Issue No. 14
Volume No. 1
January 2016
Serving the communities of West Mifflin, Homestead, West Homestead, Munhall, Duquesne, Clairton, West
Elizabeth, Whitaker, Dravosburg, Pleasant Hills, Jefferson, Hays, Lincoln Place and parts of Baldwin.
Wednesday, January 13th at 7:00 p.m.
From Stephen Foster to Joe Negri
Presented by Samantha Burns
Samantha Burns, an accomplished violinist and a music education major at Seton
Hill University, will be taking the audience back in time through discussion and
the presentation of memorable songs from the 19th century to the mid 20th century
as she talks about famous composers and musicians from around the Pittsburgh
area.
We’ll learn about what motivated those who shared their talents and gave
generations the songs that we’ll never forget. From the theatres on New York’s
Broadway, to the radios and televisions in our living rooms, Americans know the
names of the tunes that will forever be imbedded in our history.
Homestead
Cemetery
Records
Compilation is
Now Underway
Working with volunteers and students from Duquesne University’s
archival graduate program, we’ve at last begun the task of archiving the
records of the Homestead Cemetery. They include 9,000 burial
internment cards, over 3,000 deed slips and 2 ledger books containing
nearly 15,000 hand-written individual records dating back to 1887.
Most of these records will be either photographed or scanned but all will
eventually be digitized and entered into a database that is searchable for
research purposes. If you’d like to volunteer or make a donation, call us
at 412-205.3400.
This is Your Newsletter so...
Don’t Forget Your Membership Renewal
War
Memorial
Project in
Cooperation
with the
WMASD
The MTHS, along with the West
Mifflin High School ROTC
Program, is embarking on a project
that will locate, identify and
catalogue the local war memorials.
The monuments will be photographed and the names of those
who served will be recorded into a
searchable database. A web page
will then be created to honor those
from our area who fought and
sacrificed for our country.
Donations are being accepted for
the purchase of equipment such as
cameras, memory cards, etc.
Volume 1, Number 14
January 2016 Historic Messenger
Page 2
Now That was a Party!
On Saturday, December 5, the MTHS partnered
with the Jefferson Hills and Dravosburg
Historical Societies for a great holiday party.
Thanks to Jefferson President Joyce Schmidt,
everyone who attended enjoyed great food,
lively entertainment and plenty of good times.
Attendees were asked to bring a a small gift
which changed hands a number of times.
Everyone agrees that we’ll do it again next year.
Society Fundraiser a Success
After some debate, this year the MTHS decided to have a fruit basket sale as a year-end fundraiser. We are
happy to report that the basket sales were very popular among members and businesses alike. We offered
four sizes ranging from a gift box that can be easily mailed, to a large family-sized deluxe basket. From the
pre-order to pick up, the whole process was seamless and the fruit was deliciously fresh. Many thanks to
Jordan Banana and all those who participated. Hope to see you again this December!
Portal to the Past
In History...
Thomas Paine Publishes “Common Sense”
in January, 1776
In January 1776, writer Thomas Paine publishes his
pamphlet “Common Sense,” setting forth his
arguments in favor of American independence.
Although little used today, pamphlets were an
important medium for the spread of ideas in the 16th
through 19th centuries.
Originally published anonymously, “Common
Sense” advocated independence for the American
colonies from Britain and is considered one of the
most influential pamphlets in American history.
Credited with uniting average citizens and political
leaders behind the idea of independence, “Common
Sense” played a remarkable role in transforming a
colonial squabble into the American Revolution.
At the time Paine wrote “Common Sense,” most
colonists considered themselves to be aggrieved
Britons. Paine fundamentally changed the tenor of
colonists’ argument with the crown when he wrote
the following: “Europe, and not England, is the
parent country of America.
(From the History Channel.com)
This new world hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every
part of Europe. Hither they have fled, not from the
tender embraces of the mother, but from the cruelty
of the monster; and it is so far true of England, that
the same tyranny which drove the first emigrants
from home, pursues their descendants still.”
Mifflin Township Historical Society
Page 3
Join Us for the Mifflin Township
Historical Society Bus Trip to
Bedford Pennsylvania
Saturday May 14th, 2016
Itinerary includes:
- Leave MTHS office at 8 a.m. (ample parking at our building)
- Stop at the Flight 93 Memorial
- Lunch & tour at the Bedford Springs Hotel
- Time in town to explore the Fort Bedford Museum, local
shops, and the Museum of the American Coverlet
- Tour of the Glades Pike Winery on the return trip
- Arrive back at around 6 p.m.
Cost:
$69 for members &
$79 for non members
Includes all admissions, taxes & gratuities
All reservations must be accompanied by a $20 non-refundable deposit. Bus
space is limited. MTHS members and their guests will be taken first and
accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Deadline for reservations is January 31, 2016
Volume 1, Number14
January 2016 Historic Messenger
Page 4
Preserving Family Recipes: New Ways to Share Old Favorites
By Lisa A. Alzo, M.F.A.
Food and special customs comprise a big part of our heritage and often play an important role in family
festivities. With the holidays approaching, recipes and time honored traditions can bring back many wonderful memories for you, and provide something meaningful to pass on to future generations. Today’s technology makes it easy to save, preserve and share your family’s favorites. Here are five simple ways to get
started.
1. Gather them in the Cloud. My mother was a recipe packrat. She had dozens of cookbooks and several
card file boxes stuffed with 3 x 5 recipe cards, and even wrote recipes on scraps of paper or napkins. While
these handwritten notes are treasures to me because they are in my Mom's handwriting, I’m concerned about
being able to preserve them long-term as they are beginning to fade and tear Using my Flip-Pal Mobile
scanner, I scanned them and now am using Evernote http://www.evernote.com to organize them because of
its powerful search capabilities. With Evernote, you can easily tag your recipes. You can speed up the
scanning and entering process significantly by storing them in one folder and then using Evernote's handy
import feature. To learn how, read the tips found here. Evernote also makes it easier to share recipes with
others.
2. Try Pinterest. There are numerous boards on Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com an online pinboard
where you can organize and share the things you love. You can get in on the pinning craze by signing up for
a free Pinterest account and then "pin" your favorite family recipes and traditions to boards you create. This
is a quick and easy way to share your favorites with others—family, friends, and, yes, even complete
strangers! You can also search for "Family Recipes" and "Family Traditions" to see what others are posting
and "repin" them!
For example, I like http://pinterest.com/chef84/eastern-european-foods and
http://pinterest.com/search/boards/?q=slovak+recipes, two boards dedicated to Eastern European cuisine.
Other sites such as Every Last Recipe http://www.everylastrecipe.com can give you more ideas.
3. Turn recipe collections into an eBook. With today's technology and digital publishing options, it's
easier than ever to create your own cookbook to give as gifts or to sell. By opting for print-on-demand and/or
eBook versions through sites such as Lulu http://www.lulu.com, CreateSpace https://www.createspace.com,
or Smashwords http://www.smashwords.com, you can easily revise and update them. My mother and grandmother were fantastic cooks, and the traditional foods they prepared from my Slovak and Rusyn heritage are
among my favorites. To preserve and share these recipes and traditions, I published a cookbook, Baba's
Kitchen: Slovak & Rusyn Family Recipes & Traditions (now in its second edition and available via Lulu:
http://www.lulu.com/shop/lisa-a-alzo/babas-kitchen-slovak-rusyn-family-recipes-traditions-2nd-edition/
ebook/product-18559246.html). You can learn more about my book at Baba's Kitchen Online
http://www.babaskitchenonline.com. If you're an iPhone or iPad user and save your recipes in Evernote as
suggested above, you can use the handy EverEPub app (iOS $3.99) https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/everepub
-for-evernote/id487503625?mt=8 to create an ePub book from your Evernote notebook or tag collection.
There are instructions on how to do this on Denise Barrett Olson’s Moultrie Creek Blog
http://moultriecreek.us/gazette/everepub.
4. Share via social media. Not ready to tackle a complete book? Share your recipes on a blog—it’s easy to
set one up using Blogger http://www.blogger.com, or WordPress http://www.wordpress.com. If blogging
doesn’t appeal to you, then start a Facebook Page or Group http://www.facebook.com so family and friends
can share their recipes too or share them on Google Plus (G+) http://plus.google.com. (Don’t forget to search
those sites for existing Pages/Groups you can “Like” or and Communities you can join. Follow others who
share your heritage or specialize in Eastern European cooking on Twitter http://twitter.com.
Page 5
Mifflin Township Historical Society
Use Skype or FaceTime, you can even include far away family in your Sunday dinners, reunions, or holiday
celebrations!
5. Host your own cooking show. You don’t have to be Martha Stewart to have your own cooking show.
Simply sign up for a YouTube account and start your own cooking video channel. Start by making some of
your favorite recipes, and then upload the step-by-step videos to your channel. If there is a particular
tradition you remember from childhood, such as blessing of Easter Baskets or Holy Saturday, or the Holy
Christmas Eve Supper (in Slovak/Carpatho-Rusyn: Vilia/Velija; Lithuanian: Kūčios; Polish: Wigilia or
wieczerza wigilijna, Ukrainian: Свята вечеря, Sviata vecheria), you can make some brief videos explaining
the significance of these traditions. You can search YouTube http://www.youtube.com for examples.
Lisa A. Alzo, M.F.A., is a freelance writer, instructor, and internationally recognized lecturer, specializing
in Slovak/Eastern European genealogical research, writing your family history, and using the Internet to
trace female and immigrant ancestors. She is the author of ten books and hundreds of magazine articles.
Visit http://www.lisaalzo.com for more information.
Sample Recipe
Here is one of my favorite family recipes for pirohy (this recipe appears in my book Baba's Kitchen: Slovak
& Rusyn Family Recipes & Traditions and is reprinted here with permission). – Lisa Alzo
Pirohi (Pirohy)
2 c. flour
2 eggs
½ tsp. salt
About 8 Tbsp. of cold water
warm water (enough for a large pot for boiling)
butter (to taste)
Mix flour, egg, and salt. Add enough warm water to make medium soft dough. Knead until blisters appear.
Divide into two portions. Roll out one portion thin on very lightly floured board sprinkled with a little salt.
Cut in two-inch squares. (This should make approximately 100 pirohi).
Place ½ teaspoon desired filling on each. Fold in half to make a triangle. Pinch edges well to keep filling
from escaping. Follow same method for remaining portion of dough.
Drop into boiling water until pirohi come to the top (about 10 minutes). Then cook about 5 minutes more.
When done, pour a small amount of cold water over pirohi and drain. Put in large serving bowl. Brown butter in skillet and pour over pirohi. Toss or mix well.
Sample Fillings (for others see Baba’s Kitchen book)
SWEET CHEESE FILLING: ½ lb. Dry cottage cheese (mashed with fork); 1 egg yolk, beaten; 2 tbsp.
sugar; vanilla. Combine ingredients.
POTATO FILLING: 1 large potato, cubed and cooked until tender. Drain. Mash cooked potato with mild
cheddar cheese to taste and ½ tsp. salt. (Do not add milk to potatoes).
Volume 1, Number 14
January 2016 Historic Messenger
Page 6
The society newsletter is published monthly and emailed to all paid members. Our office is located at 4733 Greensprings Ave.,
(the site of the former West Mifflin police station) and is staffed by volunteers. The hours of operation are Tuesday thru Thursday
10:00 a.m. until 4:00 pm. Special appointments can be made by calling the office at (412) 205-3400.
Our thanks to our partners
Image Specialties
If you’d like to
become a partner
of the
historical society,
contact us at
(412) 205-3400
or email us at
mifflintownship.org
Volunteers aren’t paid,
not because they’re
worthless, but because
they’re priceless. We
could use your help.
Mifflin Township Historical Society Board of Directors
Executive Board
Daniel Burns, President
Mark Vehec, Vice President
Lois Shirley, Secretary
Robert DeOrio, Treasurer
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Directors
Albert Manns
Evan Thomas - Hospitality
Brian Butko - Editorial
Lisa Alzo
Caitlin Steiner - Genealogy
Robert Macey
Sarah Burns
[email protected]
evan@mifflintownship,org
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
For memberships & renewals: fill in ALL FIELDS and return by mail or go on-line to www.mifflintownship.org to use our secure server.
ACTIVE MEMBER
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$25.00
 2 Years $45.00
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 Family $40.00
CONTRIBUTING
(Out of state. Newsletter only)
 1 Year $20.00
All memberships are
on a yearly basis
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Tax Deductable Donation: $_______________ In Memory of:___________________________
Please make all checks payable to:
Mifflin Township Historical Society
4733 Greensprings Ave., West Mifflin, PA 15122, Attention: Memberships