What I learned from growing up in the town of Brownsville, PA

People who grow up in places like Brownsville, a small industrial coal town located in South Western Pennsylvania, develop a greater appreciation for small-town America (A concept that, for most people, has become lost in the past).

Brownsville is populated by a little over 2,500 people. When I tell my friends at Penn State that I am from Brownsville Pennsylvania, I often find myself explaining that it is located just 35 miles away from the city of Pittsburgh, because most people have never heard of my old town.

My friends who are from large Philadelphian suburbs and economonically prosperous towns across the country have asked what it was like growing up in such a small area. I’ve heard things like “Wasn’t it boring living in an abandoned town?”, “How could you stand going to a school of only about 400 kids?”,  and “I bet it’s just a bunch of bums”. This is how I respond when people ask me these kinds of things:

 l Iearned to appreciate the past

Brownsville is home to a plethora of historic sites and bits of the past that have been lost in many other places in America.

The first cast iron bridge that was ever built in America can be found at the heart of Brownsville.

Brownsville actually has its own CASTLE! Nemacolin Castle, also known as Bowman’s Castle, which is part of the U.S. National Registry of Historic Places, was built not long after the American Revolutionary War and is still standing today. You can take tours of the castle and enjoy community festivals there.

You can sit and enjoy a delicious hot dog and old fashioned milkshake in the same seats as your parents and grandparents did when they were your age at Fiddle’s Confectionary.

There are only roughly 338 Drive-In movie theaters left in the USA and the Brownsville Drive-In is one of them. For those of you who don’t know what a drive-in is, it’s where you drive your car (filled with snacks and friends) to an outdoor movie projection screen and get to watch two movies for the price of one at a regular theater. Every summer weekend, the drive-in is packed with Brownsville locals.

I have learned the value of hard work

Brownsville’s rich history as an industrial coal town has left behind generations of people who appreciate blue-collar jobs. This country was built on the backs of laborers like coal miners and railroaders. The remnants of old coal plants and coke ovens remind people who live in Brownsville of the hard work that was put in by the ones before them. At one time, the area was a powerhouse of activity due to the wealth of jobs caused by the industrial revolution. Today, many locals still work in labor-intensive jobs and they are proud of it. America needs these jobs.

I learned how important it is to be an active and supportive member of a community

It’s a well-known fact that word travels quickly in a small town. Although most people consider this to be a bad thing, I have learned that it can also be good. Fast spreading information within Brownsville is the reason why it is such a close-knit community.

When something bad happens, we all come together to help out and support.

We create stronger ties through small community events. There is always a familiar face just waiting just around the bend in Brownsville.

I have learned to never lose faith – all thanks to Brownsville

It is no surprise that schools located in low-income areas are not always able to provide the best education to their students. My parents decided to send me to the local public school (Brownsville Area High School), rather than send me to a private school. Even though it wasn’t  “the best”, it taught me that all things in life are what you make them to be.

Despite attending a lower rated school, I still got into the same high-ranking university (Pennsylvania State University) as people who attended private school. The common concept that people who grow up in small-town America will  always stay in small-town America is not necessarily true.

I never lost faith in my ability to achieve great things because my small-town roots forced me to strive harder than others who had come from blue-ribbon schools.

The students attending my old high school have never lost fate in their hometown. They are working with local business owners, architects and the local redevelopment authority to revitalize the town.

If you come from a small town, or are currently living in one, don’t let anyone tell you that you are limited in life because of your roots. Every small town is unique and teaches different lessons to the people who live in it. After all, it is the  tallest trees that have the strongest roots.