uncovered
HISTORY
ROSS TOWNSHIP HISTORICAL SOCIETY PROVIDES ROSS TOWNSHIP
AND ITS SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES WITH INFORMATION
ABOUT THE AREA’S PAST AND PRESENT.
BY NICOLE TAFE
D
id you know that the origin of McDonald’s Big
Mac was actually on McKnight Road and not in
Uniontown? If you attend meetings held by the
Ross Township Historical Society or are a fan of its
Facebook page, that might not be news to you, along with many
other great anecdotes of Ross Township and West View history.
John Schalcosky, 36, is president of the society, which is
growing in popularity by the day. He lives in Perrysville where
he was born and raised, and attended North Hills High School.
Following graduation, he moved to Hollywood, California, to
attend UCLA for a degree in Film Composing and Conducting,
and later attended the Los Angeles Film School where he earned
a degree in Film Directing and Production Design.
“I have always been curious about the history of what was in
my own backyard ever since I was a kid growing up exploring
Girty’s Run or following the old Harmony rail line and
abandoned properties,” says Schalcosky. “After returning from
Hollywood, I pursued an interest in local history and noticed
that Ross Township was having its bicentennial in 2009. It was
then that I became involved with the Ross Township Historical
Society, and later that year was voted in as the president.”
The Ross Township Historical Society had a brief stint in the
late 1970s, and was re-established before the bicentennial by
Grace Stanko, Susan Campbell, Sandy Brown and other Ross
Township residents. Schalcosky became involved as one of the
youngest members of the organization and launched a related
group on Facebook with a friend, Bob Leo.
“Due to the frustration of not having many photos or
information collected into one cohesive space, we started the
Facebook group in 2009—making it one of the earliest of its kind
on the social media platform,” explains Schalcosky.
“Soon, 100 photos turned into over 10,000, with thousands
upon thousands of memories and comments,” he continues.
“After the success of our Ross Township Historical Society
A class photo outside the one-room Perrysville
Schoolhouse–1908.
Jim Delligatti invented the Big Mac at a McDonald’s on
McKnight Road in 1967.
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Looking North on Perrysville Road, the Heid General Store was
located next to Good Lane–1908.