A Walking Tour of Ridgway, Pennsylvania
By Doug Gelbert
()
About this ebook
There is no better way to see America than on foot. And there is no better way to appreciate what you are looking at than with a walking tour. Whether you are preparing for a road trip or just out to look at your own town in a new way, a downloadable walking tour is ready to explore when you are.
Each walking tour describes historical and architectural landmarks and provides pictures to help out when those pesky street addresses are missing. Every tour also includes a quick primer on identifying architectural styles seen on American streets.
The Ridgway name in question belonged to Jacob Ridgway, a Philadelphia shipping merchant. Ridgway never visited the town - in fact, he didn’t spend much time in Philadelphia. He spent large chunks of his time in the early 19th century abroad in London, sending back heaping quantities of money to be invested in real estate. The records are a bit murky, but it is generally accepted that Ridgway owned in excess of 100,000 acres of Western Pennsylvania woods. Into that wilderness in 1821 rode James L. Gillis, nephew of Jacob Ridgway by marriage, was appointed the land agent for Mr. Ridgway’s holdings. Gillis, his wife and their three children arrived by packhorse and ox-team.
Ridgway was plotted as an unincorporated village in 1833 in Jefferson County and a decade later when Elk County formed it became the county seat. Ridgway quickly became an important local political hub and regional manufacturing center, home to large tanneries and, most importantly, lumber fortunes.
The most important of Ridgway’s lumber businesses was the Hyde-Murphy Company, an internationally recognized producer of architectural millwork and art glass. Joseph Hyde was an early town pioneer and lumberman and Walter Murphy was a carpenter, contractor and mill owner before joining forces with Hyde in 1884. The company was responsible for to countless projects in the north-central Pennsylvania region, including the vast majority of substantial buildings erected in the Ridgway historic district. Its long list of clients include the Pentagon, embassies in Washington, D. C., and the Tripoli Hospital in Honolulu, among many other prestigious buildings. The Hyde-Murphy operation occupied a fifteen-building campus just north of the historic district along Race Street. The company ceased operation in 1961 and In 1974 the remaining buildings of the large complex were demolished to make way for the Ridgway Community Park.
Enough trees were felled and floated down the Clarion River that by the end of the 1800s it was said that there were more millionaires per capita living in Ridgway than any other place in America. Their legacy in the “Lily of the Valley” was designated a National Historic Register by the National Park Service in 2002. Our walking tour will start in front of the seat of justice for Elk County and see the handiwork of some of Pennsylvania’s biggest lumber barons...
Read more from Doug Gelbert
A Walking Tour of The New Orleans French Quarter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Greensboro, North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Williamsburg, Virginia Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Look Up, San Diego! A Walking Tour of Balboa Park Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5A Walking Tour of Miami Beach, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Aiken, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of A Salem, Massachusetts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Toledo! A Walking Tour of Toledo, Ohio Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Tucson, Arizona! A Walking Tour of Tucson, Arizona Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Savannah! A Walking Tour of Savannah, Georgia Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Walking Tour of Tampa, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of New York City's Upper East Side Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Chicago! A Walking Tour of The Loop (North End) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Boise! A Walking Tour of Boise, Idaho Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Madison! A Walking Tour of Madison, Wisconsin Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Walking Tour of St. Augustine, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of New York City's Financial District Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Oakland! A Walking Tour of Oakland, California Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Staunton, Virginia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Pittsburgh's Business District Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Jacksonville, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Charleston! A Walking Tour of Charleston, South Carolina: The Battery Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Look Up, Salem! A Walking Tour of Salem, Oregon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Long Beach! A Walking Tour of Long Beach, California Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Gettysburg! A Walking Tour of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Beaufort, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Meadville, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Bordentown, New Jersey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of New York City's Upper West Side Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to A Walking Tour of Ridgway, Pennsylvania
Related ebooks
A Walking Tour of Washington, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Wethersfield, Connecticut Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Bristol, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Greenville, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Mount Holly, New Jersey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Milford, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Greenwich, Connecticut Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Asheville! A Walking Tour of the Montford District Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Auburn, New York Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWalpole Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Ridgeway, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Haddonfield, New Jersey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Washington's Lafayette Square Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Hyattsville, Maryland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Madison, New Jersey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Fall River, Massachusetts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Walterboro, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Brooklyn's Williamsburg Section Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Millville, New Jersey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Hudson, New York Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Harrisonburg, Virginia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of A Providence, Rhode Island Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of East Market, Maryland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Chicago! A Walking Tour of the Gold Coast Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Newtown, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Albany! A Walking Tour of Albany, New York Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Woodbury, New Jersey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Waterbury, Connecticut Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRidgewood Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Rockville, Maryland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
United States Travel For You
The Dark Side of Disney Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2024 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsExploring the Geology of the Carolinas: A Field Guide to Favorite Places from Chimney Rock to Charleston Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lake Superior Rocks & Minerals Field Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Magical Power of the Saints: Evocation and Candle Rituals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fodor's The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West: with the Best Scenic Road Trips Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor's Best Road Trips in the USA: 50 Epic Trips Across All 50 States Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Deepest South of All: True Stories from Natchez, Mississippi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fodor's Bucket List USA: From the Epic to the Eccentric, 500+ Ultimate Experiences Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHaunted Texas: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Lone Star State Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ultimate Guide to Free Things To Do in Las Vegas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor's New Orleans Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Rockhounding & Prospecting: Upper Midwest: How to Find Gold, Copper, Agates, Thomsonite, and Other Favorites Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Birds of Florida Field Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor’s Alaska Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lonely Planet Hawaii the Big Island Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Witch Queens, Voodoo Spirits, and Hoodoo Saints: A Guide to Magical New Orleans Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Connecticut Witch Trials: The First Panic in the New World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/550 Great American Places: Essential Historic Sites Across the U.S. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer: An Edgar Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Huckleberry Finn Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Anne Rice's Unauthorized French Quarter Tour: Anne Rice Unauthorized Tours Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Humans of New York: Stories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Solomon's Builders: Freemasons, Founding Fathers and the Secrets of Washington D.C. Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5One Man's Wilderness, 50th Anniversary Edition: An Alaskan Odyssey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How To Be Alone: an 800-mile hike on the Arizona Trail Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Haunted Road Atlas: Sinister Stops, Dangerous Destinations, and True Crime Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for A Walking Tour of Ridgway, Pennsylvania
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
A Walking Tour of Ridgway, Pennsylvania - Doug Gelbert
A Walking Tour of Ridgway, Pennsylvania
a walking tour in the Look Up, America series from walkthetown.com
by Doug Gelbert
published by Cruden Bay Books at Smashwords
Copyright 2010 by Doug Gelbert
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the Publisher.
The Ridgway name in question belonged to Jacob Ridgway, a Philadelphia shipping merchant. Ridgway never visited the town - in fact, he didn’t spend much time in Philadelphia. He spent large chunks of his time in the early 19th century abroad in London, sending back heaping quantities of money to be invested in real estate. The records are a bit murky, but it is generally accepted that Ridgway owned in excess of 100,000 acres of Western Pennsylvania woods. Into that wilderness in 1821 rode James L. Gillis, nephew of Jacob Ridgway by marriage, was appointed the land agent for Mr. Ridgway’s holdings. Gillis, his wife and their three children arrived by packhorse