[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 161 (Friday, September 17, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E984-E985]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING THE CITY OF MONESSEN, PENNSYLVANIA UPON THE 100TH 
                ANNIVERSARY OF ITS DESIGNATION AS A CITY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GUY RESCHENTHALER

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 17, 2021

  Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the city of 
Monessen, Pennsylvania, on the 100th anniversary of its designation as 
a city.
  The land that would ultimately encompass Monessen was surveyed in 
1897 by H. Dallas McCabe. Along with Colonel James M. Schoonmaker and 
colleagues, McCabe initially sought to expand the Pittsburgh and Lake 
Erie railway to reach coalfields further south. Industrialist William 
H. Donner approached the group and decided to bring his American Tin 
Plate Company to Monessen, forever changing its trajectory.
  The construction of the first mill spurred further settlement by 
businesses and families

[[Page E985]]

from around the world. On September 3, 1898, the community was 
officially founded, and the name ``Monessen'' was chosen because the 
community would be a ``New World Essen on the Monongahela,'' combining 
``Mon'' for the Monongahela River and ``Essen'' for an industrial city 
in Germany.
  Perfectly situated with access to the city of Pittsburgh, the Mon 
Valley's waterways, and the immense coal reserves of southwestern 
Pennsylvania, Monessen grew exponentially. By the early 20th century, 
it was an industrial hub, hosting the Pittsburgh Steel Works and the 
American Steel Hoop Company, among others.
  On September 16, 1921, Monessen was officially designated a city 
under the leadership of Mayor Carl Woodward. At its peak, Monessen was 
home to more than 20,000 residents.
  By the mid-20th century, Monessen had become a center of the budding 
American middle-class. So much so that it attracted the attention of 
organized labor leaders and prominent American politicians. President 
Harry S. Truman visited Monessen in 1956. President John F. Kennedy 
travelled there in 1962.
  Madam Speaker, today Monessen is home to 7,600 men, women, and 
children. I am proud to represent this uniquely American city, and I 
have no doubt it will continue to make its mark on our Nation.

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