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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
SCENERY HILL, PA
Genealogy (often misspelled geneology) and family history
research in the area of
Little Washington, Washington County, Pennsylvania from 1700 to present.
Nearest to Marianna, Odell and west of Beallsville.
About 35 miles south of Pittsburgh, 12 miles east of Washington, PA, and 30
minutes from Uniontown. Latitude: 40.09N, Longitude: 80.07W
Welcome Weary Traveler
by Judith Florian
Traveling east from Washington, PA on today's Route 40 East the beauty of
the rolling hills of southwestern Pennsylvania is very evident. In winter,
snowdrifts cover farm fields in all directions, reminding one of sleighs and the
olden days of horse and buggy travel. Spring and summer brings back the
vivid colors of wild flowers, herb, tall grasses and briers for long
stretches on the winding road, past plowed acres full of corn, wheat, oats, and
barley on acres and acres of privately owned farms. One lane roads of
blacktop-asphalt intersect here and there on both sides. Around sharp
bends the car might climb a semi-steep hill or decline on its other side.
In autumn, the forever recognizable green of giant pines with heavily laden
boughs intersperse with bright yellows, golds, bronzes, reds, and varying shades
of turning leaves, as though an artist spilled all his paints across the
countryside canvass.
Although houses or businesses appear here and there singly or in clusters, it is
impossible for newcomers to know when they pass out of one township to an
adjoining one or from one locality to another. The blinking yellow traffic
light marks the intersection of Route 519 (which leads to Interstate 70 where a
small truck-stop serves the needs of truckers from across the country.)
Going through the intersection on The National Pike, Egg Nog Hill immediately
presents itself. The first recognizable town comes shortly after, being
the historic Scenery Hill which has strongly associated itself with the ambience
of the Pike's historical days. Shops line the road, with an old tavern
turned-restaurant being the focal point of the town.
Originally Scenery Hill was called "Springtown" by its 1785 owner,
Isaac Bush, who sold this land to George Hill in 1796. It was soon known
as "Hillsborough," after George's son, Stephen Hill (deed transfer in
1800), one of the men who laid out the town. As early as 1794, a tavern
was kept by Thomas Hill, a relative of Stephen Hill. This tavern, under
different names, has been in continuous operation since that early date, making
it the oldest tavern west of Baltimore. The tavern is now the Century Inn
(originally Hill's Tavern), a
20-room stone inn which is on the National Historic Register. It can
accommodate up to 19 overnight guests in rooms that have been authentically
restored and decorated with antiques from a privately-owned local collection.
At Zephania Riggle's "House of Entertainment" -- located directly
across the street -- an additional 9 guests can be hosted. A picture of Riggle's
was recently in a Post-Gazette newspaper article which says Riggle's was built
about 1925. In Thomas Searight's 1894 book The Old Pike: A History of
the National Road, he states that Riggle also owned a tavern in Centerville,
and that Riggle was the only one in history to run his Scenery Hill location as
a tavern; other owners used the house for other purposes. Indeed, Riggle's
tavern is still known today by locals as the Hedge House, after the Hedge family
who operated a furniture business there until the 1980s. Riggle's Tavern,
with 5 original (non-working) fireplaces, was structurally changed by the Hedge
family. Other than the fireplaces, the only other original features are
the brick floors, the narrow staircase leading to the second floor rooms which
average at most about 10 feet.
The town plan was
conceived around 1819 by Stephen Hill and Thomas McGiffin, a half-owner.
They posted their public lot sale notice in the Washington Reporter July 26,
1819. The town was on the original Nemacolin's Trail or the Mingo Path.
Following these routes, the National Pike had been completed the year before,
bringing settlers from the east who either stopped their travels near the Ten
Mile Creek area or went on to points west. Taverns in the old days were
different than today, and provided lodging, food, drink and as many amenities as
the proprietor could provide to the weary traveler. A blacksmith shop and
livery was located close by to care for the horses of individuals as well as the
Stage Coaches who used the National Pike as their main route. While this
writer has never read accounts that include the children traveling with their
parents, the scene must have been a chaotic one, with arrivals of
horse-travelers, families with children in carts and wagons, and passengers of
the Stage. Additionally men from Hillsborough probably frequented the
tavern for food, drink and socializing. The tavern was a busy place
and met a variety of needs for highly diverse groups of peoples.
Scenery Hill certainly describes the local view, where one could see across
the ridges for probably 25 miles. Indeed, an stereo-view item on Ebay
posted on Nov. 27, 2005 showed an 1880 Observatory located at Scenery Hill.
The picture had an 80-foot tower structure to the right of a small building.
Indeed, one of the benefits of staying or living at Scenery Hill is the
magnificent view of the night sky and clear view of the stars.
Some points along the National Pike allow for grand scenic views, where the side
of the road drops off quickly. Given the drop-offs and places where the
Pike makes extreme bends, it has always been amazing to realize that few-to-none
Coach or wagon accidents were ever reported in the Washington newspaper (unless
they were so commonplace as to not merit any mention?). But, given the
skill of the "Pike Boys," as the stage coach drivers were known,
accidents were probably a rare occurrence. Searight's book (mentioned
above) describes life on the Pike and the drivers who made their living by
transporting persons and goods between Baltimore, Maryland and Washington
County, PA. One driver mentioned by Searight was Samuel Flowers, husband
to Mary A. Lane who is the 4th child of my direct ancestor, John Lane Sr. of
West Bethlehem Twp. (after 1809; formerly of Frederick Co. MD). Anyone
interested in reading more about the life of drivers along the Pike should
locate a copy of Searight's book. The Historic Towns book series offers
several pictures of the old homes and businesses of Scenery Hill.
"Scenery Hill - A National Pike Success Story"
by Jody Seng, Milepost, Vol. 1, No. 4, Oct. 1995, p. 7
US
Route 40 Bibliography Collection about Taverns
SEND ME YOUR PICTURES OR MEMORIES OF
SCENERY
HILL
(washington.co.pa.webmaster@gmail.com - and put Scenery
Hill 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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The background was chosen specifically to
emphasize the matriarchal role of women in "the life" of
children and families, and the resilience of all the women of
southwestern Pennsylvania. |
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