Strabane in Washington County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Canonsburg Disposal Site

Photographed by Bradley Owen, February 27, 2026

1. Canonsburg Disposal Site Marker

Inscription.
Canonsburg Pa.
Date of closure December, 1985
Wet tons of tailings 266,000
Radioactivity 100 curies Ra - 226

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Industry & Commerce • Science & Medicine. A significant historical month for this entry is December 1985.

Location. 40° 15.311′ N, 80° 11.891′ W. Marker is in Strabane, Pennsylvania, in Washington County. It is on Strabane Avenue north of Chartiers Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Strabane Avenue, Strabane PA 15363, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Pittsburgh.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Vitro Rare Metals Company/Standard Chemical-Radioactive Legacy

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(a few steps from this marker); Veterans Memorial (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); World War II Memorial (about 500 feet away); United States Colored Troops Monument (about 800 feet away); Payne Chapel AME Church and Cemetery (approx. 0.2 miles away); Don Yenko - Yenko Chevrolet (approx. 0.3 miles away); 121 Belmont Avenue (approx. 0.4 miles away); Budke House (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Strabane.

More about this marker. Marker is located on United States Government Property and can only be observed from behind a locked chain linked fence.

Also see . . . Canonsburg, Pa. Disposal Site Fact Sheet. The former mill processed uranium and other ores at the site between 1911 and 1957 and provided uranium for the U.S. government national defense programs. Standard Chemical operated the site as a radium extraction plant from 1911 to 1922. Later, Vitro Corporation of America acquired the property and processed ore to extract radium and uranium salts. From 1942 until 1957, Vitro was under contract to the federal government to recover uranium from ore and scrap. Processing

Photographed by Bradley Owen, February 27, 2026

2. Canonsburg Disposal Site Marker

operations at the site ceased in 1957. For the next 9 years, the site was used only for storage under a U.S. Atomic Energy Commission contract. In 1967, the property was purchased by the Canon Development Company and was leased to tenant companies for light industrial use. (Submitted on February 28, 2026, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia.)

Photographed by Bradley Owen, February 27, 2026

3. Canonsburg Disposal Site Marker

The marker can be seen at the right of the warning sign.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 28, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 28, 2026, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. This page has been viewed 45 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 28, 2026, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia.