Although short on volunteers, the Monroeville Historical Society still gives annual summer tours for those interested in knowing more about the history of the borough-turned-municipality.
The historical society offers guided tours of the McCully and McGinley houses in Monroeville from 1 to 4 p.m. every Sunday through August.
Historical society President Lynn Chandler jumps at the chance to give tours and talk to people about Monroeville's historical sites, particularly the Old Stone Church at Monroeville Boulevard and Stroschein Road.
"It's just a charming, old church; the original oak pews are still there," Chandler, 66, said. "And I like the people."
The church dates to 1834, when a small group of people petitioned the Presbyterian Church for a congregation in what now is Monroeville.
The church originally was called the Cross Roads Church, by virtue of charter member Andrew Mellon, whose home church in Ireland was called Cross Roads.
"Where the BP (across the street) is, is where they used to park their buggies and horses," Chandler said.
The church will be open for tours from 10 a.m. to noon July 4. The church usually is open for tours just twice a year, after the Memorial Day and Independence Day parades.
"We just don't have the manpower to open too often," Chandler said.
The historical society does give more frequent tours of both the McCully and McGinley houses, at 2381 McGinley Road, across from HealthSouth Hospital of Pittsburgh.
The McGinley House, built around 1830 by a stonemason, almost was demolished in 1967, when Westinghouse bought the land it was on and planned to build its nuclear research center there.
A Monroeville councilman named James Mirro intervened and proposed the house be turned over to the municipality. The house eventually was placed in the care of the historical society and is registered as a historical landmark.
The McCully House, built in the early 1800s, survived condemnation and a plan for demolition in 1992.
Monroeville and the historical society initiated an effort to save the building -- dismantling it at its Queen Drive location, near the Monroeville Mall, transporting it, and rebuilding the log house piece by piece along McGinley Road.
Monroeville is fortunate it still has its history, particularly four historical sites, said Richard McClain, 69.
"You're lucky in most towns if you have one," McClain, a retired history teacher said. "We try to keep up with it.
"Without the historical society and municipality doing what they do, we wouldn't have them. They would be gone."
But they're still around, including the MacGregor Road Bridge, a stone bridge off Beatty Road, near Route 22, a one-lane structure built to accommodate horses and humans alike.
McClain said he gets upset when Monroeville residents tell him they didn't know about the sites.
"That drives me nuts," he said.
But there still are those helping the next generation realize their local history. Fifth-graders from the Gateway School District got the chance to check out the historical sites on a field trip a few weeks ago, he said.
"That's what's really nice," McClain said.
But tours can't go on indefinitely without people to help, said Marilyn Wempa, a longtime historical society member.
"We keep getting smaller and smaller," Wempa, 73, said. "That we have these houses here, people could learn so much from them."
When she joined the historical society 15 years ago, Wempa learned that Monroeville had three airports at one time and that a Monroeville resident had her family members returned to her after they were captured by Indians. More recently, during an antique appraisal event, Wempa learned that a person might even have some history in his attic, as one man found out when he brought in a drum from the Civil War.
"We try to help the people to enjoy our historical heritage," Wempa said.
For more information, call Chandler at 724-327-6164, or visit the society's Web site at www.monroevillehistorical.org .
