Purchases of our 2024 PA Calendar and PA Amusement Parks Book

2024 PA Calendar and PA Amusement Parks Book Purchase Options

10.31.2021

Greenville Railroad Museum Park: Preserving Railroad Heritage in a Public Setting

The Greenville Railroad Park and Museum is a pretty neat place to see railroad heritage. The borough is historically a major railroad center and over the years, the grounds of the old train station have been transformed into a museum and public park area. 
Over the years, equipment has been donated to the museum, including the park's centerpiece, the 1936 Baldwin locomotive. It was built to be a switcher carrying hot ore from the steel mills in Pittsburgh for the Union Railroad. It was sold to the Duluth, Missabe, and Iron Range Railroad in Duluth, MN, to carry mined iron ore to the docks for shipping in 1949. It was retired in 1958 and Bessemer kept it for donation and it was put on display in Greenville in 1985. It is the largest steam switcher locomotive ever made. One side is painted as it would be displayed during its time with the Union Railroad, and with Duluth paint on the other. Additionally, the park has an ore car, two cabooses, a speeder, old signals, exhibits, a gift shop, and more. 
An old Union Switch and Signal light, which used to be made in Swissvale.





Greenville Railroad Park is small, but well worth checking out, especially if you are a rail fan. It is a must see as part of what I call the "northwest PA trifecta" of places that rail fans need to check out in Northwestern PA. Greenville Railroad Park, the Lake Shore Railway Museum, and the Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad. It is also one of the three museums in Greenville, which include this, the Greenville Area Historical Society, and the Greenville Canal Museum. For more information on visiting, check out their webpage at https://greenvillemuseumalliance.org

We have released our 2022 Pennsylvania Calendar! 

It features views of: 

-Independence Hall in Philadelphia 

-Sunrise in Downtown Pittsburgh 

-Knoebels Amusement Resort 

-Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway 

-Millersburg Ferry across the Susquehanna River 

-Tank Hollow Overlook above the Lehigh Gorge in the Poconos 

-The Reading Pagoda 

-Kennywood Park 

-Mercer's Mill Covered Bridge in Chester and Lancaster Counties 

-Academia-Pomeroy Covered Bridge in Juniata County

-Ohiopyle State Park 

-A holiday scene in Pittsburgh 

The calendars open up to be 17 inches tall by 11 inches wide (8.5 by 11 pages) 

It makes for a great gift for someone or for yourself. It is available for purchase through the PayPal dropdown menus at the top of the page and the bottom of this article.

Thanks for your ongoing support over the years! 

2022 PA Calendar and PA Amusement Parks Book Purchase Options
 

10.17.2021

Carnegie Library Music Hall of Homestead: A Historic Community Treasure

Andrew Carnegie did a great job of cementing his legacy, and possibly trying to whitewash the brutal labor practices of his that brought him his wealth, through creating community hubs with his libraries, music halls, and overall community centers. The largest of which is the Music Hall, Museums, and Library Complex in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood, but perhaps the most intact of his smaller community based facilities is the Carnegie Library of Homestead. 
This place is an absolute gem and hub for community activity and spirit. Through thick and thin, this library has stayed with the community of Homestead. When it was built, the city was a boomtown with one of the largest steel mills in the nation. that has since gone and the city has been caught in hard times for decades. Through this though, the facility has pushed on and served as a positive and continuously operating hub for the community. 

On the left hand side of the facility, the stunning Music Hall is beautifully adorned, has seats for 1047 guests, and has hosted so many different acts since it was established in 1898. 
Our visit this past Friday was to see "The Princess Bride: An Inconceivable Evening with Cary Elwes" which was pretty great. They did a screening of The Princess Bride Movie with a Q&A with Cary Elwes, who played Westley in the movie. It was a great evening in a very intimate venue.
The carving details are so beautiful. 
The seats are so cool as well. What is pretty amazing is that this facility has remained in constant use. Its nearby, and slightly older neighbor, the Carnegie Library of Braddock, has not been as lucky, and it has been an uphill battle to restore and preserve that old facility, which had actually fully closed down in the 1970s. I would love to see that facility shine again like this one does. 

Cary Elwes during his Q&A and presentation about the movie. We highly recommend checking out this facility, they have a number of great upcoming concerts, comedy tours, presentations, and more. 
The Dorothy 6 Blast Furnace Cafe, which is located a few block walk away from the facility. Their food and environment are just phenomenal. They have fantastic food and a great tap list in a really cool space. They also have great high end dishes that are made from scratch, including hand made pierogies.  

For more information on upcoming shows and the facility itself, check out their website at www.CarnegieofHomestead.org
 

We have released our 2022 Pennsylvania Calendar! 

It features views of: 

-Independence Hall in Philadelphia 

-Sunrise in Downtown Pittsburgh 

-Knoebels Amusement Resort 

-Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway 

-Millersburg Ferry across the Susquehanna River 

-Tank Hollow Overlook above the Lehigh Gorge in the Poconos 

-The Reading Pagoda 

-Kennywood Park 

-Mercer's Mill Covered Bridge in Chester and Lancaster Counties 

-Academia-Pomeroy Covered Bridge in Juniata County

-Ohiopyle State Park 

-A holiday scene in Pittsburgh 

The calendars open up to be 17 inches tall by 11 inches wide (8.5 by 11 pages) 

It makes for a great gift for someone or for yourself. It is available for purchase through the PayPal dropdown menus at the top of the page and the bottom of this article.

Thanks for your ongoing support over the years! 

2022 PA Calendar and PA Amusement Parks Book Purchase Options
 

10.03.2021

Route 40 Scenic Overlook/Mt. Summit Overlook: Hopwood, PA

The Route 40 Overlook in Hopwood, Fayette County, is a really cool place to pull off and take in an amazing view of the topography of southwestern PA. In this location, you can really see how the region is a glaciated plateau. Just a few minutes away from here, the Jumonville Cross, and Laurel Caverns, give views that look northwest, as opposed to the southwesterly view from this location, that you can see the top of the US Steel Tower in Pittsburgh from, which is 50 miles from here as the crow flies.

In this view from Route 40, you get a sweeping view of the rugged area down to Uniontown. This overlook dates back to the early days of automobile travel, here on the old National Road, and it has caught the attention of roadtrippers since the dawn of automobile travel, and earlier, for this was the site of an Indian path and visitors to the nearby Summit Inn include Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein, and Henry Ford. George Washington's first battle (and defeat) was at Jumonville Glen, just a few minutes from here. 

It is impossible to miss this overlook if you go to Ohiopyle State Park, Fallingwater, Nemacolin, or any of the other attractions in the immediate area while approaching from any western point. If coming from Pittsburgh, take Route 51 to Route 40 and you can't miss it. 
Fall colors are especially vivid in this spot, along with sunsets. If visiting, remember that this can only be accessed from the Eastbound lanes of Route 40, so if you are approaching from the west, you will need to go down the hill and turnaround in Uniontown to access this spot. 

We have released our 2022 Pennsylvania Calendar! 

It features views of: 

-Independence Hall in Philadelphia 

-Sunrise in Downtown Pittsburgh 

-Knoebels Amusement Resort 

-Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway 

-Millersburg Ferry across the Susquehanna River 

-Tank Hollow Overlook above the Lehigh Gorge in the Poconos 

-The Reading Pagoda 

-Kennywood Park 

-Mercer's Mill Covered Bridge in Chester and Lancaster Counties 

-Academia-Pomeroy Covered Bridge in Juniata County

-Ohiopyle State Park 

-A holiday scene in Pittsburgh 

The calendars open up to be 17 inches tall by 11 inches wide (8.5 by 11 pages) 

It makes for a great gift for someone or for yourself. It is available for purchase through the PayPal dropdown menus at the top of the page and the bottom of this article.

Thanks for your ongoing support over the years! 

2022 PA Calendar and PA Amusement Parks Book Purchase Options
 
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