(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a suggestion for a future installment, please email gtrcity@triblive.)

It is the shadows of what made Scottdale a boomtown in the early 1900s that help it sustain its charm today. Or rather, perhaps, it is the work of the historical society, or the passion of its residents or the permanence found in the angles of its architecture.

On the cusp of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the borough at the southeastern tip of Westmoreland County on Feb. 5, 1874, locals will lean hard into the town’s heritage as a center of banking and home to a massive pipe manufacturer. The town also was the home of the Scottdale Scotties Middle Atlantic Baseball League team from 1925-31 that in its final year was known as the Scottdale Cardinals, a farm club of baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals.

The remnants of the pipe factory remain along Jacobs Creek at the eastern edge of the borough where two industries, Duraloy, a manufacturer of metal alloys, and Uptegraff, a manufacturer of electrical transformers, continue to operate.

The town was named for Thomas A. Scott, a Pennsylvania Railroad president who also was assistant secretary of war during the Civil War.

The community’s downtown business district runs along Pittsburgh Street and Broadway, and includes longtime and newly established business including the Geyer Performing Arts Center, a ’50s diner-themed restaurant and the Stepping Stone, a children’s book store.

The historical society has a series of events planned as part of a yearlong celebration of the 150th anniversary of the community including a speaker series. During the recent Scottdale Fall Festival, the doors to the idle but original home of Scottdale Bank and Trust were opened and a series of displays on the bank and community history were presented to the community.

Long home to the defunct Mennonite Publishing House, Scottdale frequently interacts with the nearby West Overton Village. The site in East Huntingdon was established by a Mennonite, Henry Overholt, in 1800 and later became the birthplace of industry magnate Henry Clay Frick.

Scottdale’s role as a center for banking in the late 1800s and early 1900s allowed for the construction of a range of architectural gems in the residential area of Chestnut Street, and Loucks and Arthur avenues adjacent to Loucks Park at the center of the community.

Loucks Homestead

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The resurrected and restored home of one of the community’s founding fathers, the Jacobs Loucks Homestead on Chestnut Street is the base of operations of the Scottdale Historical Society. The home is maintained as a bed and breakfast and the focal point of the society’s Christmas home tours, which feature decorated residences most years during the Christmas season.

The society offers a pamphlet detailing a self-guided Homes of Scottdale walking tour and promotes the town’s historic district, which includes Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate and Renaissance Revival architecture.

Two properties in the community, South Broadway Manor and Greystone Manor, also serve and expect to serve, respectively, as bed and breakfast sites. Greystone Manor on Chestnut Street is the site of a multiyear renovation.

Dairy Haus

Since it was established in 1984, Dairy Haus along the northern entrance to the town on Broadway has been a postgame hangout for Little League, softball and soccer teams that play in the community’s parks. The shop came under new ownership in 2022 and offers ice cream and frozen yogurt treats.

Wise’s Restaurant and Brilhart Hardware

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Opened by Bob and Nellie Wise in the early 1950s, Wise’s Restaurant has long been known for its comfort food at breakfast, lunch and dinnertime. It’s also famous for its pies and diner setting along South Broadway, across the street from Brilhart Hardware.

The hardware store was established in 1904 by Charles A. Brilhart. A tin shop and roofing business evolved into the hardware store and was owned by the Brilhart family until 1982. It was purchased by Charles Shenk and managed by the Shenk family until 1996, when ownership was transferred to Wes Patton. Today, the business is affiliated with Ace Hardware but retains its classic wooden floors and adjacent lawn and garden repair shop as it has served the community for decades.

Downtown restaurants

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In addition to the charm of Wise’s Restaurant, the downtown is home to several eateries along Pittsburgh Street and Broadway, including Michael’s ’50s Diner, Carson’s Restaurant, JJ’s and the Bad Rabbit Roastery and Cafe. Several pizza shops serve the community as well.

On the site of one of the community’s original hardware stores, which later was home to Collections by Marty antique and collectibles shop, Bad Rabbit has its own coffee roaster and serves made-to-order salads and sandwiches along with fresh baked goods.

Carson’s and nearby JJ’s restaurants at opposite ends of Broadway offer more traditional seated dining, with Carson’s offering second-floor balcony seating and JJ’s sporting a new open-air dining area recently added to its original site.

West Overton Village

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While in recent years it has become popular as a wedding venue with its open-air barn and adjacent grounds, West Overton is long established as a museum site that most recently returned to its roots to offer whisky distilled at the site.

The village celebrates its heritage as a focal point of the American industrial revolution as well as being the site of the birthplace of Henry Clay Frick. His daughter, Helen Clay Frick, purchased the grounds in 1922 to honor her father.

Located about a mile north of Scottdale on Route 819, the most recent museum display at West Overton, “Forging Ahead and Falling Behind: Industrial Growth in a Rural Community,” received an Award of Excellence from the American Association of State and Local History.

Geyer Performing Arts Center

Built in 1900 as the Geyer Opera House, the Geyer Performing Arts Center is home to musicals, plays and original productions throughout the year. The latest production, “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” will be presented in October.

The Pittsburgh Street building was home to vaudeville and other shows after its founding and later became a movie theater that ran until 1971. It was resurrected as a site for musical and plays beginning in 1988 as Scottdale Showtime before being renamed in 2005.

Scottdale Fall Festival

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Known for many years as the Scottdale Heritage Festival, the annual fall event, held the third weekend in September, includes traditional festival food and craft booths, historical displays and a parade through downtown on Saturday afternoon. Performances are held in the downtown Gazebo Park, which was established as part of a revitalization project in the community’s downtown in the 1960s.

Community parks

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Several parks are established in the borough, including the large public space at the center of town, Loucks Park. The softball field there is home to youth and adult leagues through the summer months. Two tennis courts, a pavilion and public restrooms offer sites for graduation and birthday celebrations nearly year-round.

Chestnut Street and Pittsburgh Street parks each were at one time the site of school buildings, long since demolished. Playground equipment, basketball courts and a pavilion are found at Chestnut Street. Garfield Park is home to a baseball field, tennis and basketball courts and a playground area adjacent to Jacobs Creek.

Kendi Park includes baseball fields, a hiking and biking trail and a soccer field that is home to the Scottdale Soccer Club.

Coal and Coke Trail

A popular rails-to-trails project, the 6-mile Coal and Coke Trail establishes a paved and crushed limestone hiking and biking link between the communities of Scottdale and Mt. Pleasant. Open year-round, the trail is popular with residents of both communities. Users of the trail can begin or end their exercise at the trailheads near Broadway in Scottdale and Main Street in Mt. Pleasant. Along the way are wooded trail sections with native birds and plants, streams and wetlands that offer a variety of views through the seasons.

Greystone Manor

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The 115-year-old Greystone Manor is undergoing a renovation and it being converted to a bed and breakfast and event space, likely under a new name. Built beginning in 1905 by Scottdale department store owner E.H. Reid, the house was bought by Richard Campbell in the mid-1960s. Used as a business place and residence, it had fallen into disrepair before being purchased in early 2022 by Pat Hill.

The building has been largely gutted from the inside out, and its once-signature grey limestone exterior has been scrubbed and repaired this year to its original beige.

There is no timeframe for completion of the work.