Lavansville is a village just west of Somerset. It is named after the community's founder, David Lavan. Lavan settled here around 1812 and owned most of the land on the eastern side of the village.
While the number of historic iron truss and metal truss bridges has been dwindling over the years due to several factors, occasionally a bridge will be preserved for its historical value. Such is the case of the Inwood Iron Bridge, which was built in 1899 and located near Lickdale, Pennsylvania. The Inwood Iron Bridge was fabricated by the Pittsburgh Bridge Company and erected by Nelson and Buchanan of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. It is historically significant as one of the oldest surviving Pennsylvania thru truss highway bridges in Pennsylvania. Early examples of Pennsylvania (Petit) thru-truss highway bridges from before the 20th Century were not common as the design was more often used for railroad bridges. Only a handful of such roadway bridges have been identified around Pennsylvania, making the Inwood Iron Bridge more historically significant. The 151-foot-long Inwood Iron Bridge crossed Swatara Creek and was located not far from Swatara State Park in Lebanon County, Pennsylvan
Throughout Pennsylvania, there are numerous abandoned coal mines. In fact, if you live in Southwestern Pennsylvania, it is quite likely that one once ran underneath your home . With the abundance of former coal mines in the area, you're bound to come across an old shaft entrance or other leftover example. With varying degrees of difficulty, you can find these relics of an earlier industrial era. One such remnant can be found at the intersection of Douglas Run Road and Round Hill Road in Elizabeth Township. The entrance to the former Warden Mine sits hidden behind fill, trees, and vegetation which makes the old brick entrance best seen in winter. Entrance to the former Warden Mine on a frigid December 2008 afternoon (Adam Prince) The Warden Mine opened in 1925 and operated until July 1954. The bituminous coal mine was owned by the Pittsburgh Consolidated Coal Company. In addition, the mine also centralized numerous local mines. The nearby community of Victory (Mustard
A canal linking Philadelphia with the Susquehanna River across southern Pennsylvania had been in the making for quite some time. This eventually gave birth to the Union Canal, which was built between Middletown, located along the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg, with Reading on the Schuylkill River, which winds its way to Philadelphia. During the canal's construction, several land features had to be dealt with, and in the case of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, it was more practical to build a tunnel through a hill than to build a series of locks. This gave birth to the Union Canal Tunnel. The Union Canal Tunnel was a critical link connecting the eastern and western branches of the 82-mile Union Canal, which was built through the ridge dividing the Quittapahilla Creek and Clark's Run just northwest of the center city of Lebanon, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest existing tunnel in the United States, dug through 729 feet of slate rock which contained veins of limestone. Drilling for t
my aunt Nancy Barkley lived in Lavansville, her son Rodney and his wife still live there.
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