Historical Society Gives Glimpse of "Back to School" Past

As Chartiers Valley students prepare for a new school year to begin, members of Bridgeville Area Historical Society are looking back.

A large display of local school memorabilia has been on display at the historical society this summer, and volunteer Karen Godwin said members are encouraging people to stop in and see the exhibit before it changes at the end of the month.

"We're getting a lot of new pictures from people who have visited," Godwin said. "We always love to get new pictures, which of course we will borrow and return, unless someone wants us to keep them."

The exhibit, which features photos, yearbooks, letterman jackets and artifacts from former Bridgeville and Chartiers Valley school buildings, will be on display until Aug. 31.

The exhibit already has drawn people from the area as well as from out of town, Godwin said, and she's been pleased to speak with visitors who once attended former Bridgeville schools.

Godwin said the next historical society exhibit hasn't been determined yet, but it might be something about local sports, or something about local businesses. She said either way, the historical society is looking for old photos of businesses in the Bridgeville area.

"It's fascinating how many businesses used to be here," she said. "When we were young, everything you wanted was right here, from clothing and grocery stores to movie theaters. We're trying to find people who have old photos of the businesses, especially ones we haven't featured yet."

The Bridgeville Area Historical Society is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and is located in "The Caboose" at the corner of Railroad and Station streets in Bridgeville.