Celebration of Donora’s 125th birthday starts Friday

By TAYLOR BROWN, Senior Reporter

A dance party will be the first of many events to mark the historic year.

Donora will celebrate its 125th birthday the way any proud hometown should — with music, dancing, community gatherings and a run through the borough’s historic mill grounds.

The festivities honor a community whose story began more than a century ago along the banks of the Monongahela River when the small settlement of West Columbia grew into what would become Donora.

A yearlong series of events organized with the Donora Historical Society and Smog Museum will highlight the borough’s rich history while bringing residents and visitors together to celebrate the milestone anniversary.

The celebration begins Friday with the “Welcome Spring – Donora’s 125th Birthday Dance Party” at the Donora Borough Building.

The event will run from 7 to 11 p.m. and will feature music from DJ Galiffa, along with a basket auction and a half-the-take raffle. The event is BYOB and open to guests 21 and older. Snacks will be provided, but outside food is also welcome.

Tickets are available in advance at Donora Union Pharmacy or at the door for $20.

The anniversary celebration will continue May 2 with a historic Donora 5K Run/Walk on the grounds of the former American Steel & Wire Company mill, once the industrial centerpiece that fueled the borough’s early growth.

Registration for the run begins at 8 a.m. at 590 Galiffa Drive. Organizers say the course will give participants a chance to run or walk through a location deeply tied to Donora’s industrial heritage.

The mill site played a critical role in shaping the borough after industrialists Andrew W. Mellon, Richard B. Mellon, Henry Clay Frick and William H. Donner formed the Union Improvement Company in 1899.

The company purchased more than 500 acres in the Monongahela River Valley the following year with plans to build a steel plant and a new community to support it.

Ground was broken May 29, 1900, for the Union Steel Company, which later became part of the American Steel & Wire Company under the United States Steel Corporation. The massive plant quickly transformed the once-quiet settlement.

According to the Donora Historical Society and Smog Museum, when lots were opened for sale Aug. 30, 1900, the area saw a rush of new residents. A village that once had only four houses and about a dozen residents grew within three years to more than 1,000 buildings and roughly 6,000 people.

The borough was officially incorporated Feb. 11, 1901, and two years later the neighboring village of West Columbia was absorbed into the growing community.

The borough’s unique name also reflects its origins. Donner’s surname was combined with the name of Nora, the bride of Andrew Mellon, creating the name Donora.

Long before industry arrived, the landscape itself had been shaped by powerful natural forces. According to the Donora Historical Society, during the Ice Age the Monongahela River once flowed north before a massive glacial lake formed and later receded, leaving the river valley and floodplain where Donora would eventually be built.

Before European settlement, the region was inhabited by Native American tribes including the Iroquois and later the Delaware, Shawnee and Mingo peoples. In 1769 the area known as Horseshoe Bottom was formally recognized as a settlement along the Monongahela River.

The community evolved through several names over time. In the early 1800s, Charles DeHaas attempted to establish a town called Pittsborough, later renamed Columbia and eventually West Columbia. By the late 19th century, however, the rise of the steel industry would dramatically reshape the area’s future.

Donora quickly became one of the Mon Valley’s thriving industrial communities, built around the mill that provided jobs for generations of workers and attracted immigrants from around the world.

The borough grew into a diverse and active community that included more than 20 churches and a synagogue, numerous social clubs and ethnic organizations, sports teams, bands and a strong local school system.

Although the steel mills closed decades ago, Donora continues to honor its industrial heritage while looking toward the future. The former mill site today is home to a thriving industrial park.

Organizers say the anniversary celebration offers residents and visitors a chance to reflect on the borough’s long history while also bringing the community together.

Borough officials offered thanks to Donora Union Pharmacy, the Donora Historical Society & Smog Museum and the Industrial park for supporting anniversary plans.

“They have all come through in big ways to help us celebrate,” Councilwoman DeAnne Pavelko said.