Getting ‘Out and About’

The advent of clement weather since we returned from our vacation has enabled me to “get out and about” a little. Before Sara returned to Colorado, we spent a very pleasant Sunday afternoon at South Park. Our initial purpose was to check out the bison in the Game Reserve there. Sara is heavily involved in the Department of Interior (DOI) Bison Working Group, a task force dedicated to implementing a meta-population management plan to establish genetic connections among the isolated herds of wild bison on DOI land. We were able to find the ten bison, including two calves, close to the fence off Sesqui Drive on their tiny (ten acres) range; the Allegheny County Parks Department has done a fine job of maintaining this small herd for nearly a century. We also visited the Oliver Miller Homestead, one of my favorite historical sites locally.

Kevin Abt and I continued our effort to locate surviving beehive coke ovens, this time successfully. Independently, we each learned that there was an entire park dedicated to them in Leetonia, Ohio. On a lovely Friday morning we set off on Route 30 west, crossed the Ohio River at East Liverpool, and went up Ohio Route 11 a few miles to Leetonia, where we easily found the Leetonia Beehive Coke Oven Park. The good news is that this small village, unlike similar communities in Pennsylvania, has seen fit to prevent demolition of these ovens. The bad news is that Mother Nature, slowly but surely, is reclaiming them. There are two hundred ovens still recognizable, in varying stages of deterioration. The Leetonia Village website reports that an ambitious restoration program was initiated in 2012; it obviously has not progressed very far by now. It certainly would be beneficial to restore one or two ovens completely and to provide interpretive signs to explain this historic coking method. The website also contains an excellent description of the history of the local industrial site, which included a coal mine, the coke ovens, a blast furnace, and a rolling mill — a rich heritage that deserves to be celebrated.

Knowing well my predilection for three meals a day, Kevin researched the local scene and settled on “Fat Ted’s Diner”, in nearby Washingtonville, for lunch. It turned out to be an excellent choice, albeit the only one. I am always happy to sample small town dining and had an excellent blueberry pancake for my lunch. Sad to state, “Fat Ted” is no longer with us, but his legacy survives him in eastern Ohio. On the way back I wanted to look for the “Point of Beginning” monument which I knew was somewhere near East Liverpool. In the early days of our new nation, when we decided to open the Northwest Territory to settlement, the Land Ordinance of 1785 was passed, and US Geographer Thomas Hutchins instructed to initiate a cadastral survey subdividing the land into approximately square parcels, called townships, each roughly seven miles square. With some effort we located the monument, which is actually 1112 feet north of Hutchins actual “point of beginning”, located on the north shore of the Ohio River, on the border between Ohio and Pennsylvania. I was aware of it because it has been identified as an Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers, but had never actually seen it.

While Kevin was here, we had dinner together at my favorite restaurant, the All-American Bistro, at Pine Bridge Mall. We knew that the restaurant was going to be relocated this Fall and have been curious about its future location. The last time we were there we learned that it was indeed closing in September and that they were negotiating for a new site. This evening, when Paul Massimino served me my delicious plate of blackened catfish, I asked him for an update. As I understand it, they are going to enter into a complementary relationship with Billie Ann’s Diner, in Cecil. Their new restaurant will be located fairly close to it. Billie Ann’s specializes in breakfast and lunch; Paul’s new bistro will focus on late afternoon and dinner. While the new place is being constructed, the All-American Bistro will serve evening meals at Billie Ann’s, starting in November. I suspect folks in the Cecil/Bishop area are in for a pleasant surprise, and that Paul’s customers in the Bridgeville area will happily take the short drive “up the Run” to his new facility.

For the third consecutive year Woodville hosted a display of miniatures on the porch of the Neville House, curated by Dave Frankowski. I have always been fascinated by toy soldiers; seeing the dioramas produced by serious collectors is a real treat. Dave’s diorama was an excellent depiction of the battle of Fallen Timbers, with (Mad Anthony) Wayne’s Legion in line of battle against Blue Jacket’s Shawnees in 1794. The good general himself was right in the middle of the fray, directing efforts of his artillery battery. Other displays included a grand parade highlighting the visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales to India in 1905; the climax of the Battle of Waterloo; a massive battle between the Sumerians and the Elamites in 2700 BC (considered history’s first major battle); Confederate artillery on Seminary Ridge at Gettysburg on prior to Pickett’s Charge; an unidentified Revolutionary War battle (Cowpens?); and an interesting comparison of warriors from classical times through the Renaissance up to Colonial times. I was pleased to see that Dave had borrowed one of the magnificent Ken Schwartz miniatures from the Bridgeville Area Historical Society collection, this one being a Hessian grenadier from the Anhalt-Zerbst Regiment. All told, it was an exhibit well warranting a visit.

We certainly are fortunate that there are so many interesting things available for us on easy half-day trips and that we can still take advantage of them. Next week we will discuss another one – Fort Henry Days at Oglebay Park.

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