The story of Lower Trail begins in the early 1800s when the Pennsylvania Canal linked Philadelphia and Pittsburgh as part of the mainline of the Public Works of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This vital artery passed through this region along the very route which Lower Trail now follows.
As pre-Civil War technology advanced, the use of locomotives took the place of canal shipping, and in 1857, the Pennsylvania Railroad set up shop along the old canal route. When the Petersburg Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad was built, many of the structures associated with the canal, including the lock tender houses, juxtaposed to each canal lock, were razed and buried by 19th century PRR construction workers.
During the month of July, some inquisitive folks have literally been “digging in” to the history of the canal. Last week, this writer hitched a ride to an archeological excavation site positioned along Lower Trail, to see what all the hubbub is about.
“Welcome to our cathedral of learning,” said Alexandria archeologist Dr. Paul Heberling, the man in charge of the dig. “There are many ways to learn about the past — archeology provides an avenue for unearthing some of those clues about our past.”
Heberling and a crew, made up primarily of area school students, have set up shop near Lock No. 62, roughly three miles north of the Williamsburg trail head. They’re uncovering the foundation of a lock tender’s house, the only pre-dig evidence of which was a single rock jutting through the soil. Four weeks later, most of the house’s foundation was exposed, including a stone stairwell which leads to the former structure’s basement.
The dig was thought to be an ideal project for a fairly new federal program called Blazing New Trails. Don Paradise, state coordinator for the program, explained what it’s all about.
“We’re building partnerships with Pennsylvania schools, helping them to coordinate alternative education activities for students who have seen there share of trouble,” he said. “Generally, the students enrolled in the program have been suspended or expelled or have faced some other disciplinary problem, and we want to offer a positive and rewarding experience to these young people as they carry out community service requirements.
“The program has been unbelievable,” Paradise continued. “The youngsters really develop an appreciation for what they’re doing. They get to see first hand the benefits of their efforts to the community at large and it’s a positive thing.”
The program has been initiated locally through the efforts of administrators at the Tyrone Area School District, in conjunction with Westmoreland County Intermediate Unit 7. The school, through the guidance of grants administrator Sam Dean, secured a $42,000 grant to finance the project.
Together with officials from Hollidaysburg Area School District, Adelphoi Village and Pyramid Healthcare’s Greentree program, the folks at TASD have targeted Lower Trail as the beneficiary of its initiative.
“This is made possible with a community service grant through the Department of Education,” Dean said. “We started here at Lower Trail last summer, bringing alternative education students out to do trail maintenance, such as pruning, trash collection and mowing.
“This year, we’ve taken things to another level. The kids are not only doing work that serves the public, but they’re also learning, which is an important aspect of Blazing New Trails.”
TASD superintendent Dr. William Miller said he’s “very pleased” with the results of the program.
“This gives the students an opportunity to turn a negative situation into a positive one,” he noted. “We don’t want these at-risk kids to drop out of school or to continue to follow the wrong path. We want to inspire them to turn things around and positively impact the community.
“We’re seeing immediate results — they’re taking pride in the work — and we’re hoping this will translate into long-term success.”
Dean noted that, on average, six to 18 students have been present on any given activity day since the program’s 2003 inception. He said that when it came to deciding on what specific part of the region would benefit from the Blazing New Trails, Lower Trail was an easy pick.
“This trail is maintained by volunteers,” he explained. “Always has been. Their budget is limited and the trail is growing, so we knew the help would be needed and appreciated.
“We feel that working out in the open air is a positive environment for these students and the looks on their faces say it all. They’re really interested in and taking pride in what they’re doing.”
Lower Trail board member Palmer Brown said his group is happy to have the kids helping out with both trail maintenance and the current excavation.
“These guys really get down to it and work,” he said. “We need as many extra hands as we can muster, especially with the trail extension toward Canoe Creek. It’s working out great.”
Construction of Lower Trail, now a 15-mile hike a bike trail which extends from Alexandria to within two miles of Canoe Creek State Park, Blair County, began in 1990. Today, the passageway provides unadulterated solitude for hundreds of nature lovers.
For information on volunteering, call 696-9931.
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On the Net:
The Lower Trail: http://webpages.charter.net/cjmpsu/lowertrail/index.htm
Rails to Trails Conservancy: www.railtrails.org
