Looking back: Like PBS show, walking tour highlights what used to be in Sharon

SHARON – Rick Sebak made a documentary called "Things That Aren't There Anymore" about vanished Pittsburgh-area landmarks.

That title was apt for Sunday's Mother's Day historical walk in Sharon.

"What we're going to concentrate on is what was there," said guide Brian Kepple at the onset of the walk, which traversed East State Street between Forker Boulevard and Oakland Avenue.

While change might be inevitable, it does not necessarily happen amid consensus.

"I just like the old stuff, the way it used to be," said Sharon Historical Society member Joseph Supel. "I hate the way it's going to be, tearing down places that don't need torn down."

The society and Sharon Beautification Commission held the walk.

The tearing down of the Boyd House to make way for Sharon Gallery, a retail plaza, still is a thorn in the side of many local history buffs. Keppel called it a "glorious building," but added, "It had been deteriorating for quite a while."

"Now that bad," retorted society member Bill Cowan.

What is forgotten from the saga is that the building that stood at the northeast corner of State and Euclid Avenue prior to the Boyd House's construction still stands – one parcel north on Euclid.

"That house used to be on the corner," Kepple said, pointing. "They picked that house up and set it back there."

That scenario played out many times in this short span of roughly an 11-block area.

"It was really quite common to pick up the house and move it around the corner," Kepple said.

As the corridor has commercialized, making State Street properties more valuable for developers, the pressure ends at the next property away from the main thoroughfare, making it more likely these properties will survive.

There is a house on the west side of Jefferson Avenue, north of the little medical building that stands at the northwest corner of State and Jefferson, that was moved from the corner. The house has undergone a dramatic transformation over time. Originally a frame structure, it has been added onto numerous times to make it the brick building it is today.

"My father was born there," said Sue McLaughlin.

History is very personal and as much was learned overhearing people's remembrances as they walked from stop to stop as what was passed on by the guides.

Eighteen-year-old Philip Horvath, a senior at Sharon High School, said he came on the walk to learn more about his town.

"I kind of like historic things," he said, noting his interest generally runs to World Wars I and II.

History, he said, is "always fun."

Following the walk, Horvath took an application for society membership.

Daniel Afanador only moved to Sharon about two years ago. The 16-year-old native of Hawaii said he enjoys learning about the town, especially the history of the Sharon High School property.

When asked if others his age should come on these walks, Afanador bristled at such a limited demographic.

"Anyone should come to this," he said.

Although Janet Stanko lives in Transfer, she has developed an interest in history through volunteering for the beautification commission and WaterFire Sharon. This was the second walk she had attended.

She said she enjoyed hearing "all the historical facts. They're all very interesting."

The next walk will be held July 18 at WaterFire. It will start at the Community Library of the Shenango Valley and will head east on State. Stops will include the Buhl Mansion.