I just found an error in my virtual scavenger hunt post of a few days ago. The image link took you to the general Gigapan.org site but not directly to the Gigapan image I created. Sorry about that. Here is a corrected direct link to the image: http://gigapan.org/gigapans/44587/ There are a few items yet to... Continue Reading →
Winter of 1799
"In the Winter of 1799, the greatest snow fell at one time that was known. It began snowing on Friday evening and snowed until the following Monday morning, snow measuring over a foot deep." from page 225 - Historical magazine of Monongahela’s old home coming week. Sept. 6-13, 1908
1909 Monongahela Panorama Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Have you ever heard of a Gigapan? It is a photograph comprised of sometimes hundreds of small snapshots, all stitched together by computer software to create one incredibly detailed high resolution image. When the image is uploaded to Gigapan.org you can view it and keep on zooming and zooming to see all kinds of interesting... Continue Reading →
Life In A Coal Patch
I was doing research for an unrelated post when I stumbled on this quote about a small patch town named Salemville in Westmoreland County: Salemville was a company-owned village which was enclosed by a fence, one of a few in Westmoreland County. The fence was a symbol of the company's authority and hold on each... Continue Reading →
Coal Bumbs
Culm balls aka coal bumbs were made from mine waste (powdery, shaley coal known around here as slack) by mixing the it with clay or manure and forming balls (bumbs). The bumbs were considered poor man's coal in Ireland. Here's an interesting page showing how the bumbs were made and how they were burnt. Has... Continue Reading →
In A Rough Spot
What happens when you hit a rough spot with a wagonload of nitro glycerine. ~ Read more about it at the Observer Reporter blog The Picture Box
Burnt Cabins PA – Have To Visit Someday #1
Burnt Cabins is an unincorporated community in Dublin Township, Fulton County, Pennsylvania, United States, at the foot of Tuscarora Mountain. It contains U.S. Route 522 and I-76 (Pennsylvania Turnpike). By 1750, the town had grown to 11 squatters cabins and was known as Sidneyville. The homes of these early settlers were burned by order of... Continue Reading →
Beehive Coke Ovens, Shoaf PA
I always thought coke was made at huge facilities such as US Steel's Clairton Works or Kopper's coke battery in Monessen: But would you ever think that as late as 1972 it was still made like this? That video is of the beehive coke ovens in Shoaf PA. I was surprised to learn that you... Continue Reading →
Lost Monongahela 