Verona kicks off 150th borough birthday bash
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Verona residents gathered to celebrate the borough’s sesquicentennial kickoff Saturday in Railroad Park.
Hosted by the Verona Community Group, about 50 attendees gathered under rainy and then sunny skies to hear a historical timeline presented by local historians and Verona natives Frank Santucci and Gary Rogers.
“This borough once had 26 bars here during the 1950s,” Santucci said while pointing to East Railroad Avenue.
Santucci said Verona is thriving, with four new breweries on tap, and he brought up a fact little known to many about the borough with a population of about 2,500.
“We have the smallest city block in the world,” said Santucci, adding the claim to fame was bestowed to the borough by Ripley’s Believe It or Not.
The block includes one building bordered by four streets: Allegheny River Boulevard, State Street, Wildwood Avenue and James Street.
Gary Rogers said the close-knit vibe in Verona is evident.
“The fellowship is great. The sense of community here is fun,” Rogers said. “There’s a rich history here with the railroad and the families. It’s just a great small town.”
Rhea Homa, treasurer of the Verona Community Group, said borough residents were given the chance to complete an online survey and chime in on how they would like to celebrate this year.
“We have a community here that comes together,” Homa said.
Celebration fundraisers are ongoing and sales will directly fund sesquicentennial events in 2021.
Resident Stefani Garibay moved to Verona three years ago.
“I’m excited about the celebration and combining the history and the new together,” said Garibay, who resides in what was the rectory of First United Methodist Church.
Musicians from the Western Pennsylvania Center for the Arts were on hand to offer a classical rendition of “Happy Birthday to You.”
Verona resident Shirley Moreno-Davis, 77, said seeing Verona turn 150 holds special meaning.
“I would catch a train from Verona and go to Kennywood,” said Moreno-Davis of her childhood days in Verona. “I can still hear those trains at night, and they’re still a familiar sound.”
Verona was originally part of a 460-acre section of Mechanicsburg along the Allegheny River purchased by James Verner and named by merging the names of two railroad stops — Verner and Iona — on the Allegheny Valley Railroad.
The Verona rail yards included a brass foundry, machine shop, passenger station, roundhouse and engine shop.
The borough had five train stations: Hulton, Verner, Iona, Edgewater and Oakmont.
While the rails ruled Verona, other industries included lumber, steel casting works, railroad shops and a chemical plant.
In addition to the Allegheny Valley Railroad, Verona was home to Dexter Spring Co., Agnew Glass, Bollinger-Andrews Steel and Verona Tool Works.
Home to the American Beverage Corp., the next time you see a Hugs drink (the little barrel-shaped kids’ drinks with the foil lid) you’ll know where they’re made because the production plant is in Verona.
Verona Borough was incorporated May 10, 1871, and was one of the first communities in the region to have a railroad come through.
Verona was nicknamed “the spot that’s more than a dot” during the 1970s and ’80s.
A Facebook page devoted to that nickname remains, with almost 2,000 members.
Other events planned for the borough’s 150th anniversary include burying a time capsule, a community picnic, a parade, a concert and a circus-themed performance.
Verona Mayor David Ricupero, 64, is a native and said he grew up riding his bike everywhere and playing in the woods of Verona and what is now Penn Hills.
“I’m proud of Verona,” he said.