Monongahela, referred to locally as Mon City, is a
third class city in
Washington County, Pennsylvania
Washington County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 209,349. Its county seat is Washington, Pe ...
, United States. The population was 4,149 at the 2020 census.
It is part of the
Pittsburgh metropolitan area
Greater Pittsburgh is the metropolitan area surrounding the city of Pittsburgh in Western Pennsylvania, United States. The region includes Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County, Pittsburgh's urban core county and economic hub, and s ...
, about south of
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
proper.
The city of Monongahela sits at a location where several locally important
Pennsylvania state routes meet: a
concurrency between Pennsylvania routes
88,
136 136 may refer to:
*136 (number)
*AD 136
*136 BC
*136 (MBTA bus), a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route
*136 Austria
136 Austria is a main-belt asteroid that was found by the prolific asteroid discoverer Johann Palisa on 18 Ma ...
, and
837
__NOTOC__
Year 837 ( DCCCXXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Byzantine Empire
* Byzantine–Arab War: Emperor Theophilos leads a massive Byzantine expeditionary force into Mesopotamia. ...
makes up most of the length of the city's Main Street, and the city's Park Avenue carries
Pennsylvania route 481 to its northern terminus at Main Street.
Monongahela is one of just two cities in Washington County, and is the second smallest city in Pennsylvania (after
Parker). The town is served by the
Ringgold School District.
History

Monongahela was founded in 1769 on a tract of land near the
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
of Pigeon Creek and the
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River ( , ), sometimes referred to locally as the Mon (), is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in nor ...
. It is the oldest settlement in the Monongahela River Valley and most likely the oldest in Washington County. The word Monongahela is
Native American in origin, meaning "falling banks". The
Monongahela tribe was also indigenous to the area prior to the settlement of the city.
The original tract of land was actually owned by three different men, who named their land areas Eden, Paradise, and Gloucester. Joseph Parkison, who operated a ferry on the west bank of the Monongahela River, is recognized as the founder of the city. Parkison built the town's first post office, and in 1782 the town was officially recognized as Parkison's Ferry. Adam Wickerham took claim to on the Parkison Ferry tract on July 1, 1788. On this tract he laid out Georgetown in 1807. Georgetown was made part of Williamsport by Wickerham on February 23, 1816. In 1833, the first borough officers were elected for Williamsport. On April 1, 1837, Williamsport was given the name Monongahela City and in 1893 shortened to Monongahela.
The city contains a number of streets which are named in honor of prominent
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
figures including:
Lincoln,
Grant,
Sherman,
Stanton,
Meade,
Hancock,
Thomas
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the A ...
,
Howard
Howard is a masculine given name derived from the English surname Howard. ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names'' notes that "the use of this surname as a christian name is quite recent and there seems to be no particular reason for ...
,
Geary, and
Sheridan.
The
Edward G. Acheson House,
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Monongahela City,
David Longwell House, and
Monongahela Cemetery
The Monongahela Cemetery is an historic rural cemetery in Monongahela, Pennsylvania that was established in 1863. Landscape architects Hare & Hare designed a portion of the property.
History and notable features
The cemetery was listed on the U ...
are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
Geography and climate
Monongahela is located at (40.200462, -79.928394).
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (9.86%) is water.
The city receives of rainfall annually and has a mean annual temperature of .
Surrounding and adjacent neighborhoods
Monongahela has two land borders, with
Carroll Township to the east and south, and
New Eagle to the west. Across the Monongahela River, the
Allegheny County municipality of
Forward Township runs adjacent to the city.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 4,761 people, 2,139 households, and 1,264 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,382 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.94%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 3.26%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.08%
Native American, 0.19%
Asian, 0.42% from
other races, and 1.11% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population.
There were 2,139 households, out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.9% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.1% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,060, and the median income for a family was $36,528. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $23,911 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $16,903. About 11.1% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 25.9% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.
Culture
Monongahela is home to several parks, playgrounds and a museum. Chess Park, located near the center of the city, hosts community events throughout the year. The Mounds Park, built on the site of an ancient Indian Burial Ground, is a local playground and sports complex. On the banks of the Monongahela River is the Aquatorium, a waterfront venue that hosts the annual Fourth of July celebration and an annual summer concert series. The Monongahela Area Historical Society Museum located on Main Street serves as a community archive and has local historical artifacts on display.
Whiskey Point, a bluff overlooking the Monongahela River located within the city, was an important meeting place during the
Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion (also known as the Whiskey Insurrection) was a violent tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 and ending in 1794 during the presidency of George Washington. The so-called "whiskey tax" was the first tax impo ...
. The Pennsylvania State Historical Marker located here reads: "The bluff at Main St. and Park Ave. was the site on Aug. 14, 1794, of a meeting of 226 whiskey rebels.
Albert Gallatin
Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin (January 29, 1761 – August 12, 1849) was a Genevan-American politician, diplomat, ethnologist, and linguist. Often described as "America's Swiss Founding Father", he was a leading figure in the early years ...
's eloquence turned the tide, resulting in peaceful ending of the Whiskey Rebellion and the possibility of civil strife." Today, “Monongahela Rye” (also called Pennsylvania Rye) is a style of
rye whiskey
Rye whiskey can refer to two different, but related, types of whiskey:
* American rye whiskey, which is similar to bourbon whiskey, but must be distilled from at least 51 percent rye grain
* Canadian whisky, which is often referred to as (and of ...
characterized by its mash bill containing 95% or more rye, thereby making for a spicier whiskey, barrel-aging notwithstanding.
While regionally recognized, this term has no legal binding.
Many buildings in Monongahela, such as the Longwell House and the Bethel A.M.E Church, were used by freed slaves as stops on the
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...
.
There are twenty churches representing fifteen denominations located in Monongahela, including
The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)
The Church of Jesus Christ is an international Christian religious denomination with origins in the Latter Day Saint (Mormon) movement that is headquartered in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, United States. , which has its worldwide headquarters in Monongahela.
Park Avenue
Park Avenue in Monongahela was home to numerous notable residents.
NFL Hall of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
quarterback
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford Montana Jr. (born June 11, 1956) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. Nicknamed "Joe Cool" and "the Co ...
grew up on the road. Other notable residents have included
Carl E. Vuono, four-star general and Chief of Staff of the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
; Jim Jimirro, founder of the
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
;
Fred Cox, all-time leading scorer for the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
and inventor of the
Nerf
Nerf is a toy brand formed by Parker Brothers and currently owned by Hasbro. Most of the toys are a variety of Foam weapon, foam-based weaponry, with other Nerf products including balls for sports such as American football, basketball, an ...
ball; Dr. Ronald V. Pellegrini, a world-renowned cardiothoracic surgeon based in Pittsburgh;
National Book Award
The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. ...
winner, Deirdre Bair; and former
Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher,
Ron Necciai, who is the only professional baseball player to strike out 27 batters in one game.
[Fuoco, Linda Wilson]
Monongahela native screens her documentary about the famous folks of Park Avenue.
''The Post-Gazette'', November 23, 2008.[Duquesne University]
'One Extraordinary Street' Documentary Premiere Slated for Nov. 15.
November 7, 2008.
A 90-minute documentary about Park Avenue's notable residents, titled "One Extraordinary Street" was produced by Laura M. Magone and released in 2008. Magone, a graduate of
Duquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( ; also known as Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a Private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of ...
and a Monongahela native, spent several years interviewing persons who lived on Park Avenue in an attempt to determine if there was a common thread that may have contributed to their many successes.
The film also includes cameo appearances by
Stan Musial
Stanley Frank Musial (; born Stanislaw Franciszek Musial; November 21, 1920 – January 19, 2013), nicknamed "Stan the Man", was an American baseball outfielder and first baseman. Widely considered to be one of the greatest and most consistent ...
and retired four-star general
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell ( ; – ) was an Americans, American diplomat, and army officer who was the 65th United States secretary of state from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African-American to hold the office. He was the 15th National Security ...
.
Government
As of February 2020, the current mayor of Monongahela is Greg Garry.
Notable people
*
Edward Goodrich Acheson
Edward Goodrich Acheson (March 9, 1856 – July 6, 1931) was an American chemist. Born in Washington, Pennsylvania, he was the inventor of the Acheson process, which is still used to make silicon carbide (carborundum). , chemist, inventor of
Acheson founded the Carbor ...
, chemist, inventor of Carborundum
* Jay Chattaway">Carborundum">Acheson founded the Carbor ...