Quintessential Pennsylvania

One of the longer covered bridges in Washington County, the Hughes Covered Bridge has a long and storied history.  Built in 1889, the bridge became the center of a legal battle nearly 90 years later over its location.   The Hughes Bridge is a 55-and-one-half-foot Queen post bridge over Ten Mile Creek.  In 1915, Washington County took over maintenance of the bridge from Amwell Township.  56 years later, Washington County looked to move the Hughes Bridge to Mingo Creek Park.  Early in 1971, the county began deconstructing the bridge so it could be transported to the park.  Amwell Township filed suit to prevent the move to the Washington County Park.  A judge would rule in favor of the township and ordered the county to restore the bridge to its previous state. Since that court ruling, Hughes Covered Bridge has remained at its home off of Montgomery Run Road.  Additionally, since 1971, the bridge has been a stop on the annual two-county, Wa...

Eastern Washington County is home to many covered bridges, including the Leatherman Covered Bridge near Scenery Hill.  The 36-foot-long Queen post bridge is believed to have been built after 1860.  The structure crosses the South Branch of Pigeon Creek and is said to be named after Joseph Letherman.  Letherman, whose last name's spelling is different from the bridge, was one of the early doctors in the area. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and was fully restored in 1998. Further Reading: Leatherman Covered Bridge @ Coveredbridges.net Leatherman Covered Bridge ---Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency Leatherman Covered Bridge ---Wayne Chatfield How To Get There:

ELLSWORTH - Founded in 1900.  Washington County town named for and founded by James W. Ellsworth.  In 2025, the town celebrated its 125th anniversary . How To Get There:

Monessen, "The City on the Hill."  The Westmoreland County town that was founded and grew from industry.  The city that symbolizes the tragedy of the Rust Belt. It's hard to find the best way to write about Monessen.  The Monongahela Valley town is a living example of how the decline of the steel industry decimated a community.  Yet, through all the blight and lost businesses of what was once a city of over 20,000 residents, there's still some hope, even if it's tinged with nostalgia. An abandoned parking deck from a time when Downtown Monessen was a destination. The parking deck was still in use as late as 2016. Monessen hasn't been the same since the early 1970s when Page Steel and Wire closed shop.  The biggest blow came when Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel left town in the mid-1980s.  The loss of the city's major employers put Monessen in a tailspin from which it has never recovered. The former First National Bank and Trust Company building (and former home ...