Westmoreland County is divided into 65 municipalities of various sizes, shapes, and landscapes. It is our mission to explore what makes every one of those 65 municipalities special.
We are moving in random order through the list. We have reached a milestone: our TENTH feature! The honor fell this time to South Greensburg Borough.
South Greensburg Borough is home to around 2,100 individuals, and the borough is bisected by Route 119. Visitors have easy access to the welcoming neighborhood and locally owned restaurants. Students in South Greensburg are served by the Greensburg Salem School District.
A few wonderful local eateries include Morelands at Waterworks, The Olde Spitfire Grille, Falbos Pizzeria, and DeGennaro’s Restaurant & Lounge. LOTS of options in a small geographic area! Morelands also offers event space for everything from baby showers to weddings.
A MUST SEE in South Greensburg is Warp Zone, a collectibles store buying, selling, and trading video games, toys, and collectibles from the 70s through today.
The borough runs a website and Facebook page, and the following information about the Borough’s history is taken from their website:
“In 1780, Michael Rugh acquired title to 229.25 acres which he operated as a farm. The land was passed on to his son, Jacob Rugh, and later to Jacob’s son, Peter Rugh. The Rugh family house is still in existence at 1213 Broad Street. The current building dates from the Civil War, but was built on the foundation of a much older structure. The area was known as Rughtown, although it was not yet a town in any meaningful sense.
In the 1870s, a local industrialist, George Franklin Huff (pictured below), bought 189 acres of the Rugh farm. In 1881, this was sold to Greensburg Coal and Coke Company (later Keystone Coal and Coke Company), which established a mine and brickyard along Broad Street. Fifty workers’ houses were built in 1888. During this time, the community was known as Huff, Hufftown, or Huff’s Station.
A trolley line was constructed in 1890 along Broad Street, running north into Greensburg. This line was later acquired by West Penn Railways, which operated trolley service until 1952.
In 1891, the community was incorporated as the Borough of South Greensburg.
For nearly a century, South Greensburg’s largest employer was Walworth Valves. This factory began in 1888, as the Kelly & Jones Company (John T. Kelly and George M. Jones), and Huff was a member of their board of directors. Walworth Company purchased the facility in 1925. The factory filled a large plot of land bordered by (using current street names) Route 30 Bypass, South Main Street, Huff Avenue and the railroad. Including adjacent properties used by the company, this industrial complex covered 31 acres and had 1500 employees at its height. The factory closed in 1980 and was later demolished. The site is now occupied by the Wellington Square office building and various commercial businesses.”
