February 15, 1890 Fulfilling a long held dream of Peter Vitazoslav Rovnianek, on this day the National Slavonic Society of the United States (in 1913, amended to the National SLOVAK Society of the United States of America) was founded. At a meeting held in the Walther’s Hall in Allegheny township, now the North Side of Pittsburgh, PA, delegates from five Slovak societies attended: Stefan Oravec of Hazleton, PA; Anton S. Ambrose of Plymouth, PA; Jan Miller of Cleveland, OH; Reverend Ludvik Novomesky, a Lutheran pastor from Freeland, PA; and Rovnianek who represented Pittsburgh.
Rovnianek, elected as the first president, was determined that the NSS by-laws would assure that the new society would be non-sectarian. “A society where all Slovaks, of whatever religious faith, occupation, gender or locale could gather together for their greater good.” An initial pool of $200.00 was collected by the delegates as a death benefit fund.