We finally had a very nice non rainy day here in beautiful SWPA, so Danielle, Remy and I decided to take a drive and grab some food somewhere. As we passed through Fredericktown, PA, we noticed the ferry was crossing the river so we went on down to cross into Fayette county. For those unfamiliar w/ the Fredericktown ferry, I am told that it is the last operating cable driven ferry on the Monongalia river, and quite possibly, a lot further then that. A quick glance at Wikipedia shows 25 still operating in the US. You can see that link here.
A Video of the crossing is below.
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| Fredericktown Cable ferry |
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| Bikes Welcome! |
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| One of the last cable driven ferry boats around. |
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| Don't Pay The Ferry Man, Until He Gets You To The Other Side.... |
There was a time a few years ago I remember the ferry not operating, and in danger of closing down, but when SCI Fayette (Prison) opened a few years ago, it seemed to breathe new life into this ferry as the only other options to cross are 20 minutes south to Masontown, PA, and 7 miles north at Brownsville. As the PA turnpike commission builds a new bridge carrying 43 across the river at Denbo, PA, I heard the ferries future might be near yet again, but when I talked to the ferry operator a few months ago, he said they might plan to keep it open. Lets hope so. This is a unique item we have here.
What I have below are a collection of pictures from the 50's, 60's and 70's of the ferry. These pictures come courtesy of Kathy Brezovsky Kisner of Carmichaels, PA, whose family owned and operated the ferry in this era.
At the end of the picture series, check out the VIDEO of todays crossing for some more insights into this ferry. As always, click on the pictures to view larger images.
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| Dry dock for repairs |
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| Original Fredericktown Ferry |
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| Wooden ferry again |
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| A diver searching for bodies after a car went off the ferry mid ride. |
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| New ferry crossing, the old wooden one rests on the shore. |
