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In June 1946 former U.S. Army Air Forces (AAF) pilot Frank J. Farone (1915-1996), a pharmacist by trade, was authorized to build a training field for pilots in Shenango Township. The small airfield, located along the New Castle-Ellwood Road, was known as “Port Shenango” and opened in October 1947. The airfield was in operation just a short while before being closed by early 1950. Farone went on to have a longtime connection with the New Castle Airport in Union Township, and eventually served on the board of the New Castle Airport Authority from 1970-1985. The former airport site in Shenango Township was converted into a school athletic field (as shown above) in 1953. Several years later the property was acquired to became the home of the Lawrence Village Plaza, a shopping center that opened in 1961. (1958) Full Size

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Local children adorned in traditional Polish attire pose in front of the old Polish Club in Chewton. (1943) (Courtesy of Barbara Hoziak Hairhogger) Full Size


Children take part in a stage production at the Polish Club. (c1943) Full Size


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On the late afternoon of Sunday, July 12, 1908, a group of people were playing cards in a house at #118 Valentine Street in New Castle, Pennsylvania. The residence was the rented home of forty-nine-year-old Italian immigrant named Fred Rosena (Ferdinand Rosrno). He lived there with his Italian wife Frances, his three small children, and two of his sisters. Valentine Street is no longer on modern-day maps, but it was roughly west of Produce Street along South Croton Avenue.

Rosena, who was born in Italy in 1860, had come to this country as a teenager and settled in New Castle in 1883. He was married in about 1902 and started a family. He was well-known around the Italian community, as a con man and gambler. He had occasionally been employed as an interpreter with the Lawrence County Court House. He was part of a celebrated lawsuit in late 1904 in which he sued the county commissioners for $50 he said they owed while employed as an interpreter. The court ruled against him.

He was known to be violent and had several run-ins with the law dating back a decade. One of the worst incidents was took place in December 1900 when he had been involved in a vicious knife fight with a man at the Union Depot on Pittsburg Street (East Washington Street). Both men were injured, but the other man – who was stabbed in the back – was hospitalized for some time. Rosena was charged with assault and attempted murder but was eventually cleared. In more recent years he had also been cited for threatening or assaulting his wife on numerous occasions.

Back to the evening in question, July 12, 1908, a dispute of some sort ended the card game and several neighbors departed. Fred Rosena and his wife and her cousins John Chocco and Philip Chocco remained. John Chocco had apparently come up from Pittsburgh about two weeks prior to stay with his cousin (Mrs. Rosena). A physical altercation of some sort ensued between Rosena and John Chocco. Rosena rushed into a back room and reappeared with a loaded .38-caliber Winchester rifle.

NOTE: Various reports refer to John Chocco as the “brother-in-law” of Fred Rosena. After in-depth research I don’t believe this to be true. Chocco was a cousin of Mrs. Frances Rosena – and not her brother.

Meanwhile, John Chocco, also known to have a violent past, and his brother Phillip fled the house and hid out nearby. Rosena, brandishing the rifle, went out onto the front porch and looked around. He was angered could not find John Chocco and then walked up to Croton Avenue looking for him. He then returned towards the house, threatening several people along the way. A neighbor named Amanda Hood said he attempted to shoot at her, but the gun misfired. Once he returned to the house John Chocco suddenly appeared from hiding with his arms raised. Chocco initially attempted to reason with Rosena and according to witnesses he then begged for his own life.

The New Castle News of Monday, July 13, 1908, reported on the subsequent events with this, “As Chocco approached Rosena the latter muttered something and raised his rifle to his shoulder and snapped it. The first trial failed for the rifle appeared to be out of working order. Rosena, however, seemed to know what was wrong, for he took the gun and shook it violently and pounded the magazine on his hand. When it was all right again he deliberately raised it to his shoulder and stepping forward a few feet – for Chocco, seeing Rosena was determined, had backed back – fired point blank at his victim. Chocco staggered, placed his hand on his side and tottered” continued (witness John) Guylfoye. “Then the third man came from behind the board pile and ran to Chocco’s side. He assisted Chocco towards Vogan’s blacksmith shop in the rear of the Rosena house and there the wounded man played out and sank to the ground exhausted. Rosena had been watching the two men and when the third man saw Rosena following them he deserted Chocco and disappeared, and has not since been seen.” The article went on to report, “As soon as Chocco was left by his friend several persons started towards the wounded man. Rosena leveled his rifle at these and ordered them to get out of sight, which they readily did.”

Rosena chased after a group of bystanders and threatened them as they scattered. He then returned to his porch and stood looking out as a curious crowd began to gather in front of the porch. Chocco, shot in the abdomen, lay dying just fifty feet away. Rosena, with his four-year-old daughter Rosie hanging on his leg, murmured at the crowd but remained calm. Several police officers soon arrived on scene and surveyed the situation. James “Jim” Deskin, the Irish-born Lieutenant of Police for the New Castle Police Department, pushed his way through the crowd and was immediately threatened by Rosena. Deskin had arrested Rosena before and was well aware of his temper.

Deskin backed away and then made his way around to the rear of the Rosena house. He entered the rear door, rushed through the house, and exited out the front door. Rosena saw the approaching officer at the last second, but it was too late. Deskin disarmed him with one hand and landed an uppercut with the other. A stunned Rosena fell off the porch and Deskin was quickly on top of him. Rosena was put in handcuffs and led back into the house. Rosena reportedly told the police he was glad he had killed his victim. Chocco was rushed to the Shenango Valley Hospital and underwent surgery for four hours. He died of his gunshot wound later that evening. Before surgery he reportedly told police that Rosena shot him over a dispute over money. The crowd was cleared and Rosena was then led to the police station in the basement of the City Hall building. On Wednesday, July 15, Chocco was laid to rest in St. Vitus Cemetery in Shenango Township.

Police were initially believed the fight was over money, but another possible motive was soon developed. The New Castle News of Monday, July 13, 1908, had this to report, “It seems that Rosena’s abuse of his wife has had much to do with it. Rosena’s treatment of the woman has been almost inhuman. Several bald spots on her head show where he, in his fury, has pulled her hair out by the roots. Great patches the size of dollars testify to his barbarous treatment of her. Neighbors and police records also tell of the outrageous treatment to which she has been subjected. Amanda Hood has written several letters to the district attorney for Mrs. Rosena asking if there is not some relief for her – some protection from her husband. “That is why Rosena was so willing to kill me this afternoon when he was out killing,” said Mrs. Hood by way of explaining Rosena’s motive for pointing and snapping the gun at her. Two weeks ago John Chocco left his wife at Pittsburg and came to New Castle to make his home with… Mrs. Rosena. He explained that his wife had taken up with another man, but Rosena did not believe this. He believed that Chocco was there at the instance of Mrs. Rosena or some other who wished to interfere with Rosena’s home affairs – with his privilege of beating his wife whenever he desired. It is believed to have been this suspicion of Chocco that led to the shooting Sunday afternoon.”

On the afternoon of Monday, July 13, Rosena was taken upstairs from his cell in the City Hall building and provided with a hearing before Mayor Harry J. Lusk. Lusk ordered him held without bail pending a court date the coming September. Rosena was soon taken to the Lawrence County Jail. Among his fellow inmates was the infamous Black Hand leader Rocco Racco, who was later executed for his part in killing game warden Seeley Houk back in March 1906.

Rosena was initially defended by C. Henry Akens, but he withdrew later that fall. Soon after this the court appointed attorneys William J. Moffatt and Wylie McCaslin to defend Rosena. On Tuesday, September 8, 1908, Rosena was formally indicted for the murder of John Chocco. His new legal team immediately asked for a three-month delay in the trial and Judge William E. Porter granted it. Rosena would remained locked in the county jail until his trial began.

Rosena was called upon to testify in the trial of Rocco Racco in mid-September 1908. The New Castle News of Wednesday, September 16, 1908, reported, “A sensational feature of the trial Wednesday morning was the testimony of Fred Rosena, who is in jail for the murder of his brother-in-law. Rosena contradicted the testimony which he had given before Alderman Green. He said there that Racco had threatened Houk’s life but in court claimed Racco said he would kill the man who killed his dog. When asked why he changed his story he said that Racco had threatened to kill him in the county jail for testifying as he had done before the alderman.” Racco was soon convicted and then sentenced to death.

In the middle of November reports surfaced that Rosena, who was very sick with the flu, had died in jail. The jail officials, led by Lawrence County Sheriff John W. Waddington, had to ensure folks this was not the case and Rosena would be fit to stand trial.

Jury selection began in early December 1908 and was a tough task as everyone seemed to have a strong opinion on the case. The trial began on Tuesday, December 15, 1908, in the courtroom of Judge Porter. Prosecuting the case was District Attorney Charles H. Young, assisted by attorney Roy M. Jameson. Rosena entered a plea of not guilty. He claimed that he was afraid of the Black Hand Society, the Italian criminal organization, and had purchased the weapon used in the murder for the protection of his family. During the trial Rosena’s wife testified on his behalf. A key witness to the murder, Phillip Chocco, had fled immediately after the murder and was never located.

Rosena testified that he had killed John Chocco in self-defense after the two had gotten into an argument over money matters. The New Castle News of Thursday, December 17, 1908, reported on Rosena’s testimony with, “Placed on the witness stand in his own defense, Wednesday afternoon, Fred Rosena, charged with the murder of John Chocco, gave his version of the trouble at the Rosena home of July 8… He said that following a card game at the Rosena home on the fateful Sunday afternoon, he had become involved in a dispute with Coccho and that Coccho had grabbed him by the throat and threw him down. Coccho, he said, then picked up a huge butcher knife and was about to out his throat when Mrs. Rosena dragged him off. Coccho said he would kill Fred until he was six feet under the ground. Coccho left the house but came back again and renewed the quarrel. It was then that Rosena secured his gun, Rosena claimed that Coccho was standing between him and his home when he fired and that he did so to protect his home. Mrs. Rosena, who was on the witness stand all afternoon Thursday, also testified that Coccho had assaulted her husband and bad dragged him to the kitchen. Coccho was in the act of drawing a butcher knife on Rosena when she interfered. Mrs. Rosena claimed that Coccho had pointed the knife at her and had threatened that he would kill both her and Fred before he left the house.”

Mrs. Rosena testified, “She had known John Chocco on Italy. In fact he had wanted to marry her. She said he was a bad man and had been arrested 12 times in Italy and had tried to stab his mother. She said John Chocco had come to this city from Pittsburgh to avoid arrest.” She was then cross examined, “Did not John Chocco come here during the month of June in response to a letter written by you? asked District Attorney Young. “Yes, we wrote back and forth. I gave the letters to my husband to mail.” “Did you not write to Cocho (sic) and tell him to come here because your husband was abusing you?” Objection was raised to the question. Objection sustained. Mrs. Rosena then explained that Coccho had written her saying he wanted to come here and she had answered if you want to come then come.”

The trial lasted three days and ended on Thursday, December 17, 1908. The jury deliberated all night and reached a verdict before the court reconvened at 9:00am the next morning. The New Castle News of Friday, December 18, 1908, reported, “Rosena, who stood with uplifted hand, while the jurors each answered “Guilty of murder in the first degree,” was visibly affected although he stood up well, as his doom dropped from the lips of the twelve men. Mrs. Rosena, who sat beside her husband, also bore up bravely, and there was no “scene” in the court room. Immediately after the verdict had been pronounced Rosena was led back to the county jail. He had nothing to say.”

An appeal was soon filed by Rosena’s attorneys and a hearing for a new trial was held before Judge Porter on Friday, March 5, 1909. Porter considered the motion and ruled against it, while announcing his decision on Wednesday, June 23, 1909. That same day the New Castle News reported on how Rosena took the news, “He grew very pale when the decision was announced. As Sheriff Waddington led him back to jail his eyes filled with tears and by the time his cell was reached he sank on the hard floor, wailing and sobbing like a child.” The Reverend Nicholas DeMita, his spiritual adviser and the pastor of St. Vitus Catholic Church, would provide him with comfort in the coming months.

Two days later Rosena was back in the courtroom to hear his sentence. The New Castle News reported, “The sentence of the court is that you, Fred Rosena, suffer death by hanging and that you be detained in the county jail until such time as the governor may fix for your execution, and may God may mercy on your soul. In a deathlike stillness that pervaded the court room Friday morning Judge Porter thus pronounced sentence on the murderer of John Coccho. Rosena, pale trembling, his eyes glancing furtively about the room, stood before the bar of justice. “Thank you” he said, as the court ceased speaking, and turning, was led from the court room by Sheriff Waddington.”

At that time executions in Pennsylvania were handled by the local counties, and in this case Lawrence County Sheriff John W. Waddington would be responsible for the execution of Rosena. It wasn’t until 1913 that the state took over responsibility for all state-wide executions, and mandated electrocution as the preferred method of execution.

The New Castle News of Friday, October 22, 1909, reported, “Governor (Edwin) Stuart has fixed Thursday, December 2, as the date for the execution of Fred Rosena, convicted of the murder of John Coccho. This will bring the execution within the term of office of Sheriff Waddington. If the Rocco Racco execution takes place as scheduled (on October 26) and Rosena is granted no respite, it will make the fourth hanging for Sheriff Waddington since he assumed the duties of his office. This is remarkable as in the history of the county there was only one execution, that of Frank Jongrass, before Sheriff Waddington assumed office. Waddington has already hanged Rosario Serge and Charles Quimby. The crime for which Rosena is to stretch hemp was probably one of the most cold-blooded murders that has ever been committed.”

In late November an application was made to the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons to have Rosena’s sentence of death commuted to one of life imprisonment. The application was denied. The Reverend Nicholas DeMita, a leading voice in the local Italian community, sent off a last day telegram asking Governor Stuart for leniency. The governor replied with, “After careful consideration of the request contained in your telegram for a respite in the case of Fred Rosena, in view of the fact that the board of pardons has refused application for commutation of sentence, I have concluded not to interfere with the judgment of the courts. Edwin S. Stuart.”

The New Castle News of December 2, 1909, had this to say about the sad evening before the execution, “Rosena last night was shaved and after alighting from the chair In which he had been propped for the barber, he danced around the sheriff and had playfully put up his fists and had said he wanted to fight. He was In the best of spirits, apparently, from the sheriff he went over in front of his little son and did a clog and low monkey dance that threw the youngster in a fit of laughter. Mrs. Rosena standing aside with tearstained eyes viewed all of this with a faint smile. Following this Rosena and his little family were left alone for some time and when It came time for them to part for all time, Mrs. Rosena utterly broke down. She was in a worse state of collapse than her husband. Repeatedly he sought to cheer her but she would not or could not listen. Finally the guards gently drew her away and as they did so her screams could be heard to the streets outside of the jail. In Italian she shrieked repeatedly, “O, my God!” “O, my God!” Once she broke loose from the guards and ran back and threw herself on her husband and there a flood of tears relieved her of her hysteria for a moment. At her skirts clung her children and at last the combined efforts of all the guards were required to move the heart-broken woman who continued her agonizing screaming far out of the jail and down Pittsburg Street.”

On the morning of Thursday, December 2, 1909, Rosena was led to the gallows set up in the courtyard of the Lawrence County Jail. The New Castle News reported on the execution with, “Fred Rosena was fighting mad when he went to his death on the scaffold this morning. There was nothing of the coward about him. He did not think so much of his impending death as he did of making “a speech that would make them smart.’ He made the speech all right and he spoke right out in meeting, with a voice firm and strong; and from a mind that appeared to be clear, but the speech was not so bitter as was expected from those who had been with the man during the last hour of his life. He said: “Gentlemen, I am much obliged for the chance to talk. I am a citizen of the United States. I belong to Uncle Sam. I am a free man. I am going to my death honestly and because I defended my family. I got no justice in my trial. That was because some of them were against me. They do not want honest men in this country. I’m done. Goodbye.”

At about 10:17am, after being hooded, Sheriff Waddington pulled the lever and sent Rosena to his death. He was declared dead at 10:30am by Dr. Elmer P. Norris. The remains, prepared by the Lutton Undertaking Company, were taken to the Rosena home on Valentine Street for a wake. The next morning a small service was held at St. Vitus Catholic Church and afterwards the remains were interred in St. Vitus Cemetery. It was a sad ending to a senseless crime.

At some point Frances Rosena was remarried to John B. Matura, an Italian immigrant who operated a grocery store on South Jefferson Street. Matura was no stranger to trouble, as he was cited for gambling and other criminal offenses on several occasions. In the summer of 1919 fifteen-year-old Rose Rosena, the oldest daughter of the late Fred Rosena, fled the house and moved in with an aunt named Mary Stephano. Rose claimed that her mother was beating her. What followed was a nasty legal battle that continued on for several years. In those days children were not generally considered adults until they reached the age of twenty-one. The case appears to have been settled in the summer of 1923 and Rose, then aged nineteen, was allowed to determine her own living arrangements. It’s presumed that Frances (Rosena) Matura, who became a naturalized citizen in 1913, lived out her days in New Castle.


Fred Rosena, an Italian immigrant known to have a violent temper, shot and killed his wife’s cousin John Chocco after an argument in July 1908. His high profile trial commenced later that year in December. He was convicted and later executed in December 1909. (1908)


Lt. James “Jim” Deskin of the New Castle Police Department disarmed and arrested Rosena after the incident. he resigned his supervisor post in October 1908 so he could return to walking a beat as a regular patrolman. (c1908)


Judge William E. Porter served as county judge from 1904-1916. He had his hands full in1908 dealing with the high-profile trials of Black Hand leader Rocco Racco and murder suspect Fred Rosena. (c1905)



A drawing of the murder scene along Valentine Street. (1908)


The death certificate of John Chocco, which oddly enough lists the cause of death as “from a gun shot wound fired from a gun in the hands of Fred Rosena Murdered.” I don’t think that would fly today… not without a trial and all to determine official guilt. (1908) Full Size

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The four-room Neshannock Public School, usually called the Walmo School, was opened on East Maitland Lane in September 1923. It handled students in grades 1-8. It was dedicated during a ceremony on Friday, October 23, 1923. Due to severe overcrowding in the township a four-room addition was completed in August 1949. The building was re-designated as the Walmo Elementary School in 1955. It remained in service for over five decades until it was closed in June 1977. (c1925) Full Size


I believe this photo depicts a first grade class at Walmo Elementary School in 1966. The teacher is Mrs. Mary Bratchie Patton. (1966) (Photo posted on Facebook page of “Walmo Elementary School”)



After the Walmo School closed in 1977 it subsequently served as the home for several specialty schools and organizations in the coming years. In 2005 the township sold the building and it became the new home of the Cray Education Center, an alternative school for troubled teenagers. (Sep 2013) Full Size


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The former Walmo School on East Maitland Lane (seen at bottom of photo) is now home to the Cray Education Center. (c2012) Full Size

On Monday, March 11, 1918, in the midst of the Great War (World War I), a U.S. Army private named Albert M. Gitchell checked himself into the infirmary at Fort Riley, Kansas, complaining of a sore throat, headache, and fever. By the end of the day over a hundred of his fellow soldiers were also ill with identical symptoms. The men were all suffering from a new strain of the Influenza A virus known as H1N1, later known popularly known as “swine flu” due to its prevalence among pigs. The outbreak at Fort Riley quickly spread and when it was finally under control by the end of April 1918 a reported 1,127 soldiers were sick and 46 of them (but not Gitchell) had died.

Fort Riley was one of the initial hotspots of this extremely contagious strain of influenza, but its actual location of origin is still debated today. Other military installations in the United States experienced similar outbreaks, and before too long infected troops being sent “Over There” brought the sickness to the front lines of wartime France. The flu quickly afflicted all of the war-torn countries of Europe, and then began to spread throughout the entire world.

Wartime censorship actually hid the news from the general public for a few months. It wasn’t until late May 1918 when the newspapers in the neutral country of Spain, where King Alfonso XIII was gravely ill with the flu, reported on the pandemic and made it an international story. It was these reports that led to the outbreak, although it did not originate in Spain, being dubbed as the “Spanish Flu.” It was also known by the French phrase “La Grippe” (The Grip).

The outbreak took some time to spread, but was generally over by the late summer of 1918. At this point the extremely contagious Spanish Flu was a serious medical concern, but was not particularly deadly. However, like most flu outbreaks, it would strike in several waves and the next wave would afflict the world’s populace like never before or since.

In mid-September 1918 the city of Boston, Massachusetts, (and a few other locations in France and Africa) began to suffer from a new wave of the Spanish Flu. The influenza had obviously mutated and this second wave was marked by an unusual feature: An extremely high mortality rate, especially among healthy young adults aged 15-25. Almost 4,000 Bostonians died from the respiratory illness in the next month, and before too long the entire country was under siege from the deadly influenza bug.

In early October 1918 the first reported cases of this second wave of Spanish Flu began to hit New Castle, Pennsylvania. Mayor Archibald D. Newell, the City Council, City Health Officer Dr. William L. Steen, City Physician Dr. James K. Pollock, and County Coroner Elmer P. Norris began meeting to come up with a plan of attack to fight the local epidemic. Dr. Steen, a University of Pittsburgh graduate who served as the City Health Officer from 1915-1943, led the effort until he was departed in mid-November 1918 to serve with the U.S. Army. The seventy-three-year-old Dr. Pollock, a well-known and prominent local citizen, became acting Health Officer in Steen’s absence.

An unprecedented “Flu Ban” went into effect on Friday, October 4, as all schools, churches, theaters, saloons, wholesale liquor stores, billiard rooms, dance halls, fraternal lodges, and other public meeting places were closed until further notice. Sick persons were ordered quarantined in a separate room in each afflicted house. An “anti-spitting ordinance,” backed by a $1 fine and a possible short jail term, was enacted to authorize the police to arrest anyone caught spitting in public. Other measures included limited attendance and a quick pace at weddings and funerals, a discouraged use of public transportation, staggered employee hours at large factories, and the mandatory reporting of all cases of illness to the City Health Officer. Retail businesses were allowed to remain open, but people were warned to exercise caution when shopping.

Sunday, October 6, 1918, was reported to be one of the quietest days in the history of New Castle. That day was already a “Gasless Sunday,” a wartime initiative to save gas and support the military effort in Europe. Now with all city churches ordered closed for the first time ever the downtown area was literally deserted. Most residents simply sheltered in their homes hoping to avoid the Spanish Flu.

The most serious patients were admitted to the Shenango Valley Hospital on North Beaver Street, which was quickly filled to capacity. On Wednesday, October 16, the City Council decided to set up an emergency hospital at the New Castle Country Club (or Field Club) along Vine Street in the Croton area of the city. At this time there were a reported 242 cases of the Spanish Flu in the city and the American Red Cross joined the fight. Upon approval of Dr. Steen, the City Health Officer, any physician could admit a patient to the emergency hospital at a cost of $1.50 a day. The Red Cross, augmented by hundreds of local volunteers, ran the hospital and other outreach programs.

By the end of October there were a reported 864 cases of influenza in New Castle. Most of those were concentrated on the East Side and South Side sections of the city, with a few isolated cases in Mahoningtown (mostly with transient railroad men) and on the North Hill. The West Side was fortunate and remained almost free of the Spanish Flu. Afflicted persons were quickly overwhelmed with chills, fatigue, headache, high fever, and delirium. Many of the afflicted coughed up blood and developed cyanosis, a bluish discoloration of the skin. A small percentage died within a day or two of feeling ill and those that survived often developed aggressive forms of pneumonia or tuberculosis.

Ellwood City also faced a similar crisis and had a reported 555 cases of Spanish Flu by October 28. An emergency hospital was established at the old Polish Club building at Crescent Avenue and Tenth Street. In late November the influenza began spreading into the neighboring areas of North Sewickley Township, Frisco, and Wurtemburg. With New Castle and Ellwood City locked in a struggle it was almost impossible to assist the outlying communities throughout Lawrence County. Wampum (and the neighboring locales of Clinton and Coverdale) was probably the worst off of all the smaller villages in the county. The Crescent Portland Cement Company, assisted by the Red Cross and local volunteers, took the lead in battling the outbreak in that area. Others areas facing a substantial number of influenza cases included West Pittsburg, Bessemer, Hillsville, New Wilmington, and Volant.

The medical community was ill equipped to meet the threat and treatments did almost nothing to help. Several new or existing vaccines were being tested, but without a real understanding of the causes of the flu they were ineffective. Doctors were relying on techniques learned during the large scale influenza outbreak back in 1889-90. It wasn’t until the 1930’s that researchers, learning that influenza was caused by a virus vice bacterium, began making strides to develop a successful influenza vaccine. The situation in 1918 was made worse by the fact that many of the nation’s qualified medical personnel were off serving in the military. And they would be needed because of the 117,000 total deaths suffered by the U.S. military during World War I, about 43,000 of those succumbed due to complications from the Spanish Flu.

What did work was a host of preventive health measures such as advocating the wearing of gauze masks, quarantining sick patients, and closing public meeting places seemed to stem the tide of the outbreak. Many people also devised their own home-grown remedies, which often included the use of onions. An article in the New Castle News of October 20, 1918, advised that the Reverend Wilbur G. Volivia, a famous Zion evangelist, advised people to eat onions because “No germs like onions” and “besides if you eat onions people will stay away from you and that is important in checking the influenza epidemic.” Alcohol was also believed to help, but with saloons and wholesale liquor stores closed it was hard to come by.

On Monday, November 4, there were a reported 1,019 cases of influenza in New Castle, though the outbreak was largely under control. A high-profile local casualty took place on the evening of Thursday, November 7, when forty-eight-year-old County Coroner Elmer P. Norris, who survived a bout with the influenza, died at his residence on North Jefferson Street due to complications from flu-related pneumonia. A few days later, on Sunday, November 10, the flu ban in New Castle was lifted and all schools, churches, theaters, and other public meeting places were reopened. This would prove to be a costly mistake.

The next day the headline of the New Castle News read, “IMPOSSIBLE FOR HUNS TO RESUME WARFARE,” while a sub-headline announced, “BIG WORLD WAR COMES TO AN END AT 6 A.M.” The Armistice officially ended the hostilities in Europe and local citizens, already relieved by the end of the flu ban, were excited to read all about it. Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, proved to be a complete disaster. As expected local citizens poured into the streets to celebrate, mingling with strangers, hugging and kissing each other, and sharing cigarettes.

There was a brief lull, but after a week or so the Spanish Flu was back in full force. On Friday, November 22, city officials met for hours to decide what action to take. They enacted a new flu ban, this time with more stringent measures, to commence at 6:00 p.m. the following day. At noon on November 23 it was reported that ninety-five new cases had been reported in the last twenty-four hours, bringing the total since early October up to 1,956 cases.

The new ban once again closed schools, churches, and all other public meeting places, but also placed severe restrictions on street cars. Street cars officials were ordered to carry only a limited number of patrons at one time, keep the windows open at most times, and to clean the interiors of the cars on a regular basis. Notices were placed on the front doors of homes where sick people were quarantined advising, “Spanish Influenza, stay out, by order of the Board of Health.” Citizens were also warned about the dangers of kissing, urged to use their own dedicated eating utensils, and reminded to keep their fingers out of their mouths when in public.

Prominent civic leaders meet with city officials on Wednesday, December 4, 1918, to discuss the situation. Businessman George Greer, who founded the tin mill industry in New Castle, was selected to head up a committee to explore ways the public could assist the official effort. O.J.H. Hartsuff, an executive with the Carnegie Steel Company, served as chairman of a Red Cross fundraising drive from December 16-24.

The Red Cross Emergency Hospital at the Country Club, suffering from a lack of heating and also proper sanitary facilities, was moved to the larger Knights of Columbus home on North Jefferson Street on the evening of December 4. The Red Cross soon set up a command center in the Masonic Lodge on North Street, and later moved to the Safe Deposit and Trust Company building on North Mercer Street in March 1919.

The influenza outbreak was soon brought under control and the second flu ban was lifted on Monday, December 16. Churches and other public meeting places were authorized to reopen, but public and parochial schools were to remain closed for another few days. Churches were reopened just in time for holiday services.

The New Castle News of Thursday, January 9, 1919, reported, “The influenza epidemic is believed to be a thing of the past if the health reports may be taken as the basis of such an opinion.” The same article also pointed out that no new cases had been reported in the last three days. A third wave of the Spanish Flu struck in the early months of 1919 and periodic cases were reported in New Castle until the early summer. The Spanish Flu continued to rage in other regions of the world, but basically ran its course by the fall of 1919.

The United States suffered 675,000 total deaths from the Spanish Flu and Pennsylvania was hit particularly hard. During October 1918 the state suffered a reported 28,505 deaths from the flu, 8,433 from pneumonia, and 1,379 from tuberculosis. A large portion of those deaths occurred in Philadelphia, where officials were slow to respond to the influenza threat and were saddled with the worst rate of death among all cities in the United States.

Lawrence County was more fortunate and actually suffered relatively few deaths when compared to other areas. There were a reported 2,801 cases of the Spanish Flu in New Castle from October-December 1918, with 212 cases resulting in death. During that same period Ellwood City had a reported 1,543 cases with 48 deaths. The numbers can be deceiving because in Ellwood City another 69 people died from flu-related pneumonia or tuberculosis. The Borough of Wampum was probably the worst off in terms of percentage, suffering almost 900 cases of the Spanish Flu with a reported 37 deaths.

Getting an accurate worldwide count can be difficult, but modern research estimates that at least 50 million people – but maybe as many as 100 million – died from the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1919. When it was all said and done it’s possible that about 6% of the world’s population had died. Just when and where the Spanish Flu originated is still debated today, but there is no debate that is was one of the greatest medical disasters of all time. It wasn’t until the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2022 that the world witnessed anything even similar.


The first large outbreak of the Spanish Flu occurred in March 1918 at Fort Riley, a sprawling U.S. Army training facility located in north central Kansas. Over 1,100 soldiers fell ill and were hospitalized at Fort Riley (shown above). Similar outbreaks followed at other military bases and this has led many people to believe the flu was a product of the U.S. military’s biological warfare effort. In March and April 1918 as many as 202,000 American troops were sent to join the war effort in Europe. They carried more than their gear – they carried the Spanish Flu as well. (1918) Full Size



A typical emergency hospital prevalent in 1918, this one on the porch of the U.S. Army’s Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C. Isolation and ventilation were thought to be key factors in treating the Spanish Flu. Bed sheets were used as sneeze guards between the patients. This scene was commonplace throughout the world, as isolation wards were set up in hospitals, churches, factories, private homes, and other buildings. (1918) Full Size


The emergency hospital setup on Church Street in Wampum in September 1918. Wampum, and surrounding areas like Crescentdale, Clinton, Coverdale, were hit hard by the Spanish Flu with a reported 885 cases – with 37 deaths. The Crescent Portland Cement Company also set up an emergency hospital for its employees. (1918) Full Size


A popular children’s historical rhyme that originated during the time of the Spanish Flu epidemic in 1918. Full Size


New Castle Mayor Archibald D. Newell (1858-1922), a longtime Mahoningtown merchant and avid outdoorsman, was forced to deal with the Spanish Flu crisis during his term in office. He mobilized his resources and did a good job of limiting the effects of the outbreak. The situation in New Castle severely limited any assistance he could provide to other afflicted areas in the county. (c1915)


Dr. William L. Steen (1874-1943), the City Health Officer since 1915, led the initial effort to combat the flu outbreak. He was a skilled physician and an student of epidemiology. He received an officer’s commission and took a leave of absence to join the U.S. Army in early November 1918. He returned in 1919 and held the post of City Health Officer until just before his own death in 1943. (c1915)


The well-known Dr. James K. Pollock (1845-1924), a former County Coroner and current City Physician, took over as acting Health Officer in November 1918. He played a major role in combating the flu epidemic and caring for the sick. His grandfather was the prominent Dr. Joseph Pollock, who during his time was one of the finest surgeons in all of western Pennsylvania. (c1905)


Dr. Elmer P. Norris (1870-1918) was the County Coroner at the time of the epidemic and as a result was very busy. Unfortunately, he became one of the most well-known victims of the influenza outbreak. He survived the flu itself, but soon developed pneumonia and passed away on November 7, 1918. Dr. Steen was one of his pallbearers as he was laid to rest in Oak Park Cemetery. (c1917)


On Friday, October 4, 1918, Dr. Steen ordered that this notice be posted on all dance halls, saloons, wholesale liquor stores, theaters, and other public meeting places. Schools and churches were soon added to the list of places to be shuttered. This notice signaled the beginning of the first “flu ban” in New Castle, which lasted until November 10. (1918) Full Size

In early 1926 a small enclave of Ukrainian immigrants in New Castle, Pennsylvania, decided to form their own Orthodox church. These majority of the Ukrainians, who had been immigrating to the United States since the 1870’s, had previously been attending services at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Catholic Church on East Reynolds Street. They met in a private home in February 1926 and organized what became the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The new church aligned itself with what later became the New Jersey-based Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the United States of America.

They took up donations and soon purchased a lot on Rose Avenue, where it intersects Stanton Avenue. They borrowed additional funds and soon started work on a small church. On Sunday, October 3, 1926, the church was dedicated during a ceremony in which the cornerstone was laid. The New Castle News of Friday, October 1, 1926, reported, “The dedication services will be in charge of the pastor Rev. Ch. Yacobchuk, Rev. Gregory Clemovich of Butler, Pa., Rev. Koshel of Youngstown, O., Rev. Sidlecki of Ambridge, Pa., Rev. Kashuba of Pittsburgh. The Ukrainian National chorus of Youngstown, O., will furnish the music for the occasion.” Subsequent services were primarily held in Ukrainian – with one a month mass provided in English.

The brick church, erected with the help of the men of the congregation, was completed soon after. The tough economic times of the 1930’s led to a sharp reduction in the church’s membership. With only a part time pastor and church struggled to survive. The Reverend Stephen Musiychuk (1894-1952), a noted choir director who came to the United States in 1913, took over as pastor in early 1941 and provided stability during the war years. The mortgage was finally paid off in 1944 and things started to look up. Musiychuk left for a new assignment in 1947, but left the congregation in good shape. Sadly, in October 1952, at the age of only fifty-eight, he died of a heart attack at his home in Sharon.

The church held steady during the fifties, when the Reverend John Kobot served the congregation from 1952 until 1957. Kobot organized an effort to purchase a private home across the street from the church, and it was renovated to become the new parish house. It was blessed by church officials during a service held on Sunday, July 24, 1955.

On Sunday, June 4, 1961, the congregation, celebrating its 35th anniversary, held a banquet at the St. Elias Church recreation hall on East Long Avenue. The Reverend Anthony Stangry (1895-1974) served as pastor from 1963 until 1967. Under his reign a major renovation project, which took about two years to complete, was undertaken beginning in the fall of 1965. The entire church was encased in new bricks, the interior was renovated, the basement was greatly improved, and a small addition was made to the rear of the structure. The church was rededicated during a ceremony held on Sunday, July 2, 1967. The Reverend Stangry, after forty-two years of proud service, retired a few weeks later.

In May 1968 his successor, the distinguished Reverend John F. Shnurer (1897-1976) arrived to take over as pastor. He guided the church until he settled into retirement in 1975. On Sunday, October 10, 1976, the congregation held a special program to honor the 50th anniversary of its founding.

Holy Trinity slowly but steadily lost its Ukrainian identity as many members of the old guard passed away. Sunday services in Ukrainian were ceased as a way to cater to a broader audience. The church was eventually supplied by visiting pastors, and facing dwindling attendance it was finally closed down in late 2011 or early 2012. The church building was subsequently sold and today is a private residence.


A group of local immigrants of Ukrainian descent organized the congregation of the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church in early 1926. A lot was secured on Rose Avenue and a small brick church (shown above) was soon erected. It was dedicated on Sunday, October 3, 1926. (Oct 1926)



The church building underwent a major remodeling effort, led by the Reverend Anthony Stangry (seen above), beginning in the fall of 1965. The completed church was rededicated on Sunday, July 2, 1967. (Sep 1965)


Ukrainian-born Stephen Musiychuk served as rector from 1941-1947. He guided the congregation through the tough times of World War II. (c1941)


Serving as rector from 1963-1967 was the Ukrainian-born Reverend Anthony Stangry. It was under his tutelage that the church building was greatly renovated. (1967)


The Reverend John F. Shnurer, a veteran clergyman who was ordained in Ukraine in 1933, led the congregation from 1968 until he retired in 1975. (1975)



The church always had a small but loyal congregation – which in October 1976 proudly celebrated the 50th anniversary of the opening of their church. (1976)


Renovations to the interior of the sanctuary were completed in early 1982. (Feb 1982)


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After the Beaver & Erie Canal was opened along the Shenango River to the Western Reserve Harbor (or Harbor Bridge or simple Harbor) in late 1833, the area became a thriving shipping point. The Erie Canal Company built a covered bridge at the site in 1853. The old bridge was replaced with a single-lane iron bridge (shown above) in about 1898. This bridge was in use for many years and periodically patched up and repaired. In early 1960, as the aging bridge was under weight restrictions, the state decided to explore options to build a new concrete deck span at the same location. (c1920) (Photo courtesy of Sherry Slater) Full Size


Construction of a new $319,000 concrete deck bridge (shown above), to be built next to the old iron bridge, was set to begin in late 1965. However, colder than usual weather delayed the project for most of the winter. Work resumed in April 1966. The old structure had to be temporarily closed for repairs in mid-July, which halted all bridge traffic. The new two-lane bridge was opened to traffic in October 1966. (July 2013)


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Advances made in the steelmaking process during the 1870’s saw the decline of the “iron age” and the rise of steel and tin plate. The use of tin plate had long been a very popular material for making household items such as stoves, lanterns, candlesticks, coffee pots, cooking pans, eating utensils, and children’s toys. It was becoming even more valuable with the increased manufacturing of tin cans for preserving food items. Tin plates or more accurately “tinned plates,” thin sheets of steel plating (“black sheets”) coated with tin, were extremely vital in the canning industry due to their ability to resist rust.

At the time the United States imported about 70% of its supply of tin plate from Wales, which was the undisputed center of the tin plate industry in the 1900’s. The McKinley Tariff of 1890, designed in part to jumpstart the infantile domestic tin plate industry, substantially raised the taxes on tin plate imports. It was under this and other “protectionism” laws that the United States underwent a rapid industrialization during the 1890’s, and became a leading exporter of various goods during the early 1900’s. Entrepreneurs in such places as Martins Ferry, Ohio, and Wheeling, West Virginia, were some of the first in the country to establish significant sheet plate or tin plate plants, or facilities that combined both operations. A cheaper material known as terne plate was also manufactured for use in the roofing and gutter industry.

One of the earliest mentions of the tin plate industry in New Castle, Pennsylvania, appeared in the New Castle News of Wednesday, August 19, 1891. It reported, “Early in the spring some gentlemen from Irondale, Ohio, were in New Castle with the purpose of building a tin plate mill, but their plans failed in some respects and they have since built a mill at Irondale that will be in operation soon. One of the gentlemen was a relative of Wm. Parshall of South Mill street.”

At the same time a local businessman named George M. Greer (1844-1926), a clean-living Methodist and talented musician, saw the McKinley Tariff as a major opportunity. Greer hailed from a highly regarded livestock farm in Neshannock Township. His father William Y. Greer ran the farm and was also involved in the banking industry. George Greer, along with his younger brother Charles (1848-1925), opened a music store in downtown New Castle and got involved in various other business ventures. He was a longtime parishioner and choir leader at the First Methodist Episcopal Church and a generous supporter of numerous charities. George Greer’s daring idea, in concert with his brother, was to fund and establish a tin plate factory in New Castle. He began looking at parcels of land in New Castle as early as 1889.

In July 1891 Greer became one of the original stockholders of a proposed steel plant to be constructed on the former site of the Crawford Iron & Steel Company along the eastern banks of the Shenango River. It all went according to plan this plant would supply the steel billet material required in the production of tin plate. The new plant, which opened in late 1892, was known as the Shenango Valley Steel Company and headed by President William E. Reis. While this plant was being constructed efforts to establish a tin plate plant were underway as well.

The New Castle News of Wednesday, January 6, 1892, ran a frontpage story about a new company being formed to manufacture tin plate in New Castle. It mentioned that George Greer “has devoted about three months to travel and the study of the tin plate business, with a view of ascertaining the business, structural and mechanical requirements of a successful mill, and he is assured that the industry can be profitably engaged in. Pending the coming of the charter, plans for building will be completed and a site chosen.

Greer gained the financial backing of some wealthy bankers and businessmen to include William Patterson, William Foltz, William E. Reis, and John Stevenson and soon secured some property along Moravia Street on the east bank of the Shenango River. Greer began overseeing the effort to erect a large manufacturing plant at the end of Furnace Street and work commenced in the summer of 1892. The New Castle News of Wednesday, August 17, 1892, reported, “One of the greatest tin plate mills in the country is being erected in this city…The railroad switch that is being put in will run along the side this building, making it very convenient for hauling materials and the finished product. The steel billets used in the manufacture of the tin plate will no doubt be procured from the Shenango Steel Works in this same as the same parties are interested in both plants.”

The New Castle News of Wednesday, March 8, 1893, reported on the progress with, “The new tin plate mill in this city is almost completed and George M. Greer stated to a News reporter recently that if nothing happened the works would be in successful operation May 1. The tin plate industry in the United States in growing very rapidly as seen by a recent report submitted by Special Agent (Ira) Ayer to the Treasury Department at Washington… There are now thirty-two firms manufacturing tin plate in the United States and the New Castle mill will rank well up with the largest in the country.” George Greer was elected as President and General Manager of the new company, while John Stevenson Jr. served as Vice President and William Foltz as Treasurer. His brother Charles was appointed as Secretary.

The tin plate industry, with few automated processes, required a high percentage of skilled workers not readily available in the United States. Greer brought in a host of skilled Welsh tin workers to manage the effort, and they in turn trained other workers to occupy such positions as rollers, doublers, heaters, openers, shearmen, tinners, picklers, and annealers. It was initially expected that his plant would employ about 300 people. The most highly skilled employees worked in the hot rolling mills, where steel bars were heated and rolled into thin sheets. The sheets were then moved to the tin house where they were bathed in acid, coated in molten tin, and cut into usable sizes. Another group known as assorters, usually women, would inspect, polish, and package the finish product for shipment. Most of the skilled men in the hot mills belonged to the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel, and Tin Plate Workers, known for its part in the disastrous Homestead Steel Strike of 1892.

After careful planning Greer’s plant, with four separate “hot rolling mills” and known as the New Castle Steel and Tin Plate Company, went into preliminary operation in October 1893. Herbert C. Greer, the young son of Charles Greer, reportedly “dipped” the first sheet plate on Sunday, November 5, 1893. The company was an immediate financial success and was greatly expanded over the next few years.

Rival companies also sprung up by 1897. Limestone magnate George W. Johnson remodeled the existing Arethusa Iron Works (sheet metal plant) into the Neshannock Steel and Tin Plate Company (Johnson Works), while the powerful Shenango Valley Steel Company (Shenango Works) began construction of its own massive tin plate operation. The Shenango Sheet and Tin Plate Company was located on the west bank of the Shenango River along Mahoning Avenue.

European immigrants, including the Welsh, soon flooded into New Castle in search of employment in the tin mills, steel plants, iron works, limestone and coal mines, and with the railroads. The population exploded from 11,600 in 1890 to 28,000 in 1900. That’s a 141% increase within the decade. At the turn of the century New Castle was reported to be the fastest growing city in the country. By 1910 was population was over 38,000. New Castle was a center of industrial might and Greer led the way as its most prominent resident. The city prospered like never before or never since. The tin plate industry was the single most important factor in the growth of New Castle at that time.

The New Castle News of Wednesday, November 2, 1898, reported that William Williams, who owned the largest tin plate operation in Wales, sold his once-thriving business and was relocating to Pittsburgh to reinvest. The article mentioned the tin plate industry in New Castle with, “In this city will soon be turned out by long odds the most tin plate manufactured at any point in the Unites States. The buildings in which it is made are mammoth in proportions, covering acres of ground. There are the New Castle Steel & Tin company with 20 mills, the Shenango Valley Steel company’s plant with 30 mills and the lack plate works of the Neshannock Steel and Tinplate company with 6 mills – a grand total of 56 mills. Such a stupendous array of tin manufacturing establishments cannot be found in any other city the world over. To have forced the largest manufacture of tin in Wales to close up his plant and invest his millions in Western Pennsylvania, where the American rate of wages must be paid, is another of those protection victories that have been coming thick and fast in the past year.”

Before construction of the massive Shenango Sheet and Tin Plate Company was even completed all the tin plate outfits in the area were purchased and merged into the new American Tin Plate Company in December 1898. The company, established by Daniel G. Reid (the “Tin Plate King”), owned numerous sheet plate and tin plants around the country and practically controlled the industry now. Greer and other tin plate executives became very rich when they sold off their assets. George Greer remained onboard as district manager overseeing all the local plants. These included his old plant now known as the New Castle Works, the soon-to-be-completed Shenango Works, and the Sharon (or Farrell) Works to the north. The smaller Johnson Works in New Castle was soon closed down.

The New Castle News of Wednesday, March 1, 1899, reported, “George Greer, president of the New Castle Steel and Tin Plate company, until its absorption by the American Tin Plate company, has been appointed manager of all the mills in New Castle controlled by the combination. Mr. Greer now has charge of the New Castle and Neshannock mills, and will also have charge of the Shenango mill, when completed. Charles Greer, who was secretary of the New Castle company, is appointed assistant manager, and will divide with his brother the manifold duties of the conduct of the three large mills.”

The Shenango Works, covering some forty-four acres, was finally opened in March 1899 with about 2,500 employees. The New Castle News of Sunday, March 13, 1901, printed an excerpt from the Pittsburg Labor World the read, “The Shenango works contain 30 hot mills, 30 tandem cold roll mills, 44 tinning machines, equipped with the latest improved branning and cleaning machines. The mills in the New Castle district are modern and are equipped with the best improved machinery and appliances for handling the raw material, as well as the finished product, in a systematic and economical way.”

The Shenango Works, eventually expanded to 40 hot mills, and was the largest tin plate manufacturing plate in the country. With the New Castle Works and Shenango Works in full operation New Castle was the largest single producing site of tin plate in the entire world. They kept the railroads busy with a constant flow of freight.

European immigrants, including the Welsh, soon flooded into New Castle in search of employment in the tin mills, steel plants, iron works, limestone and coal mines, and with the railroads. The population exploded from 11,600 in 1890 to 28,000 in 1900. That’s a 141% increase within the decade. At the turn of the century New Castle was reported to be the fastest growing city in the country. By 1910 was population was over 38,000. New Castle was a center of industrial might and Greer led the way as its most prominent resident. The city prospered like never before or never since. The tin plate industry was the single most important factor in the growth of New Castle at that time.

The New Castle News of Wednesday, November 2, 1898, reported that William Williams, who owned the largest tin plate operation in Wales, sold his once-thriving business and was relocating to Pittsburgh to reinvest. The article mentioned the tin plate industry in New Castle with, “In this city will soon be turned out by long odds the most tin plate manufactured at any point in the Unites States. The buildings in which it is made are mammoth in proportions, covering acres of ground. There are the New Castle Steel & Tin company with 20 mills, the Shenango Valley Steel company’s plant with 30 mills and the lack plate works of the Neshannock Steel and Tinplate company with 6 mills – a grand total of 56 mills. Such a stupendous array of tin manufacturing establishments cannot be found in any other city the world over. To have forced the largest manufacture of tin in Wales to close up his plant and invest his millions in Western Pennsylvania, where the American rate of wages must be paid, is another of those protection victories that have been coming thick and fast in the past year.”

Before construction of the massive Shenango Sheet and Tin Plate Company was even completed all the tin plate outfits in the area were purchased and merged into the new American Tin Plate Company in December 1898. The company, established by Daniel G. Reid (the “Tin Plate King”), owned numerous sheet plate and tin plants around the country and practically controlled the industry now. Greer and other tin plate executives became very rich when they sold off their assets. George Greer remained onboard as district manager overseeing all the local plants. These included his old plant now known as the New Castle Works, the soon-to-be-completed Shenango Works, and the Sharon (or Farrell) Works to the north. The smaller Johnson Works in New Castle was soon closed down.

The New Castle News of Wednesday, March 1, 1899, reported, “George Greer, president of the New Castle Steel and Tin Plate company, until its absorption by the American Tin Plate company, has been appointed manager of all the mills in New Castle controlled by the combination. Mr. Greer now has charge of the New Castle and Neshannock mills, and will also have charge of the Shenango mill, when completed. Charles Greer, who was secretary of the New Castle company, is appointed assistant manager, and will divide with his brother the manifold duties of the conduct of the three large mills.”

The Shenango Works, covering some forty-four acres, was finally opened in March 1899 with about 2,500 employees. The New Castle News of Sunday, March 13, 1901, printed an excerpt from the Pittsburg Labor World the read, “The Shenango works contain 30 hot mills, 30 tandem cold roll mills, 44 tinning machines, equipped with the latest improved branning and cleaning machines. The mills in the New Castle district are modern and are equipped with the best improved machinery and appliances for handling the raw material, as well as the finished product, in a systematic and economical way.”

The Shenango Works, eventually expanded to 40 hot mills, and was the largest tin plate manufacturing plate in the country. With the New Castle Works and Shenango Works in full operation New Castle was the largest single producing site of tin plate in the entire world. They kept the railroads busy with a constant flow of freight.

In March 1901 financier John Pierpont Morgan Sr. organized an effort to merge Carnegie Steel, Federal Steel, and National Steel to form the U.S. Steel Corporation. U.S. Steel went on to be the most world’s largest steel producer and the most powerful corporation in the entire world. The merger also involved the plants of the Daniel Reid’s American Tin Plate Company, including those in New Castle.

Almost immediately the leaders of the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel, and Tin Plate Workers began clashing with the newly created U.S. Steel, which wanted the unions broken, for simple recognition of its ability to operate in the plants. A strike was called and commenced on August 10, 1901, and lasted about five weeks. In all over 150,000 employees were on strike or forced out of work as a result, including over 3,500 tin mill workers in New Castle. The tin mills in New Castle were briefly idled before the workers returned to work with no real gains made. The strike was a complete failure for the union and it lost much of its influence.

U.S. Steel reorganized its tin plate assets under the moniker of the American Sheet and Tin Plate Company in January 1904. Greer remained in charge of all local plants, including the mill in Sharon, as district manager. When Greer finally retired from the industry effective July 1, 1908, his lone district manager post was dissolved and split among three new general manager positions. Bert “B.J.” Ross became general manager at the New Castle Works, David S. Pyle (Greer’s former second in command) took over at the Shenango Works, and William H. Davis assumed control of the Sharon Works.

Another large strike commenced on July 1, 1909, when the Amalgamated Association orchestrated another walkout against U.S. Steel. A reported 3,000 tin mill workers in New Castle were out of work. This time, and strike was long and bitter and lasted well over a year. It was certainly made worse locally by the fact that George Greer was no longer involved with management. Strikebreakers were called in from Cleveland and violence erupted on the streets of New Castle. The tin mills were put back in operation with the strikebreakers, but the quality of the output suffered. The strike was called off in August 1910 and was a devastating defeat for the union. Many skilled tin mill workers left the area and never returned, while others applied for their old jobs back. The plants were soon put back in regular operation, but the union, although it remained in existence, never recovered and faced backlash from many former members.

George Greer retired from the industry to concentrate on his other substantial business interests. He was involved with several banks, steel mills, and cement plants. He built an impressive home in the North Hill District in 1905, erected the new six-story Greer Block on North Mercer Street in 1907, and continued to raise prized cattle on his old homestead. He was very active with the First Methodist Church and was involved in a handful of fraternal and charitable organizations in the city. Greer remained a lifelong resident of New Castle, and died after an operation in a hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, in April 1926. His wife Alice (White) Greer died at their North Hill residence just a few hours later. His brother Charles, who basically retired from business after 1909, had preceded him in death in February 1925. George and Charles Greer, two of New Castle’s most prominent citizens, were both laid to rest in Oak Park Cemetery.

When Greer stepped down the American tin plate industry was already on the decline. The American Sheet and Tin Plate Company, which had enjoyed a monopoly, consolidated its sheet plate and tin plants, closing many smaller facilities and enlarging the bigger ones. With fewer plants and automated techniques more and more workers were put out of work. Smaller independent companies began to make some headway as the government fought to control the power of the monopolies. Utensils and other household items made of tin were no longer in vogue, and other materials like aluminum would slowly come to prominence in the canning industry. The price of tin plate fell sharply by 1910 and the industry was no longer as lucrative as it once was.

The New Castle Works and Shenango Works continued in operation for many years. They eventually came under the Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation, a subsidiary of U.S. Steel. Much of the finished product these two plants turned out went directly to the nearby American Can Company in Mahoningtown. That local canning plant primarily made tin cans for condensed milk companies. Other pallets of tin plate sheets were shipped by rail to the Pacific Northwest to make cans for processed salmon, and also to Hawaii for canned pineapples.

The two plants were periodically shutdown, sometimes for months on end, due to a lack of demand. The tough times of the 1930’s took a toll on many businesses in the area including the tin plate mills. The New Castle Works, shut down for a time from 1931-1933, was finally closed for good in 1937. In late May 1941 the city council and county commissioners, with Walter W. Duff acting as trustee, closed a deal to acquire the property, consisting of twenty acres and most of the buildings, with the Carnegie-Illinois Steel Company. It was thought that it would be necessary for the plant to be converted for defense use.

The New Castle Works was turned over to the Standard Steel Spring Company of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania in early 1942. It was renovated and became a defense plant making vital materials for the U.S. military effort during World War II. It continued in service after the war making heavy duty springs for automobiles, buses, and military vehicles. The company was involved in several mergers over the years to become the Rockwell Spring and Axle Company in 1953, Rockwell Standard in 1958, North American Rockwell in 1967, and Rockwell International in 1973.

The plant on Furnace Street reached its peak of about 500 employees in 1979, but a lack of demand forced cutbacks over the next few years. In early 1982 it was announced that the plant, known as the Suspension Components Division, would be closed within a few months. After forty years of service the plant was shuttered on Friday, May 28, 1982, and the remaining 160 employees were out of work. This was another economic blow to the community as it followed, or was about to followed by, the closing of Johnson Bronze (January 1981), the Pentax Foundry (June 1981), and Mesta Machine (June 1982). A portion of the old plant buildings are still in use today, at least for a time as a rail car repair facility operated by the Kasgro Rail Corporation.

The larger Shenango Works survived a while longer, but it too was shuttered in early 1940. The Shenango Works was put back in operation in 1942 as a defense plant, making aluminum for the U.S. military. It was operated by the Pittsburgh-based Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA), which controlled operations at five vital aluminum plants across the country. The Valley Manufacturing Company, a sheet mill operation, also began leasing a portion of the plant. The federal government put the plant up for sale in early 1947, but ALCOA was forbidden to purchase the plant due to stringent anti-monopoly laws. The plant was sold in December 1948 to the Bossert Company, which became part of the Rockwell Spring and Axle Company in 1953. From that point on, the two former tin plate plants in New Castle were under the control of the same company (Rockwell). The plant was converted to produce axels for heavy duty trucks. In October 1991 the parent company, Rockwell International, announced it was closing the axle plant, known as the Highway Axle Division, and moving operations elsewhere. The 536 employees would be phased out within the next few years.

In April 1993 the plant was sold to the McDuff Corporation of Pittsburgh, but Rockwell leased some space as it continued to wind down operations with 75 employees. Rockwell ceased production on Thursday, May 27, 1993, and began closing up shop for good. The massive plant was soon converted into a multi-tenant industrial site known as the McDuff Industrial Park. Several tenants have since come and gone but BPI Inc., a company that processes mineral by-products and markets the finished material, still occupies the majority of the former plant.

The heyday of the tin plate industry in the United States (roughly 1895-1907) was short lived, but its importance to the growth of New Castle can’t be stressed enough. As the 1890’s came to a close New Castle, with a thriving industrial sector led by the tin plate plants, was one of the fastest growing cities in the entire country. It was this phenomenal growth that gave rise to the now forgotten nickname of “Little Pittsburgh.”


George Greer (1844-1926) was the man largely responsible for establishing the tin plate industry in New Castle. As a result of Greer’s efforts the city grew like never before or since. (c1905)


George Greer, a devoted Christian, was a farmer, church choir leader, businessman, and philanthropist. He is remembered as one of the most prominent citizens in New Castle’s history. (c1911)


Charles Greer (1848-1925), the only sibling of George Greer, helped his brother establish the tin plate industry in New Castle in the early 1890’s. He retired from active business after 1909 to pursue more leisurely pursuits – including his love of music. (c1907)


David S. Pyle (1870-1956) served as superintendent of the Shenango Works from 1909-1936. Pyle, a leading civic leader, served on a City Council on two occasions and helped establish the Margaret Henry Home for orphans in 1921. (c1905)


Bert “B.J.” Ross (1873-1931) rose up through the ranks and became superintendent of the New Castle Works in 1909. He departed soon after to take up a position with another plant near Aliquippa. (c1903)


George Greer, born in Neshannock Township, opened his first tin mill in New Castle in 1893. (c1900)


Charles Greer assisted his brother George in making New Castle the center of the tin plate industry. (c1900)


The Shenango Works (shown above) near Mahoningtown was at one time the largest tin plate operation in the world. The combined tin plate mills in New Castle were often referred to as the “Greer Mills.” (c1908) Full Size


The massive Shenango Works was opened for operation in January 1899. This plant was finally closed in 1940 and soon converted into a war industry plant producing vital aluminum. (c1903) Full Size


This popular old postcard shows tin mill workers in Pittsburgh hard at work. (1907) Full Size


Another view of the massive Shenango Works (c1915) Full Size


Tin mill workers from the Shenango Works. (c1914) Full Size


The marching band of the American Sheet & Tin Plate Company. (c1910) Full Size


The former Shenango Works site in Mahoningtown is now home to the McDuff Industrial Park. (Dec 2016)


The former site of the Shenango Works along Mahoning Avenue in Mahoningtown, part of the massive “Greer Mills” complex. (Dec 2016)

William E. Reis Sr. (1850-1943) was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in February 1850. He was one of eleven children born to George C. Reis (1823-1887), a wealthy iron industry industrialist, and Elizabeth (Dithridge) Reis. William E. Reis, a graduate of Allegheny College in Meadville, became involved in the iron and steel industry in New Castle and served as President of the Shenango Valley Steel Company when it was formed in 1892. The local steel mill provided much of the raw material needed for George Greer’s tin mills, which soon made New Castle a leading producer in the tin plate industry. Reis was married to Clara Tranter in 1882 and within a few years built a large, ornate North Hill home at #312 Highland Avenue. He lived there with his wife Clara and eventually they had five children.

Reis became very wealthy and made plans to build a massive mansion on an adjoining 3.4-acre property on East Street. At some point he likely commissioned Franklin E. Rutan, who founded the Pittsburgh architectural firm of Rutan & Russell in 1896, to oversee the design of the home. One of its most spectacular features was a stained-glass window designed by artist Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933), the son of Tiffany & Company founder Charles Louis Tiffany. The Reis family moved into the lavish mansion, one of the largest in New Castle, sometime in late 1896. He sold his Highland Avenue home to politician and businessman William H. Brown.

In early 1899 the Shenango Valley Steel Company was merged into the National Steel Company. Reis, elevated to President of National Steel, soon moved his family to New York City. In March 1901 financier John Pierpont Morgan Sr. organized an effort to merge Carnegie Steel, Federal Steel, and National Steel to form the U.S. Steel Corporation. U.S. Steel went on to be the most world’s largest steel producer and the most powerful corporation in the entire world. Reis remained onboard in New York City as an executive and sold his East Street mansion, once again, to William H. Brown in 1903. The home at Highland Avenue soon became the home of Rosena (Reis) Kurtz, the sister of William E. Reis who was married to Lewis T. Kurtz.

William M. Brown was born in Greenville in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, in September 1850 – the son of Van Swearingen and Lydia (Stewart) Brown. As a youngster his father passed away and his mother moved the family to Iowa where Brown was primarily raised. When he was nineteen, he returned in Pennsylvania and settled in New Castle. He continued his studies and began to show an interest in the law. He found employment as a bookkeeper for several companies to include the First National Bank and began studying the law under Judge John McMichael. In 1876 he was admitted to the bar and began practicing law in the city.

In about 1880 he married Margaret Foltz, and daughter of Samuel and Amanda (Stewart) Foltz. The late Samuel Foltz (1826-1878), the former President of the First National Bank, was one of the most prominent citizens of New Castle at the time of his death. Brown and his wife left the city for about a year or so in 1883 when he took a lucrative position as a government land agent in Iowa and explored several other business ventures. He returned to New Castle and opened the Brown, Thompson & Company mercantile business in c1885, and assisted in the establishment of the New Castle Paper Company and the New Castle Electric Street Railway. He also started a family and eventually had two children – Emma born in 1885 and Arthur in 1891.

Brown, who had by this time acquired considerable wealth, became increasingly involved in politics and served almost a decade on the city council. In November 1896 he was elected as a Republican state senator and served in that capacity from 1897-1899. In January 1902 he assumed the office of the Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, serving as the understudy to Governor Samuel W. Pennybacker (1843-1916) for the next four years.

After leaving office in early 1906 Brown served as a director with the Lawrence Savings & Trust Company and got involved in railroading and other businesses. In November 1914 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, but tragedy struck before he could assume office. He passed away quite unexpectedly while visiting New York City on January 1915, when he was sixty-four years old. He was laid to rest in Graceland Cemetery in New Castle. At the time of his death his worth was valued at over $1 million – with properties and interests in New Castle but also in Ohio, Florida, and New York.
His widow Margaret and children Emma and Arthur continued to live in the house. Margaret passed away in November 1936, but Emma, who was married to oil company executive De Grimm Renfrew, continued to reside in the house throughout the 1940’s and 1950’s. It seems the family fortune was steadily depleted over the years. Beginning in late 1947 the New Castle School Board, seeking to expand the property around the New Castle High School, sought to acquire the property through condemnation proceedings. It appears the school board’s initiative was defeated.

When Emma, who spent most of her life in the home, passed away in August 1960 her husband, strapped for funds, attempted to sell the property to the school board for $100,000. It seems a dispute about the actual value of the property began in earnest and he dropped the asking price to $60,000. After De Grimm Renfrew passed away in November 1961 the executors of the estate, with little funds to maintain the property, had the contents sold and the mansion dismantled beginning in September 1962. The stained-glass window went to the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park, Florida. The family eventually sold the property to the school board for $20,000 in June 1964. The New Castle High School utilized the property, at the southeast corner of East Street and Berger Place, as an auxiliary athletic and/or band practice field and still does to this day. Sadly, the magnificent mansion that once graced the location is long gone.


William M. Brown was born in Greenville in 1850 and primarily raised in distant Iowa. When he was nineteen he came to New Castle, continued his studies, and became a lawyer in 1876. He became increasingly interested in politics and served on the city council in the 1890’s, as a state senator from 1897-1899, and as lieutenant governor from 1903-1906. He was later elected to the U. S. House of Representatives but died unexpectedly in January 1915 before assuming office. As a businessman he had acquired considerable wealth and was a millionaire at the time of his death. (c1895)


William E. Reis Sr. had this lavish mansion, designed by the Pittsburgh-based architectural firm of Rutan & Russell, built on East Street in 1895-96. He later sold it to William H. Brown in 1903. The property remained in the Brown family until the death of his daughter Emma Brown Renfrew in August 1961, at which time her husband De Grimm Renfrew unsuccessfully attempted to sell it to the New Castle School Board. By this time unpaid taxes and upkeep costs were mounting. After De Grimm Renfrew died in November 1961 the mansion was razed by order of the estate executors less than a year later. In June 1964 the school board bought the 3.4-acre property for $20,000. Today the site is home to the auxiliary athletic field behind the New Castle High School. (1900) Full Size


The Reis-Brown mansion, situated on a 3.4-acre lot along East Street, was one of New Castle’s most spectacular homes. (c1909) Full Size


The Reis-Brown mansion. (c1920) Full Size


The dining room. (1900) Full Size


The library. (1900) Full Size


The main hallway area. (1900) Full Size


The main staircase leading to the second floor of the mansion. (1900) Full Size


The long porch on the Reis-Brown mansion. (c1910) Full Size


This photo likely depicts a social gathering on the grounds of the Reis-Brown mansion. (c1910) Full Size


The former Reis-Brown home along East Street was razed by the Brown-Renfrew family in late 1962 after unsuccessful attempts to sell the house and property. In 1964 the New Castle School District bought the 3.4-acre site, located adjacent to the New Castle High School, for $20,000. It was turned into an athletic field for the students of the high school. (Jul 2013) Full Size

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In June 1946 former U.S. Army Air Forces (AAF) pilot Frank J. Farone (1915-1996), a pharmacist by trade, was authorized to build a training field for pilots in Shenango Township. The small airfield, located along the New Castle-Ellwood Road, was known as “Port Shenango” and opened in October 1947. The airfield was in operation just a short while before being closed by early 1950. Farone went on to have a longtime connection with the New Castle Airport in Union Township, and eventually served on the board of the New Castle Airport Authority from 1970-1985. The former airport site in Shenango Township was converted into a school athletic field (as shown above) in 1953. Several years later the property was acquired to became the home of the Lawrence Village Plaza, a shopping center that opened in 1961. (1958) Full Size

On the late afternoon of Sunday, July 12, 1908, a group of people were playing cards in a house at #118 Valentine Street in New Castle, Pennsylvania. The residence was the rented home of forty-nine-year-old Italian immigrant named Fred Rosena (Ferdinand Rosrno). He lived there with his Italian wife Frances, his three small children, and two of his sisters. Valentine Street is no longer on modern-day maps, but it was roughly west of Produce Street along South Croton Avenue.

Rosena, who was born in Italy in 1860, had come to this country as a teenager and settled in New Castle in 1883. He was married in about 1902 and started a family. He was well-known around the Italian community, as a con man and gambler. He had occasionally been employed as an interpreter with the Lawrence County Court House. He was part of a celebrated lawsuit in late 1904 in which he sued the county commissioners for $50 he said they owed while employed as an interpreter. The court ruled against him.

He was known to be violent and had several run-ins with the law dating back a decade. One of the worst incidents was took place in December 1900 when he had been involved in a vicious knife fight with a man at the Union Depot on Pittsburg Street (East Washington Street). Both men were injured, but the other man – who was stabbed in the back – was hospitalized for some time. Rosena was charged with assault and attempted murder but was eventually cleared. In more recent years he had also been cited for threatening or assaulting his wife on numerous occasions.

Back to the evening in question, July 12, 1908, a dispute of some sort ended the card game and several neighbors departed. Fred Rosena and his wife and her cousins John Chocco and Philip Chocco remained. John Chocco had apparently come up from Pittsburgh about two weeks prior to stay with his cousin (Mrs. Rosena). A physical altercation of some sort ensued between Rosena and John Chocco. Rosena rushed into a back room and reappeared with a loaded .38-caliber Winchester rifle.

NOTE: Various reports refer to John Chocco as the “brother-in-law” of Fred Rosena. After in-depth research I don’t believe this to be true. Chocco was a cousin of Mrs. Frances Rosena – and not her brother.

Meanwhile, John Chocco, also known to have a violent past, and his brother Phillip fled the house and hid out nearby. Rosena, brandishing the rifle, went out onto the front porch and looked around. He was angered could not find John Chocco and then walked up to Croton Avenue looking for him. He then returned towards the house, threatening several people along the way. A neighbor named Amanda Hood said he attempted to shoot at her, but the gun misfired. Once he returned to the house John Chocco suddenly appeared from hiding with his arms raised. Chocco initially attempted to reason with Rosena and according to witnesses he then begged for his own life.

The New Castle News of Monday, July 13, 1908, reported on the subsequent events with this, “As Chocco approached Rosena the latter muttered something and raised his rifle to his shoulder and snapped it. The first trial failed for the rifle appeared to be out of working order. Rosena, however, seemed to know what was wrong, for he took the gun and shook it violently and pounded the magazine on his hand. When it was all right again he deliberately raised it to his shoulder and stepping forward a few feet – for Chocco, seeing Rosena was determined, had backed back – fired point blank at his victim. Chocco staggered, placed his hand on his side and tottered” continued (witness John) Guylfoye. “Then the third man came from behind the board pile and ran to Chocco’s side. He assisted Chocco towards Vogan’s blacksmith shop in the rear of the Rosena house and there the wounded man played out and sank to the ground exhausted. Rosena had been watching the two men and when the third man saw Rosena following them he deserted Chocco and disappeared, and has not since been seen.” The article went on to report, “As soon as Chocco was left by his friend several persons started towards the wounded man. Rosena leveled his rifle at these and ordered them to get out of sight, which they readily did.”

Rosena chased after a group of bystanders and threatened them as they scattered. He then returned to his porch and stood looking out as a curious crowd began to gather in front of the porch. Chocco, shot in the abdomen, lay dying just fifty feet away. Rosena, with his four-year-old daughter Rosie hanging on his leg, murmured at the crowd but remained calm. Several police officers soon arrived on scene and surveyed the situation. James “Jim” Deskin, the Irish-born Lieutenant of Police for the New Castle Police Department, pushed his way through the crowd and was immediately threatened by Rosena. Deskin had arrested Rosena before and was well aware of his temper.

Deskin backed away and then made his way around to the rear of the Rosena house. He entered the rear door, rushed through the house, and exited out the front door. Rosena saw the approaching officer at the last second, but it was too late. Deskin disarmed him with one hand and landed an uppercut with the other. A stunned Rosena fell off the porch and Deskin was quickly on top of him. Rosena was put in handcuffs and led back into the house. Rosena reportedly told the police he was glad he had killed his victim. Chocco was rushed to the Shenango Valley Hospital and underwent surgery for four hours. He died of his gunshot wound later that evening. Before surgery he reportedly told police that Rosena shot him over a dispute over money. The crowd was cleared and Rosena was then led to the police station in the basement of the City Hall building. On Wednesday, July 15, Chocco was laid to rest in St. Vitus Cemetery in Shenango Township.

Police were initially believed the fight was over money, but another possible motive was soon developed. The New Castle News of Monday, July 13, 1908, had this to report, “It seems that Rosena’s abuse of his wife has had much to do with it. Rosena’s treatment of the woman has been almost inhuman. Several bald spots on her head show where he, in his fury, has pulled her hair out by the roots. Great patches the size of dollars testify to his barbarous treatment of her. Neighbors and police records also tell of the outrageous treatment to which she has been subjected. Amanda Hood has written several letters to the district attorney for Mrs. Rosena asking if there is not some relief for her – some protection from her husband. “That is why Rosena was so willing to kill me this afternoon when he was out killing,” said Mrs. Hood by way of explaining Rosena’s motive for pointing and snapping the gun at her. Two weeks ago John Chocco left his wife at Pittsburg and came to New Castle to make his home with… Mrs. Rosena. He explained that his wife had taken up with another man, but Rosena did not believe this. He believed that Chocco was there at the instance of Mrs. Rosena or some other who wished to interfere with Rosena’s home affairs – with his privilege of beating his wife whenever he desired. It is believed to have been this suspicion of Chocco that led to the shooting Sunday afternoon.”

On the afternoon of Monday, July 13, Rosena was taken upstairs from his cell in the City Hall building and provided with a hearing before Mayor Harry J. Lusk. Lusk ordered him held without bail pending a court date the coming September. Rosena was soon taken to the Lawrence County Jail. Among his fellow inmates was the infamous Black Hand leader Rocco Racco, who was later executed for his part in killing game warden Seeley Houk back in March 1906.

Rosena was initially defended by C. Henry Akens, but he withdrew later that fall. Soon after this the court appointed attorneys William J. Moffatt and Wylie McCaslin to defend Rosena. On Tuesday, September 8, 1908, Rosena was formally indicted for the murder of John Chocco. His new legal team immediately asked for a three-month delay in the trial and Judge William E. Porter granted it. Rosena would remained locked in the county jail until his trial began.

Rosena was called upon to testify in the trial of Rocco Racco in mid-September 1908. The New Castle News of Wednesday, September 16, 1908, reported, “A sensational feature of the trial Wednesday morning was the testimony of Fred Rosena, who is in jail for the murder of his brother-in-law. Rosena contradicted the testimony which he had given before Alderman Green. He said there that Racco had threatened Houk’s life but in court claimed Racco said he would kill the man who killed his dog. When asked why he changed his story he said that Racco had threatened to kill him in the county jail for testifying as he had done before the alderman.” Racco was soon convicted and then sentenced to death.

In the middle of November reports surfaced that Rosena, who was very sick with the flu, had died in jail. The jail officials, led by Lawrence County Sheriff John W. Waddington, had to ensure folks this was not the case and Rosena would be fit to stand trial.

Jury selection began in early December 1908 and was a tough task as everyone seemed to have a strong opinion on the case. The trial began on Tuesday, December 15, 1908, in the courtroom of Judge Porter. Prosecuting the case was District Attorney Charles H. Young, assisted by attorney Roy M. Jameson. Rosena entered a plea of not guilty. He claimed that he was afraid of the Black Hand Society, the Italian criminal organization, and had purchased the weapon used in the murder for the protection of his family. During the trial Rosena’s wife testified on his behalf. A key witness to the murder, Phillip Chocco, had fled immediately after the murder and was never located.

Rosena testified that he had killed John Chocco in self-defense after the two had gotten into an argument over money matters. The New Castle News of Thursday, December 17, 1908, reported on Rosena’s testimony with, “Placed on the witness stand in his own defense, Wednesday afternoon, Fred Rosena, charged with the murder of John Chocco, gave his version of the trouble at the Rosena home of July 8… He said that following a card game at the Rosena home on the fateful Sunday afternoon, he had become involved in a dispute with Coccho and that Coccho had grabbed him by the throat and threw him down. Coccho, he said, then picked up a huge butcher knife and was about to out his throat when Mrs. Rosena dragged him off. Coccho said he would kill Fred until he was six feet under the ground. Coccho left the house but came back again and renewed the quarrel. It was then that Rosena secured his gun, Rosena claimed that Coccho was standing between him and his home when he fired and that he did so to protect his home. Mrs. Rosena, who was on the witness stand all afternoon Thursday, also testified that Coccho had assaulted her husband and bad dragged him to the kitchen. Coccho was in the act of drawing a butcher knife on Rosena when she interfered. Mrs. Rosena claimed that Coccho had pointed the knife at her and had threatened that he would kill both her and Fred before he left the house.”

Mrs. Rosena testified, “She had known John Chocco on Italy. In fact he had wanted to marry her. She said he was a bad man and had been arrested 12 times in Italy and had tried to stab his mother. She said John Chocco had come to this city from Pittsburgh to avoid arrest.” She was then cross examined, “Did not John Chocco come here during the month of June in response to a letter written by you? asked District Attorney Young. “Yes, we wrote back and forth. I gave the letters to my husband to mail.” “Did you not write to Cocho (sic) and tell him to come here because your husband was abusing you?” Objection was raised to the question. Objection sustained. Mrs. Rosena then explained that Coccho had written her saying he wanted to come here and she had answered if you want to come then come.”

The trial lasted three days and ended on Thursday, December 17, 1908. The jury deliberated all night and reached a verdict before the court reconvened at 9:00am the next morning. The New Castle News of Friday, December 18, 1908, reported, “Rosena, who stood with uplifted hand, while the jurors each answered “Guilty of murder in the first degree,” was visibly affected although he stood up well, as his doom dropped from the lips of the twelve men. Mrs. Rosena, who sat beside her husband, also bore up bravely, and there was no “scene” in the court room. Immediately after the verdict had been pronounced Rosena was led back to the county jail. He had nothing to say.”

An appeal was soon filed by Rosena’s attorneys and a hearing for a new trial was held before Judge Porter on Friday, March 5, 1909. Porter considered the motion and ruled against it, while announcing his decision on Wednesday, June 23, 1909. That same day the New Castle News reported on how Rosena took the news, “He grew very pale when the decision was announced. As Sheriff Waddington led him back to jail his eyes filled with tears and by the time his cell was reached he sank on the hard floor, wailing and sobbing like a child.” The Reverend Nicholas DeMita, his spiritual adviser and the pastor of St. Vitus Catholic Church, would provide him with comfort in the coming months.

Two days later Rosena was back in the courtroom to hear his sentence. The New Castle News reported, “The sentence of the court is that you, Fred Rosena, suffer death by hanging and that you be detained in the county jail until such time as the governor may fix for your execution, and may God may mercy on your soul. In a deathlike stillness that pervaded the court room Friday morning Judge Porter thus pronounced sentence on the murderer of John Coccho. Rosena, pale trembling, his eyes glancing furtively about the room, stood before the bar of justice. “Thank you” he said, as the court ceased speaking, and turning, was led from the court room by Sheriff Waddington.”

At that time executions in Pennsylvania were handled by the local counties, and in this case Lawrence County Sheriff John W. Waddington would be responsible for the execution of Rosena. It wasn’t until 1913 that the state took over responsibility for all state-wide executions, and mandated electrocution as the preferred method of execution.

The New Castle News of Friday, October 22, 1909, reported, “Governor (Edwin) Stuart has fixed Thursday, December 2, as the date for the execution of Fred Rosena, convicted of the murder of John Coccho. This will bring the execution within the term of office of Sheriff Waddington. If the Rocco Racco execution takes place as scheduled (on October 26) and Rosena is granted no respite, it will make the fourth hanging for Sheriff Waddington since he assumed the duties of his office. This is remarkable as in the history of the county there was only one execution, that of Frank Jongrass, before Sheriff Waddington assumed office. Waddington has already hanged Rosario Serge and Charles Quimby. The crime for which Rosena is to stretch hemp was probably one of the most cold-blooded murders that has ever been committed.”

In late November an application was made to the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons to have Rosena’s sentence of death commuted to one of life imprisonment. The application was denied. The Reverend Nicholas DeMita, a leading voice in the local Italian community, sent off a last day telegram asking Governor Stuart for leniency. The governor replied with, “After careful consideration of the request contained in your telegram for a respite in the case of Fred Rosena, in view of the fact that the board of pardons has refused application for commutation of sentence, I have concluded not to interfere with the judgment of the courts. Edwin S. Stuart.”

The New Castle News of December 2, 1909, had this to say about the sad evening before the execution, “Rosena last night was shaved and after alighting from the chair In which he had been propped for the barber, he danced around the sheriff and had playfully put up his fists and had said he wanted to fight. He was In the best of spirits, apparently, from the sheriff he went over in front of his little son and did a clog and low monkey dance that threw the youngster in a fit of laughter. Mrs. Rosena standing aside with tearstained eyes viewed all of this with a faint smile. Following this Rosena and his little family were left alone for some time and when It came time for them to part for all time, Mrs. Rosena utterly broke down. She was in a worse state of collapse than her husband. Repeatedly he sought to cheer her but she would not or could not listen. Finally the guards gently drew her away and as they did so her screams could be heard to the streets outside of the jail. In Italian she shrieked repeatedly, “O, my God!” “O, my God!” Once she broke loose from the guards and ran back and threw herself on her husband and there a flood of tears relieved her of her hysteria for a moment. At her skirts clung her children and at last the combined efforts of all the guards were required to move the heart-broken woman who continued her agonizing screaming far out of the jail and down Pittsburg Street.”

On the morning of Thursday, December 2, 1909, Rosena was led to the gallows set up in the courtyard of the Lawrence County Jail. The New Castle News reported on the execution with, “Fred Rosena was fighting mad when he went to his death on the scaffold this morning. There was nothing of the coward about him. He did not think so much of his impending death as he did of making “a speech that would make them smart.’ He made the speech all right and he spoke right out in meeting, with a voice firm and strong; and from a mind that appeared to be clear, but the speech was not so bitter as was expected from those who had been with the man during the last hour of his life. He said: “Gentlemen, I am much obliged for the chance to talk. I am a citizen of the United States. I belong to Uncle Sam. I am a free man. I am going to my death honestly and because I defended my family. I got no justice in my trial. That was because some of them were against me. They do not want honest men in this country. I’m done. Goodbye.”

At about 10:17am, after being hooded, Sheriff Waddington pulled the lever and sent Rosena to his death. He was declared dead at 10:30am by Dr. Elmer P. Norris. The remains, prepared by the Lutton Undertaking Company, were taken to the Rosena home on Valentine Street for a wake. The next morning a small service was held at St. Vitus Catholic Church and afterwards the remains were interred in St. Vitus Cemetery. It was a sad ending to a senseless crime.

At some point Frances Rosena was remarried to John B. Matura, an Italian immigrant who operated a grocery store on South Jefferson Street. Matura was no stranger to trouble, as he was cited for gambling and other criminal offenses on several occasions. In the summer of 1919 fifteen-year-old Rose Rosena, the oldest daughter of the late Fred Rosena, fled the house and moved in with an aunt named Mary Stephano. Rose claimed that her mother was beating her. What followed was a nasty legal battle that continued on for several years. In those days children were not generally considered adults until they reached the age of twenty-one. The case appears to have been settled in the summer of 1923 and Rose, then aged nineteen, was allowed to determine her own living arrangements. It’s presumed that Frances (Rosena) Matura, who became a naturalized citizen in 1913, lived out her days in New Castle.


Fred Rosena, an Italian immigrant known to have a violent temper, shot and killed his wife’s cousin John Chocco after an argument in July 1908. His high profile trial commenced later that year in December. He was convicted and later executed in December 1909. (1908)


Lt. James “Jim” Deskin of the New Castle Police Department disarmed and arrested Rosena after the incident. he resigned his supervisor post in October 1908 so he could return to walking a beat as a regular patrolman. (c1908)


Judge William E. Porter served as county judge from 1904-1916. He had his hands full in1908 dealing with the high-profile trials of Black Hand leader Rocco Racco and murder suspect Fred Rosena. (c1905)



A drawing of the murder scene along Valentine Street. (1908)


The death certificate of John Chocco, which oddly enough lists the cause of death as “from a gun shot wound fired from a gun in the hands of Fred Rosena Murdered.” I don’t think that would fly today… not without a trial and all to determine official guilt. (1908) Full Size

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The four-room Neshannock Public School, usually called the Walmo School, was opened on East Maitland Lane in September 1923. It handled students in grades 1-8. It was dedicated during a ceremony on Friday, October 23, 1923. Due to severe overcrowding in the township a four-room addition was completed in August 1949. The building was re-designated as the Walmo Elementary School in 1955. It remained in service for over five decades until it was closed in June 1977. (c1925) Full Size


I believe this photo depicts a first grade class at Walmo Elementary School in 1966. The teacher is Mrs. Mary Bratchie Patton. (1966) (Photo posted on Facebook page of “Walmo Elementary School”)



After the Walmo School closed in 1977 it subsequently served as the home for several specialty schools and organizations in the coming years. In 2005 the township sold the building and it became the new home of the Cray Education Center, an alternative school for troubled teenagers. (Sep 2013) Full Size


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The former Walmo School on East Maitland Lane (seen at bottom of photo) is now home to the Cray Education Center. (c2012) Full Size