LAGC Holiday Tour and Lunch, November 16, 2024

 November 16, 2024 Kerr House tour and luncheon

A good number of our LAGC members toured the Kerr Museum in Oakmont and from comments heard, we liked our three docents and the tours. Most of us had never heard of this museum and enjoyed the house which represents a middle-class family home between 1890-1910. The Kerrs, Dr. Thomas R., his wife Jessie, and their daughter Virginia, lived here beginning in 1897 when the house with his office was built. His office is now displayed close to how it was used when he practiced medicine. After their daughter was born, the Kerrs added a second entrance which separated patients from the family, especially from their young daughter.  Remember no vaccinations for measles, chicken pox, pertussis, tetanus nor polio existed then.

The Kerr’s daughter Virginia, who never married, lived her whole life here until her death in 1994. She was an English teacher in Oakmont and often hosted parties for some of her friends. Upon her death the house was willed to the Borough of Oakmont and is now used as a museum, and is currently decorated for the holidays with candlelight tours available during this time. 

Holly, one of the docents, at the entrance.

Our lunch was at Hartwood Restaurant in Glenshaw following the tour. We also savored the Pittsburgh tradition of a cookie table. Thank you, Marlow, for arranging the tour and lunch. Happy Holidays to all.

 

Evan, Colleen, Chris, Sue, & Rose.

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Terry, Victoria, Rose Mary, & Bill.

Helen, Claudia, Dianne, Kathy, Mary Ann, Mary Jo, Mary Jo, Marlow, & Nancy.

Nancy, Helen Claudia, Dianne, & Kathy.

Marlow, Evan, & Colleen.

Mary Ann, Mary Jo B. & Mary Jo C.

 

 

LAGC October 24, 2024 Meeting Notes

President Nancy Madeoy welcomed members to the last meeting of 2024.

Members were asked What’s blooming in our gardens?  Monkshead, dahlias and mums.

LAGC members agreed to once again donate $250 to the following organizations:

·      Western PA Conservancy

·      Botanic Gardens of Western PA

·      North Area Environmental Council

·      Tree Pittsburgh

The Hostess signup sheet for 2025 was circulated to fill a few openings.

Marlow Madeoy spoke about a few details regarding the holiday luncheon and tour on November 16^th.  The restaurant will accommodate dietary needs and will offer a vegetarian food option.  The club will not be organizing a carpool for the events.  As in the past, members may arrange their own carpool and use the church parking lot as a meetup location.  Directions to the Kerr Museum and Hartwood Whisper’s Pub restaurant will be sent by our Email Coordinator, Claudia.  You may also use your GPS or cell phone for directions.  Dessert for the lunch will be a variety of cookies.  A few members have volunteered to bring cookies.

Claudia gave an update about the plans for the 75^th Anniversary celebration next year.  Plans are progressing smoothly thanks to Claudia and the committee members.  Claudia showed us a sample of the table centerpiece which is a real pumpkin containing live flowers.  The base of the signpost at the Chapel Garden will be sanded and stained.  There’s some positive discussion about having a rededication of the garden.

Our hostesses created a lovely and most delicious table.  Mary Jo Clayton brought an amazing and abundant vase of dahlias from her garden.  Andrea Maire shared her delicious homemade jam along with cream cheese, crackers and grapes.  It was delicious!  Thank you.

 

Program – A New Deal for North Park by Deaglan McManus

Our speaker, Deaglan McManus, Park Ranger for Allegheny County Parks returned to give another interesting talk about the history of North Park.  He began his talk with a reminder about how fortunate we are to have North Park so close to home with its 3094 acres of land and many miles of hiking trails. 

This evening Deaglan came to talk to us about how the New Deal transformed North Park.

He explained that the New Deal is a series of programs enacted by Franklin Delano Roosevelt between 1933 and 1938 to rescue the United States from the Great Depression.

 

The first program that he talked about was the Civilian Conservation Corps or CCC.  The program which ran from June 1933 to October 1935 involved housing about 200 men in a tent camp set up above a hillside on Wildwood Road.  The workers were young, unemployed men and were given jobs to help build some of the various buildings in North Park. This program allowed the workers to earn money, skills and become literate before they left the program.

Our speaker also talked about the Public Works Program and Civil Works Admin Program which are responsible for building some of the many structures in North Park such as the swimming pool, Golf Club House, North Park Lodge, standpipe, boathouse, and gatehouse.  The workers of these programs built the latrines, shelters and even the picnic tables that are still used today.  The most amazing feat is that the workers dug out Marshall Lake. When you are in North Park look for the metal commemorative plaques that were hung to signify jobs that were made possible with federal funding from the New Deal Programs.

 

Deaglan gave a very informative talk.  His love of history and the Allegheny County Parks is apparent in his enthusiastic delivery.  We look forward to him returning to bring another interesting presentation.

For more details about how North Park was developed by programs of the New Deal, please visit the Allegheny County Parks website.

https://www.alleghenycounty.us/parks-and-events/parks/northpark/history-of-north-park