Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation

Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation is a non-profit educational institution in Washington, Pennsylvania, United States. Its purpose is to encourage and assist the preservation of historic structures in Washington County, Pennsylvania. The foundation operates its own landmark certification process, as well as working with the National Park Service to document and place landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places. It also offers advice and assistance for historic building owners who wish to preserve their facilities. Since its inception, the foundation has been successful in helping many historic building owners in the preservation of their structures.

For a number of years, the foundation has been in conflict with Washington & Jefferson College. In 1968, the college's campus master plan called for the expansion of the campus eastward towards Wade Avenue in East Washington Borough, a plan that placed them in conflict with the residents of that area. For the next 30 years, the college maintained a policy of purchasing any homes in that area as they became available. In response, the Washington County History and Landmarks Foundation was able to get the East Washington Historic District, a collection of 120 Victorian homes in that area, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The college opposed the designation but did not object in time to prevent it. According to College President Howard J. Burnett, the district "was structured to prevent expansion of the college."

In the 1990s, the hard feelings between some residents and the college came to a head, with residents trying to have the Borough enact anti-demolition laws to block expansion and a meeting of the Washington County History and Landmarks Foundation deteriorated into a shouting match between residents and college officials. Burnett maintained that the expansion was beneficial to the community and that the opposition came from a small and non-representative group on Wade Avenue. He also questioned the historic value of many of the designated homes, pointing out that many of them were in very poor shape and others were vacant. As of 1995, the college owned about 30 properties listed in the historic district. In the end, efforts to block the demolition of these buildings, including several which were part of the historic district, were unsuccessful. Notably, one 140-year-old farm house at 137 South Wade Street, which the college had acquired in 1977 after being vacant for several years, was moved to a new location outside of town.

In 2009, the foundation sponsored an architectural survey of buildings in the African American areas of Washington.

Bridges Landmark name ImageArchitect/builder/engineer/decoratorAddressLocationStatusBailey Covered Bridge Spans Ten Mile Creek AmityDestroyed by fire in 1994; reconstructedScott Brownlee Covered Bridge TR 414 over Templeton Fork of Wheeling Creek East Finley TownshipBrownsville Bridge LR 268 Over Monongahela River, between West Brownsville in Washington County and Brownsville in Fayette County West BrownsvilleCharleroi-Monessen Bridge LR 247 over Monongahela River, between Charleroi in Washington County and Monessen in Westmoreland County CharleroiCrawford Covered Bridge TR 307, spanning Robinson Fork of Wheeling Creek West Finley TownshipDanley Covered Bridge On TR 379, spanning Robinson Fork of Wheeling Creek West Finley TownshipHorn Davis Overholtzer Bridge TR 838 over Ten Mile Creek West Bethlehem TownshipCollapsed on March 20, 1994Day Covered Bridge On TR 339 over Short Creek, Prosperity Morris TownshipEbenezer Covered Bridge In Mingo Creek Park, spanning Mingo Creek Nottingham Township Erskine Covered Bridge TR 314 over Middle Wheeling Creek West Finley Township Henry Covered Bridge Spans Mingo Creek in Mingo Creek County Park Nottingham Township Jackson's Mill Covered Bridge Northwest of Burgettstown on TR 853 crossing King's Creek Hanover TownshipKrepps Covered Bridge Southeast of Cherry Valley on TR 799 over Raccoon Creek Mount Pleasant TownshipLetherman Covered Bridge On TR 449 spanning the South Branch of Pigeon Creek North Bethlehem TownshipLongdon L. Miller Covered Bridge TR 414 over Templeton Fork of Wheeling Creek West Finley TownshipLyle Covered Bridge North of Raccoon on TR 861 crossing Raccoon Creek Hanover TownshipMartin's Mill Covered Bridge West of Marianna, crossing Ten Mile Creek West Bethlehem TownshipDisappearedBlaney Mays Covered Bridge TR 423, spanning Middle Wheeling Creek Donegal TownshipDevil's Den, McClurg Covered Bridge Hanover Park Hanover TownshipPine Bank Covered Bridge Near SR 4018 at Meadowcroft Village, Avella Cross Creek TownshipPlant's Covered Bridge TR 408 over Templeton Fork of Wheeling Creek East Finley TownshipRalston Freeman Covered Bridge on private property, TR 352 over Aunt Clara's Fork of Kings Creek Hanover TownshipClaysville S Bridge 6 miles west of Washington on Old National Road (US 40), over Buffalo Creek Buffalo TownshipSawhill Covered Bridge TR 426 over Buffalo Creek, SR 221 Taylorstown Blaine TownshipSprowl's Covered Bridge TR 450 over Rocky Run West Finley TownshipWebster-Donora Bridge SR 143 over the Monongahela River DonoraWilson's Mill Covered Bridge Cross Creek County Park Cross Creek TownshipCerl Wright Covered Bridge TR 802 over the North Branch of Pigeon Creek Somerset TownshipWyit Sprowls Covered Bridge TR 360 over Robinson Fork of Wheeling Creek West Finley Township

Historic districts District name ImageLocationMunicipalityBeallsville Historic DistrictNational Road, from Oak Alley to West Alley and Sunset Drive to Sargent AlleyBeallsville BoroughCement City Historic DistrictChestnut and Walnut Streets from Modisette to Bertha Avenue and along Ida and Bertha StreetsDonora BoroughCenterville Historic DistrictOld National Pike spur, roughly from Linton Road to the junction of US 40 and PA 481CentervilleEast Washington Historic District Intersected by Beau Street and Wade Avenue, includes North Avenue, Wheeling and Chestnut StreetsEast Washington, PennsylvaniaMarianna Historic DistrictRoughly bounded by Ten Mile Creek, Beeson Avenue Hill, 6th and 7th StreetsMarianna, PennsylvaniaScenery Hill Historic District National Road East (US 40), between Scenery Hill Cemetery and Kinder RoadNorth Bethlehem TownshipTaylorstown Historic District Main Street, TaylorstownBlaine TownshipWest Alexander Historic DistrictMain Street, North Liberty to Mechanic StreetsWest AlexanderWest Middletown Historic District Main Street (Route 844) running east–westWest Middleton

Public landmarks Landmark name ImageLocationMunicipalityStatusMcMillan HallCampus of Washington and Jefferson CollegeWashingtonBethel African American Episcopal Church of Monongahela City7th and West Main StreetsMonongahelaDavid Bradford House175 South Main StreetWashingtonCanonsburg ArmoryWest College Street and North Central AvenueCanonsburgHawthorne SchoolHawthorne and Bluff StreetsCanonsburgHill's TavernUS 40, Scenery HillNorth Bethlehem TownshipLeMoyne CrematorySouth Main Street at Hillsview SanitariumNorth Franklin TownshipF. Julius LeMoyne House49 East Maiden StreetWashingtonMeadowcroft Rock Shelter401 Meadowcroft Road, west of AvellaCross Creek TownshipMingo Creek Presbyterian Church and ChurchyardJunction of SR 88 and Mingo Church RoadUnion TownshipOld Main, California State CollegeCampus of California University of PennsylvaniaCaliforniaPennsylvania Railroad Freight Station111 Washington StreetWashingtonPennsylvania Railroad Passenger StationWater and Wood StreetsCaliforniaTrinity HallOn SR 18,1 mile south of WashingtonWashingtonUnited States Post Office-Charleroi638 Fallowfield AvenueCharleroiWashington Armory76 West Maiden StreetWashingtonWashington County CourthouseSouth Main Street between Beau Street and Cherry StreetWashingtonWashington County JailCherry Street, west of courthouseWashington

Residential landmarks and farmsteads Property name ImageLocationMunicipalityEdward G. Acheson House908 Main Street, MonongahelaMonongahelaSamuel Brownlee HouseSR 519 in village of WylandvilleSouth Strabane TownshipCaldwell TavernJunction of US 40 and TR 474 east of ClaysvilleBuffalo TownshipDager-Wonsettler FarmsteadOn Old National Road (now SR 40) near GlydeAmwell TownshipMargaret Derrow HouseWest Main Street, ClaysvilleDonegal TownshipDoak-Little HouseUS 40South Strabane TownshipJoseph Dorsey House113 Cherry Avenue, Denbeau Heights (Denbo Heights)Centerville BoroughDusmal HouseEast of Gastonville off Gilmore RoadUnion TownshipMolly Fleming House616 Wood StreetCaliforniaPhilip Friend House105 Little Daniels Run RoadNorth Bethlehem TownshipHarrison HouseOld National Pike, US 40, one mile east of CentervilleCenterville BoroughHuffman Distillery and Chopping MillLR 62155, 2 miles North of Junction with PA 917Somerset TownshipJennings-Gallagher HouseWood Street, CaliforniaCaliforniaKinder's MillLR 62194 at Piper Road, DeemstonDeemstonMoses Little TavernNational Pike (US 40), 3/4 miles east of I-79 interchangeAmwell TownshipDavid Longwell HouseWest Main Street, Monongahela CityMonongahelaMalden InnOff US 40 East, on Malden Place, spur of Old National RoadCenterville BoroughIsaac Manchester House2 miles south of Avella on SR 231Independence TownshipMartin FarmsteadSR 136, 2 miles west of Eighty FourSouth Strabane TownshipDr. Joseph Maurer House97 West Wheeling StreetWashingtonMontgomery HouseWest Main Street, ClaysvilleDonegal TownshipThomas Munce HouseSR 136, 3 miles east of WashingtonSouth Strabane TownshipJohn H. Nelson House104 Colvin RoadFallowfield TownshipRobert Parkinson FarmSR 18, .4 miles north of Old Concord VillageMorris TownshipRegester Log HouseDeemstonRingland TavernOn US 40 (Old National Road), Scenery HillNorth Bethlehem TownshipRoberts House225 North Central AvenueCanonsburgFrank L. Ross FarmSR 519, .3 miles north of US 40North Bethlehem TownshipSackville House309 East Wheeling StreetWashingtonStephenson-Campbell HouseOn Tomahawk Claim Lane, off Reissing RoadCecil TownshipJames Thome Farm213 Linnwood RoadNorth Strabane TownshipUlery MillLR 62078, in ZollarsvilleWest Bethlehem TownshipWelsh-Emery House114 Emery Road, a spur of the Old National RoadCenterville BoroughJohn White House2151 North Main Street Ext.Chartiers TownshipLevi Wilson TavernOn National Road (US 40), 1.5 miles east of S-BridgeBuffalo Township

See also

National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Pennsylvania List of Pennsylvania state historical markers in Washington County

References