Company Outing

The Pittsburgh Limestone Corporation operated the quarry in Ganister that eventually became the Blue Hole. Every year, the quarrymen were treated to an outing. This photo, taken at some point prior to 1937, is from one of those outings.

I’ve made a version of the photo where I’ve labelled the individuals by number and listed the person’s name at the bottom.

I have not identified most people, but I’ve listed a few. And thanks to you readers, I’ve been able to add some more names. This includes Ed Guerin, Mike Wapner, Wasil Youchison, Mitro Karol, John Homyack, John Skvir, John Fitzingo (or Fecenko), and possibly Angelo Calderone.

Click the image for the full-size graphic if you can’t read it.

Mike Conrad and Wasil Youchison

This photo comes from my personal collection. Mike Conrad (originally Kundrat) stands on the left and my great-great uncle Wasil Youchison stands on the right. The photo dates to 1927 and was taken from what is today Wertz Road. Below is a photo I took in 2012 from very nearly the same spot to contrast how the area changed over 90+ years.

Mike Kundrat (Conrad) and Vasil Youchison standing on what is today Wertz Road with Stone Row in the background, 1927
Mike Kundrat (Conrad) and Vasil Youchison standing on what is today Wertz Road with Stone Row in the background, 1927

Wertz Road in 2012
Wertz Road in 2012

Mary Youchison and Mary Verbonits

This photo comes from my personal collection. The woman on the left is Mary Youchison, my great-grandmother, and her friend Mary Verbonits is on the right. The photo dates from 1925 and the two are most likely standing in what was known as Gypsy Row.

Mary Youchison and Mary Verbonits standing in, likely, Gypsy Row, 1925
Mary Youchison and Mary Verbonits standing in, likely, Gypsy Row, 1925

Class Photos

A burgeoning immigrant population resulted in a school-age population. Ganister’s children attended a one-room school situated atop the southern ridge overlooking the quarries and the miners’ homes. These two photos come from my family and portray students in 1936 and what we believe is a few years earlier.

Ganister school photo from 1936
Ganister school photo from 1936

Ganister school photo from an unknown year, but perhaps pre-1936
Ganister school photo from an unknown year, but perhaps pre-1936

The Ganister Blue Hole

The Ganister Blue Hole serves as a very physical reminder of the town’s raison d’etre: the quarrying of ganister, or limestone. After the quarries shut down, the pits gouged into the Earth filled with water. At first the Blue Hole functioned as a recreational pool. Then later it became a dumping ground. I remember from my childhood watching a car pulled from the bottom of the Blue Hole.

The Blue Hole in 2012 from the northeast end
The Blue Hole in 2012 from the northeast end