NORTH MAPLE AVENUE

In the community soon to be known as Greensburg, life in the late 18th century required courage and persistence. It was a common sight to see matrons carrying their piggins to the public spring along Front Street, not only to get water but to catch up on the most recent news. Street conditions of dust or mud varied with the seasons, and hitching posts enabled parking for horses and buggies. Police and fire departments would not be a reality until the late 1800's, and it would be at least a century before the full range of public utilities was available, or the first paved road completed.

Front Street, which abounded with maple trees, was renamed Maple Avenue and, as time passed, witnessed a multitude of changes. Early families living in this area built a school and church at St. Clair Park to help fulfill their educational and spiritual needs. Close by the scene portrayed in this painting a distillery and later a brewery were started because the spring water was so plentiful and pure. Construction of the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad, which passed nearby, introduced a new era of tech­nology and economic growth for Greensburg in 1852. The YMCA opened its doors in 1913, and the St. Clair Theater, Greensburg's first fine performance hall, stood nearby between the years 1903 and 1915. Small businesses bloomed, people lived, shopped and were entertained here as the conveniences of modern life gradually filled the street and the town.

The legacy of Maple Avenue lives on in this painting by Elmer Knizner, who has captured the essence of this historic street as it looks today.