THe date of this historic photo of the Eliza Furnace in Vintondale, PA is unknown. When we come across old photos of the furnace we like to compare the stone pattern to how the furnace looks today. We are pleased to report that most of the stones shown in this photo are still intact at the furnace today. This photo was contained in a digital file from the Pattee Library of Penn State University.
In the early 1900s the Buckwheat Social Club of Smicksburg held an annual picnic at the picnic grounds at Goodville. Goodville was located near the railroad tracks outside of town and today would be the property of the Mahoning Dam Army Corps. People traveled from Dubois, Punxsy, Butler and Indiana, PA to attend the picnic. The roads leading to the picnic grounds were filled with buggies and carriages. No one seems to know what the Buckwheat Social Club consisted of or did other than the picnic but their annual picnic was a highlight of the social calendar in northern Indiana County. In the early 1900s more people lived in northern Indiana County than today due to the number of large farm families that lived there in that era.
Richard White Wehrle (1852 - 1937) was a highly successful Indiana County businessman and an avid naturalist regarded as Indiana County's foremost naturalist of his day. Mr. Wehrle is the namesake of the Wehrle's Salamander which he discovered in Indiana County in 1911 and named in his honor in 1917. Mr. Wehrle submitted many specimens of snakes, turtles and salamanders to various museums. He was given an honorary membership in the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences for his collection efforts. Mr. Wehrle was highly regarded by the herpetologists of his era. Wehrle's Salamanders can still be found in Indiana County, an endearing symbol of Mr. Wehrle's lifelong dedication to the county's natural history. Mr. Wehrle was a strong believer in taking daily walks in nature, to which he attributed his good health and long active life. This photo of Mr. Wehrle appeared in Caldwell's History of Indiana County, published in 1913.
