AVELLA - Trains carrying passengers and freight along the old Wabash-Pittsburgh Railroad used to roar past the Avella train station in the early 20th century.
Lately, though, the antiquated station tucked alongside a set of still-active rails next to Route 50 has sat dormant for as long as many local residents can remember.
Until now.
Members of the A.D. White Research Society have spent several years working to secure government funding and renovate the century-old station that will now be a historical hub for the area.
On Jan. 9, the station opened its doors for limited hours while volunteers sorted through hundreds of thousands of newspaper articles, family genealogies and photographs. The public is invited to peruse the library every Tuesday and Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. before the May 19 grand opening.
"There's so much history and potential here. People don't see it, but it's here. It just needs to be brought out," said Jim Morris, who lives in Avella and helped resurrect the old train station.
"A lot of history is being lost in this country and by doing these kinds of things it not only ties together the history, but the families."
For decades, the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad used the Avella train station solely for storage, townspeople said, and the building began showing its age. Grease covered the sagging floors, plywood boards covered shattered windows and paint on the wooden siding had chipped away long ago.
It had become an eyesore for both residents and passersby.
The A.D. White Research Society purchased the Avella station for a few thousand dollars in 2001 and later received $280,000 from the state Department of Transportation to renovate the dilapidated building, said Bill Poellot, president of the society.
Where passengers once waited for their train is now a small lobby for visitors to gather. The ticket agent's station in the center of the building was converted into an open office where volunteers offer assistance.
The largest room - once used to stow freight and equipment - holds file cabinets and shelves to research the precious documents.
"A lot of people are interested in their own (genealogy)," Poellot said. "They can go there and find information on their family trees. It's just a terrific resource."
The society's namesake, Alvin D. White, who is no stranger to the Avella area, collected much of the library's vast literature. The late superintendent of schools in Jefferson Township and Avella interviewed thousands of students and their families to learn about their heritage.
Some were children of coal miners, who couldn't speak English. Others were descendants of pioneer families who eventually settled in northern Washington County.
White remembered vivid details of the children's lives, said his friend June Grossman-Welch, and never wrote his thoughts on paper until after he retired from the school system in the late-1950s.
During the depression years, White brought a five-pound bucket of soup from home to personally feed the students at school, she said. He helped fit some with new shoes or glasses.
"He was interested in history and just loved people," Grossman-Welch said. "After these kids grew up and had families of their own, they would call him and ask what he knew about their family. Sometimes they wrote back and forth for 30 years."
Before he died at the age of 99 in July 1994, White asked Grossman-Welch and her sister, Kathryn Slasor, both of Eldersville, to care for his more than 130,000 documents until they could be placed in a museum. They each kept dozens of packed boxes in their homes and garages for more than 12 years. He also asked that they continue to interview local families to build on the information.
Finally, he told the women he wanted the museum to be built in Avella because "the Avella people are the most wonderful people in the world."
While the station is located in the tiny village, Jim Brinsky, a member of the society, hopes the train station will attract people living in other parts of the county.
"A lot of them have forgotten what their families had to go through with the mines and where they worked," Brinsky said. "Just to have them come back and think a little bit about their past."
Census records from as early as the 1800s encompass a 30-mile radius and include parts of Allegheny and Beaver counties along with parts of West Virginia and Ohio. Newspaper clippings disclose various wedding announcements and obituaries.
To keep the library operating, the society has implemented several fund-raising projects, including selling personalized bricks for $100 that will line the walkway leading to the train station. Donations are also accepted in the office.
With the support of the community, Grossman-Welch expects the library and refurbished train station to be available for future generations.
"Even the little kids who want to do something get involved. It's amazing these young people want to get involved in the history," she said.
"When we get done it will certainly be a one-of-a-kind place."