The Montour Railroad once threaded our area, rumbling through the countryside, peaking in the 1930s and passing out of sight and into history in 1984. The Montour Railroad began in 1877, and was privately owned by the Imperial Coal Company, running from the mines to Coraopolis. It was a short-line railroad, which offered both freight and passenger service to 15 area stations (the passenger service ended in 1927). Most railroads of that time were short lines running just a few miles and...

The story of Hilary Borneo, noted steel drum musician, is an interesting one that has meandered from Trinidad & Tobago through most of the U.S., with some interesting coincidences where his past sometimes crossed paths with his future. When Hilary was a small boy in Trinidad & Tobago in the 1950s, steel drum playing was not respected. In fact, it was still regarded as a rebellious activity. “The plantation owners had banned drum playing because they were afraid that the Trinidadians were...

Our area was once the home of an important Civil War general, James Adam Ekin. His exemplary service in the military, however, was forever overshadowed by his connection to President Abraham Lincoln after his death. The Ekin House in Elizabeth, PA, was originally owned by General James Ekin, grandson of Stephen Bayard, the town’s founder. Photo courtesy of Abandoned Old & Interesting Places - Western PA. Ekin was born in 1819, to a mother whose father, Colonel Stephen Bayard, had a...