From its early days as sacred salt-gathering grounds for Native Americans to the manufacturing of the pesticide DDT for war efforts in the 1900s to today’s steel mill, Harrison’s Natrona neighborhood oozes historical contributions to modern industry. Scandalous tales are a close second. Fanny Sellins, the first woman union organizer,
Natrona artist Bill Godfrey has long been nagged by the history of the 1850s-era Penn Salt row houses along Federal Street. “Oh, if these walls could talk,” he often tells people. Godfrey’s advocacy group, Natrona Comes Together, purchased the Gothic revival cottage at 34 Federal St. in 2012 and set
The Natrona Community Garden will feed even more people this year from its plots along Federal Street thanks to support from the nonprofit Grow Pittsburgh. The garden was awarded $1,200 to repair planters, add growing boxes and purchase equipment, garden coordinator Drew Jonczak said. The lifelong Natrona resident has tended
Julia Strzesieski graduated from Highlands in 1979 and hit the road for California. She graduated from San Francisco State University and spent 42 years building an award-winning marketing career with a focus on sustainability efforts. Now, the 61-year-old is back in Harrison in hopes of using her experience to bolster
Eighty-six-year-old Helen Strzesieski grew up on Chestnut Street in Natrona, one block from what is now the community park. She was among those who gathered Wednesday for the reveal of a 13-set mosaic panel installed along the Harrison neighborhood’s newest asset, a 100-foot concrete trail that connects to the Allegheny