as part of my new position at Observer-Publishing Company. The rich history of the area, combined with revitalization and preservation efforts that are currently underway, not to mention so many interesting people with stories to tell, means that we have plenty to write about!
In this issue, you’ll meet Laura Zinski, the CEO of the Mon Valley Initiative. The nonprofit coalition is made up of 10 local community development corporations and strives to support development, regional action and community outreach through a variety of programs.
In our cover story, you’ll meet Olivia DeCesar, who is an instructor and trainer at Fallowfield Stables in Fallowfield Township. Thanks to different programs and scholarships, students can ride horses at Fallowfield Stables even if they don’t have the financial means to do so otherwise.
In each issue, we are going to look at the history of the Mon Valley through photos. Turn to the back page, and you will see images from Eldora Park. The trolley park opened in 1901 and, despite its early popularity, was closed following the end of WWII. If you hike in the area, you may find an old bridge or lamppost from the park, but that’s all that remains.
I’d love to hear from you. If you have a story idea or old photos you’d like to share with our readers, please drop me a line at kgreen@observer-reporter.com.
Until next time,
Katie Green