Farewell to Fred. Last day of the Fredericktown ferry.

History of 'Fred' the Ferry

The Fredericktown Ferry is the last of three original ferries to run across the Monongahela River in Washington County. It was the last (or at least one of the last) of the cable-driven ferries east of the Mississippi River. The ferry, affectionately called "Fred," operated under private ownership until 1969, 

when it closed. In 1979, the ferry was re-opened, through the efforts of the community and a Ferry Boat Commission, formed during its period of closure. For the ferry to remain open, both Fayette and Washington counties would contribute 50% of the costs using Liquid Fuel dollars, with the Fayette side in charge of operating and maintaining the ferry. This agreement was later amended in 2003.

"Fred" is located in Fredericktown, Pennsylvania. The ferry boat landing is located near the Bower Brothers Bar. While it is suggested that passengers remain in their cars, the ferry does offer pedestrians and bicyclists the ability to cross the river between Fayette and Washington Counties without a vehicle.

The ferry is large part of history, playing an important part in cross-river traffic for residents and the coal mines, as well as allowing employees of local businesses a faster way across the river.The purpose of the ferry is convenient travel across the Monongahela River.Due to an increase in maintenance and operation costs, the loss of a federally-funded grant, the closing of surrounding mines, as well as the opening of a new bridge spanning the river about five miles away causing a decline in ridership, the ferry has closed, possibly forever, after its last ride on August 28, 1:45pm. The future of the ferry is up in the air; will it be sold for scrap? Face life as part of a museum dedicated to "Fred" and others like it? Or just be dry-docked and left to rust? 

The 'Farewell to Fred' party on August 28, 2013 brought riders from all over the are, wanting one last ride on the ferry before it was taken out of operation. One couple traveled to ride the ferry as part of their anniversary celebrations. Others just came to relive some of their favorite moments and reminisce about ferry memories and discuss what it meant to them. Some expressed sadness that their children and grandchildren would have such a short time to have been able to ride the historic ferry, and other children would never get the chance. Reporters from the Herald-Standard, Observer-Reporter, and Tribune-Review all arrived with photographers to capture the last hurrah of Fred and his loyal fans. 

The local police provided traffic control 

Both the Trib and Herald-Standard reporters

Luzerne Twp. supported the ferry on its last day

Happy Trails To You.....

We have quite a few blogs on this and other ferry boats of the area.   Just type in "ferry" in the little search box, or follow a few of these links....

http://swpare.blogspot.com/2012/12/end-of-year-ride-on-fredricktown-ferry.html

http://swpare.blogspot.com/2011/07/ferry-boat-festival-fredericktown-pa.html

http://swpare.blogspot.com/2012/06/final-word-on-nekoda.html

http://swpare.blogspot.com/2012/09/and-we-thought-we-were-done-talking.html

http://swpare.blogspot.com/2012/01/visits-margaret-mitchell-crucible-ferry.html

Monongahela Hotel (Towne House Apartments) - Brownsville, PA



 

The Monongahela Hotel (also known as the Towne House apartments) located in Brownsville, PA, stands vacant between the First (Monongahela) National Bank and the Second National Bank across from the Union Station. It is one of the many buildings along ‘the Neck’ that have become decaying shells of their former glory and are soon to be dismantled and razed.

The Towne House sign

History of the Monongahela Hotel

The Monongahela Hotel originally started out as the residential home of Samuel Krepps and built in 1832. It was located on the land that was eventually to be the site of the First National Bank. Krepps was offered a deal too good to decline and sold his house to a man named McCurdy, who turned the home into a hotel in 1844 to accommodate the flood of visitors to the bustling city of Brownsville. At first the business was prosperous – until the new railroad lines began to take travelers off the National Road. No longer able to keep the business afloat, McCurdy defaulted on his payments and the Monongahela house would eventually be owned by another six different men, the final owner being the son Samuel Krepps.

The Monongahela House was razed in 1911 and a new building was built. This new Monongahela house was in operation until 1923, when it was bought and became the Monongahela (First) National Bank in 1925, which then closed in 1931 and later reopened in 1947 as the First National Bank. In the second Monongahela House (now called the Monongahela Hotel) a men’s store occupied the right and a bar occupied the left, until it was eventually closed by the Prohibition. Hotel owner Samuel Leff was approached by the Monongahela National Bank in 1923 with a proposal to buy the building; because business was doing well and the new hotel was becoming too small to accommodate all of the business, Leff sold the Hotel and began building the final version of the hotel to the left of its previous location.

This new Monongahela hotel opened on March 15, 1925. The hotel featured more than double the amount of rooms that it previously had and even featured an annex, reachable only by an enclosed bridge, above the Monongahela National Bank to house excess guests. 

Enclosed Bridge

This new hotel had five ground floor entrances and was the home to other businesses. From the left they were: the Hotel’s entrance with an outside stairwell leading to a basement barbershop, the Hotel’s coffee shop, a tailor, a private bank, and a shoe shine/repair. The new hotel also had a fireproof garage located behind the main building.

Then, say about 1925

And now, 2012

An economic slump once again caused the hotel business to sour and in 1930, the hotel changed hands again. The garage would be leased to other businesses to bring in extra, much needed profit. In November of 1930, the hotel was declared bankrupt. It was sold to new owners in 1931 and use of the annex above the bank discontinued. The bank-side and hotel-side entrances were sealed and the tunnel was slated to be removed –however the bridge is still there today. The annex above the bank was eventually converted into apartments.

The Monongahela Hotel was eventually purchased by the chain, Earle Milner Hotels Corporation. It was later purchased by Frank Bock who converted the rooms into apartments and renamed the building the Towne House. 

Entrance to coffee shop

The lobby of the former Monongahela Hotel (and later Towne House
 apartments)

In the lobby

A closet in the hotel

Check in window

Coat area in lobby

Burroughs Sensimatic accounting machine and player piano parts

Part from the player piano

Left behind, behind the check in counter of the hotel

On the stairs to floor three...

Down the hallway...

A letter left behind

Sign in the lobby

Magazines and catalogs left in a room

 

An apartment room

Bedroom of apartment

Checkers, anyone?

Rooftop of the hotel, looking across Brownsville

Behind Hotel

Roof top access

Walkway to bank.  Top floors of bank served as additional rooms

Looking down the alley between the hotel and the bank

Rear view of the Monongahela Hotel on right and the
First National Bank on the left

Coffee shop window.  Reflection of the Flatiron building can be seen.  One of the few active buildings in town now.

On the side of the Second National bank

Union Station from last weeks blog, in back ground.

Ghost sign for the old Monongahela Hotel can be seen on the red bricks, up high