Road Trip - Day 8! (PA)

June 2, 2012 (Saturday)

Allegheny Portage Railroad NHS

The first stop for the day was the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site. The site is an engineering marvel that occurred back in the 1840’s. The railroad opened a valuable trade route and had the first railroad tunnel in America. The railroad was equipped with ten incline planes which were used to help trains get up and down each side of the mountain. Prior to the railroad, it would take 23 days to travel from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, after the railroad was up and running the trip too less than 4 days. The park charges $4/person or is free for those under 15 or having the America the Beautiful Pass. There is also a package deal for the Allegheny Portage Railroad, Fort Necessity and Johnstown Flood site that is $15/pass. That pass is valid for a year and gets 4 people in with one pass.

There is a fifteen minute film and exhibits in the visitor center. Taking a short walk, we were able to view the engine house and the Lemon house. The Lemon house served as a tavern along the railroad. There is also a short hike to the “Skew Arch Bridge”. This bridge was the only bridge purposely built along the portage.  The bridge remains in fair condition, but has been stabilized and repaired.

After leaving the Railroad site, we drove about 30 minutes to the Johnstown Flood National Memorial. The site charges $4/person ages 16+, free if you have a pass. The park shows a 35 minute film that was very somber and explained the timeline of event leading up to and including the 1889 flood that killed over 2000 people. The film would not be suitable for children. After the video, there are exhibits to view inside of the visitor center. There are some hiking trails that take you to the remains of the broken dam. The Clubhouse of the South Fork Fishing & Hunting Club, which owned the dam, is open during the summer months, but was not open during our visit.

Flight 93 National Memorial

The next destination on our list was the Flight 93 National Memorial. It was about 40 minutes to arrive to the site from the Johnstown Flood site. The drive from the park entrance to the crash site parking lot is very scenic – rolling hills, tree plantings, and wildflowers. The memorial remains under construction and is waiting for donations to complete additional phases. Phase one is the only portion done at this time. We look forward to returning to this site in the future once all phases are complete.  This site is free to visit.

Fort Necessity NB

Our last vacation stop was Fort Necessity National Battlefield. Fort Necessity was the first action of the French and Indian War. The war resulted in the removal of French power from North America. The history of the event is rather interesting, as told by a park ranger. The park is $5, or again free for those under 16 years old or those with a pass. There is a 20 minute video that we did not watch, since we listed to the park ranger instead. At this site, you can also visit Mount Washington Tavern. The tavern served as a stage stop along the National Road from 1828 to 1855. To visit the tavern you can walk from the fort, it is rather steep, or you could park in the parking lot at the tavern.

The remainder of our drive home was uneventful. Overall, we had a great trip and got to see a lot of places.  In the future we determined a few places we would like to return to – most notably the Lake Placid area.