Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation

Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation
Formation 1973[1]
Type non-profit[1]
Purpose Encourage the preservation of buildings, landmarks and structures in Washington County, Pennsylvania[1]
Location
Region served
Washington County, Pennsylvania

Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation is a non-profit educational institution in Washington, Pennsylvania. Its purpose is to encourage and assist the preservation of historic structures in Washington County, Pennsylvania.[1] The foundation operates its own landmark certification process, as well as working with the National Park Service to document and place landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places.[1] It also offers advice and assistance for historic building owners who wish to preserve their facilities.[1] Since its inception, the foundation has been successful in helping many historic building owners in the preservation of their structures.[1]

For a number of years, the foundation has been in conflict with Washington & Jefferson College. In 1968, the college's campus master plan called for the expansion of the campus eastward towards Wade Avenue in East Washington Borough, a plan that placed them in conflict with the residents of that area.[2] For the next 30 years, the college maintained a policy of purchasing any homes in that area as they became available.[3] In response, the Washington County History and Landmarks Foundation was able to get the East Washington Historic District, a collection of 120 Victorian homes in that area, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.[4] The college opposed the designation but did not object in time to prevent it.[5] According to College President Howard J. Burnett, the district "was structured to prevent expansion of the college."[5]

In the 1990s, the hard feelings between some residents and the College came to a head, with residents trying to have the Borough enact anti-demolition laws to block expansion and a meeting of the Washington County History and Landmarks Foundation deteriorated into a shouting match between residents and college officials.[2] Burnett maintained that the expansion was beneficial to the community and that the opposition came from a small and non-representative group on Wade Avenue.[6] He also questioned the historic value of many of the designated homes, pointing out that many of them were in very poor shape and others were vacant.[6] As of 1995, the college owned about 30 properties listed in the historic district.[4] In the end, efforts to block the demolition of these buildings, including several which were part of the historic district, were unsuccessful.[6][7] Notably, one 140-year-old farm house at 137 South Wade Street, which the college had acquired in 1977 after being vacant for several years, was moved to a new location outside of town.[4]

In 2009, the foundation sponsored an architectural survey of buildings in the African American areas of Washington.[8]

Bridges

Landmark name Image Architect/builder/
engineer/decorator		 Address Location Status
Bailey Covered Bridge Spans Ten Mile Creek Amity Destroyed by fire in 1994; reconstructed
Scott Brownlee Covered Bridge TR 414 over Templeton Fork of Wheeling Creek East Finley Township
Brownsville Bridge LR 268 Over Monongahela River, between West Brownsville in Washington County and Brownsville in Fayette County West Brownsville
Charleroi-Monessen Bridge LR 247 over Monongahela River, between Charleroi in Washington County and Monessen in Westmoreland County Charleroi
Crawford Covered Bridge TR 307, spanning Robinson Fork of Wheeling Creek West Finley Township
Danley Covered Bridge On TR 379, spanning Robinson Fork of Wheeling Creek West Finley Township
Horn Davis Overholtzer Bridge TR 838 over Ten Mile Creek West Bethlehem Township Collapsed on March 20, 1994
Day Covered Bridge On TR 339 over Short Creek, Prosperity Morris Township
Ebenezer Covered Bridge In Mingo Creek Park, spanning Mingo Creek Nottingham Township
Erskine Covered Bridge TR 314 over Middle Wheeling Creek West Finley Township
Henry Covered Bridge Spans Mingo Creek in Mingo Creek County Park Nottingham Township
Jackson's Mill Covered Bridge Northwest of Burgettstown on TR 853 crossing King's Creek Hanover Township
Krepps Covered Bridge Southeast of Cherry Valley on TR 799 over Raccoon Creek Mount Pleasant Township
Letherman Covered Bridge On TR 449 spanning the South Branch of Pigeon Creek North Bethlehem Township
Longdon L. Miller Covered Bridge TR 414 over Templeton Fork of Wheeling Creek West Finley Township
Lyle Covered Bridge North of Raccoon on TR 861 crossing Raccoon Creek Hanover Township
Martin's Mill Covered Bridge West of Marianna, crossing Ten Mile Creek West Bethlehem Township Disappeared
Blaney Mays Covered Bridge TR 423, spanning Middle Wheeling Creek Donegal Township
Devil's Den, McClurg Covered Bridge Hanover Park Hanover Township
Pine Bank Covered Bridge Near SR 4018 at Meadowcroft Village, Avella Cross Creek Township
Plant's Covered Bridge TR 408 over Templeton Fork of Wheeling Creek East Finley Township
Ralston Freeman Covered Bridge on private property, TR 352 over Aunt Clara's Fork of Kings Creek Hanover Township
Claysville S Bridge 6 miles west of Washington on Old National Road (US 40), over Buffalo Creek Buffalo Township
Sawhill Covered Bridge TR 426 over Buffalo Creek, SR 221 Taylorstown Blaine Township
Sprowl's Covered Bridge TR 450 over Rocky Run West Finley Township
Webster-Donora Bridge SR 143 over the Monongahela River Donora
Wilson's Mill Covered Bridge Cross Creek County Park Cross Creek Township
Cerl Wright Covered Bridge TR 802 over the North Branch of Pigeon Creek Somerset Township
Wyit Sprowls Covered Bridge TR 360 over Robinson Fork of Wheeling Creek West Finley Township

Historic districts

District name Image Location Municipality
Beallsville Historic District National Road, from Oak Alley to West Alley and Sunset Drive to Sargent Alley Beallsville Borough
Cement City Historic District Chestnut and Walnut Streets from Modisette to Bertha Avenue and along Ida and Bertha Streets Donora Borough
Centerville Historic District Old National Pike spur, roughly from Linton Road to the junction of US 40 and PA 481 Centerville
East Washington Historic District Intersected by Beau Street and Wade Avenue, includes North Avenue, Wheeling and Chestnut Streets East Washington, Pennsylvania
Marianna Historic District Roughly bounded by Ten Mile Creek, Beeson Avenue Hill, 6th and 7th Streets Marianna, Pennsylvania
Scenery Hill Historic District National Road East (US 40), between Scenery Hill Cemetery and Kinder Road North Bethlehem Township
Taylorstown Historic District Main Street, Taylorstown Blaine Township
West Alexander Historic District Main Street, North Liberty to Mechanic Streets West Alexander
West Middletown Historic District Main Street (Route 844) running east-west West Middleton

Public landmarks

Landmark name Image Location Municipality Status
McMillan Hall Campus of Washington and Jefferson College Washington
Bethel African American Episcopal Church of Monongahela City 7th and West Main Streets Monongahela
David Bradford House 175 South Main Street Washington
Canonsburg Armory West College Street and North Central Avenue Canonsburg
Hawthorne School Hawthorne and Bluff Streets Canonsburg
Hill's Tavern US 40, Scenery Hill North Bethlehem Township
LeMoyne Crematory South Main Street at Hillsview Sanitarium North Franklin Township
F. Julius LeMoyne House 49 East Maiden Street Washington
Meadowcroft Rock Shelter 401 Meadowcroft Road, west of Avella Cross Creek Township
Mingo Creek Presbyterian Church and Churchyard Junction of SR 88 and Mingo Church Road Union Township
Old Main, California State College Campus of California University of Pennsylvania California
Pennsylvania Railroad Freight Station 111 Washington Street Washington
Pennsylvania Railroad Passenger Station Water and Wood Streets California
Trinity Hall On SR 18,1 mile south of Washington Washington
United States Post Office-Charleroi 638 Fallowfield Avenue Charleroi
Washington Armory 76 West Maiden Street Washington
Washington County Courthouse South Main Street between Beau Street and Cherry Street Washington
Washington County Jail Cherry Street, west of courthouse Washington

Residential landmarks and farmsteads

Property name Image Location Municipality
Edward G. Acheson House 908 Main Street, Monongahela Monongahela
Samuel Brownlee House SR 519 in village of Wylandville South Strabane Township
Caldwell Tavern Junction of US 40 and TR 474 east of Claysville Buffalo Township
Dager-Wonsettler Farmstead On Old National Road (now SR 40) near Glyde Amwell Township
Margaret Derrow House West Main Street, Claysville Donegal Township
Doak-Little House US 40 South Strabane Township
Joseph Dorsey House 113 Cherry Avenue, Denbeau Heights (Denbo Heights) Centerville
Dusmal House East of Gastonville off Gilmore Road Union Township
Molly Fleming House 616 Wood Street California
Philip Friend House 105 Little Daniels Run Road North Bethlehem Township
Harrison House Old National Pike, US 40, one mile east of Centerville Centerville
Huffman Distillery and Chopping Mill LR 62155, 2 miles North of Junction with PA 917 Somerset Township
Jennings-Gallagher House Wood Street, California California
Kinder's Mill LR 62194 at Piper Road, Deemston Deemston
Moses Little Tavern National Pike (US 40), 3/4 miles east of I-79 interchange Amwell Township
David Longwell House West Main Street,Monongahela City Monongahela
Malden Inn Off US 40 East, on Malden Place, spur of Old National Road Centerville
Isaac Manchester House 2 miles south of Avella on SR 231 Independence Township
Martin Farmstead SR 136, 2 miles west of Eighty Four South Strabane Township
Dr. Joseph Maurer House 97 West Wheeling Street Washington
Montgomery House West Main Street, Claysville Donegal Township
Thomas Munce House SR 136, 3 miles east of Washington South Strabane Township
John H. Nelson House 104 Colvin Road Fallowfield Township
Robert Parkinson Farm SR 18, .4 miles north of Old Concord Village Morris Township
Regester Log House Deemston
Ringland Tavern On US 40 (Old National Road), Scenery Hill West Bethlehem Township
Roberts House 225 North Central Avenue Canonsburg
Frank L. Ross Farm SR 519, .3 miles north of US 40 North Bethlehem Township
Sackville House 309 East Wheeling Street Washington
Stephenson-Campbell House On Tomahawk Claim Lane, off Reissing Road Cecil Township
James Thome Farm 213 Linnwood Road North Strabane Township
Ulery Mill LR 62078, in Zollarsville West Bethlehem Township
Welsh-Emery House 114 Emery Road, a spur of the Old National Road Centerville
John White House 2151 North Main Street Ext. Chartiers Township
Levi Wilson Tavern On National Road (US 40), 1.5 miles east of S-Bridge Buffalo Township

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation". Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation. 2008.
  2. 1 2 Templeton, David (August 14, 1994). "Group Seeks Anti-Demolition Law". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  3. ↑ Taylor, Davison; Patti Murphy (March 31, 1991). "W&J's Building Plans Putting Residents on Guard". The Pittsburgh Press.
  4. 1 2 3 Fitch, Antoinnette (July 2, 1995). "Old House Starts Move Across Town/Study Washington Home from 1850s Disassembled and Braced for Its Move to New Site". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  5. 1 2 Templeton, David (1994-07-24). "W&J President Answers Critics of Expansion". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  6. 1 2 3 Robertson, Bob (August 21, 1994). "E. Washington Demolition Delayed". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  7. ↑ Robertson, Bob (July 3, 1994). "Council Reconsiders W&J Demolition Permit". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. W2.
  8. ↑ "The Black Experience". Observer-Reporter. Nov 15, 2009.
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