Skip to main content

PA Updates

It took me about two months to do, but I finished a pretty big PA update over two parts. I enjoyed this update for a few reason first. It cleared me of two years worth of my own photos to add. But also because of the number of new features that were added.

So here's a review:

I added a new feature entitled, "Pennsylvania's Engineering Marvels". It opens with three features, the Kinzua Viaduct, the Tunkhannock Viaduct, and Roebling's Aqueduct. Three bridges that were major accomplishments of their time. The Kinzua Viaduct has a sad history as the 2003 tornado that severely damaged the structure and the impact to the local tourism business it has since made. As always, time will tell on the direction of this feature but it will include things beyond bridges.

I added two new covered bridges from Central PA that I took in 2005 for a trip to State College. I even added a few of my own Keystone's that I took over the past two years.

As always there were plenty of submissions including photos from Bill Symons of the Kinzua Viaduct. His photos date to 1985 and were what allowed me to do the feature. John Krakoff and his knack of finding little treasures sent along a number of photos he took in Pittsburgh in 2001 and excerpts from the 1967 PA MUTCD. Unfortunately he didn't have enough quarters to make more copies at the PennDot Library.

There's always PA Ends and a handful were updated and a page covering PA Turnpike 576 was added covering the ends of that recently opened highway. I also added photos to the Findlay Connector Page.

The funny thing for me is that after an update i feel like wow I've added a lot. And in this update I did. But not long after I'm like ok..there's still a lot more I can cover. And that has already set in. I guess since I know I have a bunch of old Turnpike Postcards from Bill Symons still to add, and that I have to rearrange the home office to find a bunch of photos Denny Pine sent me made the "Ok you still don't have much" feeling come around quicker.

As for what's next...I continue to work through my personal backlog it is still in April 2005 right now with a roadtrip page on NY 30 through the Adirondack Mountains. Looking back at the photos on that trip really made me appreciate the opportunity that I had to explore that area of the country the two years I was up there.

After that a good bit of Georgia and Florida. I've received another full cd of photos from John Krakoff along with photos from the regular contributors. A lot of the photos on John's CD will find their way to Steve Alpert as well. I think a few features may come out of John's CD...we'll see.

Then after that is South Carolina. A lot of info on I-73. One of the good things about doing this blog is that is like an open notebook for research on various features/article etc I have done or may do. The summaries of the articles help in case a local paper's website doesn't archive articles. And if there are any photos from a roadtrip...I can recall what the heck it was I took a photo of and why. The commentary I try as much to leave off the site, the webpage should deal with factual information as much as possible. The blog allows me to make a commentary and even question what is being reported or the actions of those involved.

Also a number of photos for South Carolina. I may try to dive back into the 1920 Trunk Routes.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l

Ghost Town Tuesday; Mannfield, FL and the stairway to Hell

Back in 2015 I went searching the Lecanto Sand Hills for the original Citrus County Seat known as Mannfield.  Unlike Centrailia in Hernando County and Fivay in Pasco County I did find something worth seeing. Mannfield is located in the Lecanto Sand Hill section of Withlacoochee State Forest somewhat east of the intersection of Citrus County Route 491 and Mansfield Road. Mannfield was named after Austin Mann and founded in Hernando County in 1884 before Citrus County Split away.  In 1887 Citrus County was split from northern Hernando County while Pasco County was spun off to the south.  Mannfield was selected as the new Citrus County seat due to it being near the county geographic center.  Reportedly Mannfield had as many as 250 people when it was the County Seat.  The town included various businesses one might include at the time, even a sawmill which was common for the area.  In 1891 Citrus County voted to move it's seat to Inverness which set the stage for the decline of M

The National Road - Pennsylvania - Great Crossings Bridge and Somerfield

West of Addison, US 40 crosses the Youghiogheny River at what once was the town of Somerfield.  When crossing the current modern two lane bridge, you many not realize that it is actually the third to cross the Yough at this site.  The first - a stone arch bridge - was known as the Great Crossings Bridge.  Built in 1818, this three arch bridge was part of the original National Road.  The name Great Crossings comes from the men who forded the Youghiogheny here - George Washington and George Braddock. (1)  If you cross the bridge at the right time, this historic bridge and what was once the town of Somerfield will appear out from underneath this massive man-made lake. Historical Postcard showing the 'Big Crossings' bridge and Somerfield.  Image submitted by Vince Ferrari. The Great Crossings Bridge was located in the town of Somerfield.  Somerfield, originally named Smythfield until 1827, would develop as a result of the National Road. (1)  Somerfield would go through va