One of the Senior Design projects our students in the Civil Engineering Department at Pitt implemented this term was an extensive study of the feasibility of reversing the tendency of Canonsburg Lake to slowly transition from a healthy body of water into a permanent wetland. I distinctly remember when “the aluminum dam” was constructed, forming… [Read More]
Oyler: Millers Run Creek
A recent article in the Post-Gazette reported on the dedication of the Gladden Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) remediation facility and its effect on Millers Run. For as long as I can remember, this stream, running through the heart of South Fayette, has been a bright orange color, and perhaps the most glaring example of the… [Read More]
Oyler: Historical Society Civil War Presentation Recap
The last Tuesday in April presented me with a conflict. The good news was that our Book Club, which has been meeting remotely for over a year was going to convene at Norm Cohen’s home, in person. The bad news was that the Bridgeville Area Historical Society was holding a program meeting that I wanted… [Read More]
Oyler: Senior Design Time
One of my favorite experiences each term is serving as a mentor for a team in Pitt’s Civil Engineering Senior Design Project program. Despite the complications of pandemic social distancing, the program has managed to continue to provide each graduating senior with a valuable “near-real-world” engineering experience as a member of an integrated design team…. [Read More]
Oyler: Spring Is A Little Late This Year
It is always a treat to watch Spring arrive in our woods. Somehow the combination of Pandemic exhaustion and my recent illness has made it even more special than usual this year. By my calculations it is about ten days late this year, and more welcome than ever. My walks in the woods invariably begin… [Read More]
Oyler: Early 1800s Barn Re-Raising Continues at Woodville
I continue to be thrilled by the construction of a new barn at Woodville, part of Neville House Associates’ ambitious project to create “the Woodville Experience” by complementing the Neville House with authentic outbuildings. The result will provide twenty-first century visitors with an opportunity to experience life on a wealthy western Pennsylvania estate in the… [Read More]
Oyler: Women in WWII Recap
The Bridgeville Area Historical Society celebrated Women’s History Month by welcoming back one of their favorite speakers, Dr. Todd DePastino, and an excellent presentation entitled “Women in World War II”. Todd began his talk with an examination of society’s attitude toward women in general and women in the workplace specifically in the years preceding World… [Read More]
Oyler: 18th Century Native Americans In Western PA
Our recent column on the evolution of Native Americans in this area ended with the Iroquois in control of the Ohio Country at the beginning of the eighteenth century, treating it primarily as “hunting grounds”. At this point, other nations began to move back into the area – notably the Delaware being forced west by… [Read More]
Oyler: 200-Year-Old Barn Transplanted from Latrobe to Neville House
A lot of exciting things have happened at Woodville in the past two and a half centuries – I am excited about something happening there right now! Several years ago the Neville House Associates announced “The Woodville Experience” Capital Campaign, a fund raising effort with the goal of enhancing this National Historic Landmark and create… [Read More]
Oyler: Meadowcroft Rockshelter Offers Clues About 19,000 Years of Human Activity
Every time my ventures into local history come in contact with Native Americans, I realize how little we know about their involvement in the Chartiers Valley. This is an interesting subject, one that must begin with an understanding of the evolution of these people from their earliest days at Meadowcroft Rockshelter up to historic times… [Read More]