SEWICKLEY HERALD: WEDNESDAYS January 28,1976-PAGE 21 A
Matthews Society researches black history
In 1967, Miss Alma B. Kohler, chairman
of the committee for the celebration of the
110th Anniversary of St. Matthew's
Church, appointed Mrs. Ellis Blockson
chairman of the Historical Committee for
the celebration.
The committee met Jan. 23,1967 at Mrs.
Blockson's home, and in response to her
suggestion, persons present unanimously
agreed to organize as a Historical Society
and to continue to record and make
available a collection of the historical data
of St. Matthew's Church, founded April,
1857. At a later meeting, the name Daniel
B. Matthews was chosen for the society in
honor of the founder and first pastor of St.
Matthew's Church.
Listed as charter members of the
Historical Society are: ( + ) Ellis A.
Blockson; Susan J. Blockson; Charles 0.
N. Butler; Walter J. Carter, Jr.; Hattie L.
Cole; Virginia M. Hailstock; (4-) Anna R.
H. Hedge; James G. Matthews; ( + + )
Kathryn Mitchell (now Mrs. Garl Payne);
( + ) Martha B. Naylor; ( + + ) Frank W.
Whitlock.
The first public meeting sponsored by
the Society was a Negro History Program
at St. Matthew's Church, Sunday, Feb. 9,
1969. The speaker was Walter Wor-
thington, a member of the Western Pennsylvania Historical Society and an
authority on Negro history. He spoke about
the history of Negroes in the Ohio Valley,
beginning with former slaves who were the
first black people here.
Along with continued reserach about the
early members of St. Matthew's Church,
the Historical Society began to give more
attention to the general study of Negro
people and it was decided that a February
Negro History Program would be an annual event.
In subsequent years, the Society has
presented other speakers; panel
discussions, and excerpts from tapes by
Alex Haley who after years of research,
traced his own family back to its roots in
Africa. On Arpil 18, 1975, at St. Matthew's
Church, an original play, "I, Too, Am
American," by Holly Taylor and Michelle
Washington was presented. The entire
program was written and produced by
TYPICAL of the pictures of historical significance to the
black community being unearthed by the Daniel B. Matthew's Historical Society is the picture of St. Matthew's
A.M.E.Z. Church, at Thorn and Walnut Streets, Sewickley,
taken in 1903. This photo in the collection of Mrs. Ellis
Blockson of Sewickley.
students of Quaker Valley High School
with the assistance of two teachers.
Miss Alma B. Kohler, president of the
Historical Society, has announced that the
1976 program will be Sunday, Feb. 8, at St.
Matthew's Church. The theme will be
"Birth and Growth of Music in the Black
Churches," and various church choirs will
render selections that demonstrate music
from spirituals to the present day.
The regualr meetings of the Matthews
Society are held in the Sewickley Library,
at 6:30 in the evening of the third Monday
in January, April, June, September and
November. These meetings are open to the
public and interested persons are invited
to join the Society.
(+) Deceased (+ +) Moved away.
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Continued from page 3
THE HAYSVILLE TAVERN
The only Sewickley Valley inn to benefit
from the coming of the railroad in 1851 was
the Haysville Tavern. It was established in
approximately 1828, and the first
proprietor was John Anderson (no relation
to aforementioned John C. Anderson).
Records are unclear as to the original
name of the old roadhouse, as the name
Haysville wasn't introduced until some
time later.
The tavern was an old-fashioned, two-
story brick structure located on the upper
side of the Pittsburgh-Beaver Rd.,in the
extreme southeastern portion of the
Sewickly Valley. According to one source
of the time, "The wide porches, cool,
shaded, and gushing springs of the Hay
hostelry seemed the most popular" of the
inns of the area. The building really
belonged to another period. Its low ceilings
and narrow hallways were not at all
characteristic of the architecture of the
day, but this did not seem to impair the
enthusiasm of the guests. The tavern
catered to stage traffic, the steamer trade,
and townspeople who used the inn as
headquarters for township elections. A
mineral spring located on the property
was the prime rason for the building of two
later hotels on the site.
Eventually operation of the tavern
passed to Capt. John Hay, son-in-law of
Mr. Anderson. He continued its operation
until the 1850's, when the hotel was
destroyed by fire. According to one source,
"In the course of time the flames devoured
the venerable structure and did their duty
well. Not a bit of the old timbers remain
after the fire of a few years ago."
Interestingly, it was Captain Hay for
whom the borough of Haysville was named
by the President of the Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad, General William
Robinson, who later owned the two hotels
built on the site.
Post 450 Ladies
The Ladies Auxiliary of Post 450 was
organized May 10th, 1927 and has been in
continous existence since then. During
World War II, the Auxiliary did volunteer
work for the Sewickley Valley Hospital
and a number of veteran's hospitals. This
is indicative of an organization which has
long been interested in service programs
for the legion as well as the youth of the
community. The first president was Mrs.
Ellis Blockson. The current president is
Mrs. Grace Greene, who is also a Gold Star
mother.
The coming of the railroad to Sewickley
in 1851 ended the success of the
inns located on the Pittsburgh-Beaver
Road. StageJraffie declined and drovers
were fewer in number as the railroad
became increasingly successful. The only
roadhouse to survive durng this transitional period was the Haysville Tavern,
since it was located adjacent to the
railroad, and it became a popular
"watering" stop. The Valley was entering
a new era that was to profoundly affect not
only the patronage of the inns, but also the
qality of life in the Sewickley Valley. The
age of the commuter was being ushered in.
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Sewickley Public Library - Historic Images and Documents
