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Mon historical society buys historic house for headquarters

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Scott Beveridge/Observer-Reporter

The Longwell House at 711 W. Main St. in Monongahela.

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Scott Beveridge/Observer-Reporter

Monongahela Area Historical Society members Elissa Stein and Richard Bucchianeri tour the Longwell House Wednesday.

MONONGAHELA – A historical society in the Mon Valley is making history by purchasing a headquarters for the first time since its inception.

The Monongahela Area Historical Society announced Wednesday that it is acquiring and relocating to a house built in 1872 in the city’s downtown for riverboat Capt. David Longwell.

“That’s a treasure,” said society President Laura Magone, who made the announcement in the Chess Park Gazebo across the street from the Longwell House.

She said the society reached an agreement to purchase the house for $30,000 from Bob Richards, who lives out of state and will hold the mortgage.

Many others have expressed interest in the house, which required the society to keep the purchase negotiations a secret until after the sales agreement was signed, Magone said.

“He wanted us to have it,” she said.

Richards also agreed to a mortgage payment below the $350-per-month the society pays to rent 230 W. Main St., Magone said.

Richards previously operated an antiques store in the building.

“We view this as an investment in our hometown,” she said.

The two-story brick house at 711 W. Main St. was built by a prominent local architect, John Blythe, in the Italianate style.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993 because of its significant architecture and engineering styles, online federal records show.

The society said the house is different from other Blythe designs in the city because of its gazebo-style bay window, round attic window and glass-surrounded door.

The society expects to close on the purchase and move into the house in July to prepare it for use as a welcome center for the city’s 250th anniversary celebration in August.

Society Vice President Susan Bowers said she has long admired the house.

“It’s always been my dream to bring it back to its beauty,” Bowers said.

Magone said the house needs a lot of work, but that it was inspected and determined to be structurally sound.

“We have good bones in this house,” she said.

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