Trafford Historical Society

This video is a tribute to the fallen veterans from Trafford. They may have been family, classmates, or former neighbors who never made it home. The somber music was intentional. Today is not happy. But we live to be happy so that we may honor and remember these individuals who gave their last full measure of devotion. Please take 5 minutes of this day to watch the video, read their names, and reflect on why this day was set aside. https://youtu.be/rM3BjU06LHk

This photo was taken inside the old North Trafford Train Station and was saved by former Trafford American Legion Post Commander David Paola. The train station was built in 1905 and used as a passenger station until about 1922. It was constructed with a brick exterior and finished on the inside with hardwood trimmings. The men in the photo have not been identified, but it’s most likely a group of Legion post members sharing a beer as this former train station was rented to th...e American Legion beginning in 1934, the year after prohibition was lifted. The man in the suit is toasting his beer to the man sitting at the piano. Compare the shoes of these two men, it’s a good analogy for American Legion members who come from different walks, but share a common bond. Then you have the bartender in his apron pouring a beer as the next man watches the pour. And finally, the man on the far right looks like he was repairing the sink when the photographer said, Hey, get in this photo. It would be great if anyone here may recognize any of the men in this Legion photo. Other observations: The beer sign on top of the piano was from the Moose Brewing Company, Roscoe PA. Hanging on the wall behind the Coke advertisement is a Miss America Pageant yard long photo, possibly one from Atlantic City. Trafford had one resident, Thelma Williams who competed in the 1926 contest. Please join the American Legion on Monday, May 31st, for the Memorial Day ceremony at the Veterans Memorial Park. See more

With Forbes Road reopened, here's another look at the major project that moved the creek back in 1958.

Trafford High Class of 1961. You are sure to recognize many of these familiar faces. It was 60 years ago this month that this group graduated from Trafford High. It was also 60 years ago that the Alumni Association held their All-sports banquet at the Jacktown Hotel in Irwin where Don Karanovich was honored as Trafford's football and basketball coach whose 1960 football team went undefeated and his basketball team won the Section 13 title and was barely defeated by three poin...ts in the WPIAL Class B semifinals by Ft. Cherry, who went on to become State Class B champions. Allen, Dean McCombs Ammon, Judith Ann Bamber, Daniel Jones Banasik, Antoinette Bermon, Lenore Louise Boyer, Joan Boyer, Ronald Allen Bradley, Beatrice Bernice Brletic, Patricia Ann Burket, Walter Paul Capets, Madeline Loretta Comito, John James Connor, Daniel Thomas Culliver, Sara Theresa Cunningham, Carolyn Marie DelRosso, Pauline Ruthann Dent, Mary Ann Desmond, David Charles Diemert, Joanne Marie Dobos, Mary Doperak, Rita Marleen Falco, Christine Marie Faulk, Anita Joan Faulk, Louise Karen Ference, Marthann Geiger, David J. Golick, Veronica Ann Graffius, Edward Grande, Thomas Anthony Headlee, John Hopkins, David Allen Hydak, Regina Marie Jamnik, David Albert Jellison, Rita Ann Johnston, Robert Walter Jones, Robert James Kolman, Marcia Diane Kosanovich, Marlene Mildred Lapcevich, Deanna Lynne Lawson, Thomas Nelson Lehneke, Janet Louise Lovre, Anthony Alfans Macura, John Joseph Matulia~ Vincent Karl Matzko, Deanna Lee Matzko, Dolores Jean McHugh, John Timothy McHugh, William Francis McKee, Patti Kathleen Morocco, Anthony Louis Nabuda, Peter Nigrini, Robert John Novakovich, Stephen Patrick, Regis Lee Pratt, William Walter Premoshis, Marilyn Jean Snyder, Patricia Ann Sopko, David Thomas Surmacz, Dennis George Thurston, Walter Earnest Vecchio, Evelyn Julia Venturo, James Wallace, Charles Lowell Yagielia, Valaria Helen Zigarovich, David Matthew Zigarovich, Donna Mae

The symbolism that went into this memorial is quite interesting. We honor and remember Charles D. McKee from Trafford as one of the military passengers aboard this flight. Lest we forget.

On the heels of WW1, our Nation would see great cultural, economic, and social change, including great political transformation across the globe. This quote appeared in the Pittsburgh Daily Post, 100 years ago, when Veterans Day was then called Armistice Day. Armistice Day glorified the plain soldier and sought to reconsecrate their peoples to the ideals for which their armies and navies fought. The only security of victory is to keep those ideals above the selfish and triv...ial ambitions of mere politicians. November 1920 On this Veterans Day, we share a few photos that came out of the Trafford American Legion Post 331's files. Take note of the American Legion members presenting arms to unidentified officers inside one of the old Trafford Westinghouse buildings. Two pictures are group photos from American Legion meetings pulling members together from across the Commonwealth of PA, and one photo of Trafford Legion members at a Pittsburgh parade. Today, we honor ALL who have served in the military. Thank you! #VeteransDay2020 See more

On this 245th Birthday of the US Marine Corps, tradition dictates that Marines who gather will typically have a cake-cutting ceremony where a piece of cake goes to the oldest Marine, who then passes the piece to the youngest Marine. This signifies the passing of tradition from generation to generation. The Trafford Historical Society has identified who we believe may have been the oldest known Marine to have lived in Trafford. Our best guess (documented) would be George J. Bu...rroughs (1843-1928) who once lived on 7th Street in Trafford. Burroughs, born in Virginia, enlisted in the Marine Corps during the Civil War and served the Union for 4 years. Semper Fi, Mr. Burroughs! And now the obvious question, who is the youngest Marine that you know from Trafford who is currently serving? Please wish that Marine a Happy Birthday, and pass this virtual piece of cake his/her way. #SemperFidelis #USMC See more

This is a cute story about a local boy that appeared in an 1884 Baltimore MD newspaper called "Der Deutsche Correspondent." For those who don't read German, here's the translation: Seven-year-old George Jones seems to have his heart in the right place. He lives near Cavittsville, Penna. The bright little fellow was on his way to school when, walking along the track, he made the discovery that a mass of rocks had fallen and blocked the track. First, he tried to remove the obs...tacle, but his strength was insufficient, and he then made a decision which one would not have believed such a young boy to be capable of. He hurried a distance along the track in the direction from which the next train was to be expected, and when it rushed along, he waved his cap and his handkerchief until the engine driver stopped the engine. Great misfortune was thus prevented, and the Superintendent sent the good boy a check for $35. #gooddeeds #localhistory See more

Sharing for your support.

Recently, the old Kemport Building located at 203 Brinton Avenue was razed. Built about 1904, most readers here will remember the building as Caruso’s Grocery Store. Caruso’s Grocery once used an advertising slogan that read, First to Open, Last to Close. Italian immigrant Robert (Luberto) Caruso purchased the building in 1923 and operated the store into the late 1970s with his wife Josephine. Caruso’s Grocery can be added to our growing list of Trafford speakeasies th...at operated during the days of prohibition. Within a year of purchasing the building, Mr. Caruso paid a $100 fine following an evening raid in 1924. Despite prohibition coming to an end, one could apparently still purchase beer at Caruso’s Grocery (although not advertised), as Mr. Caruso paid another $100 fine in 1944 for selling beer without a license. And while there are undoubtedly a number of fond memories and stories to come out of this popular, yet modest, grocery store, there is one story we thought worth mentioning here about the old store. It was about 1948, and a young Nick Petrucci and Jimmy Vaccaro were patronizing Caruso’s store, as they often did, for a pretzel snack and some penny candy. On one occasion, the boys wore out their welcome by hanging out on the front steps too long, blocking the door for customers. Mr. Caruso, speaking in his native Italian, was not shy in shooing the boys away with his broom. One particular day, some robust Italian verbal commands were directed toward Jimmy Vaccaro. The young Petrucci, who later attempted to imitate Mr. Caruso’s words, apparently butchered the Italian dialect so badly that what came out of Nick’s mouth was the word chuncie. And while the precise Italian words used by Mr. Caruso that day may never be known, the mishmash of his vernacular by Nick, at the expense of Jimmy, ultimately led to the creation of yet another Trafford nickname. From that day forward, Jimmy Vaccaro would forever be known as Chunce Vaccaro, fashioned from the muddled dialect of one of Trafford’s most cherished Italian ancestors.

Was a bomb thrown into the old Trafford High School? Checking for clues, Trafford Police Chief Clyde G. Brandt (right) is seen with Corporal Wood (left) and Private Anderson (center) of the PA State Police. These two Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph photos from February 1948, show the men examining the remnants of what was initially thought to be a "bomb" thrown into the front door of the Fairmont Avenue school building. School custodian, Joseph Simmons, heard a noise like "plaster f...alling" at 6:10 AM, and Principal H.R. Faulk sent all 350 students home that morning so they wouldn't destroy any evidence. While the incident was certainly headline-grabbing news, it turned out that the mystery "bombing" of a "missile" hurled through a glass pane of the front door was actually an ornamental glass gazing ball that was taken from the lawn of Frank Primavera, 340 Fourth Street, Trafford. The attached wire had been used to anchor the lawn art in place. Three men were charged with larceny and malicious mischief, William Houk, Donald Divida, and Walter W. Wagner (all three men were WWII veterans with foreign service). They were released and later appeared for a hearing in front of Justice of the Peace John Sloan.

Today, marks the 80th anniversary of the first football game ever played by the "Pittsburgh Steelers." Their opponent happened to be a sandlot team from Trafford. https://youtu.be/cDe4UzM44vg

This is a gem. Thank you Odd, Pittsburgh. #traffordpa

Tennis anyone? The Trafford Tennis Association was organized in March 1910 under the direction of Edward D. Seitz, a prominent citizen in Trafford’s early history. The tennis courts and a clubhouse once sat up on the hill behind the present-day Rutledge Auto Service & Collision, the access road called Marmold Drive. If you are standing on the path of the Westmoreland Heritage Trail, behind the collision center, you can still see the remnants of a retaining wall that once h...Continue reading

In August 1941, under the leadership of attorney A.C. Scales, the Trafford Realty Company adopted and recorded the covenants of a new housing plan to be known as the Trafford Terrace. This was the second addition to the East Pittsburgh Improvement Company’s Plan for Trafford City. Less than four months later, the United States would be thrust into war following the attack on Pearl Harbor. By October 1942, a Pittsburgh newspaper declared, Trafford Plan Wins Favor. The articl...e reads, Construction of another group of new homes for war workers is expected to start soon in Trafford Terrace, low-cost housing development developed in Trafford by the Trafford Realty Company. So far, 18 houses have been finished in this plan. Nine are now occupied, and several more families will move in this week. All utilities have now been installed, and the streets are being paved. The price range in Trafford Terrace is from $5,500 to $6,000. The new homes will be similar in plan and construction to those now standing in the plan, including both five and six room models of brick and frame. Albert J. Fritsch is in charge of construction." Following the end of the war, the plan for the Trafford Terrace took off. In 1947, the "Borough of Trafford Beats the Housing Boom" with the article reading, "200 Homes Built by Free Enterprise. The industrial town of Trafford is now almost free from the drastic housing shortage that is haunting the country, according to Burgess M. R. Marker. Trafford Terrace, a new private housing development to contain 200 permanent brick and frame houses, now has about 60 houses occupied. The Terrace development came about when a group of interested Trafford businessmen formed the Trafford Realty Company and started the plan to beat the housing shortage in 1945."

In September 1942, a group of women gathered in Pittsburgh to form a new national organization known as the Woman's Army Corps (WAC) Mothers Association. These mothers shared a common bond, their daughters served in the Women's Army Corps (WAC), and the group of mothers aimed to help both men and women by doing anything they could to make life more comfortable for those serving their country. The mothers served in hospitals, and USO's, they sold bonds, mended clothes, or sent... comfort packages. In August 1944, Pauline Wiser (Trafford High 1940) enlisted in the WAC and served stateside for 15 months. Pauline’s mother, Mrs. Linnie Wiser joined the WAC Mother’s Association to support her daughter, and she continued to serve in this organization long after the war was over. By 1958, Trafford’s own Linnie Wiser was elected to serve as the national president of the WAC Mothers Association, Inc. Linnie Lucore Wiser (1897-1985) on the left, with her sister (unidentified) on the right; photo circa 1924. They are standing on Cavitt Avenue with the building in the background being identified as the Samuel Boosnakis Shoe Repair Shop at 329 Cavitt Ave. This building was destroyed by fire in May 1924. Note the trolly tracks that once ran down Cavitt Ave.

An interesting document surfaced in the files belonging to the Trafford Historical Society. We do not know who wrote down this information, or when it was written. It possibly came from someone gathering stories that could appear in one of the Trafford Anniversary publications. While this post is not necessarily about the former steps or the Park itself, the photos were added here to add context to the location of a legend that appears on this document. By definition, a lege...nd is regarded as historical but unauthenticated, so this posts will uphold that definition by considering the story as legend without having any other evidence. There are other interesting matters written on this paper, but for now, we will focus on this one sentence: During the Pioneer days a stockade was built on what is now the Park area and an Indian friendly was killed and buried there. Is it possible that the present-day Trafford Veterans Memorial Park holds the remains of a Native American? Have you ever heard this story? Was this ever part of the folklore that came from earlier generations in your home?

Home movie from Trafford's Bicentennial Parade held July 4, 1976, the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. See if you can spot anyone you know. Happy Birthday America! https://youtu.be/awciXMlBA4Y

Please pass this along to the golfers in your family. Fundraising to build Patriot's Day Plaza at Twin Lakes Park in Greensburg, PA. Three of the 16 Fallen are from Trafford. Business advertising and family sponsorships also help. Check out the link: https://wcvwot.org/events/

Ten years ago today June 11, 2010, SFC Bryan Hoover and SFC Robert Fike were together on foot patrol in Zabul Providence, SE Afghanistan, when they were approac...hed by a male suicide bomber dressed in a woman’s burqa. The resulting blast killed them as well as several nearby civilians. They will never be forgotten. On August 8th, at 1 pm, in Johnstown's Central Park, we will be honored to unveil our monument dedicated to Bryan, Robert and the three other fallen members of the 28th MP Company.