Tri-City Historical Society hopes to learn more about area's past

The Tri-City Historical Society may be relatively new, but its members already have high aspirations for what it will be able to offer the Alle-Kiski Valley in the future.

The nonprofit group was founded this year to collect, preserve and make available materials related to the histories of Arnold, New Kensington, Lower Burrell and Upper Burrell.

It is asking the public for help with collecting pieces of history unique to those communities.

“One of the hopes of the society is to see what else is out there,” said society vice president and New Kensington Councilman Dante Cicconi.

Initially started to preserve old pictures, stories and artifacts, the society has grown to where members want to hold public meetings, establish walking tours, open a museum, work with school districts to educate kids about local history and create an online database.

Society president and history buff James Sabulsky said there was a need for an organization that focuses on the history of the Tri-City area, because there has never been one .

“The Alle-Kiski Valley Historical Society has always existed, has existed for a long time … and it’s done a fantastic job,” Sabulsky said. “It’s just this side of the (Allegheny) river, there’s never seemed to be something that concentrates on tours and education. Not as much the brick-and-mortar part, more the hands on, meeting with people. Talking. Showing them around.

“A lot of people don’t know that our local history goes from pre-French and Indian War the whole way up to now. We have 300 years worth of history just in this little area.”

The group plans to offer walking tours of the area and open a museum in downtown New Kensington, jumping off the addition of Voodoo Brewery and other businesses that may increase foot traffic there.

The first walking tour is planned for next spring. It will take people through New Kensington’s Parnassus neighborhood.

“The first hospital was on the 400 block of Sixth Avenue, the Bloser Mansion,” Sabulsky said. “We’re going to include the Parnassus Bank, the Kinloch Mansion. There’s at least eight to 10 buildings that we know we can stop and talk about.”

Cicconi said he is most excited about the walking tours, which he hopes will eventually become self-guided. He wants to place signs at locations that include a link or a QR code people can scan with their phone that will pull up a pre-recorded clip that tells them about its history.

“My big idea is to have (tour guides) at each house during the day of the tour. They’ll show pictures. They’ll talk about the house,” Cicconi said. “We can record it, digitize it all and then have it available on YouTube. Then people can come up and scan the sign, and it will bring up the YouTube clip so people can stand outside and do their tour on their own.”

The group meets once a month and has about 15 members, including Lower Burrell Mayor Rich Callender and Upper Burrell Supervisors Chairman Ross Walker.

Larger, public meetings that would allow people to share information, tell stories and listen to history presentations are in the works, Sabulsky said. Those will likely be held every three months.

“We have a good group of very knowledgeable people involved,” Sabulsky said.