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Focusing on the lives
of any person or family who has lived in Little Washington,
Washington County, Pennsylvania at anytime throughout
history to recent times, through data and family stories.
NEW SEARCH BOX ADDED
BURGETTSTOWN, PA
Genealogy and family history research in the area of
Little Washington, Washington County, Pennsylvania from 1700s to present.
Nearest cities: Midway, PA (6.8 miles ), Frankfort Springs, PA
(7.7 miles), West Middletown, PA (10.0 miles), McDonald, PA (10.9 miles ),
Imperial-Enlow, PA (11.3 miles ), Sturgeon-Noblestown, PA (12.5 miles ),
Weirton, WV (12.8 miles ), Hooverson Heights, WV (13.8 miles ). Latitude:
40.38 N, Longitude: 80.39 W
WHERE SUNDAY RIDES GO...
by Judith Florian
Growing up in the 1960s, the "Sunday drive" was a huge past-time.
As a matter of fact, in Washington County, taking a drive is still high in
"things to do," although the routes and scenery have often changed a
lot in the past 45 years. One of the biggest changes is, not surprisingly,
the amount of traffic on mostly two-lane routes that used to be much more rural.
And, of course, the increased traffic sure does hamper the overall enjoyment of
those Sunday drives.
One route that used to be much more fun started from Jefferson Avenue. The
light at Abel Funeral Home back in the 60s marked, for the most part, the last
part of civilization heading between towns or "out of town.".
This of course refers to where the next bathroom would be easily accessible.
Stopping for a pop was much easier along the way, but finding a bathroom for
four girls under the age of 12 wasn't as easy. Across the street from
Abel's was a very small (Amoco?) full service gas station, where dad could pick
up beef jerky, or those powerful smelling huge pickles that sat marinating in a
jar on the counter, and where kids could get some potato chips and 'pop'.
Oh, yes, and get the bathroom key attached to the long stick, only to fight
about who would get to go in first.
The gas station sat on the "T" of Jefferson Ave (Rt. 844) and
Henderson Ave. (Rt. 18N). Traffic was always a little bit busier at the
intersection, but not so bad that it prevented dad from pulling out across the
right lane, to head north on 18. (Today, traffic makes that simple
maneuver almost impossible, unless a driver lets someone go across.)
Sometimes daddy went without his pickle, pulling instead into Osso's Pizza, a
long-time landmark on Henderson Avenue (Osso's was formerly housed on the corner
of Woodland Ave and Jefferson Avenue, right across from the Maxwell House bar).
For those who don't know, Osso's specialty is the square pizza. Yup,
square, sold as single pieces or a full "pie." Mr. Osso's
square pie had a special sauce that his grandfather had developed...and which
became very popular to his customers. Many babies cut teeth on the outside
crust of these square goodies, while moms, dads, and older siblings gobbled down
the wonderful cheese and toppings melted into the pizza square. On
these special Sunday drives stopping at Osso's, daddy bought each of us just one
square -- we had to resist the urge to gobble it down - after all, country roads
can be pretty long to young kids who only have one square of pizza to guard
against 'starvation' while in the car.
Out of Osso's slanted uphill parking lot and back on Henderson, we'd ride past
the mom & pop store on the right, and go past St. Hilary's church and school
on the same side. The small frame Catholic Church was built by a mostly
Polish congregation back in the 1920s. The inside of the old church was
full of statues with robes, the paint on the clothes worn and chipped with age,
but the colors still bright. The small but very ornate altar was the old
type, built for days when the Priest still said Mass in Latin (or here, in
Polish) and faced away from the congregation except for the Homily and Holy
Communion. The altar was enclosed with a rail with kneelers; people back
then all knelt to receive communion. About 1965 or so, the congregation
outgrew this fine old church. It was razed for a more modern structure,
minus the statues, minus the 2 racks of votive lights on each side of the altar
in the front, and to me, minus the feeling of life (and the feeling of guilt!)
the old church always had. While the old church had faced Henderson Avenue
squarely, the new church was built at an angle to the road. Something felt
lost about the "new" church when it was still new. Passing the
old church, though, I almost felt that we should all genuflect, even though we
were in a car.
After St. Hilary's, Route 18 seemed to be all curves. The first curve was
shortly beyond the church, passing by the grocery store (I think it was Foodland
at the time). Then on past the trailer park that to a kid seemed to appear
overnight and which continued to grow through the years. Then the road
straightened, and flattened. The next 4-way intersection (did it
have a light originally?) was one that many people associate with happy
memories, because if you turned right and went up over the hill, you'd make your
way to the Arden Fairgrounds. To the left, one went over a bridge that
crossed Catfish Creek. I'd always heard the stories about an Indian camp
near the creek, but no one ever seemed to know the exact location; as a child, I
thought grown-ups should have known this important detail.
Going straight, one passed from "city" to "country" almost
immediately it seemed, so much so that not much remains in my memory about the
sights from this point until Route 18 meets Route 50, at the top of what felt
like a very high hill in dad's old '48 clutch-driven Chevy. Here at the
top of the hill was a diner/shop where trinkets were sold. Sometimes daddy
stopped; most often he didn't. Instead, we'd make the right, going
immediately down the hill next to a very large cemetery on the right. One
could see open fields to the left off this high hill. Daddy would
downshift right from the top of the hill, the engine groaning back against the
weight of the car. The hill was scary in the winter, covered with ice and
snow that wasn't plowed. At the bottom of the hill, straight ahead was
Cherry Valley, but one had to make a hard left to go to Burgettstown.
Often in winter, we could feel the car slide to the right or left until dad
straightened the car out, still slipping despite the chains he had put on all
the tires for winter-driving. In summers, the wind would catch in the open
windows of the car and give a nice breeze through the long hair of my sisters
and me, providing nature's air conditioning against sweaty skin.
Then the trip got boring again, with a flat stretch, then more rolling hills and
turns, just like the beginning of our car ride. I remember hearing quickly
after the hill "We're in Burgettstown" but I could only see a plant on
the left and woods (or occasional houses) on the right. Daddy said
the town used to have coal mines and was a busy place, as well as being a route
going to Weirton and Steubenville, West Virginia, and out to Frankford Springs.
Frankford Springs past Route 22 was a frequent destination. At a
"T" in Burgettstown, one turned left to make way toward Rt. 22. My
dad was a history buff, and the Springs was a mini-historical site located in
southern Beaver County. If one was inclined to take a hike, a muddy foot
path (now officially called a "Trail") went up to the origin of the
Spring. In the 1880s many people believed the Spring had healing powers
and people flocked to the site, bringing ill family members or seeking healing
for themselves. I've never seen any accounts of healing though.
But, I've passed my stop - the community of Burgettstown, PA, which was
named after Fort Burgett or Burgett's
Blockhouse, built by Sebastian
Burgett before the Revolutionary War. See also Frontier
Forts of Pennsylvania. A great picture is shown at Keystone
Town Markers and some descendant information of the Burgett family can be
read at 1911
Biographies. According to a 1929 address made at the Bigger-Donaldson
Reunion, Mr. Burgett was a tanner who taught his trade to Thomas Bigger.
Long gone are the coal mines of this area. Located just 1/2 hr WSW of
Pittsburgh, PA, Burgettstown has weathered good and bad times, even as recently
as last year. Floods of Hurricane Ivan in 2004 took out the only large
grocery store (Shop & Save) which was located at the "T" turn of
Route 18. This route, taking only 20 minutes to Weirton by car, has long
been a heavy truck route. Large trucks of all kinds travel the route from
Washington on through. Getting behind an 18-wheeler gushing diesel smoke
was never very pleasant. The only difference in getting behind a large dump
truck 45 years ago was that our Chevy often didn't climb hills much faster than
the trucks. Today, though, the traffic sure detracts from the leisurely
Sunday drive.
Today, music can be heard in Burgettstown on a regular schedule. One of
two popular live entertainment venues, the Post-Gazette Pavilion (picture
and home page), is an open-air amphitheater located in Burgettstown at
the intersection of Rt.22/30 and Rt. 18. . It seats over 22,000 people
(7,183 seats in the pavilion and 15,500 on the lawn). The Pavilion
showcases stars from country to 70s pop rock bands. (Post-Gazette Pavilion, Rt
18 and Rt 22, Burgettstown, PA 15021, 724-947-7400.) Along with this
Pavilion, the Pepsi-Cola
Road House provides a dinner and concert venue. Locals though are just
as content to stop at Billy Boy's Pizza before heading over to get their piece
of lawn at the Pavilion. Billy Boy's has been in business for at least
over 25 years and is a favorite eatery.
Keystone
Town Markers
SEND ME YOUR PICTURES OR MEMORIES OF
BURGETTSTOWN
(washington.co.pa.webmaster@gmail.com - and put
Burgettstown in the subject line)
Go Back to TownTalk Index
Site History and Updates: Dec '05; Jan '05; Mar
'06
Email
Washington.Co.PA.Webmaster
(c) Judith Ann Florian
159 E. Main St.
Girard, Ohio 44420
Copyright Notice - Data / info. for individuals and surnames may be
reproduced for personal family histories only, but not for any commercial use or
sale. Please give credit to Judith Florian and Catherine L. Caldwell for
locating newspaper items and original documents. You may use J. Florian's
research conclusions if credit is given. No other data or images may be
reproduced without permission. © 2005-present, Judith Florian, Copyright All
rights reserved.
This page was last updated on Friday, January 16, 2009 00:15
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