Question: When Pittsburgh builds a new road, why is it given a name that's already in use? For example, there's an Old William Penn Parkway and, half a mile away, a New William Penn Parkway. They don't necessarily begin or end at the same place. Are the name options really that limited? I know William Penn is a pretty big guy in this state's history, but I'm sure even he would get a little confused (although honored) by the redundancy. Please offer any clarification...I'd love to hear it!
We pushed 80 miles east today to visit the Allegheny Portage Railroad NHS. Its 36 miles of track actually were made up of 10 inclines and 11 level sections; train cars were pulled along the flat sections and then hooked up to steam engines at the top of each grade. Initially they were pulled up by mile-long sections of hemp rope, until three-inch steel cable was invented and made for a much safer operation. The railroad hauled canal boats, wagons, animals, goods and passengers between two important canals to create an east-west corridor for westward expansion. It ran for 20 years, 1834-1854, until steam locomotives had reached a point in their development to pull a load up a graded track with no stops or offloading/reloading. The Allegheny Portage RR reduced travel time between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh from three weeks to five days. And it included the world's first railroad tunnel, which was dug out by hand.
We hiked down and back up Incline 6, just to get a feel for the space and the steepness of the grade. It wasn't quite as steep as the old Manitou Incline in C.Springs, but we still felt the exertion of our hike. We'd brought our bikes, hoping to get in a ride and see the tunnel, but the temps got too hot too fast. As it was, the truck's A/C felt so good after our tramping around.
On the way back to north Pittsburgh, we visited the Johnstown Flood Memorial NHS. Considered the worst inland flood in the nation's history, the 1889 flood wiped out entire towns before blasting through the city of Johnstown, killing more than 2,200 people (many hundreds more were probably killed but never found). The destruction was beyond imagining. We did our best to help the girls process at an appropriate level and not face certain nightmares. But it's hard to not be upset by the stories, especially to learn that it was more than a natural disaster...that greed and self-centeredness carried much of the blame. For that lesson alone, it's a place worth visiting.
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| Pulleys and gears operated by mounted steam engines powered the Allegheny Portage RR. |
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| The level section above Incline 6 (below) |
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| Exhibit in the Visitor's Center |
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| This farmhouse dates back to the flood. Its owner tried to relieve the pressure on the dam during the 1889 once-in-a-century storm; his efforts were in vain. In the background are the remains of the earthen dam. |
Interesting to know that there was another tragic Johnstown flood in 1977. That one was on all the newscasts so the entire nation lived through it vicariously via TV. Of course at that time the details of the nineteenth century flood were revisited. One hopes that by now there are protections upstream to prevent a third tragedy.
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