Every Labor Day weekend since 1988, one could find me among the pilgrims at the pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help at Mount Saint Macrina in Uniontown, Fayette County. This year was not really any different. Except that I usually tack on a few extra days for fieldwork in that area of the state, whereas this year I only did fieldwork on Friday and Monday. Still, some of that activity is worth sharing here.
I arrived in the area mid-afternoon on Friday in order to make my long-awaited first visit to the
Coal & Coke Heritage Center at the Penn State University Fayette Campus near Uniontown (and Leisenring, a pivotal place in the history of Carpatho-Rusyn immigrants in that region). Greeted by the archivist, Amanda Peters, I had about 90 minutes to peruse the attractive and informative museum as well as some of the center's archives and library.
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| The place of immigrants in the local communities that supplied the workforce for coal & coke was appropriately highlighted. |
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And fortunately Carpatho-Rusyns are acknowledged, as they were one of the primary ethnic groups in the region.
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