“Crafton is a place of homes for home loving people.”
Those words were penned by author Harry A. Meredith (1859-1944) decades ago and still ring true today.
The third printing, with enhancements, of Meredith’s book “Reminiscences of 80 Years” will be available at the “Home for the Holidays Book Launch and History Tour” 6 to 10 p.m., Friday, Dec. 5, beginning at Crafton Cafe 412, 2 W. Crafton Ave. “We were looking for a platform to roll out a book that we had been working on. And this book is the earliest recorded history known to Crafton,” said Crystal Boehm, Crafton Heritage president.
In addition to the book launch, the event, presented by Crafton Heritage, will feature refreshments at the Cafe 412 events center and conclude with a history tour of two Belvidere Street homes, decked out for the holidays. One of them belongs to Boehm and was also featured in the 2013 Christmas house tour. Both homes will have their house histories on display that evening.
HOUSE HISTORIES
One lucky attendee will win a copy of this book and their own house history researched by the volunteers at Crafton Heritage. The house history has a $300 value and if you aren’t a lucky winner during Friday’s events, histories for Allegheny County homes are available for purchase from the group.
Boehm’s interest in Meredith’s book began years ago when she bought a copy on eBay, long before Crafton Heritage came into existence. “We don’t know where all the originals are, so we we decided as a board to take the project on and do a third printing, since there were only about 85 copies ever printed. And our goal was to keep the spirit of what’s come and gone alive and republish the book,” she said.
One problem. The book was more of a manuscript, with no chapter titles or chapter summaries and no table of contents or index. It was 70 pages of copy with a handful of illustrations. It took two years, but Crafton Heritage was able to typeset the book, add summaries of the chapters, create a table of contents, index the entire book by people, places and events and have a cover designed by Crafton artist Dolores Smiller.
The two homes featured in the Friday, Dec. 5 event being hosted by the Crafton Heritage group are pictured during the summer and winter months.
In addition to a copy of Meredith’s book, one lucky winner at the “Home for the Holidays Book Launch and History Tour” will also get their own house history, a $300 value. “We do offer house histories anywhere in Allegheny County, and in particular, we like to do them in Crafton. It is a fundraiser that we offer in the community. We call it ‘Whispering walls. If your walls could talk, what would they say?’ We do an in-depth study going back to the landowners. We do a deed chain. We look at who lived there and what they did and we package it for the homeowner.”
All proceeds from Friday’s event will benefit future programs by Crafton Heritage, an all-volunteer charitable organization with a mission to preserve everything Crafton.
Tickets are available for a $15 donation ahead of time at the following locations: Crafton Public Library, the Blue Snail Gift Shop, Dr. Tarnow’s Back and Neck Care Center, Wolbert Auto Repair and the Fig Tree Coffee Shop. Tickets may also be purchased at the door for $20. Event runs 6 to 10 p.m. Visit www.craftonheritage.org for more details.
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