Mt. Lebanon marks 100 years
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The Mt. Lebanon municipal building library. -
Mt. Lebanon Public Library, Castle Shannon Boulevard. -
Yesterday: Lowes Pharmacy at 685 Washington Road. -
Willis H. Siegfried, one of Mt. Lebanon's founding commissioners. -
Yesterday: A cemetery picnic.
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Will A. Siegfried Jr.'s grandfather didn't waste any time as one of Mt. Lebanon's founding leaders in 1912.
According to records from the Historical Society of Mt. Lebanon, Willis H. Siegfried, four other commissioners and a solicitor worked hard to upgrade the then-township. They hired a road supervisor, an engineer and laborers, created a board of health, approved construction of electric poles, commissioned a sewer study and levied their first tax at 3 mills -- all in the first month.
Despite those evident leadership abilities, Will Siegfried, 67, never saw his grandfather as much of a politician.
"They liked people and they just saw this community as a potential place to become what it became," the third-generation Mt. Lebanon resident said of the leaders.
"I guess it's why I'm still here."
Mt. Lebanon was formed when residents broke from Scott Township in February 1912, citing a "wide difference" between the east and west portions of the township, specifically rural areas that inconvenienced residents trying to access city services.
At the time, Mt. Lebanon had 1,705 residents, 75 gas streetlights, a nine-hole golf course on Bower Hill Road, a single fire hydrant, no sewers, no police force or fire departments, and a partially paved main thoroughfare, Washington Road, according to historical society documents.
To complete the secession, Mt. Lebanon pledged to install gas, water and electric connections and a sewer system, as well as pay Scott a sum of $2,000.
Although records show only six cars traveled Mt. Lebanon's streets back then, the solicitor, alert to potential road concerns, suggested a speed limit and posted warning signs at problem areas.
This year, Mt. Lebanon celebrates its centennial, and residents like Will Siegfried Jr. are looking back, celebrating and revisiting memories.
Traffic has markedly changed, but Will Siegfried said many things fortunately have not, namely the quality that gave Mt. Lebanon a sense of community for 100 years.
"I really think it's several factors," said Jim Wojcik, a 34-year resident of Mt. Lebanon and president of the historical society.
Transportation improvements were key, he said, including the tunnel construction in 1924 and completion of the Liberty Bridge four years later. Asked what is the best-kept secret in the municipality, Mr. Wojcik said sidewalks, because they were an integral part of what connected people to each other and locations in the town.
By comparison, Will Siegfried said, the large plots in Fox Chapel don't lend themselves to the kind of relationship he has with his neighbors in Mt. Lebanon.
"That proximity is what causes you to walk out in the street and offer the guy next door a beer," he said.
That sense of community began for the Siegfried family in the early years of the 20th century.
Willis H. Siegfried was born into a family of farmers and miners in Westmoreland County. Polio left him with a withered leg and precluded him from doing that kind of work, so he began to practice his penmanship instead, his grandson said.
He moved to Pittsburgh and worked as executive secretary for American Oil Development Co. In 1906, he settled in what is now Mt. Lebanon, back when Washington was just a dirt road, raising two sons in a home on Shady Drive East, across the street from the present-day Rollier's Hardware.
Founded in 1912, the community got its name much earlier. Around 1850, the Rev. Joseph Clokey of what is now known as Mt. Lebanon United Presbyterian Church took a trip to the Holy Land and brought home two Cedar of Lebanon trees, which were planted near Bower Hill Road, said M.A. Jackson of Mt. Lebanon Magazine, former historical society president.
Five years later, the earliest post office in the South Hills was established, at Washington and Bower Hill roads, and called Mt. Lebanon.
Ms. Jackson said many photos that planners collected for the occasion "capture a bygone era."
Like his father, Willis H. Siegfried's youngest son was active in local affairs as president of the Mt. Lebanon Civic League, a now-defunct volunteer organization to promote the community, after moving back to Mt. Lebanon as an adult.
Will Siegfried Jr. himself lived in Mt. Lebanon throughout high school, then moved away for college and law school. When he moved back to the area, he lived in the city before finally settling again in Mt. Lebanon, raising two daughters there.
"It was a wonderful, magical place to raise kids," he said.
He served on the school board in the early 1990s and was board president for a term.
For a while, the family counted four generations in Mt. Lebanon. His daughters, now in their 30s, have moved -- one to Colorado, and the other splits her time between New York and Los Angeles.
Collectively, the family has witnessed a century of changes: the inaugural graduating class of Mt. Lebanon High School and the township library in 1932; a population that soared to 20,000 by the 1940s; the debut of St. Clair Hospital in 1954; the unveiling of the Fort Pitt Tunnel in 1961; a new library three years later; honors and awards; and the community's 25th, 50th and 75th anniversaries.
Willis H. Siegfried died when his grandson was in college. Although they were close, Will Siegfried said there are countless things they didn't discuss, memories they hadn't preserved.
"I wish I could bring the guy back," he said.
The next regular commission meeting has been moved to Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. -- the official day of secession in 1912 -- and will include a presentation from local leaders, slideshow of old photographs and refreshments.
First Published January 26, 2012 12:00 am
