Duquesne grad puts together book of photos on Vandergrift
A Vandergrift native who volunteered with the local community group has compiled a photo retrospective of the town into a book.
Sara McGuire, a recent Duquesne University graduate, spent the summer of 2008 as a volunteer with the Vandergrift Improvement Project.
She began coordinating a walking tour of the town, but as older photographs began to surface, "Then & Now: Vandergrift" evolved as a way to juxtapose the photos with current sights.
"A lot of churches and older, family-owned businesses had older photos and they were willing to share them with me," she said.
Many of the photographs came from the Victorian Vandergrift Museum and Historical Society.
The book complements Capital's Utopia, a previously published collection of narratives from the town's early days. Readers can match stories with photos of the Casino Theater, Columbia Avenue, Vandergrift Heights and the Sweetlane Chocolate Shop.
"I realized I had more of a concern and interest in the town's history than I thought," McGuire said. "A lot of stuff has changed about the town that is sad, but yet there are a lot of places I see potential to improve."
One thing that is evident looking at the photos is the impact that cars had on the town. Their width necessitated that some roads be widened, which drove some businesses out of their locations. As residents gained the ability to travel farther in their cars, businesses in town suffered.
Lincoln Avenue, for one, once bore rows of houses on both sides of the dirt road, but half of the houses were demolished to widen the road, which was renamed Route 56, leading out of Vandergrift.
"Its purpose was to provide access to other towns and cities, but it contributes to the diversion of traffic from Vandergrift's downtown businesses," McGuire wrote.
Former Vandergrift Improvement Project Coordinator Dave Farkus said sales have been strong, with a lot of feedback on the book's organization and layout.
"We see it as something that will remind people who live in the area of their history and a spotlight for the broader public to find out about Vandergrift and its incredible history," he said. "We're proud to have it out there."
He added that a lot of readers have expressed their pride that a Vandergrift native wrote the book.
"It's very exciting for us to have a companion to Capital's Utopia, to be able to read the town's history in visual and narrative formats," he said.
Additional Information:
Book signing
Who: Sara McGuire, author of 'Then & Now: Vandergrift'
Where: VIP Office, 132 Grant Ave, Vandergrift
When: 1to 3 p.m. Saturday
More information: Books will be available for purchase
