by Ron Paglia

Another important part of downtown Donora's storied history will be in the spotlight, albeit in name only, when the CBS series "Ghost Whisperer" opens its fifth season September 25, 2009.

"In rebuilding the show's Grandview Town Square after the fire after Universal Studios destroyed it, we decided to create a shop called the Irondale as a nostalgic visual nod of appreciation toward Donora," said Kim Moses, a Donora native and executive producer of "Ghost Whisperer."

Moses didn't have to look far for this latest reminder of Donora.

Her father, the late John Moses, owned and operated the Irondale Hotel at the corner of Sixth Street and McKean Avenue for many years before it was razed on Aug. 7, 1966, to make way for construction of a branch office of Pittsburgh National Bank.

The new Irondale in "Ghost Whisperer," however, is not a hotel and restaurant. It is Irondale Lighting, which specializes in residential, commercial and outdoor products.

"It will be featured whenever we show the exterior of Melinda's 'Same As It Never Was' antique shop," Moses said.

Melinda Gordon is the lead character in the show and is played by Jennifer Love Hewitt. Other key actors in the cast are Pittsburgher David Conrad, Camryn Manheim, Jamie Kennedy and Christoph Sanders.

Hewitt's character communicates with earthbound spirits, ghosts who cling to the living because they have unfinished business that prevents them from moving beyond this plain and into the Light.

The mythology of "Ghost Whisperer's" new season includes the birth of a son to Melinda and her husband, Jim Clancy, portrayed by Conrad. After the child is born, the show will fast forward several years into the future, "letting us watch Jim and Melinda embrace the challenge of raising this extraordinary child," Moses said.

"The first child into a household is always an interesting dynamic for parents," she said. "Add to that special powers that this child has and you can only imagine how it turns Melinda and Jim's life up-side-down. This is a very exciting time for "Ghost Whisperer" because the new story-lines that our partner, P.K. Simmonds, and the writing team are coming up with takes us into uncharted territory for ghost rules."

Moses' husband and executive producing partner, Ian Sander, said this year's premier episode is being directed by Hewitt.

Sander and Moses are "thrilled and honored" that "Ghost Whisperer" will hit its hundred episode mark this December. As for the Irondale Hotel, it was home to Moses and her brothers, J (John), Jeff and Mark.

"What a great experience that was living and growing up there," Kim said. "We met so many interesting people during those years. It (The hotel) was home to people from all walks of life -- everyday people, politicians, sports figures. I remember as a child seeing Stan Musial there.

"The Irondale Athletic Club, which was founded by my father, was based there for several years. It's no wonder my brothers and I all worked in the sports world at the beginning of our careers."

She also has noted that the underground tunnels leading from her father's hotel to other buildings under the streets of Donora have figured in her television shows.

The Irondale was used as the name of a hotel in a previous TV series produced by Moses and Sander on Fox Television. And the Moses siblings perpetuated the memory of their home by forming Irondale Productions, Inc. in 1991.

According to the Donora Historical Society, the Irondale was the first licensed hotel to open in Donora in 1901. It was initially operated by Frank Cardon. Nat Harris and Clarence L. Egbert also were among those who preceded John Moses, who in addition to running the Irondale, was retired as a road engineer with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

On a broader scale, the Irondale Hotel also is part of the legacy of the late Robert L. Barnhart, one of the most prominent architects, contractors and entrepreneurs in Mon Valley history.

In addition to the Irondale, Barnhart also designed the first school, the Donora Hotel, the first National Bank building and the U.S. Post Office in Donora. He also designed many of the larger and more prominent buildings -- churches, schools, commercial sites -- in the area including structures in Charleroi, Monessen, Roscoe, Brownsville, and Fredericktown.

He also constructed several buildings including the Charleroi Elks Club.

As noted in the Charleroi Historical Society's "Millennium" publication in 2000, Barnhart also installed the first electric light plant in Charleroi; managed The Coyle Theatre at the turn of the last century, and erected the Electric Theater, which later, in an adjoining building, became The Palace Theatre on McKean Avenue in Charleroi.

"My father often spoke of the historic significance of the Irondale building," Moses said. "Mr. Barnhart obviously was a very talented man, a visionary, if you will, and our family has always been proud to be part of the history that prevails in the Mon Valley."

Moses emphasizes that point with ongoing reminders about her hometown in "Ghost Whisperer." A recurring scene at the beginning of the show focuses on a war memorial in the fictional town of Grandview, N.Y.

"I remembered seeing the beautiful war memorial in Donora," said Moses of the memorial at the south entrance to the community. "It is such an awesome structure, an inspiring and fitting tribute to the men and women of Donora who served our nation with courage, commitment and dignity. I knew it had to be part (of "Ghost Whisperer")."

The original pilot of "Ghost Whisperer" epitomized that with Hewitt's character driving down a street and discovering the ghost of a soldier whose name is listed on the memorial. "For me, the memorial (in Grandview) is there every week as a reminder of Donora," Moses said.