About Us

Donora Historical Societyand Smog Museum
Our Mission:
The mission of the Donora Historical Society and Smog Museum is to preserve, research, interpret and promote Donora history through cooperative continuing educational relationships with individuals and institutions, focusing on causes and effects of the 1948 "smog" tragedy and its impact on global environmental concerns and issues.
 The photo to the right is from our booth at the Heinz History Center.
Background The Donora Historical Society was established in 1946 and incorporated in 1996 and is recognized as the oldest community historical society in Washington County of Pennsylvania. We are a non-profit with 501(c)3 status and operate on a volunteer basis. Our parent historical societies are the Washington Country Historical Society and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The original charter members did yeomen's work with laying the foundation for preserving Donora's history. The members that followed would continue that work for the next 70 years. As a testament to all of their hard work and dedication, we have a plethora of artifacts and documents that we can use for research and presentation purposes. In 2008, we opened our present facility to showcase our artifacts and call it the Smog Museum, thus our formal title is the Donora Historical Society and Smog Museum. They are one in the same entity.

Please click on the YouTube videos below for an introduction to the Donora Historical Society.
by Dominic Santia and Sarah Seader - Fall 2021

 as well as
These videos were created.by California University of Pennsylvania (Cal U) English Honors students as part of their "Digital Storytelling" class that was also sponsored by the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh.
Partners and Supporters
The Donora Historical Society is proud to list these businesses and non-profits as partners and supporters of the Society. Their help and contributions go a long way to the ongoing preservation of Donora history.
Acai Family Raleigh, NC
Beistel Machining 23 McKean Avenue, Donora
Barchemy, LLC 468 Galiffa Drive, Donora
Colgan Insurance Agency Inc. 537 McKean Avenue, Donora
CSC Insurance 4552 Route 51 South, Belle Vernon
Del Suppo, Inc. 26 McKean Avenue, Donora
Delsandro Family Donora and Hampton, VA
Donora Union Pharmacy 642 McKean Avenue, Donora
Eastern Alloy, Inc. 1138 Meldon Avenue, Donora
Elliott Company 1250 Scott Street Ext., Donora
Gilmore Electric Meldon Avenue, Donora
Hanna Sales 833 McKean Avenue, Donora
JED Heating and Cooling, Inc. 840 McKean Avenue, Donora
Kathleen Shoop Oakmont, PA
Max Chywski - State Farm Insurance Route 835, Monongahela
Rivers of Steel Heritage Area 623 E. Eighth Avenue, Homestead
Sidney Mishkin Indianapolis, IN
Washington County Community Foundation 331 S Main Street, Washington
Washington County Tourism 273 South Main Street, Washington
Funding The costs of maintaining the museum and starting new projects are our biggest challenge. With your help, these and other projects and programs can continue. The Historical Society relies solely on the sale of our Merchandise, contributions and fund raising to maintain the day-to-day expenses of the museum. Please invest in the Historical Society's efforts of preserving and promoting our town's history by making a special donation.
NOTE: Keep in mind your donation is tax deductible.
If you would like to donate to the historical society to keep the museum up and running and fund future projects, please make your check payable to: Donora Historical Society and send it to: Donora Historical Society P.O. Box 522 Donora, PA 15033 or
To Donate to the Donora Historical Society and Smog Museum, please use our PayPal option to the right.
If you would like to add a note along with your donation, please consider sending an email to:donorahistoricalsociety@gmail.com
Meetings or Presentations NOTE: Our business meetings are not open to the general public.
NOTE: Our historical meetings are not held on scheduled basis.
NOTE: The Smog Museum will close early if we have a tour or event on a Saturday
 For 2022, the presentation schedule is as follows:

Membership A $15.00 donation for an individual membership ($25.00 for family) is all it takes to officially join the Historical Society each year. Stop in at the Museum and sign up today, send us an email to request a membership/donation form, or if you would like to join the historical society to fund future projects, please make your check payable to: Donora Historical Society along with your contact information and send it to: Donora Historical Society P.O. Box 522 Donora, PA 15033 NOTE: Keep in mind your donation is tax deductible.
Museum
The Historical Society maintains our museum - the Smog Museum. Please click on the Smog Museum page for more information.
Volunteering
Our work is being carried out by a talented and devoted group of volunteers and members who share the common goal of strengthening and advancing the mission of the society. If you would like to volunteer, please stop by the museum, email or call us to discuss further.