Jefferson College Historical Society

10/07/2026

We hope that you are planning to attend our Roundtable Discussion and Show & Tell about the potteries that operated in Canonsburg. The meeting starts at 6:30 at the Senior Center at 30 E. Pike Street, next Wednesday, October 14, 2026.

The following is the agenda:

Short Video Presentation - The Canonsburg Pottery Story
See if you can spot friends, relatives, or neighbors in this brief (approx. 14 minutes). documentary film.

Roundtable Discussion - All are invited to contribute to this loose format talk.
Since so many local citizens worked at W. S. George, Canonsburg Pottery, and the Kiln Shed we hope that some who have ties to the company will share their tales. Even if you didn't work there perhaps Mom, Dad, or Uncle Fred shared experiences with you that you're willing to pass along to the greater community, we'd love to hear them all.

Show & Tell - Show off your favorite or most interesting pieces of local product.
It seems as if almost every house in the area had Canonsburg pottery and much of it has managed to survive. If you or your family has pieces you'd be willing to exhibit for this meeting feel free to bring them along.

09/14/2026

Please remember we have a speaker this evening at the Canonsburg Senior Center (30 E. Pike) at 6:30. Dan Bitz will be talking about how to create a batcave and the threat to the Appalachian bats and his efforts, along with colleagues at CNX, to save these helpful animals.

The presentation is open to all and free of charge.

Hope to see you there.

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09/11/2026

Houston celebrated the 125th anniversary of its incorporation earlier this Summer. Offered here are a few images that capture Houston through the years since. Hope you enjoy.

09/10/2026

Friends of Jefferson College Historical Society, the Cushner Family, sent another care package for the enjoyment of the community. These items, which were part of the treasures inside, show how advertising was often done with the gift of a useful item for your home...in this case thermometers.
Perhaps some of the businesses will be familiar to those with knowledge or a legacy in local history.

09/09/2026

09/08/2026

Wondering how many sets of these are out and about in the community. It looks like it would have been a dice game. Is anyone familiar with rules that may have been given with the dice?

09/07/2026

In honor of Labor Day we recognize some of the industries and the labor that kept this area vibrant for more than two centuries.

09/04/2026

It's amazing the stories that can be told from simple artifacts that make it through the passage of time. This new (to us) post card advertised "Rally Day" from the Chartiers Presbyterian Church. Rally Day was an event where the churches encouraged ALL of their Sabbath School members to attend, and bring friends. It was coordinated by multiple churches in the area.
The addressee in this case is Mr. George WIlmer Lane, Anna Maude Neely Lane, and their son Carl. Mrs. Lane was also with child at the time as their daughter Margaret would not arrive until late Spring of 1911. That family however would gain much sympathy in the coming year as both Carl and Margaret were lost during the Morgan Opera House disaster on August 26, 1911, along with 24 other theater goers.

09/01/2026

Included in the Jefferson College Literary Societies' holdings we have in our library are this copy of Homer's Iliad published in 1750 (before the Revolutionary War) and inscribed by its owner Johannes Rea in 1796 (before the Louisiana Purchase).

John Rea was the first honorary degree conferred by Jefferson College in 1802, along with their inaugural graduating class of four students (Reed Bracken, Johnston Eaton, William McMillan, and Israel Pickens).

Should you like to read more about Rev. John Rea follow this up with an obituary written in his local Ohio newspaper at: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121589133/rearevjohnobituaryjeffcoll1802/