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Pennsylvania Room
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Western Pennsylvania: The Birthplace of the Petroleum Pipeline
Western Pennsylvania: The Birthplace of the Petroleum Pipeline
James Arnold, who was a pipe-liner for the early part of his career, and now runs the Flight School at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, will give a PowerPoint discussion about the pipelines that traversed the country and the equipment used to pump oil. The Crescent Pipeline ran through Ligonier Valley with a pumping station located where the Red & White Grocery (later the Flea-tique) sat. Jim will bring some artifacts from his collection and perhaps run his model of the steam pumping engine that has been on display in the Pa Room since last summer. Some of us may remember Jim from the several talks he gave here previously on Emily Dickinson and her poetry.
Genealogy Forum
The Genealogy Forum meets several times throughout the year. The primary purpose is to both help individuals just starting, as well as more experienced individuals, acquire or advance the skills needed to trace their family lineage. Each meeting focuses on some aspect of family history research and occasionally features a guest speaker. Meetings are free and open to the public. Beginners and advanced researchers are all welcome. No registration.
For more information, please call the library at 724-238-6451 or send an email to paroom@ligonierlibrary.org.
Genealogy Forum
Genealogy Forum
Actor George Clooney and President Abraham Lincoln are cousins! Have you ever wondered who you might be related to or how your family came to the United States or to Ligonier? Genealogy Forum will help you develop the tricks and tools needed to trace your family lineage, start your own family bible, or just learn more about family history in general.
Each forum meeting focuses on some aspect of family research and occasionally features a guest speaker.The group meets on the 4th Tuesday of January, March, May, September, and October from 6:00-7:00 PM.
Genealogy Forum meetings are free and open to the public. For more information call the library at 724-238-6451 or email paroom@ligonierlibrary.org
March 26th - "Research in the Westmoreland County Recorder of Deeds Office": presented by Frank Schiefer, Recorder, and Gerry Fjellanger, Senior Clerk.
Event Calendar
Visit the Event Calendar to see all of the events and programs taking place at the Ligonier Valley Library, including Pennsylvania Room programs, such as Genealogy Forum, and exhibit openings.
If you have any questions, please call the Library at 724-238-6451.
Ligonier Lumber Company of 1913-1922
Presentation by Tom Irwin on the history of the Ligonier Lumber Company of 1913-1922 on October 24th, 2023. Tom discusses the railroad line that served the Ligonier Lumber Company from the mountains above Waterford to the mill on the Camp & Conference Center property. From the mill, lumber and other products were shipped on the LVRR to Ligonier and then out of the Valley.
Thomas John Irwin, a seventh generation Ligonier native and member of the Ligonier Valley Rail Road Association Board of Directors, was born in 1949 to W. Shaffer Irwin and Hermina Irwin. He was one of five children raised on McColly Street in Ligonier within sight of the Ligonier Valley Rail Road trains leaving Ligonier toward Mill Creek and Wilpen. The 1967 Ligonier Valley High School graduate authored a term paper on railroads in the Ligonier Valley that foretold a lifelong interest in that subject – logging railroads in particular. Tom graduated from Penn State University in 1971 with a degree in electrical engineering and retired in 2016 after a long career as a project engineer for Allegheny Power in Greensburg (later First Energy).
Vietnam: A Combat Infantryman's Story - Presentation by Monty R. Murty
Presentation by Monty R. Murty at Ligonier Valley Library, July 25th, 2023.
Presentation covers Mr. Murty’s experience as a young soldier during the Vietnam War, and was in coordination with our Annual Historical Photography Show. This year’s show is titled Faces of Ligonier Valley: Veterans of Vietnam and the Cold War and will run from July 18th to September 12th, 2023.
Below is a pdf version script of the presentation.
If you are interested in learning more about the Pennsylvania Room, have any questions, would like to become a volunteer, or wish to join the Genealogy Forum, please call the Ligonier Valley Library at 724-238-6451 or send an email to paroom@ligonierlibrary.org. The Pennsylvania Room is closed on Sundays and Mondays. If traveling from a great distance, we encourage you to call ahead to be sure the Pennsylvania Room is open and available.