Tag: bridges

Hazel Ruby McQuain Park, Morgantown, West Virginia

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

Who is Hazel Ruby McQuain?  She is not famous to most people.  Although she was born in the town of Coshocton in the U.S. state of Ohio, she made great contributions in the city of Morgantown in the U.S. state of West Virginia.  Morgantown is famously known as the home of West Virginia University.  Hazel Ruby McQuain is famous for establishing the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust which made a donation to build the John Wesley Ruby Memorial Hospital which is located on the campus of West Virginia University.  (The hospital is named after her husband.)  She made other contributions throughout Morgantown.  For this reason, the Hazel Ruby McQuain Park was created in her honor.  Located on the Monongahela River, it features an amphitheater where concerts are played, a kayak launch for those who wish to paddle on the river, a hiking and biking trail, and a picnic area.  The view of this park is a real contribution for a woman who did so much for this city.

Some of you are saying, “You know, this is very nice.  It is great to honor a great woman who did great things for the city of Morgantown.  Go Mountaineers!  However, there are numerous problems here.  The first problem is that Hazel Ruby McQuain has made no contributions nor does she have any connections to the railroad.  The second problem is that Morgantown, West Virginia is not a railroad town nor is there a railroad passing through here.  The third problem is that this park has nothing to do with the railroad.  Therefore, I will not be contributing a visit to this town or to this park.”

Why visit the Hazel Ruby McQuain Park?  She has no connection with the railroad.  Why visit the park?

It is true that Morgantown, West Virginia, being famous for the University of West Virginia has no real railroad history.  Other than a light rail system, there is no railroad here.  However, that was not always the case.

As you enter the Hazel Ruby McQuain Park, the first thing you see is an old train station.  Why is there an old train station here?  It is because the Caperton Trail passes through the park.

Some of you are saying, “That is great.  It has the old train station, but what is special about the Caperton Trail.”

On the south side of the park is an old railroad bridge.  Why is there an old train station and old railroad bridge?  The Caperton Trail is a rail trail.  The Deckers Creek Trail, another rail trail, begins at the old railroad bridge and continues along Deckers Creek.

As you can see, you have a reason to visit Hazel Ruby Park.  Along with the concerts, you have a place where the railroad once ran.  The old train station can be rented for events as well.

The Hazel Ruby Park is located at 185 Garrett Street in Morgantown, West Virginia.  It is just off of U.S. Routes 19 and 119 and a short drive from Interstates 68 and 79.  Parking is on site, or you can hike or bike the trails to the park.

Why visit Hazel Ruby McQuain Park?  She has no connection to the railroad, but the park keeps the railroad history of Morgantown, West Virginia alive.

‘Bridge of Dreams’, Brinkhaven, Ohio

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of Ohio has so many great sites throughout the state.  It has great historic houses, museums, and parks.  The state is also known for its covered bridges.  One of these covered bridges is known as the ‘Bridge of Dreams’ in the small town of Brinkhaven.  Unlike most covered bridges, this particular covered bridge was not an automobile bridge but is part of a hiking trail.  Why is it called the ‘Bridge of Dreams’?  The answer is that the bridge that crossed the Mohican River was considered to expensive to build, but money was raised, and it was built.  Today, the ‘Bridge of Dreams’ is the second longest covered bridge in the state of Ohio and the third longest covered bridge in the United States of America.  If you love covered bridges, you will wanted to see the ‘Bridge of Dreams’ in Brinkhaven, Ohio.

Some of you are saying, “This is nice.  I love covered bridges.  It is a great thing about the United States of America.  The sad thing is that with this being a covered bridge, it has nothing to do with the railroad.  Therefore, I will not be dreaming of seeing this covered bridge.”

What is special about the ‘Bridge of Dreams’?  Yes, it is the second longest covered bridge in the state and the third longest covered bridge in the nation, but there is more to the story.

You will just see a long covered bridge if you hike, or bike, the trail.  It you approach the bridge from the road, you will notice something.  What do you notice from the road?

The ‘Bridge of Dreams’ is a covered bridge today, but it was not always a covered bridge.

Some of you are saying, “Wait a minute, are you saying that this was not always a covered bridge?”

You have read correctly.  It was originally a railroad bridge.  The trail, known as the Mohican Valley Trail, was built on an old railroad line of the Pennsylvania Railroad.  What is now the ‘Bridge of Dreams’ was originally built by the Pennsylvania Railroad in the 1920’s.  It was a railroad bridge until the 1990’s when the railroad line was abandoned, and it was made into a rail trail.  There was an idea to convert the old railroad bridge into a covered bridge.  Fighting against the skeptics, the bridge became a covered bridge, and it was dedicated in 1999.

Today, you can take a walk across a bridge that was once traversed by the railroad.  The bridge is a short drive from U.S. Route 62 south of Brinkhaven.  You can park next to the trail and take a quarter mile walk on a paved trail that is easily accessible by wheelchairs.  If you have enough energy, you can go ahead and walk the entire four and a half mile trail to the nearby town of Danville.

The next time you hear about the ‘Bridge of Dreams’, you can dream about the days when the railroad traversed the Mohican River.  The railroad is long gone, but the dream still remains.