Martians landed in Calvary Cemetery in Pittsburgh in 1950's .Apparently alot of people belived it.

 While I can find no Media account of it apparently a bunch of young boys and girls where scared to death after rumors of Martians landing in Calvary Cemetery in Hazelwood Section of Pittsburgh and where hiding on top of the nearby Water Tower .

http://www.interment.net/data/us/pa/allegheny/calvary-cemetery/index.htm

 

 Apparently a bunch of strange lights where seen in the cemetery one evening in 1950's during the Cold War Scare when many where on edge and supposedly some boys went and investigated and saw the Martians and spread it all over the neighborhood. 

As far as I can tell there is nothing to it a bunch of active imaginations .

surly if there was anything to it press or post gazette would have picked it up. 

But given the times yes a school kid would have been very scared to hear Martians had landed 

But look how the Green man story took off . But there was some truth to that one .

Why Did So many fires happen at the Old Trolley Amusement Parks in Pa and WV. ?

 When you look at the Historical Record of Trolley Parks which there where over 30 in Tri-State  it seems that many meet their demise due to Fires and Accidents and in some cases Floods .

Luna Park - Fire and Accident

Oxford Park - Flood 

Rock Springs - Fire 

 

Fatal Rock Springs Fire Chester WV

While others like Kennywood and Lakemont Survived Fires  because they where better spread out and financed .

 

But Why.

One of the problems back in the day was Smoking 

Yes poorly discarded cigarettes started a lot of fires not just in Trolley Parks but many buildings .

But in the case of trolley parks many where mostly all wood based add in the highly flammable scenery in attractions and no sprinkler protection and you have a disaster in the making.

One simply discarded cigarette could take down an entire parks fairway .

 

Introduction of Electricity  

Yes many early rides also had newly designed electrical systems  which where still in their infancy and problems developed when wiring got abraded and damaged and caused a spark to fall into wooden ares some times covered with grease used to keep ride lubricated and operated. 

Poor Maintenance and,Financing 

Many Parks sprung up and disaperared with less than 5 years use 

like Southern Park in Carrick and Wonderland in Wilkinsburg 

Cheaply built not properly maintained rides breaking down and then following  the Depression of 1930s' many could not survive  with the introduction of automobiles trolleys disappeared and so did much of their funding as they where started by trolley company's and the automobile all but sealed their fate. 

In some cases it is highly believed that Arson was involved as parks started failing hoping to collect a fat insurance check.

Yes there where many complicating issues why some survived some died  but I am glad many did across the state and its fun researching and reminiscing about those that no longer do.

New 3rd Event from Fayete County Bigfoot Research Group

 

New Book by Gregory Nicholas Old School Psychic Medium

Check out the new book by Gregory Nicholas Old school medium 

Available on Amazon 

 

Strange case of a Dirigible Crashing Near Point Pleasant WV. Yet no trace ever found or one reported missing . So what was it a UFO? Nazis?

 One of the strangest cases of aerial activity above West Virginia happened near Point Pleasant  on October 10 ,1931 when around 2:50 PM a local doctor Charles E. Holzer  observed a Dirigible  about 300 ft up in the air go over his Hospital . 

 

Several others also observed it  and then witnessed as it broke in 2 and burst into flames and crash into the Ohio River  near an area known as Galopolis Ferry ,

Several people reported seeing what they thought was parachutes opening and 3 survivors  floating to the ground. 

 

https://themothman.fandom.com/wiki/Unidentified_Dirigible_Reported_Down_In_Blaze_In_West_Virginia

 

https://anomalien.com/the-ghost-in-the-sky-mystery-of-the-ghost-blimp/

 

At first they thought it was the USS Akron because it had been requested for a foot ball championship   but it was not and no trace of the craft or people who parachuted out was ever found .

Of course search technology back then was very limited compared to today. 

and Army Air Corp reported all blimps accounted for.

So what was it a UFO disguised as a blimp?

Maybe it was Nazis conducting secret surveillance  after all it caught fire and Germany used Hydrogen in their blimps to keep costs down compared to Hydrogen. and their where already regularly scheduled flights coming from Germany. We don't know what weather was like but they could have easily snuck thru during the night and stormy skies 

But what about the jumpers ?  well if they where on a secret mission and they successfully landed on shore they would have hidden their chutes and just disappeared into the community. Hit the icy cold river they would not have survived and been dragged down quickly

Since dirigibles are made of Duralunimum and canvas  not much would have been left to find and floated down the river . an Ice Cold River probably flowing high and fast since it was late fall.

 

So what do you think it was?

 

New book by Stan Gordon

 Check out Stan's newest book on Amazon 4th in a series 

Missing Reward 25 caliber Mauser Pistol

A man my wife knew Jeff  who who did some  wood  work on our house about 20 years ago and did gun smithing as a hobby and lived on School Street in Penn Hills Pa and is now deceased . He  either lost ,sold or was otherwise stolen from him a Mauser 1910  25 caliber 6.25 mm  hand gun which I had given him to repair . approx. 20 years ago . It was Reported Stolen  to Penn Hills Police  and not seen since.
  Serial number # 213979

Not a particularly expensive  or historic gun made during ware war and millions where made and many Germans carried them for personnel protection. My late uncle brought it home after he served in the war.

Though the gun was well made it had one fatal flaw and that was the flat springs in the gun which would frequently break and which Jeff was going to fix for me. Well he never did and kept putting me off finally admitted to me lost it in his house.   I immediately called Penn Hills  Police who took a report .

You can still buy these guns at any gun show for around $150-$500 depending on condition and certain models could go much higher if you had case etc.  mine was closer to the $150.00 dollar  more of a family heirloom than a practical gun to carry and I would like to get it back so I can pass it down .

This is a problem with these old guns  they are still applicable to all state and federal firearms laws Just like a brand new gun and if you bought , found or where given  one and did not run a back round check on it and  if are found in possession of one of the many stolen guns like mine you will be charged with a felony and can face 5-10 years in prison  weather you knew it was stolen or not  If you inherent or buy or other wise find an old gun and decide to keep it run it thru the local police and or gun shop and make sure it is not stolen or prepare to face the consequences. Better to turn in a gun with no consequences than face legal and jail time .

Let it be known also this gun is also  cursed and will bring ruin to those who stole it and not honor its rightful family's owner .

 

So what did the Boy Scouts of Allegheny now Laurel Highlands Council do with the Log Cabin Forsythe Home from East Liberty they where Gifted?

 Well the more I dig into the history of Boy Scouts of America activities in Pittsburgh regarding camps and properties they once owned in area the worse it gets with Hum Buggery .

Originally known as Allegheny Council then Allegheny Trails Council and now Laurel Highlands Council 

Back during the Allegheny Council days of 1950s. There was the Hubbard Boy Scout Reservation in Allison Park which was donated to the council and was a former country club  which they sold to university of Pittsburgh in 1955  and is now known once again as Wildwood Country club.

Council claimed they where running out of room and civilization was getting too close  and they would buy property in Butler county to replace it . But I am sure The Original Clubs owners  wanted the Club back after the new homes started sprouting out there and a few dollars changed hands  .

Yes that property they bought in Butler County  would be the now closed and sold Camp Semiconon  which they lied about  Just like Tionesta .Which they never built the promised lake  for Semiconon in the article.

That's where the name Hubbard comes from for the fancy place they built out in Farmington.

So now we have another mystery which no one wants to talk about. The Missing Forsythe Log cabin which once sat in East Liberty and was donated to the Council

The cabin itself has a long and interesting history itself.

https://archive.theincline.com/2019/01/29/what-happened-to-the-long-lost-forsythe-log-house-an-east-liberty-landmark/

 Starting out in Wilkinsburg and changing many hands and being moved to East Liberty.

Where finally it was sold to a developer who could not get anyone to take it so he donated it to the scouts .

Who moved it out to the Hubbard Reservation and apparently rebuilt it and according to an old caretaker of property he burned to the ground because it was full of termites  which is unverified could have just been spirited off to some  Corporate Pukes Executives private camp property ,and any trace if it was there along with the memorial marker plaque The DAR Daughters of the American Revolution  put on the cabin have disappeared into history. 

Now if it did burn there is a small chance local fire company may have been called to camp to help put it out and there would be a record which is one area to investigate .

Of course this is one of several Log cabins to conveniently disappear around City of  Pittsburgh including the one that was in Phillips Park in Carrick and River-view Park in North Side 

Pittsburgh is real good at destroying and making disappear historic structures and Objects .

Its a dam shame how much of our history has been lost forever.

 

 

 

The Night they tried to steal the Golden Cross from top of Mellon's Fire Escape

 I have not been able to find an article in newspapers but several people including a long passed city firefighter . Have confirmed this is a true story of the night 2 young boys attempted to steal the supposedly Solid Gold Cross from the top of East Liberty Presbyterian Church steeple , also Known as The Cathedral of Hope

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Liberty_Presbyterian_Church_(ELPC)

https://cathedralofhope.org/

 It has been  Nicknamed "  Mellon's Fire Escape"  after Its patron contributing family The Mellon's  a prominent  Robber Baron Bankers  at the turn of the century paid the full cost of the church and some Mellon family members are buried with in the church.

http://www.offthebluff.com/history-of-the-fire-escape/

 

This is the 5th church to stand on the site and was started in 1931 and finished in 1935 and is a magnificent master piece of work and no expense spared .

So why wouldn't 2 boys not believe the story's the cross was  solid gold  instead of actually being  plated and plot to steal it one evening some time in 30s. while church was being finished. 

Well the story goes they acquired a long thick rope and proceeded to sneak onto the site past the watchman and started working their way up the scaffolding in place and securing a rope to the steeple   toward the top when the height became to much and they took a death grip on the rope and started screaming for help.

The Watchman finding them called the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire who came with their Tiller Ladder truck the tallest available at the time  and rescued the youth their grip so tight on the rope they had to have it cut from their hands .

It would be neat if i could actually confirm this with a news article and if I do find more evidence I will update you on it. 

Ironically it was the very Mellon family who saw to the destruction of the East Liberty neighborhood boosting a plan to turn the business area into a walking mall which turned out to be a disaster of crime ridden abandoned store fronts.

Today Urban Renewal ( also Secretly  Known as "Negro Removal" )  is going on and if you lived in East liberty and would return today you would not recognize the area so much has been torn out low income dwellers removed and  replaced by expensive tissue paper worthless ugly high-end condos