"The Old Miner"

Peter E. Starry, Jr. "The Old Miner"
Short Biography of Pete Starry, Jr., A Carpatho-Rusyn miner and local historian from Salemville, Salem Township, Westmoreland Co. Pennsylvania

by Raymond A. Washlaski & Ryan P. Washlaski
A Publication of the 20th Century Society
Updated January 6, 2000

Pete Starry's parents, Peter E. Starry, Sr. and Mary Barkus-Starry emigrated to this country from Galicia, a small country in the Carpathian Mountain of Eastern Europe, around 1910.  They came from the towns of Stry and Sanok seeking a better life in the coal fields of western Pennsylvania. Peter Starry, Sr. first arrived in the United States alone,  speaking very little English.  His one contact was a friend that was living in Luxor, in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.  Boarding a train in New York with his one suitcase and the name of Luxor and his friends name pined to his suit on a piece of paper, he started his journal to a new life in America. Finally arriving in Luxor Station, on the Pennsylvania Railroad, were he met up with his friend.  The local mine was not hiring at that time, but the friend knew of a mine in Indiana County that was hiring miners. The two then went by railroad again to Lucernemines, in Indiana County. Pete Starry's first job in this country was as a miner in Lucernemines, Indiana County. Not caring for the working conditions in the low coal mines there, he later moved to Coral, Indiana County to work at the Coral Coke Ovens Works there. During his stay at Coral, he traveled to Pittsburgh to marry Mary Barkus, who arrived in this county with some friends and was staying in Pittsburgh, PA.  After being married they first took residence in the small Indiana County mining patch of Coral, and before 1920 hearing of a better paying job in the high coal mine of Salem No. 1, moved to the mining patch of Salemville, Salem Township, Westmoreland County.  Here Peter Starry, Sr. began employment at the Salem No. 1 Mine of Keystone Coal and Coke Company, and moved his family into one of the smaller houses, on the upper row of the patch, which the miners called "shanties."  A few years later they moved into one of the double houses on the main street of the patch.

Peter Starry, Sr. and Mary Barkus-Starry raised twelve children in Salemville, well working for the Keystone Coal & Coke Company.  The family was also very active in their church, The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Carpatho-Rusyn Greek Orthodox Church of Salemville-Shieldsburg.

Peter E. Starry, Jr. was born December 10, 1919, in Salemville, Salem Township, Westmoreland County, one of twelve children born to Peter and Mary Barkus-Starry.  Growing up in Salemville patch, Pete attended the Sunday School classes there and learned to speak and write English from the coal company Missionary Miss Dena Wagner. Later he attended the Shieldsburg Elementary School.

At around the age of sixteen, Pete went to work for Keystone Coal and Coke Company at their Keystone Lake property, helping on the farm there and around the Company Lodge and at the boat house on the lake.  By 1938, at age eighteen, Pete was working full time, for the rate of 35 cents a day. For the month of March of 1938, he made $10.00.

Pete Starry's Time book for March, 1938, showing  some of the jobs he worked on at Keystone Lake, such as: plowed, cut posts, around barn, hauled manure, mowing, loading hay, etc., his total wages for the month of March was $10.00.

In 1938, after he turned eighteen, Peter Jr. followed in his father's footsteps and went to work in the coal mines.  The picture at the right is Pete on his first day of work in the Salem No. 2 Mine.  Thus beginning almost two decades of work as a miner underground.  From 1938 to 1954 Pete worked as a coal miner along side of his father and five brothers, most of these years at Salem No. 2 Mine for Keystone Coal and Coke Company and later for Atlantic Crushed  Coal & Coke Company. After the mines closed Pete went to work for the Pennsylvania Department of Highways, and various other jobs, the last as a grounds keeper for the Clover Leaf Golf Course in Delmont.

Pete has worked with the youth of the community for many years.  He started the Salemville Conservation Youth Group after attending continuing education classes at Westmoreland County Community College in Soil and Water Conservation.  He also started New Alexandria Boy Scout Troop 347,  Explorer Post 347, New Alexandria and is still a troop committee member of Boy Scout Troop 327, Youngstown, Pa.

At one time Pete had a museum in the basement of his home, which contained a vast collection of Indian artifacts, mining equipment, miners carbide lamps, miners buckets, mine checks, old bottles, pieces of meteorites, and many other items of historical interest that he collected while hiking and trapping game around the New Alexandria area.  Most of his collections have now been donated to area museums and historical societies, so that others may enjoy his treasures.  His collections may be seen at The Stone Lodge Coal Museum, at Keystone State Park , New Alexandria, Derry Township, PA and at The Latrobe Historical Society Museum, Latrobe, PA.

	A collection of Pete Starry's mining paraphernalia on display at the Keystone State Park Stone Lodge Mining Museum, New Alexandria, Derry Township, Pa.
	A portion of Pete Starry's Museum which was in the basement of his home.  Most of which has now been donated to the Latrobe Area Historical Society Museum, Latrobe, Pa. and the Keystone State Park Stone Lodge Mining Museum, New Alexandria, Derry Township, Pa.

Peter Starry, Jr. and his old mining buddy Charles W. "Chubby" Kocur of the Crows Nest Mine in Bovard, PA , dressed in their mining clothes, looking over a piece of company store script from the Hempfield Supply Company No. 4 Store, of Salemville in Pete's mining museum.

Pete with his low coal mining gear that he used in Salem No. 2 Mine.	Pete Starry showing his Grandson Domenic Sembianti some of the mining gear which he used when he worked in Salem No. 2 Mine.

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