On my trip along the Lincoln Highway to Grand View Point near Bedford, Pennsylvania, I snapped a few sites, including the big praying mantis at the Second Time Around Shop, now laying on its side.
Other photos here are the LHHC mural and gas pump in Stoystown, the Washington Furnace Inn closed and for sale, and the rebuilding of the burned Sleepy Hollow tavern and restaurant.
Along with the not-surprising news that the fire-damaged Sleepy Hollow Tavern will soon be torn down, the Tribune Review has a story about the tavern’s sign along the Lincoln Highway west of Ligonier. A prankster has been changing the sign, using fire-related puns like “PA Hotspot.” Even local officials are taking it in stride. Here’s a screen shot from the Trib with the latest, “Voted Hottest Wings by the Ligonier Fire Co.”
The Tribune-Democrat and Tribune-Review report that Pennsylvania state police have arrested Edgar Clinton Wiltrout, 55, of Ligonier, and charged him with arson in a February 23 fire that destroyed The Hollow Tavern along the Lincoln Highway in Unity Township, Westmoreland County. He also was charged with multiple felony counts of burglary, causing or risking a catastrophe, criminal mischief, and reckless endangerment. Damage was estimated at approximately $450,000 with no injuries reported. Wiltrout is in Westmoreland County Prison in lieu of $1 million bail.
Above: A vintage Sleepy Hollow matchbook, courtesy Cyrus Hosmer.
Sleepy Hollow was a popular stop since being built 1939-1940, but suffered after the westbound lanes of Lincoln Highway/US 30 were moved across Loyalhanna Creek.
The charred remains of Sleepy Hollow Tavern are sad to see. Johnathan Myers has posted photos of the place showing the destruction caused by a fire that started late February 25 along the Lincoln Highway west of Ligonier, Pennsylvania. Click the link above to view them.
Here’s an early postcard of the tavern in happier times….
Can’t go wrong with “food prepared mother’s way”!
Above: A vintage Sleepy Hollow matchbook, courtesy Cyrus Hosmer.
The weekend fire at the former Sleepy Hollow Tavern along the Lincoln Highway in western Pennsylvania has left the building charred and condemned. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, after burning overnight Saturday onto Sunday, firefighters were called back at 11:30 Sunday morning when the roof reignited. The second floor, which once housed a dozen hotel rooms, has fallen into the first floor restaurant. Click the image below for the full story from the Trib:
Youngstown Fire Chief Barry Banker, who led some 20 area fire crews, said when he arrived, smoke was coming out of the building from every direction. After attempting to enter the 1939 wood-frame structure, they turned back and could only fight it from outside. There were no injuries reported, but KDKA-TV reports that state police are saying the blaze is suspicious in nature.
Sleepy Hollow was a popular stop since being built 1939-1940, but suffered after the westbound lanes of Lincoln Highway/US 30 were moved across Loyalhanna Creek. A small causeway was added, and after some success as a buffet in the 1980s, the business has had various remodelings. The Trib reports that the most recent owners tried filing for bankruptcy in November.
WPXI-TV has a short story calling it a biker bar. KDKA now has their video report online – click the images below:
The surrounding area remains visually stunning: in 2005, the county purchased 1,239 forested acres from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy for $900,000 to create The Loyalhanna Gorge Greenway, stretching 3 miles along both sides of the Loyalhanna Creek from the Kingston Dam to Longbridge through Chestnut Ridge.
Click the map above for a full-size view of the Lincoln Highway.
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