The Mysterious Scripture Rocks of Jefferson County near Brookville Pa was it Genius or Madness ? maybe a little of both

 I was on my way up Pa 28 North  to do an Forensic Electrical Inspection for an Insurance company in St Marys when I saw a sign for Scripture Rocks Heritage 

Park .

I had no Idea it was so close to the highway but there it was when i finished my inspection  I decided to stop on way back. It was a bright sunny warm day in Western Pa which we don't see too many of and Im glad i stopped but was disappointed .

The Park is not Handicapped Accessible and the trails are rough with large pebbles which greatly reduced my ability to check it out  and I had to turn back due to being Crippled from a Construction Accident in 1992. i have little flex in my foot and it was Painful to walk the trail.

The other disappointing thing is the rocks with engravings are very hard to read how ever there are trail maps for a buck and placards at many of them with the biblical inscriptions which where completed in 1913. By a man some said was a genius while others say he was mad

The 65 Boulders which where engraved by Douglas M.Stahlman between 1910-1913 

where his personal calling to god. and socio political beliefs.

He stayed on the site and built a small shelter he used while making the engravings after he let his wife die from a terrible illness which was treatable  and landed him a stint in a mental institute.

He would again be committed to Dixmont State Hospital  near Pittsburgh 

where he would pass in 1942 .

If you do go be ready for rugged hiking and there is a picnic shelter as you enter the park .

more information about Mr Stahlman and the park can be found at the link below 

https://www.scripturerocks.com/douglas-stahlman

A Deadly Accident on the Tarrentum Bridge which Scared Motorists into not wanting to use it to use it for many years

 The Pittsburgh Area is Known as the City of Bridges  and for good reason and not just Pittsburgh but Allegheny county as well and one magnificent looking bridge is the Tarrentum Bridge  in Northern Allegheny County which connects Tarrentum to New Kensington .

Built in 1949 and over 1700 feet long its quite the attraction in the valley with Thousands of cars a day going back and forth it.

Now the bridge has been a source of many accidents over the years primarily because of people speeding over it and the deck freezing solid during winter storms. But in general its a very safe bridge which has seen several renovations. 

However in 1968 a Mysterious Accident occurred which kept many drivers Leary to drive over the bridge for many years. 

 on November 20 a young mother on her way to work would cross the bridge  in here vehicle and plunge to her death .27 yr old Anita Sluka  apparently never knew what hit her . A waitress at Eat N Park Restaurant  some how flipped her car several times on the slick road bed that had become icy from high winds  and landed over the 3 ft high  railing plunging to her death. 

At first when police arrived they thought the car had left seen and did not plunge off the bridge  until they looked over and found part of it under the rivers waves .

Rescue crews arrived and had one hell of a time getting to the car and raising it . Finally a West Penn Power boom truck with long enough cables was brought in  and raised the car which was severely damaged but Mrs Sulka was not where to be found. her body was not recovered till the next year when it sadly floated to the surface which happens all too often when it comes to those unfortunate to be dragged in by the Allegheny Rivers strong undertow .

Now because of the little to no damage of the bridge decking and railing motorists got spooked thinking her car was blown off the bridge by the high winds and many refused to us it till convinced otherwise.

Having lived in the time period and knowing how big and heavy cars where back then still makes you wonder exactly what happened and how she ended up over the railing. 

https://triblive.com/local/valley-news-dispatch/remember-when-car-plunging-from-tarentum-bridge-frightened-drivers-for-years/ 

You can read the full Trib article by clicking the above highlighted link.