Recognizing the 125 Years of Monessen

Floor Speech

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Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the city of Monessen, Pennsylvania, in celebration of its 125th anniversary.

Prior to its founding, the area consisted of 8 farms. However, Civil War veteran James M. Schoonmaker and other great Americans, saw the promise of an industrial city on the Monongahela River. Thus, Schoonmaker convinced famed industrialist William Donner to set up a tin plate mill within the new community. Thanks to the American Tin Plate Company's success, the community grew rapidly, and the borough of Monessen became incorporated on September 3, 1898.

Throughout the early 20th century, Monessen's community played active roles in the suffrage and labor movements, events surrounding Prohibition, and in the industrial efforts powering American operations in World War I and World War II. In 1921, the city also had a multitude of nationalities and mirrored the ethnicities of the Pittsburgh region, serving as a microcosm of America as a whole. At its peak, the city's population reached over 20,000 residents. Today, the town is still an important part of the southwestern Pennsylvania community. Its residents exemplify the values of hard work, dedication to one's community, and good citizenship.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of Pennsylvania's 14th Congressional District, I congratulate the City of Monessen on its 125th anniversary and applaud their determination to build a better community for themselves and their children. I am confident that Monessen's people will strive for and achieve an even more successful next 125 years.

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