Copyright © 2017 John F. Oyler
September 14, 2017
The Log Home Tour
I received a message recently from the Pioneers West
Historical Society regarding their Annual
Historical Log Homes Tour on Saturday, September 16, 2017, from 10
am – 2 pm. They thanked me for
attending the event last year and devoting a column to the Walker-Ewing Log
House, and invited me to come back this year. Unfortunately that event
conflicts with another commitment for me; nonetheless the tour merits mention.
Pioneers West is
a wonderful organization of dedicated people committed to the preservation of
the Walker-Ewing Log House, which is located at 1355 Noblestown Road in Collier
Township. The house was constructed late in the eighteenth century and has been
well maintained ever since. It is a remarkable example of the way people lived
over two centuries ago and well warrants a visit.
Pioneers West
sponsors a tour of their property and of four other nearby log houses each
year. Festivities at Walker-Ewing this year include a performance by a folk
music club, craft whiskey sampling, a demonstration of a metal detector, and a
display of vintage clothing.
One of the other
houses on the tour is Killbuck Lodge in Oakdale, a rebuilt structure that is
maintained by the Friends of Killbuck Lodge and is used by Boy Scout Troop 248.
The McAdow-McAdams Wilson Log House, at 100 Bruno Lane in Imperial is now owned
by West Allegheny School District and used as an historic learning center by
Wilson Elementary School.
The Pittsburgh
Botanic Garden, 799 Pinkerton Run Road in North Fayette, owns the restored
Walker-Ewing-Glass Log House and uses it as the centerpiece of its Heritage
Homestead project. The Moon Township Parks and Recreation Department owns and
maintains Coventry Log Cabin in Robin Hill Park, 949 Thorn Run Road. It is used
as a resource by the Moon Township Historical Society.
The variety of
organizations involved in these five properties is impressive; their common
denominator is their passion for preserving our history and heritage. Somehow
we need to find a way to support the efforts of such organizations. At the very
least we need a bulletin board that keeps track of all the relevant events of
all the local historical groups. Sounds like a good project for the Bridgeville
Area Historical Society website.
One group of such
organizations are those, like Pioneers West, that are focused on a specific
facility – Woodville Plantation, Old St. Luke’s Church, the Oliver Miller
Homestead, the Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, Gilfillan Farm,
the Thomas Espy Post (Civil War Room), the (Arden) Pennsylvania Trolley Museum,
etc. Each of these facilities offers programs and open houses throughout the
year, including many attractive events that history buffs miss merely because
they aren’t aware of them.
By the same token
the various local historical societies offer a broad spectrum of programs
focused on history in general rather than on a specific facility or event. Our
Bridgeville Society has an excellent series of monthly programs each year,
bringing in knowledgeable outside speakers who cover subjects as varied as “The
Great Castle Shannon Bank Robbery” and “Origins of World War II”. In addition
they sponsor a monthly workshop focused on Bridgeville history; the current
topic is the history of Bridgeville High School.
Nearly every
neighboring community – South Fayette, Collier Township, Carnegie, Mt. Lebanon,
Upper St. Clair, etc. – has a historical society with some level of activity.
Add to that the historical programs that are sponsored by and presented at the
various libraries and you realize that the history buff has access to far more
events than he or she could possibly attend. It would indeed be beneficial if
all of them were advertised in one clearinghouse, so the history buff could
take advantage of all the opportunities available.
We history buffs
who live in the Chartiers Valley have access to a remarkable variety of
relevant historical sites and events. It is unfortunate when we fail to take
advantage of them.
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