The Bridgeville Area Historical Society celebrated the Halloween season by welcoming back one of its favorite guests, Todd DePastino. His subject, the infamous Salem Witch Trials, was perfect for the occasion. Although my quarantine prevented me from attending in person, it was filmed by Tim McNellie and is available on the “bridgeville.org” website. In February, 1692, two young girls, nine year old Betsy Parris and her eleven year old cousin Abigail Williams, suddenly began to have fits and to exhibit behavior that alarmed their parents. Betsy’s father, Samuel Parris was the minister of Salem Village, a small settlement adjacent to…

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When Elizabeth and I emptied out my office at Pitt, I realized that I needed a proper desk here. Although there already is a desk on the side porch, another one on the third floor, and two slant top bureau writing desks in my bedroom, I really wanted something convenient in my living room.  Subconsciously I had converted my dining room table into a desk, with none of the necessary conveniences. The best spot for a desk was against the rear window, between a pair of built-in bookcases, a spot then occupied by a fine Eastlake love seat that my…

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I recently decided to update my tabulation of my wealth; after all, it is the end of the third fiscal quarter of this volatile year. Sitting in my favorite chair in my living room and glancing around the room, the first asset I noticed was a painting of Maya, our last Boxer. Maya’s passing triggered a long-suppressed desire in my wife, the desire to try her hand at painting. She collected all of Maya’s photographs we could find, procured a set of acrylic paints, and proceeded to produce a series of very credible portraits of this dog. This led to…

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Autumn has certainly been spectacular in our woods this year. The maples led the way; their reds were more brilliant than ever, their yellows more golden. The morning sun lighting a maple whose leaves have just turned is always a thrill. Almost as thrilling is the ground covered with these leaves when they decide to come down. Every time I encounter a spot full of red or golden maple leaves, I swear the temperature goes up four or five degrees. Most days when I am in the woods this time of year I take a group of photographs to send…

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I was recently offered the opportunity of being a guest lecturer to our current Senior Design class. I immediately accepted, and chose to base it on the chapter on buildings that I wrote for the book “Engineering Pittsburgh”, published in 2018 by our local American Society of Civil Engineers Section. There were engineers long before the term civil engineering was coined, primarily engaged in supporting military activities. It is not surprising that the first major engineering project in this area was a military one, the construction of Fort Pitt in 1758. Following General John Forbes’ successful campaign that year, Captain Harry…

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“Is there anything better than a year with a railfan excursion?” What about, “A year with two railfan excursions!” And sure enough, that is what I have just experienced. Somehow my daughter Elizabeth learned that the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad had decided to offer social distanced trips this Fall, beginning in October, and immediately made reservations for the two of us.    The CVSR is maintained and operated by a non-profit organization, the Cuyahoga Valley Preservation and Scenic Railway Association. Unique to their situation is the fact that their right-of-way and tracks are owned and maintained by the National Park…

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For its September program meeting the Bridgeville Area Historical Society welcomed Mr. Terry Necciai, a licensed architect who specializes in historic preservation. His subject was “Through a Special Lens: Some Notes on the Geography of the Glass Industry in Our Region”. Because of my self-imposed quarantine, I was unable to attend this presentation in person; however it was filmed by Tim McNellie and is available on the website “Bridgeville.Org”. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it in the confines of my home. The speaker initiated his talk by complimenting the Society on their website, where he learned, much to his surprise, that…

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The current Book Club selection is “The Emerald Mile” by Kevin Fedarko. Ostensibly dealing with an attempt to set a record for the fastest trip through the Grand Canyon in a small boat, it turns out to be an overview of the Colorado River and man’s attempts to harness it. One chapter in the book sings the praises of the Civil Engineers who designed and constructed Boulder Dam and then Glen Canyon. These are indeed two massive structures that tested the audacity and technology of the engineering and construction industry in the middle of the twentieth century. Another chapter focuses…

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In last week’s column we discussed some very old bridges in the Bridgeville area and in Allegheny County. The positive feedback we received from that column has encouraged us to follow up on our promise to do another column on this subject. Part of our difficulty evaluating old bridges is the extent of replacement some of them have experienced. This bring to mind the old story of George Washington’s Axe. It has been reported that visitors to Mount Vernon are provided the opportunity to split a piece of firewood using the very axe that the “father of our country” used…

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The requirements for the bridge being designed by the Senior Design team I am mentoring include a design life of one hundred years. My initial reaction was that it is unrealistic to design a bridge today to last one hundred years. After all, how many bridges built before 1920 are still in existence? With a little reflection, I answered my own question — quite a few! One website, “Bridgehunter.com”, lists at least eighty-seven in Allegheny County, including three reported to be even older than the Smithfield Street Bridge, which was built in 1883.    Let’s begin our search for centenarians…

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