• Home
  • About
  • My Books
  • Contact
  • Social Media
  • Andy McPhee
  • Who Was William Donner, the Man?

    Who Was William Donner, the Man?

    By

    Andy McPhee

    Donora History
    November 7, 2017

    Most people know Donner, if they know him at all, as the founder of Donora, a town with a name unlike any other in the world. They might know that Donner was connected to the Mellons —Andrew W. and Richard B. — and that he was instrumental in creating the zinc and steel mills in Donora at…

    Read More

  • A Lesson in Negotiating

    A Lesson in Negotiating

    By

    Andy McPhee

    Donora History, William Donner
    June 7, 2017

    Donora, Pennsylvania, would likely not exist today if town founder William H. Donner hadn’t finally persuaded Margaret Heslep, a surprisingly crafty negotiator, to sell her land.

    Read More

  • Even Cleaner Air Starts in Donora

    Even Cleaner Air Starts in Donora

    By

    Andy McPhee

    Donora Smog Event, Just Me
    June 7, 2017

    With the EPA undergoing extensive downsizing and the Trump administration wanting to open previously protected lands to oil and shale drilling, Donora continues to remind the nation of the need for clean air.

    Read More

  • 5 Tips for Building Your Own Town

    5 Tips for Building Your Own Town

    By

    Andy McPhee

    Donora History
    May 1, 2017

    If you’ve ever wanted to start your own town, there may be no better formula for it than the one William H. Donner used to start Donora at the turn of the 20th Century. Donner was a colleague of banking and industrial magnate Andrew Mellon, and they had decided to build a series of steel mills south…

    Read More

  • Is Andrew Posey Buried Here?

    Is Andrew Posey Buried Here?

    By

    Andy McPhee

    Donora History
    April 8, 2017

    You can see the gravesite from the Stan “The Man” Musial Bridge, but you would find it unremarkable. It is an odd gravesite, sitting as it does on a patch of grass in the middle of a dirt parking area next to a welding company in an industrial park on the banks of the Monongahela River.

    Read More

  • Still Fighting for Clean Air Today

    Still Fighting for Clean Air Today

    By

    Andy McPhee

    Donora Death Fog, Donora Smog Event
    March 27, 2017

    “People would come to the town, and they would say, ‘What’s that smell?’ And people who lived here would say, ‘What smell?’ And my grandpa would say, ‘Well, it smells like money.'”

    Read More

  • Donora: The Birthplace of Clean Air

    Donora: The Birthplace of Clean Air

    By

    Andy McPhee

    Donora Death Fog, Donora History, Donora Smog Event
    March 20, 2017

    Donora, a riverside mill town in southwest Pennsylvania, suffered a prolonged bout of concentrated, toxic smog in late October 1948, during which at least 20 people died and thousands more became ill.

    Read More

  • Temperature Inversions and Deadly Smog

    Temperature Inversions and Deadly Smog

    By

    Andy McPhee

    Donora Smog Event
    March 11, 2017

    Common to all three tragedies were two key elements. First, large factories in each area had been spewing enormous amounts of pollutants into the air, the most deadly being sulfur dioxide. And second, Mother Nature came calling in the form of something called a temperature inversion.

    Read More

  • Donora’s Field of Dreams

    Donora’s Field of Dreams

    By

    Andy McPhee

    Donora History, Just Me
    March 5, 2017

    Probably the most famous player to ever sprint down this field was the legendary Joseph “Joe Cool” Montana. Montana was unequivocally one of the greatest quarterbacks in history and a Hall of Fame pick in his first year of eligibility. And he played here, right here in Donora, on Legion Field, where all Ringgold games were played.

    Read More

  • The 5th Street Stairs: A Sweet Story

    The 5th Street Stairs: A Sweet Story

    By

    Andy McPhee

    Donora History
    March 2, 2017

    On 5th Street now, between Prospect and Murray Avenues, there is a street-wide swath of grass with a set of stairs on either side. The stairs on the right, looking upward, are replacement stairs installed a number of years ago. The stairs on the left, however, are original and tell an interesting story.

    Read More

1 … 3 4 5 6
  • Home
  • About
  • My Books
  • Contact
  • Social Media
 

Loading Comments...