100000 Miles and Then Some

 

It wasn’t the first time that Frank and I started a trip in the rain. We never let a few raindrops keep us from having a good time. Frank had arrived early, and we were on the road by 5:30. The rain continued to come and go as we drove north.

    We stopped for a coffee in downtown Butler but were over an hour early. The shop hadn’t opened yet. We continued on to Sheetz. Their coffee is always hot and delicious. They have nice clean bathrooms also, something I always remember when I’m on the road!

    As is always the case, along with photography, geocaching was included on the itinerary. We found just over half of the ones we searched for, not our best day but we weren’t complaining.  The rain tapered off when we were outside of the car searching; still I was happy that I had worn my wide brimmed hat.

    While none of the caches were difficult, they often brought us to some beautiful areas. We visited a few streams, the water on the grass and fresh growth made everything thing look bright and vibrant. The reflections in some of the streams and the sounds of the water flowing over the stones in them gave me a feeling of freedom. All my worries and cares drifted away with the water. Some of the fields were covered with yellow flowers giving them a yellow tinted blanket. Purple and white flowers lined the roads, the rain glistening on them; it was great day to be out.

    Freedom Falls on Shull Run could be heard from where we parked the car. The trees overhead helped keep some of the rain off of us but my coat was drenched by the time we returned to the car. Besides the falls, we also made a quick visit to the old iron furnace stack located just downstream.

    The rain added to the flow coming over the falls. At its base the water was clear showing the depths of the pool below. During other visits we have seen swimmers here and chances are that this coming Monday, Memorial Day, there will be some here enjoying both the cool water and the sounds it makes as it rushes over the edge.

    We stopped and watched heavy equipment working in a pit on the side of the road. Deep in the ground they looked like Tonka toys from where we stood.

    We drove through lots of small communities filled with small houses. In many of them we saw the older houses on the fringes, sometimes overgrown and even forgotten. I wonder what happened to the people who lived there, did they move, was it health problems or maybe they have passed away. Some are extreme with vines growing up their sides, the decorative landscaping of the front yards overgrown and trying their best to hide the house from view, toys and tools rusting away in the yards. In some cases the houses are barely standing. A few years from now, they will be lying on the ground, gone from both sight and memory.

    Our trip took us through the town of Franklin, the county seat of Franklin County. It is a beautiful town with a nice collection of restaurants and shops. A stop was made at the Iron Furnace Coffee shop, it seemed appropriate.  I couldn’t pass up getting one of their tee-shirts. Celebrating two of my interests, coffee and iron furnaces, it was great. All it needed was a mention of books on it and I’d be over the edge.

    Heading south on rt.8, we stopped to look at a heron rookery. Turkey buzzards were flying around the area and we could see herons standing on their nests watching them, perhaps guarding their offspring.

    A mile further and we pulled over to the side of the road. This would be our last planned stop, the Victory Iron Furnace. We loaded up with our camera gear and dropped down into the woods. We had to crawl over a deer fence but there were several spots where it had collapsed, making it easier for us. Working our way down the steep hillside into the valley we encountered a few downed trees which blocked our passage. Other than these detours, getting to the stream at the bottom was fairly easy. The stream, Victory Run, was our next obstacle. Last time I was here it was shallow enough that I could hop from rock to rock to get across. The recent rain had swollen it. 

    Did I mention that a little rain never held us back? The water was only a little over my knees!

    The furnace is only visible when you near it. The flat area in front of the stack, where the casting house used to stand, is filled with trees, weeds and jagger bushes, effectively hiding it from sight.

    This iron furnace was only in operation for about 7 years.  Built in 1843, the Victory Furnace was built up against a high hillside. Many furnaces were built like this to ease putting the various materials that make iron into the top of the furnace.

     I found a piece of slag on the ground near-by. Slag is a byproduct of the iron making process. Impurities float to the top of the molten iron. It is removed from the furnace before the iron is cast. Slag can be found near any old furnace. The piece I found was probably over 175 years old. Bits of un-burnt charcoal and wood can be seen in it.

    As with most of Pennsylvania’s iron furnaces, almost everything that once stood here is gone. A flat area on the hillside above the furnace was where the charcoal house once stood and the level remains of a road can be seen in places, now traversable only by foot.

    The trip across the stream and up the hillside to the car was uneventful though we were both happy to be back.

    Almost 20 miles further down rt.8 we came to a spot I had been looking forward to all day. My odometer turned over to 100000 miles! I don’t know the reason why but I always enjoy watching and noting things such as this. I can remember as a kid watching my watch as the date changed. It doesn’t always change right at midnight! I guess it is a human condition, a variation of birthdays and New Years Eve parties. I had to stop and take a picture!

    We arrived back at my house 9 hours after we left. Both of us felt pretty good after that amount of time in the car. I’m looking forward to an even longer trip soon across the state!

    Heavy thunderstorms descended on my house about an hour after we got home. With news reports about heavy rain and a tornado in some of the areas we had traveled through, it seems that once again we had timed things just right! I have to add, it sure felt good getting out of my wet clothes and into a hot shower!

The Tour Test

 After a few days of extreme cold, both Ann Marie and I were dying to get out of the house. We needed to go outside and breathe some fresh air. The temperatures had moved up into the 30’s and we decided to take a ride.

    We left around 8 in the morning; the sun was just over the horizon but sadly it was hidden by thick clouds. This didn’t hamper our excitement, we had a trip to take.

    We were going north, through Butler. I had been writing about iron furnaces and had put together a “tour” that visited 4 different iron furnace sites. On this drive we would be checking to ensure my directions were correct. The last thing I would want to do is to get someone lost in the wilds of Pennsylvania!

    As is always the case, we made sure to have some high test coffee with us. We stocked up at the Vintage Coffeehouse located on the main drag of Butler. Friendly and outgoing people run it and to make it even better, their coffee and snacks are exceptional!

    Fueled up we continued heading north on rt.8 until we reached Harrisville. This was where my “tour” starts. We also did a few geocaches on the way to help the time and miles pass quicker. A few miles east of Harrisville, we came to the Marion Furnace.

    This furnace had been built about 175 years ago and had only produced iron for a little over ten years. This furnace sits in an idyllic spot, it’s one opening almost touches the small stream flowing past it. Ferns and bright green plants surround it making it look almost like a passageway into the underground. In the winter it looks quite different. The stream was frozen over; there was no cracking noise as I walked on it. Getting to the furnace was easier also because the thick snow helped avoid slips on the hillside and the weeds and vines were pushed down, not springing up at different heights just waiting to grab you.

    Our next stop, not counting the geocaches, was above the town of Emlenton. We pulled over on the side of the road and followed the deer trails into the woods. We passed where a barn and another building used to stand. Their foundations were made out of nice stone, possibly from the furnace situated below them.

Date unknown

    This was the Stapely Furnace. It just looks like a pile of rocks but there are many stone walls scattered all around it, if you look closely, you can see the curved brickwork of the inner furnace near the top. Built in 1835 this furnace wasn’t built beside a stream that could power a waterwheel, they used steam to power the bellows that helped raise the heat of the furnace. The outer stonework was missing from this furnace in 1966 leaving only the inner sections visible. The structure has collapsed further since then. When I was here last, the “jagger-bushes” were thick and by coming in the winter, I not only avoided getting caught in them but I didn’t lose any blood either!

    Back in the car we continued a short distance further and then turned onto a dirt road. This would lead us towards the west and to the Rockland Furnace.  The road was still covered with snow and ice but it had been cindered and in places, sanded. We were cautious going around bends and down hills but really had no problems at all.

    The road going DOWN to the furnace was passable and there was a nice wide spot to turn around and park. I made a short trek towards the furnace but the rocks and the path were icy and I didn’t want to risk a fall so I quickly returned to the car.

    We continued our trek, heading now towards Kennerdell. We stopped at the overlook before going down to cross over the Allegheny River and eventually return to rt.8. Here we turned to the north and the town of Franklin, the county seat of Venango County. It was well past lunchtime and our coffee cups were drained. 

    Franklin is a wonderful town, on the drive into it you pass a group of well kept Victorian style house, some very nicely painted and up kept. The town itself has wide sidewalks, no parking meters and a nice variety of stores and restaurants. We ate lunch at Benjamin’s Roadhouse across from a wide park and got some coffee from Iron Furnace Coffee. A fitting place to fuel up during our trip! The coffee was strong and had that wonderful coffee aroma and taste that you can only get in some shops.

    We stopped at a bookstore in Franklin, one of two on our trip but unfortunately, both were closed. We headed towards the south and home, but there was one more stop to make. About 7 miles out of town we pulled over on the side of the road and I climbed over a deer fence and worked my way down to Victory Run. The Victory Furnace sits across the stream at the bottom of the hill. I have been here many times and I always enjoy visiting the site.

    The Victory Furnace was built 1843 and probably only operated about 7 years. It may have been put back into blast for a couple years just before the Civil War but there aren’t any documents to prove it. The furnace sits on a shelf near the intersection of two streams. The snow hid some things from me such as a watercourse coming from the one stream and any slag. Supposedly there are the remains of a charcoal house on the hillside above it, but that will have to wait for another visit! The furnace is in fairly nice shape though it does have a crack running up its front and the lintels in its single opening are cracked. It is a nice, quiet spot to visit and reacquaint yourself with old iron history!

    We returned to Harrisville, the “tour” ended up being about 80 miles long.  There were only a couple small corrections that needed to be made! With only a couple short stops on our way back to Pittsburgh, we arrived home about 9 hours after we left. We put 180 miles on the car in the process. It was an exciting and fun way to spend a winter day!

Going to the Maps

 

I had just finished reading “The Cartographers” by Peng Shepard and was thinking about it. It was about maps and how they have the potential for making places real. While the book was about using a map as a key to entering a place no one else could go to unless they held the map, I’ve always thought that maps made things real to us. By showing us the way to go, we can experience places that we’ve only heard about.

    Every time I go on a trip, or even think about the possibility of going on one, I go to my maps. Atlas’s, gazetteers, simple folded gas station maps, (remember those?) and even the simple to use, internet maps, I use them all. Looking at them I can decide which routes to take, I can determine whether it will be a quick speedy journey or a scenic one. I can find places to stop and places where things can be found and uncovered. Maps are as important to me as my books are!

    I recently saw a picture of an old furnace that someone had posted. My curiosity piqued, I pulled out my reference materials.

    The first step was to check a book I have about iron furnaces. Published during the second half of the last century, A Guide to the Old Stone Blast Furnaces in Western Pennsylvania, written by Myron Sharp and William Thomas, has been invaluable to me, helping me find numerous old furnaces. Some were mere piles of rock, a few were empty fields or parking lots but there have also been a lot of exciting structures found. Some are hidden deep in the woods, inaccessible to anyone except those who don’t mind a bit of discomfort in their exploring. Some are sitting in plain sight beside the road. This book has taken me to numerous furnaces which while being over 100 years old, still show the mastery of the men who put them together!

    With a little more information about the furnace, I turned next to my Pennsylvania Gazetteer and tracked down the roads mentioned in the book. I also checked a couple other books I have to see if there was any mention of the furnace in them. I added more notes to my list and then I moved into the present century and the computer.

    I visited a favorite search site called Waymarking.com. They have a category called Iron Furnace Ruins which consists of seven pages of furnaces located around the world. I quickly found the furnace I was thinking about going to and clicked on it. I was presented a couple pictures and a GPS location! I copied them all. I put a mark on a map indicating where it was located.

    With Google Maps, I had a good idea of what the countryside looked like, the satellite view showed me near-by road marks, places which would help keep me on track.  On-line topographic maps helped me see what kind of hills and valleys I might encounter.

    I also searched the maps on Geocaching.com to see if there were any hides in the area. A new cache had been listed at a site that I had visited before, near another iron furnace. Located with-in 10 miles of the other, as the crow flies, I added it to the list also!

    I compared maps and made a route which would take us on a nice, scenic route, making sure to pass a few geocaches on the way. I avoided any toll roads and we would only take one expressway for about 5-10 miles. The ride would be an enjoyable one!

    On Thursday morning, I had my gear packed in the car and was enjoying a cup of coffee when Frank arrived. A bit earlier than planned but that was expected, neither of us has a problem with early starts. We hit the road well before the sun rose. Our first geocache was found with the aid of a flashlight. Soon after, the sky in the east started showing its colors.

    We made a brief photo stop at the Country Kitchen, its egg showing up nicely in the predawn light. A couple caches later, we hit route 80, just a little after 8. The slanting sunshine of the morning gave the trees even more color, making the ride a visual experience.

    We were getting closer, the Alleghany River had a slight covering of mist on it as we crossed it into Emlenton, then we headed back up out of the river valley to the hill tops.

    We found another cache less than a mile away from the furnace. Hidden on a small open grate bridge, it gave us another opportunity to get out and stretch our legs as we were looking. We signed the log and re-hid it and then drove another quarter mile where we encountered a gate. Parking here, we slung our camera gear over our shoulders and proceeded on foot. The trail was a gravel/ dirt road, going on a slight uphill slant before dropping down into the valley. Going down, we could see the road leveling off ahead of us and as we rounded a curve, our GPSs told us we had arrived.

    A slight rise in the surrounding weeds was all we could see, the sunlight coming from behind the furnace further hid the structure from us. We took a “path” which led towards where we thought it would be. As we pushed through waist high weeds and crossed over hidden fallen trees the stones of the structure started to appear to us.

    Surrounded by the weeds and bushes it was hard to get a whole view of the furnace. Vines grabbed at our feet and thorns tore at our clothes and skin. We couldn’t see where we were planting our feet, we could only guess and hope.

    Finally, there it was, the Webster Furnace. It was built back in 1838 and operated for an unknown amount of time. It went out of blast when the owners went bankrupt. What makes this furnace exciting is that the base is square like most furnaces, but the top portion has an octagonal shape covering the chimney, an eight-sided top!

    The furnace is in fairly good shape but trees have grown on top of it and their roots are slowly pushing the blocks apart, leading to its eventual demise. The underbrush made it difficult moving around it and seeing anything such as a mill race or walls, if there were any.

    After my photographic lust had been quenched, we packed up and started back up the hill. It was only seven tenths of a mile but it seemed to me to be further on the way up!

    We drove through the picturesque town of Franklin and stopped for two more caches before heading back towards home. The first was a failure; we couldn’t locate it and after a few minutes, continued on the final cache. Sometimes you’re lucky and sometimes, you just strike out…

    The second cache was great, in my opinion. We parked alongside the road and had to crawl over a deer fence. This put us at the top of a semi-deep valley. Most of the hillside was steep but there were a couple ramps which allowed access. Crossing a small stream, the furnace slowly revealed itself, sitting among the yellow fall leaves, hidden in plain sight.

    This was the Victory Furnace, built in 1843 and worked for about 7 years before it went out of blast. It is a nice tall furnace, the edges still sharp and square but it does have a few big cracks in it, one large one going up its front. I passed some cut rocks as I approached, possibly from the millrace or some other structures. There are supposedly ruins of the charcoal house on the hill behind it, I didn’t climb up to see but the idea of another trip has started to grow in my mind! Perhaps when the leaves have fallen and the sight lines are better.

    This wasn’t the first time I had visited the Victory Furnace. My first visit was because of another geocache. I stopped here early in the morning on a cool fall day in 2008. The valley was filled with fog and the sun was just rising, the area was dark, but that wasn’t going to stop me. It was a day that caused my imagination to wander.

    At the bottom of the hillside, I came to the stream. It had steep banks and I had to look around to find a place where I could get down to the water level. Splashing across the shallow stream, my GPS showed the cache only 50-60 feet away. Scrambling up the steep bank, the furnace revealed itself to me. Coming out of the fog, it resembled an ancient temple, much like in an Indiana Jones movie. With my heart beating and adrenalin pounding through my veins, I made my way through the fog and the weeds to the base of the furnace.

    Sitting alone in the valley, it appeared as if it had been dropped here. There were no roads or trails that I could see and no signs of any other ruins near-by. It was a mystical experience and the worst thing about it was that there was no one with me to share it with. It was one of those days that I’ll never forget!

    After spending some time finding the cache and taking pictures, Frank and I re-climbed the hill and returned to the car. In my mind, this was the best cache of the day! In another hour (or so) we were back at my house. Frank continued on to his home and I went in to change out of my dirty clothes and look for ticks. (none found!)

    I looked at my pictures and got a bite to eat and then sat down and started thinking…when could I go back to that last furnace?  

  I already have the maps…