Next time you visit SRU FCU, you may notice some new artwork displayed throughout the lobby. The photos are an arrangement of different periods in Slippery Rock history, courtesy of the Slippery Rock Heritage Association (SRHA). Pictured above are Sue Barkley (right), SRHA President, and credit union employee, Mekenzie Pflueger (left), who coordinated the photo selection and framing.
SRHA is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the public good of the community of Slippery Rock and the surrounding area, and to promote the preservation and public usage of historical, cultural, and recreational features of the Slippery Rock area through acquisition construction, and/or restoration of property such as museums, archives, historic sites, parks and other historic, cultural, and recreational facilities.
Featured below is information on each of the historical photos:
Foltz School (Above)
Located about ½ mile south of the intersection of Routes 8 and 173, this school was built on an acre of land leased from Lydia S. McClure on December 18, 1880. The township paid $40.00 for the lease, granted for as long as needed for school purposes. The school closed in 1963 – it was one of the last one room schools in Pennsylvania to close. Currently, it is being restored under the direction of the Jennings Environmental Center.
Topley’s Terminal Grill
Topley’s Terminal Grill was so named because it also served as a bus stop. The exact date of the photo is unknown, but it’s estimated that the picture was taken between 1946 and 1947. Currently, this is the site of the Camelot Restaurant which opened in 1974.
West’s Grocery Store (Above)
The photo displays the interior of West’s Grocery Store circa 1930. There was an adjacent butcher shop and a feed mill at the rear. The West Store operated until 1980. Currently, it is the Edward Jones building on Franklin Street.
B & LE Station
This B & LE Station was located at Kiester Road circa 1900. According to “Databases of Pennsylvania Railroad Stations Past and Present”, the station was built in 1883 on the east side of Kiester House Road.
Heasley’s Hotel and Restaurant (Above)
This picture is from a photo postcard cancelled on August 9, 1913. Heasley’s stood on the corner of North Main and New Castle Streets in downtown Slippery Rock where the now closed Marathon gas station stands. There was a hotel on the same site in 1874 and at one time in the 1950’s Peggy’s Eat Shop occupied a portion of this building.
Road Race
This is a view of an unpaved South Main Street looking north from a postcard dated May 9, 1909. The auto race pictured here must have taken place earlier that spring or late the previous fall.
Croll’s Mill
This is an undated postcard picture of Croll’s Mill in Brady Township north of West Liberty along the Slippery Rock Creek. The mill, known for a while as the “Snow Flake Mill”, earned the reputation of being one of the finest in the region. The remains of three foundation walls are visible from Slippery Rock Road.
Slipping Man (Above)
This picture of the young man slipping on the rock is from a postcard canceled May 13, 1908. There may be earlier examples of this image and we know of several variations, at least one of which is colorized. The First National Bank of Slippery Rock used a modern version of the “Slipping Man” in its trademark, and they donated the copyright in the emblem to the Slippery Rock Heritage Association, Inc. when the bank merged with FNB of PA.
Redmond
Redmond was a mining town located on Harmony Road north of Route 108, and it may have originally been called North Slippery Rock. According to legend, the name was changed to Redmond when all the buildings were painted red. The town reached its peak in the early 1900’s, but by 1919 it was a ghost town.
To view all of the photos, please visit our lobby. Thank you for preserving our history, SRHA!