“ Large is not and never has been a municipality with clearly defined borders,” says author Deborah Morinello. It could be defined as more of a village, and everyone knows its location within Jefferson Hills Borough. It became known as Large after a prominent farmer and entrepreneur of the early 19th century, Jonathan Large, purchased the plot of land in the 1830s.
In addition to farming, he built a distillery there. The Large family produced Monongahela Rye Whiskey, which achieved international acclaim— no small feat for a business established long before the internet.
Over the years, many entrepreneurs began to establish businesses and industries in the area and would often use“ Large” in the name of their companies, making the location immediately identifiable to potential customers. Some of the more well-known entities to capitalize on the Large name included The Pittsburgh Terminal Coal Company, which named its mine in the area # 7 Large Coal Mine. The Large Post Office and the Large Volunteer Fire Company followed suit.
Probably one of the most prominent businesses to use the name was the Large Hotel. It was first built in 1903, and included 20 rooms for travelers plus a dining facility. It burned to the ground in 1911, but was quickly rebuilt. The new Large Hotel was dramatically different from its previous incarnation and focused far more on the dining room and bar than providing lodging.
The co-author of the Large history book, Dale Saller, includes a lot of information about the hotel. His mother purchased the hotel in 1943 while his father was serving overseas in the U. S. Army.
“ We lived upstairs and she tended bar, with me in a knapsack on her back,” explains Saller. During WWII, the bar was often the last place soldiers would stop before reporting for duty, and the first place they would visit upon their return home.
The Large Hotel was the scene of lots of social activity, and over the years it attracted many celebrities and professional sports figures, including legendary golfer Arnold Palmer, Baseball Hall of Famer Stan Musial, and former Pittsburgh mayor David Lawrence, who was a frequent guest.
Saller sold the hotel in 2014. Unfortunately, it caught fire in 2015 and the remains were demolished, never to be rebuilt.
Though many of the original Large structures have disappeared over the years, some are still standing. Most have undergone massive transformations.
The Large Distilling Company, where the famous whiskey was made, ceased operations in 1953. However, one of its smokestacks emblazoned with the name“ Large” is still standing along Route 51. The brick warehouses of the distillery were reduced from seven stories to two, but they are still there and currently the site of the Clark Testing Company. The Jonathan Large homestead also remains, but has undergone extensive renovation and is now the Stephen D. Slater Funeral Home.
“ A Little History of Large” is available through Amazon and at West Jefferson Hills Historical Society meetings and events. n
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