This alluring old house appears on several websites with photos of great abandoned buildings. What none of these sites tell you is that this house belonged to a once-famous politician and railroad engineer named Jonathan Knight. It's about five miles west of Brownsville, PA, on US Highway 40. Of course, 40 runs more or less along the route that General Braddock hacked into the wilderness in the mid-1700s in a falied attempt to capture Pittsburgh (then Fort Duquesne) from the French. Knight was instrumental in building US 40, aka, "The Old National Pike," through this region.
I didn't even know the place was here, as I barreled down 40 toward Brownsville. But when I caught a glimpse of it through the trees alongside the road, I immediately turned around and got out to snap a shot. It's a fantastic place, clearly abandoned, but with trinkets still in the windows and curtains tied back to let in the sunlight. The house looks like it's been empty for at least two decades, but it doesn't appear to be vandalized at all. A big lady at the hair-styling salon just across the road came out and yelled at me for taking pictures. A lot of folks in the Brownsville area seem a little hostile to strangers.
I just "found" this today while driving on 40 to Uniontown. I didn't get yelled at but I just stopped really quick. It looks like a tough place to get to unnoticed. Great blog name by the way! It's nice to see jaggers used in their proper context!
ReplyDeleteHey Coke Oven Mike. It's so uncool that this old house is left to fester beside the road. Happy travels. I'll be checking out your blog.
DeleteI stopped by to photograph that house today and had an encounter with the same woman. The salon looked closed, and it's Sunday, so I parked in their lot and got out with my camera. The woman came out screaming and telling me to leave. She claimed I could not park on any of the lots at any of the businesses along that stretch. I told her I just wanted quick photos from the shoulder and would leave right away. I let her know I knew the history of the house. She finally agreed to let me park there for five minutes. Legally, of course, anyone can photograph from the road without permission. Another blogger says she fired a pistol when he was taking a photos from the shoulder! As an aside, this is October 2020, during the pandemic. Her voice was hoarse, and she had a bad cough. She said something about being sick. Maybe it was just allergies, but I haven't seen anyone with a respiratory infection since March. For her sake, I hope it wasn't covid.
ReplyDeleteHi Kate. Thanks for your comments. I don’t know what the back story is with the self-appointed protector of that house, but I’m sure there is one. Happy trails.
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