The Monongahela Hotel Rices Landing Pa.

 Back in 2009 I posted some shots of the sign and steps of the old Monongahela Hotel that was located in Rices Landing,Pa. I promised 'more on this soon'...but it took awhile longer than I thought. Sorry about that! Evan and I are trying to bring the old blog back to life, so we will be trying to post some more in the near future. 

  As you will soon see from  MANY upcomming posts, I recently recieved a large ammount of 35mm slides of the Rices Landing area and its events throughout the years. The shots range (mostly) from the 70s and 80s, even into the 90s. I discovered that peppered throughout this collection are some very old shots dating back as far as the 50s. Some are original shots and some are pictures of older photos. They are all amazing and a fantastic look into our local history. 

  I found these photos of the old hotel and figured it would be a good intro into both the revival of this blog and a taste of what is to come. Although Evan and I don't do as much physical exploration these days, a dive into the old photos proves just as interesting. I'll be doing a post on the origin of the treasure trove of photos soon but for now, as promised, more on the Monongahela Hotel.

  

As the sign says, the Monongahela Hotel was built in 1855 and was a three story structure located near the location of Lock 6 on the Monongahela river at Rices Landing. it was near the railroad underpass which takes the road under the former railway ( now rail trail). The road T's to either Millsboro road or Horseshoe Bend...infamous home of Stovepipe! The Hotel was in close proximity to the river, coal mines and the railroad, so I would imagine it saw its share of visitors. Its hard to imagine a town the size of Rices Landing once needed a hotel! I'd love to see some inside shots. Maybe we will find some one day.  

 The sign states the Hotel was built from bricks baked right in Rices Landing. Some of which can still be found in the weeds and dirt along the trail. Although the sign states the hotel was razed in 1957, I believe the shot below was dated 1959..I will double check as my vision isnt what it used to be. Either way, it was gone long before I was born.

 My sister Debbie told me she remembers walking past the Hotel as a child with my aunt, and remembered it as 'creepy'. That would have been in the days close to its destruction, as in the color photo, so her memory is probably pretty accurate. The Hotel was, in her day, a beatuiful building that I'm sad to not have seen. We are lucky to have these old shots to remind us what was once there, which has always been the spirit of this blog, If  I discover any more photos or information I will add it to this post. Stay tuned to the blog for a LOT more Rices Landing content! 

If my Dad were still around, he'd have told us not only about the Hotel, but the car in the foreground!  Listen to those old stories, gang. The people that tell them wont be around forever!

Looking North. Monongahela house on left

 My family and I will be moving back to Rices Lading soon. I can't wait to get back to my home town! A lot has changed in the 24 years I've been gone. 

I'm glad some of it is the same! Stay tuned for more!

Update Video/Debbie Makel blog 10-6-2020

 Turns out 2020 has been a wild year for all of us. We know its been a long while since we've done a post, so we decided to kickstart the old blog and get things moving again. We may not post os often as we used to but we have some cool content coming up. We appreiacte those that have stayed with us and hope to meet some new folks!

 We decided to do a quick update on the Debbie Makel case, as it it the 47th anniversary. No real new information to report but I STILL get regular emails about people who follow the case. As always, we welcome comments and emails. Please DO NOT name any alleged suspects in the comments, however, you are welcome to share your thoughts and opinions. We hope everyone is well and are stoked to be back! Dont forget to check out the Facebook page for regular updates on stuff!

Test...1..2. Is this thing on?

 Well..we've decided to revive the blog! Although Evan has kept the SWPARE Facebook up and running, we sort got away from the Blogger format. Actually, a lot of the cool blogs that were around back then have sort of died off.  We put far too much effort into SWPARE to let it die...so we're changing the oil, kicking the tires and seeing what the old girl has left. (The blog, not Danielle).

 Although its easier to post to Facebook and Instagram, theres a lot of crap one has to wade through to find something good to read. I don't know about you but the constant political debate and everyday drama on Facebook are enough to make me seek refuge elsewhere! So kick back, relax and enjoy some cool stuff!  A big Thank You to everyone that stuck around! If you are new to the blog..go feel free to explore some of the older posts! We'll be updating on some of the old posts and bringing some new stuff soon,

 Life has changed for us  a bit since we last posted but Evan, Danielle and I will be keeping the old blog chugging along. We also have some friends wanting to explore and post with us, so stay tuned! As always feel free to comment and share your ideas. 

Your Pals, 

Chip, Evan and Danielle!

Pechin Denbo Marina, Denbo, Pa

Found this on the pier in middle, date unknown

     It was a warm Friday morning, and I somehow managed to get an unexpected day off from work,  so I thought I'd take the long way home in celebration.    I got off the new road, then made my rounds through downtown Brownsville, as word on the street is they were in the process of ripping down even more buildings on the main drag, Market Street.  

View from the rear

     A few of the buildings look to be in the process of being gutted, and there is some revitalization on another building close by.   We'll be back to follow up on this subject, but I got bored with it today,  and had been meaning to stop by the little town of Denbo for a while.

     Now,  a few years back, I did a blog on the construction of the new Route 43 turnpike bridge,

 the bridge that was the final nail in the coffin of the Fredericktown Ferry, or more commonly known as Fred.

     Denbo is a small town along the Monongahela river, and once was home of the Vesta 6 mine,  which supplied coal to the mighty furnaces of the Jones and Laughlin to the north in Pittsburgh.  Vesta 6 shut down in 1946, and since then, it is just another patch town along the river.

    Sometime in the 1980's (unsure of these dates, not a whole lot of info out there, feel free to correct), Sullivan D'Amico of local Pechin's fame opened a marina from a former lumberyard on the main street through Denbo.  I'm no expert, but it looks like he used the existing Vesta structures for barge load out, as a part of the marina layout.   From what people have been commenting on our Facebook page, this Pechin's too, was also famous for its low food prices. 

     I'm not sure when it closed, but the signs on the marina show a 412 area code, and we haven't used that here since 1998, so maybe before then.   As I walked out on the big pier in the center of the below picture, I found these four postcards just laying in the middle of the catwalk, so I took that as a sign to do this post.


     I found an old article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette about a fire truck auction at the old marina in 2006.  For those of you familiar w/ the Pechin name, you know what a hoarder  collector the man was.....

The same area today

 What follows are a bunch of pictures of the overgrown and abandoned marina today.  It's currently for sale, so who knows, maybe the 3 dollar steak dinner will return (thanx Jeff Mann for the reference).

The catwalk where I found the postcards

Alicia load out, across river

old boat ramp

Feel free to offer any memories, corrections to the blog....

     

Some great photos of the Crucible Ferry Nekoda!

Sent to us by Facebook follower Shaundra Bissett, these amazing old photos of the Crucible ferry " Nekoda" give a rare glimpse of the ferry in action. Many people have fond memories of the ferry and their family members who relied on it every day! Shaundra writes:

  "I came across your blog and videos the other day.  The crucible ferry was always an interest to me.  I am 47 and as a young girl my dad would take my brother and I down to the ferry and we would play.  This was around 1982 when it was lateral washed on shore.  I can remember it was tethered by huge thick cables.  Anyway I can remember my grandmother telling me my grandfather worked on the ferry, I don't know what year but I was able to find the two pictures I have.  They both have pictures of them with cars on them.  One has a picture of my grandfather standing on the ferry.  The young boy sitting on the waters edge is my uncle so I am guessing these pictures are around the 1950's.  I was so excited to see your blogs about the ferry.  I remember going down to the river after each of the major events to check on it.  Until it was gone."

And here is the current location from the above pictures.

Thank you, Shaundra! If anyone else has any more great old photos, please let us know! We'd love to feature them!

Check out THIS LINK for some additional pictures of the ferry in action, and sitting underwater.   We have tons of ferry related posts here, so don't forget to use the search box and type in ferry.

Silence of the Lambs/ Riddle filming locations

 Well,  Its been a while since we've made a post but rest assured, we're still around! Evan and I headed out today with no particular destination in mind and wound up at a super cool spot. This post has something for everyone!  Fans of filming locations, railroads, bridges and just plain old beautiful southwestern PA countryside in the autumn. Today's post explores some locations from the 1991 Jodie Foster/Anthony Hopkins film The Silence of the Lambs.

 Evan has been to this spot before so it was his idea to head back today. The weather was perfect so we decided to check it out. Its pretty easy to find and cool to know such a classic film was filmed so close to home!  Another lesser known (WAY lesser known) movie, Riddle,starring Val Kilmer was also filmed in this area. We'll touch on that a bit,too.

 The movie The Silence of the Lambs was released in 1991 and won 5 Oscars. It is a fantastic film that has several aspects based on true events. Several locations in the Pittsburgh area were used, but we'll focus on the house that belonged to serial killer Buffalo Bill and the nearby bridge. The tunnel is in the shot where Clarice (Jodi Foster) is riding in the back seat of a car and she is discussing Buffalo Bill.

 The Layton bridge was built in 1899 and served as a railroad bridge before being converted to a roadway in 1933. It seemed reasonably well traveled by car traffic in the short time we were there, so the locals keep it busy. It is, however, in very poor condition ( as you see in the video). Hopefully, it will be around for awhile as it is a really cool spot. The bike trail gives the best view. check it out if you can.

In the video I mention a long aerial shot in Silence of the Lambs, but after re-watching the movie, I believe the shot of the bridge and tunnel I'm thinking of was from Riddle. The bridge and tunnel can be seen in Riddle starting about the 24 min mark. She drives across the bridge and comes out in Brownsville...lol. Apparently, an episode of the television show Fire in the Hole was also filmed here in Layton.

Here is Riddle

  As Brownsville was used as the setting for the town of Riddle, we recommend checking it out. But be warned, despite the local connections, its ...well,pretty bad.

 Back to The Silence of the Lambs.The house that was used for the residence of fictional killer Buffalo Bill is located just down the street. It is beautiful and has been in the news lately as it is for sale. Evan and I wished to respect the privacy of the current owners,so we only snapped a few pictures and short video. We  wondered if the bridge location was chosen first and then the house, or the other way around? If anyone knows, please,chime in. The thing that caught my eye is the old bus/shed in the yard across the tracks from the house. I remember it well from a short scene in the film. It struck me as 'something you would see around here"...when actually it was! 

The bus today

Capture from the movie

My attempt at the shot from the movie  (from memory...not too bad...lol)

Had we known we were going here, we would have prepped our info a little more, but our best stuff is usually off the cuff. Hope you guys enjoy this post and please feel free to comment with any more info. Its good to be back....more posts to come...soon!