Barbara Ann Cisek described Allegheny-Kiski Valley Historical Society as a hidden gem.

“This is just something that’s so nice,” she said of the society’s museum at Seventh Avenue and Lock Street in Tarentum. “I don’t think people realize what they have in their back yard.”

Cisek on Sunday attended the society’s 40th anniversary celebration, which included works by local artists, a wine tasting and samples of ethnic foods.

Among the featured artists were former Tribune-Review cartoonist George Barr, who lives in Harrison; Goebel and Disney collectible maker Robert Olszewski, a Harrison native now living in Southern California; and Edward T. Adams, a former photographer for the New Kensington Daily Dispatch, a predecessor to the Valley News Dispatch, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1969 for spot news. Adams died in 2004.

Frank Mellon, who owns The Vineyard by Mellon in Freeport, offered a wine tasting, and the Heights Elementary School choir performed.

“We’re celebrating the fact that we’re still here and that we’ve been able to keep this place going,” event Chairwoman Cynthia Maleski said.

Maleski said that when she joined the society board in 1995, the museum needed “a lot of restoration.” The community, she said, came through, notably by working to properly display historical pieces and art.

“There’s been a revival of people in the community who worked to display everything,” Maleski said.

She added that the society is looking for new members.

Charles Culleiton, event committee member, told roughly 100 people who attended that three major events helped to make the historical society what it is today:

• A meeting in 1966 among community leaders who expressed an interest in forming a historical society for the Valley. It led to the historical society’s getting its state charter about six months later.

• The American Legion’s decision in 1967 to donate the building to the historical society.

• The first Flea-Tique in 1982 at Tour-Ed Mine in Fawn. The outdoor flea market has become a major fund-raiser for the society.

“These, to me, were the events that really had an impact on our society,” Culleiton said.

Cisek, meantime, said the historical society is an important resource in the area, especially for the youth.

“Getting the chance to learn about all the different ethnic backgrounds is something that’s kind of lost on our culture now,” she said.

Additional Information:

The Allegheny-Kiski Valley Historical Society will present an educational program about life in the Victorian Era from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 9. at the museum, Seventh Avenue and Lock Street. Gretchen Schmitt, a thespian and dietitian, will talk about Victorian life from 1799 to 1911. The program will include a display of Victorian antiques.

Copyright ©2026— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)