Borders, Bridges, Birds and Beers

 4.10.2021

The Washington County side of the marker

                On my way into work I pass a couple stone markers. Sitting beside the road, showing obvious signs of age, they mark the line between Allegheny and Washington Counties. They got me thinking about whether there were any others around.

                On following days, I was extra careful in watching for any others. I checked some maps and drove down a couple roads which crossed the county line. Other than the occasional “modern day” signs made out of metal, I saw or found nothing.

                While pursuing my Gazetteer I saw a spot where Allegheny, Beaver and Washington Counties all connect. It looked like a future road trip to me. The future came on Saturday.

                We headed west towards “the spot”.  Soon we started seeing detour signs warning that the road was closed ahead.  We figured we would go as far as we could and deal with the detour when we got to it. It couldn’t have turned out better. The road was closed just past the road we were going to take!

                A mile or two past the road blockage we came to the small community of Murdocksville. The maps show the county lines coming together at a road intersection just before a bridge crossing Raccoon creek.  We pulled over and got out to look around.

                The bridge was new, as far as Pennsylvania bridges go. We could see where the dirt surrounding it had been moved and reshaped. Looking in the woods we saw no marker or anything possibly concerning the county lines. Crossing the bridge we found a historical marker which told about a grist mill that once stood near-by.

                The White Grist Mill once sat beside Raccoon creek, using the water to power the mill. Later it was converted to steam. From where we stood by the bridge, all remnants of the mill and the dam that once stood here were gone. We didn’t want to go onto the property beside the stream since it was someone’s yard. The community was called White Mill and eventually was renamed Murdocksville after one of the residents.

A possible monument base?

                Across the street from the sign was a stone pedestal covered by a bush. I wish I had looked at it closer, it might have been where a marker once stood. The wall it was connected to bordered another yard and it wasn’t until I had looked at the photos that I realized what it might have been. Next trip I guess… For now, as far as I’m concerned, that’s where the counties meet.

                Looking at our Gazetteer, (everyone should have one in their car!) we saw that we were fairly close to a covered bridge. This small icon on the map is what took us on our next leg of the journey. Even though we had a detailed map of the area, we still managed to miss it. I always say, “What’s a good trip without getting lost once or twice?”

                We ended up at a small brewery/greenhouse. We stopped and asked a woman standing outside of it where the covered bridge was. She gave us good directions and then said to stop back and have a beer after we found it. We decided that now was as good as later. The Coal Tipple Brewery had a couple picnic tables sitting under a porch roof, some potted plants in the yard for sale and a small fire burning in a burn ring. It looked ideal for a short break.

                Putting on our masks we went inside and bought a couple glasses of fresh, dark stout. We went out to the porch and sat down near the fire ring. Light smoke made the air smell good and the warm temperatures made it perfect for sitting outside and enjoy a freshly brewed beer.

                With our thirsts satiated, we returned to our quest for the elusive covered bridge. Nearly there we passed a dirt road that had a Bridge Closed sign at its end. We turned down it to see what was there. The road went down a hillside into the valley. Steep drop offs were on my side, the stream and woods spread out below. On the ride down, a brown tailed hawk flew over the car and into the woods, close enough to allow us to see the beautiful patterns on its wings and back. It was gone just as quickly as it appeared.  We also saw a Piliated Woodpecker as we neared the bottom of the hillside. It perched on a tree long enough for us both to see it and to appreciate how huge it was. This is the largest type of woodpecker, some being close to 20” long! Its bright red crest is what caught our eye first, then its size. It flew off towards the stream before I could stop the car.

Raccoon Creek Rd. Bridge

                The road ended at the bridge. Large piles of dirt blocked access to it by car. It was an old metal bridge with a wooden floor. I would have no qualms about crossing it if the dirt wasn’t there. There were a couple kinks in the beams, whether from accidents or metal stress I don’t know. Rust was working on the beams also so perhaps it was best that the dirt piles kept the car off it!

                It was nice and quiet in the valley, the only sounds being the water flowing by and some birds chirping. The sounds were soft and quiet, hardly noticeable at all. Skunk cabbage could be seen pushing its sprouts up through the moist dirt all around us. Spring was well upon us!

Lyle Covered Bridge

                After some photos we returned to the “main” road and our quest for the covered bridge. A half mile further and we came to the bridge. Painted red it sat in a picturesque setting. After a couple pictures we returned to the car and following the road we were on, headed in the general direction of home. We weren’t sure exactly where we were but we figured we’d come to a road we knew or recognized soon enough. That is exactly what happened and another hour later we were back home again.

                We hadn’t found any stone markers but we really didn’t complain. Our journey took us through three counties, showed us some history, a refreshing taste of fresh beer, some beautiful birds and a couple bridges. Not bad for a four hour trip on a nice day!