History continued..

Today, many of these industries are outmoded, but the community still boasts a sizable retail industry, as well as being a local historical stronghold.

Visitors were frequent to the city. One who made his mark in the literary world was Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), who made a trip up the Monongahela in 1891. While on board the boat "The New Dominion", Captain J.S. Moorhead told Twain that Monongahela proper held an area called Catsburg. Twain, a lover of cats, decided the town "wasn't half bad".

The mighty Monongahela, which long supplied the community with commerce and transportation, has also caused devastation over the years, as flood water infiltrated buildings and forced residents to flee their homes and businesses in boats.

Throughout the 20th Century, Monongahela has continued to push forward and achieve numerous distinctions for innovation, courage and excellence. Men and women of Monongahela have served in every major military conflict since the birth of our nation. Several war memorials are located in Chess Park and other parts of the city.

Today the city doesn't have a movie theater, but residents can brag about the open-air stage at the Aquatorium and the gazebo in Chess Park that is lit with twinkling white lights each winter and had been the location of many weddings over the years.

Several other interesting facts about our city make Monongahela truly unique.

The Whiskey Rebellion, the railroad, floods and firsts all figure into the Monongahela of today.
Quaint shops, a public library and a thriving business community make the city a far cry from the heavily wooded landscape found by the early settlers.

Children play ball at the Mounds now, but if you listen very carefully, you can almost hear the sounds of the riverboats and picture a settlement of long ago.

Another popular mode of transportation were trains, which brought residents from throughout the mid-Mon Valley to Monongahela for entertainment. In 1887, the Gamble Opera House was build by Dr. H.J. Gamble, who pioneered the operation of motion pictures in Monongahela in 1905, when he opened the Gem Theatre, the city's first nickelodeon.

The Ideal Theatre opened in 1906, the Anton Theatre followed in 1911, and the Bentley Theatre in 1914.

~End~