At the center of a once-busy industrial region of the country, the city of Sharon, Pennsylvania experienced rapid growth in the 19th and 20th centuries. It was because of this rise in America's industrial capacity that Sharon – and the Shenango Valley – became the heart of the coal, iron, and steel industries, leading those who benefitted from these to accumulate substantial wealth. With this newly gained wealth and power, the area's prominent residents from the 1850s through 1915 built grand homes in a variety of popular or peculiar architectural styles of the Gilded Age. Leaders such as Frank Henry and Julia Forker Buhl, John Stevenson, and members of the Perkins family commissioned elaborate residences from the noted architects of their day. However, leading into the 1920s and '30s, like many cities across the country, Sharon saw a decline in these mansions and estates. Rising costs of labor, maintenance, and utilities, coupled with the Great Depression and changes in what defined "modern living," led to the loss of many of these homes. Explore a transformational era in Sharon’s past with this in-depth look at the grand homes that once graced the streets of the East and West Hills.

Taylor Galaska, President of the Board of Directors of the Sharon Historical Society, is a Sharon, Pennsylvania native. He has served 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 COVID-19 pandemic. Graduating from Kennedy Catholic High School in 2017, he went on to study at Westminster College in New Wilmington where he earned a Bachelor’s in Marketing and Professional Sales, though his true passion has always been architectural history and historic preservation. By day, Galaska is the Guesthouse Supervisor of Buhl Mansion Guesthouse & Spa, and Marketing Manager for Buhl Mansion, Tara - A Country Inn, and Donna’s Diner. He proudly serves as a City Councilman for the City of Sharon. This is Galaska’s first book.

Pages: 184

Publisher: Sharon Historical Society

Imprint: Shenango Heritage Press

Series: Grand Homes

Publication Date: 20th October 2022

State: Pennsylvania

Trim Size: 11 x 8.5 in

ISBN: NA

Format: Paperback and Hardcover

BISACs:
HISTORY / United States / State & Local / Middle Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
HISTORY / United States / 20th Century
ARCHITECTURE / Buildings / Residential
ARCHITECTURE / History / Modern (late 19th Century to 1945)