Donora, PA

Donora is a Washington County borough on the western bank of the Monongahela River, incorporated in 1901 and named by combining industrialist William Donner’s surname with Nora Mellon’s first name. Steel, zinc, and wire works shaped the town through the twentieth century, but Donora is now most closely associated with the October 1948 smog disaster, when atmospheric conditions trapped industrial pollutants and 19 people died in a 24-hour period. The Donora Smog Museum preserves that history, while Cement City remains a National Register district of early company housing. Donora is a Mon Valley river town where industry, housing, and environmental history still share the same streets.