The story goes, that a Dutchman who saw the bird was relating the circumstances to some friends. Instead of calling the bird a young eagle, he said it was a new one.
That's the way the borough of New Eagle in Washington County got its name, according to historical records.
'Hence, this insignificant nook in God's creation obtained a quite respectable name,' reported a publication titled 'New Eagle Memories.'
Molly O'Flanigan, a correspondent to the Pittsburgh Mirror wrote about New Eagle in 1896: 'This is certainly a funny name for a place, for it is neither city, town nor village, but a cluster of frame houses of frail structure, situated on the bank of the Monongahela River, between Sugar Flat and Dry Run. It is inhabited principally by coal miners.'
What the author did not know or acknowledge, according to historical records, was that New Eagle took its name from the New Eagle mine. Two related mines, one opening about 1861 and the other about 1864, shared the same name. The village of New Eagle grew up around the mines.
As the town grew, other stories about New Eagle were added to the one first told by the Dutchman.
There's the one about the houseboat that came to rest on dry land.
Joshua and Sophie Dejeet bought the houseboat in Monongahela about 1914, according to their son, Samuel.
'I was born on that houseboat in 1918,' he said, 'and lived there until I was about 21. It was like a summer camp with the outside brick oven. My mother baked breads, pies, rolls twice a week and the smell of fresh baked goods would travel all over the area.'
When his family moved the houseboat to the area, there were a number of houseboats all along the river, according to Dejeet.
'I remember a few when I was a child,' he said, 'but they were fading away by then.'
By the time Dejeet was born the houseboat was on dry land.
'We had three acres of property, which we just took over - squatters' right, I guess you'd call it,' he said. 'The property belonged to H.C. Frick Coal and Coke Co. My father and oldest brother, Carl, put the cribbing under the houseboat after a flood before I was born. They leveled her up, and that's where we stayed for about 20 years.'
Sitting on the porch of his home on the hill overlooking the Monongahela River, Dejeet pointed to the location where he once lived, now the Maple Creek Mine tipple.
'We were dirt poor,' he said. 'We had three rooms and the only heat came from the kitchen stove. My sister slept in the middle room with my parents, and the boys shared the back room. We had cold winters then, and it would stay cold for three months. My mother made feather ticks from down feathers off ducks and geese, and that's what we slept under. When there was 1/2 inch of ice inside the windows and another inch outside, we'd get out from under those covers bare-naked, and the steam would come off us like we'd just gotten out of a steam bath. I sure remember those days.'
'My mother would sell a gallon of milk for 20 cents,' he said. 'She'd keep the money in a jar, and in the fall we'd buy hay with that money to feed the cow during the winter.'
Dejeet also recalled the transients who walked the railroad track. They stopped when they smelled his mother's bread baking.
'She fed anyone who was hungry,' he said.
The houseboat remained a landmark to many people in the Mon Valley area. It was torn down just before the construction of the U.S. Steel Maple Creek Preparation Plant. A piece of the barge was donated to the Monongahela River Museum and is on display to depict the construction of wooden barges during that era.
Except for the years Dejeet spent in the service during World War II, New Eagle has been his home.
'Not very much has changed in New Eagle over the years - just more houses being built,' he said.
There are myriad stories in the nooks and crannies at Yesterday's Best, a consignment shop located on Main Street in New Eagle.
Items on the shop's list of merchandise have included: a picture of Martha Stewart's Aunt Tilley, an autograph of actor Richard Gere and a football thrown by Joe Montana.
'We once had Martha Stewart's Aunt Tilley hanging in the hall ...,' said co-owner Lorys (Wible) Crisafulli.
Since its inception in 1983, Yesterday's Best has sold some unusual items including mechanical chicken pluckers with rotating rubber fingers, exotic clothing and a peanut roaster.
'Our motto is, 'If it's not becoming to you, it should be coming to us,'' said the shop owner.
Visitors are often fascinated with the nine rooms filled with treasures, ranging from furniture to glassware and trinkets to collectibles. Approaching customers are greeted by a female mannequin hanging out from an upstairs window. Depending upon the season, she may be draped in furs or sporting a bright yellow dress with a matching hat.
Part of the charm of Yesterday's Best is the people behind the scenes. There's Crisafulli's partner, Iva (Berry) Eckbreth and employees Earl Volk and Jack Beattie. Rounding out the five 'permanent fixtures,' as Crisafulli described the staff at Yesterday's Best, is her sister, Anna Mae Lohr. At age 84, she keeps active by helping at the shop.
Business activity on Main Street has changed throughout the years, according to Lohr.
'There used to be a lot of restaurants in town,' she said, 'the Belvedere, the Roma, to name a couple. The whole town has changed, but the stores are still nice. Wonderful people, that hasn't changed. It's just a friendly, friendly place to be.'
'When I started to teach, New Eagle was booming with families,' said Eckbreth, who retired in 1993 after 40 years as a teacher. 'We had so many children that we had to put an addition on the Roosevelt School where I taught.'
Roosevelt School, named for Theodore Roosevelt, opened in 1937 and closed in 1983. The facility now houses the central administrative offices for the Ringgold School District, which was formed in 1964.
Old mom-and-pop grocery stores once flourished in the area, said Eckbreth. 'When we went to the movies in Monongahela,' she said, 'we would walk along Main Street rather than take the streetcar, because we would stop and get candy at these little stores.'
Then, there's the story of the man who gave away approximately 40,000 Popsicles.
A father of two and grandfather of four, Jake Simoncelli came to New Eagle at the age of 6. Simoncelli, now retired, gave away the cool treats during the years he owned a service station.
The tradition of giving out free Popsicles on the last day of school started in 1944 and continued until he sold the business in 1984. The youngsters would show him their report cards, which he stamped in return for the treats.
'I was a young fellow of about 25,' he said. 'I had this little service station and decided it would be nice to be one of the guys on Main Street who did something for children.'
In addition to his notoriety for the Popsicle giveaways, Simoncelli is also president of the New Eagle Community Action Group, an organization responsible for the creation of Tubby Hall Park.
The idea for the park turned to reality about 12 years ago when the group of private citizens began a fund-raising campaign. 'We wanted a nice place for residents to spend their time,' said Simoncelli. 'It was originally five acres embedded in trees. The Army Corps of Engineers helped clear the trees, and we've just worked from year to year to get it to what it is today.'
'The park was named in honor of former businessman and New Eagle Councilman Larry 'Tubby' Hall who died suddenly in 1990,' said Simoncelli.
Now the park includes a picnic area with pavilions, swings and a play area for children, gazebo, restrooms, a parking area and boat launch. This year a place to play horseshoes and eight campsites were added.
'On a weekend we might have 35 to 40 boats launching in the Monongahela River,' said Simoncelli.
In addition to its work at the park, the New Eagle Community Action Group also raised funds for benches and garbage receptacles along Main Street. These are maintained by the group along with the flags at the World War II Memorial and other areas in the borough.
'We're just private citizens wanting to do the best we can for our community,' said Simoncelli.
Besides presiding over the community action group and supervising the park, Simoncelli is the emergency management coordinator for the Monongahela area, which includes New Eagle. He continues to reside in the community with his wife, the former Helen Panek, who is a Donora native.
At 78, Simoncelli recalls the 47 years he spent fighting fires as a volunteer fireman, the 25 years he drove an ambulance and the 18 years he delivered Meals on Wheels.
'When I joined the fire department, they had a closed roster of 40 members - 40 dedicated firemen,' he said. 'When the war came, the membership started to fade. In the last 10 or 15 years we're fortunate to have 20 to 25 firemen.
There's the tale of the rescued 1952 'rescue' truck.
'I saw it sitting under an apple tree near Lover for about five years,' said Eddie Volker. 'The owners wouldn't sell it to me, so I just kept going back and pestering them.'
The owner of Volker's Body Shop in New Eagle purchased the vehicle about 18 months ago. He has since refurbished it to its original condition.
'It was painted red when I got it,' he said. 'When I sanded the paint off, underneath I discovered the truck came from Dilanova. I haven't a clue where that is, probably out of state somewhere.'
Volker inscribed New Eagle across the truck and on the back has listed 36 names of members of the fire department. He said he has about 50 more to put on the truck.
'My dad was a volunteer fireman, and I've gotten a lot of satisfaction doing this project,' he said. 'My dad told me that the truck they used during his time wouldn't go into reverse. Every time they took it to a fire, they had to push it backward.'
No one knows what happened to the original New Eagle truck, but the refurbished one is displayed for special community events and used in parades.
Simoncelli recalled the original truck.
'We had a bar going across the top,' he said. 'We used to ride (on the) outside (of) the truck, which isn't allowed now. We had to hold on for dear life. There would be many times when the driver wasn't so careful in taking a bend, I was young then, and I remember my feet leaving the truck as if I were flying.'
The construction of a fire hall over an indoor swimming pool is a story in itself.
The New Eagle fire hall was constructed on top of the former natatorium, an indoor swimming pool.
'The basic pool is still under the building,' explained Simoncelli, 'and the floor is sometimes referred to as a floating floor. Naturally, I didn't belong to the fire department when it was done, but when we used to have 200 to 300 people for dances this floor would float. Those who put in the floor had sense enough to put the dance floor on the lower end of the building (on) Morton Street, which was the low end of the pool. The Chess Street side was the location of the high diving board.'
Opening day at the natatorium was a special occasion for New Eagle, as celebrity swimmers Johnny Weissmuller and Arnie Borg presented a swimming and diving exhibition. Weissmuller later starred in the early Tarzan movies.
New Eagle also has a connection to football star Joe Montana.
Although Montana is a native of the neighboring community of Monongahela, his great-grandfather - also Joseph Montana - is a founding father of New Eagle.
In 1892, Joseph and Margaret Cardis Montana settled in New Eagle. A stonemason by trade, Montana was active in the community and was a member of the New Eagle Cooperative to obtain the charter for the incorporation as a borough in 1912.
The couple had six children, Joseph, Rose, Esther, James, William and Evelyn. The family homestead, built in 1892, still stands on Main Street near the borough building and is currently occupied by Kathy Rollison Pellegrini, great-granddaughter of the former Montana. Pelligrini grew up in the house.
In the 1980s, Pellegrini's mother, the late Margaret Leber Rollison operated 'Margaret's Miniatures' from the home.
Pellegrini has vivid recollections of her grandmother, Rose Montana Leber. 'She had the most gorgeous white hair you'd ever seen,' said Pellegrini. 'What a unique person she was. The story is that during the Depression, she would bring in the hoboes who came to her home for food. She didn't feed them outside; she'd bring them in and sit them at her kitchen table. She was very giving.'
'I'd come home from school many days and find a hobo sitting at the table,' added Roselle Wise, Pellegrini's aunt.
Pellegrini and Wise also recalled Hare's Store, located across the street from the Montana homestead. Owned and operated by George and Kate Hare, it was the first confectionery store in New Eagle, and its merchandise included penny candy and homemade root beer.
Industrial decline is another saga in New Eagle's history.
When New Eagle was officially incorporated as a borough, the town was in its heyday. Numerous industries had located there, and new houses lined the streets. The population of the one square-mile community, based on the 1990 census, is 2,172.
'The 1980 census was 2,617,' said Linda Hall, borough secretary. 'Between the two we took a pretty good hit, especially after the closing of the mills. Today we seem to be getting a lot of younger people buying the houses as they go up for sale.'
Now, there are about 900 homes and 50 businesses in New Eagle.
'You wouldn't know it by looking at our Main Street,' said Hall, 'but there are a lot of businesses located in the area - auto repair, bakery, two restaurants, beauty shops, Grilli's Photography Studio and the mine.'
Another feature of New Eagle is the Mid-Mon Valley Railroad Club, which is located on the second floor of the borough building. Established 15 years ago, the club relocated from Charleroi about three years ago.
'After three fires and the building was finally condemned, we were forced to move,' said Susan Werner, secretary-treasurer.
According to Werner, the purpose of the railroad club is the work with the Monongahela Valley Railroad Historical Society to present a sense of the history of the mid-Mon Valley as it relates to railroading.
Open to the public during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, members of the group continue to design and expand the exhibits.
'As we continue to build, we will be doing a lot more of the industrial stuff such as coal mines, coke ovens, strip mines, steel mills and cities as they were built along the railroad,' said Werner. 'We basically try to cover all the industry that was once in the mid-Mon Valley. It's an ongoing project, never totally finished.'
The group, which meets once a week, welcomes new members.
'There's a lighted sign in the front door,' said Werner. 'If the sign is lit, we're in. Like if the porch light is on, we're accepting company. Anyone interested is invited to stop in when the light is on.'
Joanna Blair is a Charleroi free-lance writer for the Tribune-Review.
