"Adamsburg was a great place to grow up; we wouldn't want to live anywhere else." That was the message conveyed by lifelong friends and neighbors, Frank Lunn and John Henry. These "Adamsburgers" recently got together to reminisce about their hometown. Both men were born here and, just as their parents and grandparents before them, they decided to stay. Early history For anyone driving through town today, it would be difficult to imagine what it was like when the Pittsburgh to Philadelphia Turnpike and, later, the Lincoln Highway, passed through the center of Adamsburg. The village was first laid out in 1803 when the Pittsburgh-to-Greensburg section of the early turnpike was built. The town was originally known as Hugustown, but by the 1820s, records referred to it as Adamsburg. The town was named after John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States. Most merchandise was hauled from the east over the turnpike to Pittsburgh. Businesses developed quickly along the popular stagecoach route. Passengers frequently sought sleeping accommodations in Adamsburg, which became known as the "Star of the West." By 1825, there were two large tanneries, two coverlet weavers, two cigar factories, a gunsmith, a chain factory, two tailor shops, two saddlers, a shoemaker, three blacksmith shops, a wagon maker, a hatter, two cabinet makers, a marble and stone-cutter and a flour mill. Many area farmers owned Sebrick coverlets, Myers wagons and Steiner hats. There were also several stores in town. The active business district was surrounded by farmland. People came from the neighboring areas to purchase their necessities in Adamsburg. Of course, that included liquor, which was sold over the counter in the same manner as molasses or other merchandise at 12.5 cents per quart or 37.5 cents per gallon. According to the 1867 Atlas of Westmoreland County, Samuel Rock, James Gregg and Benjamin Hebrank were dealers in general merchandise; Hebrank was also a tanner. J. Melville was a grocer and "dealer in drugs and oils." The Adamsburg Post Office was established in 1823; William Black was appointed the first postmaster. Mail was received for delivery three times a week until 1885 when daily mail service was initiated. John Crock was an early mail carrier who walked the 4-mile round-trip "star route" between Adamsburg and Manor in all kinds of weather. Adamsburg became a borough by act of Assembly on March 5, 1841. The first election was held on the third Friday of the following month. Jacob Gosser, Jacob Steiner and John Melville were the first Adamsburg constables. In 1852, when the Pennsylvania Railroad bypassed the town in favor of a more northern route, commercial activity declined somewhat, while the nearby towns of Irwin, Manor and Jeannette benefited. Hotels were the hub of activity here during the late 19th century. The Gilchrist House, The Evans House and the Ryan House flourished with boarders and lodgers. In 1867, Michael Walthour was proprietor of the Adamsburg Hotel. 20th century By 1913, the Lincoln Highway Association was formed to create a coast-to-coast paved highway. Much of this new Lincoln Highway route connected existing roadways and turnpikes. The old turnpike route through Adamsburg became part of the new highway. "People back in those days didn't get in a car and go for a ride; they went motoring," Lunn observed. Many of them motored through Adamsburg on that early highway. Lunn's parents, Franklin Boocks Lunn and Irene Stahl Lunn, lived in the same Brown's Ferry Road home where Lunn and his wife, Dolores, reside today. Lunn's father was a weigh boss for the nearby Tomajko Coal Co. His grandparents, Samuel Marchand Stahl and Harriet Stahl, purchased the home from the Kifer family in 1909. Although Lunn doesn't know exactly when the red-brick house was built, there's no doubt it has witnessed the transition from dirt stagecoach road to early superhighway to quiet neighborhood street. Samuel Stahl manufactured cigars in a red-brick building two doors down the street. Later, Frank Lunn's uncle, Clay H. Stahl, operated a lunch room in that same brick building; it now serves as a private residence. Henry's parents, Clymer John Henry and Hazel Ferguson Henry, lived next door to the Lunn family. Clymer John worked at Hockensmith in Penn and operated a taxi business. John Henry's grandfather, John Joseph Henry, worked on the railroad; he and his wife, Susan, also owned an Adamsburg farm. "The property where my wife, Dorine, and I built our house was originally my grandparents' farm," Henry explained. "As many as 96 hogs were raised on the farm at one time." Henry's father and uncles, Walter J. and Rinker D. Henry, later, owned and operated Henry's Garage at the corner of the Penn-Adamsburg Road and Main Street; it became a Lincoln Highway landmark. They sold "gum dipped" Firestone tires, cars, radios, Pennzoil gasoline and, later, Atlantic gasoline. "There used to be a traffic light at that busy intersection," recalled Henry. For many years, Walt Henry served as the local justice of the peace; his office was located in Henry's Garage. He was also an excellent photographer, leaving behind a photographic history of the town in the early 20th century. In those days, a variety of successful businesses operated in Adamsburg. J.H. Wolfgang delivered home-dressed meats throughout the area by horse and wagon from his Penn-Adamsburg Road meat market. J. Harvey Vanasdlen was proprietor of the Shotts House with good sleeping accommodations and a bar. J.J. Kline sold fine groceries and "green goods" in town. Adamsburg was also the home of radio station WGM. During the Great Depression, minstrel shows were held at the Odd Fellows Hall. Built in 1926, it was used for most of Adamsburg's community activities, including bingo, dances and parties. The hall remains an active part of the community today, housing the Adamsburg Post Office. The post office continues to serve as a convenient location to visit with neighbors and catch up on current events. Adamsburg Community Old Home Week celebrations were held in town throughout the 1930s. People would return home from all over the country to participate in the festivities. Adamsburg businesses that advertised in the 1931 official program included the John Carr Coal Co., Henry's Garage, A.J. Gardner Dairy, D.F. Musick Jr. General Insurance, F.O. Smeltzer Groceries and the Tomajko Coal Co. Adam C. Fisher was the general chairman of that celebration; it was organized by 24 different committees. The four-day event featured a parade, refreshments and free ground prizes, as well as bingo and dancing to the tune of four different orchestras in the Odd Fellows Hall. Both coal companies donated a 50-bushel load of coal as prizes. On the east side of town, the Village Inn was an old-fashioned restaurant famous for its waffles. Earlier, that was the site of Lincoln Towers, a popular dance spot that was also rumored to have housed a speakeasy during the 1920s. Later the restaurant became Rocco's Village Inn and, most recently, the Rose Garden Inn. The Lincoln Highway bypass, now known as Route 30, was constructed in the late 1930's to accommodate traffic from the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Nearby Irwin was the western terminus of the turnpike until the western extension was completed in 1951. Once the highway bypassed Adamsburg, automobile traffic declined, leading to a gradual transition from busy commercial center to peaceful crossroads village. As of the 2000 census, the borough had a total population of 221. In addition to their Adamsburg heritage, John Henry and Frank Lunn also share an appreciation of the past. Both men have accumulated vintage Adamsburg photos and memorabilia. Henry became an auctioneer after growing up attending auctions and estate sales with his father and uncles. Postmistress Diane Aujay proudly displays a variety of Frank Lunn's old-time Adamsburg photos in the Adamsburg Post Office. "You have to live here all your life to really appreciate Adamsburg," Henry explained. "When we were kids growing up here, you knew everyone. We played ball in the street during the summer, and we'd sled ride on the main road during the winter." "We played, we fought, we hated each other, and we loved each other," Lunn added. If they could do it all over again, these Adamsburgers say they wouldn't change a thing.

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