Category: Crawford (Page 1 of 2)

Small building with lots of service windows and a large metal ice cream cone out front. — Ice Cream Shop Saegertown Dairy Inn, 685 Main St., Saegertown Borough, Crawford County.

Baseline Survey On the Road Again: Newly Documented Roadside Resources in Pennsylvania

September 13, 2023 / Elizabeth Shultz / 3 Comments

“I can’t wait to get on the road again/On the road again/Goin’ places that I’ve never been/Seein’ things that I may never see again/And I can’t wait to get on the road again…”

-Willie Nelson, “On the Road Again,” 1980

With Pennsylvania’s long transportation history – from railroads and canals to the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the many beautiful bridges throughout the Commonwealth – it’s no surprise that the teams working on the Baseline Survey Project discovered and inventoried a multitude of Pennsylvania’s previously unrecorded roadside resources!

Metal bridge with wood railings on concrete abutments over water. — Messerall Road Bridge in its new location over Linesville Creek along the Pymatuning State Park Spillway Trail in Linesville, Crawford County. Photograph by Daniel Bickel, 2022.

Messerall Road Bridge: The Next Chapter

April 26, 2023 / Guest Contributor / 3 Comments

The main character of our story, the Messerall Road Bridge, began its life over Pine Creek near East Titusville in 1876, carrying traffic associated with the local oil and lumber industries. The bridge served as a crossing over Pine Creek nearly 140 years before it was closed to vehicular traffic in 1987.

Stone building with slides sloped to top in a wooded and grassy area. — Caledonia Iron Furnace monument at Caledonia State Park. Photo by Angie Jaillet-Wentling.

Exploring African American Heritage in Pennsylvania’s DCNR Parks and Forests

June 15, 2022 / Guest Contributor / 1 Comment

Pennsylvania is rife in human history – if you’re in Pennsylvania, consider yourself surrounded with nearly 20,000 years of it! So, it should come as no great surprise that its 121-state park and over 2 million-acre forest system, administered by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, are steeped in both natural and human history.

Messerall Road Bridge, PennDOT Messerall Bridge Lift Photos, Photo by Chris Wolfgong, August 10, 2021.

Precious Metal Preservation: the Lift

October 27, 2021 / Guest Contributor / 6 Comments

Nestled amongst the oak-covered hills of rural northwest Pennsylvania until very recently sat an iron artifact from a bygone era. Built in 1876 by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio, this elegant, metal arch structure is what is termed, in historical bridge parlance, as a bowstring through-truss.

Originally owned and maintained by Crawford County, it has gone by numerous names over the years, including East Titusville Bridge, Pine Creek Bridge and, more recently, Messerall Road Bridge. Whatever name it goes by, it is now more commonly known for being the last of its kind in western Pennsylvania.

Approved Markers for 2021

March 31, 2021 / Karen Galle / 2 Comments

Soon fans of Pennsylvania’s historical markers will be braking for 23 new ones. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) recently approved the next batch of new historical markers at their March 2021 meeting.

Resource Round-up: PHMC’s Resources for Studying Pennsylvania’s African American History

February 12, 2020 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

In honor of national African American history month, I thought I would give our readers a glimpse into a few of the resources PHMC has to help study African American historic places in Pennsylvania.

Houses along street — Titusville, Crawford County

Titusville, Drafting Community-Focused Design Guidelines to Promote Preservation

June 12, 2019 / Karen Arnold / 0 Comments

Design guidelines have long been considered the “level” in the preservation toolbox.

Carved pumpkins — Mansour de Toth, “Jack o'lantern : Ange et demon”, Oct 20, 2007

Hobgoblins in the Humanities

October 31, 2018 / Guest Contributor / 0 Comments

Can I tell you about something that gives me chills and sends me running? October is Arts & Humanities Month. It’s also time for Halloween, so when I was invited to submit a post, our friends at SHPO asked if I could kill two birds with one stone and do justice to both October happenings. I decided to oblige by writing about some bad spirits that bedevil me at work: the humanities hobgoblins! Continue reading

How Humanities-Based Community Development Can Foster a More Democratic Future

October 25, 2017 / Guest Contributor / 0 Comments

What role can the humanities play in community development– and how can they foster a more democratic future for small towns and cities across America? Continue reading

Preserving Titusville: The Birthplace of The Oil Industry Finds A Path Towards Saving Its Historic Architecture

April 20, 2016 / Guest Contributor / 3 Comments

by Abigail Watson-Popescu

As a child growing up in Titusville the first thing you are taught about your hometown is that Edwin Drake struck oil here on August 27, 1859. The thing you notice, though, is that your town feels very different from other towns. With wrought iron fences lining slate sidewalks, horse hitching posts and carriage mounting blocks dotting the streets, and gigantic Victorian houses abounding there is a feeling of actually living in another time.

Category: Crawford (Page 1 of 2)

Messerall Road Bridge: The Next Chapter

Exploring African American Heritage in Pennsylvania’s DCNR Parks and Forests

Precious Metal Preservation: the Lift

Approved Markers for 2021

Resource Round-up: PHMC’s Resources for Studying Pennsylvania’s African American History

Titusville, Drafting Community-Focused Design Guidelines to Promote Preservation

Hobgoblins in the Humanities

How Humanities-Based Community Development Can Foster a More Democratic Future

Preserving Titusville: The Birthplace of The Oil Industry Finds A Path Towards Saving Its Historic Architecture

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