Around Greensboro

By Michele Buday-Murray

Around Greensboro covers communities of southeastern Greene County, including Greensboro at its heart. Greensboro was originally called Delight by the Mingo Indians who lived in the region. Because of its location on the Monongahela River, it quickly became an important trading location for the trappers and settlers moving through in the late 1700s. Later, Albert Gallatin introduced a group of Belgian glassblowers to the area, and in 1807, the glassworks in Greensboro was opened. As the glass business began to fade, another took its place. The area was rich in clay, which would be vital to the development of the pottery industry. From the 1840s to 1915, pottery was king in Greensboro, and the town boomed. As the pottery industry faded, it too would be replaced by another industry: coal. Greensboro, once famous for its glass and pottery, became known for its bituminous coal mines. This book covers the early days of Greensboro to the devastating Election Day Flood of 1985.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Jan 12, 2015
• ISBN: 9781439649077

Michele Buday-Murray

Michele Buday-Murray is a native of Mapletown, located several miles outside of Greensboro. She obtained her master's degree in education and is a certified history teacher. The photographs in this book come from the Borough of Greensboro, Greene County Historical Society, Cornerstone Genealogical Society, and private residents.

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INTRODUCTION

Today, Greensboro is a quiet but beautiful town that lies along the Monongahela River in southeastern Greene County. Looking at it now, one would not be able to tell that at one time this sleepy little town was a bustling and important industrial town that would help shape the area around it. At one time, it was predicted that Greensboro would grow to reach the size of Pittsburgh.

The earliest known settlers in the area were the Mingo Indians, relatives of the Iroquois. They had dubbed Greensboro as Delight, as its place on the river, fertile soil, and abundance of natural resources made it a delight to live there. Trappers began settling in the area as early as 1752. With plenty of animals to trap and the river available to help transport their hides to market, it made an ideal location for them to use as a base camp. Before long, others began to see the value of the area and settlers began building homes, schools, and churches.

The first industry that is documented in Greensboro is the production of boats by Col. John Minor. One of Greene County’s most prominent citizens, Minor would settle in what is now Mapletown and establish the first flour mill west of the Monongahela River. Minor has been called the father of Greene County, as he worked to have Greene County separated from Washington County. Once Greene County was established, Minor became an associate judge for the county.

Glass making was the first major industry to come to Greensboro. Albert Gallatin introduced several glass makers to the town of New Geneva, across the river from Greensboro, where he convinced them to set up business. After several years in New Geneva, the glass industry crossed the river into the part of Greensboro that is known today as Glassworks, in 1805. The move was made because an outcropping of coal was discovered near the site, and using coal rather than wood facilitated the glass making process. Glass making proved a success due to the quality of glass, natural resources, and transportation available. Sand from the riverbank was fueled by the coal, and then, once complete, the finished products were shipped up and down the river to customers. At that time, there were very few glass factories west of the Alleghany Mountains. The glassworks operated until about 1849, when they finally closed due to competition from other glass companies in the Pittsburgh area.

Around the time that the glassworks were winding to a close, the pottery industry began to develop. Settlers had discovered several clay deposits, one near New Geneva and the other right outside of Mapletown, less than three miles from Greensboro. The settlers using the clay soon discovered that it was perfect for pottery. With easy access to plenty of clay, water, and easy shipping, the creation of a pottery was a logical business venture. Multiple potteries sprung up in Greensboro, making it an economic boomtown. Pottery was shipped from Greensboro down the Monongahela as far south as New Orleans. People flooded into Greensboro, some worked in the potteries and others provided the goods and services that kept the town’s citizens happy, healthy, and entertained. By the early 1900s, pottery was less in demand and was being mass-produced in other cities. The pottery era would soon come to a close.

Just as the glass industry was replaced by pottery, on its way out, pottery was replaced by coal mining. With the discovery of a rich seam of bituminous coal in the area, another rise in industry swept through not only Greensboro, but also its surrounding communities. New towns and villages such as Bobtown, Poland Mines, Rosedale, and Penn Pitt were built and began to flourish. During this time, there started to be a large change in the ethnic background of the area. Up until this time, the population of the area had been largely made up of Germans and Scots-Irish settlers. The coal companies, in search of cheap and experienced labor, recruited workers from Eastern Europe. There was then a large surge in the number of Eastern Europeans living in southwestern Pennsylvania. They came from places like Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary, among others. With these new ethnic groups, new traditions and beliefs intermingled with the old to combine and create a new and unique culture.

Coal became king and gave to the area a new sense of identity and pride. In 1946, at the peak of its production, Robena Mine, which was located in Greensboro, was the largest coal mine in the world. At the height of its power, Robena was producing up to 20,000 tons of coal a day. But, as before, all good things must come to an end. Unfortunately, Robena would later become infamous for the explosion that occurred there in 1962, killing 37 miners.

By the end of the 20th century, change was again on the horizon. Coal mining slowed its pace in Greene County. In the early 1990s, Duquesne Light closed down the Warwick Mine for good, and the Shannopin Mining Company closed down the mine at Bobtown. Many local coal miners had to relocate or drive long distances to find work.

Today, there is little industry in the Greensboro area. There is hope that the natural gas industry that has taken off in other parts of the surrounding counties will help boost the economy in this area, too. Greensboro has become associated with its historical houses and buildings and their representation of different architectural styles. One thing that is certain is that nature has definitely provided for the people of Greensboro. From its rich clay and coal, which were pulled from the earth, to the steady Monongahela, nature has provided for the town and its people. People stay in Greensboro and the surrounding communities not because of the economic opportunities, but