West Leechburg, PA

West Leechburg is a borough along the Kiskiminetas River, built from several older pieces of the valley. Levi Hill settled here in 1843, Hillville grew around his family's land, and the West Leechburg Steel and Tin Plate Company brought houses and workers to the lower end of town after 1897. Coal settlements such as Patrick Town and Mulassa filled in the industrial map, while a 1928 petition joined Hillville and West Leechburg as one borough. After coal faded, mushroom farming filled part of the gap, and the steel mill later idled; the river and the Leechburg Area School District still tie the borough to its neighbors. West Leechburg is a small river town whose streets preserve the outline of steel, coal, water, and work.