HISTORY

JOHN MCMILLEN

John McMillen was born on March 15th, 1836 in a small 40’ x 50’ red brick church which, at the time, was known as Sharon Church. Before being demolished in 1868, the church stood near the intersection of Beaver Grade and Carnot (Sharon Clinton) Roads in Moon Township.

At the time, the church’s congregation was presided over by the Reverend Samuel C. Jennings. As there was no physician in the community, Dr. Jennings, whose father was a doctor, felt called to medicine just as much as ministry. It was not uncommon for his medical bag and dental forceps to accompany him on “pastoral calls”. For that reason, it is highly likely Rev. Jennings delivered young John.

By the age of 10, McMillen had relocated to Sewickley and quickly developed an aptitude for carpentry, going into business for himself as a lumber dealer with offices on the corner of Boundary and Bank Streets. However, McMillen’s business was not limited to lumber. In fact, he specialized in materials and services for nearly every facet of home construction including design and architecture. In 1873, a client asked John to design and build a home for him on Frederick Avenue with a unique feature: a fully integrated 8’x30’ front porch that would be the first of its kind in the Sewickley Valley. John would be responsible for building hundreds more homes in the Valley with stately, handsome front porches, including one he built in 1876 for himself, his wife Cecilia and their 4 children at 335 Chestnut Street.

Eventually, John’s son, J. Frederick McMillen, would join him in the family business that remained on Bank Street until the turn of the century when it was relocated to Osborne.

Throughout his nearly 60 years as a Sewickley resident, John developed and maintained a reputation as a man of sterling character with a mild temperament and a straightforward approach to business. He was a successful business man that built and maintained his home and with an uncommon level of care and attention to detail. His life, however, came to a tragic end on April 20, 1904 when he was struck by a passenger train while crossing tracks belonging to the Fort Wayne railroad mere steps from his home. At the time, train crossings in Sewickley were a topic of some debate as John was the second such death in as many months at the same crossing at Chestnut Street.

John’s son, J. Frederick, having married just four months prior to his father’s death, would continue the lumber business and maintain the McMillen family’s reputation for quality craftsmanship for decades. As for his childhood home on Chestnut Street, his mother Cecilia would continue living in the home until her death in 1922.

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R. D. RITCHEY

The Ritchey Funeral Home was started by Reynolds D. Ritchey in 1910 at 417 Beaver Street in Sewickley. The Ritchey family was one of the oldest in Sewickley and amongst the Valley’s earliest settlers. Abraham Ritchey, a veteran of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, died in Sewickley in 1830 having moved to the Valley in the later half of the 18th century. His son, William, moved to Sewickley in 1801 at the age of 33, more than 52 years before Sewickley even became a borough.

Between 1809 and 1810, a number of settlers to the area contracted plague and died. Because there were no undertakers in the area, the job of building coffins, laying out and burying the dead was left to local carpenters. William Ritchey, being a carpenter, embraced this component of his job and later turned his business over to his son Andrew G.P. Ritchey, Reynolds’ grandfather.

Following in his father and grandfather's footsteps, Reynolds began his professional career at the age of 14 as an apprentice of Walter Marlatt, owner of Marlatt Funeral Services in Ambridge. He He worked there after school and on weekends until 1904 when he began working full time for Marlatt. Reynolds passed his certifications in 1907 and became manager of Marlatt’s. After 3 years, he decided to start his own business in the H.S. Johnson building on Beaver Street in Sewickley. In 1912, he purchased a building located at 418 Beaver Street and remodeled it to include office space, a chapel and a preparation room. However, a change in the expectations around funeral services would take place over the next 15 years and would force Reynolds Ritchey to reevaluate his approach to business.

Ritchey acquired 335 Chestnut Street in 1927 to become the new location of the Ritchey Funeral Home following Cecilia McMillen’s death in 1922. He considered it a comfortable location where he could focus more on the needs of the bereaved instead of just the needs of the deceased.

Reynolds passed in August 1944, having run his funeral business at the location on Chestnut Street for 21 years. For the next four years, the business was run by his son Robert and managed by his wife. However, after 38 years the business closed for good in 1948.

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BELL TELEPHONE

In July 1948, months after the closure of Ritchey Funeral Home, Bell Telephone came to occupy 335 Chestnut Street and remodeled it for use as there Sewickley business office relocating from their previous location at 447 Centennial Avenue. It was believed the new location on Chestnut Street would be more convenient for customers, who at the time often paid for services in person.

CHESTNUT APARTMENTS

Within 10 years of Bell Telephones acquisition of the property, 335 Chestnut was converted into a four-unit apartment building with a multitude of tenants from all walks of life having resided there. The apartment building was purchased by the Wonchock family in 1978 and remained in their family until it was purchased by the current owner in 2019. During that time, the home was revered for its intrinsic beauty and historical significance. The home was featured in Historic Homes of the Sewickley Valley in 1996. Its general condition and appearance was largely preserved in 1996 just as it is today, a testament to the craftsmanship of its builder, John McMillen.

HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS

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