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Old 10-22-2011, 02:49 AM
 
Location: Kittanning
4,692 posts, read 9,038,961 times
Reputation: 3668

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I have been reading random articles online and I came across this fascinating history of McKeesport. As I'm sure many of you know, McKeesport used to be a very bustling city and the heart of the Mon Valley. This article details the factors that led to McKeesport's decline -- the opening of Eastland Mall in the 1960s, a massive fire that destroyed several downtown blocks and landmarks in 1976, and finally the loss of steel industry jobs in the 1980s. McKeesport wasn't able to recover from these blows. As late as 1976, McKeesport still had major retail and department stores, movie palaces, and daytime shoppers and office crowds, much like downtown Pittsburgh today.

You can read more here:

BackWhen Stories - Memories of Times Gone By (http://64.66.190.41/lookingback/scrapbook_search.asp?ID=1554 - broken link)

Also this site is really interesting:

Mon Valley & McKeesport News, Tourism and History | Tube City Online | tubecityonline.com
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Old 10-22-2011, 07:34 AM
 
Location: Charlotte
1,763 posts, read 3,294,017 times
Reputation: 1179
Here's a sad picture of a McKeesport house that would be good in your Halloween photo tour.

File:HitzrotHouse.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Old 10-22-2011, 05:44 PM
 
Location: Kittanning
4,692 posts, read 9,038,961 times
Reputation: 3668
I love that house! I need to get to McKeesport soon and do a proper photo tour.
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Old 10-22-2011, 06:59 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
7,541 posts, read 10,263,524 times
Reputation: 3510
Quote:
Originally Posted by alleghenyangel View Post
I love that house! I need to get to McKeesport soon and do a proper photo tour.

Don't delay on that, unlike your own town, McKeesport is a far ways from Pittsburgh and with no industry its unlike to undergo a revival. I wouldn't be suprised to see a lot of homes having a date with the wrecking ball in the tube city.

Unless perhaps they can bring back the B&O commuter rail service that was discontinued in the 80's?
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Old 10-23-2011, 03:23 AM
 
Location: SW Pa
5 posts, read 16,272 times
Reputation: 23
My parents and family were Mckeesporter's dating back to 1900. Slowly during the 1960's/70's many moved away from the area due to the changes that were seen in the city and neighborhoods. I graduated from MASH 1979 and was one of the last large graduating classes, I dont know how many from my class even live in the area. I moved away in 1985 and never looked back.
The stories I can tell about the days of walking Bailey Ave to junior high or the good times playing pinball at the Argon, Greens 5&10.
If you like large homes drive up on the hill to the library area and see some of those mansions, if they are still standing.

p
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Old 10-23-2011, 06:47 AM
 
18,950 posts, read 11,597,475 times
Reputation: 69889
Hi Bmark - my dad was born in McKeesport just after the turn of the century but I think his family moved from there by the time he was a young teen. Now the town they moved to is failing also - can be hard to escape it I suppose. Thanks for this thread, AA - it'll be interesting to see your photo tour if you ever get around to it!
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Old 10-23-2011, 07:42 AM
 
Location: SW Pa
5 posts, read 16,272 times
Reputation: 23
There are a few great videos of McKeesport from the Lazycomic on Youtube. There are some good shots of dowtown and other neighborhoods of the city.

b
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Old 10-23-2011, 09:05 AM
 
Location: NW Penna.
1,758 posts, read 3,835,971 times
Reputation: 1880
Quote:
Originally Posted by ex-burgher View Post
Here's a sad picture of a McKeesport house that would be good in your Halloween photo tour.

File:HitzrotHouse.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ugh. We can't even take care of a building for 100 years, can we.

America is so wasteful. Someone on another board said she lives in London, in a "terraced Georgian townhouse," terraced meaning that the units all have shared walls, as she explained it. Now, these buildings are older than the ones in Pittsburgh (most of the ones we've discussed and looked at here, anyway) and also consider that London was bombed in WWII. Her neighborhood still looks fairly well-kept-up to me.
http://www.pricescope.com/forum/download/file.php?id=297506 (broken link)
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Old 10-23-2011, 09:45 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
7,541 posts, read 10,263,524 times
Reputation: 3510
Quote:
Originally Posted by SorryIMovedBack View Post
Ugh. We can't even take care of a building for 100 years, can we.

America is so wasteful.

The home in question is in McKeesport you know.

And McKeesport has been a shrinking community with shrinking opportunities with a real oversupply of housing.

It doesn't matter where you are, England, America or anywhere else, if a house remains vacant for years, decades, it will definitely break down.
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Old 10-23-2011, 10:58 AM
 
65 posts, read 146,975 times
Reputation: 45
I was in Mckeesport in 2002 and 2004 working at the old US steel pipe mill. That town was spooky then.

I carried a 9mm everywhere I went. One night at about 2am I had a cop pull alongside me and saw my out of state plates. All he could say was that my truck was worth more than 10 homes in that area and I was in danger just being there......

it's sorry the Town let it get to that................Kick out the trash and take it back is what i say
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