WAYNESBURG, Pa. — Tucked away in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania is what used to be an idyllic coal miners’ town.
Complete with large storefront windows, tree-lined streets and rolling hills, Waynesburg could have once been considered the quintessential American town — when the coal industry was booming and people felt safe enough to leave their doors open at night.
Residents mingled along the town’s busiest streets, patronizing local businesses that flourished.
But today, numerous “For Rent” signs are posted on vacant business buildings along downtown’s High Street, and the stores that are open struggle to remain afloat in the Greene County seat of 4,000 residents.
Councilwoman Lynne Snyder said the borough would benefit from attracting a major employer such as a manufacturing plant with full-time jobs paying more than minimum wage. She noted there’s limited vacant space in town, however, for such development.
Waynesburg’s limited economic opportunities are compounded by its remoteness and the aging of its non-college population.
The town is also among many in Western Pennsylvania to be impacted by the opioid epidemic.
“It’s kind of hard to be real positive,” Mayor Brian Tanner said.
For many years, however, Waynesburg was the epitome of a Norman Rockwell painting. The town, founded in 1796, originally served as a legal hub for people who did not want to travel all the way to Washington or Pittsburgh to see an attorney, according to local historian Glenn Toothman. Eventually, the town’s economy grew around the coal industry.
That era ended nearly three years ago with the shutdown of Waynesburg’s Emerald Mine, which employed nearly 300 people at the time of its closing.
“The decline of the coal industry has impacted us really bad,” Mr. Tanner said.
Generations of Waynesburg families, up until recently, relied on the coal mine as a source of employment. Many of those families were forced to take lower-paying jobs or move elsewhere, Mr. Tanner said, noting that from necessity many residents also commute to Pittsburgh or Morgantown, W.Va., for work.
The major employer remaining is Waynesburg University, which sits on 30 acres overlooking High Street. It enrolls about 1,500 students and provides several hundred jobs, with an approximate 90 percent acceptance rate.
The university is known as both a Christian and liberal arts school that typically attracts students interested in the education and health care fields.
Ms. Snyder said the university has given back to the community and does a good job of keeping students from causing trouble in town.
“While our students and the university’s presence certainly provide a positive economic impact on the community, we believe our service to the community is what unites us the most,” said Stacey Brodak, the university’s vice president for institutional advancement and university relations.
Ms. Brodak said she believes the university’s scenic campus and affordability help attract students, along with its assistance placing them in jobs after graduation.
But many of the best opportunities are elsewhere for college students and young Waynesburg residents. One concern of local leaders, Ms. Snyder said, is how to entice young adults to stay in the area instead of moving to cities like Pittsburgh and Morgantown.
While the area is attractive to both visitors and long-time residents for its scenery, Ms. Snyder said, “beauty don’t pay the bills.”
Waynesburg University student Sydney Shultz, 21, who grew up in town, may be one of few her age who wants to stick around. She said she has no plans to leave after college.
“I like living here,” she said, welcoming a slow-paced lifestyle and neighborly kindness that “never changes.”
One recent change, however, is an influx of trucks barreling through for work on the Mariner East and Mountaineer Express natural gas pipelines in southwestern Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio.
A study conducted by the Waynesburg Police Department found about two trucks per minute use the town’s main roadways.
“Waynesburg used to be a town where people could stand out on the street and have a conversation and say hi to people, and you just can’t do it anymore,” Mr. Tanner said.
The trucks have caused a large amount of wear and tear on local roads, Mr. Tanner said, and they prevent downtown homeowners from getting peace and quiet during the day.
At the same time, some in Waynesburg view the heavy traffic positively, as the pipeline workers represent a source of revenue for business owners and renters.
Despite its hardships, the town maintains several local traditions from its healthier era. This includes the Rain Day Festival, which is held each July 29, a date on which local lore holds it is almost certain to rain each year. The event also honors the more than 100 Greene County men who were killed or wounded in a World War I battle on Rain Day in 1918.
Events such as Rain Day bring a sense of community to the town, promoting ties of the sort that keep long-time resident Angel Willard, 43, optimistic about its future. She’s not troubled by the noisy trucks or economic issues.
“We’ll be OK — we’ve survived worse,” she said.
First Published: October 27, 2018, 12:00 p.m.