I recently finished reading a book that I enjoyed very much, so I thought I would share it with you. It is David McCullough‘s latest book titled: “The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West.” It is a rather long title and a little misleading. When I think of pioneers …
From August 2019
Maywood Grill in Chalk Hill, Pennsylvania
While my brother and his family were here we ate at the Maywood Grill in Chalk Hill. Even though the Maywood Grill is just a couple of miles away from us, we had not eaten there before. We had tried, but they seemed to be closed on the days we wanted to eat there. Maywood …
Christmas Shop in Chalk Hill, Pennsylvania
As I mentioned last week, my brother and his family came to visit and we had a great time together. We went several places we had not visited before: Fallingwater, the National Coverlet Museum, and Laurel Caverns. One of the fun things about exploring with new people is that they see things you don’t notice. …
Mount Washington Tavern: History Lesson 8
Tom and I work four days a week with three days off. At Fort Necessity we work Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. On Sunday and Monday I work in the Visitors Center. On Friday and Saturday I get dressed up in a historic outfit and work at Mount Washington Tavern. Last week I wrote about …
Stretched in God’s Hands
I am a person who likes routine. Routine helps me feel like I am in control, even when events are spinning chaotically around me. I could be called a person of regular habits. Some of my routines are such ingrained habits that I occasionally forget that I have done them. Living life on the road …
National Road: History Lesson 7
In History Lesson 6 I talked about Braddock Road Trace and Washington’s Trace, the preliminary roads across part of Pennsylvania. Today I am taking that lesson to the next level with the building of the first national road in the United States. After the French and Indian War, Great Britain agreed that settlers would not …
Laurel Caverns, the Largest Cave in the Northeast
When I’m working at the Fort Necessity Visitors Center, I often ask visitors what else they are seeing in the area. Most of them tell me “Fallingwater” or “Ohiopyle” but a close third is Laurel Caverns. I am not a big cave person, although Tom and I have taken tours in several pretty spectacular caves. …
American Coverlet Museum in Bedford, Pennsylvania
My niece, Grace, is interested in historic clothing and textiles, as am I. When her family came to visit, it seemed natural that we would check out some historic textiles. So we traveled to Bedford, Pennsylvania to see the National Museum of the American Coverlet. Everything that is preserved is preserved because someone cared passionately …
Fallingwater: Frank Lloyd Wright Masterpiece
The #1 tourist spot in the Laurel Highlands is Frank Lloyd Wright‘s Fallingwater. Most of the people who visit Fort Necessity are visiting us because they are in the area to visit Fallingwater. This lovely house built into the side of a hill was designed for the Kaufmann family who owned Kaufmann’s Department Stores. It …
Leap Tall Buildings with a Single Bound
When I was a kid, I watched Superman reruns on television. I always remember the beginning: “Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings with a single bound!” Of course, as children, my friends and I tried to be Superman. We would tie a towel around our shoulders …