Trafford Historical Society

08/27/2026

This photograph was taken for the Trafford Golden Anniversary publication in 1954, capturing the General Committee that helped pull the celebration together. Looking at it now, you can see the faces of many people who poured their heart into building this community. The image appears on page 99 of the original souvenir booklet. This copy was donated by Craig Toocheck, along with a few other items from the celebration in memory of John & Dorothy Sloan.

First Row: C. Rossetti, J. Butch, J. Balkovic, I. Mikan, A. Carnak, R. Koon, F. Murray, Jr.

Second Row: Mrs. S. Josephic, Mrs. V. Pultan, Mrs. A. Scales, Mrs. W. Meager, Mrs. G. Knight, Mrs. Garton, Mrs. B. Dean, Mrs. C. Schrock, Mrs. W. Neil, Mrs. J. Frydrych, Mrs. C. Wanner.

Third Row: C. Wisser, J. Corcoran, B. Willey, F. Schucha, J. Leffler, C. Peduzzi, R. Kozobal, H. Norton, R. Henderson, H. Ferri, M. Lentz, A. Zubak, R. Peduzzi, E. Maguire, C. Sloan, J. Sloan.

Fourth Row: S. Gunia, V. Valmasoni, G. Knight, H. D. Fundis, J. Berklich, S. Snyder, H. Corl, M. Bryan, C. G. Bryant, W. Daugherty, M. Marker, R. Artman, F. Gioia.

08/21/2026

This piece of local history was donated to us by William Lutz. The ornate ribbon and badge once belonged to his grandfather, former Trafford resident Charles Slaubaugh, when he was a member of Trafford’s Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Lodge No. 1146. The lodge hall was located at 327 Duquesne Avenue, where you can still see the letters in the brickwork at the top of the building.

Notice the name stamped on the badge? Whenever you see an artifact marked "Trafford City," you’re almost certainly looking at a piece that pre-dates 1930. Beyond its local ties, the badge carries deep spiritual imagery designed to guide an Odd Fellow’s everyday conduct: The All-Seeing Eye featured on a suspended medallion was an ancient symbol representing the omniscience of God, reminding members to live with honesty and virtue under divine scrutiny. The Letters F. L. T. painted under the eye stand for the primary pillars of the order: Friendship (viewing all humanity as family), Love (the driving force for community empathy), and Truth (the bedrock of character). The Three-Link Chain represented the binding of members in a network of mutual relief.

Charles Slaugbaugh was a former worker at the Linde Air Company along Forbes Road. Trafford Lodge No. 1146 would have been established as the influx of workers arrived into the new town of Trafford City. During the age of fraternal organizations like the IOOF, commercial health insurance and government safety nets such as the Social Security system were non-existent. If an industrial worker was injured or died, their family faced instant ruin. Members paid small dues into the lodge, and in return, the Odd Fellows provided sick benefits, funded medical care, paid for dignified burials, and supported widows and orphans.

As company benefit programs and Social Security took hold, local lodges across the country gradually closed, and Trafford’s members consolidated into other regional Pennsylvania chapters. Today, Charles Slaubaugh’s ribbon remains a powerful physical artifact of American labor solidarity, mutual aid, and neighborly devotion.

08/14/2026

How the “Trafford Subway” came to be. It was around 1910 when the Pennsylvania Railroad was expanding its rail lines through Trafford. At the time, residents living in South Trafford, especially those in the Skelly Plan, had no choice but to cross directly over the tracks to reach their homes coming from the train station. With the widening of the rail corridor, that crossing became unsafe and a new solution was needed. The railroad chose to take the road under the tracks, creating what we still call today the “Trafford Subway.”
Building the underpass required massive grading throughout the area. Those changes reshaped the landscape so dramatically that the Borough ultimately abandoned the old Front Street, which once ran in front of the homes now standing along Sycamore Street.
And the changes didn’t stop there. One of the railroad’s own company houses, originally located on Stewart Street, had to be relocated entirely. It was moved across the block to what is now 31 Bluff Street, where it still stands today. With the shifting streets and new grades came the creation of a brand new road we know today as Oak Street.

08/03/2026

Today, we look back at the life of August Slusser, a key figure in Trafford’s early development who left a lasting mark on our town despite his life being cut short at just 50 years old.

When Trafford City was incorporated, August stood at the very beginning, serving as one of our charter town council members. His impact, however, reached far beyond local government. Beginning his career with Westinghouse in 1896 as a foreman in Pittsburgh, he steadily worked his way up to become the Works Manager of the Westinghouse Foundry here in Trafford.

August also served as President of the Trafford Oil and Gas Company and sat on the Board of Directors for the First National Bank of Trafford City. He was an active early parishioner of St. Regis Catholic Church.

He passed away at his home on Edgewood Avenue on August 3, 1925, leaving behind his wife, Catherine, and their three children: Donald, Florence, and Margaret. Negatives from the Charles Vitous collection at the Trafford Historical Society show a Labor Day parade marching past the Slusser residence, once located at 432 Edgewood Ave, directly across from what is now Veterans Memorial Park. While we can’t say with certainty, August and Catherine may appear in those images, standing proudly in front of their home as the parade moved by.

As our organization continues to collect and study these glimpses of the past, the puzzle pieces begin to fall into place. Through men like August Slusser, we better understand the foundation of the community we know today.

Have a piece of Trafford history to share? If you have old photos, stories, or family connections to early council members or Westinghouse leaders, drop them in the comments below.

08/01/2026

Trafford Yard Sale today: let us know if yinz see any Trafford relics or photos; we love saving our history.

All the participating properties in the 2026 Trafford Community Yard Sale. Brought to you by the Trafford Economic & Community Development Corp!

07/22/2026

The Trafford community came together in 1991 to put the BY Park on the path to what you see and enjoy today. Here are a few photos from 1991, beginning with Barry Frydrych and Craig Toal (Turtle Creek Watershed Authority). The late Don Vitous is also pictured; he spent his youth overlooking the pond while living on 8th Street. Some of our earliest photos of the BY came from his father, Charles. You’ll also see Mark Kozubal in the cab of the earth movers. Rey Peduzzi was responsible for calling in the Marines with the heavy equipment.

Thanks to Barry Frydrych and Cathy Kozubal for donating these photos to the Trafford Historical Society.

07/17/2026

An early document lists some of Trafford’s first Slovak immigrants, people who signed this petition when the Borough was only four years into its founding. At the time, some of these earliest ancestors referred to their home as Trafford City, while others still used the older name Stewart Station. The petition reflects the great national pride these immigrants held as American citizens, even as they rallied to support one of their own: Frank Polakovic, a Slovak immigrant then living in Iowa City, Iowa.

In 1907, the Slovak Gymnastic Union Sokol sent a representative men’s gymnastics team to the Pan Sokol Gymnastic Festival in Prague. Frank Polakovic, president of the Union and an accomplished gymnast, was selected as a member of the team. After the Festival, he traveled to Slovakia to visit his birthplace and relatives. Because he openly criticized the oppressive measures imposed by the Hungarian authorities against the Slovak people, he was arrested and imprisoned.

American citizens of Slovak birth responded by signing a petition urging the United States government to intervene on Polakovic’s behalf. Members of Trafford’s National Slovak Society Lodge No. 523, organized in 1906 under the leadership of Michael Kenderis, were among the signers. The lodge had sixteen charter members: Steven Bogavic, Paul Jurcak, John Kenderis, Michael Kenderis, Karol Lorence, Thomas Malik, John Miller, John Palcar, Stefan Pulak, John Potochnik, John Rabo, Edward Rozza, Andrew Sako, Joseph Smith, Joseph Tomkovic, and John Turchan, many of whom signed the petition shown here.

After seven months in prison, and following intervention by the American consul in Vienna, Frank Polakovic was released, yet banished from the country. He returned to the United States, stopping in Pittsburgh on his way home to Iowa City, where he received an enthusiastic ovation from friends and supporters.

07/12/2026

A young Steve Plecko steals the show in this wonderfully dramatic “Two Gun Kid” snapshot, an honorable mention winner in The Pittsburgh Press Amateur Snapshot Contest of 1949. His uncle, George N. Bartakovic of Trafford, took the photo and earned himself a $5 prize and a shot at the national Eastman Newspaper Snapshot Awards, which offered an incredible $10,000 in prizes to amateur photographers. Back then, The Press handed out weekly awards and encouraged everyday folks to send in their best snapshots.

For nearly a century, four generations of the Bartakovich & Plecko family called 819 8th Street home. The house was a true anchor, a place where births, homecomings, celebrations, and everyday life created a living timeline of Trafford history. One of those moments is captured in the circa 1943 Bartakovich family photo, a portrait shaped by immigration, hard work, wartime service, and the tight-knit bonds that defined the neighborhood.

Also included here is a 1948 snapshot of cousins Steve Plecko, Jean Bartakovich, and Charles Plecko: no TV in the house, but plenty of time spent around the family radio.

And here’s an interesting fact: with no television, reading became a major pastime in the household. Just ten years later, Steve and Jean stood at the top of their class at Trafford High, Class of 1958; the former “Two Gun Kid” earning Salutatorian, and cousin Jean taking Valedictorian. A family legacy, a hometown house, and a cowboy pose worth sharing with our Facebook group. Thank you, David Plecko, for sharing the photos with us.

07/10/2026

Train watching 😊

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