A long forgotten location of early settlers homestead in Baldwin Boro Pa.

The walls where still standing when I was a kid in 60s along Glass Run Road a 1- 1/2 story  early frontier stone house which was built into a hill side to prevent Indian attacks. From the rear all traces of it now long gone except for couple foundation stones .Why it was not preserved I will never know but the Pittsburgh Region has a way of just destroying its history.

I contacted the Baldwin historical group for info on this pioneer home but they where of no help at all. 

As you wind down the road way from Baldwin Fire Dept about half way down you round one of the bends  will see a nice split level home with a miniature barn with Mail pouch tobacco sign painted on it 

 Back behind where the pickup is parked if you go back into the hillside you will find whats left of the 

one time pioneer home a couple foundation stones.

They can be seen better during winter time. But as Always  Remember this is private property  if you have a desire to further check it out. .

Don't know if the home owner even knows the home was back there. stopped a couple times but no one was home. .

The Secret Fur Coat Storage Business which operated quietly in a Pittsburgh Oakland Neighborhood for many years

 Back in the early 1900s into the 1980s  before all the synthetic Coats and when women where more into wearing stylish clothing . With the harsh winters of Pittsburgh many wore Fur Coats and or stoles

Those during summer time  who could afford it would pay to have them safely stored  in a cold storage vault to help preserve them from drying out and deteriorating  .

 The Numerous Dry Cleaning Stores   that where around before Non Wrinkling easy clean business clothing came out had signs saying. " Please allow Us to safely store your fur Items this summer in our secure vaults  " 

Also Furriers who sold Fur Coats would offer summer storage  as well. At one time downtown Pittsburgh had several fur stores  now their is only one.  

Since fur has fallen out of favor due to easier to care for fabrics and animal abuse activists

Of course not every store had a vault it was a gimmick just like  all the Drug Stores that all developed film Before they acquired Mini Labs.

The stores 3rd party contracted it out.

In the case of Furs it was the Pittsburgh Fur Cold Storage Company   

They had this very old Dark green box truck  with no name on it and a yellow sign on back doors warning that a BABACO Alarm System was in use .

https://babaco.com/

A lot of people thought the signs where a joke but this is a  very old line prestigious company that designed and protected valuable loads around the USA and world 

 This truck quietly went around Pittsburgh neighborhood shops picking up the furs then 

ended up backing into a buildings basement from a back alley at the corner of Baum and Bigelow Boulevard . Now a  Real estate office where all signs of the garage are gone now just a glass entry way 

but you can see how it sloped downward into basement 

 Once in the garage they where unloaded  and Furs where carefully examined repaired if requested put into protective sleeve or box  and stored in a vault with the hundreds of other coats .

I only knew about this place because I worked for Holmes Protection in 1980 for a short time before starting my own alarm business out of disgust  how they ran theirs.

I was with my assigned  trainer Stanley that warm summer night when we pulled up to the building  which had a furrier upstairs who sold fur coats .With no idea what went on down below .

 We walked inside and where lead to the very large basement with several vault's  where we repaired the burglar  alarm system that protected them overnight .

It was one of many Hidden businesses operating in the back alleys of Pittsburgh quietly  minding its business and providing a needed service.

That was till late 80s one late afternoon 2 men stole the fur truck  as it was sitting outside the garage and got away with some of the furs.

Like the Purolator Armored car garage and vault  robbery they tried to keep it hushed up but they could not and the cat was out of the bag .  

But by then Fur industry was on its way out and by the early to mid 90s the business appears to no longer exist.

An extensive internet search has yet to provide  details of the theft or the business .

But its one of those unique crimes which happened in Pittsburgh area. Now long forgotten. 

Hopefully i will eventually find more information and be able to present it.

 

 

  

So what was the large White Owl I saw along Allegheny River Blvd. Is this what others say was the Moth Man ?

 2 summers ago I was driving down Allegheny river Blvd. toward Verona and just passing the Verona Shops when a very large white owl came out of no where and landed on a tall tree stump it was mostly white with a very long wingspan almost 4 ft hanging down.

It looked very much like this white Arctic Owl  I slowed down to get a picture and it took off. 

Now OK so I saw a big white owl no big deal  only there is a big problem .

They are not native to here . They are in very northern parts of Canada and the Arctic.

not Pennsylvania.

 

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

So was this bird just off course or is its some ones pet they let loose?  did it escape from an Aviary? Who knows but if this big owl is what people in WV  saw this at night I can see it being confused as a moth man   

Because they are not suppose to exist around here. but other strange and exotic birds have shown up here after storms knocked them off track so maybe that's the case with this owl and it made its way back to Canada .

Whatever it was it was magnificent.

 

A very Special Staircase many pass every day in Pittsburgh Strip District and have no ideal it is even there

Old  St Patrick church along Liberty Ave is a very small unassuming church many pass everyday but inside its hiding a secret . it is one of 3 Churches in US which have a replica of the steps  which are ascended by kneeling on them the whole way up and are an exact copy of the sacred steps 

of St Johns Basilica in Rome 

https://pghshrines.org/st-patrick-1

 

But there is so much more history to the steps and old St Patrick's  

the steps represent the 28 steps Jesus took towards judgement by Pontious Pilate

Commissioned by Father  James Cox in1936  the second church on the site the first one destroyed in a fire .

Now if that name seems familiar to those who stucy history yes this is the Priest who lead Coxes Army to try and get relief for WW!

veterans .

Read the link abve for more on this most unique Chuch.

Strange but Sad Case of the last 2 Business holdouts for East Street Valley I-279 and east Ohio Street Pa 28 Expansions

 Sad but true the North side of Pittsburgh has been completely chewed up and rebuilt with highway bypasses in many areas . Destroying the Neighborhoods of Manchester ,Woods Run, East Street Valley ,Dutche Town and East Ohio Street  among others 

As the many homes and business where torn up and destroyed and hearts broken 2 cases stand out with there own horrific endings. 

A long time hold out on the I-279 East Street Valley expressway  a meat Packing Company  and East Ohio Street Bypass Pa 28 a Auto Body Shop

Both where last to leave by force and both ended up commuting suicide in the end .

After moving to there new locations .

Allegheny Auto Body Shop owner  Bill Leibreth Jr.   Moved to Verona Road near Frankstown Rd in Penn Hills and within a year of moving  took his own life by gun shot after shooting a relative in a dispute 

His property along E. Ohio Street was a bunch of old run down buildings painted a hideous orange  and at one time was a small brewery with caves in the hill behind it .

he tried to have the buildings preserved along with St Nicholas Church but both fell to the wrecking ball. The stress in the end was too much . there is still a FB page for Allegheny Auto Body and comments on he tragedy

https://www.facebook.com/Alleghenyautobodysavedeductible/

Northwestern  Packing was located at the far end of East Street near Milroy Street  and he also held out and was built a place off Mt Pleasant Street  which lasted a couple years but he alsosuposedly took his life details of which are hard to confirm .

 

Seems Pendot and others want to forget what happened to all the families and businesses destroyed in the name of progress . You think the history and places would be recorded some where but i have not been able to find them.

Even more paranormal events

 Its getting crazy can go to an event almost every weekend 

 

 

 

another upcoming paranormal event

 

This Fire Dept hall was once a Hotel with a Notorious Past

 As you go down US 199 towards Uniontown you pass thru Connellsville and the road splits and in the section that splits sits the Morrel Volunteer Fire Dept. 

It moved to its newest location several years ago at 1232 University Drive  Dunbar Pa  after the roof collapsed at its former location  

https://www.heraldstandard.com/news/2010/jul/07/morrell-vfd-ponders-decision-on-station/

Now most people remember it being a former Victory  Ford Car Dealership

But if you take a close look at the building you can see it was something else

To the rear of the station sits part of a yellow brick structure

This yellow brick building is what is left of what was once a hotel I believe its name was The Starlite Hotel  and it had a Notorious Past 

Seems the mob ran high stakes card games in the hotel and several gamblers who won big jackpots never got to spend it having disappeared .

some day  I hope to get more info on the hotel but google has produced little.