If you know where to look the remains of a deadly US Navy Hell Diver Bomber that crashed in the Laurel Highlands can be visited

There have been many small aircraft over the years that have crashed into the mountainous area known as the Laurel Highlands which composes parts of Westmoreland, Fayette and Somerset county's in Pa. Famous for its thick unforgiving fog which has caused many crashes after pilots lost their bearings and did not know mountain was below .

One of the more famous cases is a TWA flight 1# which went down in 1936

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TWA_Flight_1

Killing 12 of 14 aboard and recently featured on Mysteries at Museum TV show segment because the Connelsville Canteen Museum has a piece of burnt mail from the crash among their display items.

and of course the tragic crash of flight 93 during 9-11

But one of the lesser known crashes of a Navy Hell diver while on maneuvers  and which plane engine parts can still be scene is one of the forgotten crashes

http://www.tribdem.com/news/local_news/family-visits-plane-crash-site-outside-ligonier/article_b3c1601d-bf44-554a-a614-b7c307b4a465.html

A  Curtis B2C-4E crashed between Ligonier  and Jennerstown on October 9 1945 on a return trip to airbase in Michigan after taking place  with 21 planes from Bombing Squadron  97   in Washington DC celebration that very foggy day

 and has remained largely forgotten .

Petty Officer George A. Cohlmia, who died with Ensign Frank J. Campbell when their U.S. Navy dive bomber tragically slammed  into the mountain at a horrific speed  parts of the plane as seen below still exists to his day and can be viewed if your up to to the strenuous hike to the site, in the middle of no where . Apparently a well known one often tagged by those who chase  geocaches .

If you go remember this is a site of reverence people lost their lives here and respect it as such.

 

AT&T Long Lines Tower in Lillyvale Pa. once part of a very intricate and complex means of protecting the nations communications during the Cold War

As you drive along Pa. 288  from Zelinople to Ellwood City high on one of the slopes sits the Lillyville AT&T Long Lines Microwave Communications Tower.

Now mostly unused  since most phone and data signals now travel by Fiber Optic Lines and Satellite

Complete with underground hardened bunker to protect the electronics these sites played a very critical role insuring communications could continue after a nuclear attack in this case if Pittsburgh where attacked.

http://www.coldwarcomms.org/

https://99percentinvisible.org/article/vintage-skynet-atts-abandoned-long-lines-microwave-tower-network/

 

Many of the large Pittsburgh Corporations also had command centers and storage in nearby Wampum in an underground Lime Stone Mine. The coaxial  lines to the towers where hardened underground as well to prevent damage and where given designations such as L Line etc.
which ran between the various phone exchanges to the towers. The entire system was started  after WWII  and ramped up around
1951 and was in use into 90s in some cases  Till the microwave Horns where turned off but the towers are still used for Cell Service and 2 way radio repeaters etc.  Some Towers have had their horns removed and reconfigured.

Some of the towers and bunkers have been sold off to private communications company's for there use . 

Since these towers are under rules of FCC it is a violation of federal rules to trespass on these sites and penalty's are severe  so urban explorers are best advised to stay out. as with any radio tower site .
working or abandoned . Be warned if you trespass or cause damage you will be prosecuted.

There are many resources on line talk about the whole AT&T Long Lines system and its many fascinating things it did prior to 1984 break up of AT&T

Long Unsolved Murder of the Newcastle Pa. Treasurer John Blevins on January 7 1899

Too much time has passed over 100 years so that even if a killer was identified they have long since passed. However I am sure the Relatives of John Blevins would still like to have answers as to who so violently murdered him.
 Mr. Blevins an immigrant from Ireland ran a small grocery business in between the times he first won the Newcastle treasurers  position in 1875 and again in 1884

although the case is officially unsolved one convicted and executed murderer Charles E. Kruger
 who killed a constable

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1915&dat=19040109&id=eswiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DnMFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2748,745854&hl=en

Claims to have been involved in it but it has been  found  by officials at the time not to be credible .


It was in he evening of Saturday January 7,1899 when Treasurer Blevins would be found in a pool of blood after a horrific beating in his treasurers office  in the rear of old City building  after first stopping by his sons store on Washington Street to tell him he would be stopping by the treasurers office . When his son returned home for the evening around 11 Pm his son concerned went to his office since he had not returned home and came upon the ghastly scene  his father lying on the floor unconscious ad dying and blood splattered everywhere thru the office furniture at the time one of the most horrific murders of its day a old timer I meet while at Gem & Mineral show in Newcastle in 70s  and who was alive at time of the case as a young teen told me about the case and he said everyone in town was just in shock over the whole matter.

Despite a very high $2000.00 dollar Reward the equivalent of $200,000.00 today and fact office was view-able from the street, no one came forward with information  .The only clues left by the killer or killers a piece of iron possibly a spring from a horse buggy used to bludgeon the treasurer

Plus there where papers and some money missing later determined to be around $26,000.00 in city and $32,000.00 in school funds .

It is not known if it was taken by the killers or it had been loaned to individuals as Mr. Blevins was known to be honest and accommodating to those who needed to pay taxes and where in arrears and needed more time to pay.

One theory was the killer or killers came to take papers that proved they where loaned the money
or maybe some one he did business with felt cheated by him or even some one who may have lost there home or business to tax sale took revenge. All avenues at the time where pursued but unsuccessful and in 1899 forensics where no where near as sophisticated as today's crime science. 
it goes down as one of Lawrence County's oldest Cold Cases  Hopefully one day we will have answers.


Thank You to the Lawrence County Historical Society who has done extensive research on this case which allowed me to look further into the story since I first heard of it.

They're Coming to get you Barbara ! The really Neat to visit Living Dead Museum in Evans City Pa.

In an unassuming store front along the main street of Evans City Pa you will Find the Living Dead Store.
Part museum part gift shop dedicated to the now famous" Night of the Living Dead "Movie produced by George Romero .

He brought to life today's un dead  modern flesh eating  Zombies in the scary Black& white movie in 1968

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

Prior to this Zombies where basically Live individuals ghouls controlled by an evil Voodoo priestess  who used powerful drugs to control their every move.
Movies like 1932 White Zombie  are an example of a classic zombie .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Zombie_(film)

The night of the living dead movie is set in a cemetery in Evans City Pa. where a Couple is visiting graves  and the boyfriend starts teasing his girlfriend with the now famous line "They're coming to get you Barbara  ". When they first spot one of the zombies in the distance what they first take as a joke turns into a nightmare when they realize the visitor is trying to kill them along with others who are un dead they then flee to a farmhouse  with another couple and a young black man which is where the rest of the story plays out .
Thou the house has been demolished the cemetery can still be visited and there was an effort made and completed to restore the original chapel in the cemetery to its former glory because it was in part of the movie.

http://www.hauntedpittsburghtours.com/2013/10/night-of-living-dead-cemetery.html

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/35268

If you do go to visit the cemetery remember this is a place of reverence and final resting place of real people so be respectful. the cemetery is under constant surveillance by locals and police .

After you visit the cemetery stop down along  Pa. 68   to 121 E. Main St.  The Living Dead Museum

http://www.livingdeadmuseum.com/museum.html

Here you can find a small museum dedicated to the original movie and follow up films which have become a power house on the zombies franchise .  Which includes a small screening room that shows how the movie was made  as well as other films and is jammed packed with all kinds of posters ,movie stills and actual props used in the movie .The $5.00 admission is well worth the price just to see all the items on display and you can even pick up living dead T shirts and items.  expect to spend a couple hours because even thou its small there is just so much to see and read.

There is even a cool old radio which plays part of the broadcast  which was developed for the movie.

Night of the living dead is definitely one of those old black&white classics which scare the hell out of you, especially if your from Pittsburgh and recognize some of the actors like Pittsburgh's own Chilly Billy Cardile who unfortunately recently passed. 

There is even an annual " Night of Living Dead festival and this will be the 50th anniversary year for the movie and they are trying to get as many still living cast members to come and visit the festival this year .

http://www.thelivingdeadweekend.com/

Which they will be updating the website shortly . I travel thru Evans city several times a year on Business  as I have customers in the area and will always remember the movie and all those who made it great  .