On our three day visit to Fayette County, my first ever to this Pennsylvania county, I was extremely delighted to explore and delve into the people, communities, and places of the county. We explored much of Connellsville and parts of Uniontown on our visit, talking with people along the way. Our class stayed at Touchstone Center for Crafts, a non-profit focused on expanding accessibility and education regarding arts in the broader Fayette County area. Touchstone’s integration into the beautiful nature of Fayette County was a great blending of two of the biggest assets of the county: people and nature. Across our visit, I met individuals committed to doing good, creative, and lasting work in truly beautiful places. This work is not always easy but is always embarked upon with true grit and determination to do one’s best. Touchstone is one example of this Fayette County work ethic, but so are the Coal and Coke Museum, highlighting the history of the county; Summit Inn Hotel, overlooking Connellsville and the areas north; and Youghigheny Glass Company, one of three stained glass makers in the world. Each of these locations are so intertwined with the area around them. Touchstone is nestled along a creek in the southwestern section of Fayette County, in the mountains. The Coal and Coke Heritage Museum’s location within the Penn State Eberly Campus halfway between Connellsville and Uniontown, the two main towns of Fayette County, and the Summit Inn’s location along historic Route 40 both bring them wide views over the fields and hills of Fayette County. And Youghigheny Glass is nestled in Connellsville right along the Youghigheny River. 

These three places were entirely unknown to me before. When people think of rural areas such as Fayette County, they often think solely of nature, not the people that inhabit these places. I often find myself falling into this trap. But this visit solidified a change in my thinking. This visit, more than others I have done in Appalachia, got me thinking more deeply about the people who inhabit these spaces. Most people who know about Appalachia and its characteristics mostly know about what it was and how it is lacking what it used to have. There was coal, now it is gone. There was manufacturing, now it is gone. The list goes on and on. We often find ourselves focusing on the past or the “good old days” and comparing that to what we lack today. Almost nowhere in the United States is this seen more so than with Appalachia. This trip really showed me what Fayette County has going for it, what it offers up to those within it and those passing through. I believe this rewritten conception goes along with a lot of my studies at Pitt have provided for me. Many of my classes have honed a greater focus towards people centered approaches. One of my built environment-focused professors even said in a class, “monuments do not make cities. People make cities. Think about people.” This visit to Fayette County further instilled this appreciation for people-centered places and put a spotlight for me in previously unseen individuals and communities. 

This people-centered approach comes out strong throughout each facet of the Appalachian Bridges to the Future course. Our instructors consistently have emphasized the importance of people-focused action and how sometimes the greatest asset a community can have is its people. The group discussions following our visit centered on the people we met and the things they are doing to make a difference in Fayette County. As many of our readings have pointed out, as well, it is not simply enough to ignore the people one works with / for and simply deliver a product. In Michael Carpini and Scott Keeter’s “What Should Be Learned through Service Learning?” the pair focuses on discouraging academia from existing in its ivory tower and dictating what communities surrounding these institutions should do. They single out the political science field, though other fields are just as susceptible: “Perceiving political science as a discipline that observes, critiques, and seeks to understand public life can easily (and justifiably) lead individuals to embrace a teaching philosophy that dictates transmitting knowledge and cultivating a critical perspective rather than encouraging participation” (636). This writing is a point I believe many in community-engaged research may struggle with, many times without knowing it. It is critical to put the people of the communities being engaged, such as those in Fayette County, at the forefront of all thoughts and ideas regarding action and research. 

Because of the importance of people for Fayette County, it’s important to ensure that people remain, come back to, and enter Fayette County. From our visit it seems to me that the town of Connellsville has put in a lot of work to become a desirable destination for many. This is in large part to the Fayette County Cultural Trust but also the community’s leaning into its place along the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) Trail. The GAP Trail brings thousands of cyclists through Connellsville every year and the community has used this transportation node as a way to spur development including new restaurants, hotels, and a brewery opening soon. This building upon current assets is something that the whole of Fayette County can utilize to spur economic development county-wide. While the GAP trail does not go through all parts of Fayette County, communities can look towards resources they do have and improve upon them. Whether that be public parks and open spaces, local artists, or heritage sights, communities can build upon their strengths and work on marketing themselves to a wider audience. 

Much of the successes of Fayette County have come from building upon the rich assets of the area, and the Appalachian Bridges to the Future project between Pitt and the communities of Fayette County is certainly no exception. The project, our professors, and my fellow students and I must continue to emphasize its commitment to the people of Fayette County specifically and Appalachia broadly. The importance of emphasizing this commitment and working directly with entrepreneurs and business owners showcases this work incredibly well.