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| The Mounds Area, Monongahela, Pa in 1873 |
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In 1873, the above picture was a pencil sketch of the Mounds and the Crall home. This beautiful Victorian farm house, now ours, is located on the far left. You will see originally it had a steeple and some pretty gingerbread trim. Issac Shelby Crall, the well-known extensive gardener and florist, was born November 19, 1826, at Belle Vernon, Fayette Co., Penn., a son of Charles and Hannah (Gaskell) Crall, both natives of that county.
Issac Shelby Crall was for the most part reared and educated in Monongahela City. When he was twenty-six years old, he went to New York, and there took a steamer for California, but on February 27, 1852, the vessel wrecked off the Mexican coast. In that country he remained six weeks, and then proceeded, again by water, to his destination. He was engaged there as superintendent of The American Hydraulic Mines, and was one of the first to blast rock under water. He conducted a large mine there for twenty-four years, in the course of which time he made six ocean trips and two by overland route. On his final return home, in 1873, he embarked in his present industry, having, in 1868, bought the farm where then carried on a lucrative business.
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| The Crall House in 1937 |
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The above picture from 1937 was a true treasure as it allowed us to see the original home indeed had a wrap-around porch. The picture was taken by Shelby's daughter, Maud A. Crall-Griffith. Today, the porch is a project that has been started and one we hope to complete soon. We also have many more exciting plans for our labor of love which includes; more victorian trim work to the outside of the house, and a a white picket fence. To see more photos of the house, click on our photo album.
The above inforamtion on I. Shleby Crall was taken from pg.481 of:Beers, J.H. &CO.,Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington Co., Pennsylvania (Chicago:J.H. Beers & Co., 1893). Published January 1997 on the Washington County, PA USGENWeb pages at http:/www.chartiers.com/.
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