Join the Sharon Historical Society as we celebrate the release of our newest book, “The Magic City: The Mills, Men, & Homes of a Company Town Forged in Steel,” with a special lecture. In this lecture, we’ll explore the city of Farrell’s past with this in-depth look at the development of South Sharon as a company town, the birth of the steel industry, the men responsible for its success, and the grand mansions of steel barons and modest homes of millworkers during this transformational era. This event will celebrate the release of our newest book which is a full-color book with over 200 pages of in-depth research paired with historic and current photography.

Skeptics watched and waited during the first years of the 20th century for the decline and sudden death of the little “boomtown” of South Sharon, now the city of Farrell, Pennsylvania. So quickly had it appeared amid the Shenango Valley’s established communities of Sharon and Sharpsville that many called the new steel-making settlement “The Magic City” and fully expected it to disappear with equal rapidity. Overcrowded boarding houses, the influx of immigrant laborers for the steel mills, and the ensuing building boom all led to speculation that although a bonanza had been struck, it would be of only temporary importance to the Valley. They underestimated the strength of steel and of the men who made it. But not all that glitters is gold. With the influx of immigrant workers, a rise in crime through the Italian Black Hand Society gave South Sharon the notoriety of being the Society’s headquarters. In 1919, the Great Steel Strike due to unfair wages erupted in the region, chaos and rioting left four dead. Uncover the rich history of one of the region’s largest employers, the Sharon Steel Corporation, the men responsible for its success, and the homes of steel kings and average workers who all played a critical role in the development of South Sharon into an important steel town in Western Pennsylvania.

This lecture is provided by Taylor Galaska, President of the Board of Directors of the Sharon Historical Society. Galaska has been on the Board of Directors since 2014 when he joined at the age of 15. He has dedicated the last several years to researching the histories of hundreds of residences throughout the city of Sharon and the surrounding region of Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio. He became well-known for his social media postings featuring the histories of local homes during and after the pandemic. Galaska is a Sharon native, graduating from Kennedy Catholic High School in 2017. He went on to study at Westminster College where he earned a Bachelor’s in Marketing and Professional Sales, though his true passion is architectural history and historic preservation. This lecture is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. No reservations or tickets are required.

The event will be at the Sharon Municipal Building, City Council Chambers, 155 West Connelly Blvd. Sharon, PA 16146 on Thursday, April 11, 2024 at 6:00 pm.