Sustainability

Description: The renovated Eagle Hotel, part of the Pennsylvania Historic Program since 1990, is home to this museum. In 1973, a group of citizens who wished to see the history of the town preserved, saved the hotel from a dim fate and purchased it. The purpose of the museum is to preserve and restore the historical legacy of the area. Since 1977, the hotel has been restored and is listed on the National Register of Historic Sites. The old hotel functions both as a museum and as a restaurant. The museum tells the story of early forts in the area and of George Washington's visit. The museum is run by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission of Edinboro University.

Environmental Issue: The Waterford Borough is located at the head of Lake Le Boeuf, where the French Fort was located in 1753. Lake LeBoeuf is one of three inland lakes in Erie County. This area played an important part in the struggle for the New World between the French and the British.

Fort Le Boeuf was the second French fort in Pennsylvania located at what is present day Waterford. The fort, named for nearby Le Boeuf Creek, guarded the waters of the upper Ohio River. Fort LeBoeuf was believed to be formed with four sides of a square and had a guardhouse, a chapel, an infirmary and the commander's storehouse. The fort was used to send supplies south from the Saint Lawrence River to the Gulf of Mexico and was designed to protect the Ohio Valley.

In 1753, George Washington, then a major representing the Governor of Virginia, came to Fort Le Boeuf carrying a letter to the commander of the fort warning the French to withdraw their forces from the region that was claimed by Great Britain. Six years later, following the French and Indian War, the French withdrew and the English burned the fort. The English took possession of the site and built a new fort in 1760, which the Native Americans burned in 1763 during Pontiac's rebellion.

The modern town of Le Boeuf was surveyed and laid out in 1794 to follow the land route of the French trail from Erie to the waters of Lake Le Boeuf and French Creek. A stagecoach line began regular service between Erie and Pittsburgh and by 1826, made three trips per week. Waterford became less significant after the Erie Extension Canal era of 1844 to 1871, but by 1900, the population had declined as had employment opportunities. The town then became dependent on agriculture, mostly with potato farming, dairy, and cattle production.

Description: The Union City Museum, founded in 1965, tells the story of early settlement in northwestern Pennsylvania. The museum has three floors that show how people lived and worked in the region from 1797 to the present. The first floor has equipment from an old grocery store, civil war artifacts, and a World War II roll with the names of Union City veterans. The second floor has equipment used by barbers, doctors, dentists, and pharmacists. The third floor contains items manufactured in Union City.

Environmental Issue: Union City, formerly known as Miles Mills, was founded in 1800. In this area, Miles built a gristmill and sawmill, cleared land for farming, and opened roads. He served as the postmaster in a post office he established here. Three oil refineries were established here after Edwin Drake discovered oil in Titusville. This area was densely forested and the manufacturing of wood products soon began. In 1871, the borough was renamed Union City. Today, much of the history is still visible. The Main Street area is considered a historic district and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. The Depot, which was built in 1903 for the Philadelphia & Erie Railroad, still stands at Main and High Streets.

Drake Well Museum

Description: At the Drake Well Museum, you can observe the site where Edwin L. Drake, in 1859, started the modern commercial oil industry. Visitors can explore the replica of Drake's engine house and oil derrick, which provide a glimpse of how the oil industry began, and see reproductions of Drake's steam engine and wood-fired boiler. The Museum tells the story of the beginning of the modern oil industry through museum, exhibits, operating oil field machinery, and historic buildings in a park setting. There are also many special events and educational programs.

Environmental Issue: Fossil fuels, such as oil, coal, and natural gas, account for 80 percent of energy use in industrialized countries and provide about 95 percent of all commercial energy in the world. Supplies of fossil fuels are diminishing, and their use affects the environment. As we burn fossil fuels, by driving cars and generating electricity, we release carbon dioxide and other heat-absorbing gases that contribute to global climate change, smog, and acid rain. Cleaner renewable energy resources such as solar photovoltaic, wind, and biomass can be used to replace environmentally damaging energy sources.

David Mead Log Cabin

Description: David Mead, who served in the Continental Army and read about George Washington's travels through this area in 1757, was looking for a place to settle following the Revolutionary War. At that time, the Continental Congress had little money, and instead, it granted lands in lieu of cash payments to members of the Continental Army who served in the war. David and his brother settled along French Creek and David became the founder of Meadville. The current cabin replica is actually two log cabins connected by a breezeway, with one side modeled to look like David Mead's home and the other to look like a schoolroom.

Environmental Issue: Meadville, Pennsylvania, is rich with history. David, John, and Joseph Mead founded a settlement there in 1788, which was known as Cussewago, then Mead's Mill, and finally Meadville. David Mead was a general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and was appointed associate judge of Crawford County, where he served until his death in 1816. Allegheny College was founded here in 1815, where Ida Tarbell, a famous female journalist, was the only woman in the class of 1880. Tarbell became known nationally for exposing illegal practices of the Standard Oil Company. French Creek, which flows behind the log cabin, is an ecological treasure that is home to many endangered species and also was an important mode of early transportation. In 1870, the Meadville Market House was built; it is now the oldest market house in continuous use in Pennsylvania. A tool and die industry arose and became very important. Zippers were first mass-produced Meadville in 1917; the inventor Wilcomb L. Judson and Lewis "the Colonel" Walker formed the Hookless Fastener Co. in 1913. It was later renamed the Talon Zipper Company and was the nations leading zipper manufacturer for nearly a century.

French Creek

Description: French Creek flows from small tributaries in southern Chautauqua County, New York, to its junction with the Allegheny River at Franklin, Pennsylvania. The east bank of French Creek, behind the David Mead log cabin, is a wonderful place to view French Creek. Fish, mollusks, and waterfowl can often be seen from this location.

Environmental Issue: French Creek is a biologically diverse stream with over 89 types of fish and 27 species of freshwater mussels, including 2 federally endangered species. The freshwater mussels live on the bottom and filter the water to eat and breathe and are a vital component of the ecosystem.

French Creek begins in Chautauqua County, New York and runs through Erie, Crawford, Mercer, and Venango counties, ending in Franklin, Pennsylvania, where it meets the Allegheny River. The French Creek watershed covers over 1,235 square miles. Farmland, wooded areas, meadows, wetlands, and towns, all of which influence the river's quality, border the creek. Despite its excellent biological diversity and high water quality, many issues threaten French Creek. Wastewater discharges from home septic systems and sewage treatment plants cause nutrients to enter the water, altering stream chemistry and biology. Failure to use best farm management practices, can result in runoff of soil, animal waste, fertilizer, and pesticides to the streams. Runoff from roads often includes oil, salt, and other chemicals can be harmful to aquatic life. Introduction of non-native plants and animals can threaten native species through competition, and cause harmful economic impacts. To reduce these harmful impacts on the water, great care must be taken to keep French Creek healthy!

Linesville Fish Culture Station

Description: The hatchery contains a multi-story aquarium and exhibits throughout the year. The hatchery is responsible for stocking about five million adult trout and salmon and 90 million walleye each year. The fish culture station functions year-round and depending on the time of year you visit the hatchery, you will see many different types of mature fish. Visitors can see a working model of a fish egg incubation system.

Environmental Issue: Fish hatcheries in Pennsylvania are in trouble. Hatcheries pull water from wells or, more commonly, from nearby streams. After the water is used to raise fish, it is released back into the stream. Fish waste in discharge water contains nitrogen and phosphorous, nutrients essential for plant growth. When hatcheries release water containing high concentrations of these nutrients, aquatic plants and algae grow at extraordinary rates. Then, bacteria break down the greater-than-normal number of decaying plants, depriving sensitive fish and invertebrates of oxygen. Therefore these animals cannot survive in waters with high nutrient concentrations.

Nutrient pollution is a common problem in northwest Pennsylvania. Hatcheries are struggling to find cost effective solutions that reduce water use and improve the quality of discharged water. Improperly applied manure from farms can leach from soil into waterways. Poorly maintained or inadequate septic and sewer systems also discharge nutrients into streams. Other water quality issues include soil erosion and stream sedimentation, and the loss of riparian zone vegetation.

Erie Extension Canal Towpath Trail

Description: The towpath was used originally to tow barges along the Erie Extension Canal. It later became the bed of the Bessemer-Lake Erie Railroad. This relatively flat, grass-surfaced trail takes the hiker or biker along a wildlife corridor that is surrounded by wetlands and forest. The trail is four miles long and heads south from the trailhead on Pennsylvania Route 285.

Environmental Issue: After the Erie Canal had been in operation for ten or twelve years, citizens decided that they wanted a canal that would connect the Erie Canal with the Pennsylvania Main Line, Lake Erie, and the Ohio River. This would help to support the people moving westward and would bring new prosperity to northwestern Pennsylvania. It would also provide a safe and reliable means of moving goods between major eastern and western cities. Construction of the Erie Extension Canal began around 1838 and was completed for shipping to the Port of Erie in 1844. The canal ran through five northwestern Pennsylvania counties and connected the Ohio River to Lake Erie. In 1873, an aqueduct near Elk Creek Gorge that allowed canal boats to cross the deep river gorge was destroyed, marking the end of the Erie Extension Canal. There were suspicions that railroad designers had caused the destruction. Railroads were becoming a more popular and economical means of transportation than canals and the canal beds provided a good base for the railroad bed.