Railroad Hoppers dug high up into a steep hillside in Rochester Pa But why.

 As you ride along Pa 65 as you drive along the river by the YMCA and Hanks  and look high up into the hillside you will see a strange assortment of Railroad Hoppers dug into the hillside and filled with dirt. ,a rather strange looking situation but then look again closely and you will also see old wooden trestles way high up there at an angle as well.

 

So whats the story?

Well at the top of the hill was the one time  H.C.Fry Glass and other factory's which needed Railroad Siding Service  .

But as high up as they where on top of the hills side approx 800-1200 feet  The railroads felt it was not worth the effort to get their engines up their do to the costs and dangers of such an elevated track. 

Still despite the dangers and such local business people built the switch complete with a special dead mans switch at bottom to catch and stop runaway railroad cars which unfortunately did happen from time to time

 Often only one car at a time could be taken up and down the tracks due to being made slick from natural springs and water from abandoned coal mines . But despite it all the railroads and businesses made millions of dollars with the completion of this switch . Which had its own special maintenance crew to keep it operating due to constant landslides , trees down and water flooding 

The switch Operated from the early 20s into the 80's when the whole beaver valley was badly hit by closing down of steel industry and demand for products no longer existed. Much of the old right of way can still be explored including whats left of Morry's Speakeasy an old  rock n roll club  at top of the switch.

Which started out as Graystone Gardens  

https://beavercountyradio.com/news/abandoned-former-morrys-speakeasy-goes-up-in-flames-thursday-morning/

 

https://www.timesonline.com/story/news/local/2020/07/26/sign-of-times-for-morryrsquos-memories-20th-century-beaver-county-nightspot-could-face-demolition/112701508/

 

 

For more pictures and information check out the face book group Beaver County Past, Present and Future

Even more paranormal events

 

The Aurora Club the Forgotten Jazz Club with a Notorious Past

  I was doing work across street from this building and figured it had a story to be told and I was right

Every one Knows about The Crawford Grill  and Walt Harper's Attic when it came to great Jazz Clubs in the Pittsburgh Region.

 

But there was another club as well The Aurora which is not as well known or acknowledged due to its ties to local mob gambling rackets and violent activities both with in and outside  the club which resulted in at least  2 homicide  

Which resulted in its forced closure in 1999. 

Located at  5th and  11 Pride street in Pittsburgh's Uptown in what was filled with stores of Jewish Garment Jobbers who sold clothing wholesale . The rather unassuming Red Brick Building is now sadly in total decay  and home to rats and junkies .

 But back in the day Upstairs the finest Jazz could be heard . While in the basement  mob bookies meet counted there money .

 

The building was owned  by   Anthony"tony" Ripepi since 1950 a well known local mobster  and for many years it ran under the radar of law enforcement .

 with a protected status from bribes of police and others .

The first floor served many different stores over the years and several celebrities are known to have patronized the club  including Muhammad Ali first wife who sang there  and Hubert Humphrey who stopped by for an evening of entertainment .

But the club became known as a trouble spot and after a person was killed outside  the club  in 1984 local councilman Sula Udin  vowed to close it which he did around 2000. ad the building has been decaying and collapsing since . 

An excellent article with more details can be found at link below 

https://blog.historian4hire.net/2020/03/25/the-aurora-club/

Who was the Haystack Man they found in Beaver County Pa.

 Its 1911 and a farmer  from Chippewa working his fields finds a man half frozen in a stack of hay.

He does not know who he was or where he came from  and he is taken to a local asylum where he is properly taken care of but  never recovers his identity  to become known only as Haystack Jack .

It is believed he may have been a cowboy because of ranches and such he recalled but no one was able to run down which one it was or like many drifters if there was ever a record of him working there. 

Was he a victim of a mugging tossed off a train running thru area ? No one knows and as time passes chances are even with DNA  if they can recover it they will never find out  .

Jack Haystacks is but one of many such mystery people in late 1800s early 1900s who ended up in asylums all over the country unable to tell there story's .

 

 

more paranormal Events to check out

 

Bucks county First Ever Paranormal fair this spring

 

Two upcoming Paranormal Events in 2024

1st Event  a Squatch Fest  is at  The Family Drive in Theater  on US 6  in Kane Pa on July 16, 2024 the famous drive in with a UFO and Big Foot Cut out  in front

 

2nd Event is in April  in Parkersburg WV 

A Unsolved Mystery who or how did Pesticides get into the water system of residents in southern end of Pittsburgh .in 1980

 December 8th of 1980 Residents in Southern Section of Pittsburgh in particular Beechview area started noticing a very strong chemical smell in there home water supply's. 

 

After a quick investigation by authorities warnings where sent out thru the news and door to door  not to use the water because it some how had been contaminated with Pesticides specifically Chlordane.

https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-09/documents/chlordane.pdf

Supposedly this was seen as  an act of Vandalism when they believed it was injected into the system in the woods off Saw Mill Run Road Pa  51  near Crane Ave.

But the true cause was never determined or individuals prosecuted, but it caused misery for many in and around the Beechview area. for several days while it was flushed out of the water system.

At the time of the incident Back Flow Preventers where not required on most water system supply's to homes and businesses 

https://todayshomeowner.com/plumbing/guides/backflow-preventer/

Which help prevent water in the structure from going backwards into the water supply mainline. 

The incident could have been as simple as some one with a sprayer on a hose spraying the chemical on their lawn and a water main break  in street causing low enough pressure it sucks what ever water is in the home back into the street main.

 The Late Judson Hamil  a Carrick  Plumbing business owner I knew and  Allegheny County Master Plumber was working in the area that day .

He observed a lawn service type truck  at the top of Dagmar Ave  a very hilly and steep area of Beechview  and down near west liberty ave there was a water break that day and he believed at the time this truck was possible cause which he reported  to authorities but was ignored. When you look at a map of area the scenario is very possible .

A true cause was never determined.

Ultimately this incident saw the enforcement of all businesses and eventually all new homes to have to have back flow preventers installed and yearly inspected for businesses

A Number of Deaths from Pneumonia at the Old St Johns Hospital In Pittsburgh's North side . Did the Nuns have something to do with it?

 The Old St Johns Hospital on Pittsburgh's North Side off Brighton Ave  saw many a colorful Criminal pass thru its doors over the years it was opened .One Black hand boss was even killed outside the entrance .

 

When I first learned to drive in 1976 I was taken to the then closed and decrepit hospital lot to practice parallel parking . the place was dark and spooky looking  

https://archive.triblive.com/news/neighbors-awaiting-hospital-demolition/

 But one strange pattern you notice when reading  Newspaper articles about mobsters who passed away in the hospital is how many passed away from Pneumonia .

 A dear late friend of mine Noel McCarthy 

Father died of Pneumonia in the Hospital  in 30s

after receiving a Gun Shot .

Gangster who died from Pneumonia

 

Noel thought his dad was involved in Law Enforcement but I have not been able to verify it that he was a law enforcement officer  and likely he was involved with the rackets.

Noel always said how his dad died was because of the good sisters leaving his hospital room window open on a cold night allowing him to contract pneumonia.

Maybe the nuns saw it as a civic duty to help rid the city of crime. However an alternate theory is because of all the  Tuberculous and other lung disease issues Pittsburgh had Open Ward Tuberculosis   Hospitals where it was believed  the cold air helped people with lung issues. 

 https://theclio.com/entry/89807

 So maybe the nuns thought they where doing good? 

Either way we will never know but when you read all the articles one does wonder .

.