Mount Moriah Cemetery [South West Philadelphia]

I have to admit I only first heard of Mt Moriah from Hidden City Philadelphia last week [Aug 8 2013] and after some quick research I had to make a trip.When we first arrived I was in awe with the size and overall condition of the cemetery but I was hooked with beauty of it.
 There is a non profit group trying to bring back Mt Moriah back to what it once was with monthly mowing workdays but with over 200 acres they have a very long road ahead of them,they are always looking for donations to cover the costs of the up keep here is a link to there site http://www.friendsofmountmoriahcemetery.org/
As a photographer I tried to look past the overgrown of weeds and grass to look at the beauty of this 150 year old place of rest for some well known people that alot to do with City of Philadelphia and the Many of War Veterans from as far back as the Civil War.I will revisit Mt Moriah many more times to see the progress the Friends of Mt Moriah make with there battle against all odds.
  Here is a Wikipedia page link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Moriah_Cemetery_(Philadelphia)

 

Gettysburg Battlefield

With the 150th anniversary of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War here I thought I post a few of my favorite shots.I only have been to Gettysburg a dozen times and when they say there is something special about this place they are correct.When you walk the grounds there is a calming feeling that comes over you and a sense of peace.

Reading Viaduct {Philadelphia,Pa}

I found about this project while doing research on another bridge I was looking for some info about,after reading alot about it I saw there was a tour that weekend and after walking around Center City for about 5 miles.I just sat there and thought about it for a minute on how this looked back in the early 1920's and how they built it.
   The tunnel was the a nice treat after the tour was over I saw the guide was walking down the street and he thank me for taking the the tour and I said I really would have liked to see the underground tunnel.He then to my surprise well said let's go and away we went and to see what they did back the early 1900's is truely amazing it is something that must see in person.

Little early morning trip to Coatesville,Pa

Got up early and headed out to get some shots in Coatesville,Pa this morning in case you never been thru the town it has a bad elements that you want to avoid with expensive camera gear.Coatesville is a very old steel town that has been thru alot of ups and downs thru the years there is alot of history in this town they have the Lukens Steel Hertiage Foundation that is were they have the steel beams they recoverd from the 9/11 site in New York City.
 The town itself to not a total loss they are trying to bring live back to it little by litttle they have come a long way but it has seemed to stall of lately,the Steel is still the main attraction when you drive thru town you really have to drive off the main road to see the size of the plant.

 The Lipkin Furntiure Store just closed after a 114 years in business and now the building sits empty but the building is on the National Register #87000667.The National Bank of Chester Valley building that is dated back to 1857 and is also on the National Historic List.

Monocacy Hill,PA /John T Dyer Quarry Company

Stuck close to home today as we took a walk around Monocacy Hill to look for the Old John T Dyer Quarry Company old buildings,John Dyer bought the land in the early 1920's to get the stone to the railroads but the railroad line was never completed and it was abandoned a short time later.He went on to get a quarry closer to Birdsboro,Pa and to which it is still in operation today.

Chesapeake &Delaware Canal Lift Bridge

Ever since I saw a shot of this bridge I knew I had to take a ride and check this out.I really didn't know how I was gonna find it because all of the research I did it came up empty cause the road was owned by the US Army Corp of Engineers,until I found they where building a bike trail.I found a Boat Marine that was close until I found there was a job site close to the trail with security but after talking to him for about 15 minutes he was pretty cool with me parking closer.

   It was pretty cold that day so I only saw a Tug towing some kind of equipment up the canal maybe with the weather getting warmer another trip will be made,the security guard told me a couple weeks there was a boat that just cleared the bridge by a couple of feet.He also said the bridge gets more use during the week then on the weekends with it may go up and down only only a few times all weekend.

Old Coal Load Out

Tried to find out some info on this Coal Load out but I have no luck,It is located in Easton,Pa and it is part of the old Reading Lines there is a set of single tracks above it and a lower set coming down at angle to the street level.The rail line above is not in use anymore and is hang out for the kids and homeless on this day I didn't run into any but there were several beer bottles and signs of a camp fire.