Dinner...Overnight and Then What?

...continuing with our October 2024 road trip west through Tennessee and then continuing north to Pennsylvania and then back down through Virginia...

We overnighted at the Hampton Inn in Mansfield Pennsylvania for two nights.  End of the first day and it was time for dinner.

We decided on a local dining option on this occasion...and this is Papa V's Pizzeria and Restaurant at 12 North Main Street in Mansfield.  As you can see, the decor is the basic old time small town style.  Simple...but how was the food?

My entree came with a nice side salad with mixed greens, tomato, croutons and shredded mozzarella cheese...Italian dressing on the side.  I'm not supposed to eat many greens but I yielded to temptation in this case.

We are rarely able to resist Garlic Bread with Cheese...in this case accompanied with Homemade Marinara Sauce. ($7.50) There was plenty of it and, much to our liking, they weren't afraid of applying the garlic!  Very nice indeed...

Counting the Chicken Wings, there are 12 appetizers on the menu, many of them ones you might expect.  Ones that were a little different included the Breaded Fried Mushrooms, Mac 'n Cheese Bites and the Jalapeno Poppers.  Of special note was the truly unusual item...Pierogies - Cheesy potato dumplings with caramelized onions served with sour cream.

After all that Garlic Cheese Bread, Laurie decided to have a salad as her entree.  This was her Caesar Salad with Fried Chicken. ($11.00) She did enjoy it, with the chicken helping to satisfy her taste buds.  

There are 9 salads on the Menu at Papa V's.  These include an Antipasto Salad, the Fiery Chicken Salad and the New York Strip Steak Salad. (I was surprised that Laurie didn't order the Antipasto Salad) The most unusual salad on the menu was the Pittsburgh Steak Salad.  It consists of mixed greens, chopped steak, tomato, grilled onions, banana pepper, green pepper, sweet pepper, black olives, pickles, mushrooms, mozzarella cheese and...wait for it...beer battered French fries.  Rolaids needed for sure!

For my dinner, I ordered the Cajun Alfredo Pasta. ($21.00 side salad included) There were a generous number of shrimp with the pasta and the homemade Alfredo sauce was very tasty. 

As for the rest of the menu, there were 9 other pasta dishes offered.  Plus there are burgers, subs, cheesesteaks, sandwiches/wraps, paninis, pizzas, calzones, strombolis plus sides and desserts.  It was a much more extensive menu than we would have expected. 

Papa V's Pizzeria and Restaurant in Mansfield Pennsylvania is open daily for lunch and dinner.  Phone: 570-662-2651.  Their website is found at https://www.papavpizzeria.com/. 

While in Mansfield we also stopped for coffee and a pastry at Conspiracy Coffee, Cafe and Bakery at 11 West Wellsboro Street.  We had a couple of house brews, a scone, a biscotti and Laurie bought a bag of their coffee to take home.  Good coffee!  They are on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/ConspiracyCoffeeCo/.

A lack of thorough research and a lack of interesting shops led to the realization on our second day that we didn't have a plan... So, as I am wont to do, I picked up the road map and, after a quick look and a check of the Internet, we headed north from Mansfield on US Hwy 15...destination Corning New York! 

Many years ago, Laurie and I had visited Corning New York and we had toured the Corning Museum of Glass.  It was a great museum and I'm sure it's been enhanced since our last visit.  Website: https://home.cmog.org/.

But we had never visited The Rockwell Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian.  The museum, which is shown above, is housed in Corning's former City Hall.  It was built in 1893 in the Richardson Romanesque style, which combines both Gothic and Romanesque influences.  In 1893 the building was home to a fire station (until 1974), the city clerk, police department, city court and the jail.  It housed the city council chambers, public health department and dentist offices until 1972.  In addition the third floor included a public library and youth center.  The building was renovated and reopened as The Rockwell Museum in 1982.  

As you can see, at least one segment of the facade has been 'slightly' modified with the addition of that Bison sculpture.  In keeping with the museum's original benefactor's collections, it was created by artist Tom Gardner in 1999 and it's titled "Artemus the Bison".

Now onto some of the artwork presented at the Rockwell Museum...

This painting is by Newell Convers (N.C.) Wyeth, an American painter and illustrator. (1882 - 1945) He became one of America's best known illustrators, providing images for 112 books and creating more than 3,000 paintings.  His career took off in 1911 with the illustrations he created for Robert Lewis Stevenson's novel, "Treasure Island".  N.C. Wyeth was also the father of artist Andrew Wyeth and the grandfather of artist Jamie Wyeth.

This particular painting was completed in 1921 and rather than providing a title per se, Wyeth wrote the following: "If the woman in the wagon was scared to death at the sight of the prairie, I surely had cause to be afraid, but I was not.  I was uplifted".

Simply titled, "Landscape with Cows", this painting was completed in the late 1800s by Susan C. Waters. (1823 - 1900) Waters' early career in New York and Pennsylvania focused on portraits...the family 'photos' of the time.  Her husband was sickly and she became the primary breadwinner.  After moving to Bordentown New Jersey in 1866, and having earned the funds to allow variation in her work, she specialized in paintings of animals and an occasional still life.

A little history regarding The Rockwell Museum.  The 'foundational' works of the collection were gifted by Bob and Hertha Rockwell who operated a popular department store in Corning.  The Rockwell's amassed a significant collection of fine American art.  They honed their taste for fine art through study, travel and collecting...primarily in the American West.  Initially they displayed their collection in their department store.  They wanted to share their passion with the community and, with the assistance of executives from Corning Glass Works, the Rockwell's collection was transformed into a public museum.

This bronze sculpture was created in 1914 by Cyrus Edwin Dallin. (1861 - 1944) It is titled "On the Warpath".  Dallin was a sculptor best known for his depictions of Native Americans.  However, among his 260 works, he also completed the "Equestrian Statue of Paul Revere" in Boston and the "Angel Moroni" atop the Mormon Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City Utah.  Interestingly, Dallin had left the Mormon Church many years earlier but he still got the commission.  His most famous statues...or given their size...monuments, include "Appeal to the Great Spirit" in Boston and "A Signal of Peace" in Chicago.

As creative and prolific as Dallin was, he was also an Olympian.  In the 1904 Olympics staged in St. Louis Missouri, Dallin won a Bronze Metal in Archery.

This massive action packed painting measures 6.5 feet tall and 10.5 feet wide.  Titled "The Buffalo Hunt", it was painted by William Robinson Leigh. (1866 - 1955) Leigh was known for his paintings  of western scenes and he created illustrations for Scribner's and Collier's magazines among others.  The Santa Fe Railroad sent him west where he painted the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone Park.  When he died, his widow gave his New York studio to the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa Oklahoma.  

The Gilcrease Museum is home to the world's largest, most comprehensive collection of art of the American West. (Another road trip destination!) Note: The Gilcrease Museum owns 18 of the 22 bronze sculptures that were created by Frederic Remington.

In a future posting, I'll feature more of the art objects on display at The Rockwell Museum in Corning New York.  In the meantime, here is the museum's website: https://rockwellmuseum.org/.  Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by to follow along on our 2024 road trip!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Wellsboro Pennsylvania

...continuing with our October road trip through parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and Virginia.  Our next stop was Wellsboro Pennsylvania.  It had been highly touted in the on-line 'travel-verse' as one of the best small towns to visit in the state. 

The Penn-Wells Hotel opened for business in 1870, although it was initially knows as the Cone House after the owner's name.  A.P. Cone actually built his hotel on the site of a previous hotel that had burned down in 1866.  Next it became the "Holiday Inn" as it was owned and operated by a fellow named B.B. Holiday.  Then it became the Parkhurst House and finally Coles House.  A fire in 1906 destroyed the 3rd and 4th floors.  

The hotel was reborn as the Penn-Wells in the mid-1920s as the area welcomed an increasing number of leisure travelers.  Elements of the structure from 1869 have been preserved and the old time elegance of the interior includes 1920s era finishings and decor.  Note the American flag in the second photo above.  It was created for a Corning Glass Works Christmas party in 1946 with the end of WWII.  It's made up with 1,438 glass Christmas ornaments.  To learn more about the Penn-Wells Hotel and it's sister Lodge, go to https://www.pennwells.com/.

This two-story red brick building in downtown was constructed in 1880.  It is part of the Wellsboro Historic District as list on the National Register of Historic Places.  The Historic District covers 360-acres and it includes 531 contributing buildings, 3 contributing sites and 4 contributing objects.  The properties include commercial structures, churches, residential areas, a park and 2 historic cemeteries.  As happens all to frequently, the paper work that was submitted to qualify the area for the National Register has never been input into the tracking NRHP system so detail is hard to come by...

Historically, in the early 1900s, Wellsboro was a shipping point and trade center for a large area.  It had fruit evaporators, flour and woolen mills, a milk-condensing plant, marble works, saw mills, a foundry, machine shops and manufacturing companies producing cut glass, chemicals, rugs, bolts, cigars, carriages and furniture.  In 1900, there were 2,945 residents and in 1910 there were 3,183.  Today the town is home to about 3,458 people.

Note: The biggest attraction in the area is the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania.  Officially Pine Creek Gorge is a 47 mile long gorge carved into the Allegheny Plateau by Pine Creek.  It's deepest point is 1,440 feet from the rim and the rim to rim distance is about 4,000 feet.  To learn more, just go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Creek_Gorge.  We skipped it due to my Afib issues and the walking entailed...

The Wellsboro Diner remains unchanged from the time it opened in April of 1939 at the town's busiest intersection.  This is a Sterling Diner (#388 - eighth one built in 1938 by J.D. Judkins Co. from Massachusetts.  It was originally named Schanacker's Diner.  I borrowed the interior photo from the Internet.  Located at 19 Main Street, the diner has a stainless steel exterior, a low-arched roof and pale green porcelain walls.  The owners changed the diner's name to Wellsboro Diner in the 1960s.  It wasn't time to eat yet, so we didn't sample their diner fare... The Diner is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/p/Wellsboro-Diner-100089417522142/.

I didn't find much information about this handsome United Methodist Church at 36 Main Street in Wellsboro.  The Gothic Revival style structure replaced an older Methodist Church in 1905 at the same location.  The previous building had been deemed unsafe for use in 1900.   The entrance to the church features a lintel stone from the Old Rectory in Epworth, Lincolnshire England...the original home of the Wesley family.

As in Ridgway Pennsylvania, Laurie was a bit disappointed with the number and quality of shopping opportunities in Wellsboro.  Still, she managed to find a couple of promising shops to peruse.  This Victorian style home at 15 Main Street offers two floors of antiques, collectables, gifts and home decor possibilities.  Learn more at https://www.facebook.com/p/Karens-Country-Store-100050564600457/.

When Wellsboro's Arcadia Theatre opened in December of 1921, it had one screen and it could seat 900 patrons.  The first film was of course a silent movie entitled "The Old Nest".  Having been built to show silent films, the theatre was equipped to provide the musical equipment needed...an organ, a piano and even an orchestra box.  In 1929, the Arcadia became one of the first theater in the northern states to start showing "talkies".

In 1987, the Wellsboro Hotel Company, owner of the Penn-Wells Hotel and Lodge, purchased the theatre.  With the success of television, the theatre's attendance and it's condition declined. However, in 1996, the theatre was completely renovated.  In March of 1997, it reopened as a state of the art 4 screen cinema...while preserving that classic old-time theatre feeling.  Special features now include "Dinner and a Movie" and live theatrical shows have been added and the theatre is prospering... Learn more at https://arcadiawellsboro.com/.

The Tioga County Courthouse, or at least the core building, was completed in 1835.  The architectural embellishments evident today came along much later.  For nearly a century, this courthouse was a trim but modest Federal-style 'block' built with dressed local sandstone.  By the 1920s local politicians decided that they wanted a more distinctive structure to represent the county.  Consequently, a Scranton Pennsylvania based architect replaced the two-over-two windows with nine-over nine windows.  He also added a rear wing, added a Federal-style entrance with the fan-light window and he erected the Corinthian portico with those impressive columns.  Further expansions have added to the original structure as the county's needs increased.

This red brick building at 114 Main Street is the former Tioga County Sheriff's residence.  It was built in 1860 at a cost of $10,000.  Later, until 1985, it served as the County Jail.  The structure is now the home of "Develop Tioga", "Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce", and "Growth Resources of Wellsboro".  Unfortunately I didn't capture a picture of the elm tree in at the front of the building.  It is one of the largest in existence and has been growing since sometime in the 1700s.

This is Wellsboro's "Green Free Library".  As you can see, it is not your typical small town (or large town) library!  The library was the former home of a wealthy lumber baron and banker.  It was built in 1855.  The home was remodeled by the owner's daughter in 1898 and it was named "Chester Place".  The woodwork is top notch.  Note the classic grandfather clock in the corner.  The former home also features a marble fireplace and a Tiffany window.

In 1910, citizens of Wellsboro organized a group to raise money to open a public library.  In 1911, Charles S. Green, a wealthy local lumberman bequeathed $50,000 for the incorporation of a "Green Free Library" in Wellsboro.  The owner and her heirs donated the home to the Green Free Library in 1916.  After some remodeling, the Green Free Library moved from its temporary location in a vacant storefront to "Chester Place", which opened in 1917.  Learn more at https://greenfreelibrary.org/.

The Jesse Robinson House or Manor at 141 Main Street in Wellsboro is a three-story Queen Anne style home that was built in 1888.  It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  This 5,342 square foot home, located on a half acre of land features stained glass windows and two prominent balconies.  In the past it has served as a hospital as well as home for several owners.  Currently it serves as a residence and dentist office.

This eye-catching Italianate home at 140 Main Street in Wellsboro was built ca 1850.  It's known as the "Lincoln Door House".  That red front door of the residence is purported to have been a gift from Abraham Lincoln to Dr. and Mrs. J.H. Shearer when they purchased the home in 1858.  Allegedly the door came from a building in Springfield Illinois.  It is well documented that the Shearers were close friends with Lincoln when they lived in Springfield.  While no one has been able to document the door's origins, it certainly may be a true story...

Laurie would have loved to browse through this shop at 6 East Avenue in Wellsboro!  She's always been interested in the possibilities of the supernatural.  Unfortunately, "Enchanted Hollow" was closed when we stopped by. (Probably fortunate for my wallet!) In any case, Enchanted Hollow sells, crystals, oils, incense or witch balls and they say that they have "your Faery, Witchy and Angel needs all covered".  You can check this store out at http://www.enchanted-hollow.com/.

As we rolled east out of Wellsboro toward Mansfield Pennsylvania, Laurie got lucky when we spotted The Farmer's Daughters Antiques and Gifts shop along US Hwy 6.  They offer lodge and cabin decor, antiques, re-purposed furniture, unique lighting and (unfortunately for me) candles...as well as a year-round Christmas room.  After helping the local economy at Farmer's Daughters, we headed down our final stretch of highway to our overnight stay in Mansfield.  For more about this shop, go to https://www.thefarmersdaughtersshop.com/.  

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

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Heading East Across North Central Pennsylvania...

 ...continuing with our October road trip, after leaving Ridgway Pennsylvania, we followed US Hwy 219 north and then picked up US Hwy 6 toward Wellsboro and Mansfield.  Of course we were bound to come across some history and architecture along the way.

                          

The next town that we came to that grabbed my attention was Smethport Pennsylvania.  William Halsey Wood, who is well known for designing dozens of churches across the USA and even in China, designed this spectacular church.  Saint Luke's Episcopal Church was designed with the 14th Century English Gothic style in mind.  This church was completed in 1892 and it has survived in near pristine condition.

St. Luke's Gothic ornate design continues inside the church as well.  This is a view from the area of the altar toward the front entrance.

This view of St. Luke's church from a postcard sent in 1907 shows the scope of the entire complex.

To learn more about William Halsey Wood and his spectacular church designs, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Halsey_Wood.

                         

This very imposing structure is the McKean County Courthouse in Smethport Pennsylvania.  It isn't as old as it first appears.  Courthouses in McKean County have had a tough time.  This is the fourth courthouse in the county.  With its six Ionic columns and that cupola, it was completed in 1942.  Its only a little over 60 years old.

 

The first courthouse in the county was built in 1826 and then it was replaced by a larger structure in 1851.  In 1880 it was decided that a larger structure was needed and the third courthouse was completed in 1881.  It lasted for almost 60 years but then it was destroyed by a fire in 1940.  Fortunately most of the McKean County records were saved.  That ill-fated third courthouse is shown above in photos I found on the Internet...before and after.  

Dutch land investors founded Smethport in 1807.  They'd purchased a large tract of land from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  The town was named in honor of a Dutch banking family, the De Smeths, who had financed the land investments.  The lowest temperature ever recorded in Pennsylvania was at Smethport in January of 1904.  It got down to -42F.  In July of 1942, a storm produced over 30 inches of rain in less than 5 hours.

                             

Moving east along US Hwy 6, the next town we stopped to take a look at was Coudersport Pennsylvania.  This is the former Coudersport and Port Allegany Railroad Depot.  This short line railroad operated in Potter and McKean Counties between 1882 and 1964.  Originally a 3 foot narrow gauge railroad, it was converted to standard gauge (4 feet 8.5 inches) in 1889.  The railroad prospered with a lumber boom that ended in the early 1900s.  It was purchased by the Wellsville, Addison and Galeton Railroad in 1964 but the line was eventually abandoned in 1970.

The Coudersport and Port Allegany Railroad began construction on their new brick and sandstone depot in Coudersport in 1899, opening it for business in January 1900.  The population of Coudersport more than doubled from 1890 to 1900, increasing from 1,525 to 3,217.  The estimated population in 2021 was 2,351.  The completion of this handsome red brick station in 1900 was a much-heralded event.

Coudersport purchased the station in 1975 and then they restored it.  It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.  It currently serves as the police station and as an office building for local government.  It is the only remaining building left from the Coudersport and Port Allegany Railroad.

The passenger rail car shown above is located at the Coudersport Arboretum which is adjacent to the old Coudersport railway depot.  The local Lions Club purchased the rail car from the former Knox and Kane Railroad, saving it from the scrap heap.  That railroad was a short line railway that went from a freight transfer function to a freight and tourist line...eventually closing altogether.  The passenger car was probably a Long Island Railroad commuter car.  The Arboretum also features an old caboose and it serves as a music venue as well.  Learn more at https://www.facebook.com/people/Coudersport-Arboretum-Association/100071173741302/.

One tourist attraction of note in Coudersport is the Eliot Ness Museum.  Celebrating the career of Ness, the famous American Prohibition Agent who assembled a team labeled the "Untouchables" by the press.  Ness and his team went after Al Capone and his bootlegging operations in the Midwest.  

The museum, located in 2 buildings, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, features antique cars and trucks as well as many exhibits that are designed to learn about the historic allure surrounding Eliot Ness and his team.  The structures were built after a devastating fire that destroyed much of downtown Coudersport in 1880. The building at the right apparently originally served as a hardware store.  To learn more about the museum, go to 

https://www.eliotnessmuseum.org/.

Eliot Ness was born in Chicago and he graduated from the University of Chicago.  So, what was his connection with Coudersport Pennsylvania?  To make a long story short, after 1951, in order to make a living, he worked as a bookstore clerk, and a wholesaler...of electronics parts and frozen hamburger patties.  In 1956, accompanied by his 3rd wife, he went to work for a startup company in Coudersport that supposedly had developed a new method of Watermarking official documents to prevent counterfeiting.  The company had misrepresented its 'process' and Ness spent much of his free time in a local bar recounting stories from his law enforcement career.  He was nearly penniless when he died.  Learn more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliot_Ness.

The old Potter County Jail in Coudersport Pennsylvania is brutal looking but by the standards of the time when it was built, its a straight-forward building lacking the embellishments many such structures had at the time.   Missing are the 'battlements and Gothic 'decor' that were so popular.  This jail was built ca. 1835.

The local community had been so angry over the cost of the new courthouse that apparently the jail was built from stone that was salvaged from the old courthouse.  The 20 foot high walls of the exercise yards on both sides of the jail were constructed with a greenish hued stone.  I was unable to discover what the old jail is being used for as it has been replaced with a modern facility.

The Potter County Courthouse is referred to locally as the "jewel of Coudersport".  The lower two floors of the building were designed in the Greek Revival style and they were completed in 1853.  The gabled upper portion is quite picturesque and it was added in 1888.  The statue of Justice is quite unusual in that she lacks the the traditional blindfold.  A copy of the original statue tops the structure while the original is on display inside the courthouse.  Between 1933 and 1934, the Depression Era Civil Works Administration strengthened the foundation and excavated the basement to create more office space.

The Coudersport Historic District encompassed 73 contribution buildings.  Most of them were built soon after the 1880 fire that destroyed most of the commercial district.  The fire was driven by high winds and it threatened the courthouse too.  As a result of the fire, new building codes required that commercial structures had to be constructed using bricks.  The fire took place on May 18, 1880.  By July 27th, a local brick factory was up and running, capable of producing 10,000 bricks a day.

The first building shown above is home to a couple of quasi governmental operations, the Potter County Domestic Relations office and the Chamber of Commerce/Artisan's Center.  In the middle one can shop at "Always in Bloom", a flower and gift shop.

The second building above is occupied by Cornerstone Abstract and Settlement as well as Acker and Larson P.C., Attorneys.  A Masonic symbol adorns the top of the building.  Apparently, this structure served as a Masonic Temple until the early 1900s when the Coudersport Consistory became a key center for Masons in Pennsylvania.  The Consistory has over 3,000 members as compared to the population of Coudersport with an estimated population of 2,351.  

FYI, Coudersport was named for Jean Samuel Coudere, a Dutch banker who loaned money to the Ceres Land Company of Philadelphia for their Pennsylvania land acquisitions.  Ceres also donated the land that the city was built on.  Lumbering was the dominant industry in the area for over 100 years.

                              

Following our stop in Coudersport, we continued our drive east along US Hwy 6 toward Wellsboro and our 2-night layover at Mansfield.  There was plenty of fine scenery along our route, although I could have done without that Quality Inn sign way off in the deep center of the second photo…

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Headed North in Pennsylvania

This post brings us back, continuing our road trip from early October 2024.  We left the Johnstown Pennsylvania area and headed north on US Hwy 219 toward Ridgway Pennsylvania.  Along the way we hoped to discover a number of places of interest as well as some pleasant fall scenery.

At first our views of the scenery along the route were severely masked.  But the fog didn't last too long.

Ebensburg Pennsylvania isn't very far north of Johnstown but by the time we rolled through town, we had nothing but blue skies. 

The photo shown above shows the Cambria County prison/jail in Ebensburg.  Built in 1872, the Gothic Revival style sandstone building is 56 feet wide, 100 feet deep and 60 feet tall.  An additional cell block was built in 1910. The facility is surrounded by a sturdy stone wall that is 22 feet high.  When it was built, critics from nearby Johnstown ridiculed it, calling it a "Welsh castle", a putdown due to Ebensburg's Welsh roots.  Overcrowding was a big problem for many years.  As many as 123 men were confined in only 27 cells.  The new prison block added 52 more cells.  The "Old Stone Jail" was abandoned in 1997 and it served as a records center for a period of time.  

Convicted in 1884 for killing a man in Johnstown, "Smitty" Smith was set to be hung.  But after leaving a farewell letter to the warden, he escaped without a trace.  The escape was considered impossible and no trace of "Smitty" was ever found.  Early on, 11 men were hung or executed within the jail.  Citizens could buy a ticket to watch people get hung... Reports of hauntings still draw tourists to the facility and the local historical society gives tours.

The A.W. Buck House in Ebensburg was built in 1889.  It is a 'high style' Queen Anne style home.  The two-story wing with the tower was built in 1903.  The two level porch is unusual as is the 3-story 8-sided tower.  Built as a private residence, in 1923 the structure was purchased by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown as a convent for the Sisters of St. Joseph.  In 1990 it was sold to the Cambria County Historical Society and today it serves as a museum for local history.

The original owner of the Buck House was Anicetus William Buck.  Born in 1858, he was successful in the banking business...becoming one of the youngest bank cashiers in Pennsylvania.  In the late 1880s, Buck decided that his family required a home that matched his great success and status in the county.  He chose a "catalogue house", that is he bought the blueprints and some of the key decor items from a catalogue and had everything shipped to Ebensburg to be built.  As shown above, the design and key design elements were purchased from Shoppell's Modern Houses Catalogue.  While I knew of the 'kit built' home sold by Montgomery Ward and Sears, this is a twist I was unaware of... A book was published with the illustrated designs.  No surprise, it can be found at Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Shoppells-Modern-Houses-1887-Donald/dp/093721406X.

This imposing structure is the Cambria County Courthouse in Ebensburg Pennsylvania.  This 3 1/2 story brick building was completed in 1881.  The design...with it mansard roof...is in the Second Empire style.  A renovation in 1923 added an elevator and a glass dome which connects 3 'new' wings, now over 100 years old themselves.  Courtroom #1 is one of the largest courtrooms in the United States, with 500 seats.

As we rolled on north on US Hwy 219 from Ebensburg, the scenery, as enhanced by the fall colors, was very pleasant.  The lack of traffic also contributed to our enjoyment as we drove along...

Continuing up US Hwy 219 we drove through the little town of Burnside Pennsylvania and I stopped to take a photo of the old railway depot.  The second photo was borrowed from the Internet.  Credit to those who have put a new roof on the structure to preserve it from the elements.  It is owned by the Borough of Burnside and attempts are apparently underway to have it added to the National Register of Historic Places and to obtain funding for a complete restoration.

The rail line is referred to at the Beech Creek Extension.  It included the Canoe Creek Railroad and the Clearfield Southern Railroad and later in it's history, all of it was absorbed by the New York Central Railroad.  I couldn't find any information regarding the completion of this depot or much else either.

In the same locale, I took a photo of this old run-down but interesting house.  I'm guessing that the section at the left was an add-on at some point.  The home itself probably has some stories it could tell.  It has to have been built in the late 1800s.  FYI, the area at Burnside Pennsylvania used to sit on a seriously large coal deposit and lots of jobs at some point.  In 1880, the town had a population of 279, in 1900 there were 657 residents.  Today Burnside is home to about 189 folks.  

Additional scenes along our route north on US 219 in Pennsylvania...

Upon our arrival in Ridgway Pennsylvania, we spent a little time wandering and exploring the downtown area.  The Ridgway Historic District as listed on the National Register of Historic Places included 726 'contributing' buildings.  The District includes both the central business district and nearby residential neighborhoods.  The building shown above, with its architectural detail around the top of the structure, has to have been built ca 1900. 

Its safe to say that Ridgway PA has been the hardest town for research into the previous lives of historic structures.  The National Register has not been input with the details and the submission sheets aren't on line.  I can tell you that the Ling Ling Chinese Restaurant occupies the corner bay of the building...at 201 Main Street... 

Ridgway Pennsylvania is the county seat for Elk County.  This Second Empire Style structure was built in 1880 using native sandstone and brick and a roof of tin and slate.  The original half-ton steel bell still hangs in the bell tower of the court house.

The public square in Ridgway, where the Elk County Courthouse and the jail are located, was originally reserved for that purpose by Jacob Ridgway and James Gillis when the town site was laid out in 1833.  Ridgway, a wealthy Philadelphia shipping merchant, and Gillis, Ridgway's nephew by marriage, founded the town after Gillis convinced Ridgway that investment in the area would be very profitable.  In the early 1800s, Ridgway acquired 40,000 acres in the area...which would later become Elk County.

The Elk County Jail was yet another historic structure that I wasn't able to learn much about.  The cornerstone for the jail was laid in July of 1885, about 5 years after construction of the courthouse was completed.  The jail's architectural appearance was intended to match the courthouse.  I did find a photo of the jail from many years ago but I couldn't copy it for use in this post.  The top of the jail was much more ornate at one point in time...

These two buildings are part of Ridgway's Historic District.  The one on the left was built ca. 1883.  Named the Union Hall, it was built for Fred Schoening and James McGinnis.  Union Hall and the date are shown at the top of the structure and the original owners names are shown just below the peak.  The I.O.O.F. (Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge), and the Kossuth Encampment are located on the 2nd and 3rd floors. 

The Dollar General on the right has moved but for a time it was based in the Grand Central building.  It served as the John L. Larson Company building until it was purchased by three Smith brothers in 1907.  They moved their previous general store/department store to this location.  I was unable to determine when this building was completed but a good guess would be in the mid-1880s, around the time that the Union Hall next door was completed.

This imposing fortress-like structure is the Trinity United Methodist Church in Ridgway.  It's located on South Broad Street, diagonally across the street from the Elk County Jail.  The Methodist Episcopal Church preceded the United Methodist Church in both Ridgway and in this building.  The earlier church group was organized in 1833 and, as per the information near the entrance, this church was built in 1900.  After a merger of two Methodist groups in the 1930s, the United Methodist Church was born.  

As I mentioned earlier, James Gillis had convinced Jacob Ridgway that this area could become a lucrative location for a town.  Originally it was all about lumber.  Loggers could float logs down Elk Creek and the Clarion River to the Allegheny River.  It turned out that coal and natural gas were plentiful as well.  In the past, manufacturers of leather goods, iron, clay, lumber, silk goods, railroad snow plows, dynamos and machine tools were all produced in the town and its surrounding area.  Ridgway's population in 2023 was 3,938.  In 1900, there were 3,515 residents; in 1910 there were 5,408 and; in 1940 6,253 people called Ridgway home.

This handsome structure was the Elk County Bank.  The bank was originally established by a local lumber baron in August of 1864, but the bank itself was a few lots away from this location.  This building at the corner of Main and North Broad Streets replaced that earlier bank location.  It was completed in 1890 and by 1895 it touted it's own underground tunnel connecting to other businesses on Main Street.  In January of 1906, the bank's head cashier retired and he was replaced by Mr. Archie Dean Swift, Taylor Swift's great grandfather.

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The bank closed in 1966 and it served many purposes between that date and 2018.  These businesses included a radio station, sporting goods store, a variety of studios and even an antique store.  In 2018 The Brew Bank Brewing Company purchased and completely remodeled the building.  The 2 original vaults, the marble walls and the woodwork were all restored...maintaining the character of the original bank.

The Brew Bank Brewing Company combined a restaurant and microbrewery into a seamless operation alongside the original bank decor.  In addition, they operate the "Sleepy Man Hotel" above the brewery/restaurant.  Four rooms are available through Airbnb.  To learn more, go to https://thebrewbankco.myshopify.com/.

I do enjoy finding photos or postcards that show what a place or building looked like many years earlier.  The first photo above may show the business district of Ridgway before the big fire that occurred on September 29, 1882.  That fire destroyed the entire north side of Main Street from Mill Street to Broad Street.

As for the postcard, it shows downtown Ridgway Pennsylvania in the mid-1940s.  Cliffe's Drugs, (the white building on the postcard), was founded in the 1890s and it remained in business until the summer of 2023.

To be honest, Ridgway was a bit of a disappointment for Laurie.  On-line information suggested that it was a great place for shoppers with lots of interesting shops and galleries.  We certainly didn't find them.  I'm guessing that the declining population has impacted business... FYI, Ridgway is the home of the Ridgway Chainsaw Carving Rendezvous, the largest chainsaw carving gathering of its kind.  It's held in April each year.  For more information about the 2025 Rendezvous, go to https://www.facebook.com/ChainsawRendezvous/.

The railway station in Ridgway Pennsylvania has been completely restored and it looks great!  The station was built in 1907, the last year that the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad was in existence.  The rail line that the station is on was a part of the Pennsylvania Railroad segment that ran from Erie Pennsylvania to St. Mary's Pennsylvania.  Note the second photo ('borrowed' from the Internet).  It shows tracks on both sides of the depot.  The depot was also owned by the Alleghany and Eastern Railroad as well as the Ridgway and Clearfield Railroad.

I was able to find an old photo of the Ridgway Depot when it was a key element in the life of the town.  Ridgway first had rail service in October of 1864.  I found an historical bit of information on-line.  On July 19, 1894, it was reported that over 500 coal cars "go out of Ridgway on the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railroad per day".  

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad ended passenger service in October of 1955.  Passenger service to Ridgway via the Pennsylvania Railroad (Penn Central) was discontinued in May of 1965.  Rail freight traffic continues today with the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad.

This turned out to be a longer post than I expected.  Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave