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Where was this old sign photo taken?


A reader sent me the photograph above trying to locate where in Pennsylvania it would have been taken.  The photo was on the William Penn Highway (today's US 22), along the Allegheny Mountains at an elevation of 2430 feet.  The question is, what is the name of the summit, it is "(blank)N RIDGE SUMMIT".

I know of two major summits along the Alleghenies - Laurel Hill and Chestnut Ridge.  A look at the DeLorme Pennsylvania Atlas & Gazetteer doesn't show any ridges in the Alleghenies ending in 'N'.  So what ridge is it, and where along the William Penn Highway would this have been shot at.

Also, is there a modern version of this same highway sign standing today?

Comments

Brian said…
Wikipedia lists a Penn Ridge (no article) with a ZIP code of 15235 (a Pittsburgh ZIP) in Allegheny County, but I wouldn't have any idea if that's anywhere close to where the photo was taken.
Adam said…
Brian,

Penn Ridge would not be at an elevation of 2430' if it was with a Pittsburgh zip code. I think the highest point in Allegheny County is just over 1400' near where I grew up.

Penn Ridge and 15235 is in the Penn Hills area of Allegheny County.
Froggie said…
Cresson Ridge (naturally in Cresson Township), just east of the US 22 freeway, and just west of the Cambria/Blair County line. There is a modern version there, lacking the keystone shape and the "William Penn Highway", of course. Don't have a photo of it, but that's the one.
Larry G said…
well, I had no luck but another interesting thing about this locale is that it is near a place called Portage and Hollidaysburg which were the connect points for the Rail Portage for the Pennsylvania Canal that was supposed to connect eastern and western PA and compete with the Erie Canal in NY.

The Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site is accessed from U.S. 22 by the Admiral Peary Hwy out of Cresson.
NateOMatic said…
You can see it on Street View; here's a link showing the modern sign and even the same high-tension line tower in the background. (Take one step to the west to actually read the sign!)

Link: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Pittsburgh,+Allegheny,+Pennsylvania&ll=40.456091,-78.559885&spn=0,359.89048&z=14&layer=c&cbll=40.456101,-78.559779&panoid=lSor0LYW0NuzPBrrB7wcpA&cbp=12,322.7,,0,-3.53
Doug said…
Cresson Ridge sounds right in this case, considering that there is a ridge to climb to get to Cresson from the Altoona area.
Unknown said…
Looks like the Wm Penn Highway used to take that older route over the ridge before the freeway was put in, then. But forget that... what's with calling William Penn Highway the "Admiral Peary Highway?!?"
mike said…
Can someone around Charlotte help me out? Got an old postcard of a "Mary Lynn Motel" on Hwy US 601 and US 74 in Monroe, NC. It also showed a diner in the pic. Could someone see if the motel and diner are still there on your next drive through Monroe?

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