On The Road Toward Galveston

Back in March of this year, Laurie and I had decided to take a road trip, with Galveston Texas and Natchitoches Louisiana as our primary destinations.  Galveston because of its history and the HGTV show, "Restoring Galveston" and Natchitoches because of its history and the varied attractions in the area near the city.  So off we went!

When it was time for lunch, Laurie pulled up the nearby dining possibilities on her phone...and we stopped at Sadie's Diner in Vance Alabama.  Vance has a population of a bit over 2,000 residents but it is best known for the only Mercedes Benz plant/assembly line in North America.  It should be no surprise that Sadie's Diner is located at 10565 Daimler Benz Boulevard in Vance adjacent to the big Mercedes facility... 

FYI, the plant itself is located on 1,000 acres of land that was donated by the state of Alabama.  The land was part of the deal that helped win the contract with Mercedes.  The property features multiple test tracks...both road and off-road options.  The Mercedes-Benz Visitor Center includes a free museum that features cars produced throughout the company's history.  Plant tours are also available for a modest fee.

Based purely on it's size, Sadie's is not a true diner.  Expansive would be the best description of its interior dining areas.  The counter itself is basically a huge "S" with squared corners and my best guess is that it would seat about 40 customers at one time.  Tables...they have tables!  The second photo shows only about 60% of the tables at Sadie's.   Not unexpectedly, the walls were decorated with Mercedes-Benz signs, photos and even hubcaps.   

We don't eat breakfast before leaving on a road trip.  We take coffee and we hit the road.  breakfast on days.  Fortunately for us, Sadie's serves breakfast all day!  Since it is our favorite meal, our decision making was easy.  We both ordered "Trim 1", 2 eggs over medium, hash brown potatoes, a biscuit and meat... Laurie went for the bacon and I chose sausage. ($10.99 each) Our meals were OK, not famous but decent.  The problem was the service... We got very little attention from our waitress, coffee must have been in short supply, and the kitchen either decided to go on break or the waitress forgot to turn in our order.  It took 'forever' for us to get our food.  As you might have noticed from the photos of the dining areas, it isn't like the restaurant was overwhelmed with customers!  

Sadie's Diner is apparently owned and operated by Sprint Mart, a service station, convenience store corporation that features fresh food for traveling clientele.  This was the line waiting in the store segment next to Sadie's, waiting to pick up to go items.  To learn more about Sprint Mart and Sadie's Diner, you can go to https://www.sprintmart.com/sadies-diner/.

Once we passed Tuscaloosa Alabama on I-59/I-20, we were tired of driving on the 'super slab', (aka 'expressway', 'freeway' or Interstate highway), so we jumped off and followed part of US 11 south and west toward Mississippi.  It runs parallel to the Interstate.  Along the way, we came to the town of Eutaw Alabama.  Eutaw is the county seat for Greene County Alabama.  The county was named after Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene of Rhode Island.  The town was named for the Battle of Eutaw Springs, the last engagement of the American Revolutionary War in the Carolinas.  Greene County's population as of the 2020 census recorded 7,730 residents, and it has the lowest population of any county in Alabama.  In 2023, the population was estimated at 7,341, a 5% decline in only 3 years. 

There are 3 buildings on the courthouse side of Courthouse Square, not including the courthouse itself.  Unfortunately, the first photo above is of the newest building located next to the courthouse.  Built in 1931, this was the County Library and it was replaced with a new facility in the 1990s.  Other buildings literally in the square are the Grand Jury Building (1842) and the Probate Office (1856 with a second story added in 1938)

The second photo above is the actual Old Greene County Courthouse.  This two-story Greek Revival style building was the county's seat of government from 1869 until 1993.  The prior courthouse was burned to the ground in 1868.  Most historians feel that it was a deliberate act of arson by the KKK.  The fire destroyed paperwork pertaining to about 1,800 suits by freedmen against the planters and the fire took place just prior to the suits being acted on.

This historic plantation house is located at Mesopotamia Street and Kirkwood Drive in Eutaw.  Named "Kirkwood" or the Foster Mark Kirksey House, construction on this Greek Revival style home with Italianate influences, began in 1858.  The original owner/builder was Foster M. Kirksey, a planter, elected official, an agent for the Confederate government, a cotton factor and a commission merchant. (1817 - 1906) Construction was halted by the start of the American Civil War...leaving several features of the house incomplete.  Kirksey, who served as Sheriff from 1845 - 1848, was a significant part of Greene County history for more than 50 years.  As for the house itself, the balcony railings, cupola, and a few other minor features were completed by a couple in the 1970s who wanted to restore the home.

That's all for now... Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

On to Staunton Virginia

...yes, I'm still traversing the back roads and byways of Virginia on the last leg of our fall 2024 road trip.  We'd already done a lot and seen a lot but more places of interest as well as shopping opportunities were yet to come. 

After our stop at the Montpelier depot, we followed VA Hwy 20 a little further to the southwest and then turned west on US Hwy 33 toward the Blue Ridge.  Once we crossed over the Blue Ridge, we worked our way south to Staunton Virginia, our overnight stop for the evening.

Beautiful day, pleasing scenery...our kind of roadway.  Beats the heck out of the Interstate system unless you are in a hurry to get to a destination.

This is the Augusta County Court House.  It's located in Staunton Virginia...even though Staunton isn't actually part of the county.  The city separated from the county in 1902 but it has remained as the county seat.  This Beaux Arts style structure, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was completed in 1901 and it is the fifth court house that was built site.  The first one was a log cabin built in 1755.

The courthouse is the repository of many complete records that date back to the colonial period and, given that fact it is a meccas for people who are researching family trees, old deeds and historic buildings.  Staunton was very fortunate during the Civil War, having escaped the ravages that consumed many other Southern towns and cities.

I ran across this early photo of the Augusta County Courthouse on the Internet.  As you can see, the tower or turret has been modified in today's version.  The county was formed in 1738, splitting it off of Orange County.  It was named after Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, the Princess of Wales and the mother of King George III of the United Kingdom.  Originally, this county was a vast territory, with an indefinite western boundary.  Most of what is now West Virginia and the whole of Kentucky was included within its early borders.

Located at 215 Kalorama Street in Staunton, this home is known as the Arista Hoge House (aka the Kalorama Castle). Arista Hoge was a successful local businessman and he served as Staunton's Treasurer from 1885 until his death in 1923.  Hoge built this home in 1882...but then added this massive and historically significant facade in 1891.  Located in the Gospel Hill Historic District, the home's historic significance lies in its unique architecture.  The home remained in the Hoge family until 1973.

That Richardson Romanesque facade consisting of rough-cut brownstone was added to the earlier, existing Italianate Style house.  The changes to this home are clear examples of the changing tastes in architecture in the late 1800s.  It is a brick Italianate main house, with a Romanesque facade, a Queen Anne style side-porch and a western Colonial Revival porch. (A bit of a 'Hoge' podge)

After our overnight stay at the Hampton Inn in Staunton, we decided that it would be a nice change of pace to find a local diner style restaurant for breakfast.  I took the first photo off the Internet as my photo, immediately above, doesn't really show the front of Kathy's Restaurant.  Kathy's has been voted as the best place for breakfast in the Shenandoah Valley for more than a decade.

In our opinion, if a restaurant is casual enough to have a counter with seats for its customers, it qualifies as a diner.  On top of that, Kathy's is only open for breakfast and lunch...but for 7 days a week.

Kathy's Restaurant was busy...and it was a Saturday morning.  The dining room was colorful and clean as well as bright and airy.  Service was solid and the kitchen was obviously functioning efficiently.  

Laurie is usually good for a 'straight-up' breakfast order...bacon, eggs, toast and hash brown potatoes.  She faked me out by ordering "Viva French Toast" which adds an egg plus bacon or sausage to an order of French toast. ($10.95) Everything was enjoyed and the French toast was a cut above average.

Kathy's offers 21 different 'egg dishes', which includes no less than 13 omelets.  Other segments of the menu include Meat Lover's Meals, Gourmet Pancakes plus Waffles and French Toast.

I ordered my breakfast from yet another part of Kathy's breakfast menu.  This was my "Benedict's Cousin" from Kathy's Specials.  It consisted of 2 country-style sausage patties and two over-easy eggs on a flaky biscuit that is smothered by sausage gravy.  As you can see, it also came with 'home fries'.  ($11.75)

I really enjoyed my breakfast and Kathy's did have Tabasco too... The sausage patties were seasoned nicely and although I prefer hash brown potatoes, the home fries were decent.  Of course, now that we've learned how to make our own sausage gravy, other versions can be OK but our homemade version is hard to beat.

These colorful patrons have apparently been waiting to be seated for some time... I was glad that we weren't seated too close to them as they are just a bit weird.  It was October so perhaps Halloween related?  On the other hand, on-line photos of the two characters at the left appear to show them to be permanent residents... 

Kathy's Restaurant is located at 705 Greenville Avenue in Staunton Virginia.  Phone: 540-885-4331.  Website: https://kathys-restaurant.com/.

Next stop in Staunton...was Presidential.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave 

Spring Photos Plus a Look around Culpeper Virginia

Who doesn't love spring...that is if you weren't hammered with the horrid storms that have sadly impacted much of the middle of the USA!  While much of central and western Tennessee suffered from flooding, high winds and tornados, here in East Tennessee all we received was needed spring rains...with some wind mixed in.  We live in the Tennessee River valley, that lies running northeast to the southwest, and we are usually but not always protected  from the worst weather by the Cumberland Plateau at the west and the Smokey Mountains at the east.

This bush always grabs our attention when it blooms!  The flowers look like delicate little bottle brushes.  It is one of the several 'bottle brush' bushes that are popular with landscapers.  This particular bush is called a Mount Airy Fothergilla. 

We love our little Japanese Maple Tree.  It cozies up in a niche in front of Laurie's 'plant room' between our laundry room and the garage.  Love those feathery red leaves when the tree first comes 'back to life' every spring!

My personal spring favorite are the Redbud Trees.  Rarely shaped in an orderly fashion, these pretty little violet colored blooms just adorn the limbs of the trees in early spring.  They are one of the very first trees to bloom every year.  Sadly, we had a white dogwood tree nearby that provided a terrific contrast with the dogwood blossoms...but no longer.

FYI... One of the biggest and best known events in the Greater Knoxville Tennessee area is the Dogwood Festival...with dogwood trails through neighborhoods and plenty of related events.  Learn more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogwood_Arts_Festival and https://www.dogwoodarts.com/dogwoodartsfestival.  

No...I'm not done posting photos and talking about things we did during our fall 2024 road trip.  Continuing with the last leg of that trip from Virginia...

One of the first posts from this road trip saga was about a terrific restaurant that Laurie and I dined at in Culpeper Virginia.  I posted our experience at it out of sequence with the trip because we liked it so much.  If you missed that post, just go to https://bigdaddydavesbitsandpieces.blogspot.com/2024/11/its-about-thyme-fine-dining.html.

Now back to Culpeper and a brief look around this bustling small town.  Believe it or not, the original section of the large building shown above was built in 1820 by Revolutionary War General Edward Stevens.  The family of future Confederate States of America General A.P. Hill bought the home in 1832, enlarging it to its current size just prior to the American Civil War.  Timing is everything and the Hill family sold the property in 1962.  The building is referred to today as the A.P. Hill building.  Occupants include a wellness spa and a fashion boutique as well as at least one apartment.

Yes, Laurie did do a bit of shopping in Culpeper... I was more interested in this cat in a basket, even if she wasn't interested in me.  We both love cats, but between Laurie's allergies and the probability that over half of our family, (who have allergies or don't like cats), would never come to visit, deters us from any new feline member for our household.

The two photos above are general views of downtown Culpeper.  It is an attractive and active small town at one corner of 'horse country' in Virginia.  The building at the right side of the photo immediately above, is the Fairfax Masonic Building.  It was completed in 1902 and it currently is home to a real estate company and a gift boutique.

I borrowed this photo from the Internet.  The first Culpeper County Courthouse was built in 1750.  A replacement was built on the same site in 1808.  The second courthouse was torn down in 1871 and it was replace by this Classic Revival structure in 1873.  

There is a reason for all the good restaurants and shopping opportunities.  About 70% of the fast growing population of the county commute out of the county for work.  The town is 55 minutes from Manassas Virginia and just a little over an hour to Dulles International Airport.  How fast is this county growing?  In 1980, the county recorded 22,620 residents.  By 2000 there were over 34,000 and the 2020 census recorded 52,552 residents.

Factoids:  

• By the middle of the 1970s, Culpeper County was the last county in the Commonwealth of Virginia to desegregate its schools.

• Commonwealth Park in the county is the site for many world-class equestrian events.  This is where actor Christopher Reeve suffered the equestrian accident that paralyzed him in 1995.

This is a photo of the cookie display case at Knakal's Bakery at 146 East Davis Street.  This bakery has been a fixture in Culpeper since the 1930s and they offer a wide selection of donuts, cookies, pastries and cakes.  We did buy a couple of very nice cookies to take with us as a treat for later in the day.  This is my kind of shopping experience!

This is the oldest commercial building in Culpeper.  George Washington surveyed and plotted the town back in 1749.  The first indication of any structure being built on this plot of land was a deed of sale in 1790 to Thomas Reade Rootes...a lawyer and a member of Virginia's House of Delegates.  In the 1890s it was known as the Martin Furniture Company but it was originally built (ca ?) to house the post office, the Farmer's and Merchants Bank as well as Clark and Company Grocers.  

This structure has been used by a number of other businesses including a tobacco warehouse, stables, a tin shop, a Civil War jail for soldiers from both sides of the conflict and for much of the 1900s, as the Yarnell Hardware Store.  The structure survived the Civil War, two major fires and an earthquake.  Today it is the home of The Grass Rootes Restaurant, an upscale dining venue.  To learn about this restaurant, go to https://www.grassrootescu.com.

This is the oldest church in Culpeper.  St. Stephen's Episcopal Church was built in 1821 on land donated to the parish by Brigadier General Edward Stevens, a hero who led his militia in several key battles during the Revolutionary War.  Originally, this church was a relatively plain rectangular structure.  The slender steeple and the entrance vestibule were added in 1861.  Other renovations and additions took place ca. 1870 and it 1884.  This was one of the few churches in the area that remained unscathed during the Civil War.

Part of Culpeper's Central Historic District, the old Southern Railway Depot at 109 South Commerce Street was built in 1904.  It replaced another that had been built in 1874, which itself had replaced 2 depots that had been originally built by the Orange and Alexander Railroad.  Threatened with demolition in 1985, the community rallied to save it and then to renovate it.  Part of the structure at 111 South Commerce Street now serves as the Culpeper Visitor's Center.  Located at 113 Commerce Street, the Museum of Culpeper History occupies a larger portion of the structure.  To learn more about the museum, go to https://culpepermuseum.com/.

The best part about this old depot is that it is still served by passenger trains.  Options include: Amtrak's 3 time a week round trip service (the Cardinal line) from New York City to Chicago; the daily round trip service (the Crescent City line) from New York to New Orleans and; the twice daily Amtrak Northeast Service from Washington D.C. to Roanoke Virginia.  The Commonwealth of Virginia provides financial support for the Northeast Service.  In 2023, the Culpeper station served 17,386 passengers.

That's all for now.  Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit! 

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Off the Interstate - Headed South in Pennsylvania

...continuing with our fall 2024 road trip through several states.  Leaving Mansfield Pennsylvania after our spending our second night in the town, Laurie and I headed south on US Hwy 15.  The highway follows the Susquehanna River for many miles on its way to Chesapeake Bay.  At Harrisburg Pennsylvania, we merged onto Interstate Highway I-81 south.  Tired of traffic and the boredom of most Interstate Highways, we exited at Shippensburg Pennsylvania.  Our alternative route was US Hwy 11 south, (known in the South as Lee Highway).  It runs parallel to I-81 for many miles.  

This is the Redott-Stewart House at 52 King Street/US Hwy 11 in Shippensburg.  This large stone home, also known as the Shippen House, was built ca. 1784 by the Redott family...or was it?  Other sources state that the oldest section of the house was built ca. 1750 by Edward Shippen III. In the early 1800s, it was purchased by Dr. Alexander Stewart.  Today, it is the home of the Shippensburg Historical Society and Museum.  

In addition to the early history of Shippensburg and the surrounding area, the Society possesses one of the largest collections of memorabilia from the Depression Era's Works Progress Administration.  The collection dates from 1935 to 1941.  To learn more about the Historical Society, go to https://www.shippensburghistoricalsociety.org/about.

In July of 1730, twelve Scotch-Irish families arrived in the area and built cabins along nearby Burd Run (creek).  The settlement received its name from from Edward Shippen, who had obtained the patent to the land from William Penn's heirs.  In 1750, Shippensburg was named as the first county seat for Cumberland County.  Of interest is the fact that one of Shippen's daughters married Benedict Arnold...a traitor to the American Revolution.

                            

Our next stop along the way was at the campus of Wilson College in Chambersburg Pennsylvania.  The small and attractive building at the right of this photo is called "Harmony Cottage".  It was built in 1897 to serve as a professor's home.  The college's organist lived here during that time period and into the early 1900s.  It was briefly converted into a dormitory in 1926.  In 1929, the cottage was 'pivoted' to face the road in order to make room for that larger structure.  It's Warfield Hall and it was completed in 1930.  As regards the cottage, it now serves as the college's Office of Marketing and Communications.

Wilson College itself, with it's 300-acre campus, is a Historic District that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Wilson College was established by the Presbyterian Church back in 1869.  It was a women's college, one of the first to accept only female students, until it became fully coeducational in 2014.  It was originally named Wilson Female College.  In 1870, the college's promotional material stated that it was a place for women "to be leaders, not followers, in society".

This is the Joshua W. Sharpe House.  This handsome Queen Anne style home was built in 1887 and it was purchased by Wilson College in 1942.  As part of the College, is has served as faculty and student apartments, a faculty club, classroom, meeting space as well as for WWII relief work and related studies.  From 1998 - 2000 it served the Wilson College's Women with Children Program.  Subsequently, it was remodeled and it now serves as the home of the college's President.

In 1982, Wilson began offering a continuing studies program (now known as the Adult Degree Program) to meet the needs of adults seeking post-secondary education. In 1996, the college was one of the first in the nation to offer on-campus residential housing for single mothers living with children.  Co-educational - men as of 2014.  Wilson College currently has about 1,620 students.  You can learn more at https//:www.wilson.edu/.

This large home with the covered auto/carriage portico and that amazing porch is located close to the Sharpe House as described above.  I suspect that this home is used by the College, faculty or alumnus but I wasn't able to find anything about it.  I just liked it!

Moving further south on US Hwy 11, as we neared the Maryland State Line, we stopped at Greencastle Pennsylvania.  The "Greencastle High Line" railway depot was built by the Cumberland Valley Railroad in 1909.  It served passenger trains running between Hagerstown Maryland and Harrisburg Pennsylvania, but declining usage with advent of increased travel via automobiles after WWII, passenger service was halted.  The postcard shown above is from 1952.  To learn more about the Cumberland Valley Railroad, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumberland_Valley_Railroad.

The High Line Train Station was named for it's elevated rails.  Many decades after the end of passenger service, the old depot still serves the community by promoting youth leadership.  As a matter of fact, the depot is now managed by the Greencastle Area Youth Foundation.  The Youth Foundation is a non-profit whose goals are to maintain the historical integrity of the Station, preserving its and the railroad's heritage, while providing a meeting place for area youth organizations...and at the same time, promoting local arts.  

The Greencastle Area Youth Foundation has made significant repairs to the building while establishing several displays designed to preserve the area's railroad history.  Web cams have been installed over the tracks so railfans can watch passing trains online and displays have been mounted for visiting railfans to safely monitor ongoing rail traffic.  Learn more at https://www.mightycause.com/organization/Greencastle-Area-Youth-Foundation.

One last stop in Pennsylvania before lunch... The B-Street Restaurant and Pub is located in the old McLaughlin Hotel in downtown Greencastle Pennsylvania.  The hotel was completed and opened for business in 1905.  The site has had a continuously operating restaurant since the late 1700s.  I was unable to determine what the upper floors of the old hotel are being used for now.  To learn more about the B-Street Restaurant and Pub, you can go to https//:bstreet104.com/.

No...we didn't have lunch at the B-Street Restaurant and Pub.  We'd determined that a local 'diner-style' restaurant was close by so we stopped for our lunch time repast at Home Style Family Restaurant which is located at 26 North Antrim Way in Greencastle Pennsylvania.  it was after the lunch hour so it wasn't busy when we arrived.  

We kept lunch simple... Laurie ordered a Patty Melt (burger, cheese and sauteed onion on grilled rye bread), accompanied by some potato chips.  She was happy with her choice.

I wasn't very adventuresome either but my sandwich was a little different than I expected.  I ordered the pork tenderloin sandwich...and where we come from that means a hunk of pork, breaded and fried on a bun.  My sandwich was indeed pork tenderloin but it was either grilled or fried...no breading.  Despite the surprise version of a pork tenderloin sandwich, it was very nice, not overcooked and still juicy.  Without those potato chips, it might have been a healthy meal.

The Home Style Family Restaurant in Greencastle Pennsylvania is open from 6 AM until 8 PM 6 days a week and from 7 AM until 2 PM on Sunday.  Note: 787 Google reviews give this restaurant a rating of 4.6 out of 5.0 possible points.  Check it out at https://www.facebook.com/homestylefamilyrestaurant/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them... Next, non-stop through a bit of  Maryland and on into Virginia!

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Historic Structures - Corning New York and Towanda Pennsylvania

Following our tour of The Rockwell Museum in Corning, we drove around some nearby streets and took a few photos of interesting buildings before heading southeast back toward Pennsylvania.   

The first photo is on a postcard dated 1911.  This 2 1/2 story brick building used to be the home of the Corning City Club.  It was built in 1897 in a style that combined Colonial Revival and Classical Revival elements.  Following a fire in 1926 that heavily damaged the building it was decided that it should be made into a memorial to Corning natives who lost their lives in World War I.  The Corning City Club moved to a local hotel.  At the same time, the town's library, which was located on the upper floor of the City Hall building required more space.  So the two needs were combined.  The building opened to the public on Memorial Day in 1930.

The library remained here until 1975 when it was moved to the new civic center plaza.  Today this striking structure has been once again transformed...this time into apartments.

The First Presbyterian Church, located at 1 East First Street, was built using local stone in 1867 after the Civil War.  It is the oldest church building in use in Corning.  Its congregation was organized way back in 1811.  This church was built diagonally across the street from the previous church and it cost $36,000.  The church bell came from the old church, having been cast in West Troy New York in 1845.  It still serves this 'new' church, having chimed for 190 years in 2025.

This very eye-catching home's style is referred to as a 'cottage'...or the Rural Gothic Style.  This facade, which is on First Street features some Gothic Revival stylings.  Located at 155 Cedar Street, it was built for the Drake family shortly after the Civil War.  After it was damaged by arson in the 1990s, it was extensively renovated and incorporated into the 171 Cedar Arts Center Campus.  The north end of the first floor now houses the Center's Houghton Art Gallery.  To learn more about the Cedar Arts Center, go to https://171cedararts.org/.

This Corning neighborhood is home to the Southside Historic District as registered with the National Register of Historic Places.  The district includes 624 contributing buildings and the area is predominantly residential.  The area developed after 1835 and includes a mix of Federal, Greek Revival and Victorian architecture.

This is Christ Episcopal Church.  The 400-seat church is early English Gothic in style...representative of many early Episcopal Churches.  The structure was completed in 1895 after an earlier structure (1853) was burned down in 1889.  The tower bell was cast in Troy New York in 1871.  It was salvaged from the fire at the church that burned down...so at 154 years old it's young compared to the 190 year old bell at the Presbyterian Church.  

Adding to the beauty of Christ Episcopal Church are almost 85 stained glass windows that are installed in the sanctuary.  Most of the older ones were produced by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company or the J. & R. Lamb Studios.

Shown above, the "Resurrection window" on the south wall was installed by Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company in July of 1895.  It depicts the four gospel versions of the Resurrection in the magnificent colors of Tiffany glass.

There are several other historic churches in Corning but I only took photos of the ones that were along our route in this neighborhood.  This is the First United Methodist Church at 144 Cedar Street.  This impressive and massive Richardson Romanesque church building was completed in 1894 after two years of construction.  Note that striking rose window...a sextet...at the center of the facade.  This is the third building to house the congregation...which was founded in 1839.  The church was designed to be able to accommodate/seat 1,000 parishioners.  With it's massive foundation, red brick and terra cotta walls, the multitude of windows and columns, combined with the green roof, this church is grabs one's attention from a distance.

To view several photos of the interior of all three churches that I photographed, you can go to https://corningarchitecture.com/corning-architecture-blog/inside-corning-s-churches-a-brief-overview-of-u-s-church-architecture.

This large structure at 10 West First Street in Corning was built in 1903 after a design by John Foster Warner.  Interestingly, at least to me, is the fact that Warner's father had designed the Corning City Hall...now the Rockwell Museum.  The above pictured structure served as the Steuben County Courthouse...and later the Division of Motor Vehicles offices.  But in 2023, the county completely vacated the property and sold it to a developer who intends to transform it into an apartment building as a part of the of the "Restore New York Program" housing efforts.

Leaving Corning, we headed east via NY Hwy 17, turning south on US Hwy 220 at the Pennsylvania State Line.  Nice roads and not much traffic on a beautiful day!

Our next stop was in Towanda Pennsylvania.  Towanda is the county seat for Bradford County, hence the courthouse shown in the above photo.  This 4-story, cruciform shaped building with its 50 foot diameter octagonal dome, displays both Classical Revival and Renaissance Revival design influences.  The tall monument at the right of the photo was erected in 1901, (another source said 1905), in memory of the soldiers and sailors of Bradford County who defended their country in the War of the Rebellion/Civil War, 1861 to 1865.  The courthouse underwent significant repairs through 2018.

Towanda is located on the Susquehanna River.  Towanda means "burial ground" in the Algonquian language.  The town was settled in 1784 and it became the county seat in 1812.  It was once known for its industry, including flour milling, silk mills, a foundry and machine shop, dye works, manufacturers of 'talking machines', cut glass, toys and furniture.  In 1900 the city had 4,663 residents but today the estimated number of citizens only totals about 2,910.

This depot was built by the Susquehanna and New York Railroad in 1922.  This depot was built with steel lath covered with stucco.  Today it is the office of T (Trowbridge) and Company, a wealth management/investment firm.  Previous occupants have included an art studio, a tax preparation office and a travel agency.  

Back in the day when it was operational as a depot, it had three rooms: ticket office, freight room and a passenger waiting room.  The building was "city steam heated and electric lighted".  In addition, the Postal Telegraph Cable Company also had an office here.

This old freight depot is right across the street, (to the left behind the vehicles and along the tracks), from the former Susquehanna and New York depot.  Rail traffic was critical to the development and growth of Towanda.  The first train arrived in town in September of 1869 and in the 1870s about 6 passenger, 4 freight and 9 coal trains arrived and departed from Towanda each way every day.

The Lehigh Valley Railroad build this freight depot in 1884 as its headquarters.  Subsequently it was used as a station by several rail lines, including Barclay, Lehigh Valley, State Line and Sullivan and the Susquehanna and New York railroads.  The north side of the building housed the station agent, train dispatcher and the Western Union operator.  The freight room as in the rear of the building.

The last railroad to use this trackage was the Towanda Monroeton Shippers Lifeline, a short line railroad that operated on about 6 miles of trackage.  It existed almost exclusively to serve the Wayne Feed Facility in Monroeton.  Today the old depot is home to a chiropractor's office and the Bradford County Tourism Promotion Agency.  The trackage is currently owned by the Reading and Blue Mountain Northern Railroad.

We took the top photo of this old diner in Towanda back in the first week of October.  It was closed and looked neglected.  Note the leaded glass windows.  The Red Rose diner was built by Tierney Dining Cars in 1927.  Tierney Dining Cars' origins can be traced back to 1895 when the company's founder began building truck-based cars modeled after railroad dining cars.  The business evolved and it resulted in the manufacturing of prefabricated diners.  

The Red Rose Diner was brought to Towanda in 2003, and it had 3 owners/operators over the years, but by the time we saw the diner, it had been vacant since 2017.  The good news is that new owners have reopened the diner effective December 2, 2024!  Check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RedRose1927/.

Originally Hale's Opera House, and now the Keystone Theatre, Elias Hale first opened the theater's doors for its first public performance in September of 1887.  The Hale's owned the theatre until 1908.  In 1908, the new owners renamed it the Keystone Opera House.  When the next owner purchased the building, and the proliferation of motion pictures, he renamed it the Keystone Theatre.  The theatre has served Towanda with movies, live performances and community events for 137 years!

Today the theater is owned and operated by the Bradford County Regional Arts Council.  It still offers a wide variety of entertainment including live performances and commercial movies.  You can learn more by going to https://www.bradfordcountymovies.com/keystone-theatre.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by and following along on our road trip!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave