Source:Old-landmarks
"Old landmarks." Pittsburg Dispatch, Oct. 11, 1889, p. 2. Newspapers.com 76232969.
The Western Pennsylvania Historical Society held a regular meeting yesterday afternoon, and the few members present listened to a paper on "Pioneer Landmarks in Western Pennsylvania," prepared by Rev. Dr. A. A. Lambing.
He spoke first of the Indian trails across the mountains over which the early settlers found their way. The old Frankstown road, part of which is now known as Frankstown avenue, East End, is a landmark. Frankstown, after which the road was named, was a little hamlet on the Juniata, three miles from where Hollidaysburg now stands. Blair's Gap, named after John Blair, an early settler, is also an old landmark. The numerous ferries, which crossed the rivers at different points, were old landmarks, also among them Harris' ferry, by which the Susquehanna river was crossed where Harrisburg now stands; and McKee's ferry, which crossed the Monongahela at McKeesport, named after David McKee, a Scotchman, who settled at the mouth of the "Yough," about the middle of the last century.
Mr. Lambing said that in examining the sites of some of those early mills, and the streams by which the motive power was furnished, he was surprised to find some of the streams now merely rills, half a dozen of which would not furnish sufficient power to run a mill now.
Last of all, the crossroads are landmarks. They are the productions of civilization. The crossroads soon became the location of a miniature cottage, with its store, its blacksmith shop, its tavern, and its big wooden pump.
By request, Dr. Keyser read his paper again on baseball. J. C. Porter read one on the Mexican War.