MT. PLEASANT,
PA - The R&R Station was built in 1883 in an era of expansion
- the B&O Railroad arrived first in 1853 and the Pennsylvania
Railroad arrived in 1881. Settlers were moving west.
The
population was taking advantage of a new freedom the railroad
offered from the hard journey cross country by horse and
wagon. Travelers needed a place to stay, a good meal,
and a cold drink.
The
borough was first in Westmoreland County to incorporate - in
1828 - and 53 years later was a bustling town that served as
a lay-over between Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. Transportation
was center stage again in 1937 when America's first turnpike
was set in motion and the R&R served to house its workers
as the stretch between New Stanton and Donegal was completed.
The Americans of 1883 were anxious to build, to expand, and
stretch imaginations of what the country could do. Elsewhere:
The notorious Wild West outlaw Black Bart pulled off his final
stagecoach robbery in California. The Brooklyn Bridge was christened
in New York. Thomas Edison installed the first lighting system
in a building using overhead wiring. Imagine for a moment the
thousands of people who have moved in and out of the R&R
over the years and the incredible amount of human dialogue that
accompanied it. It's no wonder the current occupants
say the place is haunted.
