New book documents history of Civil War in Shenango Valley

SHARON, Pa. (WKBN) -- Sharon Historical Society's president has debuted a book on the Shenango Valley during the Civil War.

On Monday, Taylor Galaska sat at a long table in the historical society's dining room, flipping through his new book, "The Civil War era in the Shenango Valley."

When the war started in 1861, Sharon was smaller than both Mercer and Greenville, but it was during the war that Sharon grew.

"A lot of the growth in the population and industry really happened within 10 years, from 1860 to 1870 -- over 400% population growth in 10 years," Galaska said.

A few years ago, someone mentioned to Galaska that he should write a book on the Shenango Valley during World War II. As president of the historical society, he saw it as a good idea but thought he should do America's othe