Blog of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office

Category: Mitigation Files (Page 1 of 4)

Preventing Extinction: Saving the Last Wrought Iron Warren Pony Truss in PA

On large stained and moss-covered stone masonry abutments over a single line of tracks in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County rested a dinosaur, a wrought iron relic of the past originally constructed to support the industry of a developing nation. Its appearance was worn and weathered from over 140 years of service.

Random holes and a mixed bag of fastener types and sizes littered the visible faces. The original railroad floor system was long gone and replaced with a timber vehicular deck. Its live load carrying capacity was a mere fraction of what it once was. However, under all of this rust was a diamond, a rare and complete example of a wrought iron pin-connected warren pony truss with built-up corrugated diagonal tension members, the last of its kind.

This is the story of relocation and reuse, adaptive reuse, of the last known remaining pin-connected wrought iron Warren pony truss in Pennsylvania – The Howellville Truss (2004RE01890).

Continue reading

History of the Beech Creek Railroad and the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Railroad

Railroads played a vital role in Pennsylvania’s economic development, particularly during the Industrial Revolution and beyond. They facilitated the transportation of goods, raw materials, and people, fostering industrial growth, urbanization, and the expansion of markets. The construction of railroads like the Beech Creek Railroad and the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Railroad, that primarily transported coal and other materials to homes and factories throughout Pennsylvania, played a significant role in the industrialization of the state.

Continue reading

Mitigation Spotlight: Section 106 Agreements, January – June 2024

This is part of a biannual blog series highlighting the agreement documents executed by PA SHPO in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and its implementing regulations.

Between January 1 and June 30, 2024, PA SHPO has been a signatory to approximately ten (10) Section 106 agreement documents with five different federal agencies as part of consultation for the resolution of adverse effects to historic properties.

Continue reading

The Hawk Falls Bridge in Carbon County, PA

“This bridge will triumphantly typify the trail-blazing strategy…” so said Pennsylvania Governor John S. Fine in 1954 about the soon to be constructed Hawk Falls Bridge, finishing with “that took the Pennsylvania Turnpike System across streams of great width and turbulence…and through the rocky cores of mighty mountains.”

Continue reading

« Older posts
Wordpress Social Share Plugin powered by Ultimatelysocial