Western Pennsylvania

We spent part of this long weekend driving up to Western Pennsylvania. There are several stamp locations up there that aren't easy to get just as a day trip. Damon was most looking forward to Fort Necessity. I was excited about getting seven new stamps.

Our first stop was the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site. It was an inclined plane railroad that carried canal boats over the Allegheny Mountains.  It was completed in 1834 and in use until 1854. Linking the two canals to get materials and people over the mountains played a critical role in opening the interior of the United States to trade and settlement.  Part of the construction included the Staple Bend tunnel which was the first railroad tunnel in America built in 1833. With the snow and incredibly frigid temperatures we didn't take the hike over to see the trains.

Our second stop was the Johnstown Flood National Memorial. On May 31, 1889 the Johnstown and upstream towns were destroyed by an earthen dam failure of the South Fork Dam on the Little Conemaugh River. A combination of days of rain and poor maintenance set the area up for disaster. This failure sent 20 million tons of water downstream devastating the city of Johnstown and several towns in between.  The flood killed 2,209 people.  Owen’s favorite part was the elevator in the visitor center. Currently, Johnstown is not doing so hot with the steel industry failing.  We stayed the night there and had dinner at a pizza place/liquor store. Surprisingly, the pizza was pretty good. 

The third stop was the Flight 93 Memorial.  We were thwarted because they closed due to the snow the day before and then a delayed opening the next day so we were not able to actually get on to the site.  

Fourth, Fort Necessity. On July 3, 1754, troops commanded by 22-year old Colonel George Washington were defeated by a force of French and Native Americans at this small stockade in the wilderness of the Allegheny Mountains.  This opening battle of the French and Indian War began a seven-year struggle between Great Britain and France for control of North America and set stage for the American Revolution.  

We were able to also drive along the National Road where we had an excellent lunch at a tavern that was opened in 1822.  Damon had fried chicken and I had pot roast. The National Road was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the 620-mile road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main transport path to the West for thousands of settlers.

Our last stop was Friendship Hill which was the estate of Albert Gallatin on the Monongahela River purchased in 1789. During his 13 years as Secretary of the Treasury under Presidents Jefferson and Madison, Gallatin reduced the national debt, framed the purchase of the Louisiana Territory, and funded the Lewis and Clark expedition.  Later, he helped negotiate an end to the War of 1812 and served as Minister to France.