Written by Maggie Forbes
It is an honor for the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall to be invited to submit a monthly column for this brand new publication, Chartiers Valley monthly. I grabbed the inaugural issue, but my colleagues will rotate through, sharing a variety of outlooks from the “Carnegie Carnegie.”
A bittersweet reflection first. We are saying goodbye to the venerable Signal Item. In my early days at the Library & Music Hall, a reporter for the paper told me the Signal Item — in evolving iterations — was the longest continually running weekly west of the Alleghenies. This native New Yorker who resides in the East End felt the thrill of history.
I have not done the deep dive research to substantiate the Item’s comparative longevity, but I know that the newspaper had an impact on the Library & Music Hall since long before the ACFL&MH’s May 1901 opening, and ever since.
In the first issue of the Mansfield Item on Jan. 7, 1873, the Rev. Charles Knepper, the newspaper’s publisher, suggested the merger of Mansfield and Chartiers. Separated by Chartiers Creek, Mansfield to the east and Chartiers to the west, they were led by separate councils but cooperated on police services and fire protection. The towns essentially functioned as one social and economic entity.
Stories swirl regarding the naming of Carnegie. Giving the borough a name universally associated with industrial might and prosperity held sway with leaders of Chartiers and Mansfield, as well as the public. Not surprisingly, representatives of Superior Steel and Chartiers Iron and Steel balked at naming the town after such a powerful competitor. In a referendum held on Feb. 20, 1894, the populace voted overwhelmingly (79% in Chartiers and 90% in Mansfield) in favor of the new borough with its famous name. Carnegie Borough was incorporated on March 1, 1894.
There was an inevitability about the merger. Andrew Carnegie understood a year earlier that it would take place. In a March 7, 1893, letter to John S. Robb Jr. (burgess or chief elected official of Chartiers), Carnegie wrote about the new town. “… I confess that the wholly unexpected action of the people of the Boroughs of Mansfield and Chartiers has quite touched my heart.”
In a second letter, Carnegie made an apparent reference to the Homestead Strike (July 1892), writing poignantly, “… I have been in Purgatory since last July, and this is about the first ray of pure happiness that has come to Mrs. Carnegie and myself.”
Andrew Carnegie’s legacy gift to the town that took his name, the Library & Music Hall has been serving Carnegie and surrounding communities in the Chartiers Valley for 120 years. Our beautiful 35,000-square-foot historic landmark facility looks much the same as when it opened — though transformed from the entrenched poverty that threatened viability for decades. A campaign launched by the Chartiers Valley Partners in late 2003 restored the Library & Music Hall’s vitality and value.
Programming, performances and services offered by the ACFL&MH are very much of the 21st century. Reflecting changing demographics in the area, the Library offers bi-lingual English-Arabic storytimes. Audiences from throughout Allegheny County flock to an eclectic range of performances — from baroque to blues to Broadway — in our acoustically superb Music Hall. As a positive by-product of the pandemic, participants from 10 states, England, Ireland, Venezuela and Kuwait have “Zoomed” into our 2nd Saturday Civil War Lecture Series. Weddings, reunions, performances and job fairs take place in our “urban hipster” basement Studio. A truncated list of the Library & Music Hall’s programs and services would require a column unto itself.
But just come to Carnegie — we are close and well worth the visit! Our historic facility may be sacrosanct, but our grounds are under construction. Library Park – targeted for completion by year-end — will convert the ACFL&MH’s steep grounds from a barrier to an inviting green space. The Park will connect the Library & Music Hall with the shops, restaurants and festivals of Carnegie’s vibrant central business district, and be the site of programming and activities yet to unfold.
Visit www.CarnegieCarnegie.org for the most up-to-date information.
Maggie Forbes is executive director of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall.