Conspiracy or Coincidence a new Masonic Lodge built across from grave of man who greatly resented them John Taze Russel ?

If you ride down Cemetery Lane in Ross Twp. Pa. you will see a most unusual grave stone in the shape of a  Egyptian Pyramid .
it is the final resting place of  Charles Taze Russel  who founded the Jehovah's Witness Religion. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Taze_Russell

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah%27s_Witnesses

Now ironically Mr. Russel who did not care for the Free Masons and forbid his religious members from joining the group as he saw it as incompatible  and  the masons which has its own controversy because it is a group which keeps secrets and brings all the conspiracy kooks out . Now has a magnificent  view of a new Masonic hall from his grave

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonry

 About 20 years ago  The Free Masons decided that there long maintained headquarters in the Oakland Section of Pittsburgh had out run its use fullness and it was sold to University of Pittsburgh and they came out to Ross Twp to build a new hall on a magnificent site on top of a hill . I have been in the hall which is just as fantastic looking inside as it is outside .

 So is there a conspiracy was this a deliberate slap in the face of the man who opposed them ? I really doubt it. in fact I would bet you if you took a poll most masons attending meetings at there facility do not even know who Mr. Russel is let alone would be involved in such an unkind slap. In fact the building does not even face toward his grave . It is not in the nature of Masons to take vengeance against those who oppose there views.

The masons I know and they are many  are honest hard working god fearing individuals who raise millions of dollars every year to help there community's and thru the shiners organization which helps children who have received severe burns.   If its anything its a coincidence.
But Americans love a good conspiracy and there are those who are convinced otherwise.

Yes belive it or not it was the Law in Carrick a Trolley stop for a Firefighter and take him to call box

Back in the heyday of trolleys believe it or not in the community of Carrick Pa. which became part of the city of Pittsburgh and is now its 29th ward and where I grew up before moving out of the city . It was the law for trolley operators to stop and pick up a fireman along his route if he was standing there in his fire gear and take him intermediately to the closet stop where the fire was located.
Now remember this was back in the early 1900's not everyone had a vehicle and in fact horses where still being used for delivering milk etc.
So it only made sense that this was and back then trolleys went everywhere . You could board a trolley in Pittsburgh and by switching to various trolly lines at one time be able to go all the way to Cleveland , Detroit even Chicago by trolley and rail line. Some trolley lines even carried freight and even had special ambulance cars which got people to hospitals.
Several other community's which had trolleys also are suppose to have had this law on there books as well.
You can view more carrick trolley pictures and even read articles I wrote on them as part of my Eagle scout project on history of carrick at following link.

http://wiki.carrick-overbrook.org/Trolleys_in_Carrick

Because this was the fastest way to get to a fire scene it was also the fastest way to get away from a crime as well. and in City of Pittsburgh in 1960's an individual became famously known as the Commuter Bandit as he would rob a bank then hop on a trolley to make his escape even back then trolleys often had there own rights of way to get thru areas fast. He was even charged with Robbing a bank in Carrick as well. Ironically a friend of ,my dads who he worked with at J&L steel. His wife Deloris worked at the grocery store where the commuter bandit was the owner it turned out.

http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/470/717/110903/

This was a fascinating era now gone and only a hand full of towns still have trolleys or street cars in use. most modernized and there are a handful of museums like near Washington Pa. where you can still ride one of these great old relics.

http://www.pa-trolley.org/

But Pittsburgh Railways which ran the big net work of trolleys before it was taken over by Allegheny county Transit authority known as PAT Port authority transit. Still exists and was a one time big player in the Alarm Business . They are still known today as Pittway that's right the people who bought and expanded ADEMCO Alarm systems till they sold out to Honeywell.

http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Pittway-Corporation-company-History.h

A most unusual work shop in a tunnel formed when railroad trestles where buried in slag in North Bessemer to protect them from Nazi sabotage ?

Yes hard to believe but during WWII  many railroad trestles where buried in slag and such all the way up to the tracks to protect them from Nazi Saboteurs but we seem
We have a classic example near where I live  where a double set of trestles was buried and the Plum Creek Railroad which ran underneath  the trestles track section was made into a tunnel to allow it to keep operating  out to the coal mines in Renton.

Before trestle was buried

After trestle was buried

The twin trestles which where curved  can be seen covered in slag in above picture and where of vital importance during WWII as they belonged to  Andrew Carnegie's Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad  which hauled Iron Ore down from ships which hauled it from iron ore mines in Minnesota  as well as limestone and coal and other commodity needed to make steel from many locations along the line as it snaked north to Erie.
Seeing how impossible it would be to post guards everywhere along these tracks which had many trestles along them  it was decided to bury them so Nazi saboteurs could not place explosives on them and knock them down which could take months to replace instead of a couple days when you just blew up tracks . While another explanation is the trestle where buried to strengthen the trestles to carry heavier loads but if this was the case why was the Allegheny  river bridge not reinforced   as well as other areas along route .  Approach Trestles where also buried about a mile up from these near where a magnificent steel bridge goes over the Allegheny river  in Harmarville as a way to help when the new bridge was built . and this bridge was guarded during WWII

https://books.google.com/books?id=-CoyAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA322&lpg=PA322&dq=north+bessemer+railroad+trestle+that+was+buried&source=bl&ots=LduCvuwT7H&sig=uYbk5SVUM1Ly5loGyl1TRFtJxf4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0UjKVKqUMsWogwTZsIKoAw&ved=0CEIQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=north%20bessemer%20railroad%20trestle%20that%20was%20buried&f=false

Possibly the open sections under a concrete aqueduct which took the B&LE thru East Pittsburgh where also possibly filled in for same reason as where many smaller areas all along the route.

East Pittsburgh trestle you can see where openings where

http://pghbridges.com/articles/haer/blerr_PA508/blerr_HAER508.htm

Thou the Steel mill activity in Pittsburgh has greatly decreased the B&LE is still an active railroad now owned by Canadian National Rail

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessemer_and_Lake_Erie_Railroad

However the Plum Creek branch stopped service service in early 60's  and the abandoned railroad tunnel has now become the workshop for an older gentleman who runs several small oil wells in the area. 

http://pghbridges.com/braddock/0602-4483/prr_plum_blerr_tun.htm

Some additional pictures of trestle and burying of it