Not Much To Do in McAdoo

McAdoo is an old coal mining town about 75 miles northeast of Harrisburg. It has a population of about 2,200 people. At one time, there were 22,000 miners working in Schuykill County because the anthracite coal was important to the industrial age. The railroad used to come to McAdoo but not any more.

I met up with cousin Thelma in Mechanicsburg, and we drove to see the town where the Horvath and Bolla families lived. This is the town where our great grandparents John and Anna Horvath raised their eight children. The Pennsylvania countryside is beautiful, even charming, and we enjoyed the day and getting to know each other. The day started out to be sunny but it was overcast when we got to McAdoo. We first stopped at East Blaine Street to see where the families lived.

Blaine Street

The Bolla lot had been cleared and was for sale. It is my understanding that John Horvath, who was a carpenter, and his sons built many of the old duplex homes for the families to live in. The town was very small surrounded by the old mine and several large cemeteries testifying to the tragic loss of lives by the miners.

We walked over to the cemetery to find our ancestors but first I wanted to see the church, located on Grant Street just two blocks from the Blaine Street properties. To my surprise, St. Stephen's Magyar Church had been converted into a private home. The trees had been allowed to grow around the front to disguise its former use so it was difficult to photograph.

Front of House

Formerly St. Stephen's Magyar Church

We visited the cemetery in their "back yard" and I found the gravestones for both John and Anna Horvath and some of their children including my grandmother, Anna Horvath Bartha. We did not find Frank Ivancics, the father of Anna Horvath.

I learned today that there are old photographs of McAdoo on display in the McAdoo Diner. If only ...
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