#Christmas store in west unity ohio series

Kathy, aka Kate, aka “Shorty” as her siblings affectionately called her, enjoyed growing up on the family farm, and shared stories of her horse April when her children were young. She also relished in the fact that before arriving home on Christmas Day, her dad took the 4 older siblings to the Five and Dime store up town in West Unity, making them purchase presents to celebrate her birth. Born on Decemin Bryan, Ohio to Doris (Colon) and Robert “Bob” Porath, she used to joke that she was the best Christmas present her siblings ever received. Those traveling through the borough on boat or bicycle or looking for a weekend getaway can stay overnight in the house, which has a common living room and kitchen on the first floor.Kathy Sue Porath Kathy Sue Porath, age 58 years young, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, August 17, at her home in Findlay, Ohio. Barr of Baldwin.īarr converted the long-vacant two-story wood-frame house in May 2019 into a six-bedroom house. The local historical society owned the home, but it changed hands a few times before it eventually sold to real estate developer Gregory K. He built the house in 1814 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Plumer was a captain in the War of 1812 and served in the state House and Senate. 8 and 9.įor those with a yearning to stay in a historical house along the Youghiogheny River, the two-story John Plumer House, 131 S. There will be a pie-eating contest and a variety of food vendors, and bands will provide entertainment on Sept. The festivities kick off with a parade that begins at the West Newton Elementary School and makes its way to Main Street. 10, with activities at the town’s Vine Street Park. The annual community festival held the weekend after Labor Day has been a staple for decades.

Hope sold the house with its adjacent “doll house” in 2021 to Daryl and Karen Luciani, who have maintained the house’s eye-catching color scheme. Hope said he bought the 1887 home as a Christmas gift for Carol just about a century later, jokingly calling it the “Purple Monster” or the “Nightmare on Vine Street.” Hope Jr., a veterinarian, and his late wife, Carol, owned the house, which she called “Whispering Amethyst.” Today, the borough benefits from the tourist trade - from those using the Youghiogheny River for boating and fishing to those using the Great Allegheny Passage for biking, walking and running.Ī site to behold is the three-story, blue and purple Victorian house at 907 Vine St.ĭr. In the 1960s, a new elementary school was built, along with a community swimming pool. closed its plant in the 1950s, the borough still was home to industry, building prefabricated homes and railroad flares. P&LE Railroad laid track on the west side of town, making connections to coal mines in the region.Īfter U.S. The town served as a commercial center for the farming communities in the neighboring townships and coal patches. of Detroit acquired the old paper mill building in the late 1800s, expanding the building to employ more than 500 people. It supplied the region with quality paper. The Markle Paper Mill opened in 1859, becoming the town’s first industry. West Newton’s importance in river commerce increased when slack water dams were built in the 1830s.Ī covered toll bridge was built over the river in 1834, and the community became a stop along what was the Pittsburgh & Connellsville Railroad, which later became the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. It served as a trading outpost where the Old Glades Indian Trail met the Youghiogheny. They eventually settled the first town in the Ohio Territory, Marietta.Ī Whiskey Rebellion rebel named Isaac Rob officially laid out the town that built up around the ferry crossing, naming it Robbstown. Those men made their way down the Youghiogheny River to the Monongahela River and past the forks of the Ohio River. In 1788, a group of Revolutionary War veterans from Ipswich, Mass., spent the winter at Simeral’s Ferry - the impetus for the community - making boats in order to travel west. If you have a suggestion for a future installment, please email Newton has been a popular site for travelers since its early days as a settlement, part of the westward expansion of the United States.

#Christmas store in west unity ohio series

This series will appear each week through December. (Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things - 10 things in 25 communities - that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area.